Sunday 30 June 2013

Winnie Mandela

Born September 26th 1936
Wife of Nelson Mandela from 1958–1996.
BA International Relations


Spent many years in exhile during the time of her then husbands imprisonment, remaining however, a strong and active opponent of white minority rule
Winnie lived a life under close surveillance



With allegations of militant rhetoric, her reputation became questionable to many people, and In 1991, Winnie was convicted of kidnapping and being an accessory to assault.

In a 1998 report of the South African Truth and Reconciliation commission, it allegedly stated that it found

"Ms Winnie Madikizela Mandela politically and morally accountable for the gross violations of human rights committed by the MUFC."It concluded that she had personally been directly responsible for the murder, torture, abduction and assault of numerous men, women and children, as well as indirectly responsible for even larger number of such crimes"

I will now provide a historical list of a few pro apartheid South African presidents
*To be amended/updated to rectify inaccuracies.. my apologies.. work in progress*

Charles Robberts Swart
Jozua François Naudé
Jacobus Johannes Fouché
Johannes de Klerk
Nicolaas Johannes Diederichs
Marais Viljoen )
Balthazar Johannes Vorster)
Marais Viljoen
Pieter Willem Botha
Chris Heunis )
Frederik Willem de Klerk

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klek in 1993


Winnie Madikizela-Mandela





* Note to self.. must do justice to this post - to be reworked*

Saturday 29 June 2013

Brand new me..Alicia Keys.

Sunday morning approaches..
Night night

Angie Stone

Hope you all had a nice day



Other Vid: Looking at Stereotypes - London interviews -' race' vs class











Mis-adventures of awkward black girl season 2

Season 1 (available on this blog) or Youtube






















Do what you gotta do

A lovely day
The sun is shining..sent the boys men out with a small (ish) shopping list, so now I'm able to relax a little.. do a few things for myself minus the stress of trying to fit it all in.

Could be as small as having time to think, enjoy a read, tv, music, cool breeze , you name it
Do what you've got to do..
Chill...it's nice



Why ask?

I know that when I was growing up, my parents felt I asked a lot of questions. I didn't.. or at least I didn't think I did.. neither did I have a problem with it.. were it truly the case. In fact it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to me.. especially if you seek an answer to something.
Eventually.. they got fed up, and found a way not to answer..

Yet years later I've tried to come to terms with the fact that that many questions may not be met with an answer, maybe there is no answer...and in those cases, it's not to question perhaps.. but to observe...not to talk . but to listen.

A little more balance.

One question that does crop up from time to time is who is granted the authority to speak - and who is not. There are times, when I am required to listen.. a lot, and it's during those times that I realize that to listen to another (resisting resentment or any other equally undermining emotion tempting as it may be) is to grant them the authority to speak. Whether I agree with what someone is saying or not, is not entirely the point. The point is.. that it's only when granted the authority to speak can a person really hear their own voice..and perhaps it's when we hear our own voices long enough .. that we can begin self correcting..
Maybe not

To question is a good thing
There is an art to it i'm sure.. one I have not yet mastered
I was once told.. 'there are no bad answers.. just poorly constructed questions'
True?
Don't ask me..

Friday 28 June 2013

The stone that the builder refuse

Well.. it's certainly been a busy week. Finding time to fit in as much as possible, and as little as possible.
I remember once (many many years ago) I had a doll, all big eyed and curly haired. It was marketed as a 'walking doll'.. yet..it never walked.. unaided. In reality, you had to hold onto the the shoulders, then wiggle it from side to side, in an attempt to 'flick' each foot forward. It's pretty much the kind of thing a child will do with any child's doll.
False advertising.
Do you ever wonder about the false advertising that occurs each and every day?
Ever wonder if we as people falsely advertise ourselves?.. and if so why?
No?
That's okay
It's pretty standard from time to time.. others will say human nature..necessary on occasion( agree or not)
The news this week has featured further whistle-blowing tales, austerity measures, uprisings, war and conflict pretty much across the globe.
Life in a goldfish bowl?.. or a pressure cooker?
Time to scale down perhaps.. re-evaluate again.. then reevaluate some more
The full moon the week.. was especially bright
It's true that all that glitters is not gold
What do you value most?




Monday 17 June 2013

Working week

Toothache - ouch!
that kept me quiet for awhile.. not completely better yet but a big improvement.
Roll on Wednesday - when my little friend is due to be removed.
Lots to catch up on this week - it's gloomy looking outside, yet surprisingly warm
Tarrus Riley proved a nice soundtrack over the weekend - really nice
My Sunday dinners have improved
Enjoy your working week x



and featured before.. The crown prince of reggae Dennis Brown



and Gregory Issacs




Sunday 9 June 2013

Three and easy - Sunday music selection


This sounds like a rock song to me (a rock influence) even thought it isnt.. Stunning melody, I like it a lot.. and not because his name is...
Tommy Lee


Christopher Martin



Tanya Stephens..


I've enjoyed these three today

Seems that this.. has been dancehall season

Noisey Jamaica - a look at dancehall music and culture
















Lazy days

It's a somewhat gloomy weather day today,and i'm minutes away from putting the heating on, still.. Sundays are nice days to chill indoors, if so inclined.
I'm having a lazy day, and lazy days are quite nice from time to time. The trick is.. if there is one.. to commit to them. I find that as women ( not sure about men as they seem to commit to them very well when they choose..).. women tend to have one leg in.. and the other out... therefore, our lazy days tend to consist of doing the housework etc, and then.. having a lazy day, breaking off every so often to do a few other niggling chores.. or quite frankly ,searching for, and finding, things to do, all the while admonishing ourselves for being so lazy

It's how we've been socialized.. and we can internalize guilt like you wouldn't believe..
but maybe that's just me..

So, whilst i'll admit to being non committal at the start, for the next hour or so, I shall enjoy the sofa..moving no further than the kitchen for reasons purely assigned to the making of tea, then back again.. phones an arm stretch away, remotes by my side, laptop close at hand.
It's been awhile, but an afternoon nap may even be on the cards.
Even Ti's tryna get in on the action.. chillin' in my chill zone..

Well..some sweet music to take me there...
Okay Jamaica boy..





Friday 7 June 2013

Thursday 6 June 2013

Thoughtful Thursday..

"A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe".
Wayne Dyer

But when you argue.. all of that goes out the window :)




"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
Martin Luther King, Jr.





Hezron - Those days

Love the old footage in this video..
A beautiful sunny day today..makes a difference.
You get a special energy from the warmth of the sun you don't get with radiators
This video makes me long for a holiday in the Carribean.. and I haven't felt that way in a long time.. seriously
Still.. nice vibes outdoors in the sun can be had right here



Hey baby - ft Mos Def
















Nice and easy







Wednesday 5 June 2013

Smile - even when tired

Our guest lecturer held my attention for 2 hours without falter. Amazing woman..
Especially given the fact that she was speaking about analysing data.. which on paper may not sound that interesting at all.. but I found it very interesting indeed tonight.
I can honestly say that i'm tired now though.
So i'm unwinding to Family Guy , awaiting American Dad whilst listening to music and pondering over my research topic.. well, it's said that women can multitask..

I am drawn to ethnographic research so would like to explore that alot more. Maybe it's the playwright in me.
I haven't felt much like smiling of late, but by the end of each day something occurs that gets a smile out of me (that came out wrong but you know what I mean..)

This has been Marley season..

Saturday 1 June 2013

Being Human

Some claim to be able to see spirits. I do not claim such a thing...but neither will I deny the claims of those that do.
I do think we can feel spirits.. we posses the ability to feel the spiritual aura of those around us all the time.. pleasant, and unpleasant.
There are times when what is said, is incongruent with the message of the spirit.. what the soul of another is telling you.
Maybe to feel.. is to see.
Feeling, enables us to experience a deep connection to our highest..the highest. Feeling, enables us to take music (for example) from a simple art of hearing something.. to feeling truly moved by something deep down. Music, is designed to be felt.
Without the ability to feel.. we are empty.
Empty vessels cannot be filled by man made gains, but by spiritual nourishment and the fulfilment of love.

One of life's main challenges will always be.. to stop being an ass.. and to go.. or look..a little deeper.

Hope you have a happy Saturday.. enjoy the sun - seems it will be warm again in London x



wire it up, open the doors, let the sun in, feel this x.