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Oct
31
Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven
Filed Under Reviews | 8 Comments
I woke up this morning with the song in my head, looked for it on Youtube, and decided to share it. He was recently interviewed by Larry King on CNN. I couldn’t find a link to the edition on the CNN website, but you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes at the CNN podcasts page. Eric Clapton has an interesting story to tell. The text of the song is below.
Tears in Heaven
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven
I’ll find my way, through night and day
Cause I know I just can’t stay
Here in heaven
Time can bring you down
Time can bend your knee
Time can break your heart
Have you begging please
Begging please
(instrumental)
Beyond the door
There’s peace I’m sure.
And I know there’ll be no more…
Tears in heaven
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven
Cause I know I don’t belong
Here in heaven
Oct
29
China and Africa
Filed Under Opinion | 4 Comments
There is hardly any way one can escape hearing about China these days. I have not written anything about Sino-African relations simply because I was not willing to take a side in the debate on whether the effects of Chinese interests in Africa are positive or not.
Arguments and all
A main argument of those who are against the way China does business in Africa - and a plausible one at that - is that Chinese money has made those who were pushing some African countries to do better on human rights and governance issues to re-consider doing so. The simple reason being that China’s ‘no strings attached’ policy means that Chinese business interests are not coloured with any desire to change the way African governments run their countries. The effect of this is that many countries that see that sanctions which are imposed against African countries do not really deprive the countries of funds are re-thinking the wisdom of depriving themselves of raw materials. What is the point when money comes from China anyway?
Another important point is that when Chinese companies do business in Africa they ship in about everybody they need to work on the projects from China. A case in point is that of railway constructions in Angola, a country that suffers from serious unemployment. The BBC reports popular discussions by Angolans that the Chinese workers are nothing other than prisoners, especially because they never leave their camps. When asked why his company does not employ Angolans, a Chinese factory owner in Luanda says, ‘African people, they dont like work too much, they like relax’. He goes on to say that his workers work for ten hours a day, while Angolans work for only eight. I find the racist-tinged comments of the factory owner distateful, but I find it even more distateful that the government did not make any quota agreements about employing Angolans when signing agreements with the Chinese companies. The money paid out to governments by Chinese companies is not for development - anybody who has followed the discourse on aid knows that much; the stuff of development is employment. It is when people have the dignity of earning their own wages, of being able to provide for their families, that one thinks about development. It is extremely dissatifying to note that Chinese companies are allowed to bring in their labour from China, even the unskilled ones.
On Western tables
The reaction of Western countries to these new Sino-African relations are, at best, an expression of frustration at the lack of concern of China in the politics of the countries with whom they deal, and at worst, apprehensions that China is getting much stronger than they ever thought. One would not be surprised at the latter when one realised that China is expanding its army, especially the navy, has launched a lunar-probe mission, and that it might soon want to reclaim Taiwan. All these on the same plate make for an unsavoury meal on a Western dinner table.
Aint no stopping China now
One cannot really expect much of a change in Chinese activities in Africa, afterall China’s growth, which feeds much of the worlds appetite for cheap good quality goods, has to continue to be fuelled by raw materials. What one would hope for is that African governments are smart enough to get better deals for their ciizens. But then, this assumes that the people who run the governments consider the interest of the citizens. This is one issue in which one has to hope for the best; and patiently wait and react to each situation as it arises. General statements that are couched in moralistic terms confuse much more than the sentiments that back them might intend.
For more resources on China see here, here, here and here. My interests in BBC documentaries must be pretty much obvious by now.
Oct
29
BBC’s programme, From Our Own Correspondents, a programme that is a compendium of ‘personal reflections by BBC correspondents arround the world, features a special edition of the programme, presented by Alan Johnston, the former BBC Gaza correspondent who was help by the Army of Islam for 114 days. Click here to listen to the programme, and here to download the podcast.
How would you describe the weather in FedSpeak? Owen Bennett-Jones asks Alan Greenspan and this is what he says:
I would generally expect that today in Washington DC. the probability of changes in the weather is highly uncertain, but we are monitoring the data in such a way that we will be able to update people on changes that are important.
This is part of the press rounds that Mr Greenspan has been making since he published his memoirs “The Age of Turbulence“. Actually, I don’t know if I should say he has been making a press rounds or if the press themselves have been seeking him. When one is a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve of the United States, one hardly has to court the press when one publishes a book. You can listen to the interview here, or download the podcast here.
Have a nice week!
Oct
13
Sometime ago, my younger brother gave me a copy of Sarah Chang’s Debut album. The album has, among others, Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, from Bizet’s opera Carmen. I love the liveliness of Carmen the opera, but before Sarah Chang, I had never listened to Sarasate’s violin Fantasy. I instantly loved it when I listened to Sarah Chang’s rendition. I recently stumbled on the video on Youtube and I was surprised at how young she was when she did the album.
Sarah Chang was born in 1980 in Pennsylvania, the USA, of Korean descent. Her father is a violinist and her mother a composer. She started learning the violin pretty early, and auditioned for Juilliard at the age of 6. Her debut album, Debut, was released in 1991. I jave just seen her recording, along with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on iTunes and I am thinking of buying it. Whoever gets the chance should check her out, at least the Youtube video; I promise, you will simply love her.
Oct
11
Moving to Stuttgart
Filed Under Experiences | 3 Comments
The city [Stuttgart] is… the birthplace of two gadgets that have changed the world we live in: Gottlieb Daimler’s petrol-powered, high speed engine and Robert Bosch’s spark plug. The Mercedes-Benz factory [also in Stuttgart] began automobile production in1926. (Daimler patented the motor coach, and Carl Benz the motor car, in 1886. Not to be outdone, Ferdinand Porsche set up shop here as well.
You guys can see that a city that hosts Daimler – makers of the Benz brand, among others – Bosch and Porsche must offer some fun experience. I was there earlier this year, and I hope to further explore it in the period I’ll be staying there. Oh, did I add that I am going to be there for research? Yea, but I hope to have some time for blogging too.
Ok, bis später.
Oct
4
Of Dariye, EFCC and British Authorities
Filed Under News, Opinion | 2 Comments
I normally download a podcst of the round-up of major stories on/from Africa by the BBC each evening. Yesterday’s edition was concluded with a report by Sola Odunfa. The story goes something like this: Joshua Dariye, the former Plateau state (Nigeria) governor who is currently on trial on corruption charges, accuses the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the London Metropolitan Police of colluding to short-change Nigeria. Why? Because, the report goes, Dariye says that the acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr James Tansley, handed two cheques worth a total amount of about 29.3 million naira. According to Dariye, the amount siezed from his cohorts and him was more than 770 million Naira. He said all this in a petition to the Nigerian president. The petition was written on October 1.
Dariye and his nine lives
Mr Joshua Dariye first became a big embarrassment for Nigeria when he was arrested on money laundering charges in the UK in 2004. He subsequently jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria. The money that was siezed from him at that time is the topic of the current controversies. The governor was sacked twice by former President Obasanjo, but after each occassion, he found his way back to his office. This, as BBC reports, has earned him the nickname “the cat with nine lives”. The most recent life seems to be under threat. He is currently standing trial for embezzlement after he lost his immunity as he concluded his term as governor.
EFCC’s and British Authorities’ Response
On the following day, EFCC published a letter written by Osita Nwajah, its head of Media and Publicity, saying that the commission was not involved in handling the money, that it never had any deal with the London Metropolitan Police concerning the returned money, and that its involvement with the London Met Police concerned the provision of assistance on the Dariye investigation. The letter is here, and an update is here.
On their part, the British authorities have said that the money that was handed over to the Nigerian government was only a part, the part that was released to it by the British judiciary system. ThisDay reports today, October 4, quoting a conversation with Mr. Tunde Asaju, the Head of Press and Public Affairs of the British High Commission. He is reported to have said that the remaining money would be released as soon as the British courts released it to British authorities.
A Good Side to Dariye’s Play
In a weird way, I find Dariye’s play very fruitful, especially as it has made us realise that there is much more where the 29.3 million naira came from. I am really surprised at the window dressing of the presentation of the 29.3 million naira, especially when it is an extremely small percentage of the 770 million naira that Dariye alleged was siezed from him. Thanks to Dariye, it is going to be difficult for the British government to forget to talk about the remaining money. I wonder why we do not have an official figure of the amount that was siezed by the London Metropolitan Police. I would like to believe that that is due to the fact that the British judiciary system prevents the disclosure of such information.
What started out as an attempt by Dariye to save his neck from the EFCC by accusing it of colluding with the London Metropolitan Police to cheat the Nigerian government - an action that is itself very stupid, considering that it is tantamount to pleading guilty to charges of money-laundring - has ended up throwing more light on issues that would have remained hidden. This is one issue that I plan to keenly follow.
Oct
1
A little about charity records
The first charity album was by Band Aid, a British and Irish group put together by Bob Geldof to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia in 1984. The record went straight to top the UK charts, and outsold all of the other records on the chart put together. The single, Do They Know It’s Christmas, sold a million in the first week of release, and became the fastest-selling single ever in the UK, later to be replaced by Elton John’s Candle in the Wind, another single whose proceeds went to charity. Band Aid’s album stayed at number 1 for five weeks, and sold over 3 million copies in the UK.
Sir Elton John’s recording of Candle in the Wind became the second best selling single of all times, after selling over 33 million copies worldwide. According to Wikipedia, it was estimated that ‘at the peak of sales, almost six copies of the single were sold across the world per second’. The profit from the sales was donated to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
Reasons for the low sales
CNN’s story on the issue has a commentator talking about the fact that the Dafur issue was not a one-time event, like Princess Diana’s death, but that it has been a slowly unfolding disaster. In the opinion of the commentator, that was a reason why the albums has not sold so much. My response to that is simply to point to it that the Band Aid album was not about a one-time event, but about a famine. Therefore, the argument that the record did badly because it addresses a slow drama does not hold. And then, Candle in the Wind went and sold that much not because the proceeds was donated to charity, but because people felt strongly about Princess Diana, and the song evoked such strong emotions from the Princess’ fans that they all wanted to have it.
Another commentator says that the public might be suffering from a charity song fatigue. I buy into this argument, but I think it can only go as far as a certain level. One can talk about charity song fatigue, but I think one also has to talk about a more informed audience. The 1984 public that bought Do They Know It’s Christmas definitely is not the same public to whom the Lennon cover album is marketed. People have become inundated with so much image of the starving Africa child suckling on the breast of its dying mother that their sensibility has grown resistant to such imageries. Also, there are so many charity organisations that compete for the money of the well-meaning citizens of the developed world such that an album by one of the organisations has a lot more competition than Band Aid’s 1984 album.
A constellation of reasons
One cannot easily attribute a cause to the low sales of the Lennon cover album but to a constellation of issues, chief of which is the big boom in the donor/development industry. Others include donor fatigue, charity song fatigue and a host of other fatigues. If this constellation of reasons means that people are less willing to buy charity albums now than they used to, one should not be surprised when more ingenous ways of raising money appear. I am waiting to see the new methods….
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