So they said...

So they said...

They got in their ships and sailed around the world.
They got to the land of my forefathers,
So, they said they discovered the dark continent.

They saw the gold, ivory and iron.
They liked it,
They wanted it,
They needed it bad.

Tall, dark and strong, my ancestors stood,
Toiled and sweated all day in the plantations.
They needed that man power they saw.
They bribed us with wine, beer and guns,
So they said it was trade.

Their brothers and sisters each wanted a share,
The outcome was the scamble for our land.
Sacred land, whose riches incessantly they reaped,
They fought amongst themselves.

Greedy beings.

The big war they brought into our peaceful land,

After the war,
They shared amongst themselves us like cake.
A part of me in Nigeria;
The other half of my soul Cameroon.
So they said it was colonialism.

They got ashamed of their actions,
Or was it the mosquitoe that saved our land?
Their people they retreated,
Left all their land for the sell-outs.
So they said it was independence.

Our economy still depends on them,
Goods we produce cannot compete in their markets,
They tell us what to produce, when to sell,
They dictate the price at which to sell,
and to whom we should sell.

They crippled our economy,
Sent in Structural Adjustment Programs,
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
To ensure our dependence on their goods.
And they say we are HIPC's or Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Goods that come from our resources,
They continuously reap from us.
Pretend to know our problem and offer a fix.
They have stolen everyday.

Rounded up our best resources and ran off,
Our men now toil and sweat to no avail,
Our land afraid to bear fruit since the vicious rape.

So they say we are underdeveloped countries.

Some of our men now act like them,
Reap what they can of the left resources,
And ship them off to offshore banks,
Now they say we are corrupt.

...The Power of One

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." Nelson Mandela

Back on February 11th, 1990, it was Youth Day in Cameroon. I was sitting in front of the TV when the news guy came on after the interruption of the colourful, "NEWS FLASH" jingle. The announcer proclaimed that Nelson Mandela was finally free. There was an uproar of cheering in my dad's living room. My 8 year old mind could make no sense out of the sudden excitement amongst the grown ups and the hugs they generously exchanged.
This morning, when I woke up, my mind was torn between going to work or not? As I pondered on my demise, I said to myself gently: I don't think they would miss me if I didn't show up. I turned to my bed and sank inbetween the sheets. As I closed my eyes to move on, I could hear that voice I hate, saying; Get up! Get up! You are needed at work!
My mind immediately drifted to the impact my presence or absence at work may have to my company I work for hence, my conclusion on today's post, "The Power of One." The power of one is also the title of a book by Bryce Courtney published in 1989 about the adventures and trials of Peekay, an English-speaking orphan, in the midst of Afrikaners during the Boer occupation of South Africa and is influenced by a German expatriate. But I digress.

VETO. VOTE.

In the two words above, it is interestingly discernable that the position of the vowel seems to give the word a different pronunciation and altogether a different meaning.

Vote: / vôt / noun. Pronounced “VOAT”. The word is derived from the Latin vôtum (neuter past participle of vovére), which means vow. A vote is defined in the Webster Desk Dictionary as a formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue. A means by which such a preference is made known, such as a raised hand or a marked ballot.

Veto: / vìtº / n. pl. vetoes. Pronounced “VITO”. The word is derived from the Latin vet (first person singular present tense of vetôre, to forbid.) It means the vested power or constitutional right of one branch or department of government to refuse approval of measures proposed by another department, especially the power of a chief executive to reject a bill passed by the legislature and thus prevent or delay its enactment into law. An authoritative prohibition or rejection of a proposed or intended act.

The conviction of applying one's values to bring out more of the best in oneself, or the best in others, to me is more noble than any political agenda that may exist. My reasoning comes from the fact that conviction is something personal. Something that is felt internally and if you cannot be shaken from your position, then your conviction is noble.

The reason I bring conviction up is because recently, I applauded Bush's standpoint on the Senate bill on Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Although I don't like Bush and most of his ideals, I was able to recognise his deterrence and concise stubborness at standing for what he believed. He argued that his reason for vetoing the bill was because he thought stem cell research was killing innocent embryos at the hope that they can cure diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimer's. I strongly commend his position and am glad he was able to stand up to what he believes in. The King actually confirmed this. He states his point with conviction and is hardly ever moved.

The more empirical argument has been made, and duely substantiated during the course of history, that one voice can make a difference. One vote, one voice or even one Yeh or Nay can change the result of a ballot. There have been many poeple that have stood up just like Nelson Mandela and have made a difference. Mention must be made here of heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Mahatma Ghandi, William E Dubois, etc. Voting is a right and the reason why most Americans don't exercise it is appallingly ambiguous since, there are millions of people across the globe that would rather die than not vote. A lot of people in the oppressed parts of the world have no voting rights and thus cannot express their views of their government.

That said, I often wonder if both words are not paradoxical because what point does it make if we voted for something and someone else just vetoed the vote? This one person in that case would have imposed his choice upon everyone albeit that the majority may not agree. I end my post today with that question. Tell me what you think.

...War Stories

...Success meant history. I was poised. But the scene on the beach was desperate. Since the ships could not get closer to the shore line, we had to make up the distance to the beach. One by one we jumped into the water hurling towards the beach. Sinking under the mass of my arms, I had to find my footing quickly so as not to stumble in the chest-deep waves, and fight the enemy, who, standing on the dry land, could easily kill and maim my battalion.

The arduous task to me beset nothing but the fear of losing, if it has to be admitted, and I took pleasure in firing back. The alacrity and enthusiasm of my enemy was overwhelmingly unencumbered by my continuous advance towards the beach. I kept firing and held onto the trigger of my weapon. Shells dropped and I saw my comrades sink and their bodies rise up onto the water's surface after a few seconds, maybe minutes. I turned to look towards the ship I had just jumped out of as it slowly started its retreat into the deep of the ocean. I looked around me to discover I was surrounded by bodies floating in the waters. I turned back to face the enemy even more enraged.

I was not going to lose, I thought as I could hear my commander over the radio call for air support. Explosions hailed our advance towards land. The enemy stood its grounds and we lost even more men. I don't know how many men the enemy lost.

A sudden seismic tremor and I felt my knee go limb. The waves swayed with even more rage as my mass sank into the water. I felt a sharp pain on my left side and tried to push my body over the surface of the water and started to beat the waves arm in hand. I was close enough to the sand. As I pulled my besieged weight out of the water, I felt the deepest relief I could imagine. I was out of the water and for that moment had conquered something, I thought. One victory, one more to go and immediately took back to firing my weapon.

The enemy was resilient. As I kept firing, I wondered whether victory meant as much to them as it did to me. Wondered whether they understood why I was fighting for my country. Wondered whether they would understand if I explained my personal views on the situation to them. Wondered whether if I waved the white flag, the opponent soldier would take me for a lassy. The thunderous roar and shelling didn't stop. It felt at times as if I the earth had gone into a turbulent spin and the had abruptly shifted. Sporadic cries for help immediately quelled by the tempestuous explosions and firing machine guns.

Impaired by my inability to run, my regiment went ahead of me and as I lay unmolested on the sand among the dead and the dying, waiting to be airlifted to a care center, I looked up to capture the most unique view of the battlefield: The awful events passing lay beneath my view; nor was there aught to interrupt my observation save a few bodily twitches, the pangs of prostrated ambition, and the shot and shells which burst close, or nearly cut the ground from under me.

In my thoughts, the birth and growth of my young soul had three midwives: Democracy, God, and Luck...

... I shook to discover it was all a dream and I was actually still laying in the comfort of my sheets and comforter. I was elated to know I was not hurt. It was all a dream I thought, a dream that was so real. Wow! As I reveled in the premise, I turned my TV to MSNBC and my elation at my finding out that I was safe from war was shortlived. Israel and Lebanon were still at it. Iran won't listen to the UN security council. Dub-ya still has US troops in Iraq. Diplomacy with North Korea is stalling. The anti-terrorism war seemed to be in full gear. People are still dying in Dafur. Same story for the Southwestern parts of Central African Republic. The list goes on...

...Poorer by Day

It has been what? 4 days? 5? 6? since I last posted something on here!Oh well, I decided to write something today because I saw on the news that most billionaires are virgos. Some astrologer lady named Susan Miller was laboriously trying to explain why that was the case and frankly I could not make any sense out of it all. But since I am a Virgo, I thought what the heck! I will become a billionaire whether I understand her reasons or not...Anyhooow, here goes my post for today.

You have probably seen, like I have, the "Feed the Children" commercials on TV about helping some organisations curb hunger in the world. Usually these organisations ask for just $1 monthly from you to ensure that someone half way across the globe has a blanket for the cold night. That is the cost of just one McDonald cheeseburger! Don't feel guilty though, because I stumbled upon an article on how extravagant the officers for some of these agencies spent your contributions, that I think I will never donate to some organisation unless I know my dollar will find its way to some kid's starved stomach; and since I can't verify that my dollar will make it to the kid's stomach, I think I may just keep my philanthropy within the confines of my arm's reach.

Yes you heard right. I will refrain from contributing to all the agencies until I figure out a way to channel my aid to the intended. But that may be a long shot so I will start with home and handle only NGOs (Non-governmental Organisations) that prove worthy i.e. me and you.

Charity begins at home so I will give money to only those I know and have seen that the have it worse than I do. For example, if you asked me if I had a dollar for a soda, I may just be kind enough to give you!

Most of your hard earned dollars are put to good use but you may be flawed to know that more than a third of global development funding-about 20 billion US- goes towards technical assistance.Technical assistance here refers to training of officials, research, and the services that consultants offer, which you and I would frankly call exorbitant. Imagine paying someone $200000 monthly to be an adviser on how aid should be distributed in an impoverished country. The job title? Special Counsel on Aid in Africa. Now, I don't know about you but I think these organisations are missing the point. Aid is to go to the poor not the consultants.

In Ghana, it is reported that local Aid workers earn the equivalent of $300 monthly but their foreign counterparts earn this in a matter of hours. The statistics are compelling and one is forced to wonder whether the aid actually goes towards what these Funding programs preach. It is understandable that the development of the poor African nations takes back seat to the enriching motives behind the money-run aid programs.

One major issue that comes with this is that most of the development contracts are awarded to foreign based companies. This, of course in guise to make sure the African companies (which are well-qualified for the contracts awarded) don't grow any bigger or richer than they are, while ensuring that the money being awarded for aid goes in part back to the originator. A case in point is the BDID (British Department for International Development). Of all the contracts they awarded last year, it is confirmed that more than 80% of them went to British companies.

In their obvious argument, they will quickly point out that the money went towards aid and development in Ghana and Kenya. But we all know, so I will not belabor the point.This goes to shed more light on why there can be no real sustainable development in parts of the world predominantly considered third world. This of course is just one of the reasons for the deplorable and incessant dilapidation of the African economy and socio-political climate. One readily thinks of corruption, lack of resources due in part to the encrusted effects of slavery and slave trade amongst other reasons. But that is another discussion.

...Reflections on the FIFA World Cup 2006

Yep, the Fifa World Cup 2006 is now over with Italy winning.

I won a couple of bets but some friends chickened out. Someone had bet their paycheck on Italy not winning the world Cup from the beginning. I am sure I would have refused to give up my pay check too had Italy lost. Anyways, the world cup had its moments as well as its faux- pas! I like negatives so I will focus on that.

It is true the letargic pace of the players in the finals made it painful to watch but then, I am glad we really got to see Zizu misbehave on his last day before retirement. If anyone remembers, in the 2002 World Cup, Zizu acted the same way in France's second game and the summary of his career at Real has been a catalogue of disgusting outbursts and shenanigans that cut his playing time a lot. This guy is one of the best in ball control, no doubt, but what image is he trying to show our kids? Man, just when I thought I could like him! Moving on!!!

To me, like I said in the beginning of the tournament, Italy was always a possible champ. Anyways, Juventus will be playing in the third division next football season but that doesn't mean we will not see them in two years back in the Calcio! Most of its players will be loaned to other teams and what not and will get back with the team once they are back in the Calcio.

But the Azzurri are at this moment on top of the world and the pleasure is all mine. They better enjoy it. Now, we have to rebuild the Cameroon national team, win the African Nations Cup in Ghana in 2008 and then get to the World Cup semi-finals in 2010 in South Africa.(I doubt this is possible but hey, I can dream right?)

THE DISGRACE OF THE WORLD CUP!!
1. Zizu played well in the second round of the tournament but then spoiled everything when he headbutted Materrazi. Thierry Henry barely got a touch of the ball, although he scored with one of those rare touches. P-i-t-i-f-u-l!

2. Roger Lemerre's Tunisia and the impossible fatigue. Tunisia conceded four or more goals towards the last ten minutes of all their games. Against Saudi Arabia, Tunisia led right up to the waning minutes of the game when Saudis came back and tied. Same story with Spain and Ukraine. They had a chance to advance out of the group especially when Ukraine had lost woefully to Spain.

3. Brazil's games were painful to watch. Ronaldhino can't play without Deco. And there is no arguing about this. Ronaldo's weight issues were blatantly apparent. Dida was pretty good but Lucio just dampened his light. My goodness, Brazil came with nothing to the World Cup. I am sure Socrates and the older players crawled out of their graves when this was over. Read on as I am sure the analysis of Roberto Carlos' marking of Henry below is evidence enough.

4. De Rossi of Italy intentionally elbowing Mcbride of the USA. He got only a two-game suspension. He should have been kept out of the competition.

5. Argentina’s coach soiled their dreams when he pulled Riquelme off the field with 20minutes left and never put Wonder boy Messi to churn the stomachs of the German D when Germany drew level. He opted for Luis Gonzalez instead.

6.Ivory Coast being over-confident in their play. They think they are all stars but then, we found out otherwise. Eboue had his worst outing ever. Drogba didn't want to run, the list is long!

7. The refs throwing out yellow cards at each blow of the whistle. Man, it made my eyes bleed when the ref in Portugal v. Netherlands gave out 16 yellow cards and four red cards. Good God!

8. I am out of ideas but I think anyone else can enlarge the list. If you remember something, please add it. Oh and the good thing about the tournament? I got to see Shakira move that waist/belly or whichever she was moving. I tell you it was a delicacy watching Shakira on stage. Not a bad point! Good thing number 1 about the world cup. Loved it! Hey, check out Roberto Carlos marking one of the world's best attackers, Henry! Go from left of screen to right!!!

...Incroyable mais vrai: Zizu's gift to France

I had promised myself to not post anything about the Fifa World Cup 2006 taking place in Germany until it was done with. But I think there is a point I want to make here, so to hell with my promise.

Nobody and I mean everyone including the coaches of the team didn't believe that France could make it to the World Cup finals this year. France once again has proved the old adage that the soccer ball is round and therefore can roll eitherway during the 90 minutes on the pitch and that Fifa rankings don't determine who wins and what not.

France's expedition started with a strained tie against Swtizerland and Korea. They seemed to have gained some new wind after they trashed Togo thereby grabbing a ticket out of their group. They then went on to fly past powerhouses, Spain, Brazil and Portugal to earn a spot in the finals this Sunday in Berlin.

This only after France had performed its worst ever since winning the World Cup in 1998 when they hosted. They hadn't even scored a goal until their fourth world cup game against Korea. France would not be at the finals were it not for one 35 year old man, who plans to retire from international and club soccer after the World Cup in the Germany. His name: Zinedine Zidane (Zizu for short)!

Although his performance holds the key to France's play, the French national team is full of superstars whose performances thus far have been at best average. But not Zizu! He has for the most part been an integral part of the ball flow, with his neat one-two touches and his ability to magnet the ball to his boots. Unlike Ronaldhino, Zizu is the game regulator. He slows down the game when his teammates need to catch their breadth and picks up the pace when Malouda, Henry and Viera are ready to run. What a soccer great!

I know you must be wondering whether I will mention Brazil! Oh yeah, I was going to get there but since you are thinking about it, step into my office. Brazil are still considered soccer gods albeit, their lack lustre performances throughout the competition. I personally didn't think Brazil would go anywhere this year but you always have to be alert when Brazil is playing. For the most part of the competition, the Samba boys never seemed to get their rhythm together. Ronaldhino barely completed a pass, Robinho didn't see enough playing time, Kaka laboriously worked the outside left to no avail, Ze Roberto was plain lost in the field of play, and Ronaldo... Oh, wonder boy Ronaldo! Although he broke the World Cup leading scorer record, his performance was outfitted by his weight gain and lethargic pace being all over the headlines.

That said, Italy was my favorite from the beginning and I would love for them to win since I have some money riding on them. But imagine what joy it would be for Zizu to retire after winning the cup for his country. It would be a good thing I guess but I am not willing to lose any money. Va Squadra Azura Va!