Curse Of The Black Gold pt.I&II

Interview with Wole Soyinka, Africa's literary giant and human rights activist and Ed Cayce(forgive the mispelling), photographer and journalist concerning the Niger Delta crises. Soyinka discusses how the exploitation of the Niger Delta people can be traced to the local government leading up to the Nigerian federal government at large. He also expresses his point of view on the controversial militant group, MEND (Movement for The Emancipation of The Niger Delta)while Cayce discusses his photos and personal experience in the region.

I dream of Africa

I dream of Africa
Gold dust carried
By winds with
Ancient secrets
Against my skin
Nubian heat
Darkens my neck
In a land of legendary Queens
And skyscrapers made
Of the same dust
Beneath my sandaled feet

I dream of Africa
Riding on a camel's back
Me in a shawl
A man in turban
Handsome as the desert
My companion
In a never ending
Journey on sand

I dream of
Places like Zanzibar
A land as beautiful
As its name
Were black men and women
Stand tall and lean
Unlike in other places
I’ve been
Except maybe Ethiopia
And Burundi

The best names are in Africa

I dream of
Crowded spaces
And bargaining customers
Market women
And area-boys
Places where inscriptions
On buses are common

A typical west-side story

In my dreams
I am in a South African
Safari
And the animals are with me
There is no invasion
Of territory
For here
Man and beast
Is evolved in unity

The cries of freedom rings strong here
The joys of freedom ring true here

When I envision
A dream-a goal-a destination
I end up in Africa

Chevron Aquitted-Update

Sadly, on December 1st Chevron was aquitted of the human rights violation charges brought against them. This is a recent statement from JusticeForNigeria:

“The fact that Bowoto v. Chevron made it this far in the process is a victory in and of itself, because it means that we have demonstrated that there is a clear pathway in the US court system for holding corporations accountable to the rule of law. This is the first time a case against a company for aiding and abetting human rights violations overseas has even gone before a jury. And although we are disappointed that the plaintiffs did not prevail in this case, we are heartened by the fact that we are now entering a new era in the United States and abroad where people have seen the results of unregulated corporate excess (in the financial system and elsewhere) and want corporations to be reined in to prevent serious harms. Bringing this case to trial in the United States is a step on the path to corporate accountability. In the near future, corporations will no longer have a free ride to do operate with impunity in ways that are destructive and dehumanizing,” said Laura Livoti, founder of the group Justice in Nigeria Now."

I guess a little positive spin is what is needed right now...

The issue in the Niger delta has become increasingly complicated with the growing number of armed militias who pose a threat to the general public. Because of this, innocent people who have suffered and continue to suffer because of environmental degradation due to oil spills and acts of physical voilence are being overlooked. It has become common to blame local governments, greedy armed men and everyone else for the problems in the region when we are dared to be reminded that people are hurting. We wouldn't be where we are now if these problems had been handled appropiately even as early as 10years ago.

When will the Nigerian government-the governments in Africa start caring for its people? If they don't care about us can we expect some judicial system outside of our borders to?

World's AIDS day-clip that serves as a reminder

of the many lives being lost every day due to an easily preventable disease. It seems to me that lack of knowledge and poverty are two of the greatest enemies in our 'fight' over the disease. I took an HIV test a few days ago, and was glad to find out I am negative. I am ashamed to say that it was the first time I took the test but have decided to do it more frequently now. It's very important that people get tested and not take things for granted-especially people of African descent because we are the ones suffering the most. Stay Safe!

Alarm, China Is Taking Over Poor Africa!

Read an article recently that reported on China's unscrupulous arms deals with conflict ridden countries like Somalia and Ethiopia. The article explains that China thought it had it easy in Africa until a recent wave of attacks by sea proved otherwise. Somalian pirates backed by politicians within the country itself have been hijacking Chinese ships. Don't need to explain the entire article here. Frankly that aspect of the story doesn't affect my thoughts on China in the motherland


The point I want to make is that I find it interesting and almost hypocritical on the part of the western media that they suddenly care about how foreign governments conduct deals in Africa. Ever since China has shown increasing interest in the continent, western newspapers have bombarded readers with the risk Africa poses in the hands of the Asian giant. Reports that China seeks to exploit Africa and its supposed imperialist agenda towards the motherland are spread with the intent to create worry and concern among Africans and westerners with "fluffy" hearts. But is that really the motive behind these reports? Is it possible that perhaps western governments(which gets undying support from their media) is threatened by China's new "stronghold" in Africa? Is the United States, for example, threatened by China's emerging power? Or that there is another country who can treat Africa like a game of ping pong and in the process even beat them to it?


The truth is that the U.S or the media at large do not care about Africa or what happens there. If they did, they would make it a point to show a more balanced reporting of the continent. Instead of focusing on wars and starvation, they would also report developments that are occurring in places like Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg etc. They would showcase Africans making a difference in thier respective countries and once in a while, reveal beautiful images of people, buildings and landscape.


The media's sudden concern about China's motives in Africa is just another case of hogwash. Mr. media, pull the beam off your eyes first by reporting the U.S's slow response to the conflict in Darfur and Congo and how till today the United States continues to support unscrupulous leaders in various places in the motherland. At least China will look you in the eye and say they don't give a (you know what) about Africa. To them it's all business. This is something the U.S and the west at large do not have the guts to do.

Africa's Songbird & Freedom Fighter Passes On

She was so beautiful, her face, her voice-those pure looking eyes. The distinctiveness of her vocals and her fight against aparthied made her one of Africa's most beloved songstress. She endured 30 years of exile due to her anti-aparthied activities only to be allowed permission into her country once again by the newly freed and elected freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela. Words cannot describe the type of gem she was to me and millions of fans all over the world. I looked forward to attending her concert in Prospect Park, Brooklyn (NY) earlier this year, but the concert was cancelled due to her failing health. She died in Italy this past sunday while on stage. May this beautiful, black, heroic sister and MAMA! find peace in the Lord. Thank you Mariam Makeba for sharing your wonderful talent and gracious presence and for fighting for the rights of fellow africans. Nakupenda!

One of my favorite clips of her...

Obama Makes It To The White House

Last night the world watched as Presidential hopeful, Barrack Hussein Obama officially became the people's choice for United States President. This will be the first black man and first black woman (soon to be first lady, Michelle Obama) to occupy the most famous house in the world. I have observed people celebrate. I have seen some, mainly African americans, shed tears of joy in the media(we all saw Jesse Jackson, didn't we?), on the streets at work etc. Obama has created possibilties for people who only saw limitations enforced by a system that isn't always fair. He also, as his best selling book implies, has given us the audacity to hope. All over Europe, Asia and Africa people are celebrating. I have received phone calls from friends and families back home all filled with joy that one of thier sons will soon "rule the world."

Obama is for change! Obama will fix things! Yet only time will tell what Obama's presidency will contribute to an already deteriorating economy, two unfinished wars that have cost billions of dollars, a failing health system and other negative aspects of the Bush administration. Only time will tell-but as we wait, maybe a few of us, having the audacity to ponder at a time that calls for celebration(and deservedly so for its historic meaning) should ask ourselves what an Obama presidency means for Africa.

Africa is overzealous about this man and nowhere is this more pronounced than in Kenya, Papa Obama's birthplace. The question still remains, what does this mean for Africa? Will African countries comply with U.S policies/motives/agendas now that someone that looks like them is pulling the strings? Will conflict situations in Darfur and the Congo be dealt with swiftly and appropiately by the new adminstration? What about Africom? Will the militarization of the African continent fully take place or the reverse? What about the rising situation in the Niger Delta where armed militias are beginning to pose a serious problem in the oil sector? Only time will tell. But in the mean time, like millions, if not billions of people all over the world, I will take this moment to celebrate that a person of African heritage, a black man is about to rule the most powerful country in the world.

Now excuse me while I celebrate the American way by ordering some Pizza...

Congo-heart of Africa

Africa is the heart of the world (I like to call it the pulse) and many watch/partake of its destruction by greedy power elites within and outside its borders. Congo is the heart of Africa, and coincidentally also happens to be a place with one of the worst human rights abuses/exploitation of natural resources anywhere. Congo, since the arrival of Leopold II has suffered immensely from one form of "abuse" or the other. It was under Leopold II that Africans were mutilated and enslaved during the late 1800's -all because of rubber. 10 million Congolese are said to have died in the process! Since then Congo has seen no rest. From the extinguished flame of hope due to Patrice Lumumba's death by western forces post independence, to the 30+ years dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, another puppet leader implemented and supported by the U.S-this same man, by the way, is reported to have had business dealings with CBN (Christian broadcasting network)television evangelist, Pat Robinson, but that's a different story for another day.

Due to a very complicated turn of events following the Rwandan genocide in 1994 that resulted in the migration of Hutus, and other ethnic/political ramblings, Congo has been the center of conflict that has resulted to millions of deaths and the illegal exportation of natural resources like coltan (to say the least) used to make cell phones. This conflict has benefited many western cooperations who get these resources relatively cheap in the black market, and in turn sell thier products for profits. However, neighboring african nations have also benefited from the conflict. This is evidenced by the fact they have been very slow in ending this war. The Congo crises is something that needs to end soon, so that the country can move on and heal from its wounds. Having natural resources should not be a curse on innocent people trying to lead normal lives. Greed as a means of fueling and continuing a war ought to be a crime with those responsible deserving of punishment.

For the western world and other powers to cease exploiting us, we need to begin by loving our brothers and sisters. Discrimination by ethnicity, gender, nationalities etc, must end. The period of blaming the west for all our problems is over. African leaders must stand up and fix things. They must hold each other responsible, and we must hold them responsible.

Another clip of displaced Africans due to conflict (sigh). I look forward to the day when this type of images are rare, and better yet, non-existent.
Peace.
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10497818&ch=4226714&src=news

Malcolm X-Son Of Africa

A scowl behind thick glasses- the words “By Any Means Necessary” -Malcom X. He was the civil rights leader of the 1960’s whose message of self defense for the black man (in the case of constant attacks of the psychological, sociological and physical type by the white majority) was interpreted by the media as “militant” and “violent” rhetoric. It is easier to understand Malcom X when you place yourself in his shoes. He was a black man in an extremely racist society who, in prison(where many black men still end up) discovers the history of his people and the conditions that plague them. His heightened awareness instilled in him a sense of purpose and self worth. It is easier to understand Malcom X, when you read his autobiography as penned by Alex Haley (the author of “Roots”) simply titled, “The Autobiography Of Malcom X.” My ideas about Malcom were transformed after reading this book. He was no longer the “violent” leader that I was programmed to view him as, but instead, a strong, passionate black man who loved his people and wanted them to experience the dignity and self-respect that the world was not giving them. His travels to Africa, his warm reception and his appreciation for the people of the continent revealed a man who was truly in touch with his African roots. His belief that Africa held the key for the liberation of the black race all over the world was not only ambitious but necessary back then as it is today. It meant that Africa had/has a big responsibility to the rest of the world.


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It was sometime during the late 50's or early 60's. He had just had a fall out with his mentor and spiritual advisor, the then leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Mohammed, over Mohammed’s scandalous activities. Subsequently, he was no longer in good terms with friend and heavy weight boxing champion, Mohammed Ali, who because of his close association with the Nation of Islam, also kept his distance from Malcom. He was searching and looking for answers and meaning outside of what he had been taught to believe in the Nation Of Islam. His search led him to two of the most important travels of his life. His travels to Mecca and the Motherland. So what exactly did Malcom X discover in Africa? According to his autobiography, Malcom visited Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Liberia, Guinea and other places. In Nigeria, he met and dined with Professors and other professionals and discussed the problems of black Americans. He discovered Nigerians knew a lot more of the civil rights struggles than he had anticipated. He received plenty of press coverage and was given the opportunity to clear up some slanderous rumors around him, including that he had been indirectly responsible for the killing of a white woman in Harlem (p.402). He spoke in the Ibadan University’s Trenchard Hall urging Independent African states to bring the African American’s case to the United Nations (p.403). In Malcom’s exact words:“I said that just as the American Jew is in political, economic and cultural harmony with world jewry, I was convinced that it was time all Afro-Americans to join the world’s Pan-Africanists” (p.403).

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It's no secret that one of the biggest problems Black people all over the world face is lack of unity. Black on black crime is rampant in the states just as ethnic conflicts are rampant in Africa. Even though our struggles across the board are similar, we have still failed to unite as one people, fighting for the common goal of dignity and liberation of the mental and economic kind. Just as the Jews have been able to unite and gain prominence in world affairs, blacks need to do the same. It’s been my personal experience to observe Africans look down on African-Americans as not “real” Africans and African Americans to look down on Africans as “primitive.” I have also been told by many African Americans that Africans are arrogant towards them. This is something that needs to end if “black power” is to become a reality. Malcom X saw the importance of the integration of black minds all over the world. He was in an idealistic frame of mind. African countries were gradually breaking free from their European “masters.” The possibilities that an independent, liberated and resource filled Africa would bring seemed infinite.There was an enormous interest in the civil rights affairs of Black Americans in Nigeria. Malcom admitted that Africans asked him “politically, sharper, questions than one hears from most American adults” (403). Africans are still very much attuned with current events since the education system and media informs them on these issues. With knowledge, however, comes responsibility.Malcom also enjoyed his visit to Ghana. He said this about Ghana: “ I think that nowhere is the black continent’s wealth and the natural beauty of its people richer than in Ghana, which is so proudly the very fountainhead of pan africanism” (p.404).

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Ghana has proven over the years to be a uniting force for Africans and African Americans.

According to an MSNBC article:
For some, Ghana offers incentives to stay: It is the only African country to offer black Americans "right of abode," allowing those who qualify to work and own property, said Janet Butler, president of the African American Association, a support group for expatriates. Applicants must live in Ghana seven years before fully qualifying. They are also granted instant citizenship in Ghana. This experience for African American creates a sense of connection to the motherland.

The Ghanians were extremely receptive of Malcom. Every detail of his life and struggles were recorded. He gathered his largest African crowd in the University of Ghana. There, (in typical Malcom style) he condemned the white people in the audience for hypocritically being friendly with Africans in their own land, but yet treating them with much less dignity in the United States (409). Malcom later addressed the Parliament and even had the opportunity to discuss with then President, Kwame Nkrumah (410). Malcom made other stops in Africa including Senegal and Morocco. The entire experience (coupled with his discovery of true Islam in Mecca) would transform his thinking and attitude towards the handling of the race problem in the States. This was a man on a mission-a Prophet sent to the black people to lift them from their mental and physical bondage and to unite them. Sadly, before Malcom could fully utilize all he had learned from his travels, he was killed. Black people all over the world, not just African Americans, did indeed lose a true visionary. In Nigeria he was given the name, Omowale, which means “the son who has come home.”

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Resources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6818533/
Autobiography of Malcom X by Alex Haley.

Malcom X speech on western influence in Africa.
http://www.malcolm-x.org/speeches/spc_021465.htm
The Realplayer audio version:
http://www.malcolm-x.org/media/aud/malcolmdetroit.ram

The New Type Of Charitable Organization:

Caters to peoples’ spiritual, psychological and physical needs. Depending on the circumstances of the individual, certain areas are handled first before proceeding to other stages. For example, a person who has just survived a war (a refugee), natural disaster or a famine, is provided with basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine etc. Once that individual has proven that he is physically capable of carrying out daily tasks, he or she can then be nurtured on a spiritual and/or psychological manner, depending on the person’s state of mind, culture, beliefs etc. In assisting an individual psychologically and/ or spiritually, the ideal organization does not seek to control or manipulate the person’s thought process. Subjects are treated with respect and dignity and their ability to make choices are embraced. However, what is imperative for a person who has suffered/suffers through intense difficulty is to be empowered. In other words, they need to believe in themselves and their ability to change their circumstance. Whatever spiritual messages are delivered to this individual is a message that must emphasize the innate power of the individual mind and spirit. Personal responsibility is key. Waiting for a savior or God to come down from heaven for deliverance does very little for the subjugated mind. In fact, the notion is disempowering because it diminishes ones’ abilities and natural/innate powers. This, I believe, is the reason why many Africans are still oppressed mentally and physiologically even after the departure of the colonialists. Many Africans, especially of the Christian fold, spend a lot of time, money and energy in churches asking God for assistance with different aspects of their lives. In many African cities, it is common to find churches in every block or neighborhood. Many pastors manipulate these people’s hunger for physical blessings by draining them off their monetary offerings and spiritual/ mental energies.

There is nothing wrong with going to church, prayers and asking God for blessings. In fact, for some people it is the boost they need for inspiration to emerge and proper action to take place. It becomes only a problem when we give so much of ourselves in such situations and expect an automatic change of circumstance in return. That is laziness, and lazy people get nothing accomplished. So the important point is to spread the message that we are responsible for our circumstances. And even in such cases where it seems there is no direct link between our circumstances and past actions, we are still responsible for the way we react to them. I write this because I see a lot of organizations that spend a lot of money catering to people’s physical needs to the point where the people become dependent on the system for survival. They stop trying or attempting to progress themselves. This type of stagnation becomes a burden to the system and to the people directly or indirectly responsible for the functional abilities of the organization or government entity . It is also disempowering to the individual, reducing them to perpetual victims instead of potential victors in life. Of course, as aforementioned, there is a time when providing for the physical needs of others is the most necessary and urgent thing to do. But there must also come a point where these people, either through financial assistance (eg, lending programs) and/or psychological/spiritual empowerment, are able to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. I believe that is the goal of every person’s life- to contribute to the welfare of ourselves and our planet. And no one, either purposefully or otherwise, or in the name of compassion (which is a wonderful quality if expressed properly) should be deprived of that ability and/or opportunity.

What Would Fela Do?

I attended the off broadway show, "Fela!" last friday. Let's just say it provided more returns for my $51 investment than expected. Some of my favorite Fela hits, including "water no get enemy," "Suffering and Smiling," and "zombie"-a sharp, gritting satire on the Nigerian terroristic-like military was played by a band that one could have sworn was sponsored by Fela himself. The show was equally visually appealing; girating females in colorful gear, men moving spontaneously and widely to the rhythm of the drums, trully capturing the spirited dance moves of Africa. And all these performed by people of mostly African american descent. Fela has become more popular after his death and will continue to remain so until his uncomprising vision for liberty and justice for Africa is realized.

Part of the theatre package included a postcard with information about Chevron's trial this October as a result of aiding the nigerian military in the shooting, injuring and killing of unarmed villagers. The subheading on the card stated: "What Will Fela Do?" We all know what he would have done but the question becomes what will we do?

To find out more about the lawsuit, visit: http://www.earthrights.org/
To sign a letter to Chevron CEO, David O'Reilly asking him to respect human lives and the environment, visit: www.ChevWrong.org/letter

And by the way, after doing that, go see the show before its closure on September 21st. It may inspire you! ;)

Mythology

The image to the left is Ikenga, Ibo god of industry and prosperity-giver of strenght in the accomplishment of one's goals.

To provide an example of basic african spirituality/mythology, I will use the Ibos. The Ibos are a major ethnic group that can be found in Nigeria, Guinea, Cameroun and other neigboring countries, as well as in the carribean and throughout the americas. Spirituality as practiced among africans difer in region and ethnicity. However, there are similarities in many of the core beliefs just as similarities exist between the major religions of the world besides their obvious differences. African spirituality has been marginalized by many outside of Africa and even within the continent itself especially among christian converts. This is due to lack of understanding and the fact that every religious system on earth has at some point in time needed to evolve or transcend its present teachings. There are millions of Africans who still practice in the ways of thier ancestors, some of the systems as to be expected, being more evolved than others. We can learn a few things from African spiritual practices. One of them being the belief that consciousness is within all of creation and therefore nature deserves reverence for its free and bountiful provisions to humanity;respect for life and children as blessings from God and a strong belief in universal consciousness which is exemplified in their emphasis on strong communities.

link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibo_mythology
Chukwu is the supreme deity in traditional Igbo mythology. Linguistic studies of the Igbo language suggests the name "Chukwu" is a portmanteau of the Igbo words: "Chi"(spiritual being) and "Ukwu"(great in size).[2] Chukwu is the creator in their pantheon and the Igbo people believe that all things come from Chukwu. Chukwu brings the rains necessary for plants to grow. Everything on earth, heaven and the rest of the spiritual world is under the control of Chukwu.[3]
The Igbo People believe in the concept of Ofo and Ogu, which is more like the law of retributive justice. It is believed that Ofo and Ogu will vindicate anyone that is wrongly accused of a crime as long as their "hands are clean". It is only the one who is on the side of Ogu-na-Ofo that can call its name in prayer. Otherwise such a person will face the wrath of Amadioha (the god of thunder and lightning).[4]
Chi
Particularly in Nigeria, the Igbo People believe that each person has their own personal spiritual assistant or guardian called Chi, appointed to them before and at the time of their birth and remains with them for the rest of their life on Earth. A person's Chi is the personification of that individual's fate, which is credited for an individual's life's successes, misfortunes and failures. The Igbo believe that their success in life is determined by their Chi, and that no man can rise past the greatness of his/her own Chi.

Other deities (nb: westerners refer to them usually as angels or saints)
Main article: Alusi
Other deities or Alusi include Ahia Njoku, the goddess of yams, and Amadioha (or Amadiora) the god of thunder and lightning. In addition to them there are:
Igwekaala: sky god,
Ani: earth goddess and goddess of fertility.
Ikenga: god of fortune and industry,
Anyanwu: (literally:"eye of the sun" sun goddess)
Idemmili: mother goddess of villages through which the idemili river flows (Oba, Obosi, Ogidi, Ojoto etc)
Agwu: god of medicine men, god of divination and healing
Ahobinagu: forest god,
Aro (Aro-chukwu): god of judgment (also seen as the Supreme god's "Chukwu's" agent of judgment.
Njoku Ji: God of Yam
Ogbunabali (literally: [he who] kills by/at night): an Igbo god of death
Agbala: goddess of the hills and caves or the holy/perfect spirit in Nri
Eke: god/governor of the eastern sky (Heaven). Also the patron of Eke Markets and days.
Orie: god/governor of the western sky (Heaven). Also the patron of Orie Markets and days.
Afo: god/governor of the northern sky (Heaven). Also the patron of Afo Markets and days.
Nkwo: god/governor of the southern sky (Heaven). Also the patron of Nkwo Markets and days.

Minor spirits
Igbo mythology also contains multiple minor spirits. Among them are:
Mbatuku: spirit of wealth
Ikoro: drum spirit
Ekwu: heart spirit or spirit of the home
Imo miri: river spirit[5]
okwara-afo: for Nkwerre people in Imo state is god of mercantile activities
Aju-mmiri: sea-goddess in Nkwerre is goddess of prosperity, fertility and general well-being.
Ogbuide: goddess of the water associated with the Oguta people.
Urashi and Enyija: god of the river
Ezenwaanyi/Owummiri: Female Water Spirit, Mermaid, Seductress

Chevron vs. Niger Delta(Trial)

Well, well, well....what do we have here? finally, something is being done about the injustice being perpetuated among people in the niger delta region of Nigeria over oil. Found this on Allafrica.com.

Constance IkokwuWashington, DC:
Oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, will stand trial in the United States (US) in September, after exhausting all appeals meant to stop the company from being tried for the alleged murder of villagers in the Niger Delta region in two separate incidents between 1998 and 1999.
The US District Court Judge in San Francisco, California, Susan Illston, ruled last year in the Bowoto v. Chevron Corp., No 99-2506, that Chevron was directly involved in the alleged attacks by acting in consonance with Nigerian government security forces and therefore would stand trial.
THISDAY gathered that Chevron appealed the California Superior Court's ruling unsuccessfully.
A source at EarthRights International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), acting as legal counsel for the plaintiffs, and who spoke under condition of anonymity, stated that "Chevron has exhausted all potential appeals and the case will go forward. All motions were dismissed and nothing will keep the case from going forward."
THISDAY was unable to reach Public Relations Officer for Chevron in San Francisco, Mr Campbell, for comments. His voice mail indicated that he would be out of town until the 23rd of August. Mr Justin Hagues whose name was dropped on the voice message told THISDAY he was not authorised to comment on the case. He however confirmed that the trial would take place in September.
Litigation Co-ordinator for EarthRights International, Mr Rick Herz, was also not in town as at press time.
The lawsuit was brought against Chevron eight years ago in San Francisco Federal Court by nine Nigerian plaintiffs for alleged deaths and other abuses in the two incidents. The plaintiffs assert claims ranging from torture to wrongful death.
The report alleged that the Nigerian Military and Police were paid by Chevron to shoot and torture protesters in the volatile region. Chevron helicopters and boats were used by security forces to harass, torture and kill people, it claimed.
In her ruling, Judge Illston found "evidence that CNL [Chevron Nigeria Limited] personnel were directly involved in the attacks; CNL transported the GSF [Nigerian government security forces], CNL paid the GSF; and CNL knew that GSF were prone to use excessive force."
The plaintiffs are also (a) litigating the legality of the Nigerian government's conduct at Parabe and Opia/Ikenyan; (b) asking the state court to issue an injunction regulating the manner in which the Nigerian government may provide law enforcement services in Nigeria; and (c) asking the court to limit CNL's ability to obtain armed protection in Nigeria.
Chevron argued that the action would hinder its operations in the country.
Relevant Links
West Africa Economy, Business and Finance Energy Legal and Judicial Affairs Nigeria Petroleum United States, Canada and Africa
In addition to Environmental Rights Action and Traber & Voorhees, the plaintiffs are represented by the private law firms of Hadsell & Stormer and Siegel & Yee, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Paul Hoffman, Michael Sorgen, Robert Newman, Anthony DiCaprio, Elizabeth Gu-arnieri, and Richard Wiebe.

For link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200808190895.html

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf-Woman President

Cannot talk of freedom fighters without talking about Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the President of Liberia. She appeared on Oprah some months ago and her graciousness, humility and the realistic expressions of what was required to build Liberia touched me. This woman was brave to carry on this task! After decades of civil war and finally the indictment of Charles Taylor (former president and human rights abuser), she's the one person people look up to fix the country. She's the first female president in Africa and with her education (a strong background in economics) and feminine touch (why not?) many support and encourage her in the huge responsibility of nation building. The following info is from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia

Daughter of the first indigenous Liberian to be elected to the national legislature, Jahmale Carney Johnson, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was born in rural Liberia. Widely celebrated for being the first elected female head of state in Africa, Johnson-Sirleaf’s election focused much international attention on Liberia. A former Citibank and World Bank employee, Johnson-Sirleaf’s career also includes heading the U.N. Development Programme for Africa [1]. Johnson-Sirleaf was jailed twice during the Doe administration before escaping and going into exile. As president, Johnson-Sirleaf hopes to bring her credentials as an economist to bear and enlist the help of the international community in rebuilding Liberia’s economy and infrastructure. Her efforts to have Liberia’s external debt of $3.5 billion cancelled were at least partially rewarded on November 12, 2007, when the IMF agreed to begin providing debt relief.[9] She has extended a special invitation to the Nigerian business community to participate in business opportunities in Liberia, in part as thanks for Nigeria’s help in securing Liberia’s peace. Exiled Liberians are also investing in the country and participating in Liberia's rebuilding efforts.
In addition to focusing her early efforts to restore basic services like water and electricity to the capital of Monrovia, Johnson-Sirleaf has established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address crimes committed during the later stages of Liberia's long civil war.[10] She is also working to re-establish Liberia's food independence. Johnson-Sirleaf also requested that Nigeria extradite accused war criminal and profiteer Charles Taylor. Addressing graduating students at the 2008 commencement ceremony at Dartmouth College, Johnson-Sirleaf stated that Liberia is on "a new path" and pledged to "build the institutions of justice, human rights and participatory democracy, strong systems of governance in which rights are respected and institutions serve the public good and natural resources are used for the benefit of all.[2]"

Untitled

Do you hear the quiver?
Listen intently
It emanates from land and rivers
It’s in the cracked earth
And unceremonious rain
It’s in the eyes that speak of shattered dreams

To the highly sensitized
It’s a bellowing groan
From the depths of the belly
Where all the memories are kept
From the depths of the belly
Where all the assets are stored
For the children of the sun
And for all through whom they came

They hate mother
They spew on her Oil spills and raging fires
They place chains on the minds of her children
On the backs of her children
On her traditions, they show contempt
Motherland has become a dumping ground
For guns and diseases

So I ask:

Why destroy the hands that feed you?
Take a good look at a map
Do you not see that Africa
Is the heart of the world?

The Problem With China In The Motherland

A friend of mine sent me this informative yet disturbing article about China's imperial agenda for Africa. When will the exploitation end? I guess when Africa's children stand up to say "enough is enough" cos if we don't do it, who will?

By Andrew Malone

June 5, 1873, in a letter to The Times, Sir Francis Galton, thecousin of Charles Darwin and a distinguished African explorer in hisown right, outlined a daring (if by today's standards utterlyoffensive) new method to 'tame' and colonise what was then known asthe Dark Continent.'

My proposal is to make the encouragement of Chinese settlements ofAfrica a part of our national policy, in the belief that the Chineseimmigrants would not only maintain their position, but that they wouldmultiply and their descendants supplant the inferior Negro race,'wrote Galton.'

I should expect that the African seaboard, now sparsely occupied by lazy, palavering savages, might in a few years be tenanted byindustrious, order-loving Chinese, living either as a semidetacheddependency of China, or else in perfect freedom under their own law.'Enlarge Close relations: Chinese President Hu Jintao accompaniesZimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to a ceremony in the Great Hall ofthe People in Beijing.

Close relations: Chinese President Hu Jintao accompanies ZimbabwePresident Robert Mugabe to a ceremony in the Great Hall of the Peoplein Beijing. Despite an outcry in Parliament and heated debate in the august salonsof the Royal Geographic Society, Galton insisted that 'the history ofthe world tells the tale of the continual displacement of populations,each by a worthier successor, and humanity gains thereby'.

A controversial figure, Galton was also the pioneer of eugenics, thetheory that was used by Hitler to try to fulfil his mad dreams of aGerman Master Race.Eventually, Galton's grand resettlement plans fizzled out becausethere were much more exciting things going on in Africa.

But that was more than 100 years ago, and with legendary explorerssuch as Livingstone, Speke and Burton still battling to find thesource of the Nile - and new discoveries of exotic species of birdsand animals featuring regularly on newspaper front pages - vastswathes of the continent had not even been 'discovered'.

Yet Sir Francis Galton, it now appears, was ahead of his time. Hisvision is coming true - if not in the way he imagined. An astonishinginvasion of Africa is now under way.In the greatest movement of people the world has ever seen, China is secretly working to turn the entire continent into a new colony.

Reminiscent of the West's imperial push in the 18th and 19th centuries- but on a much more dramatic, determined scale - China's rulersbelieve Africa can become a 'satellite' state, solving its ownproblems of over-population and shortage of natural resources at astroke.With little fanfare, a staggering 750,000 Chinese have settled inAfrica over the past decade. More are on the way.

The strategy has been carefully devised by officials in Beijing, whereone expert has estimated that China will eventually need to send 300million people to Africa to solve the problems of over-population andpollution.The plans appear on track. Across Africa, the red flag of China isflying. Lucrative deals are being struck to buy its commodities - oil,platinum, gold and minerals. New embassies and air routes are openingup.

The continent's new Chinese elite can be seen everywhere, shoppingat their own expensive boutiques, driving Mercedes and BMW limousines,sending their children to exclusive private schools.The pot-holed roads are cluttered with Chinese buses, taking people tomarkets filled with cheap Chinese goods. More than a thousand miles of new Chinese railroads are crisscrossing the continent, carryingbillions of tons of illegally-logged timber, diamonds and gold.

Mugabe has said: 'We must turn from the West and face the East'New horizons? Mugabe has said: 'We must turn from the West and face the East'The trains are linked to ports dotted around the coast, waiting tocarry the goods back to Beijing after unloading cargoes of cheap toysmade in China.Confucius Institutes (state-funded Chinese 'cultural centres') havesprung up throughout Africa, as far afield as the tiny land-lockedcountries of Burundi and Rwanda, teaching baffled local people how todo business in Mandarin and Cantonese.Massive dams are being built, flooding nature reserves. The land isscarred with giant Chinese mines, with 'slave' labourers paid lessthan £1 a day to extract ore and minerals.

Pristine forests are being destroyed, with China taking up to 70 percent of all timber from Africa.All over this great continent, the Chinese presence is swelling into aflood. Angola has its own 'Chinatown', as do great African cities suchas Dar es Salaam and Nairobi.Exclusive, gated compounds, serving only Chinese food, and where noblacks are allowed, are being built all over the continent. 'Africancloths' sold in markets on the continent are now almost alwaysimported, bearing the legend: 'Made in China'.

From Nigeria in the north, to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Angola inthe west, across Chad and Sudan in the east, and south through Zambia,Zimbabwe and Mozambique, China has seized a vice-like grip on acontinent which officials have decided is crucial to the superpower'slong-term survival.'The Chinese are all over the place,' says Trevor Ncube, a prominentAfrican businessman with publishing interests around the continent.'If the British were our masters yesterday, the Chinese have takentheir place.'

Likened to one race deciding to adopt a new home on another planet,Beijing has launched its so-called 'One China In Africa' policybecause of crippling pressure on its own natural resources in acountry where the population has almost trebled from 500 million to1.3 billion in 50 years.China is hungry - for land, food and energy.

While accounting for afifth of the world's population, its oil consumption has risen 35-foldin the past decade and Africa is now providing a third of it; importsof steel, copper and aluminium have also shot up, with Beijingdevouring 80 per cent of world supplies.Enlarge President Robert Mugabe leaving the eleventh ordinary sessionof the assembly of the African Union heads of State and government inSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptPresident Robert Mugabe leaving the eleventh ordinary session of theassembly of the African Union heads of State and government in Sharmel-Sheikh, EgyptFuelling its own boom at home, China is also desperate for new marketsto sell goods. And Africa, with non-existent health and safety rulesto protect against shoddy and dangerous goods, is the perfectdestination.

The result of China's demand for raw materials and its sales ofproducts to Africa is that turnover in trade between Africa and Chinahas risen from £5million annually a decade ago to £6billion today.However, there is a lethal price to pay.

There is a sinister aspect tothis invasion. Chinese-made war planes roar through the African sky,bombing opponents. Chinese-made assault rifles and grenades are beingused to fuel countless murderous civil wars, often over the materialsthe Chinese are desperate to buy.Take, for example, Zimbabwe. Recently, a giant container ship fromChina was due to deliver its cargo of three million rounds of AK-47ammunition, 3,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 1,500 mortars toPresident Robert Mugabe's regime.After an international outcry, the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, wasforced to return to China, despite Beijing's insistence that the armsconsignment was a 'normal commercial deal'.Indeed, the 77-ton arms shipment would have been small beer - afraction of China's help to Mugabe.

He already has high-tech,Chinese-built helicopter gunships and fighter jets to use against hispeople.Ever since the U.S. and Britain imposed sanctions in 2003, Mugabe hascourted the Chinese, offering mining concessions for arms andcurrency.While flying regularly to Beijing as a high-ranking guest, the84-year-old dictator rants at 'small dots' such as Britain andAmerica.He can afford to. Mugabe is orchestrating his campaign of terror froma 25-bedroom, pagoda-style mansion built by the Chinese. Much of hisestimated £1billion fortune is believed to have been siphoned off fromChinese 'loans'.The imposing grey building of ZANU-PF, his ruling party, was paid forand built by the Chinese.

Mugabe received £200 million last year alonefrom China, enabling him to buy loyalty from the army.In another disturbing illustration of the warm relations between Chinaand the ageing dictator, a platoon of the China People's LiberationArmy has been out on the streets of Mutare, a city near the borderwith Mozambique, which voted against the president in the recent,disputed election.

Almost 30 years ago, Britain pulled out of Zimbabwe - as it had donealready out of the rest of Africa, in the wake of Harold Macmillan's'wind of change' speech. Today, Mugabe says: 'We have turned East,where the sun rises, and given our backs to the West, where the sunsets.'Despite Britain's commendable colonial legacy of a network of roads,railways and schools, the British are now being shunned.According to one veteran diplomat: 'China is easier to do businesswith because it doesn't care about human rights in Africa - just as itdoesn't care about them in its own country. All the Chinese care aboutis money.'

Nowhere is that more true than Sudan. Branded 'Africa's KillingFields', the massive oil-rich East African state is in the throes ofthe genocide and slaughter of hundreds of thousands of black, non-Arabpeasants in southern Sudan.In effect, through its supplies of arms and support, China has beenaccused of underwriting a humanitarian scandal.

The atrocities inSudan have been described by the U.S. as 'the worst human rightscrisis in the world today'.Mugabe has received hundreds of millions of pounds from Chinese sourcesMugabe has received hundreds of millions of pounds from Chinese sourcesThe government in Khartoum has helped the feared Janjaweed militia torape, murder and burn to death more than 350,000 people.The Chinese - who now buy half of all Sudan's oil - have happilyprovided armoured vehicles, aircraft and millions of bullets andgrenades in return for lucrative deals.

Indeed, an estimated £1billionof Chinese cash has been spent on weapons.According to Human Rights First, a leading human rights advocacyorganisation, Chinese-made AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers andammunition for rifles and heavy machine guns are continuing to flowinto Darfur, which is dotted with giant refugee camps, each containinghundreds of thousands of people.Between 2003 and 2006, China sold Sudan $55 million worth of smallarms, flouting a United Nations weapons embargo.

With new warnings that the cycle of killing is intensifying, anestimated two thirds of the non-Arab population has lost at least onemember of their families in Darfur.Although two million people have been uprooted from their homes in theconflict, China has repeatedly thwarted United Nations denunciationsof the Sudanese regime.While the Sudanese slaughter has attracted worldwide condemnation,prompting Hollywood film-maker Steven Spielberg to quit as artisticdirector of the Beijing Olympics, few parts of Africa are nowuntouched by China.

In Congo, more than £2billion has been 'loaned' to the government. InAngola, £3 billion has been paid in exchange for oil. In Nigeria, morethan £5billion has been handed over.In Equatorial Guinea, where the president publicly hung hispredecessor from a cage suspended in a theatre before having him shot,Chinese firms are helping the dictator build an entirely new capital,full of gleaming skyscrapers and, of course, Chinese restaurants.

After battling for years against the white colonial powers of Britain,France, Belgium and Germany, post-independence African leaders arehappy to do business with China for a straightforward reason: cash.With western loans linked to an insistence on democratic reforms andthe need for 'transparency' in using the money (diplomatic languagefor rules to ensure dictators do not pocket millions), the Chinesehave proved much more relaxed about what their billions are used for.Certainly, little of it reaches the continent's impoverished 800million people. Much of it goes straight into the pockets ofdictators. In Africa, corruption is a multi-billion pound industry andmany experts believe that China is fuelling the cancer.

The Chinese are contemptuous of such criticism. To them, Africa isabout pragmatism, not human rights. 'Business is business,' saysChinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong, adding that Beijingshould not interfere in 'internal' affairs. 'We try to separatepolitics from business.'While the bounty has, not surprisingly, been welcomed by Africandictators, the people of Africa are less impressed. At a market inZimbabwe recently, where Chinese goods were on sale at nearly everystall, one woman told me she would not waste her money on 'Zing-Zong'products.'They go Zing when they work, and then they quickly go Zong andbreak,' she said. 'They are a waste of money. But there's nothingelse. China is the only country that will do business with us.'

There have also been riots in Zambia, Angola and Congo over the floodof Chinese immigrant workers. The Chinese do not use African labourwhere possible, saying black Africans are lazy and unskilled.

In Angola, the government has agreed that 70 per cent of tenderedpublic works must go to Chinese firms, most of which do not employAngolans.As well as enticing hundreds of thousands to settle in Africa, theyhave even shipped Chinese prisoners to produce the goods cheaply.In Kenya, for example, only ten textile factories are still producing,compared with 200 factories five years ago, as China undercuts localsin the production of 'African' souvenirs.

Where will it all end? As far as Beijing is concerned, it will stoponly when Africa no longer has any minerals or oil to be extractedfrom the continent.A century after Sir Francis Galton outlined his vision for Africa, theChinese are here to stay. More will come.

The people of this bewitching, beautiful continent, where humankindfirst emerged from the Great Rift Valley, desperately need progress.

The Chinese are not here for that.They are here for plunder. After centuries of pain and war, Africadeserves better.

Bashir Shows No Shame After Indictment

Sudan's president Omar Hassan Al Bashir had the audacity to display himself in a jolly manner in front of a cheering crowd after being indicted by the International court for genocide. What crowd allows this to happen? Are people that fearful, that mentally enslaved to put up with such blatant disregard for human life? What can he possibly be trying to prove now? How can there be peace in Darfur when an event such as this can take place at the very scene of the crime with no consequence whatsoever?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/africa/24sudan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The Wind Of Change

We are waiting for
The healing winds of peace
In places ravaged by war
We are waiting for the impersonal groans
Of mother earth to cease
Her abundant provisions
To no longer be a thing
Worth dying but living for
We are waiting for
True leaders to emerge
In places were minds are held hostage by terror
For leaders to be servants
Upholding a sacred mission
We are awaiting a revolution
Not of guns and steels
But of the mind
Revolutionary ideas that spin
The wheel of time
Making a dark age a thing
Of the past

We are Waiting

We are waiting for our children to
Be warriors of the truth
Pursuers of a higher calling
Not dead materiality
They are the hope
They are the targets of our prayers
They are the wind that blows
Like a ghost, through space
Silently but surely along inanimate and living structures
To reveal how far we've come
-If we did a good job
-If they learned anything
From the horrors and struggles
Due to the selling our souls
Our people_ our traditions

We continue to wait until we realize
Hopefully, in the nick of time
We are they and they are us-
The wind-what type of wind-that changes

Seun Kuti Sings About Malaria

Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat pioneer and human rights activist, Fela Kuti has decided to continue where his father left off. His music, just like his father, is dedicated to Africa's problems. I had the wonderful experience of watching him in concert on July 6th at central park, nyc and it was incredible! Here is a clip of him in Dakar singing one of the hits of his first album. The track is called "Mosquito song"...lyrics may be considered quite humorous but the message is serious especially when you consider that malaria, an easily preventable disease, is one of the leading causes of death in Africa.

Children Of The Sun

We were the children of Ra /living breathing temples
that housed the god-man/the true man
now subjugated/reduced to ashes
we've become the outskirts/barely making it in-land
our accomplishments stolen
robbed of its brown skin prints /given a new name
We were the children of Asis_Chukwu_Sango_
dancing to the tempo of spirit within us and all things
until categorized by the categorizers
with no attempt at understanding certain truths of existence
we became "pagan" which is just another
term for the reveries of nature who happens to be a she
chained and shipped we went from
god-man /to no-man/to his-man
We were the children of the rising sun
the breaking free from the constraints
of white hands on millenia of black traditions
we were the forerunners of the liberty promised us
only to discover /the hands that held the chains were merely switched
we are fists raised in the air/pens swinging
words coming out as slices /pricking at the brainwashed minds
that dare stifle our natural expressions
we've become a chosen exile /who unite and combine our strenghts
when we sing_dance and make love /when we say,"brother"_"sister"
wear afros and dashikis/braid our hair /speak our language
with its sweet intonations /and no it's not vernacular when it comes out ARTICULATED
_when we proudly display the god suffix in our names
read and write books on ancient kings_queens_pyramids
proper civilizations _ancestors_dieties_ the feminine principle
we become everything they don't want us to be
everything they say we aren't and more /in just being who we are

Be who you are solar beam---shine_shine_shine gods and goddesses
you originators_colorful_vibrant_ surviving expression of life itself

Fela comes to broadway!

Human rights activist and musical pioneer, Fela Kuti, will be celebrated on broadway this fall. I'm excited to see descendants of Africa in America celebrating this man that meant so much to Africa and its struggle for justice, equality and basic human rights. I encourage everyone to check it out. I look forward to it myself!

Pan Africa: Mere Rhetoric Or Potential?

The 1960’s saw a wave of hope for the African continent with the insurgence of independent states. One man in particular came to embody Africa’s liberation from its colonial past. His name was Kwame Nkrumeh, and he became the face of the Pan Africa movement. Kwame Nkrumeh was Ghana’s first head of state, securing Ghana’s independence from British rule in 1957. His “victory” over what he considered western imperialism in the Gold Coast (present day Ghana) brought a wave of inspiration and awe in Africa and the rest of the world. His famous speech, “I speak of Freedom” became a synopsis of Africa’s ugly past under colonial rule, its shaky present and promising future from the shackles of its “oppressors.” According to Martin Meredith’s “The Fate of Africa,” in 1958 Nkrumeh gathered a group of student unions, political parties and trade unions from across the continent in an attempt to coordinate the African non-violent revolution. They discussed revolutionary tactics. A few years later, other African countries would follow suite on the road to independence.

In 1963 the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was formed as a means to bring African nation states together and as a force against western control. There was indeed a strong sense of hope for Africa. The fact that many nation states had undergone similar experiences of oppression, economic equality and exploitation under European rule created a sense of unity that on the surfaced seemed unshakable. However, the advent of freedom from the “masters” became a catalyst for many of Africa’s problems to emerge. The growing discrepancy between the have and have-nots, political and ethnic conflicts in places like the Congo, Burundi and ultimately the first civil war to emerge out of Africa, the Nigeria/Biafra war in 1967 were just a few examples. It became apparent that at the end of the nineteenth century when the European powers mapped out Africa, they had no consideration for the differences among ethnic groups. These would lead to various conflicts throughout the region that still persists today. Also the fact that numerous dictators and tyrants began to emerge from Africa creating governments besieged by corruption, greed and oppression stunted the hopes of a liberated Africa for many. Examples of such cases were Abeid Karume’s regime in Zanzibar, Jean-Bedel Bokassa’s regime in Central Africa republic and Idi Amin’s brutal rule in Uganda. Political instability as a result of numerous coups in places such as Nigeria and Ghana created questions in people’s minds about the ability of Africans to rule themselves. Pan-Africa appeared to be mere rhetoric which had no evidence in reality.

Even though there are success stories in some areas in Africa, there are still many cases of ethnic conflicts, poverty, oppressive governments and in some areas full scale wars that have lasted for many years, example the Congo. The issue now is whether Pan Africa can ever become a reality in the face of evidence that shows a clear division among ethnic and economic lines. Obviously the founders of the Pan Africa movement and the OAU held a positive vision for Africa-an Africa united by the cultural and historical aspects that bind us. A united Africa is a necessity if we intend to be viewed by the rest of the world in a positive manner. The reality of Pan Africa will strengthen our resolve to be taken seriously in the world stage. After all, Africa has contributed immensely to civilization and global culture in the areas of music, arts and the birth of the sciences. Ancient civilizations such as Kamit (now referred to as Egypt), Ethiopia, Nubia and Timbuktu set the stage for modern day Mathematics, Philosophy and Medicine. A sample reference is Chancellor William’s “The Destruction of Black Civilization.” There are also many other books on the subject.

Africa’s unity will inspire its descendants all over the world (especially in places like North and South America and the Caribbean were they continue to be exploited and treated like second class citizens) to come together as a force worthy of recognition. The revolutionary ideas of our founding fathers must detach itself from the position of ideology to become a vision, a goal and ultimately a reality. However as they say charity begins at home; with a number of nations needing to clean its own house first.


References:
Meredith, Martin: “The Fate Of Africa.”
http://www.encyclopedia.com/

A Brief Tribute To Africa's Ancient Queens (pt. I)

Omu Of Asaba: Have to Start with Granny. She may not be an ancient queen but she's definitely a modern one. Now to the ancients...















Queen Nefertiti: She was the wife of Akhenaton, the King credited with the concept of one God as practiced in most societies today. She resisted the cultural change emerging in kemet at the time that gave women lower status than men by openly performing religious rituals with her husband and appearing side by side with him to the fury of the dominant religious authorities.










Queen Nandi(1778-1826):
Mother of the of the great Shaka the Zulu, she overcame many obstacles including exile. Through it all she was able to raise one of Africa's most revered leaders and warriors.










Queen Tiye (1415-1340BC): The standard of beauty in the ancient world, this Queen held the title of Great Royal Wife to Amenhotep the III. After the end of her husband's reign, she governed Kemet for almost half a century with great efficiency.










Queen Amina (1588-1589):The leading warrior of Zaire, her military skills brought her immense wealth and power. She is widely known as "the woman capable as a man" because of her military skills.












Queen Nzingha (1582-1663): A military leader who waged war against the European invaders. Her struggle inspired other royal warriors Africa in the resistance against European invaders.

Why Africa Fears Western Medicine

The following article (excerpt) is by Harriet Washington author of "Medical Aparthied: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to Present" :

...But to many Africans, the accusations, which have been validated by a guilty verdict and a promise to reimburse the families of the infected children with a $426 million payout, seem perfectly plausible. The medical workers’ release appears to be the latest episode in a health care nightmare in which white and Western-trained doctors and nurses have harmed Africans — and have gone unpunished. The evidence against the Bulgarian medical team, like H.I.V.-contaminated vials discovered in their apartments, has seemed to Westerners preposterous. But to dismiss the Libyan accusations of medical malfeasance out of hand means losing an opportunity to understand why a dangerous suspicion of medicine is so widespread in Africa.
Africa has harbored a number of high-profile Western medical miscreants who have intentionally administered deadly agents under the guise of providing health care or conducting research. In March 2000, Werner Bezwoda, a cancer researcher at South Africa’s Witwatersrand University, was fired after conducting medical experiments involving very high doses of chemotherapy on black breast-cancer patients, possibly without their knowledge or consent. In Zimbabwe, in 1995, Richard McGown, a Scottish anesthesiologist, was accused of five murders and convicted in the deaths of two infant patients whom he injected with lethal doses of morphine. And Dr. Michael Swango, ultimately convicted of murder after pleading guilty to killing three American patients with lethal injections of potassium, is suspected of causing the deaths of 60 other people, many of them in Zimbabwe and Zambia during the 1980s and ’90s. (Dr. Swango was never tried on the African charges.)
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These medical killers are well known throughout Africa, but the most notorious is Wouter Basson, a former head of Project Coast, South Africa’s chemical and biological weapons unit under apartheid. Dr. Basson was charged with killing hundreds of blacks in South Africa and Namibia, from 1979 to 1987, many via injected poisons. He was never convicted in South African courts, even though his lieutenants testified in detail and with consistency about the medical crimes they conducted against blacks.
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Such well-publicized events have spread a fear of medicine throughout Africa, even in countries where Western doctors have not practiced in significant numbers. It is a fear the continent can ill afford when medical care is already hard to come by. Only 1.3 percent of the world’s health workers practice in sub-Saharan Africa, although the region harbors fully 25 percent of the world’s disease. A minimum of 2.5 health workers is needed for every 1,000 people, according to standards set by the United Nations, but only six African countries have this many.
The distrust of Western medical workers has had direct consequences. Since 2003, for example, polio has been on the rise in Nigeria, Chad and Burkina Faso because many people avoid vaccinations, believing that the vaccines are contaminated with H.I.V. or are actually sterilization agents in disguise. This would sound incredible were it not that scientists working for Dr. Basson’s Project Coast reported that one of their chief goals was to find ways to selectively and secretly sterilize Africans.
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Such tragedies highlight the challenges facing even the most idealistic medical workers, who can find themselves working under unhygienic conditions that threaten patients’ welfare. Well-meaning Western caregivers must sometimes use incompletely cleaned or unsterilized needles, simply because nothing else is available. These needles can and do spread infectious agents like H.I.V. — proving that Western medical practices need not be intentional to be deadly.
Although the World Health Organization maintains that the reuse of syringes without sterilization accounts for only 2.5 percent of new H.I.V. infections in Africa, a 2003 study in The International Journal of S.T.D. and AIDS found that as many as 40 percent of H.I.V. infections in Africa are caused by contaminated needles during medical treatment. Even the conservative W.H.O. estimate translates to tens of thousands of cases.
Several esteemed science journals, including Nature, have suggested that the Libyan children were infected in just this manner, through the re-use of incompletely cleaned medical instruments, long before the Bulgarian nurses arrived in Libya. If this is the case, then the Libyan accusations of iatrogenic, or healer-transmitted, infection are true. The acts may not have been intentional, but given the history of Western medicine in Africa, accusations that they were done consciously are far from paranoid.
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Certainly, the vast majority of beneficent Western medical workers in Africa are to be thanked, not censured. But the canon of “silence equals death” applies here: We are ignoring a responsibility to defend the mass of innocent Western doctors against the belief that they are not treating disease, but intentionally spreading it. We should approach Africans’ suspicions with respect, realizing that they are born of the acts of a few monsters and of the deadly constraints on medical care in difficult conditions. By continuing to dismiss their reasonable fears, we raise the risk of even more needless illness and death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/opinion/31washington.html

Do Not Judge Those Who Fight Back

Do not judge those who fight back
pick up the sword of steel, iron & blazing truth
Who advocate righteous wrath towards
the destroyers of the sacred
Wasn't it Jesus who cleared the temple
with a whip at those who dare exploit
the people's longing for redemption?
Check out Mattew chapter 10 verse 34
I did not come to bring peace but a sword
the master said
Not everyone can be still in the sight of
blatant exploitation, discrimination, misinformation
of the masses
You can push some against the wall
and they remain silent as a mute
but you push those they were sent for
be it family, neighbors, a group of souls several miles away
and they roarrr
They are whom the bible calls the judges
The Samsons, the Davids in the battlefield
against the Philistines
The Queen Nzingha of Matamba pushing the Anglo invaders
out the way!
The Prophet Muhammed in the jihad to defend
freedom of worship
They are the Malcom X's
"by any means necessary" brothers of the
civil rights movement
The black panthers, the Che's, the Miribal sisters
...in the time of the butterflies
The instigators of the revolution that spin the wheel of time
Do not judge those who fight back
They give the movement fire and passion
They are the loudest voices screaming for change
They bear the vindictive consciousness of the oppressed
We venerate
Those who hold the spiritual balance for the earth
The mother theresas who work in silent action
Being love in embodiment and feeding needy souls
They are the gandhis who do not fight back
The martin luther kings with peaceful protests
We are taught to be like them
Some of us even pray to be like them
They are the saints of our time
And they deserve a place in the sacred
texts of the book of history
But no matter what you've been taught to think
Do not judge those who fight back
For they reveal in the smallest degree to the rest of the world:
How the conquered by disease
The landless due to oil spills
The suffering who buy into the
subjugate your I AM precense to get saved
Would react upon awakening
Let's pray they reach enligtenment first!

How the worst case pawns of
elitist control - "the real wickedness in high places"
would respond if they were to
thump thier warrior chests, perform the battle cry and roarrr.

Why Africa Fears Western Medicine-Additional Links

Medical Experimentation on minorities, the poor and disenfranchized does not come as a shock to most people these days. And Africa as a target for experimentation is not only common but sadly to be expected. The continent holds a significantly high percentage of poverty stricken, disease ridden people in comparison to the rest of the world. And with the prevalence of HIV in many areas of Africa, researchers have ample reason to conduct thier work there. With research comes medical abuses and cases of unsuspecting "guinea pigs" of Africa. Here are just a few more examples of why, in Harriet Washington's words, Africa fears western medicine.

http://www.aegis.com/news/ips/1997/IP970905.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7453449.stm

To read Harriet Washington's article go here:
http://afra-motherland.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-africa-fears-western-medicine.html

Untitled

Dedicated to Ken Saro Wiwa Human\Environmental Activist And Others Like Him Executed For The Cause.

He spoke
Said they deserved better
They mobilized
Chanted slogans
Of freedom
Equality
Justice
Basic type things…
Their land
Was being pillaged
For black gold
A curse for the
plenty of black folk
...That fed the nations
Empowered governments
Destroyed lives
Of the weak
It tore away the land
Made oil flow between soil
And water
-To be thier
Hunger & thirst quenchers

They spoke
In thousands
Chanting:
“Is this not genocide
When the source
Of our livelihood
Is violently ripped
From our hands,
In front of our eyes?”
Being a minority
Doesn’t make me a micro-organism
An unimportant entity
I am
Woman
Man, just like you
We that honor the land
Deserve to benefit
From the soil of our birth
The riches of mother earth
Intended for all-including
Her die-hard enemies.

In response
They silenced him
Together with his comrades
Our warrior
Our freedom fighter
With a good ol’ fashioned lynching

“how long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?”

I’m jamming to that song
Feeling like a rasta-woman
Pondering
They silenced him,
Dang, they silenced him…
Until I hear voices
At first murmurs
That eventually take shape
in the form of inscriptions
And as poignant as the
Truth that awakens
It hit me
They may lynch,
Gun down execution style
Use the silent method
Of biological warfare
-to bodies
But as for Words?

They are the creative engines
The unmovable movers
The catalyst that incites the revolution

They swerve through the air
Emerge from rocks
Belt through rivers
Become collective consciousness

Circulating as
Redemption songs
Famous quotes
Speech intros
Book intros
Mass movements
Forces
That bring about
Change

Africa's Rainforests In Danger of Dissapearing

From pbs.org:

Home to half of the continent's animal species, Africa's vast rainforests are falling silent. Deforestation, road construction and slash-and-burn farming have already wiped out roughly 90 percent of the West Africa's rainforests. Now, the rainforests of Central Africa's Congo Basin, the second largest in the world after the Amazon, have come under the axe, too.For centuries, only scattered groups of native hunter-gatherers and Bantu-speaking subsistence farmers disturbed the forest realm. Then, in the 19th century, European loggers and plantation owners moved in. One of the worst cases of rainforest exploitation took place in the Belgian colony of Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) where thousands of forced laborers died in the scramble to harvest wild rubber. Today, the governments of rainforest countries are now torn between the need to protect their endangered rainforests and the need for the money, roads and jobs that foreign logging companies bring in. Growing populations, swollen by war refugees, are razing rainforest to make way for farm land; poachers are picking off chimpanzees and gorillas to sell to the profitable bushmeat trade. Will the Congo Basin follow the fate of West Africa? Maybe not. In 1999, the six countries of the Congo Basin -- Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea -- pledged to harmonize forestry laws and form a joint watchdog system to track the effects of logging and poaching. One year later, they took the first step toward putting that pledge into action: the creation of the tri-national Sangha Park, a reserve that will cover more than one million hectares of rainforest in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo.

For a direct link to the article visit:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/rainforest/rainforest_overview.html

Confronting Mis(Representations) of Africa In The U.S Media

Found this article on africaaction.org:

In my line of work there is a well-worn maxim which holds that the media do not tell us what to think; they only tell us what to think about. By that measure, it is hardly surprising that so few Americans ever think about Africa at all. And when they do, the images that come to mind are not of a vast and varied continent – the world’s second largest, home to some 700 million people in 54 different countries spread across an area three times the size of the United States. They are not images of a continent rich in history, culture and natural resources, the cradle of human civilization. Nor does our mainstream media coverage reflect the history of how the western powers systematically underdeveloped Africa for centuries. And rarely is there mention of the scandalous exploitation of Africa’s human and natural resources that persists to this day through an imbalanced and immoral global economic order based on corporate greed and imperial expansionism.Rather, the dominant images of Africa in American mainstream media are of a dark and desolate continent, riven by tribal conflict, beleaguered by pestilence, poverty and disease, a place of fear and futility. They are images of despair and depression, of a lost people languishing in a lost land somewhere beyond the edge of modern civilization.The global economic and political forces that conspire to disadvantage the African people are not unknown to media managers in America. Neither are the considerable accomplishments of many African states in the face of these structural impediments. Yet our media provide scant coverage of these issues, with little or no context to aid our understanding of the story. We are told, for example, that HIV/AIDS is rampant in sub-Saharan Africa but rarely is it explained that the ability of these nations to combat the pandemic through public health and education services is crippled by debilitating and arguably illegitimate debt. Seldom are we told that the ability of African nations to fend for themselves is frustrated by corporate welfare subsidies totaling nearly $1 billion a day to keep western agricultural exports dominant on the world market at the expense of small farmers in developing countries. It goes without saying that for these and other reasons, many African nations are indeed trapped in profound crisis. But instead of comprehensive coverage that examines the full spectrum of cause and effect, we are inundated by one-dimensional images that dwell exclusively on the effect: stark, skeletal images of suffering that feed upon themselves to produce in our minds a misleading stereotype that becomes the face of Africa. Alhaji G. V. Kromah, former assistant professor of International Communication and Media Law at the University of Liberia, summarized the frustration of many when he told students at University of Indiana, Bloomington, that “the problem of Western media reporting on Africa goes beyond professional inadequacies and structural bias. Socio-cultural factors have continued to account significantly for the stereotyping archetype, which has remained a hallmark of western collection and dissemination of information about Africa.”He decried the western reliance on “fatalistic and selectively crude images of Africa to prove to their already misinformed audiences that they have visited the continent or are knowledgeable about its activities.”“Ordinary people, including elders and children, must know that along with the huts, crocodiles and famine, African countries also have skyscrapers, multiple lane roadways and other manifestations of modern life,” Kromah said. “The reciprocal entrapment between the media and their western audiences on perceptions of Africa can only be dissolved if journalists and their institutional owners wake up and hear members of the same audiences expressing knowledge of Africa” beyond the overblown stereotypes and caricatures of African life.

For the continuation visit:
http://www.africaaction.org/resources/page.php?op=read&documentid=723&type=9

This article speaks a lot of truth. And it doesn't help either when celebraties go to Africa, return and only re-enforce the negative aspects as already depicted in the media. The continent is just way too big and diverse for that.

Heroes

Heroes are born
In times like these
Voices become swings
At the enemy

The road to perdition
Was the soundtrack of their lives
Reduced to microscopic significance
Due to neglect by the masses

Neglect to object
At the subtle signs of oppression
First emerging from the collective mind
Then trickling down to performances
It takes a while
Even as one person is extinguished
A dozen- a score-a hundred
Perhaps equivalent to a quiver of protest
Maybe just ripe enough for the next redemption song

Heroes emerge
In times like these
In times of genocide-war-disease
In times when hell ceases to be a state of mind

Time is on our side
God is on our side
Who is on the side of the sacrificial lambs?
In another place in time
An uprising-and a hero
To be born.

My Response To The Classification Of Exotic

He said I was fly
Swingin’ hips
Several shades away from standard type skin
-exotic
reminded him of wild remote places
didn’t mention it
but I assumed
it came with juicy fruits, heightened tropicana
thought I was a good dancer
even before learning my name
said rhythm was in my blood
buried beneath my veins
deeper than my self-awareness

Must admit
I love the sound of drums
It’s primodial quality
It’s heightened pulsating capability
I find it
Almost spiritually exhilarating
And in certain moments
I become one with its message
It becomes me ...
That's when I move...
But then they say:
“She had to be a good dancer”
Like I had no choice in the matter

The words tumbled in my head
eager to project from my lips
the fact that:
I’ve actually never encountered a jungle
My parents, parents lived in African-type cities
And I inherited that love for the city
Even though once in a while a touch of village life inspires me.

Hoped he would find even more fascinating
that:
I’m curious about every book I encounter
Question everything I hear
Write as a substitute for breathing
Dream of saving the world
Enjoy crotcheting
Karaoke
Madonna
Flamingos
Walking barefoot everywhere;
And not for any primitive tendencies
Crave cereal three times a day
An independent woman by choice
Deeply spiritual
Though not always saintly
Still as the river Niger of my birth
And yes, beautiful
For the simple reason
The I am that I am
Self contained in a divine spark
Is me.

Untitled

This poem was inspired by Harriet Washington's book "Medical aparthied: The dark history of medical experimentation on black Americans from colonial times to the present". For more information on abusive medical experimentation on minorities currently taking place in NYC's foster care system, visit.
http://www.guineapigkids.com/

guinea pigs
thought they was
someone's
child
brother
sister
muse

guinea pigs
is what the headlines say
didn't know
guinea pigs
equal
exploration
dissection
mutilation
pill popping
placebo jumbos

it's no surprise
it had to be a pig
it's always dear ol' hog

...yea
and dear ol' blackie
brownie
pauper
sickler

today it's
children in foster care
substance invading
symptom swingin'
no protest or else
will take precious
Kisha, Jumal, Jose
_you breakin' the law
_you should be grateful
we gave you this child
in the first place, &*...

it's slavery
history
medicine
HIV
fact
distortion
exploitation

exportation

just another
chapter
in
medical aparthied.

A Celebration of African Heritage and Culture

The African festival hosted by Brooklyn Academy of Music was held on memorial day weekend. I was able to attend the Bazaar which aims to replicate the typical african market place. The event showcased artwork, fashion, literature, music, etc from African, afro-carribean and african american cultures. I had a blast celebrating the beauty of our wonderful culture and heritage and understanding even more its influence in the world. I also have to admit that I enjoyed seeing many sisters and brothers rocking fros and dreadlocks...:)