14 posts tagged “africa”

Man it's been quite awhile since I've written on this blog.  Winter got me down.  Work keeps me occupied and I have not had a reliable broadband conncection for awhile.  However now winter is winding down in ABQ.  My job is a little less hectic and demanding and my broadband connection is more constant.

Hmmm ... I wrote that I would be exploring Lawrence Lessing, current events in Africa, the state of the Internet, and Web 2.0 when I did start blogging again.  I will indeed find myself writing about those topics soon.  However I need to really focus on the candidacy of Barak Obama and it's relevance to my life and my political values.

I just got done reading a spot on article in the latest edition of one of my favorite magazines, "Fast Company".   The article is entitled "The Brand Called Obama".  The thrust of the article is the ramifications and implications of the Obama candidacy on the marketplace and business.  The article can be read here. 

Although I am quite tired of the media circus that the 2008 democratic presidential primary season has become, I am becoming more and more interested to see if Obama can pull of the nomination and the eventual presidency.  The past eight years have totally jaded my opinion of electoral politics and the candidacy of Obama has been a bright point. 

For Christmas, my father gave me Obama's book The Audacity of Hope on CD and I have listened to about half of it.  I was immediately struck by the way Obama thinks and expresses himself.  This man is very intelligent and highly articulate.  Godspeed Barak Obama you have truly changed the face of American politics.  You have my vote.

I blogged recently about my curiousity with the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as the new leader of France.  I am still cautiously watching this gentleman and I have to thank Laila Lalami for this recent post on her blog that clues me in to what Sarkozy may be up to with regard to French relations with that country's former African colonies.  Read here.

I like to communicate via email.  I consider myself a pretty good writer and find the written word to be an effective means of communicating.  I try to stay in touch with all the friends and colleagues I've made over the years through college in Atlanta, Georgia, my service in the Peace Corps in Africa, my time as a graduate student/bookseller in Ann Arbor, MI, my life as a book publisher in Boston, MA, and now here in my new home of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The Internet, Email, my blog, and sites like MySpace (I only have an account there and not an actual working page) have all served pretty well in this effort to help me stay in touch with the numerous people I've met through the years. 

Yesterday I emailed my friend Ingrid to find out where she was and what she was up to.  She nudged me to try out the micro-blogging site Twitter.  I joined Twitter and I must say while I am a sucker for most things Web 2.0 and social networking sites via the web, Twitter really really impresses me.  Only time will tell if I actually make use of Twitter but for now it's a pretty cool new tool.  For more info go to twitter.com ... my user name there is james3neal.

 

My mind has been on Africa and food these days. Africa is on my mind almost constantly.  Food is on my mind because I am enjoying the glories of summer vegetables and I am on a pretty good steady diet these days.

Not a day passes that in some way I don't reflect on my time spent in the Peace Corps in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo). I loved eating fresh fish and dried fish there along with rice and beans, wild greens, fresh pineapple, fresh mangoes, and goat among other things.  Reading the New York Times these past few days I've been apprised of what seems like a truly sad story in the case of Zimbabwe where it doesn't look like anyone will have anything to eat if things keep going the way they are going with Robert Mugabe's and Zimbabwe's dire economic policy situation.

On a brighter note ... when I lived in Ann Arbor, MI I was a habitue of a local restaurant there that came and went with much fanfare.  It was called Latdior.  The cusine was from Senegal, the West African country pictured above.  If you have never had Senegalese food then you are truly missing a culinary sensation.  The people of Sengal do things with fish, chicken, and lamb that make you want to slap your mother as they say.  Latdior in Ann Arbor featured many of the traditional Senegalese dishes done in a very authentic style. I ate there several days a week because the food was so good.  Traditional Senegalese dishes include thiebu djen (fish), yassa (chicken), and mafe (meat w/peanut sauce).  The New York Times just reminded me of how much I love the food from Senegal.  Please visit this very infomative article about a often overlooked and underappreciated cuisine.  To my friends Michael and Keisha who live in Harlem, I look forward to exploring some Senegalese joints the next time I find my way up past 116th Street ...

 

Do you know where the Cape Verde islands are?  Not many people do has been my experience.  Forturnately I learned of these islands off the coast of West Africa when I learned African geograpy during my freshman year at Morehouse College.  I gained further knowledge of Cape Verde while living in Boston which is home to many Cape Verde migrants.

Even here in ABQ I have met a young man named Enrique from Connecticut who has Cape Verde roots. He's become a pretty good friend.  I have long been a fan of perhaps the most famous Cape Verdean, Cesaria Evora, whose morna music fills my iTunes database. Today I was pleased to learn of Sara Tavares on NPR. Click on the link and learn of the music and life story of Sara Tavares.  Rest assured I will acquire some music by this young woman as soon as money and time permits.  Her voice is golden ...

There was also a very good story of recent activity in Cape Verde in the New York Times. Click here.

Thanks goes to my sister down in Atlanta who is one of my greatest friends as well for sending me this link to a very provocative piece from the Columbia Journalism Review regarding the Vanity Fair "Africa" issue.  Click here.

OK ... I recently blogged about my heistation to judge the "Africa" issue of the most recent Vanity Fair magazine, guest edited by U2 frontman Bono.  I just picked up my copy after seeing it on the newstand for the past few weeks.  Screw the covers ... there are some very informative and important articles within the magazine itself.  I was very pleased to see a wonderful photograph of one of my favorite artists Cheri Samba who hails from Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) where I served in the Peace Corps.  I was priviliged to see some of Samba's work shortly after I returned from the Peace Corps in 1991 in New York city at the Museum of African Art.  If you had doubts about the "Africa" issue of Vanity Fair like I did, rest assured it's worthy of the hype.

Readers of this blog know that I served in the Peace Corps in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo).  After hearing about the Failed States Index today on NPR, I had to really think again about this beloved but troubled land that occupies the heart of Africa.  I wonder if I'll live long enough to see this country/region ever survive it's long troubles and become the prosperous and promising area that it has BEYOND the potential to become.  Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) is VERY important to the rest of this world and extremely important to me.

 

One of the greats has passed on into eternity ... Ousmane Sembene.  This pioneering fimmaker from Senegal leaves behind both films and books that will endure as products of one of Africa's greatest minds.  I have only seen two of his films (Ceddo and Guelwaar )  but they both effected me profoundly.  Farewell old man and many thanks for your legacy as the "Father of African Film".

I am very impressed with the film criticism and writing of A.O. Scott of the New York Times.  One may find a fitting article about Ousmane Sembene by Scott in the NYT here.

When I first read about this yesterday and saw two of the 20 "historic" cover photos one of which has a rather curious photo of Condoleeza Rice and George Bush together, I was a little perplexed as to how I felt about the idea of an issue devoted to Africa guest edited by U2 frontman Bono.  I did a little cyber sleuthing and went to the Vanity Fair web site.  I will wait to see the actual issue when it hits newsstands but after viewing the 20 "historic" covers photographed by the famous photographer Annie Lebowitz on the Vanity Fair web site, I'm still wondering how I really feel.  I guess I should list  some of the people Lebowitz shot for the 20 "historic" covers and maybe you will understand what I mean. (George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Alicia Keyes, Don Cheadle, Jay-Z, Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Djiman Hansou, et al) You can also view the cover "slideshow" on the Vanity Fair web site

here. As someone who served in the Peace Corps in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo), I would have loved to have seen Lebowitz include some cover photos of "average"  and "normal" Africans. 

Here is Vanity Fair's explanation of why they included George W. Bush for the Africa issue:

"We at Vanity Fair didn't think there could be a silver lining to the Bush administration, but perhaps it is, of all things, President George W. Bush's work for Africa. As the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development—an independent monitor of global spending—reports, the U.S. has quadrupled aid to the continent over the last six years. In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush pledged $15 billion to fight AIDS primarily in Africa, and two years later pledged a $1.2 billion initiative to fight malaria in the 15 African countries hardest hit by the disease. "