Obama Inauguration: The message to Africa

Barking out the orders

The Obama circus continues apace and I already have my cage of seriously abused animals ready to perform antics for a paying audience as I crack my whip and bark out incomprehensible orders.

Well, really, I need to find out how to work my trusty but old combo Video Cassette Recorder/Television set system and make a recording of the event because I would be out at work when he raises his hand to be sworn in as the 44^th President of the United States of America.

One interesting attraction in this circus should be the gaggle of inveterate nincompoops that have been seized from the wilderness of the Heart of Africa [1] where the gigantism of the organism does not necessarily lend itself to civility, civilization or civil behaviour.

Only Ghana deserves an invite

As it stands, Nigeria is sending a delegation [2] to the Obama Inauguration, I am not sure if they would have front-row seats but if they do, part of President Obama’s speech needs to home in on Africans without equivocation and euphuism but enough to upbraid with obloquy.

The only African delegation worthy of being present by invitation and by qualification is Ghana [3] where elections were held without resorting to selfish small-mindedness, where the will of the people might not have been decisive but was conclusive enough for those associated with the incumbent government to cede power to a winning opposition without rancour.

The erstwhile Ghanaian leader gave way to his successor and did not like other rotten African leaders who try to evolve into interfering kingmakers descend into hubris and arrogance which prevents them from recognising that other citizens can have a go at leadership and attempt to do a better job.

Time to talk seriously

The politics of prejudice, the preponderance of tribal affiliation and the corruption of the electoral process through gerrymandering, vote rigging, the purchase of franchise or sheer incompetence needs to be given short shrift.

The kindred of colour deserves that the truth must not be spoken in leasing, like the old Jewish saying proffers and I paraphrase, we have the brotherhood of closeness to hear each other enough for how we deal with strangers on serious issues.

So as President Barack Obama gives his speech, the figureheads from Africa who have flown out for a junket in their proud flowing gowns looking for handouts of American favour because a black man enters in the White House should be shamed into recognising that they represent the failure of leadership in Africa to address the problems of Africans in instituting change and offering hope for a better future.

Do not mince the words

They should be made to realise that they do not deserve to be in the august presence of people who really do believe in public service and can inspire others to greater things.

The self-interest that has lured them to seek photo opportunities at the inauguration should be no better than having them as circus caricatures, held in stocks and pelted with rotten cabbages, rotten eggs and decorated in bovine excrement; if I had my way, the entertainment value should be found in putting them in dunking stools.

Meanwhile, Ghana should be invited to enter into the commune of the President and exalted as the kind of example worthy of a relationship with America especially an America lead by a black man.

The speech to Africa

His speech must not mince words as he says, “I am proud of my African heritage, but the leaders of Africa are figures of shame and an embarrassment, being in positions of responsibility and privilege but not rising to the call of duty to lead their people to a place of hope and better aspirations.”

“I seek Africans I can call brothers and sisters who walk in honesty, in dignity, in honour with a sense of responsibility and duty, who see the suffering of their people and rather than revel in the bombastic audacity of impunity have risen to the challenge to reach out to the audacity of hope for their people.”

Ghana is a beacon of hope

The example that President Obama represents to Americans in pragmatism, level-headedness, the independence from the politics of self-interest is attainable in Africa and within the ability of willing people who aspire to leadership to exercise with humanity, humility and a sense of responsibility.

As Ghana as shown us, the people are not alien to Africa, they are diverse like many other countries in Africa, they have similar demographies and differences but have refused to exploit them for personal gain.

They have refused to make politics a do-or-die affair and have been willing to recognise the abilities of political rivals without demonising them or brutalising them with the state apparatus or the abuse of legal process – Ghanaians are Africans of great possibilities and Africans can aspire to be like Ghanaians and with that also capture the essence of what President Barack Obama represents.

I wish President Barack Obama, the 44^th President of the United States of America Godspeed and the Africans would hopefully have learnt the right lessons to take home and work on.

Sources

[1] ::. Heart of Africa .:: Ministry of Information and Comunication, Nigeria

[2] allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Obama - Maduekwe Leads Country's Delegation to Inauguration

[3] Ghana's successful presidential election | A damned close-run thing—and a fine example to the rest of Africa | The Economist

Is it The Beast in The Beast?

I do wonder

When I wrote “Is this this man?” [1] last June, I was thinking aloud whilst trying to be circumspect wanting to avoid any controversy.

In fact, it was a comment left on that blog that let the cat out of the bag and unbeknownst to me many more people were thinking along those lines - crazy minds, I'll say.

The name that conjures the audacity of hope only needs to be Googled in close proximity to the name that signifies the end-game for the world and your search results are in a riot.

This is an unusual man with amazing talents brimming with confidence that is almost breath-taking; we are at a point where we all believe that he signifies a change in the world that would bring solutions to many problems.

This is probably a man of destiny, born in season to tackle the most intractable problems that seem to be pervading humankind relentlessly.

The irony is however not lost on me when some joker (surely, someone should have seen the connotations of this) inadvertently decides that the name of his official vehicle is “The Beast” [2] – is the world really coming to an end or are we being taken for a ride?

I won’t even dare check the number plates.

Sources

[1] Is this the man? [akin.blog-city.com]

[2] BBC NEWS | Americas | Obama's 'Beast' of a car revealed

Using the brains of people on anti-malarial drugs

The ecstatic measures for reliving trauma

I was reading in the bumper Christmas edition of the Economist [1] that Ecstasy [2] (methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) is being used to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [3] (PTSD).

Generally, the idea is that people suffering from the disorder under therapy probably have to recollect and go over the causative issues; Ecstasy supposedly suppresses the effects of going over the experiences, hence helping in the amelioration of the disorder towards recovery.

Anti-malarial woes

In conversation with my dad yesterday, I learnt that he had just recovered from a bout of malaria which seemed to have knocked him out for days.

However, in our shared experiences with malaria, the chat moved to the use of anti-malarial drugs the most common type being Chloroquine [4] -based compounds. Nivaquine [5], a trademark drug was probably the bitterest thing I had ever tasted on earth but until I was 10 years old, I did not have any contra-indications to the drug.

My father never had side-effects to the drug but my mother was a classic case of where the doctor should sometimes listen to the patient – she did say she could not tolerate Chloroquine but in his bedside manner prescribed the drug with some other palliative drug to deal with the preconceived side-effects.

Within hours, my mum was in a critical allergic state, all swollen and bloated, the doctor had to call on some reserves of deep knowledge to sort the problem out.

Brain affects from side effects

By the time I was 11, each time I took Nivaquine, my soles and palms itched relentlessly, I could have sworn it was better to suffer pain than to be sentenced to the itch, with time this was treated with an antihistamine until an alternative drug was available for prescription.

This was Fansidar [6] but it came with its own side effects that when I did self-medicate in Nigeria, I took my anti-malarials with an analgesic to manage the headaches, an anti-histamine to manage the itch and a sedative to get some sleep.

The common side-effect experience I shared with my dad was that these drugs increase brain activity to the extent that one is unable to sleep.

My brain began the complex geometric analysis of lines and their relationships in 3-dimensional space; the capacity for the management of that information was just phenomenal. My dad found that he was managing sectors of circles usually up to 30 sectors and rearranging these sectors whilst fitting polygons in the available spaces.

We both wished the brain activity were devoted to some activity aligned to the work we do which might then be of some serious benefit.

Meanwhile, another good friend I spoke to yesterday had just returned home from Nigeria and was also knocked out by malaria but it seemed what it did the most was realign his body-clock such that he became a diurnal sleeper rather than the normal nocturnal sleeper.

Using a hyper-active brain for research

Just like in the use of Ecstasy, there should be some benefit to harnessing the brain activity in these side effects. Just as computers are linked up in tandem to solve problems or discover patterns for protein analysis or extraterrestrial intelligence, maybe, just maybe when the brain is enduring this high capacity information manipulation it could be inspired or injected with some intractable problem and all that processing offers amazing and ingenious solutions that sober minds cannot begin to fathom.

Obviously, this is one area of testing that would definitely not work with conventional animal testing and so beyond the ethical issues of the administration of these drugs and the modalities for finding suitable guinea-pigs for this experiment which can be conducted along the lines and strictures of semen or egg donors, there might just be some benefit for mankind.

Bizarre research

The question then becomes whether this area of research should be based in malaria ridden countries where we harness the brain power of recuperating sufferers or it be based in established research centres where people are administered the drug to create the side effects in better managed conditions.

Bizarre as it sounds, I think this is one area of research worth looking at, through the pain and discomfort there might well be a yet undiscovered treasure trove of human ability behind the veil of the therapeutic or the prophylactic management of malaria.

Sources

[1] Agony and ecstasy | Agony and ecstasy | The Economist

[2] Methylenedioxymethamphetamine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[3] Posttraumatic stress disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[4] Chloroquine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[5] Nivaquine – netdoctor.co.uk

[6] Fansidar (discontinued in the UK - January 2008)

Singing like a Canary

Tempers, temperance & temperatures

After 18 days in the sun and rain with temperatures never bottoming 12 degrees Celsius on the worst day and sometimes cresting 33 degrees Celsius in January, it was time to return home.

To others, they might wonder about the wisdom of ditching a charter flight of 4 and a half hours and a group pickup that traverses every hotel in the dregs of Playa del Inglês before you are dropped last, exhausted and annoyed having arrived in Gran Canaria a good 3 hours before.

I ditched the wisdom for the convenience of sorts, I have to stop over in Madrid, the journey is 2 hours longer but you get picked up in your chauffeur-driven car for your return trip to the airport.

When it comes to holiday, comfort and convenience always trumps facility and commonality, I would pay for the convenience probably because I like to know I would be taken care of properly if things do not work out right and I would not have to raise my voice to have things sorted out.

Getting out Canarias, Keeping in Caribbean

I was picked up quite early this morning after bidding farewell to all the staff the day before, chief among whom is the chef de reception, Javier, whose administration of ease, comfort and convenience in service knows no peer.

The chauffeur then sold the Canary Islands to me again – for a third of the price I paid for visiting the Gran Canaria, I could have gone to any good sunny island in the Caribbean, stayed in the most exclusive 5-star hotels and lapped the white beach sands as if I was in paradise.

The paradise however is within the walls of the hotel resort where they can seem to guarantee your security, wander out of those hotel walls and you are swimming with sharks and giggling with barracudas.

The element of relative safety

You basically do not have the leeway and freedom that this European group of islands offers, I can get up at 3:00AM and walk up to any of the centres of entertainment with any fear – OK, I have seen the one opportunistic mugging but nothing that fills you with dread, fear, trembling and utter loathing.

I have never been to the Caribbean but I do not want a situation where I cannot get out and do stuff because I might come to some mishap or harm – it makes the carteras of the shopping precincts look really tame – you probably need that sort of thing to allow for a broad spread of human character in such a seemingly idyllic place. See links below about relative crime perception and statistics between the Caribbean and the Canaries.

Work begins again tomorrow and there are pictures to publish of the wonderful time I had in Gran Canaria for the 8^th time already. Maybe May and definitely December/January again, there might be a long haul to Asia too – in the mean time I need to gather my thoughts for the blogs incubating and ready to be hatched in writing very soon.

There is no doubt that I met some pretty interesting and nice people – all will be revealed in due course.

References

Law enforcement in the Canary Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Crime and the Caribbean -Times Online

Thought Picnic: Palestine

Cannot stand the spin

The news junkie in me has started a news Lent very early; I have completely starved myself of news and completely switched off the news channels because they are all camped out on the matter of Gaza.

I have channel-hopped between Cartoon Network and Boomerang keeping my mind away from the misery, the suffering and the lies.

The news has been spun off the realms of information and it has become atrocious propaganda peddling of the most absurd kind, we are expected to believe all sorts of convoluted opinions rather than address the basic facts on the ground.

Addressing legitimacies

The legitimate needs for the nationhood of Israel in some place of approximation derived from some adherence to a holy writ that asserts the promise of Canaan to Abraham and his seed in Biblical times cannot be disputed for all sorts of reasons.

However, the legitimate rights of the people of Palestine who were displaced 60 years ago by the writ of the United Nations where 55% of the land was given to the Jews for the land of Israel and the contemporaneous occupiers then shunted into the remaining 45% without adequate redress cannot be ignored.

This constitutes the powder keg that the Middle East has become and represents how peace would almost be impossible in the Middle East until a man or woman properly weighs those different and critical legitimate concerns and brings an unambiguous, even-handed, visionary and accommodating deal to both sides.

The rhetoric within the history

The whole idea that Israel can be completely wiped off the map by any force or nation is hogwash. It just feeds the rhetoric necessary to run untrammelled through the disputed lands with matchless force in the unattainable quest for peace.

We cannot divorce the creation of the state of Israel from the deep contrition of Europe and the United States for allowing the Holocaust and the compelling expiatory exercise that expedited the creation of Israel without properly negotiated terms for the people of Palestine with respect to the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

It sometimes gives weight to the thought that President Ahmedinejad suggested at one time that a land for the Jews which would probably not be called Israel should really have been created somewhere in Europe rather than in the Middle East.

Is there a new Biblical captivity about?

At the back of my mind I remember the Biblical histories of Jews that suggest that Israel and Judea has always been a nation in flux depending on the relationship of their leaders and the people with God. They were mostly in conflict with the neighbouring tribes and sometimes overrun and taken into captivity until they re-established their relationship with God.

It makes one wonder if the nation is kicking against the goads for another wave of the cycle of Biblical events since the all claims derive from those historical links. It would send a shudder down the spines of all protagonists if the natural ebb and flow of the Jewish nation is interfered with by belligerence that simply exacerbates an untenable situation.

Getting to solutions

This is where the United States has not been a useful broker for peace, brow-beating Palestine into terms they would just have to accept because of the status quo will not kill the aspirations of a people for a land to a call theirs and it would not obliterate the claims of dispossession that others have made for over 60 years.

Be it the 1948 lines, the 1967 lines or the new lines drawn by the wall as a demarcation boundary between Israel and Palestine; some force for good has to be dispassionate about this issue regardless of old allegiances and deliver a plan that all can gather round and all can accommodate with compromise and negotiated for all the people in the dispute.

The Middle East conflict is no more a matter of who is right or who is wrong; the issue of defence and/or revenge is simply symptomatic of a deeper conflict that needs bold and courageous unravelling.

It cannot be assuaged by inaccurate missiles or precision guided missiles – just imagine if Palestine were just as formidably armed as Israel and matched Israel bomb for bomb and missile for missile – I am sure the guarantee of mutual self-destruction would have yielded a kind of peace settlement a long time ago. There are uneven hands in this game.

Between genocide or peace

The implacable extremists (be they settlers, fundamentalists or terrorists, they are all undesirable for peace in the Middle East ) on both sides have to be made to see the futility of efforts for better offers to the majority of the people on sides of the conflict.

In the end, tanks and amazing military force can destroy buildings, institutions and kill people but if anyone thinks the bullets and bombs of one mighty nation seeking peaceful co-existence can subjugate a cause just as passionate as it draws support and the compassion from humanity and deny the legitimate yearnings of a people for land, peace, justice and fairness – you will need a genocide worse than the Holocaust to achieve that.

The war must stop.

References

Blogs on Israel