THIS BLOG 6 MONTHS ON...

I can’t believe it’s only 6 months since I embarked on this adventure of joining the blogosphere… Yeap, my first post went up on 30/11/06 but it feels like it was ages ago!

Like anything else in life there was good and bad in this adventure so far.

Forgetting about the bad... the good came mostly from my interactions with spaces such as AfricanPath, African Women Blogs, Global Voices Online and, of course, Sailor Girl & Atlantico Azul Productions. Thanks a lot my friends!

Now, for some “stats”:

- Posts: 192, which translates into more or less 1 post/day (not as mad as I thought…);

- Published Comments: 569, which boils down to an average 3 comments/post (… perhaps one of the best examples of how stats can be "misleading"...);

- Languages: Portuguese (68%), English (32%), with some odd sprinklings of French and Spanish here and there;

- Cumulative Statistics Since January 8, 2007

First Time Visitors

Returning Visitors


Total Page Views: 11,987


- Top 20 “tags”:

1. Angola
2. Politics
3. Identity
4. Writers/Recent Publications
5. Afrika
6. Events
7. Culture
8. Society
9. World
10. Music
11. History
12. USA
13. Poetry
14. Analysis
15. Economy/Economics
16. Gender
17. Literature
18. War
19. South Africa
20. Portugal

That’s all for now folks! And… nope, I won’t go back to restricting access to this blog, unless something even more hideous and nightmarish than what led me to do it before happens…

(This post is reblogged by African Women Blogs)

I can’t believe it’s only 6 months since I embarked on this adventure of joining the blogosphere… Yeap, my first post went up on 30/11/06 but it feels like it was ages ago!

Like anything else in life there was good and bad in this adventure so far.

Forgetting about the bad... the good came mostly from my interactions with spaces such as AfricanPath, African Women Blogs, Global Voices Online and, of course, Sailor Girl & Atlantico Azul Productions. Thanks a lot my friends!

Now, for some “stats”:

- Posts: 192, which translates into more or less 1 post/day (not as mad as I thought…);

- Published Comments: 569, which boils down to an average 3 comments/post (… perhaps one of the best examples of how stats can be "misleading"...);

- Languages: Portuguese (68%), English (32%), with some odd sprinklings of French and Spanish here and there;

- Cumulative Statistics Since January 8, 2007

First Time Visitors

Returning Visitors


Total Page Views: 11,987


- Top 20 “tags”:

1. Angola
2. Politics
3. Identity
4. Writers/Recent Publications
5. Afrika
6. Events
7. Culture
8. Society
9. World
10. Music
11. History
12. USA
13. Poetry
14. Analysis
15. Economy/Economics
16. Gender
17. Literature
18. War
19. South Africa
20. Portugal

That’s all for now folks! And… nope, I won’t go back to restricting access to this blog, unless something even more hideous and nightmarish than what led me to do it before happens…

(This post is reblogged by African Women Blogs)

LUANDA E AS SUAS MAKAS!

Foram-se as chuvas, chegou o Cacimbo e parece que a nossa Luanda já se está a refazer da “porrada” que levou durante a época chuvosa. Vamos lá ver, se irão conseguir resolver no Cacimbo todas as makas. Os engarrafamentos continuam, os buracos nas estradas aumentam (somos o único pais no mundo com estradas descartáveis), o lixo não para, a luz bazou e até agora estamos a espera dela. Tem razão o meu kamba Kinito quando diz que a maior oposição ao Governo é a EPAL, EDEL, ELISAL e o INAMET.

Segundo o kamba Kinito a EPAL – Empresa Privadora de Águas aos Luandenses, é um dos mais fortes partidos de oposição ao Governo. Ela consegue “privar” os Kaluandas sempre que possível do precioso liquido. Você está no banho só da conta, a água bazou, quer lavar o botter e nada, água tá onde? Você até quando constrói o cúbico, tem de deixar espaço para o tanque de água, e deixar um buraco para a mangueira da cisterna vir abastecer. Água da torneira não podes beber senão apanhas cólera, és obrigado a fazer esquemas como faz um colega aqui no salu, que aproveita a água de favor que a empresa dá e bebe já de tudo. O muadié até diz que os colegas lhe chamam já Camelo, pois isso de armazenar a água para depois não ter mais sede, quando chegar ao cúbico. Voltando ao kamba Kinito, ontem ligou-me e disse que vai provar por A+B que grande parte das cisternas de água, são pertença dos grandes mangas da EPAL.

Mas esta é … Outra Maka Mais!!!

EDEL – Empresa Destruidora da Energia de Luanda, o kamba Kinito diz mesmo que este é o maior partido da oposição (pelos seus feitos ultrapassou já o do “Galo Negro”). Este partido o que te faz!!! Você tá ouvir noticiário, só assusta luz bazou. Você tá ver jogo e na hora do passe para o golo, te tiram a luz. Você tá a apreciar um bom filme do tipo 9 semanas e meia, na hora mesmo da pura parte, luz baza. O pitéu na arca estraga, se você levar para guardar no vizinho que tem gerador, acontece o seguinte: ou dás um pouco de carne ao vizinho, ou então vão te pitar tudo. A noite calor é calor, as vezes você olha na pura mboa que está a campar ao lado, começas já a pensar em naqueles mambos mas quando imaginas no calor, você desiste. Tudo por culpa da EDEL.

Antigamente era fácil, a culpa era sempre dos bandos errantes do falecido man – mbimbi que deixavam cair os postes de alta tensão lá em Cambambe. Mas agora então é quê mais, a paz já estamos com ela há cinco anos? Agora a desculpa é que 60% dos Kaluandas não pagam as contas de luz??? Cerca de 35% vive dos famosos “gatos”. Então vou pagar um serviço do qual quase não usufruo? Ter gerador que num pais normal deveria ser a excepção, cá entre nós virou regra. O kamba Kinito diz que vai apresentar queixa da EDEL a ONU, a UNESCO e ao Presidente Bush, porque segundo ele, a EDEL é uma empresa de destruição massiva, e que estes constantes cortes de energia vão dar cabo da vida dos Kaluandas. Diz também que os manda-chuvas da EDEL são os donos dos armazéns de venda de velas e geradores.

Esta é … Outra Maka Mais!!!

ELISAL – Empresa Lixadora e Saneadora de Luanda, o Kamba Kinito diz que este partido anda a “lixar” e pretende sanar com todos os Kaluandas. É só muito lixo, lixo, lixo, uma pessoa até pergunta: mas este lixo todo tá vir donde? Bué de empresas de recolha de lixo, mas o lixo sempre anduta, um gajo até já não acredita que este mambo tem solução. Há tempos ouvi dizer que tipo os Japoneses queriam comprar todo lixo da cidade, mas parece que as partes não chegaram a acordo pois o conceito de lixo dos japoneses era bastante abrangente parece que incluía também o “lixo” que governava os Kaluandas.

INAMET – Segundo o Kamba Kinito é INAMENTE, pois estes dão muitas bandeiras quando fazem a previsão do tempo. Quando dizem que no dia seguinte irá fazer sol, você prepara já as imbambas e todos os mambos, mas quando chega lá na praia chuva com força, um gajo até fica malaike. As vezes dão a dica que vai chover muito, e um gajo prepara já aquele mbila de frio, mas assusta bué de calor. Quando os muadiés vão na TPA explicar os mambos, falam já bué de termos técnicos: As fortes cargas pluviométricas que se abatem sobre a cidade de Luanda, para enganar o people, custa só dizer as chuvas que tamos com ele, ou as chuvas que estão a cair na city???

Gostam só de arranjar maka.

O kamba Kinito já identificou os principais opositores ao desenvolvimento dos Kaluandas. E já disse que vai tomar as medidas exactas e já criou mesmo a associação KIBETO – Kaluanda Insatisfeito Busca Explicações Transparentes e Objectivas.

O kamba Kinito anda mesmo inconformado e desolado com estas coisas todas. No seu programa de acção propõe saídas para a actual situação caótica que se vive em Luanda. A primeira seria o Pai lá do céu, fazer o mesmo que fez com Sodoma e Gomorra e acabar com tudo e todos. Assim aqueles que viessem depois, estariam livres de qualquer vício. O kamba Kinito perguntou-me o que achava das suas ideias, disse-lhe o seguinte: - Quanto a opção de Sodoma e Gomorra, disse-lhe que pelo estado das coisas era algo a ter em conta. Que se após isto uma equipa de historiadores, geólogos, antropólogos e tantos outros “ologos” que existem pelo mundo afora, fosse fazer um estudo da extinta espécie “Homo Luandensis” iria ficar perplexa e colocar várias questões.

Iriam ficar admirados como era possível nesta sociedade, 15 a 20 KM de estrada serem percorridos em cinco horas??? Iriam questionar como era possível os seus dirigentes, possuírem carros de cem mil dólares, casas em condomínios no valor de quinhentos mil dólares, casas de ferias na South, na Tuga. E o povo em geral nem água em condições possuía, nem luz tinha. Iriam ficar indignados com o facto de nesta sociedade, para se ascender politica, económica e socialmente era necessário pertencer a determinada organização partidária, ou então ter sobrenome Van- Dúnem, Vieira Dias, Dias dos Santos. Ou para atingir determinado status nas instituições bancárias privadas era preciso ter todas as cores menos ser black, até Kilombo podias ser, mas black só mesmo no caixa, estafeta ou limpeza. A excepção só se fosse possuidor de um dos sobrenomes acima mencionados. Iriam ficar estupefactos, pois nesta sociedade a excepção virou regra e a regra excepção. A dita gasosa foi institucionalizada, onde andam todos gasosados, tava tudo numa blue. Iriam ficar confusos com o facto de que pessoas morriam por falta de uma aspirina, de soro ou por falta de pessoal nos hospitais. Iriam rejeitar o facto de que com os milhares de barris de petróleo produzidos diariamente, a Refinaria de petróleo não tinha capacidade para aguentar a demanda e que cerca de 30% do combustível consumido era importado.

Esta seria … Outra Maka Mais!!!

Domingo quando estava a acabar esta crónica, bate a porta o meu vizinho malaike, lhe atendo já: - Vizinho Armindo, pode arranjar só um litro de óleo de cozinha? - Outra vez vizinho? Vizinho sempre a pedir? Meu, xiça, não vou te dar mesmo. - Epá vizinho Armindo, tó mal, sem kumbú. - Negativo. A dama saiu e trancou a dispensa (lhe menti, faz lembrar os tempos de puto quando a velha trancava a dispensa). - Armindo, me dá lá só. - Mas vizinho você não conhece o nosso super? Lá tem tudo. - Vizinho Armindo, a minha mulher disse que viu a sua dispensa cheia tipo o nosso super. - Olha vizinho eu sou super, mas não sou vosso! Já viram estes vizinhos zongolas, que arranjam só makas para os outros.

E eu que tinha de acabar a minha crónica semanal …

outra maka mais!!!

Bazei.
Mungueno.
Aquele abraço.

“Ilustre”
(Kamba do kamba Kinito)

Foram-se as chuvas, chegou o Cacimbo e parece que a nossa Luanda já se está a refazer da “porrada” que levou durante a época chuvosa. Vamos lá ver, se irão conseguir resolver no Cacimbo todas as makas. Os engarrafamentos continuam, os buracos nas estradas aumentam (somos o único pais no mundo com estradas descartáveis), o lixo não para, a luz bazou e até agora estamos a espera dela. Tem razão o meu kamba Kinito quando diz que a maior oposição ao Governo é a EPAL, EDEL, ELISAL e o INAMET.

Segundo o kamba Kinito a EPAL – Empresa Privadora de Águas aos Luandenses, é um dos mais fortes partidos de oposição ao Governo. Ela consegue “privar” os Kaluandas sempre que possível do precioso liquido. Você está no banho só da conta, a água bazou, quer lavar o botter e nada, água tá onde? Você até quando constrói o cúbico, tem de deixar espaço para o tanque de água, e deixar um buraco para a mangueira da cisterna vir abastecer. Água da torneira não podes beber senão apanhas cólera, és obrigado a fazer esquemas como faz um colega aqui no salu, que aproveita a água de favor que a empresa dá e bebe já de tudo. O muadié até diz que os colegas lhe chamam já Camelo, pois isso de armazenar a água para depois não ter mais sede, quando chegar ao cúbico. Voltando ao kamba Kinito, ontem ligou-me e disse que vai provar por A+B que grande parte das cisternas de água, são pertença dos grandes mangas da EPAL.

Mas esta é … Outra Maka Mais!!!

EDEL – Empresa Destruidora da Energia de Luanda, o kamba Kinito diz mesmo que este é o maior partido da oposição (pelos seus feitos ultrapassou já o do “Galo Negro”). Este partido o que te faz!!! Você tá ouvir noticiário, só assusta luz bazou. Você tá ver jogo e na hora do passe para o golo, te tiram a luz. Você tá a apreciar um bom filme do tipo 9 semanas e meia, na hora mesmo da pura parte, luz baza. O pitéu na arca estraga, se você levar para guardar no vizinho que tem gerador, acontece o seguinte: ou dás um pouco de carne ao vizinho, ou então vão te pitar tudo. A noite calor é calor, as vezes você olha na pura mboa que está a campar ao lado, começas já a pensar em naqueles mambos mas quando imaginas no calor, você desiste. Tudo por culpa da EDEL.

Antigamente era fácil, a culpa era sempre dos bandos errantes do falecido man – mbimbi que deixavam cair os postes de alta tensão lá em Cambambe. Mas agora então é quê mais, a paz já estamos com ela há cinco anos? Agora a desculpa é que 60% dos Kaluandas não pagam as contas de luz??? Cerca de 35% vive dos famosos “gatos”. Então vou pagar um serviço do qual quase não usufruo? Ter gerador que num pais normal deveria ser a excepção, cá entre nós virou regra. O kamba Kinito diz que vai apresentar queixa da EDEL a ONU, a UNESCO e ao Presidente Bush, porque segundo ele, a EDEL é uma empresa de destruição massiva, e que estes constantes cortes de energia vão dar cabo da vida dos Kaluandas. Diz também que os manda-chuvas da EDEL são os donos dos armazéns de venda de velas e geradores.

Esta é … Outra Maka Mais!!!

ELISAL – Empresa Lixadora e Saneadora de Luanda, o Kamba Kinito diz que este partido anda a “lixar” e pretende sanar com todos os Kaluandas. É só muito lixo, lixo, lixo, uma pessoa até pergunta: mas este lixo todo tá vir donde? Bué de empresas de recolha de lixo, mas o lixo sempre anduta, um gajo até já não acredita que este mambo tem solução. Há tempos ouvi dizer que tipo os Japoneses queriam comprar todo lixo da cidade, mas parece que as partes não chegaram a acordo pois o conceito de lixo dos japoneses era bastante abrangente parece que incluía também o “lixo” que governava os Kaluandas.

INAMET – Segundo o Kamba Kinito é INAMENTE, pois estes dão muitas bandeiras quando fazem a previsão do tempo. Quando dizem que no dia seguinte irá fazer sol, você prepara já as imbambas e todos os mambos, mas quando chega lá na praia chuva com força, um gajo até fica malaike. As vezes dão a dica que vai chover muito, e um gajo prepara já aquele mbila de frio, mas assusta bué de calor. Quando os muadiés vão na TPA explicar os mambos, falam já bué de termos técnicos: As fortes cargas pluviométricas que se abatem sobre a cidade de Luanda, para enganar o people, custa só dizer as chuvas que tamos com ele, ou as chuvas que estão a cair na city???

Gostam só de arranjar maka.

O kamba Kinito já identificou os principais opositores ao desenvolvimento dos Kaluandas. E já disse que vai tomar as medidas exactas e já criou mesmo a associação KIBETO – Kaluanda Insatisfeito Busca Explicações Transparentes e Objectivas.

O kamba Kinito anda mesmo inconformado e desolado com estas coisas todas. No seu programa de acção propõe saídas para a actual situação caótica que se vive em Luanda. A primeira seria o Pai lá do céu, fazer o mesmo que fez com Sodoma e Gomorra e acabar com tudo e todos. Assim aqueles que viessem depois, estariam livres de qualquer vício. O kamba Kinito perguntou-me o que achava das suas ideias, disse-lhe o seguinte: - Quanto a opção de Sodoma e Gomorra, disse-lhe que pelo estado das coisas era algo a ter em conta. Que se após isto uma equipa de historiadores, geólogos, antropólogos e tantos outros “ologos” que existem pelo mundo afora, fosse fazer um estudo da extinta espécie “Homo Luandensis” iria ficar perplexa e colocar várias questões.

Iriam ficar admirados como era possível nesta sociedade, 15 a 20 KM de estrada serem percorridos em cinco horas??? Iriam questionar como era possível os seus dirigentes, possuírem carros de cem mil dólares, casas em condomínios no valor de quinhentos mil dólares, casas de ferias na South, na Tuga. E o povo em geral nem água em condições possuía, nem luz tinha. Iriam ficar indignados com o facto de nesta sociedade, para se ascender politica, económica e socialmente era necessário pertencer a determinada organização partidária, ou então ter sobrenome Van- Dúnem, Vieira Dias, Dias dos Santos. Ou para atingir determinado status nas instituições bancárias privadas era preciso ter todas as cores menos ser black, até Kilombo podias ser, mas black só mesmo no caixa, estafeta ou limpeza. A excepção só se fosse possuidor de um dos sobrenomes acima mencionados. Iriam ficar estupefactos, pois nesta sociedade a excepção virou regra e a regra excepção. A dita gasosa foi institucionalizada, onde andam todos gasosados, tava tudo numa blue. Iriam ficar confusos com o facto de que pessoas morriam por falta de uma aspirina, de soro ou por falta de pessoal nos hospitais. Iriam rejeitar o facto de que com os milhares de barris de petróleo produzidos diariamente, a Refinaria de petróleo não tinha capacidade para aguentar a demanda e que cerca de 30% do combustível consumido era importado.

Esta seria … Outra Maka Mais!!!

Domingo quando estava a acabar esta crónica, bate a porta o meu vizinho malaike, lhe atendo já: - Vizinho Armindo, pode arranjar só um litro de óleo de cozinha? - Outra vez vizinho? Vizinho sempre a pedir? Meu, xiça, não vou te dar mesmo. - Epá vizinho Armindo, tó mal, sem kumbú. - Negativo. A dama saiu e trancou a dispensa (lhe menti, faz lembrar os tempos de puto quando a velha trancava a dispensa). - Armindo, me dá lá só. - Mas vizinho você não conhece o nosso super? Lá tem tudo. - Vizinho Armindo, a minha mulher disse que viu a sua dispensa cheia tipo o nosso super. - Olha vizinho eu sou super, mas não sou vosso! Já viram estes vizinhos zongolas, que arranjam só makas para os outros.

E eu que tinha de acabar a minha crónica semanal …

outra maka mais!!!

Bazei.
Mungueno.
Aquele abraço.

“Ilustre”
(Kamba do kamba Kinito)

ABOUT THE "MAY 27": I. 30 YEARS ON

Today is the 30th anniversary of May 27, 1977, a date which conveys what are arguably the deepest wounds in the Angolan soul. It marks the brutal repression of a “movement”, mainly by high-level militants of the ruling party MPLA, the so-called “fraccionistas”, allegedly intent on overthrowing the then President, A. Neto, and his entourage from power. Neto then pronounced a famous sentence: “Nao Havera’ Perdao” (“There Will Be No Pardon!”).

In the ensuing months and for several years afterwards, thousands of Angolans from all social, racial and cultural backgrounds (although some more targeted and victimised than others) were either eliminated, imprisoned or confined to “Campos de Re-educacao” (“Re-education Camps”), in some cases in the same camps where they, or their fathers and/or other family members, had been imprisoned by the colonialists, without any formal judicial process.

Personally, not having been involved directly or indirectly in either side of the events, I had, nevertheless, as with millions of other Angolans, family members, friends, colleagues and aquaintances eliminated or otherwise victimised by the purge. The total number of dead is estimated at at least 30.000, which is ten times more than the number of Pinochet's victims... Just imagine 1.000 dead each year since that date...

To this day there are parents, wives, offspring, relatives and friends of the disappeared in psychologically suspended grief for not knowing why, when, where and what happened to their loved ones.

Countries such as South Africa have instituted mechanisms like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address this sort of issues. Yet, Angola is still hung on its inability to face head-on its darkest traumas, thus unable to rationally heal, or at least try to, its deepest wounds on behalf of its future as a Nation.

(Pictures from here)

(Click nas imagens para ler artigos)

Today is the 30th anniversary of May 27, 1977, a date which conveys what are arguably the deepest wounds in the Angolan soul. It marks the brutal repression of a “movement”, mainly by high-level militants of the ruling party MPLA, the so-called “fraccionistas”, allegedly intent on overthrowing the then President, A. Neto, and his entourage from power. Neto then pronounced a famous sentence: “Nao Havera’ Perdao” (“There Will Be No Pardon!”).

In the ensuing months and for several years afterwards, thousands of Angolans from all social, racial and cultural backgrounds (although some more targeted and victimised than others) were either eliminated, imprisoned or confined to “Campos de Re-educacao” (“Re-education Camps”), in some cases in the same camps where they, or their fathers and/or other family members, had been imprisoned by the colonialists, without any formal judicial process.

Personally, not having been involved directly or indirectly in either side of the events, I had, nevertheless, as with millions of other Angolans, family members, friends, colleagues and aquaintances eliminated or otherwise victimised by the purge. The total number of dead is estimated at at least 30.000, which is ten times more than the number of Pinochet's victims... Just imagine 1.000 dead each year since that date...

To this day there are parents, wives, offspring, relatives and friends of the disappeared in psychologically suspended grief for not knowing why, when, where and what happened to their loved ones.

Countries such as South Africa have instituted mechanisms like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address this sort of issues. Yet, Angola is still hung on its inability to face head-on its darkest traumas, thus unable to rationally heal, or at least try to, its deepest wounds on behalf of its future as a Nation.

(Pictures from here)

(Click nas imagens para ler artigos)

AFRICA DAY...

... DID YOU REMEMBER?

Well, I confess that I had to be reminded...

But, thanks to that (latish) reminder, I found a memorable way to mark the day: a book entitled "A Day in the Life of Africa" , featuring pictures taken on the same day by about 100 photographers from all over the world in the 53 African States.

Here's a couple of memorable quotes about the book:

"We invite you to gain a better understanding of this great continent. We know that this understanding cannot be made complete within the span of this book, or for that matter, within the span of single lifetime. Still, as you experience this book, we hope that you will discover a culturally rich continent, abundant in physical beauty. A continent overcoming the complex burden of colonial oppression, struggling with overwhelming public-health challenges and vitally anxious for democracy and self-determination. A continent with an indomitable spirit, broadening its participation within the global community and offering the world its unique sense of community and cooperation."
Bishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

"A Day in the Life of Africa" gives us a complex and nuanced portrait. These beautiful and deeply moving images compel us to see that despite the tragedy that afflicts some parts of the continent, the bright spots must not be forgotten, nor the achievements overlooked. The vast majority of Africans are striving to bring positive change to their countries and in many places these efforts are beginning to bear fruit. The United Nations, for its part, has long championed African rights, progress, and self-sufficiency. I hope that people of goodwill throughout the world will see the great dignity and resilience of my fellow Africans, and join them in their struggle for the chance to create a better life that is every human being's birthright."
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan (Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

... DID YOU REMEMBER?

Well, I confess that I had to be reminded...

But, thanks to that (latish) reminder, I found a memorable way to mark the day: a book entitled "A Day in the Life of Africa" , featuring pictures taken on the same day by about 100 photographers from all over the world in the 53 African States.

Here's a couple of memorable quotes about the book:

"We invite you to gain a better understanding of this great continent. We know that this understanding cannot be made complete within the span of this book, or for that matter, within the span of single lifetime. Still, as you experience this book, we hope that you will discover a culturally rich continent, abundant in physical beauty. A continent overcoming the complex burden of colonial oppression, struggling with overwhelming public-health challenges and vitally anxious for democracy and self-determination. A continent with an indomitable spirit, broadening its participation within the global community and offering the world its unique sense of community and cooperation."
Bishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

"A Day in the Life of Africa" gives us a complex and nuanced portrait. These beautiful and deeply moving images compel us to see that despite the tragedy that afflicts some parts of the continent, the bright spots must not be forgotten, nor the achievements overlooked. The vast majority of Africans are striving to bring positive change to their countries and in many places these efforts are beginning to bear fruit. The United Nations, for its part, has long championed African rights, progress, and self-sufficiency. I hope that people of goodwill throughout the world will see the great dignity and resilience of my fellow Africans, and join them in their struggle for the chance to create a better life that is every human being's birthright."
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan (Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

AFRICAN DESIGN

I just came across this wonderful picture, from the travelling exhibition "Design Made in Africa", taking place until this Sunday in New York (4 World Financial Centre) and Morocco (Batha Museum in Fes), at the exciting blog Urban Congo. The exhibition includes works by 30 designers from 14 African countries.

I just came across this wonderful picture, from the travelling exhibition "Design Made in Africa", taking place until this Sunday in New York (4 World Financial Centre) and Morocco (Batha Museum in Fes), at the exciting blog Urban Congo. The exhibition includes works by 30 designers from 14 African countries.

REVISITING SOUTH AFRICA - II

EXPERIENCING THE LANZERAC - STELLENBOSCH

I must confess that this was the most unique hotel experience I’ve ever had. Imagine being lodged in a huge classically decorated room with its own fireplace, a bathroom almost as big as the room and its own outdoor garden patio where you can enjoy the spells of good weather under a secular oak tree, while sipping from a glass of home-produced good old wine and facing nothing else in the horizon but the imposing view of the mountains and the sky… All this inside a private working wine farm located in the famous Jonkershoek Valley, surrounded by the picturesque Helderberg Mountains… This is the Lanzerac Hotel and Manor, in Stellenbosch - South Africa, where you are received with the phrase: “We’ve been preparing for your arrival for 300 years”!

Four years ago, in my first visit to Stellenbosch, I stayed for two weeks at the then newly built local Protea (for a series of workshops on International Trade sponsored by TRALAC, UNCTAD and the WTO), where the views from my room’s balcony were all vineyards, mountains and wondrous skies constantly changing with the mood of the local micro-climate. And I thought that was as good as you could possibly get as far as experiencing Stellenbosch went…

Then, about a year ago, I stayed for three days at the Stellenbosch Hydro Natural Health Resort, thus presented: “Nestled in the tranquillity of Ida's Valley just outside Stellenbosch, the surrounding woodlands, magical gardens and crisp mountain air make it one of the most beautiful and serene retreats on earth.” Again, that was a most memorable and reinvigorating experience.

Now, the Lanzerac is an altogether different (hi)story. As it goes: “In 1692, governor Simon van der Stel granted a considerable tract of land in the majestic Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch to Isaac Schrijver who named the farm Schoongezicht (beautiful outlook) and planted the first vineyards. Over the years, the Estate passed through a succession of owners who each contributed by building on to the farm. Records show that Coenraad Fick built the cellar in 1815 and the U shaped homestead in 1830. This distinguished Manor House with its neo-classical main gable still stands today and exhibits a high level of sophistication for Cape Dutch architecture of the period.

In 1914, Schoongezicht was bought by Elizabeth Catherine English who changed the name to Lanzerac and bottled the first Lanzerac wine from grapes grown on her land. The two Rawdon brothers bought the farm in 1958 and converted the homestead and outbuildings to a luxury hotel furnished with English and Cape antiques. These buildings were declared national monuments.”

I was invited there by a group of institutional bodies and governmental think tanks sponsoring APORDE – “African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics”, a spinoff of CAPORDE - the "Cambridge Advanced Programme on Rethinking Development Economics", of the University of Cambridge, UK. It congregated a number of academics, researchers, government officials, development policy practitioners and civil society activists from different African countries and other parts of the world bent on turning Development Economics on its head.

They were expected to wrap-up their business today and I hope they’ve succeeded at their endeavours – I just felt compelled, for particular reasons, to leave them just at the beginning (yet, having arrived earlier, on my return from the Okavango Delta, I could still enjoy a good five days of the Lanzerac experience) and, I’m afraid, not totally convinced that they’ll succeed at their stated intentions… Still, all the best are my wishes, specially for the many enthusiastic Africans who took part (... there was even one talking of "a revolution about to happen" there, while wearing a t-shirt stating "Africa is not for sale", to which I responded "this revolution won't be televised"... it's being blogged though).

Afrika could well do with a serious change in mainstream development thinking and practice!

EXPERIENCING THE LANZERAC - STELLENBOSCH

I must confess that this was the most unique hotel experience I’ve ever had. Imagine being lodged in a huge classically decorated room with its own fireplace, a bathroom almost as big as the room and its own outdoor garden patio where you can enjoy the spells of good weather under a secular oak tree, while sipping from a glass of home-produced good old wine and facing nothing else in the horizon but the imposing view of the mountains and the sky… All this inside a private working wine farm located in the famous Jonkershoek Valley, surrounded by the picturesque Helderberg Mountains… This is the Lanzerac Hotel and Manor, in Stellenbosch - South Africa, where you are received with the phrase: “We’ve been preparing for your arrival for 300 years”!

Four years ago, in my first visit to Stellenbosch, I stayed for two weeks at the then newly built local Protea (for a series of workshops on International Trade sponsored by TRALAC, UNCTAD and the WTO), where the views from my room’s balcony were all vineyards, mountains and wondrous skies constantly changing with the mood of the local micro-climate. And I thought that was as good as you could possibly get as far as experiencing Stellenbosch went…

Then, about a year ago, I stayed for three days at the Stellenbosch Hydro Natural Health Resort, thus presented: “Nestled in the tranquillity of Ida's Valley just outside Stellenbosch, the surrounding woodlands, magical gardens and crisp mountain air make it one of the most beautiful and serene retreats on earth.” Again, that was a most memorable and reinvigorating experience.

Now, the Lanzerac is an altogether different (hi)story. As it goes: “In 1692, governor Simon van der Stel granted a considerable tract of land in the majestic Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch to Isaac Schrijver who named the farm Schoongezicht (beautiful outlook) and planted the first vineyards. Over the years, the Estate passed through a succession of owners who each contributed by building on to the farm. Records show that Coenraad Fick built the cellar in 1815 and the U shaped homestead in 1830. This distinguished Manor House with its neo-classical main gable still stands today and exhibits a high level of sophistication for Cape Dutch architecture of the period.

In 1914, Schoongezicht was bought by Elizabeth Catherine English who changed the name to Lanzerac and bottled the first Lanzerac wine from grapes grown on her land. The two Rawdon brothers bought the farm in 1958 and converted the homestead and outbuildings to a luxury hotel furnished with English and Cape antiques. These buildings were declared national monuments.”

I was invited there by a group of institutional bodies and governmental think tanks sponsoring APORDE – “African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics”, a spinoff of CAPORDE - the "Cambridge Advanced Programme on Rethinking Development Economics", of the University of Cambridge, UK. It congregated a number of academics, researchers, government officials, development policy practitioners and civil society activists from different African countries and other parts of the world bent on turning Development Economics on its head.

They were expected to wrap-up their business today and I hope they’ve succeeded at their endeavours – I just felt compelled, for particular reasons, to leave them just at the beginning (yet, having arrived earlier, on my return from the Okavango Delta, I could still enjoy a good five days of the Lanzerac experience) and, I’m afraid, not totally convinced that they’ll succeed at their stated intentions… Still, all the best are my wishes, specially for the many enthusiastic Africans who took part (... there was even one talking of "a revolution about to happen" there, while wearing a t-shirt stating "Africa is not for sale", to which I responded "this revolution won't be televised"... it's being blogged though).

Afrika could well do with a serious change in mainstream development thinking and practice!

DEBATING DARFUR TODAY

Reuters Newsmakers Events is hosting a global debate on Darfur, today, in New York.

Global Voices Online Sub-Saharan Africa’s Editor, Ndesanjo Macha, is *blogcasting* live the event at his blog Jikomboe.

(Read more about Darfur here)

Reuters Newsmakers Events is hosting a global debate on Darfur, today, in New York.

Global Voices Online Sub-Saharan Africa’s Editor, Ndesanjo Macha, is *blogcasting* live the event at his blog Jikomboe.

(Read more about Darfur here)

ZIMBABWE: "MAKING IT"?

The attached article tells a tale of today’s Zimbabwe, or more precisely Harare, that seems a bit at odds with the gloomy and terrifying reports we are getting used to:

“A Zimbabwean who recently visited Harare for the first time in more than nine years remarked that the biggest change in the capital over a decade had been the increased evidence of wealth. He mentioned the large four wheel drive vehicles that ply the roads, huge mansions in the upmarket suburbs and supermarkets stocked to the brim with imported goods.”

And, apparently, it’s not just members of the ruling party who are “making it”! How can this be, against a backdrop of unbelievably high rates of inflation and unemployment and virtually null GDP growth? The author comes up with a number of economic explanations, all of which put together don’t succeed at completely overshadowing the more common picture arising from current reports on Zimbabwe:

“With no end in sight to the distortions in the economy resulting from the political climate, many people will still make a lot more money but the issue is not about their unethical ways of creating wealth, it is something much more serious. The more the economy benefits these people, the less incentive they have for supporting change. That is far more dangerous than flaunting your wealth in the faces of an increasingly miserable population.”

The attached article tells a tale of today’s Zimbabwe, or more precisely Harare, that seems a bit at odds with the gloomy and terrifying reports we are getting used to:

“A Zimbabwean who recently visited Harare for the first time in more than nine years remarked that the biggest change in the capital over a decade had been the increased evidence of wealth. He mentioned the large four wheel drive vehicles that ply the roads, huge mansions in the upmarket suburbs and supermarkets stocked to the brim with imported goods.”

And, apparently, it’s not just members of the ruling party who are “making it”! How can this be, against a backdrop of unbelievably high rates of inflation and unemployment and virtually null GDP growth? The author comes up with a number of economic explanations, all of which put together don’t succeed at completely overshadowing the more common picture arising from current reports on Zimbabwe:

“With no end in sight to the distortions in the economy resulting from the political climate, many people will still make a lot more money but the issue is not about their unethical ways of creating wealth, it is something much more serious. The more the economy benefits these people, the less incentive they have for supporting change. That is far more dangerous than flaunting your wealth in the faces of an increasingly miserable population.”

PRIMEIRA CONFERENCIA DOS 'SAN' DE ANGOLA

"A 26 de Abril 2007, representantes das Comunidades San Angolanas, membros dos Governos Provinciais da Huíla, do Cunene, do Cuando Cubando, Sans da Namíbia, do Botswana e da África do Sul, bem como membros de ONGs e activistas da sociedade civil, reuniram-se no Lubango, capital da Província da Huíla, para o evento histórico que foi a Primeira Conferência Angolana sobre os San.

A conferência foi precedida por 2 dias de pré-conferência, durante os quais líderes San de Angola, da Namíbia, do Botswana e da África do Sul, partilharam as suas experiências, esperanças e ideias para a melhoria das suas condições de vida. Trabalhando em pequenos grupos e em plenário, os San Angolanos e os seus colegas Sul Africanos, reflectiram sobre assuntos como a fome, falta de direitos sobre a terra, conflitos sobre água, falta de escolas e clínicas, e o não reconhecimento dos seus líderes.

As mais importantes recomendações produzidas durante a pré-conferência, foram apresentadas a membros do Governo e ao público durante a conferência, através de uma canção em que se podia ouvir o seguinte:

“Somos todos Angolanos.
Queremos ter os mesmos direitos que todos os outros Angolanos.
Temos vontade de trabalhar
Temos força para cultivar os nossos campos
Temos o sonho de uma vida sem abusos
Queremos treinamento para os nossos líderes
Queremos respeito pelas nossas comunidades e pelos nossos líderes
Queremos ser parte do novo futuro de Angola
Queremos escolas, postos médicos e uma adequada legislação sobre a terra
Queremos um pagamento justo pelo nosso trabalho
Queremos uma boa relação com os nossos vizinhos Bantu
Queremos a mesma ajuda que outros recebem.”

(Extracto do comunicado oficial de imprensa sobre o evento)

Mais informacao e fotos aqui.

"A 26 de Abril 2007, representantes das Comunidades San Angolanas, membros dos Governos Provinciais da Huíla, do Cunene, do Cuando Cubando, Sans da Namíbia, do Botswana e da África do Sul, bem como membros de ONGs e activistas da sociedade civil, reuniram-se no Lubango, capital da Província da Huíla, para o evento histórico que foi a Primeira Conferência Angolana sobre os San.

A conferência foi precedida por 2 dias de pré-conferência, durante os quais líderes San de Angola, da Namíbia, do Botswana e da África do Sul, partilharam as suas experiências, esperanças e ideias para a melhoria das suas condições de vida. Trabalhando em pequenos grupos e em plenário, os San Angolanos e os seus colegas Sul Africanos, reflectiram sobre assuntos como a fome, falta de direitos sobre a terra, conflitos sobre água, falta de escolas e clínicas, e o não reconhecimento dos seus líderes.

As mais importantes recomendações produzidas durante a pré-conferência, foram apresentadas a membros do Governo e ao público durante a conferência, através de uma canção em que se podia ouvir o seguinte:

“Somos todos Angolanos.
Queremos ter os mesmos direitos que todos os outros Angolanos.
Temos vontade de trabalhar
Temos força para cultivar os nossos campos
Temos o sonho de uma vida sem abusos
Queremos treinamento para os nossos líderes
Queremos respeito pelas nossas comunidades e pelos nossos líderes
Queremos ser parte do novo futuro de Angola
Queremos escolas, postos médicos e uma adequada legislação sobre a terra
Queremos um pagamento justo pelo nosso trabalho
Queremos uma boa relação com os nossos vizinhos Bantu
Queremos a mesma ajuda que outros recebem.”

(Extracto do comunicado oficial de imprensa sobre o evento)

Mais informacao e fotos aqui.

AFRIKA: GETTING IT RIGHT?

A few days ago, I read and commented an interesting post by Benin Mwangi at AfricanPath, about an article recently appeared in the Economist under the title “Will Africa ever get it right?”.

I couldn’t avoid referring to it while reading the commentary herein attached. It opens with this statement: “These days, there are two stories of Africa. One of these, dominant internationally, consists of missed targets and broken promises. The headlines of recent weeks — Nigeria’s presidential elections, Zimbabwe’s slow-motion economic collapse, continued insecurity in east Africa — all point to genuine challenges for African and international leadership. The second story, proving the adage that bad stories crowd out the good, is less reported in the international media but just as important. This story is of the recent uplift in Africa’s economic growth, the extraordinary buoyancy of the continent’s capital markets, gradual improvements in political governance and the outbreak of peace in Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda.”

It also notes that “there are at least two new elements that should give policy makers, investors and business people pause for thought. The first is the changing composition of the mosaic that is Africa. A few years ago, there were small islands of good news in a sea of bad. These days the negative stories seem the more surprising because they are occurring against a background of improvement. The second is the changing nature of Africa’s risk outlook. Beyond the known risks to Africa’s growth and prosperity, Africa is increasingly exposed to global risks that originate outside the continent but which can have powerful effects on it.”

Having presented those global risks, namely climate change, terrorism and an asset-price collapse, it concludes that “for now, none of these global risks — highlighted in the Global Risks 2007 report released at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos — has found a full African response.”

Could it be that the reason for such lack of a full response is that most African countries are still grappling with such “homely” issues as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the brain drain and all sorts of institutional weaknesses before the continent can effectivelly "thicken its skin"? Whatever the answer, I think that this line of reporting on Africa can be taken as a more balanced response to the negativism expressed in that Economist’s article.

A few days ago, I read and commented an interesting post by Benin Mwangi at AfricanPath, about an article recently appeared in the Economist under the title “Will Africa ever get it right?”.

I couldn’t avoid referring to it while reading the commentary herein attached. It opens with this statement: “These days, there are two stories of Africa. One of these, dominant internationally, consists of missed targets and broken promises. The headlines of recent weeks — Nigeria’s presidential elections, Zimbabwe’s slow-motion economic collapse, continued insecurity in east Africa — all point to genuine challenges for African and international leadership. The second story, proving the adage that bad stories crowd out the good, is less reported in the international media but just as important. This story is of the recent uplift in Africa’s economic growth, the extraordinary buoyancy of the continent’s capital markets, gradual improvements in political governance and the outbreak of peace in Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda.”

It also notes that “there are at least two new elements that should give policy makers, investors and business people pause for thought. The first is the changing composition of the mosaic that is Africa. A few years ago, there were small islands of good news in a sea of bad. These days the negative stories seem the more surprising because they are occurring against a background of improvement. The second is the changing nature of Africa’s risk outlook. Beyond the known risks to Africa’s growth and prosperity, Africa is increasingly exposed to global risks that originate outside the continent but which can have powerful effects on it.”

Having presented those global risks, namely climate change, terrorism and an asset-price collapse, it concludes that “for now, none of these global risks — highlighted in the Global Risks 2007 report released at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos — has found a full African response.”

Could it be that the reason for such lack of a full response is that most African countries are still grappling with such “homely” issues as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the brain drain and all sorts of institutional weaknesses before the continent can effectivelly "thicken its skin"? Whatever the answer, I think that this line of reporting on Africa can be taken as a more balanced response to the negativism expressed in that Economist’s article.

SUNDAY BRUNCH

Recebi o texto em anexo, por e-mail, atraves de um daqueles longos forwards em cadeia que nao deixam saber de quem e' a sua autoria...

Suscitou-me algumas questoes, em geito de "food for thought", como por exemplo: sera' que ser Angolano e' mesmo "so" isso... ou e' "tambem" isso? E porque que assim o e'? E sera' que sempre foi assim?

O QUE E', AFINAL, SER-SE ANGOLANO?


(LER AQUI)

Recebi o texto em anexo, por e-mail, atraves de um daqueles longos forwards em cadeia que nao deixam saber de quem e' a sua autoria...

Suscitou-me algumas questoes, em geito de "food for thought", como por exemplo: sera' que ser Angolano e' mesmo "so" isso... ou e' "tambem" isso? E porque que assim o e'? E sera' que sempre foi assim?

O QUE E', AFINAL, SER-SE ANGOLANO?


(LER AQUI)

WOLFOWITZ GOING... GONE!

The president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, is to resign the post by the end of June, it just emerged, over the scandal surrounding a pay rise and promotion of Shaha Riza, an officer of the Bank who happens to be also his girlfriend.

I just think that this is a fair outcome for an issue that invokes all over the command: "practice what you preach"! There are, however, other views according to which this was a manufactured event, specially on the part of Europeans opposed to the war in Iraq, of which he was one of the main architects, meant to tarnish the White House, where Wolfowitz counted until now with the stern support of George Bush.

Some of the same views argue that the same treatment should have been dispensed to Kofi Anan over his son's involvement in the "Oil for Food" scandal... Yet other commentators utter that it's unjust that the image of Riza is being drawn through the mud like this, when she is "a very honest woman who campaigns for women's rights in North Africa and the Middle East and a substantial professional" who was working in the World Bank long before Wolfowitz assumed the post.

What do you think?

(Read more about this issue here - in Portuguese)

The president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, is to resign the post by the end of June, it just emerged, over the scandal surrounding a pay rise and promotion of Shaha Riza, an officer of the Bank who happens to be also his girlfriend.

I just think that this is a fair outcome for an issue that invokes all over the command: "practice what you preach"! There are, however, other views according to which this was a manufactured event, specially on the part of Europeans opposed to the war in Iraq, of which he was one of the main architects, meant to tarnish the White House, where Wolfowitz counted until now with the stern support of George Bush.

Some of the same views argue that the same treatment should have been dispensed to Kofi Anan over his son's involvement in the "Oil for Food" scandal... Yet other commentators utter that it's unjust that the image of Riza is being drawn through the mud like this, when she is "a very honest woman who campaigns for women's rights in North Africa and the Middle East and a substantial professional" who was working in the World Bank long before Wolfowitz assumed the post.

What do you think?

(Read more about this issue here - in Portuguese)

REVISITING SOUTH AFRICA - I

ANNOYANCES

When you get to Jo’burg international airport, whether departing or arriving, you can hardly avoid being literally assaulted by a continuing series of taxi ‘pushers’ (informal but not all necessarily illegal) sprouting from all directions and asking you the same question: “do you need a taxi?”... If you happen to be a black woman they will qualify the question with “sister?” or “sissy?”... Which reminds me of an occasion in Swaziland when a white American colleague of mine was addressed as "sissy" by a Swazi sister, to which she responded, irritated: “my name is not sissy”! Well, I tried to explain to her that it didn’t mean any harm and, at most, she should have felt honoured by being treated as such in a Southern African country where such treatment of black women is quite common… But having gone countless times to and fro Jo’burg airport, now renamed OR Tambo International Airport, I just get annoyed at the way they will ask you the question one after another, while standing by or very close to each other and having heard my answer to the previous one: no, thanks. So, this time, after the first two (and for the first time one of them was a woman…) I grabbed a piece of paper and just wrote in huge letters: NO! and put it in front of my trolley… it worked!

***

Another thing that annoyed and, most of all, saddened me was finding Mandela dummies, toys, dolls, whatever you may want to call them (we call them "bonecos de pano" in Portuguese), for sale at the Jo’burg airport. I wrote a brief comment on this the other day at Black Looks on a very interesting post about the “Meaning of Mandela”. This was just the most recent sign of a very noticeable trend (even if with the most apparently 'noble intentions') tending to degrade the image of the great man! Before, the “lower” I had come across was the “Mandela shirts collection”, made up of replicas of the most beautiful and colourful shirts with which he brought his own, and South Africa’s, brand of flavour to the dress code of international state's men. I even bought one (the only white shirt in the collection) about three years ago, at that same airport, for my son, which he used on his graduation day… but now these 'dummies' are just the lowest - too degrading, I’m very sorry to say!

ANNOYANCES

When you get to Jo’burg international airport, whether departing or arriving, you can hardly avoid being literally assaulted by a continuing series of taxi ‘pushers’ (informal but not all necessarily illegal) sprouting from all directions and asking you the same question: “do you need a taxi?”... If you happen to be a black woman they will qualify the question with “sister?” or “sissy?”... Which reminds me of an occasion in Swaziland when a white American colleague of mine was addressed as "sissy" by a Swazi sister, to which she responded, irritated: “my name is not sissy”! Well, I tried to explain to her that it didn’t mean any harm and, at most, she should have felt honoured by being treated as such in a Southern African country where such treatment of black women is quite common… But having gone countless times to and fro Jo’burg airport, now renamed OR Tambo International Airport, I just get annoyed at the way they will ask you the question one after another, while standing by or very close to each other and having heard my answer to the previous one: no, thanks. So, this time, after the first two (and for the first time one of them was a woman…) I grabbed a piece of paper and just wrote in huge letters: NO! and put it in front of my trolley… it worked!

***

Another thing that annoyed and, most of all, saddened me was finding Mandela dummies, toys, dolls, whatever you may want to call them (we call them "bonecos de pano" in Portuguese), for sale at the Jo’burg airport. I wrote a brief comment on this the other day at Black Looks on a very interesting post about the “Meaning of Mandela”. This was just the most recent sign of a very noticeable trend (even if with the most apparently 'noble intentions') tending to degrade the image of the great man! Before, the “lower” I had come across was the “Mandela shirts collection”, made up of replicas of the most beautiful and colourful shirts with which he brought his own, and South Africa’s, brand of flavour to the dress code of international state's men. I even bought one (the only white shirt in the collection) about three years ago, at that same airport, for my son, which he used on his graduation day… but now these 'dummies' are just the lowest - too degrading, I’m very sorry to say!

O CUMULO...

... DA "SEDE"?!

ISTO E' LUANDA...

(VER MAIS FOTOS AQUI)

***

THE PICTURE IS: self-evident. THE STORY IS: about the degradation of Angola's capital city, with its lack of infrastructure, effective public services and basic sanitation. To make things worse, because of the war, whose social and psychological effects are still present and unresolved everywhere, people from all over the country moved into the capital and started building everywhere and anywhere... and, without any maintenance services, most areas, including the urbanised areas, cannot cope with heavy rains and floods such as those occurred in the last few months in Luanda and the rest of the country. And treated water for consumption is still a scarce resource everywhere... THE IRONY IS: this is the same country from which the clear and pure waters of the Okavango Delta, seen in the previous post, spring from and which my mokoro's poler told me the local people drink safely - I even tasted it... THE QUESTION IS: whether drinking from a pool of putrefied waters is a simple case of thirst or just plain dementia!

... DA "SEDE"?!

ISTO E' LUANDA...

(VER MAIS FOTOS AQUI)

***

THE PICTURE IS: self-evident. THE STORY IS: about the degradation of Angola's capital city, with its lack of infrastructure, effective public services and basic sanitation. To make things worse, because of the war, whose social and psychological effects are still present and unresolved everywhere, people from all over the country moved into the capital and started building everywhere and anywhere... and, without any maintenance services, most areas, including the urbanised areas, cannot cope with heavy rains and floods such as those occurred in the last few months in Luanda and the rest of the country. And treated water for consumption is still a scarce resource everywhere... THE IRONY IS: this is the same country from which the clear and pure waters of the Okavango Delta, seen in the previous post, spring from and which my mokoro's poler told me the local people drink safely - I even tasted it... THE QUESTION IS: whether drinking from a pool of putrefied waters is a simple case of thirst or just plain dementia!

MOKOROING IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA

I spent all day discovering the unique wonder that is the Okavango Delta by mokoro - a traditional dugout canoe introduced to the place by the Bayei people in the 18th century.
No amount of words can ever come close to describe this most exquisite experience… Imagine floating in clear waters all surrounded by water lilies – that just about sums it up. But there’s a lot more…


You get in the mokoro and it takes you into water trails and channels through what is locally called “hippo-grass” and papyri plants over a tapestry of white water lilies, with just an occasional purple or pinkish one… all surrounded by the sounds of the water being gently caressed by the mokoro as it is moved along by its savvy poler, the wilderness around (all sorts of rare insects, birds and bees included) and the silence beyond… All you see in front of you is the water trail, the green grass and the water lilies and, as you look up, the clear blue sky, the sun and some of the most rare birds on the planet…


I mean, not that long ago, I did a three-day hydrotherapy session at a place also all surrounded by nature, but it didn’t come anywhere close to mokoroing like this in the Okavango Delta for one day in all it gives you of physical and spiritual relaxation, peace of mind and a true sense of being in one with nature!



At some point you start sharing the trail and the view with a convoy of mokoros carrying tourists coming back from a night or two in the delta. Almost everybody greets and smiles at you, except for a few who are either asleep or deeply immersed in a book… at which sight you cannot help but feel totally baffled at how can some people come to a paradise like this, and pay a small fortune for it too, and instead of soaking up and in all the beauty and goodness of the scenery till the very last drop, be capable of spending any time reading a… Jeffrey Archer’s novel?!


Anyway, after the first two or three hours of progressing deep inside the delta, you stop by a small open space by a lake, where you leave the mokoro to find a buffalo’s skull with the horns on for good measure and effect waiting for you, which you can use as a resting seat by a huge secular tree. You then put on those boots that are made for walkin’ and move on walkin’ all over the bush… But, as you start the journey which will take some two hours, and having had the truck that took you to the mokoro station stopped for a while to let a huge lebolobolo (puff adder) slowly cross the road, you ask about the snakes… Yes, you are told, there are all sorts of them here, basically the all gamut, but some of them are not venomous and will probably only asphyxiate you! In any case they are all sleeping around in the grass… Well, you count on your boots and keep walking on!


Past your first baobab (a baby one) all surrounded by mukua (its fruit) you get into fields of wild sage and start seeing signs of elephants all over the place and as you ask where are they and are told that they might be also somewhere inside the bush because it’s too hot for them out there in the open, you come across a small lake where you can see at least five hippo heads and as many local men pulling fishing nets from the water… while you start wondering if they are not in fact negotiating the nets with the hippos, you are asked to look to one side and at some distance, there it is: an elephant and… a bit further away another one… and then another one! And your mind just stops, humbled by the sight of the majestic creatures you suddenly find yourself surrounded by; your head moving left, right and center, because you keep wanting to see the hippos coming out and the end result of the negotiation with the fishermen, while not losing sight of the elephants approaching. The first one you saw is moving closer and you expect they are all coming to the lake for water… and as he moves forward you cannot but be absolutely mesmerized by the imposing presence of this giant! I mean, I’ve seen elephants and hippos before, but it was always in controlled environments like zoos or game drives, never like this totally unexpectedly and totally in the wild!

Well, eventually the elephants didn’t come any closer because it appears that they’ve found a pool closer to where they were coming from… The hippos didn’t come out either and we didn’t get to see the fishing nets completely pulled out as we left the place while the men were still busy at their negotiation with the submerged hippos… As you make your way back you are told of all the animals you could have seen around but didn’t get the chance to: zebras, buffalos, giraffes, hyenas, lions, impalas (these we saw while still in the mokoro), the list just goes on and on…

Once back at the spot where you left your stuff unattended to find it intact, you are now free to take off those boots, which are all covered with dust and bush fire ashes, have a light meal, lots of water and get to use the most interestingly designed and eco-friendly loo you’ve ever experienced…

Back to the mokoro, you start your return journey and witness the unique spectacle of the water lilies closing at the same pace as the sun goes down… and you start to feel some sympathy for those tourists you saw sleeping in the morning… but still don’t understand those who were reading!

P.S.: my camera has let me down… so, the pictures seen here are borrowed from a number of different people, but are all from the Okavango Delta...

(SEE THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE OKAVANGO HERE)

I spent all day discovering the unique wonder that is the Okavango Delta by mokoro - a traditional dugout canoe introduced to the place by the Bayei people in the 18th century.
No amount of words can ever come close to describe this most exquisite experience… Imagine floating in clear waters all surrounded by water lilies – that just about sums it up. But there’s a lot more…


You get in the mokoro and it takes you into water trails and channels through what is locally called “hippo-grass” and papyri plants over a tapestry of white water lilies, with just an occasional purple or pinkish one… all surrounded by the sounds of the water being gently caressed by the mokoro as it is moved along by its savvy poler, the wilderness around (all sorts of rare insects, birds and bees included) and the silence beyond… All you see in front of you is the water trail, the green grass and the water lilies and, as you look up, the clear blue sky, the sun and some of the most rare birds on the planet…


I mean, not that long ago, I did a three-day hydrotherapy session at a place also all surrounded by nature, but it didn’t come anywhere close to mokoroing like this in the Okavango Delta for one day in all it gives you of physical and spiritual relaxation, peace of mind and a true sense of being in one with nature!



At some point you start sharing the trail and the view with a convoy of mokoros carrying tourists coming back from a night or two in the delta. Almost everybody greets and smiles at you, except for a few who are either asleep or deeply immersed in a book… at which sight you cannot help but feel totally baffled at how can some people come to a paradise like this, and pay a small fortune for it too, and instead of soaking up and in all the beauty and goodness of the scenery till the very last drop, be capable of spending any time reading a… Jeffrey Archer’s novel?!


Anyway, after the first two or three hours of progressing deep inside the delta, you stop by a small open space by a lake, where you leave the mokoro to find a buffalo’s skull with the horns on for good measure and effect waiting for you, which you can use as a resting seat by a huge secular tree. You then put on those boots that are made for walkin’ and move on walkin’ all over the bush… But, as you start the journey which will take some two hours, and having had the truck that took you to the mokoro station stopped for a while to let a huge lebolobolo (puff adder) slowly cross the road, you ask about the snakes… Yes, you are told, there are all sorts of them here, basically the all gamut, but some of them are not venomous and will probably only asphyxiate you! In any case they are all sleeping around in the grass… Well, you count on your boots and keep walking on!


Past your first baobab (a baby one) all surrounded by mukua (its fruit) you get into fields of wild sage and start seeing signs of elephants all over the place and as you ask where are they and are told that they might be also somewhere inside the bush because it’s too hot for them out there in the open, you come across a small lake where you can see at least five hippo heads and as many local men pulling fishing nets from the water… while you start wondering if they are not in fact negotiating the nets with the hippos, you are asked to look to one side and at some distance, there it is: an elephant and… a bit further away another one… and then another one! And your mind just stops, humbled by the sight of the majestic creatures you suddenly find yourself surrounded by; your head moving left, right and center, because you keep wanting to see the hippos coming out and the end result of the negotiation with the fishermen, while not losing sight of the elephants approaching. The first one you saw is moving closer and you expect they are all coming to the lake for water… and as he moves forward you cannot but be absolutely mesmerized by the imposing presence of this giant! I mean, I’ve seen elephants and hippos before, but it was always in controlled environments like zoos or game drives, never like this totally unexpectedly and totally in the wild!

Well, eventually the elephants didn’t come any closer because it appears that they’ve found a pool closer to where they were coming from… The hippos didn’t come out either and we didn’t get to see the fishing nets completely pulled out as we left the place while the men were still busy at their negotiation with the submerged hippos… As you make your way back you are told of all the animals you could have seen around but didn’t get the chance to: zebras, buffalos, giraffes, hyenas, lions, impalas (these we saw while still in the mokoro), the list just goes on and on…

Once back at the spot where you left your stuff unattended to find it intact, you are now free to take off those boots, which are all covered with dust and bush fire ashes, have a light meal, lots of water and get to use the most interestingly designed and eco-friendly loo you’ve ever experienced…

Back to the mokoro, you start your return journey and witness the unique spectacle of the water lilies closing at the same pace as the sun goes down… and you start to feel some sympathy for those tourists you saw sleeping in the morning… but still don’t understand those who were reading!

P.S.: my camera has let me down… so, the pictures seen here are borrowed from a number of different people, but are all from the Okavango Delta...

(SEE THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE OKAVANGO HERE)

PEDIDO

AGRADECE-SE AOS SENHORES E SENHORAS PORTUGUESAS VITIMAS DOS "MEUS" INUSITADOS E NAO PROVOCADOS ATAQUES PORNOGRAFICOS, VIOLACOES, INSULTOS A SUA FAMILIA, ASSASSINIO DE CARACTER, RACISMO, ESCLAVAGISMO, NAZISMO, COLONIALISMO, SALAZARISMO, IMPERIALISMO, VULTURISMO CULTURAL ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. QUE, ANTES DE TUDO, NOTEM QUE NUNCA AQUI FORAM FEITOS ATAQUES A PORTUGAL OU AOS PORTUGUESES COMO UM TODO, QUANTO MUITO FALOU-SE NUMA "CERTA PORTUGALIDADE" QUE FOI CUIDADOSAMENTE CARACTERIZADA E DELIMITADA E EM QUE VOCES MANIFESTAMENTE SE INCLUEM PORQUE LA' DIZ O DITADO QUE "QUEM SE OFENDEU, CARAPUCA LHE SERVIU"... EM SEGUNDO LUGAR, QUE TENHAM A NECESSARIA VERGONHA NA CARA E O SUFICIENTE BOM SENSO PARA DEIXAREM DE VISITAR ESTE BLOG E MAIS AINDA PARA DEIXAREM DE VIR AQUI DESPEJAR A SUA BILIS, ODIO, CIUMES, INVEJAS E DESPEITOS MAL CONTIDOS, RACISMO MAL DISSIMULADO, REJEICOES MAL ENGOLIDAS E AINDA PIOR RESOLVIDAS FRUSTRACOES E COMPLEXOS VARIOS... SOBRETUDO POR NAO TEREM NADA DE SUBSTANTIVO A DIZER SOBRE COISA ALGUMA E MUITO MENOS A CAPACIDADE DE DEFENDEREM RACIONALMENTE E COM PROPRIEDADE QUALQUER ARGUMENTO OU ACUSACAO COM QUE VEEM CONTINUAMENTE POLUINDO E TENTANDO DINAMITAR ESTE BLOG SEM QUALQUER SUCESSO... EM JEITO DE "COMENTARIOS"!!!

EM PARTICULAR, E MUITO ESPECIALMENTE AQUELES "NADOS E CRIADOS EM PORTUGAL" CUJO UNICO CONTACTO "PROFUNDO E VIVIDO" COM ANGOLA FOI A GUERRA COLONIAL (... QUE DUROU "APENAS" 14 ANOS DEPOIS DE TODAS AS OUTRAS POTENCIAS EUROPEIAS TEREM CONCEDIDO A INDEPENDENCIA AS SUAS COLONIAS EM AFRICA...), PEDE-SE-LHES QUE TENHAM A HUMILDADE SUFICIENTE PARA RECONHECEREM QUE TODAS AS SUAS RAIVAS, RANCORES, HUMILHACOES MAL DIGERIDAS E COMPLEXOS DE INFERIORIDADE EM RELACAO AO RESTO DOS PAISES, CULTURAS E LINGUAS DA EUROPA OCIDENTAL, A MISTURA COM COMPLEXOS DE SUPERIORIDADE EM RELACAO AS EX-COLONIAS PORTUGUESAS E EM PARTICULAR A ANGOLA, ADVEEM DE UM UNICO FACTO: NAO TEREM RAZAO EM NADA DO QUE VITUPERAM E TEREM PERDIDO VIRTUALMENTE TODAS AS DISCUSSOES E "POLEMICAS" QUE AQUI OU NOUTROS BLOGS TENTARAM INFANTIL, INADVERTIDA, IGNORANTE E ARROGANTEMENTE "GANHAR" DEFENDENDO ATABALHOADA E INCONSISTENTEMENTE O INDEFENSAVEL SEM QUALQUER BASE FACTUAL OU RACIONAL E TENTANDO FAZER-SE PASSAR POR VITIMAS "INOCENTES" DE UMA REALIDADE HISTORICA, OU DAS REALIDADES MUNDANAS E ACTUAIS DELA DECORRENTES, QUE ESTA' E SEMPRE ESTEVE A VISTA DE TODO O MUNDO RACIONAL E INTELIGENTE... EM PARTICULAR, QUANDO TODAS AS "DISCUSSOES" SOBRE QUESTOES LEVANTADAS NESTE OU POR ESTE BLOG ESTAO PERFEITAMENTE DOCUMENTADAS E 'CRONICADAS'!!!

TENTEM PELO MENOS ADQUIRIR UM POUCO DE NOCAO DO RIDICULO PARA, ENQUANTO SE ENTERRAM CADA VEZ MAIS NA VOSSA MAIS DO QUE MERECIDA OBSCURIDADE, TEREM EM MENTE, AINDA QUE APENAS INCIDENTALMENTE, QUE NAO E' TENTANDO TRANSFORMAR AS VOSSAS VITIMAS EM PERPETRADORES, OU TENTANDO DESVIAR A ATENCAO DA VOSSA CULPABILIDADE PARA A FORMA COMO ELAS SE TENTAM LEGITIMAMENTE DEFENDER DOS VOSSOS ATAQUES, INSULTOS E ABUSOS CRIMINOSOS OU, PIOR AINDA, TENTANDO CONJURAR SUPOSTOS "DEFEITOS" DAS VOSSAS VITIMAS PARA JUSTIFICAREM OS VOSSOS ATAQUES, QUE CONSEGUIRAO ENGANAR QUEM QUER QUE SEJA COM DOIS PALMOS DE TESTA E O MESMO NUMERO DE OLHOS NA CARA SOBRE QUAIS SAO E SEMPRE FORAM AS VOSSAS REAIS MOTIVACOES!!!

E' TUDO TAO SIMPLES QUANTO ISTO: UMA VITIMA NAO SE TRANSFORMA EM CRIMINOSO APENAS PORQUE O VERDADEIRO CRIMINOSO ASSIM O QUER E ENTENDE; UM CRIME NAO DEIXA DE O SER APENAS PORQUE QUEM O QUER IGNORAR, JUSTIFICAR OU DESCULPABILIZAR ASSIM O DECIDE, PARTICULARMENTE SE USANDO O PUERIL EXPEDIENTE DE TENTAR DESLOCAR A CULPA PARA A VITIMA ENQUANTO ACTIVAMENTE CORROBORA E SE CALA, COBARDE OU ASSUMIDAMENTE, PERANTE OS ACTOS DO CRIMINOSO, QUANDO NAO OS INCENTIVA ABERTAMENTE... ESPERA-SE QUE PELO MENOS ESTA BASICA REALIDADE ESTEJA AO NIVEL DA VOSSA MANIFESTAMENTE FRACA CAPACIDADE DE DISCERNIMENTO E ENTENDIMENTO!!!

RESUMIDAMENTE, PEDE-SE-LHES QUE APRENDAM, POIS PARA ISSO JA' TEEM IDADE SUFICIENTE, A TER A DECENCIA DE ASSUMIR AS SUAS CULPAS INDIVIDUAIS E COLECTIVAS E OS SEUS "COMPLEXOS DE BRANCO/A E DE COLONIZADOR/A" EM RELACAO AOS SEUS EX-COLONIZADOS E PARTICULARMENTE A MULHER/MAE NEGRA, EM VEZ DE AS TENTAREM TRANSFORMAR PATETICAMENTE EM ATAQUES INJUSTIFICADOS CONTRA SI, INDIVIDUAL OU COLECTIVAMENTE CONSIDERADOS, JULGANDO QUE ASSIM CONSEGUIRAO CONVENCER O MUNDO DE QUE SAO E SEMPRE FORAM "VITIMAS INOCENTES" DE TUDO E DE TODOS MENOS DE SI PROPRIOS... EM SUMA: CRESCAM E APARECAM!!!

EM ESPECIAL AO "SENHOR" SILVERA/MALONGUITO PEDE-SE QUE TENHA A CORAGEM E "HOMBRIDADE" (NAO QUE ISSO SEJA POSSIVEL A MACACA/OS VERDES OU LOUROS E CEGOS DE INVEJA, CIUME E DESPEITO APENAS PORQUE AS BANANAS QUE COMEM A CUSTA DO SEU PARASITISMO COMO CARRACAS DESTE BLOG JAMAIS SATISFARAO O SEU INSACIAVEL APETITE DE SANGUE-SUGAS...) DE DAR O SEU VERDADEIRO NOME, CARA, CONTACTOS E LOCALIZACAO REAIS E, SOBRETUDO, DE "HONRAR" E "DIGNIFICAR" (NAO QUE ISSO SEJA POSSIVEL A TARADOS SEXUAIS RACISTAS E POBRES DE ESPIRITO COM UMA FIXACAO DOENTIA E ABSOLUTAMENTE DESCONTROLADA NESTE BLOG E NA SUA AUTORA...) A BLOGOSFERA COM VERDADEIROS BLOGS ANTES DE VOLTAREM AQUI A VOMITAR IMPROPERIOS QUE SABEM DE ANTEMAO QUE NAO SERAO PUBLICADOS! O "SENHOR" E OS SEUS ACOLITOS NAO SAO CA' BEM-VINDOS!!!

YOU'RE SIMPLY BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE!!!

STOP USING YOUR WASTEFUL TIME TRYING TO DESTROY WHAT YOU ARE TOTALLY INCAPABLE OF CREATING AND TRY AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR SORRY, SAD, EVENTLESS, USELESS AND POINTLESS LIVES TO CONTRIBUTE WITH SOMETHING WORTHY AND POSITIVE TO YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILIES, YOUR COUNTRY, ALL HUMANITY AND THE WORLD... IF YOU CONTINUE TO FEEL INCAPABLE OF LEAVING THIS BLOG AND ITS AUTHOR ALONE, TRY AT LEAST WHILE HERE TO INSPIRE YOURSELVES TO DO SO...

IN SHORT: GO GET A LIFE!!!

"THEY ARE SO INCOMPETENT THAT EVERY TIME THEY FEEL THE HEAT BECAUSE WOMEN ARE CHALLENGING THEM THEY HAVE TO CHECK THEIR GENITALIA IF ONLY TO REASSURE THEMSELVES… I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THAT PART OF THE ANATOMY, THE ISSUES I AM DEALING WITH REQUIRE THE UTILISATION OF WHAT IS ABOVE THE NECK."

Wangari Maathai

AGRADECE-SE AOS SENHORES E SENHORAS PORTUGUESAS VITIMAS DOS "MEUS" INUSITADOS E NAO PROVOCADOS ATAQUES PORNOGRAFICOS, VIOLACOES, INSULTOS A SUA FAMILIA, ASSASSINIO DE CARACTER, RACISMO, ESCLAVAGISMO, NAZISMO, COLONIALISMO, SALAZARISMO, IMPERIALISMO, VULTURISMO CULTURAL ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. QUE, ANTES DE TUDO, NOTEM QUE NUNCA AQUI FORAM FEITOS ATAQUES A PORTUGAL OU AOS PORTUGUESES COMO UM TODO, QUANTO MUITO FALOU-SE NUMA "CERTA PORTUGALIDADE" QUE FOI CUIDADOSAMENTE CARACTERIZADA E DELIMITADA E EM QUE VOCES MANIFESTAMENTE SE INCLUEM PORQUE LA' DIZ O DITADO QUE "QUEM SE OFENDEU, CARAPUCA LHE SERVIU"... EM SEGUNDO LUGAR, QUE TENHAM A NECESSARIA VERGONHA NA CARA E O SUFICIENTE BOM SENSO PARA DEIXAREM DE VISITAR ESTE BLOG E MAIS AINDA PARA DEIXAREM DE VIR AQUI DESPEJAR A SUA BILIS, ODIO, CIUMES, INVEJAS E DESPEITOS MAL CONTIDOS, RACISMO MAL DISSIMULADO, REJEICOES MAL ENGOLIDAS E AINDA PIOR RESOLVIDAS FRUSTRACOES E COMPLEXOS VARIOS... SOBRETUDO POR NAO TEREM NADA DE SUBSTANTIVO A DIZER SOBRE COISA ALGUMA E MUITO MENOS A CAPACIDADE DE DEFENDEREM RACIONALMENTE E COM PROPRIEDADE QUALQUER ARGUMENTO OU ACUSACAO COM QUE VEEM CONTINUAMENTE POLUINDO E TENTANDO DINAMITAR ESTE BLOG SEM QUALQUER SUCESSO... EM JEITO DE "COMENTARIOS"!!!

EM PARTICULAR, E MUITO ESPECIALMENTE AQUELES "NADOS E CRIADOS EM PORTUGAL" CUJO UNICO CONTACTO "PROFUNDO E VIVIDO" COM ANGOLA FOI A GUERRA COLONIAL (... QUE DUROU "APENAS" 14 ANOS DEPOIS DE TODAS AS OUTRAS POTENCIAS EUROPEIAS TEREM CONCEDIDO A INDEPENDENCIA AS SUAS COLONIAS EM AFRICA...), PEDE-SE-LHES QUE TENHAM A HUMILDADE SUFICIENTE PARA RECONHECEREM QUE TODAS AS SUAS RAIVAS, RANCORES, HUMILHACOES MAL DIGERIDAS E COMPLEXOS DE INFERIORIDADE EM RELACAO AO RESTO DOS PAISES, CULTURAS E LINGUAS DA EUROPA OCIDENTAL, A MISTURA COM COMPLEXOS DE SUPERIORIDADE EM RELACAO AS EX-COLONIAS PORTUGUESAS E EM PARTICULAR A ANGOLA, ADVEEM DE UM UNICO FACTO: NAO TEREM RAZAO EM NADA DO QUE VITUPERAM E TEREM PERDIDO VIRTUALMENTE TODAS AS DISCUSSOES E "POLEMICAS" QUE AQUI OU NOUTROS BLOGS TENTARAM INFANTIL, INADVERTIDA, IGNORANTE E ARROGANTEMENTE "GANHAR" DEFENDENDO ATABALHOADA E INCONSISTENTEMENTE O INDEFENSAVEL SEM QUALQUER BASE FACTUAL OU RACIONAL E TENTANDO FAZER-SE PASSAR POR VITIMAS "INOCENTES" DE UMA REALIDADE HISTORICA, OU DAS REALIDADES MUNDANAS E ACTUAIS DELA DECORRENTES, QUE ESTA' E SEMPRE ESTEVE A VISTA DE TODO O MUNDO RACIONAL E INTELIGENTE... EM PARTICULAR, QUANDO TODAS AS "DISCUSSOES" SOBRE QUESTOES LEVANTADAS NESTE OU POR ESTE BLOG ESTAO PERFEITAMENTE DOCUMENTADAS E 'CRONICADAS'!!!

TENTEM PELO MENOS ADQUIRIR UM POUCO DE NOCAO DO RIDICULO PARA, ENQUANTO SE ENTERRAM CADA VEZ MAIS NA VOSSA MAIS DO QUE MERECIDA OBSCURIDADE, TEREM EM MENTE, AINDA QUE APENAS INCIDENTALMENTE, QUE NAO E' TENTANDO TRANSFORMAR AS VOSSAS VITIMAS EM PERPETRADORES, OU TENTANDO DESVIAR A ATENCAO DA VOSSA CULPABILIDADE PARA A FORMA COMO ELAS SE TENTAM LEGITIMAMENTE DEFENDER DOS VOSSOS ATAQUES, INSULTOS E ABUSOS CRIMINOSOS OU, PIOR AINDA, TENTANDO CONJURAR SUPOSTOS "DEFEITOS" DAS VOSSAS VITIMAS PARA JUSTIFICAREM OS VOSSOS ATAQUES, QUE CONSEGUIRAO ENGANAR QUEM QUER QUE SEJA COM DOIS PALMOS DE TESTA E O MESMO NUMERO DE OLHOS NA CARA SOBRE QUAIS SAO E SEMPRE FORAM AS VOSSAS REAIS MOTIVACOES!!!

E' TUDO TAO SIMPLES QUANTO ISTO: UMA VITIMA NAO SE TRANSFORMA EM CRIMINOSO APENAS PORQUE O VERDADEIRO CRIMINOSO ASSIM O QUER E ENTENDE; UM CRIME NAO DEIXA DE O SER APENAS PORQUE QUEM O QUER IGNORAR, JUSTIFICAR OU DESCULPABILIZAR ASSIM O DECIDE, PARTICULARMENTE SE USANDO O PUERIL EXPEDIENTE DE TENTAR DESLOCAR A CULPA PARA A VITIMA ENQUANTO ACTIVAMENTE CORROBORA E SE CALA, COBARDE OU ASSUMIDAMENTE, PERANTE OS ACTOS DO CRIMINOSO, QUANDO NAO OS INCENTIVA ABERTAMENTE... ESPERA-SE QUE PELO MENOS ESTA BASICA REALIDADE ESTEJA AO NIVEL DA VOSSA MANIFESTAMENTE FRACA CAPACIDADE DE DISCERNIMENTO E ENTENDIMENTO!!!

RESUMIDAMENTE, PEDE-SE-LHES QUE APRENDAM, POIS PARA ISSO JA' TEEM IDADE SUFICIENTE, A TER A DECENCIA DE ASSUMIR AS SUAS CULPAS INDIVIDUAIS E COLECTIVAS E OS SEUS "COMPLEXOS DE BRANCO/A E DE COLONIZADOR/A" EM RELACAO AOS SEUS EX-COLONIZADOS E PARTICULARMENTE A MULHER/MAE NEGRA, EM VEZ DE AS TENTAREM TRANSFORMAR PATETICAMENTE EM ATAQUES INJUSTIFICADOS CONTRA SI, INDIVIDUAL OU COLECTIVAMENTE CONSIDERADOS, JULGANDO QUE ASSIM CONSEGUIRAO CONVENCER O MUNDO DE QUE SAO E SEMPRE FORAM "VITIMAS INOCENTES" DE TUDO E DE TODOS MENOS DE SI PROPRIOS... EM SUMA: CRESCAM E APARECAM!!!

EM ESPECIAL AO "SENHOR" SILVERA/MALONGUITO PEDE-SE QUE TENHA A CORAGEM E "HOMBRIDADE" (NAO QUE ISSO SEJA POSSIVEL A MACACA/OS VERDES OU LOUROS E CEGOS DE INVEJA, CIUME E DESPEITO APENAS PORQUE AS BANANAS QUE COMEM A CUSTA DO SEU PARASITISMO COMO CARRACAS DESTE BLOG JAMAIS SATISFARAO O SEU INSACIAVEL APETITE DE SANGUE-SUGAS...) DE DAR O SEU VERDADEIRO NOME, CARA, CONTACTOS E LOCALIZACAO REAIS E, SOBRETUDO, DE "HONRAR" E "DIGNIFICAR" (NAO QUE ISSO SEJA POSSIVEL A TARADOS SEXUAIS RACISTAS E POBRES DE ESPIRITO COM UMA FIXACAO DOENTIA E ABSOLUTAMENTE DESCONTROLADA NESTE BLOG E NA SUA AUTORA...) A BLOGOSFERA COM VERDADEIROS BLOGS ANTES DE VOLTAREM AQUI A VOMITAR IMPROPERIOS QUE SABEM DE ANTEMAO QUE NAO SERAO PUBLICADOS! O "SENHOR" E OS SEUS ACOLITOS NAO SAO CA' BEM-VINDOS!!!

YOU'RE SIMPLY BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE!!!

STOP USING YOUR WASTEFUL TIME TRYING TO DESTROY WHAT YOU ARE TOTALLY INCAPABLE OF CREATING AND TRY AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR SORRY, SAD, EVENTLESS, USELESS AND POINTLESS LIVES TO CONTRIBUTE WITH SOMETHING WORTHY AND POSITIVE TO YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILIES, YOUR COUNTRY, ALL HUMANITY AND THE WORLD... IF YOU CONTINUE TO FEEL INCAPABLE OF LEAVING THIS BLOG AND ITS AUTHOR ALONE, TRY AT LEAST WHILE HERE TO INSPIRE YOURSELVES TO DO SO...

IN SHORT: GO GET A LIFE!!!

"THEY ARE SO INCOMPETENT THAT EVERY TIME THEY FEEL THE HEAT BECAUSE WOMEN ARE CHALLENGING THEM THEY HAVE TO CHECK THEIR GENITALIA IF ONLY TO REASSURE THEMSELVES… I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THAT PART OF THE ANATOMY, THE ISSUES I AM DEALING WITH REQUIRE THE UTILISATION OF WHAT IS ABOVE THE NECK."

Wangari Maathai

ANOTHER TAKE AT THE AFRICAN "BRAIN DRAIN"

I found this document the other day at the Air Botswana check-in counter at the recently renamed O.R. Tambo International Airport, Jo'burg. It reads:

NOTICE TO AIR BOTSWANA PASSENGERS & STAKEHOLDERS

Air Botswana apologises sincerely to passengers who are affected by the current disruption to its services.

This temporary situation is caused by factors relating to flight crew.

In common with many airlines in Africa and elsewhere, Air Botswana has experienced a loss of pilots, whose skills have been recruited by carriers in the Middle East and Asia where the civil aviation industry is growing rapidly.

This has resulted in a diminished capacity to maintain a full timetable for services, necessitating a rescheduling of some flights.

In seeking the understanding and patience of our customers, Air Botswana also assures them that the situation is being effectively addressed, in order to bring about a speedy return to normal services.

Issued by office of the Brand Manager.

AIR BOTSWANA - Going Your Way

I found this document the other day at the Air Botswana check-in counter at the recently renamed O.R. Tambo International Airport, Jo'burg. It reads:

NOTICE TO AIR BOTSWANA PASSENGERS & STAKEHOLDERS

Air Botswana apologises sincerely to passengers who are affected by the current disruption to its services.

This temporary situation is caused by factors relating to flight crew.

In common with many airlines in Africa and elsewhere, Air Botswana has experienced a loss of pilots, whose skills have been recruited by carriers in the Middle East and Asia where the civil aviation industry is growing rapidly.

This has resulted in a diminished capacity to maintain a full timetable for services, necessitating a rescheduling of some flights.

In seeking the understanding and patience of our customers, Air Botswana also assures them that the situation is being effectively addressed, in order to bring about a speedy return to normal services.

Issued by office of the Brand Manager.

AIR BOTSWANA - Going Your Way

SUNDAY BRAAI

FOR SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

READ FERNANDO PACHECO'S

"A AJUDA AO DESENVOLVIMENTO EM ANGOLA"

(HERE)

EXTRACTS:

Quem ajuda quem?

A cooperação, entendida na vertente da ajuda ao desenvolvimento, é uma actividade que faz correr rios de tinta em matéria de crítica. Qualquer forma de cooperação pressupõe participação das partes envolvidas de forma equilibrada, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao processo de tomada de decisões. No entanto, quando se fala de cooperação para o desenvolvimento, estamos, obviamente, perante uma falácia, porque, na realidade, ela é percebida como funcionando num único sentido: um dá e outro recebe, quer se trate de finanças, de bens materiais ou de ideias.

Finalmente…

Relativamente a Portugal, é reconhecido o papel fundamental que o país teve no período de vigência da troika ligada ao processo de paz. Mas foi perdendo influência, e hoje a cooperação com Portugal é vista como pouco eficaz e consistente, baseada em projectos sem coordenação. Muitas vezes pensamos que as relações pessoais podem trazer vantagens, mas já vimos que também podem trazer desvantagens. É preciso ter cuidado com o aproveitamento desses aspectos e não sobrevalorizar a língua e a história. Muitas vezes as percepções impedem o conhecimento da nova realidade que começa a nascer em Angola. Portugal, mesmo com poucos recursos financeiros, pode ocupar um lugar importante no núcleo duro de doadores, principalmente se souber tirar melhor partido das agências multilaterais, pois em Angola é quase nula a presença de portugueses nas instituições da União Europeia, do Banco Mundial ou das agências das Nações Unidas. Ultrapassados os complexos de colonizador e colonizado, Portugal pode integrar e influenciar o grupo de amigos que Angola necessita para fazerem a ponte com os países mais poderosos.

FOR SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

READ FERNANDO PACHECO'S

"A AJUDA AO DESENVOLVIMENTO EM ANGOLA"

(HERE)

EXTRACTS:

Quem ajuda quem?

A cooperação, entendida na vertente da ajuda ao desenvolvimento, é uma actividade que faz correr rios de tinta em matéria de crítica. Qualquer forma de cooperação pressupõe participação das partes envolvidas de forma equilibrada, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao processo de tomada de decisões. No entanto, quando se fala de cooperação para o desenvolvimento, estamos, obviamente, perante uma falácia, porque, na realidade, ela é percebida como funcionando num único sentido: um dá e outro recebe, quer se trate de finanças, de bens materiais ou de ideias.

Finalmente…

Relativamente a Portugal, é reconhecido o papel fundamental que o país teve no período de vigência da troika ligada ao processo de paz. Mas foi perdendo influência, e hoje a cooperação com Portugal é vista como pouco eficaz e consistente, baseada em projectos sem coordenação. Muitas vezes pensamos que as relações pessoais podem trazer vantagens, mas já vimos que também podem trazer desvantagens. É preciso ter cuidado com o aproveitamento desses aspectos e não sobrevalorizar a língua e a história. Muitas vezes as percepções impedem o conhecimento da nova realidade que começa a nascer em Angola. Portugal, mesmo com poucos recursos financeiros, pode ocupar um lugar importante no núcleo duro de doadores, principalmente se souber tirar melhor partido das agências multilaterais, pois em Angola é quase nula a presença de portugueses nas instituições da União Europeia, do Banco Mundial ou das agências das Nações Unidas. Ultrapassados os complexos de colonizador e colonizado, Portugal pode integrar e influenciar o grupo de amigos que Angola necessita para fazerem a ponte com os países mais poderosos.

"THE ANGOLA OF MY DREAMS"

"I would like to explain the context in which I produced the flashmovie "The Angola of My Dreams".

This movie is a tribute to Jorge Sangumba, the first Foreign Secretary of UNITA. Jorge Sangumba and I were married in 1975. I was at the time a graduate student at Harvard, finishing a Ph.D. in African History. Jorge was killed in 1982. Because we frequently communicated by letter, I have in my possession several hundred pages of correspondence from him.

As we scholars sort through the chaos of the Angolan civil war, we must recognize that certain voices with meaningful messages will never be heard. This movie is my attempt to introduce one such voice to those who have an interest in Angola, its history and traumas. I spent a year sifting through Jorge's correspondence and speeches to distill the essence of what he stood for and have tried to convey that essence in his own words with this flash movie."

By Constance Hilliard

(See it here)

"I would like to explain the context in which I produced the flashmovie "The Angola of My Dreams".

This movie is a tribute to Jorge Sangumba, the first Foreign Secretary of UNITA. Jorge Sangumba and I were married in 1975. I was at the time a graduate student at Harvard, finishing a Ph.D. in African History. Jorge was killed in 1982. Because we frequently communicated by letter, I have in my possession several hundred pages of correspondence from him.

As we scholars sort through the chaos of the Angolan civil war, we must recognize that certain voices with meaningful messages will never be heard. This movie is my attempt to introduce one such voice to those who have an interest in Angola, its history and traumas. I spent a year sifting through Jorge's correspondence and speeches to distill the essence of what he stood for and have tried to convey that essence in his own words with this flash movie."

By Constance Hilliard

(See it here)

ANGOLAN AUTHOR AWARDED LITERARY PRIZE IN LONDON

"The Book of Chameleons", by Angolan journalist and author Jose Eduardo Agualusa, has won this year's “Independent Foreign Fiction Prize” by the London newspaper The Independent.

The author shares the £10,000 prize money with translator Daniel Hahn.
The prize celebrates a novel that has been translated into English and published in the UK in the past year.

(MAIS DETALHES AQUI)

"The Book of Chameleons", by Angolan journalist and author Jose Eduardo Agualusa, has won this year's “Independent Foreign Fiction Prize” by the London newspaper The Independent.

The author shares the £10,000 prize money with translator Daniel Hahn.
The prize celebrates a novel that has been translated into English and published in the UK in the past year.

(MAIS DETALHES AQUI)

OUTBLOGGING @ AFRICANPATH (III): ON THE "MISS LANDMINE ANGOLA" PROJECT...

I came across this story only yesterday, through the interesting blog Africa Media. From there, I followed a few links through which I realised just how much debate this issue has sparked around the blogosphere and beyond. As the Norwegian journalist Lena Lindgren put it, it is, indeed, a ‘Ethical Minefield’: “Ill-judged and patronising, an offensive, disgusting exploitation of African women", says Black Looks, “This is disgusting”, adds the Zimbabwean Pundit, “A travesty of beauty?”, asks the Guardian, to conclude: “brave and liberating or appallingly misjudged? Surely the question remains open”… So, what is it?

It all revolves around a project conceived and executed by Norwegian artist Morten Traavik and funded by the Arts Council of Norway to the tune of USD 80.000. So, it’s essentially an arts project involving a beauty pageant for the election of a “Miss Landmine Angola” out a selected group of 10 candidates, maimed by landmines, from different provinces of the country. According to the Guardian, citing the organisers, “the project currently exists as a website, but the plan is to create a fashion magazine in the style of Elle, Vogue and Cosmopolitan to showcase the contest." The organisers further say that "Angola was chosen over other potential countries, such as Afghanistan or Cambodia, because it has a relaxed and open attitude to physicality and sensuality, pretty much like Brazil and, unlike the highly politicised environments surrounding beauty pageants in the West, in Angola this is a natural kind of event, without any politics or controversy involved.”

In a way it is a good thing that I’ve run into this discussion just over a month after it seems to have reached its pick, because, hopefully, we can reignite it here, still ahead of the official launch of the project due to take place on May 26 in Norway, during the Bergen International Festival, sombrely enough at the Norwegian Leprosy Museum. I must confess that it wasn’t easy for me to align my own thoughts on this “ethical minefield”, but they can be summarised more or less like this:

I have never assigned much value to beauty contests of any kind and to me this is no exception. The basic reason being that such contests inevitably imply a pre-existing standard or concept of beauty, which cannot avoid being culture-specific and rarely escapes politics. Note in this respect that, contrary to what the promoters of this project argue, the conventional national beauty pageants in Angola are always all but free of controversy and certainly not exempt from politics – suffice to say that they are organised by the First Lady of the country… it doesn’t come more political than that, anywhere in the world!

Note also how the pictures exhibited on the project's official website show exactly what it is all about: western women applying make-up and nail polish to African women, almost all, if not all, villagers, at least half of whom having suffered their mine accidents while tending fields and are now, with just a couple or so of exceptions, unemployed. Certainly, these women won’t become “more beautiful” or "more empowered" in the eyes of their husbands, boyfriends, children, families and communities simply because they are photographed wearing make-up and nail polish, which after all will definitely not survive the tending of fields or street-vending activities through which those among them who have a job earn a living! Wouldn’t this suggest that USD 80.000 would go a long way towards funding job-creating activities for these women, their families and communities?!

It is also my contention that there is a fundamental misperception in the organisers view, according to which “beauty pageants in Angola are as ‘natural’ as in Brazil”… It may well be the case that the conventional provincial and national beauty contests organised in the capital cities of the country convey that idea of “a relaxed and open attitude to physicality and sensuality”, which to me reads like "an idea of licentiousness" more than anything else... However, in that conventional format, with or without influences from Brazil, they are precisely an import from Portugal, therefore the West, which instituted them in the colonial period. To my knowledge, they do not exist as such within the cultural and social fabric of the various Angolan ethnic groups from which these women emanate!

And I believe that, by selecting a minute group, not even representative of all provinces of the country, from which one will be elected as “the miss”, this project conflicts head-on with the fundamental sense and concept of “community” prevalent in the villages to which they belong, where, by norm, problems such as physical disability, specially if accidentally provoked as it is the case in point, are a matter for the families involved and the communities as a whole to resolve or minimise, with the assistance of the local and/or national authorities. Consequently, in my opinion, for this project to have the positive impact their organisers claim to promote, it should precisely address the issue of landmines' victims in an inclusive and holistic way and not, as it purports, by excluding the rest of the communities and the landmine-affected through the selection of a few and the election of one as “primus inter pares”…

Finally, the organisers adopted the motto “everybody has the right to be beautiful.” It seems to me that this phrase in itself encapsulates the central prejudice underlying the entire project : it sounds like, to them, this women are no longer “beautiful” after being maimed by landmines, so it will take a beauty pageant, some make-up, fancy clothes and accessories to “restore” or “devolve” them some kind of “beauty”… Isn’t this more than enough evidence that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” (the beholder being, of course, Morten Traavik and the prospective viewer of his upcoming exhibition)?

What do you think?

(http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=674)

***

P.S.: AOS MEUS QUERIDOS AMIGOS LEITORES EM PORTUGUES:

Inicialmente, era minha intencao escrever este post em Ingles e em Portugues, mas infelizmente, restricoes de tempo neste momento impedem-me de o fazer. Mas poderao consultar a versao em Portugues da website dos organisadores (aqui). Em resumo, ficaria grata pelas vossas opinioes sobre este projecto.

Obrigada pela vossa compreensao!

I came across this story only yesterday, through the interesting blog Africa Media. From there, I followed a few links through which I realised just how much debate this issue has sparked around the blogosphere and beyond. As the Norwegian journalist Lena Lindgren put it, it is, indeed, a ‘Ethical Minefield’: “Ill-judged and patronising, an offensive, disgusting exploitation of African women", says Black Looks, “This is disgusting”, adds the Zimbabwean Pundit, “A travesty of beauty?”, asks the Guardian, to conclude: “brave and liberating or appallingly misjudged? Surely the question remains open”… So, what is it?

It all revolves around a project conceived and executed by Norwegian artist Morten Traavik and funded by the Arts Council of Norway to the tune of USD 80.000. So, it’s essentially an arts project involving a beauty pageant for the election of a “Miss Landmine Angola” out a selected group of 10 candidates, maimed by landmines, from different provinces of the country. According to the Guardian, citing the organisers, “the project currently exists as a website, but the plan is to create a fashion magazine in the style of Elle, Vogue and Cosmopolitan to showcase the contest." The organisers further say that "Angola was chosen over other potential countries, such as Afghanistan or Cambodia, because it has a relaxed and open attitude to physicality and sensuality, pretty much like Brazil and, unlike the highly politicised environments surrounding beauty pageants in the West, in Angola this is a natural kind of event, without any politics or controversy involved.”

In a way it is a good thing that I’ve run into this discussion just over a month after it seems to have reached its pick, because, hopefully, we can reignite it here, still ahead of the official launch of the project due to take place on May 26 in Norway, during the Bergen International Festival, sombrely enough at the Norwegian Leprosy Museum. I must confess that it wasn’t easy for me to align my own thoughts on this “ethical minefield”, but they can be summarised more or less like this:

I have never assigned much value to beauty contests of any kind and to me this is no exception. The basic reason being that such contests inevitably imply a pre-existing standard or concept of beauty, which cannot avoid being culture-specific and rarely escapes politics. Note in this respect that, contrary to what the promoters of this project argue, the conventional national beauty pageants in Angola are always all but free of controversy and certainly not exempt from politics – suffice to say that they are organised by the First Lady of the country… it doesn’t come more political than that, anywhere in the world!

Note also how the pictures exhibited on the project's official website show exactly what it is all about: western women applying make-up and nail polish to African women, almost all, if not all, villagers, at least half of whom having suffered their mine accidents while tending fields and are now, with just a couple or so of exceptions, unemployed. Certainly, these women won’t become “more beautiful” or "more empowered" in the eyes of their husbands, boyfriends, children, families and communities simply because they are photographed wearing make-up and nail polish, which after all will definitely not survive the tending of fields or street-vending activities through which those among them who have a job earn a living! Wouldn’t this suggest that USD 80.000 would go a long way towards funding job-creating activities for these women, their families and communities?!

It is also my contention that there is a fundamental misperception in the organisers view, according to which “beauty pageants in Angola are as ‘natural’ as in Brazil”… It may well be the case that the conventional provincial and national beauty contests organised in the capital cities of the country convey that idea of “a relaxed and open attitude to physicality and sensuality”, which to me reads like "an idea of licentiousness" more than anything else... However, in that conventional format, with or without influences from Brazil, they are precisely an import from Portugal, therefore the West, which instituted them in the colonial period. To my knowledge, they do not exist as such within the cultural and social fabric of the various Angolan ethnic groups from which these women emanate!

And I believe that, by selecting a minute group, not even representative of all provinces of the country, from which one will be elected as “the miss”, this project conflicts head-on with the fundamental sense and concept of “community” prevalent in the villages to which they belong, where, by norm, problems such as physical disability, specially if accidentally provoked as it is the case in point, are a matter for the families involved and the communities as a whole to resolve or minimise, with the assistance of the local and/or national authorities. Consequently, in my opinion, for this project to have the positive impact their organisers claim to promote, it should precisely address the issue of landmines' victims in an inclusive and holistic way and not, as it purports, by excluding the rest of the communities and the landmine-affected through the selection of a few and the election of one as “primus inter pares”…

Finally, the organisers adopted the motto “everybody has the right to be beautiful.” It seems to me that this phrase in itself encapsulates the central prejudice underlying the entire project : it sounds like, to them, this women are no longer “beautiful” after being maimed by landmines, so it will take a beauty pageant, some make-up, fancy clothes and accessories to “restore” or “devolve” them some kind of “beauty”… Isn’t this more than enough evidence that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” (the beholder being, of course, Morten Traavik and the prospective viewer of his upcoming exhibition)?

What do you think?

(http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=674)

***

P.S.: AOS MEUS QUERIDOS AMIGOS LEITORES EM PORTUGUES:

Inicialmente, era minha intencao escrever este post em Ingles e em Portugues, mas infelizmente, restricoes de tempo neste momento impedem-me de o fazer. Mas poderao consultar a versao em Portugues da website dos organisadores (aqui). Em resumo, ficaria grata pelas vossas opinioes sobre este projecto.

Obrigada pela vossa compreensao!