Archive for
October 28th, 2008
Stories
Angola: On the mermaid Kianda and other mythical beings
Angola has several stories, legends and mythical characters which, like a breath of fresh air, feed the imagination of young ones and adults alike, giving wealth to Angolan history and culture.
Kianda, for example, is a much loved character. Goddess of water, she is traditionally venerated with offerings. Pepetela, one of the leading exponents of Angolan literature, has written a book called “O silêncio da Kianda” [Kianda's Silence].
“Offerings to Kianda”, by Angolan artist Jorge Gumbe, a picture which illustrates many Angolan blogs
Denudado, author of A Matéria do Tempo [The Matter of Time, pt] blog, tells us a little bit about the fascination for this mermaid:
“Durante a convivência que tive em Angola com pessoas pertencentes às classes populares, foram-me contadas diversas lendas e contos tradicionais daquele país. Além de uma outra fábula com animais, a maior parte das narrativas que ouvi, envolveu a figura mítica da sereia. As gentes do povo em Angola acreditam convictamente na existência de sereias, que dizem ser dotadas de poderes sobrenaturais. Em quimbundo (uma das línguas nacionais) as sereias são chamadas ianda, no singular de Kianda. Cada meio aquático tem uma sereia, isto é, cada rio, cada lagoa, cada charco tem a sua kianda que toma o nome do rio, lagou ou cacimba. De certa forma, ela é a encarnação do próprio meio aquático.”
In the same blog as above, the author shares one of the many stories he heard about Kianda:
“As histórias de sereias que mais ouvi frequentemente relatavam o aparecimento de uma sereia a um homem pobre, a quem ela revelava a existência de um tesouro. Subitamente enriquecido, o homem passava a comportar-se de modo egoísta, gastando toda a riqueza em seu proveito pessoal e não em benefício da comunidade. Como castigo, a sereia acabava por fazer desaparecer o tesouro, ficando o homem na mais completa miséria. Por vezes o castigo era mais duro e o homem ficava para sempre encantado no fundo do rio ou da lagoa. Há histórias de sereias em que é toda a aldeia que se comporta de modo egoísta ou avarento, sendo neste caso o castigo aplicado a toda a comunidade, que fica então encantada no fundo do lago ou do rio. Há angolanos que juram mesmo, pelo “sangue de Cristo”, que ouviram o som de mulheres a pilar, de cães a ladrar ou de galos a cantar vindo de uma aldeia condenada a viver para sempre no fundo da lagoa ou do rio”.
In addition to Kianda we also have the Jacaré Bangão tale. There are several versions of the story surrounding this character, but the most popular is this: the legend says that in Caxito city, capital of Bengo province, a certain alligator decided to pay tax to the head of the office, responsible for ensuring this tax was paid. It is reported that the head of the office was such a ruthless individual to the inhabitants of this region that the alligator, on seeing his attitude, decided to go himself to pay the tax and halt the guy's impetuosity. When he saw the great alligator out of the waters of the river Dande going to fulfill his mission, the collector was terrified and stopped dealing with the population in an impolite way. The author of the Olhar do Tempo [View of the Time, pt] tells us a different version:
“Pelo que me contaram, no tempo colonial eram todos obrigados a pagar impostos, assim a população do Caxito, reuniu todo o dinheiro dos impostos, colocando-o em seguida dentro da boca do jacaré e enviando-o ao governador para este receber os seus impsotos. Vendo tal situação o governador nem quis o dinheiro, nem exigiu mais impostos a essa população. Se é verdade ou não, boato ou lenda, sinceramente não sei, só acho que também devíamos ter jacarés em Portugal”.
Pedro Cardoso tells us in his blog, Coisas D'Angola [Angola's Things, pt] a tale from Kimbundo folklore, called “The lion is as strong as friendship”:
“Dois amigos costumavam encontrar-se todos os dias, numa das conversas um deles comentou; - Os leões estão a aparecer nas redondezas. Tem cuidado com a tua casa, para evitares um desgosto.
- O Leão não poderá entrar. Tenho espingarda e lança.
- Enganas-te, porque não pode lutar com o Leão.
- Tenho a certeza que posso.
Ambos riram e continuaram a conversar até que por fim se separaram.
Passou-se um mês desde quando o rapaz tinha avisado o amigo, arranjou um meio de se transformar em Leão e resolveu atacar o camarada rugindo ferozmente.
Arranhou-lhe a porta de casa e encontrou o amigo a dormir. Levantou-o, bateu-lhe e desfez tudo aquilo que encontrou. Deixando o amigo em má situação, retirou-se e voltou à forma de homem.
No outro dia, foi visitar o amigo que atacara e este disse-lhe;
- Pobre de mim! O Leão veio aqui e destruiu tudo!
- Porque não fizes-te fogo ou lhe metes-te a lança?
- Meu amigo o Leão é forte como a amizade!”
- There are lions around. Be careful at home, to avoid trouble.
- The lion will not be able to get in. I have a gun and a spear.
- You are mistaken, because you can not fight a lion.
- I am sure I can.
They laughed and carried on chatting, until they finally parted.
A month went by since the guy had advised his friend, so he found a way to turn himself into a lion and decided to attack his friend, roaring ferociously.
He scratched his house door and found his friend to be sleeping. He woke him up, beat him and destroyed everything he found. Leaving his friend in a bad situation, he left and turned back into a human again.
Next day, he went to visit the friend he had attacked who said to him:
- Dear me! The lion came here and destroyed everything!
- Why didn't you shoot him or spear him?
- My friend, the lion is as strong as friendship!”
To bring this piece to an end, here is another popular legend, a story about the tortoise and the deer, from the confrariadecágados [tortoise brotherhood, pt] blog:
“Certo dia, o cágado e o bambi discutiam sobre qual dos dois seria o melhor corredor. Então, o cágado propôs um desafio ao antigo amigo bambi: fariam uma corrida, marcando o seu itinerário desde o ponto de partida até ao ponto de chegada. Começariam juntos e veriam quem era capaz de chegar primeiro. O bambi, após aceitar o desafio foi dormir. O cágado, ao contrário, foi ter com seus iguais, os demais cágados. Combinou com eles que cada um se colocaria em um ponto do trajeto a espera do bambi. No outro dia, o bambi atrasou-se, mas o cágado já estava a sua espera. Na largada, o bambi saiu em vantagem, correndo em desabalada carreira. Em determinado ponto da estrada, parou e olhou para trás a fim de ver se enxergava o companheiro. Porém, um dos cágados que o aguardavam na estrada passou a sua frente, dizendo que, enquanto ele olhava para trás, ele, o cágado já havia passado havia muito tempo. Isso se repetiu várias vezes durante o trajeto, até que, extenuado, o bambi reconheceu que o cágado corria mais que ele, ao que este respondeu: — Amigo, já sou velho, tenho a escola toda!”
More legends and haunts:
This post is part of a Global Voices series about ghosts, ghouls, myths and legends to coincide with Halloween, All Saints Day, and other spooky holidays in this season. Check out our special coverage page.
Zambian Bloggers Discuss Presidential Election
Zambians will go to the polls on 30 October 2008 to elect their new President following the death of the incumbent President Levy Mwananawasa.
We are going to look at voices of Zambians in the blogosphere talking about the election starting with a guest blogger at Zambian Economist Kaela Mulenga:
Thursday, October 30, 2008, is the day set aside in Zambia as a presidential ‘by-election’ date to replace the just deceased President Levy Mwanawasa (Levy). Mwanawasa had a stroke and passed away in a Paris hospital on August 19, 2008. In the race to replace him you have – the VP, who is acting as President, Hon Rupiah Bwezani Banda for Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD); Michael Chilufya Sata (King Cobra) of Patriotic Front (PF); Hakaimbe Hichilema (HH) of United Party for National Development (UPND); and Brigadier Gen Godfrey Miyanda of Heritage Party (HP).
Mulenga goes on to analyse the candidates comparing Michael Sata of the opposition party, Patriotic Front, to the likes of Barack Obama, Winston Churchilll and Fidel Castro:
There are three things that a politician needs to be – to win in today’s volatile political climate.
1. He must be inspirational and persuasive. These attributes are essential for swaying, say doubting Thomases and useful when raising campaign funds.
2. A successful politician must also be imaginative, one who is able to link political talk to the solutions he/she is proposing.
3. Finally, he must be representative across the board. A national leader, who is multi-provincial in approach. What this entails is that – whoever is to be a Zambian president must be fairly acceptable in ALL provinces. Otherwise it would be difficult for him/her to implement development programs.
When analyzing what lies behind these postulates – as regards to the first requirement: a persuasive communicator, is in another description – a charismatic speaker. This category includes people like Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, JFK, Pierre Trudeau, Malcolm X, Fidel Castro, Martin Luther King, Kenneth Kaunda, FTJ, and currently Barack Obama. Using this as a yardstick to measure the Zambian candidates, Michael Sata seems to be best of them all. Therefore, it is no wonder he is pulling mammoth crowds wherever he goes. Sata articulates the voice of ordinary people, even though he flounders when it comes to foreign policy issues. In 2006, China/Taiwan issue and open support for Robert Mugabe, worked against him. No wonder he is more careful this time round.
Adair Zambia notes that it might take five days after the election before the official results are known:
This coming week are the elections for the next president of Zambia. Here the VP is appointed after the president is elected, so if a president dies, the VP doesn't assume the rold of president. 90 days after a president dies, there is an emergency election. This Thursday is that emergency election. Everyone is assigned to help at the polling stations, the police, the army, even the ZAWA workers! So this is the focus of the week. Thursday, nothing will happen except the elections. However, because of the system, we are anticipating the results four or five days after. We might be finding out the new presidents of both Zambia and the US on the same day!
Blogging from Kitwe, the third largest city in Zambia, Percy Mwale says that the next President should not be similar to Levy Mwanawasa:
Thirdly, the next President should not be anywhere near, or similar to Mwanawasa. No two people will perform equally in the same way that no two people's DNA are the same. It must just be someone who has the nation at heart and shall do it right - constitutionally. This means therefore that personality and character is an issue that must never be divorced from the elections. Jesus Christ once said, ‘You shall know them by their fruit'. This literary means that a person's work rate and output is determined by their character, their personality. It's the underlying passion that propels an individual to perform. Look at Barak Obama-Joe Biden and John McCain-Sarah Palin partnerships. An individuals track record speaks volumes on who a person actually is. Whatever one has achieved or failed to achieve. ‘A man is judged for what they accomplish and not for what they start'. One should only aspire for public office because they have performed well in any past public office assignment.
I rest my case!
The accusations against former Information Minister and the acting President Rupiah Banda of rigging the election are unacceptable, Zambian Watchdog reports:
Former Information Minister Vernon Mwaanga has said it is unacceptable and an abomination for the opposition PF and the UPND to be accusing him and the acting President Rupiah Banda of planning to rig the October 30 elections. And Inspector General of police said Monday that only one person can win in an election and losers should accept results
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Mr. Ephraim Mateyo appealed to all presidential candidates to put the interest of the nation first.
He however said the atmosphere in the country is relatively calm, two days before Thursday’s presidential election.
On rigging, Mr Mwaanga challenged the PF and UPND leaders to provide evidence on the allegations to Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ),the Zambia Police, election observers among them the Southern African Development Community (SADC), European Union before Thursday’s poll so that the matter can be addressed.
He said election rigging was a serious offence and warned that PF should not trivialise the matter.
Police in Livingstone had to use force to disperse thousands of residents who wanted to offload two South African trucks accused of carrying ballot papers:
Police in Livingstone Tuesday fired teargas canisters to disperse thousands of residents that had gathered at the ZRA offices to demanding that two trucks suspected of carrying ballot papers be offloaded to verify contents.
The trucks were impounded in Livingstone as they were coming South Africa on suspicion that the vehicles were carrying presidential ballot papers.
PF Livingstone District Secretary Nelly Mwamba told journalists that someone in Durban, South Africa sent a cellular phone text message to Zambia suggesting that the trucks were allegedly carrying ballot papers.
The UPND and PF cadres impounded the trucks Monday at the Livingstone Weigh Bridge after being informed that the vehicles had allegedly avoided passing through the scanning machine at Zambia Revenue Authority Port Office.
The cadres forced the trucks to be driven back from the Weigh Bridge to the ZRA Port Office where cadres kept an overnight vigil as they demanded a physical search the vehicles.
Lawrence Temfwe of Jubilee Center explains why October is a very important month for Zambians:
Zambia’s presidential by-elections are being held in October, a very important month for us Zambians. It’s in October that we celebrate our nation’s independence. Therefore, October should be a time for all Zambians to show their love for this country by pausing and reflecting on Zambia’s past toils and achievements. Independence celebrations ought to be a time to strengthen our unity as a nation and to rededicate ourselves to service.
This year we have been deprived of celebrating our nation’s independence because of the presidential election campaigns. Independence celebrations provide us with a great opportunity to teach our children and youths what we remember of the past and invite them to define their future on the basis of what we have shared with them. If we forget to pass these memories to our children and our youths, the result will be that other nations will overrun us again and we will end up in misery.
Freelance journalist Gershom Ndlovu discusses the history of electoral fraud in Zambia. He claims that unverified ballot boxes were smuggles out of the Electoral Commission of Zambia in the 2001 and 2006 elections. He then asks:
Can the same tricks be employed in this by-election or is it that the citizens have become vigilant monitoring the illegal movement of ballot boxes? Can someone monitor Zambia Airforce (ZAF) that ferry ballot boxes from outlying polling stations in rural areas? Zambia could avoid falling into the Kenyan curse the world witnessed at the beginning of this year.
Lastly, Zambian Chronicles Zambian Chronicle conducts presidential poll on his blog.
Carbon Footprint Calculators
Last month, GV environment looked at Maps, online communities and carbon footprint calculators. Since then there have been more calculators released, and in this post we list some of these new tools for the public to calculate their CO2 emissions.
PEIR - Personal Environment Impact Report
PEIR is not only a carbon footprint calculator, it is a more advanced version of it, giving you a detailed and personalized report about your environmental impact and also your exposure. It uses the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) capability and the accelerometers on the mobile phones to collect data. When speaking about the environment, particulate matter in the air (smog) and even other choices that we make about what food to eat can be influenced by what we see around. It helps the user to consider more factors than just CO2 emissions. If you were aware of the number of fast food restaurants in your area, would that affect the choices you make?
The PEIR was developed by the Center for Embedded Network Sensing at University of California, and it is currently in private beta testing.
Below is a video that gives an overview of the PEIR application.
On the Carbon Smart blog, Rory points us to another carbon footprint calculator
Carbon Diem
Carbon Diem works by utilizing the GPS information from new mobile phones. Rory described it best when he wrote:
The world's first automated carbon calculator has been developed by London-based firm Carbon Diem using software that turns your GPS-enabled mobile phone into a tracker that can figure out whether you are walking, driving or flying — and calculates your carbon impact based on the amount of travel you do using each mode. You don't have to do a thing. So will you?
He adds his thoughts on whether knowledge of ones' carbon impact would urge people to change their lifestyles.
… The way mobile phone applications are going, there could be lots of ways in future to tie this kind of tool with incentive schemes, but for now altruism is all there is.
Do you know of other carbon footprint calculators? Would you use the tool on your phone?
Tax incentives to invest Africa: chance for development or more Françafrique?
Le Pangolin [Fr] posts an excerpt from Le Journal du Dimanche on a new provision that would reduce taxes for French companies that invest in developing countries, “especially in Africa.”
According to the excerpt, one logic behind the provision would be to encourage more private investment in the hopes that it could accomplish the results that foreign aid thus far failed to realize. (more…)
Venezuela: How Children Show Their Community Through Photography
Ancla2 is an educational cooperative devoted to teaching photography, technology, and media skills to children from a wide variety of communities in Venezuela. According to Ancla2, when children encounter images through photography, it is a way to discover their inner self and to value their physical and interior spaces. Thanks to Ancla2, many children from small and poor communities in Venezuela have discovered a new way to see and appreciate their own surroundings, and at the same time, have learned new life skills that will help them in many other areas.
The photography workshops have resulted in wonderful galleries made by children, and now these works can also be seen by many more because the children also maintain blogs that show life in their communities. These blogs written by children 9-15 years old, such as this blog from the community of La Mucuy in Mérida provide “journalistic visions” straight from the children themselves.
El Guarataro Preguntón [es] and Reporteros del 23 [es] are two examples of these blogs. They are made by children living in two of the most poor and violent neighborhoods that surround the city of Caracas. Their main goal is to show daily life in both communities and how there is a lot more than often talked about violence inside the community.
Here is an example of one of the last posts in Reporteros del 23:
Benjamin estaba tomando fotografías en la subida que lleva al sector llamado “La Planada”. Una señoa en la puerta de su casa no dejaba de mirarlo, curiosa e integrada. El se percato y con gran gesto de agrado comenzó a mostrarle las fotografías que había tomado.
Benjamin was taking pictures on his way up to “La Planada”. A woman standing inside the doorway of her house couldn't stop curiously looking at him. He noticed it and happily showed his pictures to her.
As words of presentation, El Guarataro Preguntón [es] describes themselves:
Nosotros nacimos y vivimos en El Guarataro, el barrio más famoso de Caracas y de toda Venezuela. Es un barrio lleno de vida y de sueños, que también sufre por la violencia y por los problemas que nunca faltan. El Guarataro es famoso por algo muy bueno: aquí nació el poeta Aquiles Nazoa. Si en El Guarataro todo fuera como Aquiles Nazoa escribía y quería, viviríamos de maravilla. Eso no ha sido posible, pero nosotros hemos creado un periódico que se llama El Guarataro Preguntón, después de hacer un taller de fotografía y redacción con la Cooperativa Ancla 2 (con los que aprendimos a tomar) fotografias y a elaborar un periódico, que le hablará al país de cómo somos, de cómo vivimos, de qué cosas queremos cambiar y cada vez que nos lean y nos vean, van a tener que respondernos porque vamos a preguntar de todo.
We were born and live in El Guarataro, the most famous slum in Caracas and in all of Venezuela. This is a community full of dreams and life that also suffers from the violence and the problems that never go away. El Guarataro is famous for something very good: Aquiles Nazoa was born here. If everything in El Guarataro was like how it was in Nazoa's poetry, everything would be wonderful, but that hasn't been possible. Nevertheless, we have created a newspaper called El Guarataro Preguntón, after participating in workshops with Ancla2 (where we learned) to take pictures and make a newspaper that will tell the country about how we are and how we live, what are the things that we want to change and everytime they see us and read us they will have to answer because we will ask about everything.
In this documentary called “Voices” (video in .mov format), part of the work with the children of Mérida is seen.
All photos used with permission from Ancla2.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Israel: Heading Towards General Elections
The leader of Israel's ruling party, Tzipi Livni, gave up her attempts to form a governing coalition. Livni has been trying to put together a government since she replaced Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as head of the ruling Kadima party last month. In a live broadcast with president Shimon Peres, Livni said she would not give in to what she termed political blackmail, most likely coming from demands from the religious party, Shas.
Liron Tamam writes:
Livni's decision to stop the negotiation and to head towards general elections seems necessary. Even if she were to succeed in building a coalition, it would easily turn into fertile grounds for extortion and countless crises. Livni spared us from this.
So what now? We will finish with the local elections and head straight into national elections. Different campaigns will fall onto us from the skies, straight into the winter's muddy land, drowning us with promises. For the Likud, this is said to be the easiest elections. All he needs to do is display Kadima's accomplishments: the second Lebanon war, corruption, Gilad Shalit, damaging the Legal system, show Livni as Olmert #2 and the division of Jerusalem. Kadima, on the other hand, will tell everyone what Bibi wants us all to forget - the economy. Kamida will certainly remind us that they are supporting the majority of Israelis on the topic of returning all occupied territories. The Labor party? If there is anything left of it, will display Ehud Barak as the best defense minister. Who knows, maybe he is aiming only to be that, and not more.
…Will the labor party dismiss Ehud Barak? How long will it take Kadima to destroy itself? Will Haim Oron finally be able to motivate Meretz?
Earlier this week Livni had two options: 1) to be a prime minister in a weak government with Shas after surrendering to its requests, or 2) to create a minority-coalition which might just last several months. Tzipi Livni's refusal to agree not to negotiate over the separation of Jerusalem was at the core of her disagreement with Shas.
In an interview with TV channel 1, Knesset member Ariel Atias (from Shas) revealed that Tzipi Livni agreed to Shas' request to provide 1 billion shequels on the condition that 600 million of this sum is directed at families with multiple children, and the rest to the different Shas institutions.
Hours later, Eli Yishai, chairman of Shas, comes out with an unprecedented attack on Kadima's negotiation team -
“hypocrites, racists and arrogant, who brought out the ethnic demons”. Yishai attacked the Kadima people after they blamed Shas for extortion. He claimed that “it is interesting that the Labor party, who received 1.5 billion shequel upon reaching a coalition agreement, was not blamed for extortion…”
Elections are currently set for February 10th. I'll be trying my best to cover all angles here on Global Voices, as this story unfolds.
Links for Tue, 2008-10
Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House argues that Obama Presidency is better for Pakistan.
Luanda born musician Paulo Flores has won the Angolan National Prize for Arts and Culture. Koluki [pt] takes the opportunity to “dedicate a post to some of his music, focusing on some duets I consider particularly well done.” Hear the selected songs on her blog.
Le Pangolin discusses a new provision offering tax incentives to French companies who invest in developing countries [Fr] in particular Africa.
Jacky discusses humanitarian access in Darfur, Sudan: “Media reports this week cite growing concern over ‘denial of humanitarian access’ in Darfur. Although such denial certainly exists, many of the actors being denied – in the form of travel bans, visa refusals, car-jacking, etc - are not strict ‘humanitarians,’ but a loose community of NGO’s whose right to intervene is debatable.”
Zambian blogger, Percy Mwale, asks, “What type of President do we need in Zambia and what type of parliament will ensure prosperity?” She continues: “Firstly, all MPs must be mature enough to support any progressive move or bill in parliament, to the benefit of all Zambians not just a party, individual or family tree. One way parliament can avoid being simply a rubber-stamp is by having a truly mixed parliament. The issue of a minority President must not therefore arise.”
Camiri Digital [es] introduces readers to some basic words in the indigenous language of Guaraní, which is spoken by many in the Chaco region of Bolivia.
Both Haveworld and Trinidad Carnival Diary wish their fellow Trinbagonians a Happy Divali!
“Like any other country, we have a well-laid out and codified set of laws for the populace to follow. Of what good is our law however, when particularly in relation to serious and violent crime, we appear to have little success of apprehending and convicting those who break it?”: Trinbago Forever blogs about the country's crime situation.
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