April 2007

Father and daughter. 2 classical guitars. Skill level required to play? Not much at all. Creativity level required to come up with those super unique Sudanese tunes? Pretty damn high I think. I was blown away by this. It took me right back home and I felt at peace listening to it. It’s so simple yet so powerful. It’s so Sudanese.

I don’t agree 100% with everything and I know some American readers might find it quite offensive but there is truth in what he says. I don’t know why but I really liked this post by Aaron in South Sudan:

I find myself a bit galled by people back home that talk to me about the work that I’m doing as if this is just a “phase” that I’m going through and that sooner or later I’ll “grow up and start living real life”. So would someone please tell me what exactly that means? To me it sounds like a prison sentence, “Come back home and buy a car that you don’t need, get married, have kids and get a mortgage. Then you’ll be here forever with no hope of escape.” That’s what I hear in those words. It also smacks of ignorance and arrogance when life in the States is called real life because life in Sudan to me is about as real as it gets. Let’s consider the following since Westerners are so keen on statistics.

I come from a country that makes up just 5% of the world’s population and yet we consume around 50% of the natural resources and contribute around 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to record temperatures each passing day. People in the USA, and the western world, have the highest average yearly income per capita that affords them to spend three dollars on a cup of coffee and $250 on an iPod. Rampant consumerism has been preached as gospel in my country and it’s spreading and as a result people can’t imagine giving or sacrificing any of their precious luxuries on the behalf of those that probably were responsible for supplying them in the first place.

Close to 60% of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a day.

Continue reading it here. I find it deep. Stay safe bro!

I hope this conference brings good results:

Hosted by Gaddafi’s Africa minister, the meeting brings together Sudan’s foreign minister, special Darfur envoys from the United Nations, African Union, United States, European Union and Britain, and senior officials or ministers from France, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Chad and Eritrea, diplomats said.

The heat is on and I believe there is genuine concern. One of the things that can really complicate this is the fact that during the last year or so, rebel factions have continued to split up into various sub factions, each with their own and sometimes conflicting agendas. The rebels need to reach a common goal. Fingers crossed.

Interesting, so Darfur is becoming a campaign issue now:

April 27, 2007 (PARIS) — French right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday attacked as “absurd” a call by his Socialist rival Segolene Royal for a boycott of the 2008 Olympics to force China to back international action in Darfur.

“It is absurd. What do we want, for China to open up or shut down? The Olympic Games are universal, a wind of freedom and hope, they will certainly have an extremely positive influence on China’s opening-up,” he told reporters.

“To deny the Olympic Games to 1.3 billion Chinese is to isolate them when what Chinese society needs is to open up. Sport is a factor for peace, freedom, encounter and dialogue.

“To refuse that is the opposite of what we should do,” charged Sarkozy, who will face off against Royal for the French presidency on May 6.

Royal argued on Wednesday that the international community should use “the threat of the Olympic Games” to spur China into supporting UN action in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.

China responded by saying the threat went “against good will among the peoples of the world” and calling for “objectivity” and “calm” from political leaders.

We’re going to see more of this whole boycott thingy. As the Genocide Olympics movement grows, it will cause an increasing headache for China and hopefully that will materialize into some sort of genuine pressure being applied on the Sudanese government to find a solution to the notorious disaster known as Darfur. Oh well, as usual, we’ll just have to wait and see. Sigh!

Watching Iraq’s news on TV or reading about it nowadays is an unpleasant experience. It’s not unpleasant because of the pain. It’s unpleasant because I hardly feel any pain watching the death and carnage nowadays. I’ve become emotionally numb. Meanwhile most of those around me who aren’t so emotionally apathetic feel rage… a strong burning inferno of rage and too often the bad situation is all blamed solely on America.

I go into deep modes of thought during such low moods. “Liberation, my foot” would usually be a thought but there were other ones that came into mind too. America did liberate Iraq. Bush did liberate Iraq.

It’s true! Hold up for a second, have a glass of cold water and try to relax. I think there’s something many of us are conveniently forgetting. A few years ago, when the American army arrived in Baghdad, they weren’t greeted with many bombs and bullets, some but not many. They were generally welcomed by Baghdadis. And when Saddam’s statue fell, everyone cheered and celebrated. It was a very symbolic moment… a media spectacle, sure, yes, but nonetheless a powerful symbolic moment. So, there you go, America did liberate Iraq. I emphasize the word “did” though. It’s past tense. I don’t see any “liberation” now. All I see is blood and death. So what happened between now and then?

Here’s what happened. Rumsfailed failed to maintain order and security. Baathists were sacked and the mother of disasters happened, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. It was the main event in my opinion, which caused anti-Americanism in Iraq and the region to shoot up sky high and in effect helped give rise to the current situation. A new government unfortunately seeking revenge was also brought into power. The bad news just kept coming and coming. America screwed up. Bush screwed up. Dickhead Cheney screwed up. Rumsfailed screwed up. They mismanaged the war badly but the terrorists and militias went beyond that. They started terrorizing and spilling the blood of their own people. I can understand if they only fought the invading forces. I can’t be mad at them for that. After all that’s legitimate resistance and nobody would like someone to invade his or her home. They didn’t fight legitimately and today the vast volume of innocent blood is spilled by them, not the Americans or coalition forces. On the contrary, the American forces are trying to help maintain security but everyday we still see the terrorists persisting.

I’m not sure, how badly the Iraqi state of affairs will continue to deteriorate or whether things will improve anytime soon but I am sure of one thing. If, I repeat if, order and security is back and if Iraqis start seeing peace, prosperity and justice in the coming years, then I believe Bush will go down in history as a liberator. If that doesn’t happen, then he will forever be remembered as an evil warmonger and will go down in history as one of the worst presidents in modern times.

Meanwhile, just remember and try not to forget that America did liberate Iraq… but only very briefly. At the moment, things are a mess.

“They’re using the divide and control strategy.” That’s what many say. Assuming that it’s true, wouldn’t that imply that we’re dividable and if we are then isn’t that our fault? Of course that assumption itself is built on another assumption, a ridiculous one that assumes we were already united to begin with before the dividing and controlling started. I believe this applies not only to us but also to all people. Point a finger at someone, and three will point back at you. Take responsibility for your own actions. When you do that, you, you, you… will be in control. Knowledge is power. Control is power. Drima is just being Drima.

She’s a hero! Go Kotb! You have my 100% support, respect and admiration!

And a pretty damn good one too if you ask me. The higher Iran rises in power and the bigger its influence in the region becomes, the more handshakes we can expect occurring between high ranking Arab and Israeli officials behind the scenes. Israel’s wet dream is having normalized relations with its Arab neighbours. The Arab League’s nightmare (or to be more specific, the nightmare of mainly prominent Sunni Arab countries like Egypt, Jordan and most definitely the Gulf countries) is an Iranian super giant juggernaut next door. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Differences certainly exist but they can either be dealt with or put aside and the Palestinian cause is certainly no small thing to put aside or sweep underneath the rug. Oh it’s certainly not small and in the eyes of the Arab street it’s way beyond big. It’s enormous. Arab leaders of the countries I mentioned are aware of that and as long as the situation doesn’t change, handshakes will continue occurring secretly behind closed doors. That can’t continue if an emergency, which requires action, rises. Sooner or later the secretive will be forced into public.

What I predict will happen is the use of leverage. It’s logical and natural. Normalized relations will only occur within the framework of a fair settlement for the Palestinians. Arab countries suffering from the frequent nightmares will benefit greatly by turning a formidable enemy with advanced military capabilities into an ally on their side. In the process Israel’s wet dream of normalization and being accepted in the neighbourhood can come true. The high potential for economic benefits for both sides is also a big added bonus.

The situation currently presents the right factors and the strong motivation necessary for both sides to seriously sit down and genuinely discuss a solution to the Palestinian problem. This is a big opportunity for Israel. Sure, the Arab endorsed Saudi plan is rigid but it’s still a decent offer which can be worked out. If it does, another added benefit will hopefully be some genuine peace between Israel and Palestine. Israelis will be able to stop worrying about getting blown up during a bus ride and Palestinians could finally start enjoying a normal life. In the words of Maroon5’s lovely song She Will Be Loved, “it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, it’s compromise that moves us along.”

One of the main rules in business is that with every opportunity comes risk. The goal is therefore maximizing that opportunity and minimizing the risk. Compromises aren’t fun but they’re reality. As Iran’s rise in power continues and the dark cloud truly begins to loom above, the opportunity will grow. It will grow not only for Israel, but also for Arab countries and hopefully for the Palestinians. We’re witnessing a different reality today and the sooner we recognize it, the better. Iran’s newfound power might be the best damn thing that ever happened to the region in recent years.

I’m really busy today and I don’t have time to comment much but this article is a must read for everyone interested in the thoughts going on inside the mind’s of the vast majority of non-Southern Sudanese.

’Israeli interest’

When asked if the United States and its allies are trying to impose democracy in Sudan, the defence minister said democracy was not the issue, the issue is the resources. The other thing is the interest of the Israelis and the Zionists.

“They have an interest in South Sudan. Their interest is water and South Sudan has the potential to increase the water flow in the river Nile. We have five schemes in the south which can increase the water level.

“One of the states is Jungli - it alone can generate around 4 billion cubic metres of water. That is why the Jewish state wants an independent south so that the water from the south can flow through the river Nile and into Israel and so forth,” Hussain said.

He added that Sudan is aware of the Jewish conspiracy since 1955 when the first rebellion took place in the south and the group of rebels was trained in Israel under the supervision of the Mossad.

On another note, this article has been circulating around actively and is being forwarded through mass emails by many Sudanese. Intervention is a bad idea. Consent is necessary. Moreover a political solution is the only way forward in the long term. Pressure both the rebels and the Sudanese government. It takes 2 hands to clap.

Remeber when I wrote the post Heavy Metal In Baghdad? Those clips didn’t really show the band in action but this one does. It’s the second installment (and final one I presume). They’re not bad at all. I swear if these guys actually recorded an album, I would instantly buy it. Many such bands do exist throughout the Muslim world. The day they stop mushrooming is the day I’ll have no doubt whatsoever that the decline has begun.

So says Aisha. Me agrees:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a nut job. Yet her clerical detractors never learn: bad press from panting fundamentalists is good press for her. Now, yet another sheikh has joined the ecclesiastical rush to beat the dead Hirsi Ali horse. In the runup to a lecture by Ali at a university near his hometown in Pennsylvania, Imam Fouad ElBayly of the Johnstown Islamic Center had this to say:

She has been identified as one who has defamed the faith. If you come into the faith, you must abide by the laws, and when you decide to defame it deliberately, the sentence is death.

He then goes on to say that of course one shouldn’t expect Ali to be executed in the US; instead, she should be expedited to an Islamic country for trial and sentencing. “Islam is a very merciful religion if you try to understand it,” he says.

His simpering comes too late to be in any way believable; he has already read out Ali’s death sentence. It’s a pathetic gesture at judicial fairness from a man who has appointed himself judge, jury and would-be executioner.

Continue reading here. Go girl!

Here it is. Part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. I don’t know what words I should use to describe this documentary. Informative? Scary? Crazy? How about quite disturbing?

Hmmm… I’m leaning towards 33.

So hot she makes me wanna cry:

I miss home!

(hat tip: Wholeheartedly Sudaniya aka Kizzie)