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August 2008
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Jun

24

Beautiful Africa 8th edition

The new edition of the blog carnival is now online. The BA team (Ishtar, Szavanna and me) has been quite busy with other projects - so this edition took its time to be published.

Beautiful Africa Blog Carnival

Thanks guys for the great posts once again - and remember to contact the BA team with new posts for future editions.

The current edition of the carnival is here.

Jun

12

Hotel CaliFacebook

Filed Under Experiences | 5 Comments

I decided this morning to quit Facebook. I agree that it has its uses, but it recently struck me that there are probably more people - my facebook ‘friends’ - who have access to information about me than I would normally want. So yesterday I started restricting access to my profile information. But then I got thinking about the things I have gained from being on Facebook. Yea, it has helped me find old friends whom I probably would not have found if there were no Facebook. But that that was about it… I don’t care so much for being slapped, turned into a zombie, getting sent pictures of small girls telling small boys about how they would control their lives with the thing inside their panties. So I set about looking for how to delete my account.

Hotel California
I remember someone likening Facebook to Hotel California, a place from which you can check-out but can never leave. Well, it was close to that once I decided to delete my account. I looked under the accounts tab but the only thing I got was a link to deactivate my account, but then there was this:

Note: Even after you deactivate, your friends can still invite you to events, tag you in photos, or ask you to join groups. If you opt out, you will NOT receive these email invitations and notifications from your friends.

But that was not what I wanted. I wanted to be off it so that I would not be tempted to log into it again. So I googled and I got these results. I clicked on the search result item from Facebook and it took me to a page where I could fill in a form for them to delete my account. I thought I should be in control of whether I want my account to be deleted or not; Facebook does not give me that kind of choice. I filled in the form and got this message:

Thanks, your inquiry has been forwarded to the Facebook Team.

That is how they treat a request to have ones account deleted – an inquiry.

Then I got this email in my mailbox:

Hi,

The Facebook Team has received your inquiry. We should get back to you soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to review our Privacy and Security Help page (http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=433). There, you’ll find answers to many common questions.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

The Facebook Team

I want to get my account deleted but it is an inquiry, a response to which might already be on the help page of Facebook. All I can do now is wait. I hope getting out of all the other social networking sites is not as long-winded and convoluted as this.

Jun

11

Lamidi Adedibu is Dead

Filed Under News | 3 Comments

I just learnt that Lamidi Adedibu is dead. I am yet to get the details but I can remember that I learnt a couple of weeks ago that he was admitted in a Lagos-based hospital. It is going to be interesting to see what becomes of Ibadan politics. Remember how Ibadan was described as a ‘garrison town’ which has its own special kind of politics? Really, I hope the city does not descend into violence.

Jun

11

Yoruba and English, Yoruba and French

Filed Under Experiences | 3 Comments

It is always interesting to speak Yoruba with Beninese Yoruba speakers. I – like most Nigerian Yoruba speakers – don’t speak Yoruba without code-mixing, and the other language in the mélange is almost always English. Therefore, when I am speaking with a Beninese Yoruba speaker, I am very careful not to add in English words. But since I cannot speak straight Yoruba without having to pause to think about how to express certain thoughts in Yoruba I find myself code-mixing with French. I end up adding words like eglise, ecole, l’argent, nettoyer etc. But then, the Beninese, knowing that I am a Nigerian, (even when they know that I understand French) add English words. The confusion is always interesting; while I say l’argent they say money, and while I say Lundi they say Monday.

Where did they pick up English words? For the traders, it is simply part of their trading strategies. Most Nigerian traders who come from Nigeria to shop in the market don’t speak any word of French so the Beninese Yorubas had to learn some English words for dealing with Nigerian traders. Other Beninese Yoruba speakers told me that they picked up English words from Nigerian Yoruba movies. More power to Nollywood, non?

Jun

6

This Blog Supports Barack Obama

Filed Under Opinion | 2 Comments

Image by jmtimages via Flickr

I started paying close attention to Barack Obama when it became obvious that he was a serious contender for the Democratic Party ticket. And I liked what I saw. What is there not to like about him? A combination of intelligence, good looks, and an almost rock star-like appeal sure makes him demand your attention whenever you see him talking on the TV. Someone on a listserv to which I belong – a listserv of academics – said that it would be a good thing to finally have an American president who speaks good English. Mr Obama’s appeal is not just that he speaks good English but that he seems to be a cerebral candidate; for one whose credentials in national politics are not that impressive, standing in his current position must have demanded a lot in character indeed. The match of accessibility to the media and the dignity with which he has carried himself through the campaign has earned him much respect in the media

For Blacks and more
A friend has said that his support for Mr Obama is based simply on the fact that he is black. Imagine how much good it would do for the psyche of the African American to realize that no ceiling exists for them anymore. What other barrier would there be to break after one (or ones kind) has attained the highest possible position in the United States of America? I share this opinion myself, and so does The Economist. They said this much in their May 10th – 16th edition, in an article Briefing Black America. For the rest of America, the kind of hope Mr Obama represents presents a refreshing picture. And how much tamer can the image of America get if they had a black president whose middle name is Hussein? There is hardly anyone with whom I have talked who does not think that America deserves the kind of change that Mr Obama does not just promise but that he actually embodies.

A lot more still
Yes, he has got the ticket now, but that is just the beginning of the race. We all know how dirty and dramatic American politics can get. The opposition will go through his past with a very fine comb. It is arguable that less would be found than if the comb were to go through Mrs Clinton’s; but there is always something to find. They will make a lot of his inexperience in matters of national security, an area that is considered to be Mr McCain’s forte. They will also make issues about his sins of affiliation – remember the Reverend Jeremiah Wright issue(s)? Questions about his patriotism will be raised, just like it was done with the flag-pin issue. But I hope the main issue will be reduced to policies. And I hope this is the case for the sake of America. Mr Obama has brought out Americans who are traditionally apathetic towards politics. Just like Mr Al Gore’s movie about climate change educated the average American about the topic, it is hoped that this would be a stage for the education of the American public about the policies of their country. That is hoped especially since the two contenders are strong personalities.

This will be a closely-watched race, partly because of the personalities in the race, but also because it comes at a particularly opportune moment, a moment that combines a near-depression in America with a global food crisis. This attention will not be surprising if one sees the slightest connection between the current global crisis and recent incidents in the United States. This may be a good time for people to learn more about America.

And mating
The choice of a running mate will also be crucial in the race. Many have written about the advantages of an Obama-Clinton ticket (to think that only a couple of months ago Mr Clinton was suggesting a Clinton-Obama ticket), just like many have written about the disadvantages of such a ticket. I am just a blogger who has no idea about the inner workings of the Democratic Party so I shall not attempt any discussion of the merits of the combination; all I can hope for is that Mr Obama gets the right running mate. A person who will appeal to the section of the party that does not see Obama as their representative, but who does not come with Mrs Clinton’s baggage, a baggage that incidentally includes a spouse who is a former American president.

This sure is a race to watch with relish. And I will be doing this in the following months.

Jun

5

Freshlyground

Filed Under Music | 1 Comment

Image via Wikipedia

Sometime last year I blogged about Freshlyground, shortly after Dave Lucas drew my attention to them. I have been listening to Nomvula most of this week and I think they deserve another mention. I love the ease of their music, and the way it gently creeps up on you… and no, not in any cheesy way. One that I especially love is Doo Be Doo. You can watch it on Youtube here.

Jun

4

I just had a motorcycle accident

Filed Under Experiences | 5 Comments

Here in Cotonou, the easiest way – and in many ways the most practical way – to get around is by Zemidjan, the commercial motorcycle operators. Today, on my way from the market, the Zem rider tried to dodge another Zem, realized that he was going to run into a car and tried to swerve back. He lost balance and the three of us – the rider, myself and the bike – all fell down.

Just at the moment when I realized that he was going to lose control of the bike I felt some measure of frustration… that brief moment when I felt the two of us suspended in space, for just a split second. It felt so powerless not to be in control, not to be able to do anything about the fact that I knew we were going to crash. And then it was over. I was on the floor, the newspaper and the book that were under my armpit were flung away, and the nylon bag that held some apples was thrown another way. The only sharp pain I felt as I was about to stand up was from a grazed left-hand finger. I stood up, picked up my things and gently walked away without saying anything to anybody. After walking for about 100 metres, I called on another Zem, told him my address, agreed on a price, got on it and we rode to my place.

I know that I am still going to take another one to the market tomorrow.

Jun

2

Update to the Blog

Filed Under News, Trade | 2 Comments

I have just added a roll of the allafrica.com feed on trade news to the blog. It is directly below Recent Comments, at the right hand side. I am also currently reading the book The Least Developed Countries and World Trade, a Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) publication. The study was prepared by Stefan de Vylder. I will let you know what I think of it.

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Jun

24