A Thank You Note

I just wanted to use this opportunity to thank those who showed thier support by purchasing my poetry book. Thanks for putting those CRARN kids in mind with your purchase. God bless!

Western World Dumps Waste In Africa

Found the following article on a Nigerian website. Here's an excerpt:

Tonnes of toxic waste from municipal dumps in the West are being dumped illegally in countries like Nigeria and Ghana, an investigation has found. Hundreds of thousands of broken items like TVs and computers are being sold to dealers on the pretext of re-use. Under EU law, such household appliances must be dismantled or recycled. But they are stripped of raw metals by those working on poisoned waste dumps, the report by Greenpeace, Sky News and Britain's Independent newspaper found. Greenpeace said the young people working on such dumps often break apart the electronic items for parts, but in doing so are exposed to poisonous chemicals like mercury, lead and cadmium."When in fact we knew, because we gutted it, this TV, before it left the UK, we took all the insides out and put [in] a tracker device, which enabled us to track this old TV from the UK, through the recycler, etc to Nigeria."http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7897631.stm

Sometimes I can't comprehend the lack of conscience of the power elites especially with regards to the third world. This doesn't make sense to me, it just doesn't ..:(

Music As A Weapon For Change (Samples)

A group of young African artists came together to sing about saving the children of Africa. The song is so powerful and the beat is tight!



Here's another cool song, the price of silence, featuring Ziggy Marley, Emmanuel Jal & a bunch of other international artists. By the way Jal has been promoting his music and new movie based on his experience as a child soldier in Sudan. The movie is called Warchild. Saw a screening today in Harlem. It's a very touching film. I love the refreshing and optimistic tone at the end. He will be performing at the Apollo, I believe, on the 22nd of feb. I hope I can get to talk with him in person and take a picture or something. Besides the fact that dude is so inspiring and talented with his music (a fusion of soul, afrobeat & hip-pop) he is kinda cute too. :)

Gadafi New AU Chairman

The latest news is that Muammar Gadhafi has been elected chairman of the 53 nation state of the African Union(AU). I mean, this is a self proclaimed pan-arab. This is also a man who has had a controversial relationship with the west that has lasted for decades due to his terrorist activities/associations. I have read a few sources that say he pumps money into the impoverished subsaharan region and has supported political uprisings in countries like Liberia. I look at the picture, the good and the bad of the information I know about this man, and I am left with an unsatisfying feeling in my stomach. Sometimes I am not sure in just whose side he's on. Anyway, I hope the feeling is just what it is, a feeling.

Amandla!

Really cool movie about how music played a role in South Africa's liberation struggle against aparthied. Found this while playing around on youtube. :)I've always loved S.African music and culture. Mariam Makeba also appears as well...awww....she was so lovely!