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Images from Japan: Oko

A small grill/noodle shop in Oko, a small town near Hiroshima. Note that most of the counter space is actually a cooking surface.

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Miriam Makeba: Africa’s best loved diva farewell tour

Nish Matenjwa · 05:22 · Sub-Saharan Africa

lingua → zht · zhs

In a career spanning over 40 years, Miriam Makeba, still regal at 73, is marking the end of her performing years with a 14-month farewell tour she says to thank the people in the countries where she has performed. Miriam Makeba or Mama Africa as she is fondly known is visiting as many countries as she can and has recently vowed audiences in Cuba where one reviewer called her concert ’unforgettable and magisterial’.

I grew up listening and loving Miriam Makeba and her gorgeous voice; my favourite song as a child was ‘Pata Pata’, (pata means touch in Zulu). Only later did I realise her music had such a massive global impact. Her ‘Malaika’ (angel in Kiswahili) is well known throughout the African continent and her music has inspired many African artistes; the most famous perhaps being Angelique Kidjo. What has always amazed me is her ability to blend African and other musical forms to create her own unique style. She also sings in several African languages including Kiswahili, Shona, Bambara etc as well as in Arabic, French and Portuguese.

Although she will continue to make records, this is surely the end of an amazing era for an artiste whose performances are legendary. In the eighties, I attended a Miriam Makeba performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall; her energy and grace that night were breathtaking. She was beautiful and stylish and in a two hour performance, she changed her outfit four times, each outfit increasingly more stunning than the last.

Miriam Makeba, who was born in a township in Johannesburg where her mother was a servant for white families, was banned from South Africa for over 30 years for daring to talk and sing out against apartheid forcing her into exile. “I don't sing about politics. I sing the truth,” she said at that time.

As well as the prodigious production of numerous albums, Miriam Makeba is also involved in humanitarian work such as being an Ambassador for the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations). While in exile in Guinea, where she served as a Guinean delegate to the United Nations, she addressed the UN’s National Assembly about apartheid. She has also set up the Makeba Centre Rehabilitation Centre for Girls which works with street children where she will be focusing her strengths after the tour.

Miriam Makeba, an extraordinary artiste whose music lives on through the decades, is Africa’s greatest musical ambassador.

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From the Palestinian Blogsphere

Shaden Abdul Rahman · 03:56 · Middle East & North Africa

Palestine Blogs stresses the similarities between the Apartheid Wall in South Africa and the Israeli Apartheid Wall in Palestine in the ethnic nature and colonial agenda. Mohammed Abed further adds that the withdrawal from new homelands in Palestine is also similar to what happened in South Africa. Mohammed urges for immediate political action that will tear down the Apartheid Wall. On the same matter, Shaden of Sugar Cubes talks about the environmental effects of the Israeli Apartheid Wall and the Israel's brutality against children embodied by arresting Palestinian children for throwing stones in protests against the dividing Wall. While Palestinian children are being arrested for throwing stones, International Solidarity Movement says settler children got away with stoning Palestinian schoolgirls because Hebron Police was too busy. ISM volunteers intervened to sheild the children while others filmed the attack.
International Solidarity Movement, also talks about three new watchtowers being constructed in the villages surrounding Nablus in a period of supposed cease-fire.

This “installment” was by “DanChurchAid” (”Folkekirkens nødhjælp“) at the Roskilde Festival 2004, and was an official part of the festivals humanitarian theme that year. People were encouraged to sign the wall as a protest against the building of the wall in Palestine. by Stig Nygaard

Bethlehem Bloggers wrote about the detention of staff member of the Alternative Information Center Ahmad Abu Hannya since the 22 May 2005 without charge. Addresses of high ranking Israeli officials are listed to send letters demanding the detention not to be extended, letters of support to Abu Hannya are encouraged too.

Sabbah says Qatar has donated $6 million to build a soccer stadium in an Arab-Israeli town. Even though Sabbah has decided to turn on again the comments section he did not comment on the news.

umkahlil says “Westerners who get their news from headlines won't know that Haifaa' Daoud Mohammed Hindiya was shot from two meters away at a checkpoint by Israeli soldiers. umkahlil adds: “Westerners who get their news from headlines and AP won't know that it is acceptable according to international law to fight foreign occupation by any means necessary.” Haifaa” a psychologically disturbed and the mother of five children, ages one through twelve, Bleeds to Death At IOF Checkpoint. She also mentions donation of 300 dogs by a Jewish organization in the US to help Israel fight the Palestinians.

The Electronic Intifada reports that The University of Haifa has warned foreign students of the dangers of visiting Palestinians, such actions offer fresh reason for the University of Haifa to again be included in a list of Israeli universities being (re)considered for an academic boycott. The Electronic Intifada also reports that the harvest season has begun in the West Bank -despite of the restrictions on movement of Palestinians trying to access their lands- and the great damage caused by the construction of the Apartheid Wall is striking.

At Baqa'a Refugee Camp, increased harassment towards Palestinian refugees forces them to seek refuge in Syria. Rafah Pundits is temporarily down for expansion and a new team will handle its management.

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