About six weeks ago, I watched the movie "The Iron Lady" starring Meryl Streep. I was going to blog about the movie and Maggie Thatcher, the person, but I got distracted. So, better late than never, here it is:
The Movie
The acting in this movie is superb. Meryl Streep morphs into Maggie Thatcher, and gets everything right: the shrill voice, the accent, the mannerisms, the steely determination, the intense glare. There is a scene where she's hectoring one of her senior Govt officials for misspelling "committee" in a Govt paper. This scene alone is worth the price of admission! Jim Broadbent is superb as Sir Denis Thatcher.
Maggie Thatcher, the person
Love her or hate her, you can't fault her for lack of trying. In stuffy England, no-one from her lower middle-class background could have climbed to the heights that she did without her steely determination. Americans -- who might be unfamiliar with England's (still) rigid class-system -- might think that she was a feminist icon. She was no such thing. I believe most women hated her, and still do! But inspite of her modest origins, she managed to climb her way to the top of the "greasy pole" (the British political system).
Thatcherism
Something had to be done to stop Britain's industrial decline. Only the discovery of North Sea oil had saved Britain from begging money from the IMF (in '76). Thatcherism, despite all its faults, was the only way to re-position Britain's economy into the modern era. Had to be done, and there she was to lead the charge! A weaker politician would have caved in over the Falklands Islands. Not Maggie! She wouldn't stand for any of that nonsense!
Relations With African Countries
It was under her clock that Zimbabwe would achieve independence in 1980. The Zimbabwean Govt has always claimed that they have warmer relations with the Conservatives than with the Labour party. I tend to agree. In the 80s she would tussle with the other Commonwealth leaders over South Africa. I think that -- like everyone else in the British political Establishment -- she was simply looking out for British interests above everything else. Can't fault her for that.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Football and The Power Of African Presidents
I thought I'd post this very pertinent post on the eve of the African Cup Of Nations final between Zambia and Cote D'Ivoire. Note well, I'm recalling from memory so some of the details might be sketchy. In 1981 or 1982 I attended a football match between Zambia and Zimbabwe at Harare's Rufaro Stadium. I went with my elder brother. In those days the (titular) President of Zimbabwe was Canaan Sodindo Banana. Robert Mugabe was still nominally the Prime Minister (although all power rested in his hands).
Now this was the great Zambian team of the early 80s featuring players like Pele Kaimana, Alex Chola and Peter Kaumba. As it happened, Zambia scored a goal in the 2nd half (from what appeared to be an off-side position). The scorer, I recall, was either Peter Kaumba or Pele Kaimana. The ref immediately whistled off the goal as being off-side, but the Zambians protested. The ref would not listen to the Zambian players, so they decided to walk off the pitch. That's when something extraordinary happened: The ref then walked up to the match commissioner, but instead of conferring with the ref, the match commissioner immediately made his way up to the V.I.P stand where President Banana was seated. This was in the full view of all the fans.
After conferring with the President, the match commissioner then made his way back to the sidelines to commiserate with the ref. Then, the ref ran back onto the pitch and called the Zambian players -- who had been standing on the sidelines after walking off -- back onto the pitch to resume the game. Then he signaled that the Zambian 'goal', which had been scored from an off-side position, would stand. In other words, our President had overruled the ref and allowed the goal!
All the while I was being given a running commentary by my elder brother and other fans about what was going on. Once this news percolated through the stands, all hell broke out. That's when my elder brother grabbed me and told me that we must leave the stadium at once. I can only recall following my elder brother down the Rufaro Stadium stands and I never did find out what followed after that.
My point here is that, it's preposterous that a country's President could even take it upon himself to overrule a ref's decision at a football match! But then again, what sometimes happens in Africa must be filed under "to be seen to be believed", or even more ominously, "only in Africa".
The total power that's vested in our African Presidents is overwhelming and suffocating. With no checks-and-balances, their power wades even into trivial matters. Can we imagine President Harper, of Canada, stepping in to disallow a hockey goal, or President Obama nullifying a (baseball) 3rd strike! Preposterous! We Africans need to see to it that our Presidents "know their place" and are hemmed in by Constitutional checks-and-balances, so that they don't overstep their boundaries. We owe this to ourselves.
Now this was the great Zambian team of the early 80s featuring players like Pele Kaimana, Alex Chola and Peter Kaumba. As it happened, Zambia scored a goal in the 2nd half (from what appeared to be an off-side position). The scorer, I recall, was either Peter Kaumba or Pele Kaimana. The ref immediately whistled off the goal as being off-side, but the Zambians protested. The ref would not listen to the Zambian players, so they decided to walk off the pitch. That's when something extraordinary happened: The ref then walked up to the match commissioner, but instead of conferring with the ref, the match commissioner immediately made his way up to the V.I.P stand where President Banana was seated. This was in the full view of all the fans.
After conferring with the President, the match commissioner then made his way back to the sidelines to commiserate with the ref. Then, the ref ran back onto the pitch and called the Zambian players -- who had been standing on the sidelines after walking off -- back onto the pitch to resume the game. Then he signaled that the Zambian 'goal', which had been scored from an off-side position, would stand. In other words, our President had overruled the ref and allowed the goal!
All the while I was being given a running commentary by my elder brother and other fans about what was going on. Once this news percolated through the stands, all hell broke out. That's when my elder brother grabbed me and told me that we must leave the stadium at once. I can only recall following my elder brother down the Rufaro Stadium stands and I never did find out what followed after that.
My point here is that, it's preposterous that a country's President could even take it upon himself to overrule a ref's decision at a football match! But then again, what sometimes happens in Africa must be filed under "to be seen to be believed", or even more ominously, "only in Africa".
The total power that's vested in our African Presidents is overwhelming and suffocating. With no checks-and-balances, their power wades even into trivial matters. Can we imagine President Harper, of Canada, stepping in to disallow a hockey goal, or President Obama nullifying a (baseball) 3rd strike! Preposterous! We Africans need to see to it that our Presidents "know their place" and are hemmed in by Constitutional checks-and-balances, so that they don't overstep their boundaries. We owe this to ourselves.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Memo To A Presidential Candidate
I have an online acquaintance whose e-mails I've been reading for over ten years now, and who's been prepping himself to contest in Nigeria's 2015 Presidential elections. Here's an online memo I wrote to him, telling him what needs to be done in his first 100 days in office.
========================
1) A ban on the wearing of (English-style) white-wigs by judicial officials -- This is a colonial holdover that has absolutely no place in modern Nigeria. Those white wigs look ridiculous on Englishmen, let alone Africans from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Gambia. This madness must stop at once!
(2) A Presidential directive stating that all Nigerians who have received honorary doctorates from dodgy universities will cease to be titled as "Dr" forthwith! -- They can keep their dodgy doctorates in their drawers and stop boring ordinary Nigerians (and other Africans) with their gaudy, unearned titles. Furthermore, all fraudulent PhD holders who style themselves as "Dr" (without having gone through the required academic route), will henceforth have the law of the land brought unto them. This is a pet peeve of mine (and many other Africans, as I've come to realise). A Martian landing on Earth would think that all Nigerians were Doctors!
(3) Presidential Protocol must be followed at all times by the Presidential office-holder -- if the U.S Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs arrives in Abuja, he/she must be met by his/her opposite number in the Nigerian bureaucracy (and not the President himself!). This issue rankles! A visit by a middling,Western bureaucrat often brings African Presidents rushing to the airport (cabinet in tow, sirens blazing!), just to be seen shaking the hands of the (often-bemused) Western official. For example, a visit to Dakar by the Deputy-Mayor of Marseilles will have President Wade dropping whatever he's doing and taking his 86 year old legs to the airport to greet his guest. All boot-licking practices must be stopped pronto! We Africans must maintain our dignity at all times.
(4) Only Nigerian nationals will be appointed to coach the national Football Team, The Super Eagles. In the event that no suitable Nigerian candidate is found, candidates will be sourced from the West African Region or from farther afield on the African Continent -- nothing screams Inferiority
Friday, January 20, 2012
Ndoda Zibonele
I've been following the tragic tale of the stricken Italian cruise-ship, the Costa Concordia. 11 people perished and a further 21 are still missing, after it ran aground off shallow Mediterranean waters. But what rankles even more is the behaviour of crew-members and the ship's captain itself, Francesco Schettino. Reports say that once disaster hit, crew-members shoved aside old-ladies to get to the life-boats. The captain himself was one of the first to evacuate the ship, and he refused orders from the Italian Coast-Guard to return to his ship. So much for the ideal of captains going down with their ships!
The insane behaviour of the ship-captain captures the Me First Individualism of today's age. Everyone is consumed in his own affairs, in a hamster-like, non-stop hustle for survival. No-one has any time for anyone else. Even amongst my fellow Africans, famed for our communalism, our Ubuntu, the ethos of dog-eat-dog individualism is now deeply entrenched.
The Ndebeles of Zimbabwe say "ndoda zibonele", meaning man will always take care of himself. But in today's age this maxim has now been stretched to its logical conclusion, with each man now, literally, walking over dead bodies to maximise his own utility. I shudder to think where humankind will end up with this insane and unhealthy behaviour.
The insane behaviour of the ship-captain captures the Me First Individualism of today's age. Everyone is consumed in his own affairs, in a hamster-like, non-stop hustle for survival. No-one has any time for anyone else. Even amongst my fellow Africans, famed for our communalism, our Ubuntu, the ethos of dog-eat-dog individualism is now deeply entrenched.
The Ndebeles of Zimbabwe say "ndoda zibonele", meaning man will always take care of himself. But in today's age this maxim has now been stretched to its logical conclusion, with each man now, literally, walking over dead bodies to maximise his own utility. I shudder to think where humankind will end up with this insane and unhealthy behaviour.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Faida Hamdi: Madame Butterfly
The "Butterfly Effect" refers to the hypothetical situation where a butterfly flapping its wings in, say Mexico, could set off a chain of minor atmospheric events that (when amplified) can lead to a tornado in, say Texas. Exactly one year ago, the actions of a female municipal police-officer from Tunisia, Faida Hamdi, set off a chain-reaction of events that ultimately led to the Arab Spring -- a series of revolutions that toppled long-term rulers from Tunisia to Egypt.
This obscure woman, Faida Hamdi, is alleged to have slapped and spat on a street-vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, and if that was not humiliating enough, she confiscated his cart of goods. Humiliated, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and the rest, as they say, is history. After all has been said and done, Faida Hamdi deserves a footnote in history.
This obscure woman, Faida Hamdi, is alleged to have slapped and spat on a street-vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, and if that was not humiliating enough, she confiscated his cart of goods. Humiliated, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and the rest, as they say, is history. After all has been said and done, Faida Hamdi deserves a footnote in history.
Steve Jobs: Picking His Brain
Folks: about three weeks ago I went to see a movie about Steve Jobs, called "Steve Jobs - The Lost Interview". It wasn't a movie at all, but an interview done by a British team, around the time after Steve Jobs had been kicked out of Apple -- the company he had co-founded -- in 1985. For me, this was a great chance to pick his brain. I recorded much of his statements on my smartphone and I've reproduced some of his insights below. This man was a genius, and his musings need to be carefully noted. Some of the interview footage also appeared in the '96 PBS documentary, "The Triumph of The Nerds".
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Steve Jobs ~ "I think everyone should learn how to write [computer] code, because it teaches you how to think."
Steve Jobs ~ "We at Apple brought a Liberal Arts atmosphere to computer science by seeking out the best in all fields."
Steve Jobs ~ "I'll have to say, I'm a hippie and not a nerd!"
Steve Jobs [himself quoting Picasso] ~ "Great artists copy; great artists steal!"
Steve Jobs ~ "Human beings are toolbuilders and we can build tools that amplify our innate capabilities."
Steve Jobs ~ "The way to ratchet up the species is to take the best of everything [from everyone] and spread it as widely as possible."
Steve Jobs ~ "The problem with Microsoft is that they have absolutely no taste! And their products have no spirit to them."
Steve Jobs [commenting on ex-Apple CEO, John Scully] ~ "He got onto a rocket-ship that was about to take off, began to believe that he had designed the rocket-ship himself, and then changed its trajectory, causing it to crash!"
Steve Jobs ~ "In software, the difference between average and best is 50-1, as opposed to 2-1 in other fields."
Steve Jobs ~ "Xerox [the printer-company responsible for many earlier computing breakthroughs] could have owned the computer-industry, had the product-people been in charge and not the salesmen and marketeers."
=============================================
=========================================
Steve Jobs ~ "I think everyone should learn how to write [computer] code, because it teaches you how to think."
Steve Jobs ~ "We at Apple brought a Liberal Arts atmosphere to computer science by seeking out the best in all fields."
Steve Jobs ~ "I'll have to say, I'm a hippie and not a nerd!"
Steve Jobs [himself quoting Picasso] ~ "Great artists copy; great artists steal!"
Steve Jobs ~ "Human beings are toolbuilders and we can build tools that amplify our innate capabilities."
Steve Jobs ~ "The way to ratchet up the species is to take the best of everything [from everyone] and spread it as widely as possible."
Steve Jobs ~ "The problem with Microsoft is that they have absolutely no taste! And their products have no spirit to them."
Steve Jobs [commenting on ex-Apple CEO, John Scully] ~ "He got onto a rocket-ship that was about to take off, began to believe that he had designed the rocket-ship himself, and then changed its trajectory, causing it to crash!"
Steve Jobs ~ "In software, the difference between average and best is 50-1, as opposed to 2-1 in other fields."
Steve Jobs ~ "Xerox [the printer-company responsible for many earlier computing breakthroughs] could have owned the computer-industry, had the product-people been in charge and not the salesmen and marketeers."
=============================================
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Socrates, Cesaria Evora, Christopher Hitchens ~ Bidding Adieu
In the past fortnight, three people whom I admire greatly, departed this Earth to join the ancestors. It's in times like these that you have to think of your own mortality. I grew up watching the football wizardry of Socrates; in College, I was lulled to sleep poring over the commentaries of Christopher Hitchens; and later on, I became mesmerised by the music of Cesaria Evora, the Cape Verdean "barefoot diva". Now, they've all left us, and in quick succession too. It is indeed true: only God knows what lies in store for us; we can never really be the total masters of our destinies. Those who think otherwise are deluding themselves.
============================================
Socrates ~ the death of the great Brazilians midfielder of the 80s came as a total shock. That he died from complications from cirrhosis of the liver was even more shocking. If you've never seen the Brazilian football team from the 80s, then you've never lived! Zico, Cerezo, Falcao, Alemao, Junior and the majestic Socrates himself, orchestrating the play in midfield. Pure magic! In my opinion, this was the best football team ever to be assembled.
They turned the game of football -- the beautiful game (jogo bonito) as Brazilians call it -- into an art-form, a living opera. And then there was Socrates: a tall, lanky midfielder; a creative genius; and somewhat of an intellectual to boot. On top of that, he was a trained doctor, who had a chain-smoking habit! What a player! What a character! May his soul forever rest in peace.
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Christopher Hitchens ~ His death was not unexpected, but it still saddens me to see him go. He was probably the best rhetorician the Western World has seen since the time of the Ancient Greeks. In any verbal spar he was unbeatable. Like a lion stalking an impala, he would seize upon his "prey", set them up, and then destroy them to pieces with facts and iron-clad logic. A terrific genius! It will be a millennium before the Western World sees the emergence of such a great verbal practitioner like him.
=============================================
Cesaria Evora ~ I woke up on Sat morning and read of her tragic death. I instantly collapsed into a heap on my living-room couch. I just couldn't believe it! Her music was pure magic. She truly did capture the spirit of the Cape Verdean people (and it's large diaspora).
Like most people, I wasn't aware of her music until about the early 90s. Once I had heard her haunting voice, I was addicted! "Angola", "Petit Pays" and her duet with Salif Keita, "Yamore" are my favourite songs. A great musician, she shall be sorely missed.
============================================
Socrates ~ the death of the great Brazilians midfielder of the 80s came as a total shock. That he died from complications from cirrhosis of the liver was even more shocking. If you've never seen the Brazilian football team from the 80s, then you've never lived! Zico, Cerezo, Falcao, Alemao, Junior and the majestic Socrates himself, orchestrating the play in midfield. Pure magic! In my opinion, this was the best football team ever to be assembled.
They turned the game of football -- the beautiful game (jogo bonito) as Brazilians call it -- into an art-form, a living opera. And then there was Socrates: a tall, lanky midfielder; a creative genius; and somewhat of an intellectual to boot. On top of that, he was a trained doctor, who had a chain-smoking habit! What a player! What a character! May his soul forever rest in peace.
=============================================
Christopher Hitchens ~ His death was not unexpected, but it still saddens me to see him go. He was probably the best rhetorician the Western World has seen since the time of the Ancient Greeks. In any verbal spar he was unbeatable. Like a lion stalking an impala, he would seize upon his "prey", set them up, and then destroy them to pieces with facts and iron-clad logic. A terrific genius! It will be a millennium before the Western World sees the emergence of such a great verbal practitioner like him.
=============================================
Cesaria Evora ~ I woke up on Sat morning and read of her tragic death. I instantly collapsed into a heap on my living-room couch. I just couldn't believe it! Her music was pure magic. She truly did capture the spirit of the Cape Verdean people (and it's large diaspora).
Like most people, I wasn't aware of her music until about the early 90s. Once I had heard her haunting voice, I was addicted! "Angola", "Petit Pays" and her duet with Salif Keita, "Yamore" are my favourite songs. A great musician, she shall be sorely missed.
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