Alex and I had a great time in Egypt as earlier mentioned. I think these are good experiences for the boy and hope that he may come back in fifteen years or so and be able to reflect somewhat on the continent of Africa.
As suspected riots broke out in Egypt after we left. In addition, Hosni Mubarak the past dictator was sentenced to life in prison. This caused more unrest leading up to the run off elections scheduled for mid June. There have been many countries in Africa over the past couple of years that have had ousting of dictators so the entire region is what one may call volatile. Even now, the traumatic experiences of colonialism and occupation, the memory of the humiliation of the Crusades has to a greater extent shaped Islam by conquerors and colonialism. My view is that every time the United States and other "Christian" countries come in a bomb the shit out of the wrong country (Iraq for example) again, just strengthens the Islamic resolve and dissolves any real hopes of peace. These acts destabilize not just the African continent but affect us too...
So I have been fortunate to travel to Egypt, all over Kenya and perhaps Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda before coming back to Canada.
I forgot to mention that I met the Internal Security Minister, George Saitoti at a wedding here in Eldoret a few weeks ago. A job I would rather not have! He had an entourage of security personal which I talked with at some length during the "three hour" wedding. My ass got so numb on those God forsaken pews that I wandered the grounds as many of us would do...the young men were great, hardened and hopeful for a better future in Kenya. The wedding was ok too. I really enjoy talking with the people from high or low for insights on the way of living.
The successful failed states that have oil are by far most corrupt, the most ruthless and the most greedy. Ignoring human rights and blatantly supporting the oppression of their populations. Companies like Shell have been notorious in paying "signing bonuses" of huge amounts of cash to secure drilling, production and export rights to hydrocarbon resources with no regard for environment.
So in this manner or arrangement the successful failed state maintains its legitimacy and control of the population. It is successful in that the government remains intact and does govern for the elites own accumulation. No need for guilt. It is just the way it is!
In the end we get our gas and oil for really cheap in North America and other developed countries. The former system of colonization has just morphed to something different where control has shifted from the former colonizing Nations to corporations. The end result is the same and in that we have our heads so far up our fucking asses in the developed countries we take no action as citizens in relation to this horrible humanitarian and environmental disasters.
In the end the successful failed state runs out of oil and explodes into civil unrest. This is what one may call a collapsed state. It is generally screwed from day one and has no recourse but to hope for handouts from the rest of the world securing its dependent state status.
If you give even one shit, let alone two shits about the situation do some research on Shell and other multinational corporation who have raped Africa for the past fifty plus years!
One would hope after seeing the eyes of children starving on the streets, as I have, it may prod you into at least writing a letter to your MP. More likely not.
That is my comment as I wile a way my meloncoly mood here in the darkness and beauty of a full moon in Eldoret.
Good bye for now. Love most of you. Try to be kind to one another.
We are born, we live and experience life, we die and after one generation, for almost all of us, we are forgotten...so live while you are here!
Thought for the day....Spirituality is for those who have been to Hell, Religion is for those who do not want to go to Hell....
As suspected riots broke out in Egypt after we left. In addition, Hosni Mubarak the past dictator was sentenced to life in prison. This caused more unrest leading up to the run off elections scheduled for mid June. There have been many countries in Africa over the past couple of years that have had ousting of dictators so the entire region is what one may call volatile. Even now, the traumatic experiences of colonialism and occupation, the memory of the humiliation of the Crusades has to a greater extent shaped Islam by conquerors and colonialism. My view is that every time the United States and other "Christian" countries come in a bomb the shit out of the wrong country (Iraq for example) again, just strengthens the Islamic resolve and dissolves any real hopes of peace. These acts destabilize not just the African continent but affect us too...
So I have been fortunate to travel to Egypt, all over Kenya and perhaps Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda before coming back to Canada.
I forgot to mention that I met the Internal Security Minister, George Saitoti at a wedding here in Eldoret a few weeks ago. A job I would rather not have! He had an entourage of security personal which I talked with at some length during the "three hour" wedding. My ass got so numb on those God forsaken pews that I wandered the grounds as many of us would do...the young men were great, hardened and hopeful for a better future in Kenya. The wedding was ok too. I really enjoy talking with the people from high or low for insights on the way of living.
The Successful Failed State...
After the Colonizers left Africa in the 1960's the white man no longer had dominance over the people. The hope was that African people would secure their own future after five hundred years of rape. Unfortunately, the government structures left behind were designed to export wealth out of the continent at as quickly a rate as possible. It was not designed to govern the people in a fair and reasonable manner. So what has happened is that the black African elite now rape their own countries with the dominance of neocolonialism multinational corporations paying them off. The renter State is the most common one you will find in Africa. The elite rent the countries wealth out to multinational corporations. like Shell, Exxon, BP amongst others, to finance their military, keeping them in power. This structure also allows the elite ruling class to afford all the niceties of North American and European standards without working for it!The successful failed states that have oil are by far most corrupt, the most ruthless and the most greedy. Ignoring human rights and blatantly supporting the oppression of their populations. Companies like Shell have been notorious in paying "signing bonuses" of huge amounts of cash to secure drilling, production and export rights to hydrocarbon resources with no regard for environment.
So in this manner or arrangement the successful failed state maintains its legitimacy and control of the population. It is successful in that the government remains intact and does govern for the elites own accumulation. No need for guilt. It is just the way it is!
In the end we get our gas and oil for really cheap in North America and other developed countries. The former system of colonization has just morphed to something different where control has shifted from the former colonizing Nations to corporations. The end result is the same and in that we have our heads so far up our fucking asses in the developed countries we take no action as citizens in relation to this horrible humanitarian and environmental disasters.
In the end the successful failed state runs out of oil and explodes into civil unrest. This is what one may call a collapsed state. It is generally screwed from day one and has no recourse but to hope for handouts from the rest of the world securing its dependent state status.
If you give even one shit, let alone two shits about the situation do some research on Shell and other multinational corporation who have raped Africa for the past fifty plus years!
One would hope after seeing the eyes of children starving on the streets, as I have, it may prod you into at least writing a letter to your MP. More likely not.
That is my comment as I wile a way my meloncoly mood here in the darkness and beauty of a full moon in Eldoret.
Good bye for now. Love most of you. Try to be kind to one another.
We are born, we live and experience life, we die and after one generation, for almost all of us, we are forgotten...so live while you are here!
Thought for the day....Spirituality is for those who have been to Hell, Religion is for those who do not want to go to Hell....
No comments:
Post a Comment