Buckaroo Thandi

A lesson learned

2012-02-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

Writing from the deep side of tired! After 7 hours of learning important things, two hours of planned socialising, two hours of important phone/skype calls and the rest doing usual every day things like catching up with news (strange that as a teen I always loathed the news!) I am completely fatigued!

It was an interesting weekend, one in which my fascinations on race, development and theology intertwined. I learned that people believe very strong things about these issues. Some time ago I believed or tolerated some of the things I heard over the weekend.

I don't anymore and it's a lonely island when you find that fewer and fewer people see things the way you do. I am grateful though for those that I can discuss these issues with without anyone of us drawing a sword. But I am more grateful that I only think differently now because people were tolerant of me when I thought I knew it all. I remember Andy handing me a stack of books on these issues and me, looking at the cover and synopsis and deciding I AM NOT READING it DON'T CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS!! God bless that Andy and others like him. Shame on me though for missing out on a lot of good reading! I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN! :-)

Found a Qoute on the 'Negro Diseases'

2011-12-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

In my last post I talked about the diseases black people are supposed to be having that make it dangerous to live with us...I couldn't believe people believe this sort of thing BUT I heard the same exact line in the new movie 'The Help' this morning too!

The movie is set in back-in-the-day-Mississippi and guess what? the woman who made this statement in Malawi was born back in the day in the US and her husband is from MISSISSIPPI! Something went seriously wrong in Mississippi at some point and I know I'm not going there any day soon, thank goodness......

I'm not a weapon of mass destruction

2011-12-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

Long time no see, that must mean something good...that I'm busy again and back in the swing of things. And I write again from a healthier mind, not rushing from one task to another! This is good because now I can handle well the delicate discovery I made a few seconds ago, that according to a certain Mrs. Fern, living in the same house with folks from my Stan can wipe out a whole race from another continent.

Apparently, the memo was not passed on to my Greek and Taiwanese housemates, oh well!

I think I would feel like the girl above if I ever met that Mrs. Fern ever again! (pic sourced from the web).

Amazing Race in Malawi, Being in the Netherlands and why I don't Find it Amusing that Gaddafi was Slain

2011-11-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did use the word 'slain' but let's start on a lighter note. I watched the The Amazing Race episode 6 of Season 19. Guess where the teams were? Malawi!! Granted the whole thing was touristy but hey, it's always nice to know one more person out there finally understands that Malawians like me to fight off lions on our way to the market! Ah, it was nice to see the singing and dancing, it takes a lot of courage not to have everything in the world but still have joy and be hospitable to visitors. I'm proud of The Amazing Race for trying this, I can't wait for the lake Malawi episode next week.

Now about being here in the Netherlands, boss man has asked me to blog now and then my take on my experiences here. it will be a challenge on two fronts. Firstly, last time i was here I bragged that i was a lucky charm and the Dutch would win the world cup just because I was here. How dare I be so egotistical, challenging the wondrous predictions of the dear octopus next door? So ja, my embarrassment froze my writing hand....tsk tsk. The second thing is that writing about my experiences here will inevitably lead to writing about the people that live here. I always hesitate to write about the people of countries I live in because the purpose of this blog is to focus my attention on Malawi, I think I am most qualified to write about no other people than my fellow Malawians. That pretty much says it all. but will see how it goes....

And about Gaddafi, the late Brother Leader I am not amused at the joy surrounding his slaying. We all knew the guy in one way or other, he visited our countries, he led our continental Union, he spoke to the UN assembly, his son played soccer games we watched, hbuilt hospitals for us, we joked about his all-female bodyguard detail etc. Why now should an internal rebellion not have called for immediate peaceful interventions and a court case for him for the civilians killed when he had retaliated in February? But no, thousands have died, infrastructure has been damaged, himself killed brutally and clips of high-ranking officials laughing about it have emerged (a la Caeser's 'veni, vidi, vici). There is a new government now but I'm hesitant to imagine myself going over there to visit after all this....still scratching my head.

Stones

2011-10-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hebrew men of old lay memorial stones
Hebrew men of old said hello and goodbye often
yet many stones they laid
good memories marking the surpassing of bad ones....

....Hansel and Gretel dropped stones
they had said goodbye to their home and hoped to say hello again
and the witch to whose home a visit they paid
a way back they hoped they would find...
and live to tell.

People around my home liked stones
to cook upon, to fence in the flower patch, to hold the door open
to keep feet clean, to chase the dogs with...

As we lay down this dream on this stone of the unknown

may the memorial stones continue to be laid
lest we forget how we got here
may we remember where we laid the trail of stones
so that we may always find our way back to goodness...to home
may we always know which stones are good for cooking, for cleaning, for fencing in the flower patch, to clean our feet and to chase the dogs of life away

So this dream is laid down for the moment
will they laugh
as we cry
will a new one come
better than the last
we pray this is a Hebrew memorial stone
that marks hope and grace
and not death and the beginning of waste

Up the Dome Tower

2011-09-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Neat, huh? So, today I went up this dome. About 110 meters high, should have been an easy conquest but I am a child of (some) of my people. Yay, those same people who marveled at stairways at Mandala house and got dizzy with the height of 12 steps (+-)!!! You can imagine that when I went all the way up the Carrilion it was more than enough for me. I tried to inconspicuously hold on to Folkert and wondered if I would survive should one of us be a terrorist and threaten to send us plummeting. Of course, the fact that I was the only Bantu there today did cross my mind...that I was conspicuous! But hey, here is to me for doing something new, going up so high by choice and calming my fears. Here is to you Folkert, Here is to you the dome! Next time Eiffel??

My own space

2011-09-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Having had the honour of living for some periods in Manzini, Boise, Bremerton, Camden, Pietermaritzburg, Silverdale, and now just recently moved to a new city far and away from comfy Zomba + Lilongwe, I find that the world continues to be fascinating. Places are so different yet the same. People go to sleep and people wake up. Everywhere. They go shopping. Everywhere. ...and they speak loudly (or softly) on cell phones. Everywhere...girls are sometimes mean to one another. Everywhere...and folks invariably use gmail, hotmail, yahoomail...you get the picture. Yet gaps between wealth and poverty persist in showing us differences as do technology gaps, ignorance, prejudice, pride, trade.....

....be assured though, even though I´m here Iĺl keep to my ethos of giving commentary of the Malawian experience as I subjectively perceive it. Fear not, I am not nor will I ever be the ´wanna-be expatriate-missionary-tourist blogo- DIARIST!!!!!

I passed my English profiency test

2011-06-25T12:08:00.001-07:00

Ahem, I did pass the 'English as a Second Language' test. So, as it turns out, I CAN speak English. It turns out I CAN understand English after all, who knew?

OK, on a serious note, it was not easy. It was four hours long (and yet we hear that an adult's attention span is just under ONE HOUR!!). It was pricey (the price was in US $). It was away from home (I travelled the previous night to the city where I took the test) - I slept in (a very posh, as it turned out!) back packers (but the price was not bad at all). I got lost, the police had to take me to the back packers after I wandered around like a vagabond for 4 hours (no one had any idea where Berea is :-( ) ....maybe the area was called something else the second before I arrived there......

The test was tough, I should call it an exam actually because it was a proper exam in every sense of the word. I had to think, listen, compose, comprehend, watch out for trick questions, block out noise from outside, not lose track (for four hours, that was really hard for a person like me). When I left the test room, I couldn't smile and my whole self was down and depressed for some time. And that's just part of it, I have been thinking about that test for weeks and weeks and even had dreams (or were they nightmares?) about it.

If I had the choice would I have taken the test, truly, no. I would have rather the Queen wave her scepter over my head and pronounce me a Brit for the month of May so I wouldn't have had to take the exam.

What am I grateful for? I am grateful to God that it all went well:- from the payment (thank you, you know who you are :-)), to the lekker back packers and the wherewithal to get there, to the Bereans for not knowing where Berea is and to the Howardians (especially those at the Memorial Building) for not knowing where the basement is in a buiding they attend classes/work in!!! For the nice folks I took the exams with, especially the coordinator, who helped me work out what ID docs to bring. Finally, for the test score/result and the one who emailed it to me (the envelope carrying it is transposed somewhere between the North Atlantic and South Atlantic, possibly on a boat, I don't expect it for another few yea...sorry, weeks. lol. Good times! and yes, Thank God, the storm is over!

more details on TEBA workers

2011-06-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

This is for you Judith (and any one else interested in TEBA ex-miners' news), following my last comment, here are the details that might be helpful regarding TEBA and ex-miners:

Who: any Malawian who worked in the mines under TEBA between 1970 and 2008 and didn't get their dues

What: the SA government through debt collector company R&W, is squaring the bills outstanding;

How: Malawian claimants should call or write to Credit Data, the company that has been commissioned to run the programme in Malawi (their number must be available in MW directory??)

What is needed: Name, current addresses, contact number, date of birth and where possible, name of mine and miner ID. Where miner is deceased, survivors can submit this details and claim.
Bank account details are needed for R&W to deposit the money

This information has been sourced from the Malawi Nation newspaper, Wed, 18 May 2011

TEBA Workers to receive their money

2011-05-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

forty years of mining migrations from Malawi to South Africa, it's finally pay day and I'm happy that these men did not risk their lives (under ground) and leave their families behind for nothing....Finally...something for the ex-miners to smile about :-)

The Royal Wedding- from an African development point of view Part 1

2011-05-05T06:41:00.002-07:00

Disclaimer-this is a subjective opinion and not a political statement.

Let me admit, I had planned to boycott watching the royal wedding on TV. Prior to the broadcast last Friday morning, I kept myself purposely ‘out of the loop’ on anything to do with it. I had taken up the chant ‘why should I bother about a royal family I’ll never meet when I have my own king right in my own Ngoni nation whose title was stripped to the bare-sounding ‘Paramount Chief’? On the morning itself I woke up and found myself house-bound due to a mix of unforeseen circumstances and I thought…’what to do but turn on the telly.’

So, long story short I watched the entire thing (sans the private reception obviously). As I watched, several things became apparent.

The first was the recognition of the multiple facets of my own subjectivity. As a child of the 80s, my memories took me back to my mother’s stack of ‘Royal Wedding’ glossy magazines filled with the Prince and Princess of Wales. Without cheating by looking on the internet, I can declare right here that Prince Charles’ uniform on his first wedding day bore black and blue colours. And if I remember correctly, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were the groomsmen. So yes, I was an African child who according to popular belief should have been more concerned with the trees and the sun but there I was, memorizing the who’s-who of the British royal family. It was normal, I spoke English at school so it was obvious to me then, that I should know the ‘Paramount Chief’ of the English and his/her family.

Secondly, I thought back to my first brush with the reality of the media and global royal systems. My family
had moved to Swaziland in my pre-teen years and there I read (again, instead of being the African child in the trees out in the sun, shame on me) how the media had all but praise for any monarch outside of Europe. It was insane to me, every article had beautiful pictures of the royals of Monaco and the United Kingdom, spiced (nicely) to the brim with their family problems but what did they have for King Mswati and his family? Completely and utterly disappointed was I at this disparity that I resolved to forget about the whole thing. I resolved to prepare myself to vote at the age of 18 for a normal state leader, a democratic president in my own country of Malawi...

The Royal Wedding- from an African development point of view Part 1 1/4

2011-05-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: this is a subjective opinion and not a political statement

...I was sidetracked at 16, when news of Diana, by then LADY Diana hit Malawi. I was in a Catholic boarding school for girls at the time. We heard all the conspiracy stories as we counted the number of mangos in in the tree or was it during Prep time?...I believed some of them…even heard that some of her jewels had been donated to our school through a charity organisation. I pictured seeing my first royal jewels, I imagined huge orbs draped in gold...

I got boils around this stage (don’t be disgusted, it’s part of the story) and went home to my mother to recover. My mother lived in a small town, Kasungu but wouldn’t you know it. A family in my neighbourhood had the VHS of Lady Diana’s funeral. I watched the tape with that family’s kids (they were watching it for the umpteenth time) and wept as Elton John sang the ‘Billy Jean’ song re-written for Lady Diana. In my teen Christian mind I was puzzled and afraid as I read about the circumstances of her and her boyfriend’s deaths. I was happy I wasn’t Anglican, otherwise I would have been doubly confused, but then again, I should have been out in the trees swinging from limb to limb eating mangoes.

I try now to search my mind for other information I have gathered over the years that has something to do with the royals of the UK…a picture of Princess Euginee learning to swim with mittens on her hands ‘to prevent her from scratching herself’ was it? I’m not sure anymore…a picture of a balding Prince Edward… something about Princess Fergie starting a cartoon show (was it?)…some divorces…the death of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret…..

…..and suddenly, Friday 29 April 2011, me, housebound and the telly ontuned to SABC 3... I think that was interesting in itself, for had I been in Malawi at that precise moment, chances are I would not have been tuned to a live broadcast, not because it’s not accessible there, but it would not have been accessible to ME…now that I’m grown, I AM expected to swing from limb to limb don’t you know….the limbs of a non-student-full-time-employed-junior-can’t-get-a-day-off-randomly-to-ruminate-before-a-tv kind of existence.

The Royal Wedding- from an African development point of view Part 1 1/2

2011-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: this is a subjective opinion and not a political statement

....So, here I was, an African, theology and development adult student, not the young Commonwealth child/teen. What did I think? Let’s make believe that I have four arms. OK? Here goes:

on one hand, as a woman, I was mighty impressed by THE DRESS, I was impressed by how the bride and groom turned out (…they are my age by the way, so that was a touching experience), I was impressed by the formalities, by THE DRESS, the simplicity yet sophistication, the homily and of course, THE DRESS!

On the other hand, as an African theology and development student, I was not impressed by the opulence that went into the whole thing. I read a few months ago a comment on a website (a habit I have since toned down on); a guy wrote with great zeal: ‘why do we think there is only one pie the world is eating from, there are many pies, the American pie, the European pie, the Asian pie….let the rich get richer…after all, it doesn’t have to affect the poor’. Hmm, bless the man but his mom should have told him to read a bit before commenting into the expanse of the media…I bet he was busy swinging from trees in his childhood :-p.

As I watched the royal wedding I kept thinking that this IS a grand display of wealth accumulated over years and years of dominion. There was nothing innocent about the opulence to me and there was nothing glorious about it all taking place in a cathedral, I wondered what the Apostle Paul would have thought about all this. And frankly, it doesn’t help that with my Commonwealth citizenship and the grand expense of attending some fine Cambridge syllabus schools in addition to BOLESWA and Malawi syllabi schools: I still have to take an expensive English proficiency exam this weekend! Truth be told, I’m filled with trepidation about that exam…I don’t have my ‘hang, hung, sang, sung, ran, run’s’ in order!!

The Royal Wedding- from an African development point of view Part 1 3/4

2011-05-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: this is a subjective opinion and not a political statement

On the third hand I thought about Eurocentrism. It creeps up on you slowly, the fact that you subconsciously watch the parade of global royals with no interest until suddenly there is a European royal and suddenly you are like, ‘who’s that? Doesn’t s/he look wonderful…move over Prince of Benong Beng! I want to see that European, which European country did they say s/he is from?!’ I didn’t catch myself doing this until I was surprised to see two choir boys, one clearly from Asian descent and the other from African descent. And then it suddenly hit me, I was at Heathrow airport a few years ago and definitely there are Brits of Indian, East Asian, African origin aplenty! You get my point.

On the fourth hand, and the last hand what impressed upon my mind a few days later is the question of Osama bin Laden. Of course, my African trees and sunlight don’t tell me much but I do wonder about what impact HUGE celebrations have on the psyches of human beings. Temporarily a royal wedding takes place and captures the imaginations of millions (or did they say billions); equally, a mission accomplished exercise takes place and hordes celebrate as was the case with the media report on Osama bin Laden (I stress ‘media report’ here because I haven’t read the official statements from the UN yet).

What does that say to me and my trees about the 21st century’s media platforms which allow us in hordes to be triggered by images of occurrences thousands of miles away? A camera angle, a script, good lighting, tv rights, a telly (from Fong Kong) and we are mass mobilized! How much of the nuances are we aware of? Do the post-modernist argue that anything goes? Well, then how much of what ‘goes’ are we taking responsibility for allowing…in our so-called 21st Century of ‘justice’?

…look up, look down, look up again…where am I? I’m in a mango tree! Mmm these delicious mangos in an African winter! Yum, yum, yum, Delicioso!

2011-05-05T03:56:00.001-07:00

Cramming for an English Test

2011-04-08T17:36:00.001-07:00

Fascinating...I am required to take an all important English test next month. Don't ask me why, it has something to do with my not being a 'native English speaker'. Well, I am a native :-p lol, some would say...and I do speak something... but I am definitely not English. These are the times you wish the Queen would get a bit distracted from her grandson's wedding and wave her sceptre over my head pronouncing me English for a month. Wishes....

This takes me back to learning English back in the day. First by rote. I remember the teacher saying endlessly, 'Class, what is this?'
and our response was, 'ZAAAAT IS A TROPHY!!'

'Again, class! What is this?'
'ZAAAAT IS A TROPHY!!'

I remember graduating to Timve and Tsala at around age 8 after barely managing Reading for Some Purpose and Peter and Jane. Timve's Big Shoe anyone? What about learning through song on the then only authorised radio station, Radio MBC?
'Good morning children, good morning children, good morning dear children! Good morning to you!
'Good morning teacher, good morning teacher......'

It's a tough language to learn. Especially when it stops being about stories and poetic songs and they start throwing in grammar and stuff. ....but then, suddenly you are in high school and stories come back and the class is called English Literature. I never got how they crept that on us.

Anywho, this is serious. I am studying for my English test. Wish me well please, I've been known to speed read (which is good for missing a lot of instructions and failing trick questions); I've also been known for picking up bad habits i.e. sms lingo, ChichEnglish, copy+pasting phrases from Ebonics, TaalEnglish....you get the idea :-(

....truth be told, this is scary

Should the Contemporary African take Racists seriously?

2011-03-30T15:57:00.001-07:00

Yes and no. I'll start with the 'no'. Racial attitudes, slurs, ideologies and actions; when one is on the receiving end are very tedious and sap a lot of energy. This is because you have to deal with these at various levels, from 'Oh, poor him/her; he doesn't know any better.', to slowly balling your fist counting 1 to 10, etc. At times it's helpful to rationalise, turn a deaf ear, ignore racist readers' comments online on news sites, avoid certain people, places and gatherings... I truly believe it is possible to get by in Africa without letting racist sentiments near and far, physical and cyber get to you.

On the other hand paying attention to these sentiments (within reason) and observing who perpetuate them in various guises and levels of 'innocence' is quite an educational enterprise. By understanding the 'fear factors' that are the foundation of each and every racist sentiment, belief, action etc. all on the receiving end of racism gain a window into their own qualities that are so feared. Examples are many and people experience racism in a plethora of ways. The bottom line is that throughout history, all social organisms founded on hate have consistently failed. Those who create them have never learned the formula and never will that:

us + them = us + them;
it doesn't add up to much does it? It's like orange + pine apple; the sum will always equal orange + pine apple.
....except we are not oranges and pine apples.

for value (us) and value (them) to arrive at desirable (value X) in our social agenda; (us) and (them) must have a value in common: (human)

so that (us humans) + (them humans) = ((us+them=we) humans)
therefore (we humans) will only arrive at desirable (value X) when (we humans) recognise that only (we humans) are capable of arriving at desirable (value X)

You didn't get it? Don't worry, only (we humans) get it. (us) and (them) don't; they are still fighting over pine apples and oranges!

So help us God.

Sean Kingston Live In Malawi DSTV advert

2011-03-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Lost in Draft

2011-02-28T10:25:00.001-08:00

How? Wrote lines and lines about whether it makes global economic sense to allow unlimited money to accumulate on 'talent' i.e. the who's who of the grammys and Oscars for example.

Celebrities of the US and UK have no ceiling it seems when it comes to endorsement deals, advertising deals, record deals, appearance fees, photo/story sales to magazines...the millions they get paid just seem to grow with every decade.

Well, what I wrote just disappeared into cyberspace, poof! just like that. Thank you net nanny for nipping my criticism of this new class in the bud. Do you suppose 200 years from now people will say: 'the 21st Century was characterised by a steadily growing class of the wealthy, the Celebrities!' Well now, that's a topic for another day, fare the well my recently snatched draft...

A throw-back...

2011-02-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

LOL, scrolling through my drafts, found this entry that never made the cut. It's from about 3 years ago....!

Thank God for Labor Day! I am exhillirated, especially after Easter came in March and we had the whole April with no break, man, this is cool. What am I doing today? top of my list, I'm going to the Sunshine Boutique AKA Bend Down Boutique AKA Flea Market (where the fleas at?) AKA Kaunjika ONLY IN AFRICA BABY!!! I'm looking for some basketball shorts, not just for training, but I think they just inflate my ego, remind me of yester year....don't know if I can chance a basketball jersey, need to work on my tri-ceps, you know with all the good nsima it's kinda hard to keep them in check.

so to you all holiday/labor day celebrants, don't spend your hard-earned Kwacha drinking today..Carlsberg is already rich! Meet me at the Sunshine Boutique. One Love!

-----p.s. remember the scary rope bridge on your way to the bend down boutique, and you had to pay 5 Kwacha to walk on the flimsy thing, mmmha ha ha h! wonder if it's still there as was!!!

Matters of Race: The Eavesdropper

2011-02-03T14:52:00.001-08:00

Folkert and I took the metrorail up and down Cape Town several times over the Christmas season. Not only was it efficient transportation, it also provided for us time to chat, talk and discuss... So obviously, after several days a topic that was at the centre of our discussions on one of those train rides was the issue of race. How people were responding to us, how they were responding to ME walking with Folkert; how they were responding to FOLKERT walking with me!

After talking at lenghth, and me being secure that, racially, things are as they seem; our jaws dropped when an eavesdropper, a White guy might I add, walked up to us holding up a picture of his bi-racial girlfriend, 'You don't have to live in the past! Look! This is my girlfriend for the past ... years. Things were like that but you don't have to live in the past!'

If my memory serves me correctly, he had tears welling in his eyes. It happened to be his stop and off he went. It really got us thinking, we have had some bad experiences, we have had some weird experiences and we have had very many good experiences. This guy gave us a good insight, it's not all about the experiences...we do have a choice, we can choose to LIVE today.

Cheerio.

Cleavage, Women's Thighs and Global Location

2011-01-23T13:40:00.001-08:00

The first time I ever noted the frenzy over women's chest areas was in Swaziland. The international media was fascinated by the Reed Dance, 'Women parade around like THAT?' they seemed to scream as they happily snapped away. But at my school in the middle of Manzini, Swazi school girls practiced for traditonal dance competitions dressed in what was normal for traditonal dances: bare chests and all.

Having read all the rants and raves about women and cleavages in Eurocentric literature and media, I looked sideways at teachers during those traditional dance practices, hoping to see signs of, at the very least, embarrassment...but there was none whatsoever. The teachers seemed to only be occupied with whether the girls were following the beats. This puzzled me for years until another puzzle came along...African men's frenzy over thighs.

Whereever thighs were flashed around as I grew up, drama happened. Short skirts hollered at here, short-shorts criticized there, street vendors throwing sarongs at women whose skirts/dresses were too short, name-calling over there...and the mysterious men who lectured my mother about my dress which was just 2 cm above my knees when I was 16!

I searched high and low in Eurocentric literature to find out if the was a similar frenzy about women's thighs. Apart from stories about the revolution of the mini-skirt in the mid-twentieth century, nothing whatsoever. I suppose after the victorian era-esque bell dresses, the mini-skirt wasn't too much a revolution because less than a century later we now have shorts of the same length as mini-skirts and shorter and yet there is no crowd of cameramen descending on women's Fifa matches to gasp: 'They play football in THAT?'

Anyway, to get to my point, it's only last year that a random discussion with my wise neighbour revealed that apparently what men notice about women depends on where they are globally. Take the breast-feeding campaigns, would it surprise you to know that I first saw a blouse with flaps for breast-feeding on a European woman? Growing up it was no big deal for women to breast-feed in public. I don't know about now but back then there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Yes, the chest area, within society is safely tucked away but there is no frenzy about it.

Certainly I've never heard of anyone within my circle of friends going on and on about bra size or dreaming of a visit to a cosmetic surgeon about it, well, only one but she wanted it because the weight was putting pressure on back. And yet, years ago, a kindly old man on the street went out of his way to advise me on why I should cover up my legs, 'It's the backs of your knees child, honour the backs of your knees. Don't show them off too much or they'll become a common sight.' Sounds like what some would say about a cleavage elsewhere.

So women all around, beauty comes from within. What is attractive on a woman varies from place to place (and maybe from generation to generation) so please don't obsess about this or that. Be healthy emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically and let the beauty from within radiate! Think of old China and the bandaged feet, think of Hebrews and hair, think of Romans and plump women, think of modern media and twiggy women...we can't afford to fit into all these images of feminine beauty, there are just too many images!

Working with Grace

2010-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Good lesson to learn today that there will always be at least that one moment when there is no one else. It's in those moments that character must shine. It was a tough day indeed but I am glad that the people who presume to crush or shame others unprovoked, at the end of the day, are the spineless ones. And also it's a day to learn that moms are special because for a period there are always there, no matter what. After we leave the bird nest though, it's in and out,that's when we learn to fight so that we are equipped to raise the next generation.

The English and their FIFA bid loss

2010-12-06T03:13:00.000-08:00

What can I say? Well, at the expense of making humungously broad generations:

1. For the English man who humiliated me as I applied for a visa with his, "What is that? Your parent's bank account is it? Why that's a paltry sum of money it is! You want make it through this application process you won't!' -----I say Yippee! Now you know what it feels like when the 'big guns' look down their nose at you and say NO, You're not good enough yet this time!

2. For my friends who were denied entry because: 'Where did they get so much money? There's something funny about this? They can't possible have such money, they won't make it into here, they won't.' -----Here's to your money spent England! Now you know what it feels like to try your best and be swatted away like an annoying tropical fly.

3. But to the nice immigration guy at Heathrow who let me in to customs briefly to give my sister the peanut butter she was craving when she was pregnant (and I was in transit to PA), for nice English folks like you I agree that there need to be reforms in the FIFA bidding process.

At the end of the day though, don't you think all countries who make it as far as bidding should be given a chance to host, particularly if they were sidelined for being 'ideological sinners' in the past (and for some in the present who still believe communism, religious governments etc. make some lesser states than others).. It's a game, football is a game and people should be able to host despite their ideological leanings don't you think? After all, ha ha ha! songs such as 'when I get older...I will be stronger...they'll call me freedom just like a waving flag!' can be sang EVERYWHERE with a nice cold Coke :-)

Pipe dreams as Global Warming Logic

2010-12-05T01:10:00.001-08:00

Eish! Just had to change the channel when a 'well-educated-PhD-holding-Africanist-womanist-nature-conservationist-culturist-healer-' posited the solution to global warming. She began well, talking about how our modern lifestyles are affecting nature's cycles and heightenning global warming. She lost me though when the solution she offered included grain and food offerings to Mother Nature.

Simply put, grain and food offerings to ward off the potential catastrophe of such gigantic proportions measure in the tonnes. That equals yet more forests cleared to cultivate yet more grain to not only surpass regular consumption needs, but to appease this deity. Eh, looks like an instant recipe for MORE global warming disaster for me.

It's just as bad as the pipe dreams from overseas, that there will always be more- that you can eat all you want with no serious consequence on the environment....hogwash....speaking of hogs, how many acres does it take to feed one prize hog that will give me bacon, pork chops, and pork sama sumi, not counting the chunks for my stew! We are a giant mess if we aim to either appease Mother Nature and ourselves (with our population tripling by the decade) with food, food and more food...and expect a corpenicus happily forever after...how many earths do we got?

Need help on the basketball site

2010-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

My basketball site has been sitting idle for too long, need help with pics, articles, ideas and poll ideas so please visit and let's show love to the game of basket in Malawi.

http://www.basketballinmalawi.webnode.com/

You Es Ade: From the X People

2010-11-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

A tattoo on my door, on my wall, on my note book
I overhead my teacher is paid by you too. Does that mean you own me?

I know I should be grateful Mama says a nice boy says ‘thank you’
She doesn’t know, I’m thankful but it helps not to be tattoed on my every piece of skin
I’m over-whelmed, last year they told us we’d eat free porridge at school
I was so excited and then, I saw it again, your tattoo on the mealie sacks!

Papa says I should work hard in school
So that maybe you will employ me
I will drive a car with your tattoo on its side
He thinks that is so cool
You’ll brand me for life
My desk, my file, my car
You Es Ade: From the X people

I’ll have to make sure I hear them say,
not to forget
The biggest letters on all my tattoos
I receive from you
Should always be YOU ES ADE: From the X people

I shouldn’t forget
No I will not.
No one else matters
No one else helps me
All is nothing It is all you,
You Es Ade: From the X people

Thank you You es Ade I’ll make you proud
when I come to your door
You won’t turn me away like the others will you?
I’ve come to love your flag
After all I am yours,
Forever tattooed,
You Es Ed: From the X people

The Malawi Bloat

2010-11-05T12:53:00.001-07:00

Dont' judge me but by mere circumstance I'm watching Deuce Bigalow...(ewww) but yes, the actor (Rob Schneider) just mentioned the 'Malawi Bloat' (wonder if he knows how it go so named). Anyway, I never heard of it below and looked it up, and posted the link here. Pepani nsomba.

On Matthew Parris and his comment on Africa and Missionaries

2010-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I had an itch every time I saw Matthew Parris quoted by missionaries as a stamp of approval for the work they do. I was of the mind of getting to thinking what to write about this fella who is seemingly stuck between colonial-nostalgia and post-colonial shock. His need for having something to say about Africa (with such limited lived experience here/limited personal encounters with diverse Africans on the longer term) is beyond me. I suppose access to the global media has a way of making folks give an 'educated' opinion at every whim?? Search me.

Anyway, I came across (quite thankfully) these two blogs that wrote on the topic of Matthew Parris much better than I could ever hope to. Luckily there's a balance actually: the one link is written by an African and the other a Westerner.

http://benbyerly.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/i-dont-need-god-but-those-africans-sure-do-on-matthew-parriss-popular-column/#comment-3908

http://wherehermadnessresides.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-dont-believe-in-god-but-they-need-god.html

My 2¢ on Florence (and Precious) Mhango

2010-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

My respect for Scotland has in the past few months gone from low to zero. Sadly, while watching the Scottish blip at the Commonwealth festival yesterday I went as far as to mute the TV and wait for Indian festivities to come on again before continuing to watch the show.

Scotland, not content to spawn over-zealous young Malawians (well, I have in mind one specific one) that have loudly disowned everything Malawian in themselves and seek to visit their new found zeal upon us in 2022 (or thereabouts); the Scots are now championing the misguided belief that Malawi is no longer safe for us women and girls. who forgot to send my dad the memo when I was 11 that it was my cultural duty to get married off. Well, whoever forgot to send that is 18 years late as I am still reserving my bony wedding finger for that round piece of metal.

Apparently, the ministry of education didn't receive the memo that none of it's schools are up to scratch either, pity. That memo is 46 years too late. Maybe lost somewhere in the mail.
So this case of Florence Mhango and the Evening Times (or whatever it is called). Not only is she and her daughter from exactly the same tribe and region as I am; yet our paths are different. So to avoid being labelled a jealous Malawian (as is often the case when Malawians protest in one way or the other- refer to web commentary on those with 'other' views on e.g. the David Banda, Mercy James and their Dads ). I will go ahead to propose to Florence, Precious and their Scottish friends: fight your battles but leave the Malawian name out of it. I feel the police and the entire law system who have been reduced to ridicule over genital mutilation (again someone forgot to send out memos informing us that it is a legal practice - maybe mine was lost in the mail) and I feel for my Northern Malawian culture whose centuries old practice of lobola has been reduced to child-grabbing (again, when my parents got divorced, someone forgot to send my Dad's family the memo to grab me). I will not speculate that poverty is the main issue here, for if it is dare I say the Scots would have been bold enough to call a spade a spade.

Who knows? Out goes anything tartarn from my arms, so long and farewell.

The Polka Dot Kerchief

2010-10-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

It is strange how some of life’s best spiritual lessons come about in the humblest of ways. I was on my wayto church when at the corner I run into a renegade church member. You know one of those embarrassing moments when you turn a blind corner and bam! Someone you didn’t plan on meeting is right on your side of the road. So yes, she looked at me sideways and I looked at her sideway (she with an apologetic ‘don’t judge me I’m only going to other churches now until our church sorts out its mess’ look and I with a judgmental ‘you renegade! It’s because of you that people say our church is falling apart’ look.

Needless to say I thought up many self-righteous things once I had passed her and shortly up the walk I noticed she had dropped a kerchief. I am eternally ashamed that I walked right past, glancing once over my shoulder once , noting she had taken the corner to right, I justified myself for not turning back. I went on to completely forget about it, after all, I had efficiently ‘justified’ myself. After church, on my way back home what did I find but the kerchief nicely picked, folded up and neatly placed on the nearest clean spot on the brick fence next to the sidewalk. To my sinking shame, I couldn’t do even that for someone I go to the church with, all because, of all things: she likes to visit other churches!

It took a stranger to show me how quickly the trap of self-righteous –controlling behaviour can consume me. It might seem a small thing but what if the kerchief incident had not happened today, who knows what walls I would have continued to build. . It’s time to pick up the kerchief and remember there is no vacancy in the Trinity.

Why there are flies on kids faces

2010-09-05T15:26:00.001-07:00

not to dispute the issue of poverty but come on. in a place where the air is humid, the sun is hot for quite a bit of the year (and yes we do have winter, if we didn't plants wouldn't shed their leaves, rest and bloom again, agh, never mind. Let's agree that there is no summer in the West if the argument stands that by virtue of us not having substantial snow we have no winter: simply put, the West does not have substantial Sun to qualify to have summers).

Anywho, humidity, heat and sticky porridge/ or fruit de jeur and toddler snot (crying induced): all this and you have a little one whose face is attracting flies. Just think about it, what would living human facial skin with no festering wounds have that flies would be drawn to appart from the above. Grow up media, the 'fly faces' game is getting tired. cover the causes of WHY after decades of 'newsworthy' digs why are the flies still there?

Dearest child (Kimba Mutanda) - Museke African song lyrics | Museke

2010-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest child (Kimba Mutanda) - Museke African song lyrics Museke

It's only a song but it evokes a different perspective on it from me every time.

Thandi Ape

2010-08-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, good to finally know my last name doesn't mean market as in DRC soko. It's now settled that the name means ape! How do you do? My name is Thandi Ape, it's still AyObA!

Last night my father told me that he met a whole group of Soko's near Masvingo. This puts an end to googling my last name and coming up with Japanese furniture stores. Refreshing to hear that we do exist, in larger groups outside of our tiny clan in Malawi. Apparently, the Soko near Masvingo have the Shona totem of 'Manyuka' or is it 'Munyaka' (????) while-as we have the Ngoni 'Mafeni' totem in M-dubs.

Now I finally have something to say to all those non-edjamacated round here who insist on asking my opinion about Uncle Rob! Zim is not so distant to moi anymore with them fellow Soko's living out there. Here's to the Soko clan! Here's to Masvingo!

pic: college ape, from Cliff Barakman's northamericanbigfoot.blogspot.com

Screamers Only

2010-08-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we just need to scream. Explaining just doesn't cut it, thinking about it just doesn't cut it, talking about it just doesn't cut it.

image: myspace/photobucket

A new flag: the dissolution of a plethora of memories

2010-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

I pity myself for the fact that when significant things happen in Malawi, I just happen not to be there. Perhaps I shouldn't pity myself because location does offer me some measure of objectivity. So now, the flag has been changed. To others it's just a matter of the order of colours, the size/form of a galactical object and a few other nuance, not a big deal. For me, however, there are two things of lesser importance that I do in reaction: laugh it off by asking, now that there is a new flag, shall we finally say goodbye to the usage of mapolo a malayina to hang them on? I remember as a child observing with curiosity as the men of the black stripe on khaki dug holes whenever the red convertible came to town, they would dig a round hole yay wide and plonk in the painted white mapolo with fluttering flags at the top end. Ay, not sustainable to forest populations if you ask me.

The other reaction of lesser importance that comes and goes is, 'If I do claim I'm a Malawian, when in the world will anyone ever ask MY opinion on matters that define my identity, like my flag for example?' Anywho, it's the issue of the collective of Malawian memories that strikes me most glaringly and I think is most important; the meaning of this symbol as has been reflected upon by Malawian across the board is now suddenly (within a year, I would argue) removed from the fore and replace with another that we'll have to learn anew. All the lore, imaginations, facts, myths, and whatever else attached to it, poff! In principle, I do agree that kwacha refers to the era of the breaking away from colonial rule but then, does kwacha not relate to the present in that many new dawns are still to be experienced. It is a process, dawning is: a continual reflection that things don't have to be as they are but viewed and reviewed, visited again and again and again, together as we build. Perhaps I'm a conservative, more than I may care to admit, still, I am yet to grasp the necessity of this change.

The Netherlands, Germany, Frisia and the case of the HIV dogs all in one week

2010-07-25T13:21:00.001-07:00

It is good to be on a roller coaster. Several days ago I said goodbye to the Netherlands and the new discoveries I made there. I discovered, that among other things, Europe is vastly different from the US when it comes to the outlook of individual persons. The objectives of their systems both political and economical (and I have blogged about these systems several times over) overlap but individuals view the world differently, and they view themselves and their culture differently. It's good to have travelled to both places; US and Europe so as to compare elements of what we here in the Southern Hemisphere refer to as the West. And for time spent there, dankuwel Orange!...and if you are reading this Folkert, here's to YOU!

I said 'hello' to Germany a few days ago. Thanks to friends, I was able to see and taste a range of German culture. The experiences, I hope, will help colour this blog further in my processing of the world as I see it from this end of the globe. So also for the time I spent there, dankeshoen Deutschland!

And then there was Frisia, ah! Keep it up folks of Frisia: healthy sense of pride with the surroundings to match. NL and D were great but Fryslan, I must say, takes the top spot for me!

Now returning to these southern parts I chanced upon a story that happened over in Malawi. Apparently, a couple whose 5 dogs bit their guard took it upon themselves to illegally request an HIV test done on the guard so that they know if their dogs contracted the virus:

So dumb....apparently the memo hasn't reached some people that HIV stands for HUMAN IMMUNO...never mind....

On Windmills and the Spanish Win

2010-07-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

It was a great game, between the Netherlands and Spain. Too bad it didn't turn out into a victory for the Dutch. Congratulations to the Dutch for such an exciting performance, and too bad that my days as a lucky charm are over, me thinks. No room for superstition, except when it comes to certain sea animals. I miss the Orange excitement around here.

I went to see a windmill yesterday, in Burdaard. Wow! those things aren't for making the scenery look pretty. 35 meters above ground and I was dusty from the grain and wood dust of the mill and saw-mill that form the production side of the wind mill. Amazing engineering, and this particular engineering was worked out before the 20th century! Windmills aren't child's play, neither are they to be only wind sails mounted on high to generate power to the X times X amount.

It was like being in an engine craft the size of high building. Our own maize or saw-mills in Malawi do the job required of them koma tichepetse noise pollution pang'ono (akuti ana okulira near maize mills develop hearing problems) and kapenanso explore ways that do not depend entirely on magetsi. A Malawi we must wake up! tawonani anzathu they keep improving ways to harness the wind. Kapena we should support William Kankwamba and also help as Malawians kuti naye akawone different ideas to build upon his, such as the ideas of anthu akuno ku Netherlands!

Now, octopus anyone?

Dutch Lucky Charm?

2010-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have a theory I will throw about on Sunday. See, it seems to me that when I root hard enough for an unlikely contender in a significant tournament, the unlikely contender wins! Ja, I kid you not :-)

My commitment to particular teams/sports needs work I know, I am trying. Hey, think back to the ABC Lions, back in the early part of this decade, they did well. I was there. I rooted well. The Boise Broncos, they did well, I was there, I rooted well. Now, the Netherlands, since I have been here (and this is not arrogance, tssk tssk) have done well so far, I am here, I have rooted well so far. Now to put whether I am the perennial lucky charm I am putting this down to Sunday.

I am rooting for the Netherlands, they have worked hard, showed no arrogance and have not cheated their opponents throughout the components as others have through hook (read hand balls) and perhaps crook (read biased refs.). Hup! Holland Hup! Let's go Holland! You don't need a lucky charm but I am here volunteering anyway!

Hup! Holland Hup!

Pays-Bas

2010-06-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

How does it feel to be below sea level? I don't feel any different. Maybe if I take up running after the Jabulani ball I'd find out but for now it's good to take in the sights and sounds and meet people that ...live below sea level. I must say, I always took it for granted that everyone lived at or above sea level. Remembering feeling very clever in class as I listened very carefully to the teacher explain how many metres (there we go again with metric measurements!) above sea level our town was. It was like the higher above sea level one is, I thought, the better it was for you. Well, doesn't seem like these people are any worse off, but mind! I've only been here less than a week. Let's inspect them closely....

pic: wiki

Hallelujah on the Bus to Joburg

2010-06-18T01:01:00.000-07:00

TV just doesn't come close to real life. I have been 'feeling it' from near the coast but finally travelled up to Joburg yesterday. At first I didn't even realise that the bus was so full because of the football fans travelling to Joburg (who can blame me, they were not blowing vuvuzelas or wearing team colours as I see on TV). Anyway, somewhere along the way I figured it out and managed to spot the Japanese fans at the rest stop that were heading to the coast for Saturday's game.

Anywho, how was there a 'hallelujah' on the bus? Well, for one reason or the other, the dvd system wasn't working. So the driver downstairs, whether by habit or just chance, I don't know; had a sermon playing in his driver's cabin. Our energetic stewardess kept openning the door to the cabin and we ended up catching most of the sermon even up in the top deck.

Now, you know Christians are usually embarrassed to listen to sermons/pray/preach in public. I don't know why. I could pick up sighs and groans from other passengers who dared to be audible. As the preacher on the radio kept interjecting the words, 'HALLELUJAH!' and 'THANK YOU JESUS!' A little child near the front picked it up as well. 'HALLELUJAH!' 'HALLELUJAH!' She repeated innocently. That seemed to break the tension and folks gave a hearty laugh. The sermon went on, folks went back to what they were doing and the driver's cd ended a long while later.

Long after, my phone rang, to my Waka Waka ring tone. Somebody else picked up the theme and played his own Waka Waka for the bus to hear, albeit not as loudly as the sermon had been. It seems on this bus, Hallelujah! won the day though. We may not all be soccer fans but many of us are religious people. Being tolerant of others does not mean being humiliated everytime something Christian shows up in public. thank you little girl on the bus for reminding us that every once in a while it is OK to say Hallelujah! in public.

Hallelujah for the good weather. Hallelujah for the soccer tournament and all the good it has/it will bring. Hallelujah for meeting new people from all over the world. Hallelujah for Mzansi. Hallelujah for Africa. Hallelujah for the world.

Go Bafana Bafana!!! Go Africa, let the cup stay here (it's a bit dodgy though that we have such few teams, it will be difficult to overcome but do it! Go Africa! Go Bafana!)

Hallelujah!

pic: cdn.wn.com

Don't Give up Bafana Bafana

2010-06-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

It was a disappointing game but as they say, not all days are Sundays. Don't give up Bafana Bafana! Play hard, win hard. Make history! I didn't quite understand the red card decision given out to Khune. Very controversial decision in my book. Am I being biased? And then a penalty awarded to a player that was offside? I am confused here.

Keep the spirit alive Green and Yellows! It's good to see flags fluttering on cars and the sea of yellow on football Fridays. Mooi to see the fantastic commercials on tv and those heard or radio. Bafana keep the spirit alive! Ke Nako!

pic: kirstyroad.blogspot.com

The Dutch at the World Cup

2010-06-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

It's no secret, I'm all for the African teams, especially hyper after Ghana's win yesterday and anxious for Cameroon to win today's game. However, the Dutch are Folkert's people so I wish them well too (only as far as they don't win against African teams, lol).

Now this fan above makes me think, isn't orange the only fruit named after a colour, and a royal family for that matter? Ah well...

Zamina mina eh eh! Waka waka eh eh! Zamina mina zangalewa this time it's Africa!

Oh oh oh oh oh! Now wave you flag! Just wave your flag!

pic: News24.com (June 14 2010)

It is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm not even South African but I'm tearing up! I am so proud to be in South Africa as the World Cup starts. And a quarter of an hour into the first ever FIFA concert (and in the best place of all: SoWeTo!) all I can say is, JR says it all, "show them, here we go!" Make the circle bigger, bwalo likule Tchalosi! Ah, just missed the Black Eyed Peas' first song of the concert because of the commercials, this is why there should be a policy for cable tv for all! Big up to SABC, I watched the first SA democratic elections on SABC (I think it was CCV and TV1 then)....and the World Cup Rugby....and the African Nations Cup. MZANSI FO SHO

....that tonight's gonna be a good night....

let's watch this!

image: viviennemackie.files.wordpress.com (ah, the image has runoft fr now)

pic: News24.com (June 14 2010)

Mandela at the World Cup

2010-06-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

We'd all like to see the Madiba attending the openning of the games. If he decides to go, I hope he'll be placed in a sound proof compartment, this is going to be, happily of course, the loudest World Cup ever. I got a vuvuzela, the old school kind( the 2 and half foot, blow till your cheeks pop kind) and now I'm so jealous of my neighbour. She got a teeny one with twice the blare. Really, twice the blare.

Agh, I should have waited, it's always better to wait, a la 'good things come to those who wait.' Ah well, old school is good,original.

Now what happened to Drogba and Ferdinand? Fractured elbow, injured knee. So they join Beckham as liason for their respective teams. Pepani. Zamina mina eh eh waka waka eh eh! Zamina mina zangalewa it's time for Africa, anawa ah ah! Not bad Shakira and Freshly Ground. Old song but never gets old. For those of you hearing it from Shakira and Freshly Groudn for the first time, look for a movie called Sudan. It's about the war between the Brits and the Sudanese and there's a part in it where the Sudanese fighters were singing it, so yeah, it's not specifically about soccer.

...

2010-06-03T14:02:00.001-07:00

:-)

:-)

pic: uk.reuters.com (June 14 2010)

The Ban Ki-Moon Visit to Malawi

2010-05-31T02:28:00.000-07:00

As per my motto for life, i do not join the foreign media in its seasonal(read sensational)reportings on Malawi. I'm quite sure readers around the world are smart enough to synthesise for themselves reality from spins.

Now then, that said; my comment about Ban Ki-Moon's visit will be brief thus; the best thing, as I see it, is to re-evaluate in ten years if this personal visit from the UN chief will translate into a significant difference in the socio-economic and socio-political realities from the perspective of the total Malawian nation.

And now back to me, what papers do I need for AZ by the way? and what should I not wear to school in the land of the Gauls? LOL, did I hear that the Gaul-African party invited you know who? Ah, scratch that, what do I know? Nada.

The red and blue coat

2010-05-27T04:45:00.001-07:00

Once there were two boys who were great friends, and they were determined to remain that way forever. When they grew up and got married, they built their houses facing one another. There was a small path that formed a border between their farms.

One day, a trickster from the village decided to play a trick on them. He dressed himself in a two-color coat that was divided down the middle. So, one side of the coat was red, and the other side was blue.

The trickster wore this coat and walked along the narrow path between the houses of the two friends. They were each working opposite each other in their fields. The trickster made enough noise as he passed them to make sure that each of them would look up and see him passing.

At the end of the day, one friend said to the other, "Wasn't that a beautiful red coat that man was wearing today?"

"No", the other replied. "It was a blue coat."

"I saw the man clearly as he walked between us!" said the first, "His coat was red."

"You are wrong!" said the other man, "I saw it too, and it was blue."

"I know what I saw!" insisted the first man. "The coat was red!"

"You don't know anything," the second man replied angrily. "It was blue!"

They kept arguing about this over and over, insulted each other, and eventually, they began to beat each other and roll around on the ground.

Just then, the trickster returned and faced the two men, who were punching and kicking each other and shouting, "Our friendship is OVER!"

The trickster walked directly in front of them, and showed them his coat. He laughed at their silly fight. The two friends saw this his coat was red on one side and blue on the other.

The two friends stopped fighting and screamed at the trickster saying, "We have lived side by side like brothers all our lives, and it is all your fault that we are fighting. You have started a war between us."

"Don't blame me for the battle," replied the trickster. "I did not make you fight. Both of you are wrong, and both of you are right. Yes, what each one saw was true. You are fighting because you only looked at my coat from your own point of view."

Comrades Marathon

2010-05-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

With only a few days until the Comrades Marathon, I am almost persuaded to head to town and welcome the weary runners, take pictures and grab a piece of the action. I chuckle too as I remember my BIG DISGRACE. I once ran in a marathon too, sponsored by Milo in a tiny town called Mtuthama. That was years ago, after running for miles and being so far back (the very last probably)the so-called 'support' team drove close to us taunting my friend and I: 'come on, just get into the b****y truck. You are wasting everybody's time. (and then in the spirit of being professional, adding, 'of course it's your right to run'.)

Of course we gave up, got into the truck and quit. I think we had gone way past the half-way mark and I was ELEVEN YEARS OLD. Looking back, the support staff weren't my problem, it was the house mistress. She proudly handed out awards to all in our hippo house 'who had finished the marathon'. so yours trully, probably the youngest marathon runner in the history of the institution, and who did not possess the mental ability to resist the taunting of a 'support' staff, was relagated to the margins. I felt disgraced, 'If only I had finished! I would have been recognised by my house mistress!' Years later I realise that it wasn't my disgrace, it was the disgrace of those that failed to notice the budding of a could-have-been athletic career. They could have chosen to support and nurture it. But, hey, like many of us, they chose to work with what they already had.

Lesson to me, the Big Disgrace is gone. When it comes to marathons, a lot can be learned; both from the spirit of the winner and that of the enduring runner, young and old, fit and unfit at the back of the race: for they all run the race....and finish the race. Watch 'Run, fat boy, run'.

2 more days and school's out

2010-05-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

Winter break couldn't have arrived at a better time......YAY!!!! I'm tired beyond description. Aiaiai! Ngikathele kakhulu kabi. Ndatopa. Je suis fatigue, ndalema. isikhathi for resting now.

Interesting Commentary on the Gay sentencing

2010-05-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

Malawi,

In the millieu of statements and counterstatements that have been made that all seem to go along the same two views, i.e. "they are wrong" and " they have done nothing wrong"; I found this one that I believe gives some food for thought. Not for the individuals (I should admit I have not developed an argument to present towards their situation) but to the community approach to life of ubuntu upheld in Malawi. Ubuntu, like the Kachere tree, seeks provide warmth and support to ALL individuals. Ubuntu has been shaken now with statements like, 'what they do in private is their own business!.' I am curious, can we have each one's one business and still enjoy the goodness of ubuntu? I'm not sitting on the fence, I am just saying, there is wisdom in pausing to think about questions before providing a whole set of one-size fits all answers. But then again, who am I but just a student in the school of life.....Sindikudziwa, tiyeni tiwone kutu mzathuyu walebanji:

"non-western societies also [represent] the patronising notion that all
societies proceed along the same trajectory (and that western societies
have proceeded furthest along that trajectory) and therefore non-western
societies should "catch up" in order to be "in this day and age".
.... therefore, it remains with others to create this discourse.

we must never lose sight of what Nietzsche encapsulated in his
"superman" concept: we control the future. to capitulate to wishy-washy
notions of tolerance (for the sake of being tolerant) is to abdicate
responsibility for maintaining what is good in our world (for our
children) but more importantly in this case, rejecting what we feel is
wrong (again, for our children).

remember, we are supermen. we are creators. (this concept can be
understood in the simple choice i have to wear a condom or not: to
create life or not). we are upstream. if we shit now, we pollute
downstream (the future).

and we can be wrong. we are allowed to be wrong. isn't that the beauty
of life? we are in the majority and we don't like public homosexuality.
we have that right to choose. and if we are wrong, we shall go down
being wrong. trying to protect our society from this perversion."

excerpts from ZC: Kamuzu Academy Yahoo Groups for Alumni. 21/05/10

South Africa 101 a letter to WGN-TV

2010-05-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Dear WGN-TV Chicago,

With less than a month to the World Cup let me take it upon myself to show you where South Africa really is. You see, that continent south of you is South America. The World Cup will only take place on that continent in 2014, in a country called Brazil. This year, starting next month, the World Cup is taking place in South Africa. South Africa is located on the Southern most tip of the continent of Africa (hence the name 'South' 'Africa'). You know, where all those movies use dodgy rights to tell/sell the stories of icons found in South Africa e.g. Winnie Mandela etc.

If you take your world map, it's located south of Europe which is to your east. Note to self: Now this is why I complain when Western countries report on African countries, if they can't place the said countries on the map, whatever next? Alas, whatever next?

It FINALLY Looks like a Saturday!

2010-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time, a Saturday with absolutely nothing to do but enjoy Casting Crowns on a rainy day. How grand to have the only worry of the day being missing Jamie Oliver's cook show because of other leisurely activites like walking past the highway to the library (wish it was the Silverdale Library or a Barnes and Noble ;-) ). Ah, I'll enjoy this while it lasts, Monday looks dodgy I hope I won't have too much to write. Ignoring thinking about exams by the way. Good day to you Mr. Saturday!!!!!

I hope you are enjoying YOUR rainy weather Folkert!!!!! <3

pic: www.matthewcase.wordpress.com

Africa Paradis

2010-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's after 3 am and I chanced upon a very curious movie on late night TV.
Hmmmm, I'll reserve my comments for until after years of digesting of this movie.Yes, past my coffee-induced, school assignment-fatigued experience of it right now.
Errm, where'd they throw all the North Africans and non-Black South Africans though?.....curious.......Interesting concept........
grim as in I hope vengeance is not on the minds of many; rather, an alternate life-giving future.......hmmm....(

I'm placing match sticks now to prop my eyelids a la Tom and Jerry)......

subtitles....hmmm.....OK, let me concentrate.
Good food for thought for international legislatures in the immigration debate....

ok, concentrate.

Rudyard Kipling's 'The White Man's Burden', 1899

2010-05-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

Alas, me dears, Rudyard Kipling had a point. Don't know if things are any different over a century later.....tiyeni kuntengo wa kachere tikafunsane.

Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden, 1899

Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.

....By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

.....And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.

...But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread

Take up the White Man's burden--
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour

Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.

This famous poem, written by Britain's imperial poet, was a response to the American take over of the Phillipines after the Spanish-American War.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/Kipling.html

pic: http://www.japanfocus.org/data/4873_1.jpg

I vow to thee my country

2010-05-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Spent quite a significant amount of time reminiscing when I happened upon a facebook page of my alma mater (first high school in a series of three). Granted I was a poor student then and was kicked out for a sorry report card, yet,the one year there indeed impressed upon my life quite a span of memories. Good to find echos of my memories from alumni on the face book group: Ecce Romani, Jardin Public, the Pavillion, the seamstresses, etc. I am most grateful to that experience, the friends that have lasted with me since then and the knowledge that has endured.

However, in the spirit of good critiquing; my Religion and Governance instructor from here will be quite pleased to see me critiquing the hymn of my days there thus, just as some might use religion for self-serving gains; so can some use governance for their own ends. And yet, as students; we sung a hymn of such a strange allegiance. The first verse below, hmmm, nie? just follow the words in bold font. What in the world was the writer of this song thinking? Patriotism is good, but asking no questions? what is democratic about that? Just a thought. And to my alma mater, thank you for always, too bad I never made it to the Appian Way. Form One's were not allowed :-(

'I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

(Right Reverend Steven Lowe, Bishop of Hulme: His view that it placed ... an unquestioning support of governments opened a debate on its wider implications--Wikipedia)

Phyzix

2010-04-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the Malawian hip-hop artist in a recent entry. Sample his music on his blog http://thephyzix.blogspot.com/. The kid has amazing talent!

Yo-ism; the 'Niggah sub-culture' discourse continued...

2010-04-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm kicking myself for overlooking in my last post the whole topic of Yo-ism as part of the hip hop scene in Africa. So instead of writing about it I'll just share what I found already written at Timve Magazine (www.timvemag.com). The author of the piece below has done a far better job than I could have ever done. Big up Timve Mag!I didn't see you before now I definately see you-o!

"... the hip-hop community popularly known as ma (plural 'the') YO!, funny thing is no-one will admit to be one of them but from dressing and behavior we can pretty much point them out. They just stand out.

The main difference between reggae guys and ma Yo is in the sense of where they are. The reggae guys know that they are living in Africa, but ma Yo seem to be living in another world altogether: stories of ghettos; when they come from well to do families; money they talk about and don’t really have; cars that they drive and yet they are on public transport... Then there's the issue of America which is like their Mecca of hip-hop.

Ma Yo are very much in touch with their 'holy land' and get direct instruction from there on issues of dress code and language even attitude. The Ma Yo world is very synchronized in everything that they do, for example if Jay-Z says he has haters then everyone in the hip-hop world will most definitely start wailing about how they have haters too!

As for those that do music, almost all of them want to get a record deal in America. Even though they are from Africa and only about two artist with direct African roots have made it: Akon and now upcoming is K’Naan."

image: ecx.images-amazon.com

The ‘Niggah Sub-Culture’ among African Youth?

2010-04-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

This topic continues to be of interest to me. Warning one: I haven’t proof-read so I apologise before-hand for typo’s and any incoherence I might subject you to. Warning two: This text does not seek to critique any sub-culture in any context particularly in the USA and Africa. So no offense intended, it’s a collation of personal observations. I’ll say upfront that this essay is about young men in what I term the ‘Niggah Culture’. I am very aware that there might be female rap artists and hip-hoppers that might identify with this in the African context but due to my very limited interaction with them and their experiences I am too ignorant to write about them.

So, ‘Niggah Sub-culture’; it’s a sensitive topic but a necessary one. I find it ironic that as I type, I have Phyzix blaring through my earphones. I wish I had The Real Elements original and post-Elements solo acts, Tay Grin, Third Eye, Tha Gosple and Dominant One tracks as well but as they say, if wishes were horses...I’m far from home.

What to make of the Niggah sub-culture? I was propelled to write this now after an encounter this afternoon while waiting for an order of food at a Mexican chicken fast food run by Indians on an African street in a White suburb. Yes, it’s all true and I can give you the Google Earth coordinates if you like. As I sat there, four young men walked in, placed a music device at the centre of their table and dug into shared plates of fries. The music was obviously hip hop and they looked the part, ‘gangstah’ as we called it in the 90’s. Now, Niggahs.

Two weeks ago, I was honoured to meet a wonderful member of my community; he wore Tims and spoke with a twang. We were all invited to call him ‘Niggah’.

I remember two personal ‘niggah- related offences. I am not part of this culture but I believe no-one should criticise a whole sub-culture without understanding their background first. The first was when an American cousin expressed shock that there was a clothing sidewalk shop in Lilongwe called “The N*****s’. “Do they know what that word embodies?” , she gasped. I was offended, of course they know, in their own way. See the shop sold baggy jeans, football jerseys, throwbacks and the like. To the young men owning the shop, they were expressing some sort of solidarity with African-Americans in their sense of style, identifying with what they perceived to be a ‘Niggah Culture’. A culture exuding coolness and style. Apparently this little insight completely eluded my cousin and the African-American cyclist that publicised this story online.

Another offense, K’naan. He was an African himself before he became a Canuck, sorry, Canadian (couldn’t resist that work...hockey anyone?). He was quoted as stating that Africans have no reason to rap, rap is a mode of struggle for the Black minorities in the diaspora. But there was something else he was quoted as saying that I don’t remember but I do remember that it made me feel embarrassed for African rappers, something that suggested African rappers can never own this mode of struggle. All they can do is pretend. But is this so? Then why the ‘Niggah Culture’?

So here I type, seeking to put a sense of my own understanding to the ‘Niggah Culture’ in light of my experiences here in Africa (and yes I do use the term ‘Africa’ broadly) and the US.

The word Niggah: I was told expressly by an African-American I could never use ‘r’ at the end of the word. Understandable, no argument there. However, she made it clear that it was not generally accepted that non-African Americans use this term in addressing African Americans, and, by implication, it not generally accepted that non-African Americans should appropriate this term for themselves. So how does a ‘Niggah culture’ fit for the youth of Africa. Are the youth here limited to ‘pretending’ like K’naan was quoted to have argued or blind copy and pasting, as alluded to by the Black US cyclist?

The Music:
I believe that the era of rap music as a mode of struggle faded with the demise of Tupac. I stand to be corrected. I was too young to have listened to Run DMC and his contemporaries but I am of the opinion that their music embodied much more of a struggle message than today’s commercialised rap music. I don’t know what men called ‘dog’ and women called b*****s have to do with the struggle of a minority group in a hegemonic White society, but granted, the lyrics do, to many extents embody the lives unique to the contexts of the rappers so I acknowledge my ignorance.

Therefore, there are two ways one might look at rap music in the ‘Niggah Culture’ around me:

A) A Hoped for dream out of the present reality, one of glory, cash and women. If this is the case then it’s not a wholesome dream. We have our own context of unique traditions that should value the notion of UBUNTU, precisely that human values far outweigh egocentric glory, personal riches and the exploitation of women.

B) Another, more interesting interpretation is that of rap here as an articulation of the lived realities of these rappers. Whatever the content might be, twenty stanzas of bragging, twelve consecutive words of profanity or conversely, tales of spiritual transformation , HIV awareness or words of advice to the youth; the music of our ‘Niggahs’ should wake us up to notice what they are actually saying. Perhaps they are prophets in their own way, marking out for us what ails our communities in a mode of struggle, albeit borrowed from over the sea and far away.

The Clothes:
This, I find difficult to figure out. I think there are three groups of dressers within the Niggah Culture in the African places I’ve been. Those who have the money (or whose parents have the money) to pull it off, those who don’t, and those who didn’t get the memo. Those who have the money know every trend over the seas and far away, I don’t know where they get the Tims and ipods but they get them. Those with no money still make reasonable attempts; the baggy pants might be Chinese and the shirt may say FUBS but the attempt is there. Then there are those who didn’t get the memo, they are sporting corn rows when they should ‘fade’ maybe; or getting a tattoo when they should be getting a ‘grill’ (eh, don’t be keloidy and lose your teeth in the process, i’m just sayin’).

The Attitude:
Relevant is the ‘Niggah’ who is either well read or have quite redolent personal life experiences. At least he knows what he’s talking about, and most importantly, what will make people take notice.

The Basketball:
Unfortunately basketball is a game of height and genetic athletic make-up but hey, everyone can try. I was at a game in December and I could have sworn I saw Kobe Bryant, except he was two-thirds the height. It was in Lilongwe, and that Kobe-like kid (whether by coincidence or design) worked the 3-point shots like it was child’s play. Maybe it had to do with his sneakers, they could have been magical the cleanness of that label.....

The Future:
Can a ‘Niggah’ be president? Well, perhaps not all agents of transformation are presidents; I am interested to see what this culture will achieve in terms of a positive of transformation in the long-term.

So, I could go on and on but all I’m trying to do is show the existence of a sub-culture that is somehow lost from view between the discourses of the popularly recognised strata of African society. Who knows, they might have something important to say to the world....

Picture citation: ‘Niggah’ , please.

Interesting Lobola conversation on TV

2010-04-10T03:36:00.000-07:00

Family of older white guy: so how much are you expecting from us?

Family of young black girl: 20 cows

White guy:

What? With all due respect i have to interject here. I have paid for the negotiation gifts to bring us to this point, I have offered to pay for the wedding, you know I will be there for her financially. Now I have to pay for 20 COWS? I didn't sighn up for this!!!

Father of Black girl:

You didn't sign up for this? You didn't sign up for this? My daughter is young, never been married, well behaved, can look after herself, has a post-grad education, works for herself, thinks for herself AND NOW COMES YOU AN OLD MAN, DO YOU THINK I SIGNED UP FOR THIS????

Family of older white guy: Okay, so how many cows are we talking again?

You gotta admit, the dynamics in this conv. couldn't have been more hilarious!

Do dis, do dat

2010-03-26T02:25:00.000-07:00

I feel so unaccomplished for failing my lent commitment. I went under two days into Lent. Alas, here's hope for next Lent. Shaa..........

Racists near and near

2010-03-26T02:11:00.000-07:00

I used to worry about the opinions of racists nearby but realised that they have something I don't: hate, fear and an oversize lack of acknowledgment of their own limits; with no hope of a solution.

Here's a theory: suppose they got their own planet, they'd still spend money importing cheap labour from planet earth and guess what colour that labour would be. and then sit around talking about, 'I just hate these...perhaps we should bring in guns just in case they...'

Eish, I'd rather have me and not share in their self-created burdens, it's hard-work for them putting others down so that they can feel better, I'm sorry for the self-induced pain that their 'hard-work' brings.

Russell Peters and his jokes on Africa

2010-03-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

I debated whether this topic necessitates an entry or not. Apparently it does. However, since I give a prejudiced take on this, let it be known that I only make this opinion after only one viewing of Russell Peters and random googling afterwards (and googling biased to my own opinion. So perhaps only a few words would suffice:

I'd say there are bits of Russell Simmon's repertoire or whatever it is called that are funny. However, I was at first pretty annoyed that all this guy seems to know about Africa and it's peoples (outside of South Africa) is clicks (which themselves are funny enough, agh, never mind, I'll give it away); spear-wielding people speaking gibberish and endowment factors of the male populations. It's actually quite distracting the ignorance I forgot to laugh but then I should be comforted enough, thanks to James Scott that our transcript remains as it should be for now, so obscure that it's still funny for people like him to highlight antiquated knowledge about African people. Good for you, come to think of it.

Remain there where you should be. It's a wonderful comfort zone and the perks are good. Here's a pillow, oops I'm not supposed to know what a pillow is, sorry. He's a spear and shield, click click. Do you want a Kuber with that? Maybe not.

I was about to comment identity crisis issues (what with that name and nationality) but eh, I've used up my English vocab quota for the decade. Click, gibberish gibberish, click, !click, gibber jabber, click, click, gibberish gibberish, click, !click, gibber jabber, click, click, !xi, !xa, !gibber, !jabber etc, etc.

A Childhood Game called Monday

2010-03-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

That had to be the best game ever invented, it was a game all new students were taught soon after signing up at ZPPS. I wonder if anyone plays it there or anywhere else. I heard kids were banned from playing it after a major accident but come on, they see worse on the rugby fields. Here is how it goes:

1. Students locate the widest flight of stairs which has at least 8 steps

2. One student, the Caller, is nominated and s/he stands at the foot of the stairs facing the rest of the players

3. The players (minimum 2, maximum 8+)stand in a neat lengthways single file row on the 8th step

4. The 7 steps in front of the players are Monday, Tuesday etc. in that order

5.The objective is to get players to jump to the step that corresponds with the day called out: i.e. MONDAY = players jump to step 1; THURSDAY = players skip to step 4. The Caller will call out forward days or backward days so you can expect to skip multiple steps both downwards and upwards.
If you have short legs or carry a few extra pounds, this is not the game for you. you fall, you're out. You land on the wrong day, you're out. You slip overmuch, you're out!

Elementary gymnastics seems like. Ah, that game of Monday.

pic: 100awesomethings

Pocket Sunshine

2010-03-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

If you are like me and you tend to be forever entangled with dominant personalities and your facebook home page is saturated with LOUD dialogues that rub you the wrong way: here are two things you can do
1. Smile, it's free. other people's opinions are just that, their own. do what you can to make a difference.
2. there is a block option on facebook, tee hee heee

Are we part of the debate

2010-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Let's watch out if we think we know how to speak Africans. Does what we say matter? that is the question, or have conclusions been made on our behalf on the various topics that concern us.

China Pro-Malawi, a friend indeed at last?

2010-03-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Interesting observations about latent American interest in our infrastructure after years of focusing on, ahem, never mind: Read on, is it time for the East? Interesting thoughts below (source Nyasatimes Readers' comments, 03/03/2010)

= Half Pint says:
March 3, 2010 at 8:09 am

Yes, I think the americans are afraid of the Chinese, who are coming in full force and investing in infrastructure.
I have always questioned the funny projects funded by the Americans. They are busy giving us condoms and contraceptives as if that will translate into ecomonic growth. Do they want us to be busy with our women instead of engaging in productive activities? Give us a break America, the chinese are giving us infrastructure, ngakhalebe amazunza ma workers awo(even though they have labour law problems).

 Malawi One says:
March 2, 2010 at 8:08 pm

America is afraid of chinese influence in africa, now they have realised its time to pump in billions to help to build infrastructure in africa. Chinese money can be seen with ordinary malawians in malawi in a space of less than 2 years.
Adyereni amaenowo, its leverage they want. Please give more contracts to chinese firms, analikuti nthawi yonseyi ma americans.

Malawi and Africa needs Infrastructure Not Aid ya zakudya. The americans knew that all along, koma they dont want us to develop. Now China Has come in with Infrastructure money not Aid ya zakudya and stupid projects. And chinese money they dont ask for Human rights, good governance issues… The west only ask for those issues in Africa kusiya maiko ena (and not from other countries outside Africa they lend to or give aid). (for) example, ku middle east.

Just yesterday Britain trimmed aid by 3m pounds, reason presidential jet amafuna azienda pans (do they want our president to walk on foot)? ku africa transport ndi yovuta after all we had a jet before for over 40 yrs.
The reason britain trimmed aid is “Recession, They Have No Money look at their Debt… £178 billion and adding close to 50% of their GDP”
zanu izo

Rev. Prof. Steve de Gruchy

2010-02-26T01:18:00.000-08:00

My mind goes back to December 17, Lilongwe, Malawi. I ran into Anesa, the wife of Prof. de Gruchy's former student Kelvin Kalonga. She asked me what I'm up to nowadays and I told her I'm a student at the University of KwaZulu Natal, studying Theology and Development. Her face lit up, 'Ah, you are with Steve de Gruchy!' I had to ask her if she'd met him in person; to which she responded that no, she had never met him but he'd made such an impression on her husband that it felt like she knew him herself. Anesa and Kelvin have a daughter, Shalom. I asked if that name came from Prof. Steve's lectures on themes of liberation. 'Yes!' she said. Obviously. Everyone who knew Steve de Gruchy had a story, a good story about him.

I myself was selfish. While others learned from this gifted professor and sat under his pastoral counsel, I employed my strategy of 'avoiding to be a groupie'. Only now do I realise that no one was a groupie, a wise person naturally attracts friends, students and followers to himself. That was his gift; intelligence, wisdom, faith and humility. A rare combination. I hope to grasp at those principles and display of character that I managed to glimpse at from afar, after all, I'm lucky to have glimpsed at all. Ironically, my assignment that was supposed to be due this week was to read one of his discourses on a case study.

Love and Peace to his family. Grace to the program he developed here and comfort to the ecumenical fellowship everywhere mourning his loss.

(Prof. Steve de Gruchy passed on in a tubing accident on the Mooi river, in the province of KwaZulu Natal in the week of 21-26 April, 2010). May his soul rest in peace.

Chocolatah....

2010-02-11T10:28:00.001-08:00

I'm happy the heat wave is here. 30+ degrees celcius is no fun but if you get free chocolates because they melted........there's always a freezer!!!! Yeah, I'll have the heat if it means free (melted) chocolates. and it's good to confirm it, there ARE Ice Cream trucks here. I heard the music a while ago and wasn't sure, didn't want to be too optimistic. But, saw one yesterday with my own two eyes, dare I say the Ice Cream Man even looked Italian. Too bad I live on the highway, the Ice Cream man don't come dis way.........at least I get free melted chocolates........:-) Happy Days!

Is it about Black Babies?

2010-02-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

Eh, I gave my word that I would shut up about this business of carrying off Black babies from Africa to America. For whatever 'it's good for the child' reason. So I think I'm keeping my promise by talking about the Caribbean Islands.

Eish, I'm thrice affected, I'm a Baptist, a former resident of Boise, Idaho and a former Black child (I'm a Black woman now, ahem). So it hits me hard that Baptist missionaries from that area don't know from a book; since when don't people not know how to read, Eh? IT IS NOT ONLY AMERICA THAT HAS LAWS SO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, IF YOU WANT YOUR VERY OWN LITTLE CUTE BLACK CHILD WHOSE FUTURE YOU CAN FIX; REMEMBER, FOLLOW THE LAWS! UNLESS OF COURSE, YOU ARE A CELEBRITY, SOME GIVE CELEBRITIES THE BABIES FOR FREE.

So, it seems the journey continues, every which way, Blacks must continue be taken to the West it seems.......sigh!

It's not my FAULT and the trumpeters in Haiti

2010-02-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in life when one has to realise one can't keep apologising for everything. This time, that one is yours truly. So get this, whatever it is IT'S
NOT MY FAULT.

Now, on to a serious note, would someone stop blowing their own horn and just HELP THE PEOPLE!..... scratch that, it's plain and clear whose motive is what in Haiti. Ever heard of, never mind. Pitiable people cashing in on the plight of others.

When Women Vye for 20% Males, it's that X factor thing.

2010-01-06T03:17:00.000-08:00

The benefit of being over the mid-twenties bridge is having a few more morsels of wisdom than the younger folk. Yearp, finally agree, any way you look at it: popular guys don't necessarily make Mr. Right. Sadly, we all grow up dreaming of the proverbial Prince Charming, the veritable dream guy. Only one mistake we make, we look on the outside.

I once heard and embellished a statement that went thus: '(Christian)Women dream of a man who looks like Brad Pitt (or Morris Chestnut as far as 'bruthas' come), has the spirituality of Billy Graham and the smooth voice of Ne-Yo, and has all the c's to boot (cash, car, cottage-by-the-sea etc.

To borrow from the 'why did i get married' movie; the 20% concept as I interpret it seems to be true; 'woman meets good guy but he's missing the 'X' factor, she spends years looking for the 'X' factor. Society tells her the 'X' factor is that polished all-round fabulousness a la 'he knows exactly how to make an impression, all the guys want to be him; she finally finds the 'X' factor and spends the rest of her life acknowledging that an 'X' is all he is. There is no A, there is no B, heck, no C-W or Z either. Just a plain ol' 'X' factor and nothing else.

A pox on daytime soap operas. The good guys always look good, i wonder why in real life only 20% of them have stable relationships. It's that 'X' factor I tell you. FEAR the 'X' factor

My Favourite Wife-Tony Parsons

2009-12-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Interesting reading, besides the insightful look at 'well-meaning' philandering I learned quite a bit about China. Yet again, as I said on the book focusing on 'The Boy who Harnessed the Wind', I'd like to see more indigenous people objectively tell their own story in English and on a powerful platform such as the world recognised book lists. Hmm, matter of fact, let me get to publishing a book on the UK

Don't lose your head

2009-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Don't lose your head. Finish and klaar.

pic: Buckaroo's own library

Gabriel's Radio and Zanga's Bolivia

2009-11-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

I made two mistakes in the past short while. I ignored important messages. Suleman sent an invitation to all on his Facebook list to join in the campaign in support of the young man, Gabriel, a high school drop-out in Mulanje who built and operates his own Pachikweza Radio Station using locally available technical equipment. Unlike William and his windmill, Gabriel's technological genius contravened the Communications Regulatory Body's broadcasting laws: he has no licence. Happily, with the mobilisation of citizens who care, it is all resolved now and Gabriel has support to reach further into his technological destiny. Thanks to mass mobilisation. But sadly, all this happened and i had never opened the facebook message until yesterday. I am off the band wagon, nie?

Second mistake, Zanga forwarded an excerpt of Ecuador and Bolivia's stance against neo-liberalism. An insight so inspiring and so necessary to emulate, ah, all this happened and I had never opened the forwarded email message until today.

pic. wikipedia

I look down in shame, as folks move for the justice and support of little man(sic) in his quest making a mark' and the little nations (sic), justice here, equality there...I am caught with my hands down with unopened emails of this importance shame on the Buckaroo.

Poverty and injustice

2009-10-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

...And asking the rich or the relatively-rich why the poor are poor won't give one an answer either. Nor will asking the poor with an air of superiority: the so-called 'doctor-patient/teacher-student/missionary-pagan/debtor-indebted/donor-aid-recipient' mentality. Dialogue, equal dialogue, alas where art thou....

Dom Camara....First level violence (structural) second level (rebellion) ...

(watching Precious Kofi cry as she asks, how long will Africa's children be born into debt...and walking away with more questions.....hmmmm)so help us God indeed. one and all.

Thanks Qhawe for being on this road that seeks justice and opening my eyes to more.

Setting the Record Straight

2009-10-10T14:57:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of dear friends and family that are red, white and blue. I have a bee in my bonnet though, because of the policies that foster imperialistic ideals. So, let's not get it twisted. One love. Oh, and for my Stan, congratulations on the draw with Cote d'Ivoire. That's super. Flames woyee, inenso woyee!
image: codgus.com

Is it true that only 2 percent of Malawians have Electricity

2009-09-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

Is the bee in my bonnet there because the boy who harnessed the wind had his own story written by someone from the country where people know everything? Or is it my my need to verify facts that bothers me? Either way, I hereby vow that if any story needs to be written about my own life, I have enough ink to write it on my own, with my own life experiences and be judged on my own condescending habits towards reality if there shall be any. 'A society which is unable to portray itself according to its own self understanding will inevitably suffer misinterpretation by others (Mugambi). I wonder why a blog and a book for my brother so bright, has to be written/taken over by someone else.

Really, is it about the funding? then Nyasa times is right in the title of one of it's news stories, 'Africa politically independent, Economically Colonised'. From this vantage point, indeed, many of us suppose it's wonderful when foreign influences do things on our behalf but it's like the giving someone fish for life story. Remember though, Ayise, ukazapanga zako, chonde uzafulumuke mkhwapa mwa munthu ameneyi and determine your own destiny. We are very proud of you and appreciate your brains, just make sure to remember kuti m'mene umayamba, it was your hard work, let your hard work sustain you. Ena they come and go koma iweyo have a vision for your own life. Your future is bright!

With all humility let us recognise that, 'Africans must think for themselves. Though they do not need to re-invent the wheel (social or industrial), they may yet invent new uses for it, or discover new ways of making it'- (like you have)

Neo-colonialism

2009-09-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

The picture above is tiny but represents well the flaws of the WTO. Watch Battle in Seattle for more (eh, i didn't even ask for their permission to quote them, my bad). Reflecting on the Africa/South America Summit held recently; and the addresses given by African leaders at the UN................especially the one given by the Brother Leader of the Jamahiriya, Colonel Muamar Gaddafi (did i get all that right? ehm...),
one can only wonder. How in the world do we translate these statements into a just reality?

pic: Zapiro. sourced from www.peacemaking.com

When Women let each other Down

2009-09-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

It has been declared that prostitutes in my Stan can no longer be referred to as 'sex workers' as that has been deemed to be discriminatory. As from now, according to a statement made by a woman official, (wouldn't you know it?) they are to be referred to as "people who frequent public places". My question now is, when addressing child-prostitution that affects a lot of little girls and forced-prostitution cases; affecting a lot of poor women, shall we begin to say, "Police must investigate adults who are kidnapping children and forcing them into "frequenting public places", and let's rise up against, "child-frequenting-public-places crimes". Will that be taken with the seriousness that is called for?

I am inclined to believe some NGO is underlying this, I wonder, if it IS an NGO/s that came up with this, if they made such suggestions in their own country where they came from or where their funding came from. Let's think things through and investigate thoroughly because the consequences will affect us, long after the NGO/s and so-called activists are gone. Kodi zimenezi taziganizila bwino bwino with both sides of the coin considered?
pic: www.plushsentiments.com

Oil in Malawi

2009-08-31T01:22:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I never knew this. I'm debating whether it's not my fault that i didn't know because I've been constantly reminded by those in the know how devoid of important minerals my country is or; it could actually be my fault, after all it has been said that my stan doesn't read enough. Eh, nje! They say the best way to keep information from my stan is to put it in books. Anywho, STAN HERE IS THE LOW-DOWN. Don't thank me if it's true information, I only happened to chance upon it thank GOD.

"Malawi - British Central Africa protectorate between 1883 and 1907, just about the time Oil was discovered there (the first oil found in the world)

So we spent 14 years in this country removing the wealth of this nation at the end of a bayonett - which is part of the reason you live in a wealthy nation today - and how do we treat the unfortunate descendants of a country we decided to mess up?

Another point that people will miss about immigration is a simple one - ask yourself why is capital (i.e. wealth) allowed to move across borders without any hinderance, but the labour that needs to follow it is restricted?

That's exactly why Britain is (and will always be) a popular destination for immigrants. We took the wewalth from their country during colonial times and they are simply trying to follow it.

If anyone thinks immigration controls are fair after digesting this point then I would be interested to know how you justify it.

If I came to your house tonight and emptied it of all your posessions leaving you with nothing, surely you would try everything to get into my house tomorrow night to either take it all back (and if you failed that becaue my military might is greater than yours) or to at least try to hide in my cupboard so you can watch your own TV!

Just because your MP is a hypocrite - doesn't mean you have to be one too."

pic: humanrace.wordpress

Caster Semenya and her running shoes

2009-08-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Being fast requires a number of things. Heck! when I was little and played soccer i used to dream of being muscular like the soccer stars in the comic books. Why? I knew that way I could do everything faster, the dribbling, the scoring, you know. now here is Caster, she probably had the same motivations, to run faster you have to gym I suppose. I've been silently cringing at the sight of joggers eduzane; why, their body mass is wasting away because all they do is run, no further exercise, the poor things look like skeletons.

Anyway, Caster seems to have done what I didn't. i became an indoor-sy person and she became a running machine, the formula (gyming) seems to have worked (hush all you suggesting all kinds of other things, far be-it that the 18 year old cheated....:-(

Now, whether it's a medical condition as some have termed it, I do not know; or whether it is an unhealthy body altering non-reversible experiment....i surely hope not, AH Weh Mah

images.smh.com.au

US Health-Care needs more 'care' for the Poor

2009-08-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

My early education taught me that communism is a sin, socialism an error, and capitalism the absolute and righteous way. After all, I was the underling of capitalism, and Calvinism; doing my best to learn how to ‘pull myself up by the bootstraps’; an African in a dog eat dog globalised world where the quality of bootstraps you pull is determined by Bretton-Woods; so watch out they might be too thin or worn and just might snap so what do you pull then? But ofcourse, there is much to learn from communism and marxism just like there is some we can learn from capitalism. For my fellow Christians, none of these 'isms' dropped out of heaven, they were just plain man-made (pardon my sexist language...)to meet man's needs, depending on what needs had to be met at the time.

Anyway, living in America for a spell shook me out of my system, one thing I was so scared of was getting sick, I had health insurance but still, what if? What a beautiful land when you have money, social security and insurance. What a frightful land when you can tell by people’s teeth who can’t afford basic dental care, by the plethora of tv shows that glamorize the medical field. I remember thinking to myself in those early days, ‘I’m told Africa is poor (there goes the monolithic view of Africa) but this is a different kind of poverty, at least back home I could walk into a hospital at the drop of a hat and have the option of ponying up some money if need be!’ Interestingly, public hospitals in Malawi offer better expertise than private clinics and hospitals. Of course there doctor-patient ratio is too high, and there is this and that problem, but the basics are there, for everyone.

On to the topic at hand; reading Obama’s ‘Dreams from my Father’; it was refreshing to read the conversation he had with a British medical doctor working in Malawi at the time. This doctor talked about the challenges doctors faced in public hospitals where they had to rely on basic necessities. But that’s precisely the point; at least there were basic necessities. A guarantee that someone will attend to you when you need medical/dental help and not ask for proof of your medical insurance first. A guarantee that you won’t have to wait for your sitch to be an emergency before someone helps you at the hospital. Where nurses don’t have to wear colorful uniforms; they just attend to your child’s mumps just because they are committed to that. It seems now that basic necessities are too much to ask for in the proposed health plan.

Here is a question to the big shots behind the medical machinery in this globalised world and to my fellow Christians that believe any solution proposed not borne out of capitalism is total depravity: On which side of the fence does the Hippocratic Oath most fit?

Hippocratic Oath (from Original Greek)

…………….according to my ability and judgement, I will keep this Oath and this contract:

……………..will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgement, and I will do no harm or injustice to them.

Into whatever homes I go, I will enter them for the benefit of the sick, avoiding any voluntary act of impropriety or corruption……………………….

So long as I maintain this Oath faithfully and without corruption, may it be granted to me to partake of life fully and the practice of my art, gaining the respect of all men for all time. However, should I transgress this Oath and violate it, may the opposite be my fate.

Translated by Michael North, National Library of Medicine, 2002

pic: www.api.ning.com (the greed of capitalism)

Hillary Who? China and the US...the game continues...

2009-08-07T02:50:00.000-07:00

If it aint one thing, it's another. The Buckaroo continues to express discontent over the mass evacuation of African babies in the name of a fashion statement rather than genuine compassion. How do I know it's not genuine compassion? Simple answer, a genuinely compassionate person is genuinely interested in African people and has time to problem-pose and not problem-solve.... anyway I'm getting off-track here, today's bee in my bonnet is someone called Hillary. I can't decide which last name suits her more, as she hyphenates to us a choice between maiden name and last name, I'll just go on and say Hillary Who.

The woman has managed to clearly show to me that Democrats are certainly no different from that other camp. The big-time hunting game for raw material continues, this time the venue has changed. Th game is now to be played in good ol' Africa. Same rules: Democracy is the trump card! Going around Africa in the guise of reinforcing the goodness of democracy, my left foot! Rather, this around Africa trip, from where I am standing is an attempt to antagonise the Chinese. The Chinese were the early birds this time so this game will be complex, yet again. Think about it. What's democratic about the DRC, perhaps the diamonds, gold...and Nigeria and Angola....hmmm...I DID hear their oil is so democratic it was resisting the Chinese..no? Heh! Heh!...erm South Africa and Liberia, we'll let our minds wander on why the interest....

For interest's sake; here are 2 questions: Define to me clearly the meaning of Democracy and answer the following:

a) By what standards are the countries Hillary is/has visited democratic?
b) How and when did America get the right to award/give recognition to 'proper democracy'in other countries?
I can't help myself , a 3rd question needs to be asked:
c)Who gets to award/define democracy for America?
....and the last question I need to ask: What is the meaning of HYPOCRICY? (did I spell that right?, ahem....)

OK all I'm saying is that all you humble little African countries with no minerals to offer yet and no strong interactions with the Chinese: you can go ahead and enjoy your peace because it won't be too soon that a high profile Red White and Blue envoy dangles tariff-free trade in your faces. Democracy looks like oil, no, diamonds, no, I mean textiles no, I mean capitalism, yes capitalism ITS ALL FOR THE GREATER GOOD -SING- ITS ALL FOR THE GREATER GOOOD, HEY HEY THE GREATER GOOOOD!!! Maybe democracy is freedom and human rights. Yes, I kind of forgot about that freedom and human rights bit, sigh...

Mountain Hikers, Be Wary of Global Warming in Africa

2009-07-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

French Brazilian hiker goes missing in malawi

….with temperatures dropping on our continent… hikers beware. In the news article below; there are three possibilities:

1) Mount Mulanje has had cases of people disappearing mysteriously, an occurrence connected to spiritual activity on the mountain. This man may have fallen victim to that or

2) temperatures around this part of Africa are dropping, so this hiker’s going up the mountain with a t-shirt and biscuits is something that could probably have been safe to do 50 years ago, Winter in Africa was kinder then, or, sadly

3)the zeal of youth....

The News Article:
____A 23-year-old French-Brazilian hiker has gone missing in one of Malawi's mythical mountains, the southern African country's environmental and security authorities disclosed Monday.

"Last Friday afternoon a French hiker attempted to climb Sapitwa Peak but failed to return to Chisepo Hut and since then there has been no sign of him," said Hastings Maloya, Communications Officer for the Mulanje Mountain Cons ervation Trust (MMCT).

At 3,002 metres above sea-level, Sapitwa Peak is the highest point on Mulanje Mountain, the highest in this part of Africa.

Police have since identified the missing hiker as Gabriel Buchman, who holds dual French and Brazilian citizenship.

Mulanje Police spokesman Raphael Makondetsa said Buchman arrived in the district on Thursday and attempted to climb the mountain on Friday.

"He took a tour guide with him from Likhubula (the base of the mountain) up to Chambe Basin but turned back the porter, saying he was an experienced mountain climber," he said.

Makondetsa said a statement by the tour guide indicated that Buchman had boasted climbing mounts Kilimanjaro and Everest.

But the police spokesman said the weather had been harsh since Thursday and a group of German hikers, who abandoned their attempt to conquer the peak due to bad weather, advised forestry, police and MMCT official not to allow anyone to goup until the weather improved.

"But Bushman was already up there and we have declared him missing since Friday, " he said.

Makondetsa said Buchman's next of kin in both France and Brazil had been informed about his status and were getting updates about the rescue efforts.

Maloya said: "The Mount Mulanje Rescue Team was mobilised on Sunday to begin a formal search operation around the slopes of Sapitwa and is now working within the area. The search is being organised by the Department of Fore stry and Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust."

But chances of finding him alive, according to police, were slim.

"The problem is that Buchman went up there only dressed in a T-shirt and with only biscuits as food," he said. "The weather has been very bad since Thursday. In fact it's raining right now and we are freezing. I can't imagine what the weather is like up there."

Meanwhile, the governments of France and Brazil have joined the rescue efforts and, according to Makondetsa, military helicopters will be deployeed to ulanje on Tuesday.

"If the weather improves we will let the helicopters fly but as it is now it's risky to fly anyone up there," he said.

Mulanje Mountain, which lies some 80 kilometres south of Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre, is full of myths.

It is believed that spirits of ancestors of people around the area roam the mountain and snatch people if they are displeased by something.

Although the myths cannot be proven scientifically, locals believe them because several people have gone missing in the mountain but no bodies have ever been found despite exhaustive searches using helicopters and sniffer dogs.

Buchman went missing five years after another hiker, a Dutch nurse named Linda Pronk, also disappeared.

Pronk went missing in the mountain in 2003 but despite exhaustive searches by Malawian soldiers and Dutch professional rescue teams, using sniffer dogs and helicopters, no body was recovered.

According to Malawi laws, a missing person is certified dead at the expiry of seven year, so Pronk is still registered as 'missing'.___

Blantyre - 20/07/2009

By Raphael Tenthani, PANA Correspondent

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/french-brazilian-hiker-goes-missing-in-malawi-2009072132054.html

Say What????

2009-07-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

Two men met at a bus stop and struck up a conversation.
One of them kept complaining of family problems.

Finally, the other man said: "You think you have family problems?
Listen to my situation: A few years ago, I met a young widow with a
grown-up daughter and we got married. Later my father married my
stepdaughter.

That made my stepdaughter my stepmother and my father became my
stepson-in-law. Also, my wife became mother-in-law of her
father-in-law.

It's not funny, my wife sees me as her grandson because my father is her
son-in-law. "You will realise that my stepdaughter and her mother,
my wife that is, became sisters-in-law.

Then the daughter of my wife, my stepmother, who is also my
stepdaughter, had a son. This boy was my half-brother because he was
my father's son, but he was also the son of my wife's daughter, which
made him my wife's grandson. That made me the grandfather of my
half-brother.

"This was nothing until my wife and I had a son. Now the half-sister
of my son, my stepmother, is also the grandmother. This makes my father
the brother-in-law of my child, whose stepsister is my father's wife.

I'm my stepmother's brother-in-law, my wife is her own child's aunt, my son
is my father's nephew and I'm my own grandfather!! And you think you
have family problems........?"

source: forwarded emails

Congrats Cathy Kamthuzi

2009-07-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Malawi Fashion expo winner's creations! Outfits looking good, where can we buy them?!!!!

source: Nyasa Times

Ooooh! I want a Malawian Child too!!!

2009-07-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Vraiment...
They don't know you
but they'd like to have you
they think of all the wonderful things they will teach you
they have no idea what you already know
the meaning of "Siku sinja ndi Gwenembe"
and the morals behind"Kam'dothi"

Mais...
they want to take you to their land
and show you the wonders
they have no idea that your eyes
have already seen
the miracle of mbewa ya pa chulu
ikunena mawu, "muzindi khapa bwino, mudzandidula mutu ye!"
or better yet, Bangwe on Market day, people, sounds, smells,
such simple wonders, so profound

Je connais que...
they can't wait for you to hear the sounds
of the West
It's funny how they think wealth means joy
toys, car horns, wii,
sounds, sounds, sounds
they don't know
you don't know a word in your language for depression
that you've never heard of a psychiatrist in your land
Free, Mahala
you laugh at Makiyolobasi's jokes for free
you dance to Music splash for free
ah money, what joy did it ever bring one?

Je pense que..
they cant wait to see what a little Malawian brain can accomplish
with the best education the West has to offer
hmm
no one told them oral history does require IQ too, anyone can write...
but to retrace generations and past movements?
all those names of generations after generations of your ancestors you know by heart
where your Bantu people came from,
where they parted
Who they are
the Mang'anja, the Xhosa, the Ngoni, the Chewa, the Sena, the Lambya

Mais...
they'll never really know you
how you pray
what you dream in the night
your true gifts, innate in a Bantu child
they'll never really hear you
your thoughs articulated in your mother toungue

You're either 'beautiful'
'cute'
'sweet'
now I see your hair isn't combed right with a pick but you say that's OK
because they said so
you're legs are ashy because there's no vaseline
in your suburb
you say you're fine
they said the moisturiser is just fine for you
and you don't sound right singing from so high a music note
and you say, "this is real music, my teacher said so."
Wow
Why?
You want say.
you've been taught to say
"Grass is greener over here
leave me here....Ma, Pa, don't listen to those know-it-all's, they don't know what they're talking about, they don't know my problems."

How did they explain to you that they know your problems?
Je ne sais pas....mais,Je pense que...toi aussi, tu ne sais pas

pic: internet

America's loss

2009-06-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

PIcture above: Kaka of Brazil after match. 28 June 2009. US 2-3 Brazil

Don't get me wrong,there are many things that I value in the American people, I have friends and family that are colored Red-White-and-Blue. But hey, America winning a soccer cup in 2009, nah, that would have been going too far. I think our fellow planet-people over in the USA have a certain little complex that won't be helped by winning yet another trophy, especially soccer or shall we call it by its proper name, Football.

Just to add, the images I have in my mind of little children playing in mixed-sex teams over in US doesn't seem to match up to the dedication you see in the so-called developing world to the game. I like mixed-sex teams, I actually like playing in soccer and basketball games with both men and women participating but my memories of watching those particular kids were of the 'oh-what-fun-this-little-game-is'. That is why I'll say my congratulations to Brazil.

Like the rest of the confed teams they grow up dreaming of playing on the world stage and it would kinda hurt to see a country which values other sports more as 'real' sports eg. American football and baseball actually winning. Matter of fact I don't even think that many Americans knew there was a confed tournament going on in South Africa. During the world cup, I had to walk like 30 minutes in Washington State to get to a house where I knew people were watching the finals- Italy vs France (remember the head butt),

so yeah, US winning, nah, not to hate but eh, it just don't look right.

... and for that fervent prayer after the victory,one word only fits: Wow!

The Battle of Empires Past: Egypt 1-0 Italy

2009-06-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, Tawaret was actually female but hey, it ties in with the Asterix strip question next to it. Oh, the work of empires....How fascinating to watch (last night) Egypt battle it out with Italy in the Confederations Cup. Descendants of the Egyptian Empire and the Roman Empire. 'Ceasar's men' and 'Pharaoh's men' in 21st Century grand battle of FOOTBALL. Ah, and it was indeed a battle of sheer strength of mind. They seemed evenly matched in as far as physical strength. At the end of the day Pharaoh's men won it.

Oi! can you see the pyramids from the Appian Way? No? Hike up that toga praetexta and climb up the stairs outside the temple. There...now you see them. Mmmm, I'm being a meanie now! LOL.....For the Luv of the game!

21 year old Malawian FEMALE Wonders: Part 1

2009-06-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

As promised; I have finally sat down to blog about female Malawians who are blazing a trail for the younger generation to follow. A good place to start is 21 year olds, they are the unsung hero's after all; they do all the donkey work and make us grown folks look good. Tru.

Natasha Taumbe

Age: 21

Current Area of Occupation: Health

Location: Central Malawi

Training: Malawi, Germany

Work Assignments thus far: Malawi, Germany, South Africa

Has her own blog: You betcha: www.atutash.blogspot.com

Challenging Role: Natasha's work involves integrating traditional healers into Malawi's health care system by facilitating support, training and other things my brain is too small to comprehend so that their work complements that of the government in regards to health. I have my own personal bones to pick with traditional healers (pun intended); So Natasha, whatchu gon' do about my issues with them folks?

Milestones: Among other things: participated in the translation of those HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention booklet series; now don't get me started but the alternative to promiscuity therein is effective but highly controversial, wouldn't you say?

Final Word: Ah, Natasha, Thank you for offering up the challenges strategy-wise that face the Malawian in the 21 Century! Now it's up to us theologians to come up with theologies concerning those topics eh?

pic: www.kaisoni.com, bust of african woman: 1851 Charles-Henri-Joseph-Cordier

Smart idea, that

2009-06-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

My sister from the land formerly known as Northern Rhodesia took me to the movies recently to watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I was more of the idea of watching Angels and Demons to which she gave much opposition; I'm not a fan of Dan Brown either but have read the book and wanted to see what they did with all those dramatic (and I'm sure very graphic) scenes- think death by the elements!

Anywho, back to the issue at hand; I was quite pleased to learn (and only after the movie) that the director of X-Men Origins: Wolverine is Mzansi's own Gavin Hood. This is his second movie that I've watched, Tsotsi was the first,and now this one - I quite liked it. And it's a smart idea, when the world begins to utilise the talented directors on the international landscape, we can expect good things. Not only that, I guess many Mzansi-ans will pitch up at the theatres to show support, more money for the X-men franchise. Is this the good side of globalisation? hmmmm....

I Tremble in Fear

2009-06-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I forgot a pouch on a public bus. It had my camera, my cell phone and my memory stick. Think contact numbers, think memories captured on camera, think software and hardware... The pouch had my lip balms too but those were not of as great a concern. This morning, here they are staring at me. I will not be as silly as to think it's just my good luck or naive enough to claim that the passengers on the bus/the staff were exceptionally good people, perhaps they are but I will never know that for sure.

Thank you God for making it possible that I have my things back with me. Thank you for showing me that YOU are God. May Your Name be Praised, and not just because You have done this, but because YOU are God.

My Brother's Keeper

2009-06-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

It all started with Cain
Hate
Malice
Death

It all ended for Abel
Hurt
Pain
loss of...life

The Cains are there,
still
to hate
to be malicious
to kill

Where will you run to Abel?
A victim of judgment, misunderstanding envy
and why?
Anything and everything
Your colour
your race
your religion
your food
your You
Cain won't let you be

Cain died too
eventually
Today
Cain lives
sometimes
he changes
becomes an Abel
and Abel
alas
sometimes
changes too
and becomes a Cain
and so the cycle goes on

Fundamentalism
and all the 'isms'

Xenophobia
and all the 'phobias'

It all started with Cain
It all ended for Abel

One sweet day,
something new started with Jesus
in a manger

One sad day,
and it all ended for Him
on a battered cross
or so they thought

Actually
Now
through Jesus
every day
A Cain CAN become an Abel
An Abel
CAN becomes a better Abel
learns to forgive a Cain
Opportunity
has been availed

One day
Cain won't be
the Cain we have known
for one day
Justice, Peace and love
shall reigh
forever

Come Lord Jesus.

Malawi, One Love

2009-05-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

One Love Malawi

pic: my prof's kid from back in the day, oops! snatched it off of Facebook. Don't sue me!!! Looking like you did a good job Widz hope u told them the truth about Mother Malawi.

Manchester United 0-2 Barcelona. We lost but we are not defeated.

2009-05-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Yessir, we are not defeated. We shall rise again, AMANDLA!!!!!!

pic: telegraph, uk.

Tonight, Prepare for Battle. Bring on the coffee I'm staying up!

2009-05-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

Counting down.......tick tock tick tock tick tock.......

pix: online sources

Malawi Elections

2009-05-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika. It was simply Elections, then election results, then inauguration. Straight to the point and crime/hassle-free. Aint that nice? Praise the Lord let's continue to pray earnestly for our nation.

Vote Wisely

2009-05-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Vote Wisely my beloved fellow Malawians. This is the big day, comes once every five years. Remember, your vote is your voice.

Shalom.

pic: Nyasa Times

Mind recalibration

2009-05-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

It was a good distraction today...to meet up for lunch with two older women that are not trying to change the world; on their own. Exactly what the doctor ordered. My mind has been running wild with: "What to do?" "What to do?" "The world is going to the dogs" "What to do."

There is hope, why, OUR REDEEMER LIVES

The world can be changed.....one heart at a time. Starting with mine.

EEEYOOOOH.

pic: Wesleyjsmith.com