"Already the months you spent in detention have been a severe test for you, and when you come to the end of the case ,you will have got a deeper understanding of human nature and its frailties and what human beings can do to others once their privileged position is endangered.
When this threat emerges, all the lofty values of western democracy about which we read so much in books is brushed aside. Neither the moral standards of modern civilisation, the teachings of the Christian faith, the universal idea of the common brotherhood of men, nor pure sense of hounour will deter the privileged circles from applying the multitudinous pressures at their disposal on those who fight for human dignity.
Those who are on the front line should be willing and ready to draw the fire onto themselves, in order to inspire their colleagues and make this easier for them. In the battle of ideas the true fighter who strives to free public thinking from the social evils of his age, need never be discouraged if, at once and the same time, he is praised and condemned, honoured and degraded, acclaimed a saint and cursed as an irredeemable sinner...
...Finally , Mhlope, I d wish you to know that you are the pride of my heart, and with you by my side , I always feel I am part of an invincible force that is ready to win new worlds.
I am confident that, however dark and difficult times might seem to be now, one day you will be free and able to see the beautiful birds and lovely fields of our country, bathe in its marvellous sunshine and breathe its sweet air. you will again see the picturesque scenery of the land of Faku where your childhood was spent, and the kingdom of Ngubengcuka where the ruins of your own kraal are to be found.
I miss you badly! Tons and tons of love and a million kisses.."
What is President Jacob Zuma doing to end the xenophobic attacks against Nigerian's in South Africa? [click]
Answer? Not enough.. if anything at all
Question:
What is President Buhari doing to protect his people? Answer.. not enough.. if anything at all
..so... why has a large statue of president Zuma been erected in Nigeria's Imo State?
he has even been honoured with a road being named after him..
An insensitive act, or honour among thieves...
Can you imagine....
What confusion.
Our leaders have a very different idea of what it means to truly lead their people, to protect, and to serve.
There is an astronomical amount of riches circulating among Presidents and senators, governors et al.. whilst the 'people' .. are expected to be proud and loyal flag waving citizens, even though in many cases their basic needs, . needs (which should be provided by the state) go unmet
Yes whist it will always be debated what the state should or should be responsible for, the reality is that these are , supposedly democratic socialist countries
In truth, like many countries they operate a mixed economy system, but capitalism remains the preferred choice of our leaders.
Many have rebranded capitalism as straight up corruption..
Yes, corruption operates as an economic system
The system is maintained by an overzealous rule of law, or in some cases simply put...no rule of law
Anyway, I digress..
Given South Africa's' history you would think they would know better...
..clearly, many do not
What an utter liberty
As Jacob Zuma continues to sour the reputation of the ANC , and the people of South Africa 'forget' their struggle for freedom from under the wicked state of Apartheid, it remains a very long walk indeed, before the ideas of panafricasim are realised..
Is this the legacy of Mandela?
How long before the people of Imo State tear down that stupid statue of Zuma.. and would they be wrong to do so..?
Buhari is too quiet on these matters, lord knows he hasn't had it easy of late, but I do wonder why he allows some of the things he allows
State Governor Rochas Okorocha
'hmmm .. perhaps the statue was a bad idea..'
'hmm perhaps if I dance they'll keep quiet about it...'
Listen, I had Wizboyy's album on throughout my travels yesterday and this track took me back, shortened and sweetened my journey, and ended up on replay
D'Prince looking fine as...
Almost Phyno -Phyne :)
Flavour -Phyne
Nice song
I'm between laying lazily on the sofa
half watching a film
catching up on news
music
knowing I need to do my hair,
finish the meal
but right now, i'm simply enjoying my blog which deserves my attention
It has been a glorious day
the sun shone and my entire spirit was lifted
You know I'm in the wrong country right?
Yeah.. at least during the winter months..
Internal hibernation
As Phyno says.. so far so good anyway
**
For those of you currently in my part of the world, here's an event I promote each year
Ex footballer George Weah looks set to become the next president of Liberia
His running mate, is Charles Taylor's ex-wife [click]
Who has claimed often she knew nothing of her husbands use of child soldiers.
( well.. anything s possible)
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the 1st elected female Head of State, and outgoing President of Liberia certainly had her hands full.
Taking the reigns of an embittered war torn country, dealing (or not dealing) with corruption, accused of nepotism, admired by women, presiding over the disaster and tragedy of Ebola which killed thousands of Liberians and exposed glaring deficiencies in the countries infrastructure and heath system ....is out
What Liberia will look like under a man is anyone's guess.
I fear corruption will increase, and the threat of instability will be ever present as the male egos take centre stage.
It's too bad that there was no other female, to have taken up the mantel after Ellen. In fact maybe that would have been her greatest legacy, to have empowered and prepared another woman to take things forward.
For some reason, this election feels like a backward step.
With reports of Charles Taylor influencing the decision making from his UK cell, the end result is anyone's guess.
But it's important.
How Liberians vote, and how well the newly elected President does, can be crucial to the on going stability of the region
Perhaps that is Johnson Sirleaf's greatest legacy.
Liberia, has been stable.
On a side note... I love the Liberian accent
that's some real African American thing right there
Ethnic divisions are causing tensions across the Globe it would seem, yet very few of us understand what it is about our ethnicities that lead us to such unbridled loyalty, to the extent that we are suspicious of those outide of our in-group, and practice often incomprehensible attroties at worst, inequality at best,
I do believe that the human spirit can perform or behave in ways that cannot simply be theorised away, but in the main ethnicity and [white] racism are easily explainable .
I think these days more than ever, you cannot have a conversation about racism and not speak of white privilige or what it means, the foundation of racism, race theories et al; you simply.. cannot.
But we try..none -the -less.
One of the the most racist terms, used on an almost daily basis without question is gentrification.
and I urge BME individuals to stop using or accepting use of the term altogether.
A recent report highlighted ( again) the startling inequality that exists in the UK. [click]
Inequalities that exist;
In the health care system
In housing
In mental heath
In relationships
In employment
In Justice
In Law
In every area of life, inequality is maintained and reproduced year in- year out, and continues to be a problem, and with the increase in anti muslim sentiment what we now have is an ever expanding hot bed of people who are increasingly fed up, refuse to be put in their 'place', and are ready and willing to stand up for themselves and others like them for their right to exist, and their right to fair treatment.
Black people have long since been aware that Black people are more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than their wife counterparts, the empirical evidence is prolific, but the voices of those who know, have been routinely silenced.
What is interesting about these reports, is on any average day 99.9% of non white people will say that undoubtedly, they are not racist.
So, where is the racism coming from?
Someone somewhere is not being honest.
The only explanation I can surmise from the ongoing racial discrimination that exists in the UK despite a truckload country full of non racists Is that whilst individuals may not 'be racist', they however, may simply benefit from a racially skewed system set up to favour them.
A system in which they received the benefits without ever getting their hands dirty, or proclaiming any direct responsibility.
Which is why many may tell you that their best friend is black / or white, so cannot possibly be racist yet racism still affect and impact on and inform their life experiences
Racism in the 20th century was a story of fear and ignorance, a sordid 'fairytale'.
In the 21st century that fear still exists, and so does a desire to protect that which was gained at all costs.
Racism is historic
Racism is fear of losing.
It is no longer acceptable to be ignorant about racism, neither is it acceptable to say 'I'm not racist' and live a life which never challenges racism.
Simply nonchalantly enjoy the benefits
One has to be 'anti racist' these days.
and that takes honesty.
In America, black unarmed men are more feared than white males brandishing a gun.
Or it certainly seems that way.
With the ethnic profile of those who carry out mass -killings in America, it is amazing that the police's focus of fear remains the black man.
That's pretty deep brainwashing.
For people of Africa descent the story is even more complex.
For those of us who live in the UK , not only do we structure a life within a racially biased system designed not In our favour, but we also have a legacy of colonial divisions among our fellow Africans, or people of African descent.
Within and across Africa, ethnic divisions continue to cause problems from Kenya to Sierra Leone
Never has the call for Biafra been stronger in Nigeria,
and in South Sudan ethnic tensions remain despite what we know.
In the Caribbean, the gap of country to country divisions and ignorance is thankfully not as wide as it once was ( did it really take China to wake up Jamaica?) but colourism still remains a legacy of colonialism that is rife across the Caribbean, and the IMF straight Jacket and American imports (also known as Globalisation) both have a corrosive affect on the people and culture.
Whose culture is it?
The culture is owned by those who live it, who birthed it.
The history of those whose lives both depend on it, and were created by it.
The culture of the Caribbean is Caribbean people.
A hybrid if you like the term
The story of African people in the diaspora.
They have ever right to celebrate that.. yes we do
without apology.
