Saturday, October 01, 2005

Brazilintime Screening on Sunday, October 2

Brian Cross aka B+, hip hop photographer extraordinaire, who has worked with Easy E, Jurassic 5 to name just a few, has a new film coming out. It’s called Brasilintime. It’s the follow up to his critically acclaimed US hip hop film project Keepintime.

LISTEN to an excerpt of Jay Smooth and Deepa Fernandes' conversation with B+ on the Thursday, September 29 edition of WBAi's Wake Up Call. He talks about his experiences while making Brasilintimeit’s a great interview! And if you are in New York, check out the screening party, on Sunday, October 2 at Spirit Nightclub at 7.30. J Rocc, Cut Chemist and Madlib will perform alongside drum legends Paul Humphrey, Kerf Redlaw and Joao Parahyba (of Trio Mocoto).

Special thanks to Deepa and Jay for letting me use their sound.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

The Progressive movement made Bush listen to what it had to say, but now what?

This weekend I was in Washington DC producing a live broadcast from the 'Operation: Ceasefire’ protest and concert organized by United for Peace and Justice. Organisers wanted to protest the war in Iraq and fight for justice for those communities affected by Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. And just for the record, far more people attended the event than was reported by the mainstream press. And many of those people who attended the event were not ‘die hard’ protesters; they were people who were moved to act by what they have seen this administration do.

The rally and concert may have been a success, but what next for the movement? How will the movement continue to build and convince other ordinary Americans that this war does not help us? How can people get elected officials to act in their interests rather than the interests of their lobbyists or their friends (the latest news on Bill Frist hardly came as a shock now, did it?!). I think the movement could do well to speak with more people like Randy Jones, a former Marine, and his mother Becky Jones, from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They supported Bush on some – but not all issues. But at the same time, while they are not against war, they want American troops to return home. I asked Randy to respond to a comment someone said to me earlier that day. A (very nice) lady said to me: ‘for every person who wants Bush out, there are two people who want him to stay’. Listen to his response (and his thoughts on Cindy Sheehan) here (1 min 58). And let us know what you think.

Likewise, how is the progressive movement going to deal with its approach to racial diversity? Is it enough to have high profile speakers on stage? Do these speakers reflect what local organizers think – and are their experiences the same? And what has Hurricane Katrina taught the movement? Nile Malloy from Oakland California is a member of the environmental group, Rainforest Action Network. He said that while the progressive movement looks diverse and people know what to say, marginalized communities continue to be – or feel locked out of the movement. And he provides some ways in which the movement could overcome its problem with the lack of diversity. You can listen to what he has to say here (4 mins 06).


Coming up:

Alice Wu – making her film Saving Face made her realize why we are all really the same…

David Sylvester – why aren’t African’s interesting news?

Jackson Allers – He says Serbs are still not safe and there are no conditions for the return of refugees

Sheeeee’s baaaaaaaaaack!!!!

Hey there,

Its been a while since I posted anything. A lot has happened since we last communicated. It was my birthday, so I went home to visit my family and party up myself. I had a blast. But, I am back and ready to pose a few more questions to you all. The long awaited interview with Alice Wu is in the can, but you will have to wait a little longer to read that – her film has been released in Australia, you know…

And look out for my interview with David Sylvester. Yes, he is the man who went traveling in Africa and found a clothing shop called… well it begins with N and white people aren’t allowed to use it. It opened a whole can o’ worms for him – and the response by the African American press to his story made him think about the way Africans across the Diaspora see themselves. We had a really interesting conversation – so look out for that.

You will also get the chance to read from Jackson Allers, who works with Marek Antoni Nowicki, the United Nations International Ombudsperson in Kosovo. Last month Mr. Nowicki criticized world factors for the fact that even six years after the arrival of the international authorities, Serbs are still not safe and there are no conditions for the return of refugees. We’ll post the speech that Jackson Allers contributed to, later this week.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Will The British Government's new anti terror measures protect people from ALL forms of hate?

Today, British Home Secretary, Charles Clarke wrote the following:

'This week I will be publishing and then acting upon new ways of dealing with preachers of intolerance and hatred and
extremists who try to exploit the openness of our society to oppress others.'

Is he referring to all preachers of hate? This is an opportunity for the British government to protect all its citizens from all
forms of hate. I wrote about this last week. I have re-posted these thoughts (below).



On Friday, August 5, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he intended to carry out a series of new anti terror
measures, which included:

‘…deporting foreign nationals who justify the use of "violence to further a person's beliefs"; authorizing the
denaturalization of British citizens who engage in "extremism"; and legislating a new "offense of condoning
or glorifying terrorism."


Now, terrorism isn’t a new phenomenon in Britain. In fact, in 1974, the British government defined Terrorism as:

"…the use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public,
or any section of the public, in fear."


By this definition, there are many acts of terror that have been perpetuated on British citizens, by British citizens. Looking
at cases that are less obvious to people outside of the UK, members of the racist British National Party have terrorized
British citizens of colour for years. In April 1999, David Copeland subjected London to nail bomb attacks that
killed three people and injured over 100. Copeland, who described himself as a Nazi, said that he wanted to cause “murder,
mayhem, chaos and damage”
and “set off a racial war”. Let’s not forget that he didn’t just want to target communities
of colour. The three people he killed were frequenting a gay bar in Leicester Square.

His actions scared the city of London (and other cities across the country into a near state of paralysis. People didn’t want
to do anything or go anywhere. No one knew who would be next or what was happening. Everyone just knew that anything
could happen at any time. And when the third and final bomb exploded in Leicester Square (I remember, I was nearby in
Tottenham Court Road when it happened), everyone went into shock. We all knew it was coming, but when it hit, we didn’t
know what to do. Copeland’s motivation was clearly political – and he most certainly ‘put sections of the public in fear’.

He was given six life sentences (25 years) in jail.

More recently, two men have been arrested for the violent murder of Anthony Walker the 18 year-old man who was bludgeoned
to death with an axe in July. He was a British born Black man, with a bright future ahead of him (he wanted to study Law - and on
August 18, it was reported that he received top grades in all of his AS level exams). The police have established that his murder
was motivated by extreme hatred fueled by racism. His murder has scared communities of colour and their supporters across the
country. Meanwhile, following the London Bombings, the Guardian reported that 'racially motivated attacks in London nearly
doubled to 60 a day immediately after the July 7
and July 21 attacks. And the Socialist Worker reported that while anti fascist groups
held two public vigils in Liverpool for Mr. Walker's family, the BNP was organizing a meeting in the same area to promote it’s agenda.

Of course we all understand that 9/11 has increased our sense of fear. We all want to be safe from political violence, but terror
isn’t something that is exclusive to Muslims. So how will this new anti terror legislation help protect all British people? Will
these new laws apply to Mr. Walker’s killers or others who want to eliminate people whose existence they don’t approve of?
Will these measures apply to all terrorists – including those of Anglo Saxon heritage? How will these measures protect those
British born individuals who are scared of being attacked by political terrorists, yet are increasingly under suspicion of being
terrorists?


Next on the Global Blend, Alice Wu, the director and producer of the Film Saving Face


UK Govt to crack down on 'preachers of intolerance and hatred'

From the BBC today:

Home Secretary Charles Clarke says he will unveil new plans to crack down on "preachers of intolerance and hatred".

The measures are expected to include the power to shut mosques where clerics are thought to back terrorism and the deportation of suicide bomb advocates.

Writing in the Evening Standard, he said the powers will be revealed and acted on in the next few days.

He said the moves, referred to soon after the 7 July attacks, were needed as "the rules of the game" had changed….

…Inciting terrorism directly is already illegal. The new law would attempt to cover indirect incitement.

In his Evening Standard article, Mr Clarke said: "This week I will be publishing and then acting upon new ways of dealing with preachers of intolerance and hatred and extremists who try to exploit the openness of our society to oppress others.

"We must protect the traditions of tolerance that we have established in this country through centuries of struggle and that means cracking down on those who preach intolerance and abuse free speech to justify terrorism, advocate violence or foster hatred."

I asked this question last week, and I will ask it again: Will these measures protect all British Citizens from all forms of hate speech and terrorism?

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Calling all Hip Hop lovers - NYC event in NuBlu

From serious politics to serious Hip Hop. If you are in New York City on Friday, August 19, check out the 'African Underground: African Hip-hop Throwdown', hosted by Toni Blackman and featuring my countryman (kinda) TY from Nigeria and the UK and my other 'countrymen', The Ambassadoz, from Ghana and much much more. The event is at Nublu and entry is FREE betfore 10PM. Here is some info on both of these acts:

TY released his debut album "Awkward" (on Big Dada/Ninja Tune) to critical acclaim, he has grown from underground mc to an artist who is developing an international reputation. He allows his complexities and contradictions to shine through, allows us to see him as a multifaceted, awkward, non-boxable individual. It’s an approach backed up by a fierce some technique, one which makes the complex look simple.

With more than 7 years experience of ripping shows, the Ambassadoz create hip-hop music that is hard to lock into a specific genre or category. The bands distinctive hybrid of Afro Funk and Hip Hop has the ability to dazzle spectators with their 'switching spit' lingo (rapping in different languages and accents) while commanding the credibility from the hip-hop elite. They bridge the gap between all the different forms of hip-hop vernacular on stage through their ability to rhyme in English, French, Twi and Pidgin.

Click here for more details

What is the real story behind the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes?

This week the British broadcast news organisation ITV, published a report that revealed the real story behind the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian man who was shot in the head by the British police in July. This is what the report found, according to The Guardian:

'...Menezes was trailed by officers for more than a half-hour before the shooting, and no attempts were made to stop him. The surveillance officer who called in reports about Menezes described him as wearing a denim jacket and carrying nothing.

The Brazilian calmly entered the Stockwell tube station, paused to pick up a free newspaper and used his travel card to pass through the barriers.

After descending the escalator and running to catch his train, Menezes was pointed out to armed police by one of at least three surveillance offices who had followed him onto the train.'

Menezes was shot seven times in the head.

So what was going on? The earlier reports suggested that he was carrying a rucksack, as I remember. These reports also painted a much different description of events (and note how the press jumped on his immigration status - like that has anything to do with his shooting...):

It is believed that Mr de Menezes...may have been working illegally in Britain for up to four years. He is thought to have panicked when confronted by armed men as he was about to buy a Tube ticket at about 10am. Witnesses said that he hurdled the ticket barrier, ran down the escalator and stumbled into a carriage.

Three armed officers who pounced on him, might have thought his padded jacket contained explosives. One of them shot five bullets from a handgun into his head in front of horrified passengers...

One senior source said last night: "We were led to an address in Stockwell by documents found in the abandoned rucksacks and by our intelligence. This house, which now appears to be a multi-occupancy address, was put under surveillance."

Yet, this is what an eyewitness said about the events leading up to the shooting of Menezes:

'[the police officer] held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him.
...He [the suspect] had a baseball cap on and quite a sort of thickish coat - it was a coat you'd wear in winter, sort of like a padded jacket... it looked sort of out of place with the sort of weather we've been having, the sort of hot humid weather....I didn't see any guns or anything like that - I didn't see him carrying anything. I didn't even see a bag to be quite honest.'

Did we all miss something in the panic?? What is going on...?

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

When is a terrorist not a terrorist?

On Friday, August 5, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he intended to carry out a series of new anti terror
measures, which included:

‘…deporting foreign nationals who justify the use of "violence to further a person's beliefs"; authorizing the
denaturalization of British citizens who engage in "extremism"; and legislating a new "offense of condoning
or glorifying terrorism."


Now, terrorism isn’t a new phenomenon in Britain. In fact, in 1974, the British government defined Terrorism as:

"…the use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public,
or any section of the public, in fear."


By this definition, there are many acts of terror that have been perpetuated on British citizens, by British citizens. Looking
at cases that are less obvious to people outside of the UK, members of the racist British National Party have terrorized
British citizens of colour for years. In April 1999, David Copeland subjected London to nail bomb attacks that
killed three people and injured over 100. Copeland, who described himself as a Nazi, said that he wanted to cause “murder,
mayhem, chaos and damage”
and “set off a racial war”. Let’s not forget that he didn’t just want to target communities
of colour. The three people he killed were frequenting a gay bar in Leicester Square.

His actions scared the city of London (and other cities across the country into a near state of paralysis. People didn’t want
to do anything or go anywhere. No one knew who would be next or what was happening. Everyone just knew that anything
could happen at any time. And when the third and final bomb exploded in Leicester Square (I remember, I was nearby in
Tottenham Court Road when it happened), everyone went into shock. We all knew it was coming, but when it hit, we didn’t
know what to do. Copeland’s motivation was clearly political – and he most certainly ‘put sections of the public in fear’.

He was given six life sentences (25 years) in jail.

More recently, two men have been arrested for the violent murder of Anthony Walker the 18 year-old man who was bludgeoned
to death with an axe in July. He was a British born Black man. The police have established that his murder was motivated by
extreme hatred fueled by racism. His murder has scared communities of colour and their supporters across the country.
Meanwhile, following the London Bombings, the Guardian reported that 'racially motivated attacks in London nearly doubled
to 60 a day immediately after the July 7
and July 21 attacks. And the Socialist Worker reported that while anti fascist groups
held two public vigils in Liverpool for Mr. Walker's family, the BNP was organizing a meeting in the same area to promote it’s agenda.

Of course we all understand that 9/11 has increased our sense of fear. We all want to be safe from political violence, but terror
isn’t something that is exclusive to Muslims. So how will this new anti terror legislation help protect all British people? Will
these new laws apply to Mr. Walker’s killers or others who want to eliminate people whose existence they don’t approve of?
Will these measures apply to all terrorists – including those of Anglo Saxon heritage? How will these measures protect those
British born individuals who are scared of being attacked by political terrorists, yet are increasingly under suspicion of being
terrorists?


Saturday, July 30, 2005

I know enough to know that I don’t know much…

.... and now for some pop culture... The phrase of this posting came from the mouth of the rapper Common, who perfomed on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on HBO tonight. Dang. Really. I don’t want to sound to earnest, but I love that phrase, cause its true. That said - Every time I watch Def Poetry Jam I am blown away. Forget that Bad Boys of Comedy rubbish that precedes it. al b Back’s poem, Super Negro was brilliant. Cant get the poem online (if you find it, let me know…), but trust me, it was good. And Preach’s Cotton was off the hook. And of course, there was the wonderful Staceyann Chinn, whose one woman play, BorderClash is still showing at the Culture Project in NYC,. Check it out if you can.

And one recommendation - Weekends at the DL with DL Hughley is GREAT! You may only know him as one of the ‘Kings of Comedy’ with Bernie Mac (another great comedian, who doesn’t get enough credit), but really, DL Hughley is funnier than I thought he would be (and I liked him before this). Let’s hope they don’t cancel the programme before it has a chance to develop. He needs to leave stand up comedy behind and deal with hosting, he is much funnier when he has to respond to things off the cuff. If you agree, I urge you all to check it out, spread the word and write to Comedy Central to let them know that the show has fans…

I think that is pretty much it for tonight. Other than that, check out the Laura Flanders Show tomorrow and Sunday, we have a fantastic set of shows for you this weekend. Lets talk John Roberts and lets talk about Trade Unions - are they working for you?. Tune in.. In the meantime, look out for some analysis on the modern punk movement – only on The GB, this week…

Monday, July 25, 2005

Daara J - How are African rappers changing the face of Hip Hop?

What is African Hip Hop and what does it sound like? Well for those of you who don’t know a good place to start would be by tuning into Daara J. And if you haven’t heard of Daara J yet, chances are you will. The Senegalese hip hop act, comprising three talented men who go by the names of Faada Freddy, Lord Aladji Man and N’Dango D have established themselves as leading proponents of Senegalese Rap and now it looks like they are taking the rest of the world by storm. Not only did Daara J play a major role in defining the contemporary sound of Sene-rap, Daara J won the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award for ‘Best African Act in 2003’ and has spent months at the top of the European world music charts.

In 2004, the band released its American debut album, ‘Boomerang’ (Wrasse Records, October 19, 2004) and most recently, the band performed at the ‘Africa Calling’ concert, which was held in Cornwall, England as part of the Live 8 live music program in July.

The title, ‘Boomerang’ refers to the Daara J’s take on the cultural and spiritual journey Hip Hop has made. As Faada Freddy says, Hip Hop was, ‘born in Africa, brought up in America, hip hop has come full circle’, by returning to Africa.

Likewise, the name Daara J means ‘school of life’. As Aladji Man says, ‘we want to give an education to our listeners’. True to their word, the album, ‘Boomerang’, steers clear of materialistic and macho subject matter that seems dominates much of the Hip Hop that marketers are convinced we all want to hear. Instead, the band tackles issues of Globalisation, the threatened environment, and spirituality.

And the critics love them. The British newspaper, ‘The Observer’ said that Daara J is ‘one of the premier vocal outfits of our time…’

The Global Blend talked to Faada Freddy of Daara J about the bands recent performance at the Live 8 affiliated ‘Africa Calling’ concert in Cornwall, England, his view of American Hip Hop.

What do you think about Faada Freddy's thoughts on unity, Nelson Mandela, Globalisation and the Live 8 concerts - and do you think Faada Freddy's assessment of American Hip Hop is fair? Listen, join the blog and let us know...

LISTEN:

1. Faada Freddy tells The GB about his love for Cornwall… and Nelson Mandela (1 min 33)
Music: ‘Bopp sa Bopp’ from the album ‘Boomerang’ by Daara J


2. Straight from Faada Freddy's mouth - Hi Life the father of Funk!! (1 min 14)
Music: 'You May Kiss Your Bride', by Bollie


3. Why is the content of Senegalese Hip Hop so different to that of US Hip Hop? (2 mins 10)

Music: 'Paris Dakar', from the album 'Boomerang', by Daara J


4. Are we really that interconnected? (3 mins 38)

Music: 'Exodus', from the album 'Boomerang', by Daara J


5. What the African Diaspora needs to know… (1 min 40)
Music: 'Boomerang', from the album, ‘Boomerang’ by Daara J

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Tune in to the new 'Wake Up Call' with former FSRN host, Deepa Fernandes

"Wake Up Call," which was first broadcast in 1992, is New York City’s longest running independent drive-time radio show. The show’s history, however, has been a bumpy one. First hosted by Bernard White and Amy Goodman (now known for her renowned show, "Democracy Now!"), "Wake Up Call" was described once as "one of WBAI's most important and successful shows" in the 1990s.

But after eight years, Goodman and White were fired after a controversial internal battle at the Pacifica Networks flagship station, WBAI, that resulted in what is now known as the Christmas Coup of 2000. Since then, "Wake Up Call" has struggled to regain the status it had in the 1990s.

But these struggles may be over. The (mainly older, male) management of WBAI, wanting to increase listeners and membership numbers as quickly as possible, made the bold -- and revolutionary -- move of selecting Deepa Fernandes, a young South Asian female journalist who grew up in Australia, to be the new host of its morning flagship show.

This selection made a few people nervous… Some were not convinced that she would be popular enough to attract new listeners to the show -- and in turn new members to the station. Likewise, there were people who were opposed to the idea of having a young foreign-sounding woman hosting "Wake Up Call."

But those people needn’t have worried. There were plenty of listeners who were excited by Fernandes’ return to the WBAI airwaves. Upon hearing that Fernandes was returning to WBAI, one United Nations employee said to me, "That is fantastic, I will write a check to the station right now!" Fans from all over the world (including Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Australia and India) wrote good luck messages to Deepa. One fan in Italy said, "Don't forget you have listeners all over the world. I listen from Italy on the Internet and love your show!"

And since the relaunch, listeners new and old have been riveted to the new "Wake Up Call." The show is quickly establishing itself as one that will provide an energetic and heady cocktail of socially progressive national news, as well as an insider’s look into what is happening in New York City.

In the first week, "Wake Up Call" examined the work of the legendary Guyanese historian Walter Rodney; had a discussion about the Guantanamo Bay abuses with an advocate working closely with former detainees; and gave an insiders' report from the United Nations. To commemorate the New York City Puerto Rican Day parade, Fernandes interviewed the first Queen of the parade, Dilsia Pagan.

According to Deepa, mixing it up is all part of the fun. "My goal is to make people who are switching stations stop -- our frequency is in the middle of the dial and we have to take advantage of that fact!"

Fernandes and the "Wake Up Call" producers say they want to contribute to the social change movement by doing a few, very ambitious things. First, they want "Wake Up Call" to reflect the realities of -- and build a bridge between -- the diverse communities of New York City. Fernandes explains, "When we looked at Walter Rodney’s legacy, we made sure that we looked at the context in which he was writing. We tried to highlight the relationship between his work and the work of contemporary revolutionaries -- and compare the challenges he faced during his time with the challenges his modern counterparts face today.”

"Wake Up Call" also aims to change the public perception of community media. For years, community radio has been associated, sometimes unfairly, with low production values. This, Fernandes says, has played a major role in repelling people who might have wanted to hear new and progressive ideas. She points out that because the MTV generation has been brought up on slick presentation values, the only way to get more people to see the value of community radio is to improve its approach to radio production. By doing this, she believes community radio will eventually become more effective in helping those people who have been shut out of the media landscape find a platform on which they can express their views and experiences.

In addition, the new "Wake Up Call" wants to make its mark as one of the few shows that really cuts through the media news spin by interviewing and talking to the people who are directly affected by the news. Fernandes believes that most news shows focus on the big players and get caught up in politics.

"Look at the issue of African debt. Who is really looking at the economics of all of this? Is anyone talking to who is really affected? Instead, most media outlets are focusing on the relationship between Bush and Blair."

"Wake Up Call," on the other hand, addressed the issue of Western aid to Africa by pointing out that Africa has "paid its debt" through the money it has lost from free trade policies that have strangled the continent. The show also examined the hypocrisy of the United States and the United Kingdom, who on one hand claim to want to help corruption in Africa, but instead are profiting through the sale of arms to the very governments they accuse of defrauding the people of Africa.

So far, Fernandes’ fearless approach to radio seems to have worked. Her ability to look at politics and discuss popular culture from a progressive viewpoint has, naturally, stirred some debate between listeners and activists. Her recent treatment of the Michael Jackson court case, for example, attracted some criticism, but as one listener put it, "If 'Wake Up Call' talked about Michael Jackson today in any sort of interesting way that had relevance to a larger progressive project, then good for them…"

On the whole, Fernandes’ approach to progressive radio has won her -- and "Wake Up Call" -- new fans. As one listener raves, “The improvement is immediate. I hope WBAI continues to upgrade their programs, particularly by bringing in younger people who are actually excited to be on the air."

It looks like Deepa Fernandes might have sparked the fire in the belly of progressive radio.

You can listen to Wake Up Call at 99.3 FM or check out Wake Up Call online at: http://wakeupcallradio.blogspot.com/

This piece, written by Chris Nsiah-Buadi, was originally published in Pop and Politics in July.

STAY TUNED!!
Listen to Faada Freddy from the Senegalese Hip Hop Group, Daara J tell The Global Blend, what he thinks about US Hip Hop, why he thinks Ghanaian Hi Life is so influential - and why he loves Corrnwall, England so much!

Sunday, July 10, 2005

London Calling...

What an emotional roller coaster the past few days have been. One day the people of London were celebrating the news that our city will host the Olympic Games in 2012, then the next day the city is thrown into chaos, as four bombs explode during the rush hour.

But in some ways, a lot of us were not surprised. Prime Minister Tony Blair is George Bush’s closest ally on the issue of Iraq – Italy and Spain had been attacked; in the back of our minds were asking ourselves ‘when’, not ‘if’ something like this would happen in the UK.

What has been really interesting is watching how the people of London – and Britain – have reacted to the bombings, through the eyes of non-British media. Those of us outside the country saw no mass hysteria. Just images of visibly shaken people trying to hold themselves together, so that they could minimize the damage and help others who were worse off than they were.

It really was awe inspiring to see how people who were clearly shaken and devastated carry on with the business of the day. They refused to be terrorized.

Watching London’s reaction to the bombing through the eyes of the non-British media taught me the real meaning of this British ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ (yes, those of us whose ancestors come from other continents have it too!). It’s ironic that I joked about ‘British reserve’ last week, because now I feel like I didn’t have a clue about what it really meant then! What a difference 24 hours makes, eh?! I realize now that the ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ is a quiet determination to ‘get on with it’ even when everything is falling apart. It was demonstrated to the fullest last week – even though everyone in Britain thinks the Stiff Upper Lip’ is a thing of the past!

After spending a few years in the US – and having become accustomed to seeing people who are happy to express their feelings in public, I was quite surprised by the reactions of my friends and family when I spoke to them on Thursday. Granted, they were the lucky ones - my dad decided not to go to a morning meeting in near Parliament and my sister and brother-in-law spent most of the day trying to get one of their friends out of central London – his office was really close to where one of the bombs went off. There were so many stories like these. But, with each phonecall I got the same message; while people were clearly shaken, no one wanted any fuss, they just wanted to get on with it – and wanted to be there for each other and were determined not to let this get to them.

That said, we are yet to see how the British public will react once the dust has settled figuratively and literally, but I think that people won’t forget about the bigger picture. The American press has suggested that there have been calls to tighten anti terror laws and have suggested that Britain’s attitude to immigration meant made London city vulnerable to attack. I don’t think those calls are particularly loud. The majority of Londoners and British people understand the political significance of Thursday’s actions. Just a few months ago, Tony Blair paid the price for his involvement in Iraq in the General Election. He won the, but his huge majority was slashed. The opposition by British public to the invasion of Iraq has been unwavering and Thursday’s bombings wont scare people in to changing their minds. Thursday’s bombings will give more credence to the belief that the world has not been any safer since March 2002. And people will feel that the public paid the price for our nations involvement in the so-called War on Terror.

But, politics and observations aside, I am just thinking of those families who were affected by the bomb and I hope that my city bounces back – soon.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

‘… with what’s going on in Africa…?’ Did the public get the real message of Live 8?

This is what ‘Shana’ a young lady, who went to the Philadelphia Live 8 concert with her friends told me:

‘[the concert] reminds us of what’s going on over there [Africa] even though we are not there… Everyone needs to help as much as they can…I’m gonna tell all my friends who didn’t show what this was all about. And it wasn’t just about seeing everybody perform… It was about spreading awareness of AIDS.’

Hmmm. And this is what Bob Geldof said the Live 8 message was:

'These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison…. The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough…By doubling aid, fully canceling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children.'

So, just how successful was Live 8 in getting its message across? At first, I was not convinced. After hours of listening to pop stars and actors repeat the same talking points and say the phrase, ‘ and with all the stuff that’s going on in Africa’, I was rapidly losing the will to live and pretty much ready to scream. But I didn’t scream. I guess that was my British reserve kicking in. Then, something quite amazing happened. Literally, just a few minutes after my conversation with Shana and her friends, Kanye West walked on the stage and told the crowd this:

‘We’re here for the thousands of people who’re dying every day. Some disease we can’t cure, that man made a long time ago and placed in the African communities. Some diseases can be cured, if we have better healthcare, better schools, better education, a better life. And that’s what we’re here for – to beg the politicians to release the debt over those whose lives are not as good as those politicians who drive home in they’re Bently’s every night….while thousands of African’s [are] dying…’

Granted, there was a lot of irony to West’s comments, but still, he called it like it was! There was hope!

West’s comments were quickly followed by one of the more surreal moments of the day – for me, anyway. Above Destiny’s Child (who were performing ‘Say My Name’), the names of the millions of people who had signed on the ‘Live 8 List’ (which will be given to G8 this week) appeared on a large screen. I was blown away. All of those names – maybe people do care and people do get it! My cynicism started to melt away immediately.

Then, just a few hours later, Jamie Drummond, the Executive Director of DATA the group behind Live 8, told the press corps that Live 8 was about economic justice, not just aid. He even acknowledged the roots of this poverty – colonialism. I nearly fell of my seat! He was the first person that day to identify the elephant in the room!!

I started to feel, right then, that Live 8 organisers and a lot of their participants did understand what the message of Live 8 was, and were making a concerted effort to tell the world. But the media wasn’t having any of it. Certainly, from what I observed, the press corps were far more interested with getting a picture of Anna Nicole Smith shaking her tatas than hearing what Dr Benjamin Chavis, Jamie Drummond, or any number of the eloquent speakers who came on stage had to say about debt justice.

So, I took the opportunity to speak to some more people. I was over Shana and her friends; I figured that there would be others who actually got what Jully 2 was really about. But I still needed convincing that the organisers of Live 8 had succeed in galvanising a credible world-wide debt justice movement of the people, by the people…

Rather than ask the usual suspects, I decided to ask two Africans, afterall, the event was supposed to be ‘all about Africa’, right? I talked to the academy award nominated actor and star of Amistad, Djimon Hounsou from Benin and Iyeshatu Manga (from Sierra Leone) who works with DATA and the ONE campaign. My conversations with them were very interesting to say the least (you can listen to them online, details below). While Hounsou was convinced that the use of celebrity voices had helped create passion amongst the general public around the issue of poverty – at least in the US. He said:

‘ (the concert is) certainly getting people to listen and to pay attention. If anything, that’s really what the key is…. If we get America to have a strong voice on the issues of extreme poverty in Africa, I think [there] will be a tremendous change.’, he felt that the West had a long way to go in understanding what Africa was really about.’

Iyeshatu Manga was really hopeful about what the concerts had achieved. She believed that we were witnessing the birth of a strong global movement – and that Live 8 played an integral role in making this happen:

‘When they did the Live Aid concert 20 years ago, Bob Geldof an the organizers were asking for money. In this day and age, it doesn’t take that little money to make a change. In this day and age, five million, 10 million people are saying enough is enough. Poverty is a man-made disease; it’s unnecessary, and everybody is rallying…around organizations that have come together to eliminate poverty’

I was almost convinced by her. Certainly, her enthusiasm and hope was infectious. And after having a few days to reflect on Live 8 and its aftermath, I am starting to believe that the message is slowly being heard by the public. People involved in this movement know that this is a long road (they called the campaign the ‘Long Walk to Justice’, for goodness sake) and they are ready to do what they need to do to get justice. Likewise, I think they know that they have a lot of work to do to strengthen the movement within, by a) talking to African’s more – and b) examining their relationship with politicians – and each other (read ‘When wearing White is Not Chic and Collaboration Not Cool’, published by Foreign Policy in Focus). But, they know the size of their task and are prepared to dig in to make the rest of us listen.

Maybe the world’s politicians will hear the demands of those of us who say ‘enough is enough’. If not this week, certainly soon…

Listen to The gb interview with Djimon Hounsou at Live 8 here

Listen to The gb interview with Iyeshatu Manga at Live 8 here

ps - I tried to hold it down in front of my American colleagues when I heard the news that London would host the Olympics in 2012 today.

But, they knew how excited I was ( and still am). I know they knew..

(hee hee!!)

until next week...

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

What a Palava....

Deceptively Intelligent. That is what a good friend suggested I call this blog. He was, of course being totally sarcastic (I hope). I laughed at his suggestion (after my initial feelings of hurt..). Then - just for a split second - I thought that I just might use it– for comic value, of course. But I soon came to my senses…

And today, (finally) I settled on a name. It was the first name I thought of when I decided to start a blog earlier this year (can you imagine how annoyed I was at myself??!).

So welcome to my blog, The Global Blend! Now, let me tell you what you can expect...

We’ve all heard the rhetoric before; 'The world is a global village’, ‘Technology has made the world smaller', yet we know very little about 'how the other side lives'! People all over the world are being influenced by cultures other than their own. Here are two examples straight off the bat; women in Japan are going crazy over Nicky Hilton's designer bags and Africa finally got it's own MTV channel this year. For many of us, the following fact is true; it doesn't matter if you live in the city or the countryside, thanks to the media, our cultural influences come from every corner of the world, from the food we eat, the music we listen to, our perceptions of what is cool or acceptable and what is not. And there are plenty of us who think that the world would be a better place if we got to know each other a little better. No, I don’t want to open a bottle of that popular carbonated drink and ‘teach the world to sing’, but you know I have a point!!

That is where The Global Blend comes in. If you want to find out why your English neighbour is obsessed with football (it’s not soccer, mate!) - or why your English neighbour goes nuts every time you call his favourite game 'soccer', then this site is for you. If you want find out what it's like to be part of a Latino-Jewish Hip Hop group in the US (check out the Hip Hop Hoodio's if you don't believe me...), how you could force global businesses giants to protect the human rights of their employees in the global South, how people really feel about Bollywood, or what Afro Funk is really about, then check in with The Global Blend each and every week!

The Global Blend, which will be updated once a week, will profile and highlight the work of card-carrying members of this 'global village'. You’ll get to read some work by some great new writers too.

And from time to time, The Global Blend will give you a different take on some international stories. For example, right now, African Debt and the Live 8 concerts are big on the media radar. But we haven’t heard what African’s feel about these efforts. How do Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora feel about all of this politicking?

Take care - and speak soon!

AC
The Global Blend