Sunday 21 January 2018

Chilled Sunday

A Sunday spent catching up on things, housework I haven't had time to do all week, and checking out some tunes
My Havana






This one is so cool calm and nice

'plenty blessings follow you.. plenty blessings follow me..'

to you all x



Still in love with this one
What can I say.. it's sweet

Weekend WOW Factor: Fulani Herdsmen Vs Farmers.. What's going on

The conflict between Fulani herdsmen and local farmers in the north of Nigeria is being cited now as a bigger threat to Nigeria than Boko Haram.
Whilst the conflict can be attributed to fertile land scarcity causing the Fulani to seek 'greener pastures' there appears to be very little protection for farmers whose farms are being 'invaded'. The Fulani themselves who (are well armed), state that their attacks are merely self defence or retaliation for attacks upon them, however, it's the lack of intervention from the government that is most alarming.



Many believe the President says little on the matter as he is of the Fulani ethnic group, and therein lies the problem.

Currently, the reporting of the story highlights `Fulani wrongdoing', yet little is known of what the story is from their side.
It's possible that they are the aggressors, after all, nomadic or not, the rights of farmland sits with the farmers. it's their livelihoods at stake

Yet without access to grazing lands what would the Fulani do? What of their livelihood?

If people attribute the Presidents lack of involvement as him favouring the Fulani, it could escalate tensions and distrust of the Fulani people as a whole.

Fulani's across West Africa are often marginalised for their successes, but it's too easy to turn a land issue, an economic issue, into an ethnic conflict.

The sooner there is a resolution, the better, for the farmers, the Fulani, and Nigeria as a whole

Violence is not the answer.

Understanding the Fulani conflict [click]




Chronixx - Likes

Jordan Peterson Interview

Would you speak up about something if you knew it would make you unpopular?
I love many things.. but something I admire most in people is the ability to be themselves, even if it makes them unpopular.

To be more specific, what I love most, is people with integrity, and the courage to follow through
I was watching a channel 4 interview recently with Jordan Peterson, and not really knowing about him decided to go back and check out his youtube vids.

He's very interesting.
It's fair to say that this was a poor interview... and really didn't do us women any favours regarding the gender pay gap..( but that debate does little for me anyway) but it did alert me to him

He has many good points, although his thoughts on white privilege as being little more than majority-ism is flawed.
Apartheid and colonialism .. being the most obvious examples.

Anyway, he is interesting

On developing men, yes women ( in the main) do want a developed man... a competent and powerful man) but unfortunately I feel we could do more to aid this development.. but don't
and often men resist :)
Women raise men..
Society and culture either supports the work of developing our men in a positive way, or impedes it
I used to fret about women in Africa being treated unfairly until I recognised the dance at play, and just how the women play into, and support ( in many cases) their own disadvantage
It's interesting and entertaining, until the workable balance becomes unworkable

The development of Africa is directly linked to the ( so far) inability of many of its inhabitants to get this balance right
That, and the eradication of the colonial mindset

Sunday 14 January 2018

Marvel Studios' Black Panther - Warriors of Wakanda

ET

A friend mentioned ET.. so he's new to me.
..we can watch it together

We were talking about tips, tools ideas and experiences that help us when we need it, how we stay inspired when under fire, and how to prepare for success or failure. What knocks us off our path, and how we scramble back. A short chat, but a good one.

Saturday 13 January 2018

Weekend WOW Factor : Julius Malema and Q&A at Oxford Union



**

Weekend WOW Factor: Racism in the News

So this week we 'enjoyed' a few high profile controversies. Race related and basically what many people see as the outward or overt expression of the belief in a white supremacist ideology, most commonly known as racism, which has possibly in reality killed more people than any islamist terroist organisation.

In this era we are living in, we may need to think about what we have as an alternative to 'PREVENT' that deals with actively fighting racism and racist practices.

Anyway

Firstly. H&M.. and THAT Poster.



(The boy on the right looks horrified. like, 'bro.. what you doing??')

For the unconscious among us, the picture speaks volumes about the way the racism works ( even in this day and age).

When it first came to my attention I thought nothing of it.. other than the fact that the tagline seemed off, as Monkeys are not known to be cool.. if it said 'coolest Cat in the jungle' it would have made more sense to me..

But then I looked at the wider context.

The white boy wears the shirt depicting him as the 'expert' whilst the black boys shirt depicts him as a cool monkey

The black boys mother has no problem with it, and has reportedly hit back at the anger telling folks to 'calm down and get over it'

and THAT is also a problem

BME people need to stop colluding with racists and racism.
Even if money is involved.

'We' need to stop turning a blind eye.. need to stop being afraid of our own reflection and projecting non back people as the experts in any given situation based solely on the fact of their whiteness.
It need to stop.
Stop feeding the beast
Stop entertaining the clown that is the colonial conditioning that to be black, and to be dark skinned especially, means that you are in some way, of lesser value, ability, or are simply not entitled to equality of respect and opportunity.

Oprah's recent speech though honourable was flawed In that it again spoke of the need for the beast to recognise black talent before it realised itself... as outstanding black talent.
Sidney Poitier was celebrated by members of his 'community' even if the racially motivated oppressors failed to do so

What she could have said was... 'so you finally put aside your bias.. and caught up..welcome'
The man is great
Whether white Hollywood wanted to recognise him or not

**

The me too campaign?
Like feminism, sounds unifying..
But unless 'me too can be felt across the board then it simply reminds us again that black women are not treated with the same level of fairness as white, and unless white women can step up and own that reality the me too is empty rhetoric.

**

Donald Trump referred to African countries as shit hole countries.
Donald Trump, who has no experience or qualifications to have earned him his position, to sit as President of the Untied States of America...( thereby given us all a lesson in white privilege) called African countries... shit hole countries.

The reality is that there are many black people who believe the same. The ignorant ones.
The ones who find me odd.
Who fear my Africaness
or ask..why. why am I so...... ( fill in the blank)

The funny thing about those so called 'shit hole countries' is that without them, developed countries simply could not survive, certainly the development of Europe would not have been possible without Africa.
Africa built Europe...at the expense of itself.

But ironically, on my moody days..
I have quietly referred to the UK as a shithole, many times.

From the rubbish on the pavements, the smell on public transport, poor services, high prices, and the way in which people are treated as sheep on a daily basis, herded like cattle from one train station to another.. it's inhuman.

I have felt safer traveling in Nigeria or Ghana than I have felt in London. Fact.







So I'm not sure why he called the counties shit hole countries, but he said ( and tends to say) what many believe.
They are wrong of course, and it feeds that beast again.
Trust me, if you visit Africa often enough, you will see things very differently.

Ultimately we need to get it together.
At home and abroad.

Racism is fear.
It's insecurity
We may understand it,
But never accept it...
or make excuses for it

Still.. one mans meat and all that

**







Thursday 11 January 2018

Chronixx - Skankin' Sweet

A great song

Under the pressures of life and it tough.
No stay down mama time fi get up
Nobody with the downfull style strictly upfull vibes
a pick it up..'


**

'an who say life no hard
and everyman got their struggle
I'm begging you help me lord
and let me overcome my trouble'