top-10 things on my mind for 2011

so we're now 8 days into the new year; hope everyone's 2011 is going just as planned - exciting, adventurous, refreshing, etc... mine is going amazingly as i'm still on holiday and i doing what i like, getting back in touch with old mates (many of whom i'd neglected for a year), reading, writing, watching movies, and looking forward to 2 road trips before i start the rigours of work again. why can't i find someone to pay me for this all year??

this post may seem a bit disjointed, but i have a lot going on in my head and i'm using this as my medium (just ur luck!). so to hark back to my old ways a bit, herewith your first top-10 list for 2011. really its more like top-10 things of whats currently on my mind (and in absolutely random order).

10: new years resolutions. the never ending question/ easy icebreaker for the first week of the year. so, how many do you have? or more importantly, how many have you already broken? or, theoretically, do you believe in new years resolutions? i don't really know why this has become a belief over the years; new-agey people are quite famous for the response: "i don't make new years resolutions", or rather, "i don't believe in such things". whether u believe it or not, tough. most people make plans, so whether u do it for a day, week, month, year, etc, chances are you're planning on doing something(s) this year. that, my friend, is a new year's resolution, ka-pish? so i do believe in new years resolutions. so how many have i broken? none!...mainly because in my mind the new years resolution calendar for me hasnt started. still in holiday mode, remember?!

9. new years resolutions(2). mine. i've got quite a few of them actually. i wont mention all of them, but i plan on being more active/sporty. this includes soccer, tennis, squash, cycling, and the occasional gym-ing. i also plan on blogging more regularly (you should expect to see a blog every week...thinking fridays or saturdays or sundays...which means you should be checking this space more often, putting it in your favourites, putting it in your blog feed, etc...). i also plan on resuming my fetish with road trips! the more the merrier. and other resolutions i'll make up as i go along. if you don't have any resolutions, i suggest you check out this list of top 41 places to go in 2011...its inspirational!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09where-to-go.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210

8. last years resolutions. i took a look at what my resolutions were in 2010 for shits and giggles, and noticed that i barely got a 50% mark. for those too far removed from school, this means that i barely completed half of what i resolved to do at the beginning of the year. my resolutions included getting my mba (check), enjoying the world cup to the fullest (ok check), being a "man of my words" (ok check), being more disciplined (fail), and doing more outdoors (fail...mostly...tho i did some ultimate frisbee (once) and touch rugby (a few times)). not a whopping success, but im cool with that. just have more to add to my 2011 resolutions.

what a year of african football! i was there!

7. joburg. im finally back to the city of gold, the promised land, the land of flowing honey and butter and malls... so, riddle. how do you know you've arrived in joburg? when u need to go to a mall to do everything that needs to be done (banking, eating, mailing, hair cutting, chilaxing...). you know you've arrived when it rains and all of a sudden you see potholes like never before. you've arrived in joburg when every possible window or door or opening in a house or apt is preceeded by burglar bars. finally, you really know you're in joburg when people show off their beautiful lavish homes with 12 meter tall fences topped by broken glass, topped by electric wiring and fencing, with a private guard and 2 dogs trained to tear human flesh at first sight. then if you manage to step inside the gate, you find yet another set of walls and electric fences and private security system to protect each room of the house. to be fair, on the flip side, you've got some of the friendliest people, the warmest friends, the best places to chill and just hang out. i really love this city!

6. cape town. despite my groanings about this city, i truly believe, in terms of sights and sounds, it is among the 10 or 5 most beautiful places in the world (at least that ive seen). mountains on one side, oceans on the other, driving at sunset, walking on the beach, waking up to see the sunrise on top of a mountain, there's few places better than this. and almost everywhere you go presents a kodak moment.

5. US. i had a very nice christmas here in sa. but i really wanted a white christmas; its been too long since ive seen snow. of course its not all its cracked up to be, but even if you've lived in snow all your life, the sight of fresh snow on the ground (before the snow trucks and the sand and salt) is still an awesome one. like this:

4. sudan. tomorrow, southern sudanese go to the polls to decide on their future. i'm really intrigued by this and i think it will be the beginning of relative peace and progress for the country and the region. it wont be all smoothe and the election probably will have some irreglarities, but i hope and pray that all in all, things go well and southern sudan can soon begin to celebrate its independence and learn to govern themselves in revolutionary and innovative ways and teach africa a thing or two. a lot to ask for, but i've been criticised for being too big of a cynic so heres to trying to regain a bit of my youthful hope-filled days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12070034

worth reading. edu-ma-cate urselves.

3. cote d'ivoire. 2 concurrent governments? one being run out of a hotel? head-of-government-turned-tyrant? flawed elections? ignorance of people's will? stubbornness to leave office? failed legacy? return to turmoil? yet another set back? does africa ever learn? more importantly do the dim-witted people that govern many african nations ever learn from the past (note i refuse to call these guys and lads leaders)? what happened to the will of the people? what happened to a government for the people? helping those that cannot help themselves? leading progress and innovation, championing democracy, transparency, and good governance? isnt it past due time for some semblance of credible civil society to rise up?!

2. nigeria. never a dull moment. elections set for april with goodluck, maybe, as the leading candidate?? i'm in no mood for puns, but what a great name, mr. goodluck! in all seriousness plenty is riding on this election. nigeria could have a relatively free and fair election and choose a leader from a region that has never produced a president and that has been largely marginalised even though it provides most of the revenue for the country. or it could go the route of the past and have a shambled election filled with more violence and vote rigging and greed than ever before. obviously there's a lot of grey in between. hoping for the best.

1. look all around; theres nothing, but...newness. more than 3 years into my ubuntu adventures, and im finally sick of my blog template. so it's changed! hope you like it. if you don't lemme know and i may or may not listen to your suggestions. there will be more minor changes to come and i may or may not note them as they come. also important, i'm embarking on a project which may produce other new things this year. more to come on that. be sure to *watch this space*!

Happy YOMU!

As i write this, i'm sitting at the airport, awaiting what seems too much like the closure of a concluding chapter in this breath-taking city. A closure - it seems or perhaps i hope - to the most challenging year of my life, personally and professionally, to one of the most difficult, distressing and stressful years thus far, and yet, also to my best and most rewarding year so far (they only keep getting better).

So what happened this year to give it such vivid characterisations and what could i possibly be looking forward to next year? the answers to those questions are not as easy as making a wishlist of resolutions and/or annoyances during the year. the last couple of weeks have allowed me the opportunity to reflect on the "year of african football" (YAF) and what i actually gained from it. granted i didn't exactly take every opportunity to reflect during this period, i had to have some fun and relish the ability to step outside of the business school to finally explore the city as well. which i did. the little reflection that i did has led me to some interesting realisations and conclusions - most importantly of which is the need to do more reflection before i get enthralled and enGROSSed in work life (note the added emPHAsis!).

I battled a bit with how to organise this post. was gonna do something like a laundry list of "the goods, bads, and uglies" cuz of course i like lists, but decided against just that. i'm still doing a list of goods bads and uglies, but what i realised is that most things that happened during the year, not unlike any other event, ultimately has good, bad, and ugly sides. so here goes: reflections on the year of the mba.

mba. i'll start with the most obvious.

• the good: i got an mba. and in one year. and wrote a thesis that i enjoyed and am actually proud of. i met lots of fascinating people, made lots of connections, and embarked on a handful of what will hopefully be lifelong and diverse friendships. and a few very deep ones too. i'm not gonna mention any names, but i think/hope you know who you are and you know that i truly treasure our relationship and the times we're shared and desperately look forward to much more. not sure if that's what i expected when i started this year, but that's what i got and it's good.
• the bad: a bit of a transition year for the school which led to some failures from and disappointments with the staff and faculty. nothing major here.
• the ugly: hmm, reaching here...the year did go super fast and hardly had time to breathe. some of the lecturers were ugly too :P

cape town.

• the good: the city is seriously one of the most beautiful cities I've seen in the world. and i think i've been to some pretty beautiful cities. sunshine, beach, water, mountains, hikes, swimming (rather dipping my legs in the water!), long drives, nature...i learned the true definition of the term "chill-axing"!
• the bad: i was stuck at school most of the time and didn't really get a chance to explore all aspects of the city. but there's always next year...and the year after!
• the ugly: as beautiful as the city is, a quick drive to the other side of the mountain shows how depressingly poor it is and the all too vivid divide between the haves and the have-nots. likewise, unfortunately, a quick drive or walk down the street also reminds you of how backward and often racist the city can be as well. those experiences are well documented and i'll leave it at that.

friends (those i had before the YAF).

• the good: i couldn't ask for more understanding friends as i have. i told them when i was leaving joburg at the end of last year that i would be pretty MIA for the year. i don't think they believed me. but they quickly learned that i wasnt joking. and ultimately had no hard feelings (well none that i'm aware of anyway). don't worry people, 2011 will be the year of making up (YOMU!..i think; got a good ring to it)
• the bad: - see below -
• the ugly: too many losses. 2 of my friends passed away unexpectedly this year. One, Dr. LeVine was my mentor from university and the other one, David, a dear friend - one of the very first people i met - in joburg. Dr. LeVine lived a long and well acomplished life and taught me a whole lot. David lived for 27 years, the final 3 battling severe cancer, but made no less of an impact on me. I thought Dr. LeVine's death hit me pretty hard until I found out about David and someone discovered tears and wails and sorrow to a degree i had never experienced within me. attending david's funeral was also difficult. the open casket, ugly. the parents and siblings almost fainting and weeping incessantly, ugly. the mom, constantly begging where they've taken her son and pleading for some miracle, perhaps for him to come back, fully healed (?), ugly. death is ugly. but it doesn't have to remain that way and certainly does not have to be a finality or a conclusion. for David, i'm sure it represented a much needed, even prayed-for, relief and ending to the immense pain and suffering he was going through. For his family and friends, we're left with fond memories and regrets, what ifs and could've beens, and, most importantly, lessons learnt from David's life. in short david lived (and infested others he was close to) with a deep sense of simplicity, a keen love and care for others, and for God. his short 27 years were not a waste. he used them to the fullest. and in the process managed to leave a lasting legacy on those he came in contact with.

family.

• the good: my family's always good. kind of! always supportive, helpful, faithful, and certainly never dull!
• the bad: - see below -
• the ugly: phew, I could spend the next couple posts on this. heh, just joking mom and dad. anyway, in all seriousness there are major things going on in my family that i will not post here, but that have drained my energy, tested my faith, and at times tested my patience and sanity. i feel that more than ever things are piling up and i dont see a clear solution of end in sight. for someone that seeks clarity out of complex and relishes control, this is not good. this year, i believe, was the most trying year in my family since i've known them as family. so if you're a praying person, pray along with me. don't ask what you must pray for because frankly i don't even know. if you're not such a person, try it!

2010. Ke Na Ko!

• the good: one of the reasons, if not the reason, that i came to south africa was for the world cup. it came. it was amazing to see some matches and the spirit (gees) brought by all sorts of fans descending on this country, this continent, many for the very first time. I WAS THERE!
• the bad: umm...take a look at me grades for that month. yikes...
• the ugly: what are we gonna do with the stadiums and costs??

i'm sure there's lots more i could write about, but i think this post (which i started with the clear intention of keeping short and concise) has gone on for long enough. so 2010 was a trying and challenging year in ways that supercede the mba or the classroom or the seminar room. in fact, the mba at times became my refuge - the least of my problems and a place to hide and get away from the real problems in life. but in all my experiences i learned to appreciate life (mine and others), to care more for others and be more keenly involved in the lives of those around me, i learned to keep asking questions and keep seeking answers, to trust and hope, to deal with failure and mistakes and learn and move on, i learned to battle and fight in my search. and im not done learning (still at least 12 hours to go!).

2011. YOMU?!

In the end, i don't think this moment is a concluding chapter; rather part of the opening credits. I look forward to what 2011 has in store and so many more adventures, of the ubuntu-nature or otherwise, to come. i look forward to taking the lessons of 2010 and applying them to the year of making up (YOMU? I'll keep working on that one).

In Kiritimati, it's already 2011, so happy new years guys. To the rest of the world, enjoy your eve and may the new year bring lots of blessings, happiness, fond memories, and of course lasting adventures and unshakable bonds.

feliz navidad

it's christmas morning and i have three wishes:

1. a tree

2. snow

3. be with family

unfortunately, none of those 3 wishes are gonna come true today, but i will definitely be spending the day with some amazing friends who have become my family here and...well...i have pictures!

in about a week or so, i'll be posting some thoughts on the year, but as I start reminiscing on the year and what i have to be thankful for, i realise that the year has really been a mix of emotions, as many of you know. this year ending is more bittersweet in more ways than any that i've been through. i had many ups (doing my mba, meeting some great people, etc) and many downs (mourning deaths, illnesses, intense drama which shall remain name-less, etc) and many many in-betweens/flat periods. more details to come...

for now, i just want to wish a very merry christmas to everyone out there, especially those that believe in it, and for others an incredible holiday season. christian or not, there's no better time to reflect on what's happened the last year and thank God (or your lucky stars, or the intelligent creator, etc) for whats been good or for lessons you've learned from whats been bad. its as good a time as ever to start looking to the future and expecting even better things to come. its a great time to actually look beyond yourself (you know its not all about u) and see what more you can do for others, which in the end with enrich and bless you in return. i never get sick of the phrase: to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded... yes, a whole year of mba and this is what i've learned.

joyeux noel.

(slightly) more b-obama

to water your pallets: just wanna give a heads-up that this blog will be experiencing some dramatic and some not-so-dramatic changes in the future...think next year and beyond. so watch this space!

on other news, actually old news. more about what i discussed in the last post. read about how most americans seem to be misinformed and how i firmly believe that obama needs a new spin doctor. or better yet, just communicate to americans with the passion and clarity you once had.

"Frightened by joblessness, the American people rewarded the party that not only opposed the stimulus but also blocked the extension of unemployment benefits. Alarmed by a ballooning national debt, they rewarded the party that not only transformed budget surpluses into budget deficits but also proposes to inflate the debt by hundreds of billions with a permanent tax cut for the least needy two per cent. Frustrated by what they see as inaction, they rewarded the party that not only fought every effort to mitigate the crisis but also forced the watering down of whatever it couldn't block."

read more: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/11/15/101115taco_talk_hertzberg

~won't the real obama please stand up~

i realise that obama (lovingly called b-obama in this space, if you recall) has been painfully absent in my blog entries of late. so, to keep from forgetting the forgotten, this entry appears. tho, i guess you can't really call obama the forgotten. he is very well on the hearts and minds of most americans and many many foreigners (e.g. south africans who do not fail to ask me what the next step is for obama or which republican candidate will inevitably unseat him in a couple years). i really feel sorry for the guy, well kind of. obama gets back from his longest overseas trip this week - a trip which saw some successes (india, indonesia) and some dismal failures (no south korea trade agreement and no love at the G20). even more exciting, he goes home to face more questions about the "shellacking" (in his own words) he and his party experienced during the elections a week or so ago.

perusing the www, there is no shortage of articles stating what went wrong, how it can or cannot be fixed, and what obama did or did not do or should or should not do (did you know that democrats are mad at him cuz he doesnt call them or take pics with them and republicans are mad at him cuz he doesnt invite them to golf outings? true stuff!). and maybe its just me and maybe i have a bit of a socialist in me (but really who doesnt, come on...), but i cannot for the life of me understand people's aversion to being insured or having health insurance. yes, it costs the government money when it doesn't have much, but imagine a recession like the one we were just in where millions lost their jobs. what if those guys were not insured or their insurance didn't cover much. now we would have unemployment, a recession, and loads of peeps packing the ERs cuz they can't go for a normal procedure or worse off the elderly and poor dying, unable to treat simple injuries. during massive job losses, the worst thing you want to do is exacerbate that by not having enough social service nets to take care of people that cannot take care of themselves. if the government does not take care of the helpless, what is the role of the government. even more, obama did this w/o raising taxes which almost amounts to magic (aka chinese debt). and don't even get me started with the tea party (actually i know very little about this group as i refuse to even read up on them and their ridiculous tactics). anyway, i digress.

its a rather cool exercise to look at presidents' photos during their tenure to grasp just how much stress and burden the position is. and with 2 wars, a global recession, the fall of the investment banking sector as we know it, and rising unemployment, obama has his fair share of burden and stress i'm sure. so before i close with my 2 cents of what i think obama needs to do to regain his credibility in the eyes of voters, a bit of pictorial digression.

Once upon a time, obama burst unto the show with much fan-fare and promise - a savior almost - looking so fresh n so clean, talking a new kind of politics, a new america.

Then shortly after he won the hearts, minds, and imaginations of the american people, he realised what he had gotten himself into. and the grey hairs and sulken face began to appear.

shame. that's what a shellacking will do to you. look listen and learn, folks! and after all the mudslinging and attempts at "changing washington" (hah!) and more attempts at pleasing the never-happy liberals (i almost think ultra-liberals get off on finding something to complain about, otherwise their existence would be worthless) and the conniving conservatives, what is america's view of the so-called neo-messiah now?

and really i can't blame anyone but obama himself for that assessment...which leads me to my 2 cents.

when obama came unto the screen, he was viewed and appreciated by many, including myself, as the anti-bush, in many ways. here was a figure that was both inspirational and pragmatic. one who inspired others to think larger than themselves and expect more and better from their leaders. a smart and informed president - what a new and refreshing thought in these modern times! well, i think he may have taken that batton so far that he forgot that even as an intelligent and thoughtful, careful president, you still need a human touch (see president clinton). obama has lost that human touch. without which, all best-laid plans and inspirational speeches and attempts to cross party lines becomes moot. maybe, just maybe, the reps are unto something by being upset over no invites to golf outings. now when we see obama, we literally see a man that talks to the audience or often, above the audience, chin raised with a hint of condescendence in his speech - all too reminiscent of the upper-lipped, upper class of upper england. sorry, that just wont cut it in america. take academics for example (or just really bright people); we all love them and appreciate their contributions to society. but who wants to sit there and listen all day to an intelligent person reminding you of his/her intelligence all the time? people (esp. women :P) when they've had a tough day and they're spilling it all to their poor man aren't necessarily looking for answers and solutions, theyre looking for empathy and someone to listen. and though in a president we do want answers and solutions, we do not expect him to all of a sudden forget that there is a human perspective to leadership. and yes, it requires you doing some stupid things sometimes, like playing golf with people and taking time to take photos with others.

b-obama showed this human element many times during his 2008 campaign. he showed anger when he was outraged at the response to katrina for example, he was often calm and collected when speaking of important matters like the global recession, he was thoughtful and brilliant when speaking of matters of race, and he was filled with tears of compassion, grief and mixed emotions when speaking of his late grandmother.

we know the real obama is in there somewhere. let's see it again. many presidents have understood that your agenda means nothing if you dont carry the american people with you or make silly gestures to reach across the aisle. i don't care much for silly gestures (tho, they are a necessary evil), but i believe obama owes the american people a touch of emotion and feel of understanding as he drives his agenda and policy. i fully support what he is trying to achieve, but all of it will be undermined if he cannot take the public with him - whether that is by holding their hands, stooping down to help them or carry them along, lowering his flippin chin, or, yes, even having a beer with a local who's just lost his job.

Happy 50th, Nigeria (better late than never, so shut up!)

I've often been accused of being a bit slow (u know...up there...) and this post does nothing to de-bunk that. anyway, i've been meaning to post lately and specifically about nigeria's independence party or celebration of its 50th year of independence. so i'm gonna do just that; whether late or not.

when i told a colleague that i was going to a nigerian independence day celebration, he suddenly burst out laughing and demanded to know what in fact we have to celebrate. you should be crying, he jested, not celebrating. at the time, i was a bit offended; afterall, he's from cameroon. how much better are they at governance? this is my country he's making light of! but secretly i could not agree with him more. the half century mark should be something special within any context, most particularly the difficult task of nation building. moreover, by all accounts, this hastily amalgamated country of multiple nations should have failed a long time ago. admittedly, i found very little to celebrate on october 1.

but i kept digging for something, anything, to cling to - to celebrate. as i sat at that independence day ceremony and listened to the guest speaker remind us that the challenges facing nigeria are not unique and the solutions are neither impossible nor new, as i listened to a non-yoruba speaking south africa singing a yoruba song, and as i pondered over the words of the recited poem by a young nigerian girl saying "na dis be nigeria, nothin lesss dan de best..." i started to get it. "it" in this context was what it meant to be nigerian. certainly, arbitrarily drawn lines don't define the country (if it were so, we should have split into hundreds of clans a long time ago). what i got was that what really defines the country are its people. an article in cnn contended that "the real wealth of a country lies in its people and people is one resource that Nigeria has in abundance". i couldn't agree more.

so i decided i was not going to celebrate the country as an entity for lasting 50 years; rather, i would celebrate (and encourage others to celebrate) her people, for thriving for 50 years. Nigeria has produced so many great people that the moment these people, collectively, begin to use their abilities and capabilities in a utilitarian way, the progress of the country will be off the charts. I chose (and choose) to celebrate the Chimamanda Ngozis and Wole Soyinkas and Chinua Achebes for their literary genius, the Obafemi Awolowos and the Nnamdi Azikiwes for their revolutionary and thoughtful political leadership, the Nuhu Ribadus and Babatunde Fasholas for their unabashed political leadership, risking their lives to go against the flow and deliver for the nigerian people, the Chris Abanis for his inspirational leadership, the Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealas and Charles Soludos and Lamido Sanusis for their economic and visionary strength and the list goes on...In virtually all areas of society (academia, civil service, politics, private sector), there has been an influential nigerian making a difference. these are the people i celebrate on independence day - the brilliant, resilient, thriving, passionate, change-seeking, driven people of nigeria. i am proud to be a nigerian.

post-post: i know that there a lots of other nigerian doing lots of great things around the world, in their individual communities. I would like to actually get a database going to keep track of those. If anyone reads this and knows some personal stories about nigerians doing good and doing well anywhere in the world, please email me or leave their names in comments.

filmin' it up, part deux

i continued to feed my dorky hobby this weekend, by seeing more documentaries. i must admit tho, my goal of seeing one everyday until it ended on sunday didnt quite happen; i missed out on friday and saturday, but made up for it by watching 2 extremely thrilling documentaries back to back on sunday! these 2 films were excellent and both educational and hilarious (in one case). so i continue with my reviews...

RFK in the land of Apartheid - A Ripple of Hope
this film moved me. as many that know me know that i deeply followed the obama campaign and was inspired by the man's life and his ideas, even some of his shortcomings. throughout the campaign i heard about how reminiscent he was of JFK's brother and how his speeches and inspirational nature reminded so many of the sentiment they felt when they listened to robert kennedy. Watching this film made me really understand what people meant by that.

the film recounted RFK's visit, at the invite of NUSAS (National Union of South African Students), to south africa during the dark days of apartheid in 1966. During his time in south africa, he spoke about the similarities between the 2 countries (US and SA) and spoke freely against the regime and for the liberation of the oppressed. this was crucial at the time, as the US govt was at worst friendly to the apartheid regime and doubted the ANC due to its ties with the communist movement (even tho several members of the US congress were speaking out against apartheid). here was RFK, running for president, yet speaking out against the current US and apartheid government policy, meeting those who would be classified today as terrorists, shaking hand with the likes of the banished Chief Albert Luthuli, and marching with ordinary black south africans in soweto and all over the country. His most famous "ripple of hope" speech was delivered in south africa and is still enshrined on his tombstone where he was laid almost exactly 2 yrs after his sa visit. RFK inspired generations:

"the essential humanity of man can be protected and preserved only where the government must answer - not just to the wealthy; not just to those of a particular religion, not just to those of a particular race; but to all of the people"

"Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and 32 year old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal. "Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation. Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference in the isolated villages and the city slums of dozens of countries. Thousands of unknown men and women in Europe resisted the occupation of the Nazis and many died, but all added to the ultimate strength and freedom of their countries. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage such as these that the belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance"

The power of One...

The Yes Men Fix the World
The film was on a lighter note, tho no less meaningful. these 2 american pranksters travel the globe impersonating executives from top companies (exxon mobil, dow chemicals, etc) in hopes to expose some of the real issues and attrocities that these companies (and other free market enthusiasts) have been perpetrating over the years. they managed to set up fake websites and pretty much wait for people to contact them to speak at events or conferences. for example, they appeared on bbc, impersonating a spokesman from dow chemicals to announce that the company would be compensating the victims of the 1984 Bhopal toxic gas explosion to the tune of several billion. the stock for dow fell some $2 billion in 20 minutes! and they were accused of raising false hopes of the bhopal people (ill come back to this just now). interestingly enough, they were never jailed for these hoxes; i think their trick was to ensure that it was done publicly, so that if the company tried to sue them, it would only serve as continued PR backlash.

back to the raising false hopes. give me a flippin' break. exxon blows us a community, never takes responsbility for its actions, sees the still very real effects of the explosion in bhopal today and does NOTHING and has the balls to accuse someone of pretending that the company would actually do what is right?? the different scale in the value of human life continues to baffle me. a few months ago, bp let out its oil on the gulf of mexico, a few sea turtles, seagulls, and maybe one dolphin died and bp was hit with a bill of $34billion with lots more billions coming in the form or civil lawsuits. yet nothing is done in the case of something like the bhopal explosion or closer to home shell draining its oil excretions on the rivers of the niger delta and poisoning most wildlife and most of the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants who's sole diet is fish and now survive by eating fish with insides full of black petroleum. this is the same shell that was complicit in the government hanging of 9 civil rights activists, including ken saro-wiwa and decided after decades of fighting to settle the lawsuits with a mere couple hundred dollars per family affected. the value placed on human life by other human beings and by legal and governmental systems sickens me.

anyway, back to the (truly hilarious) story, these guys conclude that in the end, they didn't really change the world as they set out to. As the film ends, they realise that they have not been successful in changing the hearts and minds of big business and encouraging/ forcing them to do what is right with regard to the communities in which they operate. they are encouraged, however by the fact that their efforts, at least, has alerted these companies to the fact that people are watching them and that more people (thanks to the documentary) are aware of what these companies are doing today. The power of one (+one)...

so therein lies the conclusion of my week of documentary watching. truly an educational and entertaining experience. it was not always easy to convince people to join me in my adventure (in fact one day i had to watch a film alone; i hate/dread/despise watching films by myself!), but mostly i think those i dragged along enjoyed it. edu-ma-cate yo-sef!

filmin' it up

After i handed in an assignment literally 4 minutes before it was due on monday night, i decided that for the rest of the week, i would find a way to treat myself. and i think i have, even tho i can't seem to get other excited about it...so since tuesday, i've been enjoying the 12th annual south african internation documentary film festival (encounters.co.za). yes, call me a geek or dork or lame (i can take it), but i tend to enjoy docu's. they are not only entertaining at times, but they teach you a lot about different things and different perspectives. so, i've seen one every night since tuesday (i saw 2 on tuesday night actually) and im planning on continuing this trend until sunday. nevermind that i don't have the money or the time for this kind of venture, i'm treating myself to a well deserved interim break! here are some thoughts on some of the films i've seen so far:

Here Be Dragons
this docu is about a white civil rights attorney, George Bizos; an icon in the struggle against apartheid. George is greek by birth and has represented countless ANC-ers as well as those crucial struggle icons, including the family of steve bantu biko (at the TRC), winnie mandela (multiple times), nelson mandela and others at the rivonia trials, and plenty others who fought for freedom and justice, of all different races. His story is truly inspirational and emotional and he does little to hide his emotions during the film and in his work. His decision to pull out of the truth and reconciliation commission (as the appointed counsel opposing amnesty grants for perpetuators of the previous regime) truly highlights the issues i hear every now and then about the shortcomings of the TRC. he recalls that he was simply sick to his stomach watching people conjure up excuses, blamiing indefensible dead people, and faking half-assed apologies and getting off scot-free from crimes they'd committed. Is this justice?

One of the other bright spots in the film was archbishop desmond tutu (among other dignitaries filmed celebrating birthdays with George). tutu was his usual bright, jovial, and child-like self when describing the truly transformational and inspiration figure of George. he says, watching him during th erivonia trials, you felt like you could give him an oscar for his performance.

On a slightly negative note, the film was a bit confusing at times and could've used a narrator. It also had superfluous information and clips were shown that didn't seem to fit the film. however, the film ended beautifully taping george as he was recognised for his latest book. in his speech, george says (not verbatim):
...people often thank me for the work that i've done over the years, but it is i who need to thank south africa for allowing me to understand that we are not intrinsically different peoples depending on our race, but that we are all part of one race - the human race. Thank you, south africa for allowing me to reach my fulfillment.

Forgotten Gold
This one is about Mulamba Ndaye. Have you heard of him?? No, you probably haven't. And its a shame. Mulamba is from DRC (Zaire) and holds the record for most goals scored (ever) at the African Nations Cup (9) in 1974, when Zaire went on to win the tourney. Till this day that record has not been broken. A few years later, he got caught up in some politics and had to flee the country. He's been living since in exile in south africa, mostly as a car guard (the guy that stands next to your car when you're eating dinner and "watches" it in hopes of a R5 tip at the end of the night). The story was very inspirational and at the end i got to meet and shake hands with the old man himself.

However, the film, i don't think, was very well made. It was also a bit confusing as it kept moving from past to present with little cohesion. and the storyline was lost on me several times. overall tho, the film must be praised, like the others, for highlighting human lives and experiences that we should know about, but don't.

Thembi
this is one about a vocal south african girl who died of aids in 2009. she is one of a very few south africans who was bold enough to talk openly about her HIV status and try to de-mystify it(actually one of the pioneers). great story, but in the end, she dies as a result of her not continuing with her medication. the film doesnt really go too much into this, but i suspect she was overwhelmed with the sudden "stardom" and also the constant realisation that she would have to take these mountains of drugs for the rest of her life.

the bad part: brilliant film, but again the point of it was lost on me. yes, people should be able to talk more openly about these issues and not risks being teased or ostracised or beaten, but i dont think that goes far enough. i kept asking myself, so what? thembi went all over south africa and to the US in her campaign, but what exactly was she campaigning for. I'm still not sure. was it for the use of condoms? or for abstinence? or for women's rights to be empowered to ask their man to use a condom? the film doesnt really help in this regard. and then she died. whats her legacy and why was her campaign important. what lives on? the audience is left with too many questions.

The gardner and his 21 flowers
this film is about a zambian man who essentially runs an orphanage from his small home/farm. only thing is that the orphans are the children of his dead relatives (mostly sisters) from AIDS. William, the gardner, barely has anything, only his garden where he grows fruits and vegies and tries to keep out monkeys who often come to destroy his crops. from this (and the small rats the children catch) he must feed feed the 21 and hope to have some left over so he can sell to the locals and buy some meat every once in a while, or pay for schooling, or school clothes, etc. the family is obviously poor and receives no grants or assistance from the government but the film shows a family clearly rich in love for each other. my question: what is the role of government if it is not to provide for those like william and his family, who cannot provide for themselves. in the course of the film we witness some deaths in the family, due to curable illness like malaria and severe malnutrition in most of the children (from the protruding bellies). one girls says she sometimes wishes she was dead, so that she wouldnt be so hungry. my guess is that its not only sometimes.

this story is not unique to william, but rampant all over the world, particularly in africa. first instinct is to be sad, next is to be angry at government's inaction and corrupt ways, but i think finally we realise that the idea here is to do what we can with what we have. "to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded."

the good side of humanity

if there's one thing i'm learning this year, it's definitely the art of procrastination. but, i am a consultant, so perhaps i should come up with a better phrase for it. in fact, what i am doing is "embarking on a brief, but critical mental holiday, with the purpose of re-energising my mind for the rigours of immediate future." [currently patting myself on the back for coming up with that one on the fly]. hence, while i should be freaking out about the 30 page research proposal that's due on monday (of which i've already written close to 0 pages), i am embarking on this necessary journey to post another blog entry.

interestingly, this post is quite the opposite of the previous one. While I lamented the derth of human intelligence, decency, and progression in my last post, this one seeks to celebrate humanity and those who have made it possible. Credit for this inspiration must go to a friend for sending me the video. The video below is of a nigerian/brit named Chris Abani. Chris was born in nigeria, emigrated to the UK, and now lives and teaches in the US. He was jailed and put on death row 3 times, starting from age 16, by the then military regime in nigeria, for supposedly inciting a coup. no comment. so, one would expect that after his adventurous life in the dungeon of nigeria's prisons, he would come out speaking passionately about the dangers of authoritative regimes and the loss of hope in people. quite the contrary. time and again, when i hear similar stories of men and women being jailed or tortured unnecessarily or for doing good (people like mandela, chris abani, countless freedom fighters...), i always expect them to think the least of humanity and am ultimately surprised and inspired by their incredible hope for humanity and continued trust in the goodness of people.

i leave with some touching quotes from chris as well as a challenge.

the challenge: to seek out moments and people that, as chris says, "offer all of us a mirror to our own humanity". that is, people who despite hardships, see the good in others and strive to leave the world a better place through singular, non-recorded acts of kindness and dignity. my mother comes to mind with her strength, courage, deep concern and love for others, incessantly placing others' well-being before her own. i'm reminded of grace nyanga of uganda. of cody dye. of matt and melanie chandler. i think these everyday people should be those from which we get our inspiration. the challenge is to seek these people and these moments out. and to record them. tell their stories.




amazing quotes:

"The world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion - everyday acts of compassion."

"You can steel your heart against any king of trouble or horror, but the single act of kindness from a complete stranger will un-stitch you."

"Before the genocide in Rwanda, the word for 'rape' and the word for 'marriage' was the same word; today women are re-building Rwanda."

"If you cry like this every time, you'll get a heartbreak; just know that it is enough sometimes to know that it is difficult."

The world, our lives, are filled with "amazing people who offer all of us a mirror to our own humanity".

whiter than white

i just realised and have become overwhelmed with the amount of work i shouldve done and need to do for this week...so instead of doing that i decided to go into panic mode and update this blog instead of actually doing work. strange??? me thinks not.

sometimes i just start writing blog entries and then come up with a suitable title afterward. this time i did it the reverse, which means that i now have to try to fit what i want to write about to the title. i had an experience last weekend that really bothered me, stirring up emotions that i hadn't felt in quite some time. i think it still bugs me; so i'm now writting it down. whether or not it helps, who knows.

when i speak of my experience in mississippi (deep south US), I'm typically a little negative in my tone and i generally speak of that not being the most ideal first impression to get of the US. Coming from a place where I knew nothing of discrimination and racism, it was such a slap in the face and key first-hand lesson, to see racism clearly at work. and what was even more striking: racism within blacks. in fact, i encountered an overwhelmingly greater sense of racism and ignorance amongst blacks than i did amongst whites. [till today, i maintain that almost everyone, if not everyone, of every race and culture, holds some degree of racism and must learn to deal with it...tho plenty disagree with me].

Anyway, after my initial shock living in mississippi, I quickly forgot about those moments as i had much better and friendlier times in st louis and chicago. living in south africa has been another learning experience; but one that hasn't really bothered me too much as i understand that the country is enterring a period of growing pains. of course, occassionally i get stopped and harrassed at the airport for being nigerian, or followed in the book store by a black guard to ensure i dont steal any books or read that one book about black liberation that im not supposed to, i presume. usually, these things dont bother me. i just smile and nod and occassionally make a snide remark to the guard, or border control, or whoever.

last weekend, i was showing a high school friend of mine (who happens to be white) around cape town. a bit of context is key here: black (at least those in joburg) typically say they like cape town, but could never live here because its often so racist and unwelcoming. i've never believed these allegations completely. I mean, sure, cape town, isn't the most welcoming place; even white foreigners complain of how difficult it is to assimilate into the culture and find close friends, but the onus of relationship building rest on both parties equally. Also, I guess i wasn't really trying to assimilate to 'cape town' culture, whatever that is, so i couldnt be bothered. anyway, i deviate. point is: cape town can be a racist place. so can anywhere. oxford, mississippi was definitely a racist place (at least in 1992-94).

so i take my friend out to a bar/lounge in greenpoint, Jade's, and the bouncer guy refuses to let us in. He makes up some story about the night being dead (obviously not true, as we can see people in the lounge) and therefore he couldnt let us in. Regardless, I simply wanted to show him a cape town hangg out spot, stay for like 30min and then leave. While I'm trying to understand this guy's rationale, large groups of girls walk straight in, no questions asked. later, a group of guys walk up and in, few questions asked. one small detail: everyone who's walked in so far are white. so again, i ask mr. bouncer guy whats the deal. immediately out of nowhere, this dude starts using the n-word. btw, this dude is not american and while i've heard the n-word passed around lifelessly here in SA, it bothers me a lot because people dont know the meaning of what theyre saying and just use the word. there's a similar derogatory term used here in sa, the k-word, but if u even dare use the word in jest, ur as good as dead. but this guy continued to use the n-word, and began to raise his voice and essentially bark at me and my friend, as we're walking away from this ignorant fool. best of all, this guy was black. and ignorant. and racist. flashes of mississippi.

i thought i could just pass this on as another annoying moment in the span of many annoying moments, but i realised later, when i couldnt sleep, that it really bothered me, and, at the time, i wasnt sure exactly why. later, i was chatting to a friend who used to go to this lounge all the time. he mentioned that this same bouncer dude had done the same thing to him when he brought 2 black girls with him; i.e. make up some story about why he couldnt let them into the bar. this guy actually comfronted him about his actions being racist and the bouncer dude just shrugged it off. this guy, like myself, will never step foot in this lounge again.

so why the title. so often when someone utters the word racism or racist we immediately think of a white person doing something to a black person. i think it has become fashionable these days for a black person to outdo white counterparts with regard to racist actions. but since theyre black, and believe that it is impossible for them to be racist, they somehow justify their actions to themselves. however, these people (whether the bouncer guy or the guy following black people in stores, or the police officer racially profiling) want to justify their actions, it is utterly and totally racist, no matter what colour you are. And how are blacks to move beyond and ahead if we continue to mimick and perpetuate the racist actions done to our own kind in the past? I'm not sure i would have been as angry if a white person had denied entry because of the colour of my skin. but for a black person to mimick the same action? thats just another level of disgusting.

i hope the title is not taken to imply that i think white people are racist in general. thats not my point. in fact, as i mentioned, i think most of us have elements of racism within us and the sooner we recognise this, we can develop ways to correct it. while ignorance may be bliss, it is also the surest way to stagnation and backward-thinking. my point, i guess, is that we, as black people, and south africa, as a nation (US could also be included here) are going nowhere, if people within the same race can't even be solid in their stance against racism. i dare that idiot of a bouncer to complain if he is stopped by the police while driving for no reason other than that he is black. how can you complain about an institution when you are part and parcel in perpetuating the same system/mode of thinking?

thats it for my rambling. will try to lighten up the next post.