Global Voices Online

Stories

Africa: Bloggers pay tribute to Michael Jackson

Rebekah Heacock · 22:09, June 28th, 2009 · Sub-Saharan Africa

lingua → fr · es · sw · mk

A Nigerian performer impersonates Michael Jackson at a concert in Abuja, Nigeria. Photo courtesy of N.R. on Flickr.

A Nigerian performer impersonates Michael Jackson at a concert in Abuja. Photo courtesy of N.R. on Flickr.

The death of American pop star Michael Jackson has sparked an outpouring of emotion from nearly every corner of the world. Fans are sharing their memories of Jackson on his official site in nearly a dozen languages, and the news made the front page of papers across the globe.

In Africa, bloggers are paying tribute to the King of Pop by posting pictures and music videos. Writing from Nigeria, Oluniyi David Ajao offers a list of his 26 favorite Michael Jackson songs, while Ugandan blogger Serakelz honors Jackson's memory with instructions on how to do the moonwalk, a dance move created by Jackson.

In Ghana, Kent Mensah of Africa News collects reactions to Jackson's passing on Twitter and Facebook:

“Africa loves Michael Jackson… from birth you learn how to survive and that Michael Jackson is music… the most famous musician ever,” Rasco Patterson said on twitter @chickenwang4.

“Make this world a better place for me and you these are the words from a true legend like Michael Jackson. I will always remember you Waco Jaco,” Elton Afari, Accra, Ghana said on Facebook.

Echoing the sentiments of many African fans, Sudanese Thinker remembers the pop star fondly:

In a lot of ways Michael Jackson was my childhood. His music filled it with lots of joy and beautiful memories. It uplifted me when I was down. It made me happy when I was sad.

And as awkward and flawed as he was, I will dearly miss him and his talents.

And Ugandan blogger Dickson Wasake honors Jackson with a poem:

On the death of Michael Jackson;
The tears fill the earth,
Black or white;
The Liberian girl cries,
And so does dirty Diana,
even the stranger in Moscow,
We all scream;
“Oh it’s too bad; oh it’s too sad;
The king is gone too soon,
And I just can’t stop loving him!”

Though many bloggers are grieving over Jackson's death, others are questioning his eccentricities, including his changing skin color. In Ghana, blogger Emmanuel Bensa laments:

….the African culture tells us that we don't speak ill of the dead–and I am not about to do so anytime soon, but what I will do is to categorically state how much of a bad decision it was to become a white man.

Black is beautiful–and it will forever be so. As a Black Man, Michael Jackson had the looks, the voice; the talent. Oh what a shame.

For Ugandan blogger Rosebell, Jackson's death prompted reflections on why the news pays so much more attention to the death of a pop star than to other tragedies:

As I watched the reaction around the world to Jackson’s death I wondered if really all humans can ever be equal. Not that I don’t recognise MJ’s contribution to music and his great talent, I would be naïve to do so, but I wonder why we no longer get the shock when we see death around the world. Everyone seemed to say oh he died young at 50, and then I thought that actually in Uganda life expectancy is at 50. Do you know in many African countries dying of old age is almost history? Do you know that this shock we feel at the loss MJ’s death, many Iraqis face it everyday? The fear for the loss of their own lives and the puzzles of how their children will grow, grips people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Omar Basawad of Safari Notes dismisses these criticisms, focusing on Jackson's legendary talent:

Whatever might be said about Michael Jackson, whatever one might think of him - one thing is certain: he defined an era.

“RIP MJ,” writes Kenyan blogger WildeYearnings. “You now have the whole sky to moonwalk on…”

6 comments · read »

Pakistan: The Hunt For Baituallah Mehsud

Sana Saleem · 10:43 · South Asia

lingua → fr · bn · es

Baitullah Mehsud (born ca. 1974) is a leading military leader in Waziristan, Pakistan and the leader of the Taliban umbrella group, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which was officially formed in December 2007. He belongs to the Mehsud tribe in Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan region and is commanding about 20,000 pro-Taliban militants. Mehsud, the most wanted man in Pakistan, was accused of assassinating the former Prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He also claimed responsibility for Lahore Police academy attack and is thought to be responsible for many such attacks.

Mohsin Segal at Pakistan Spectator talks about Mehsud's terror tactics:

Pakistan's #1 terrorist is Baitullah Mehsud who has rocked Pakistan from Karachi to Khyber with a continuous string of suicide attacks, bomb blasts, kidnapping and then his other evil tactics. He has garnered support from many quarters and is capable of wrecking havoc throughout Pakistan. His power has not all of a sudden emerged from out of the blue. He has cashed in on the opportunity. He is using the wandering and clueless foreign militants and the local militants, in the name of Islam, as a cannon fodder.

Baituallah mehsud is known to avoid public appearance or photographs. A video by Istream.in shows him and his possible hideout:

On 17th June, the Pakistan army has officially started an operation against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and his allies in South Waziristan.

Jauhar Ismail at All Things Pakistan discusses the reasons for the army offensive:

While the military analysts disagree on the timing for this operation, there is no disagreement that crushing Baitullah and his militant network is a prerequisite for curbing the tsunami of terrorism engulfing Pakistan. In addition to providing sanctuary to top level Al-Qaeda leadership, TTP is also running several suicide training camps in South Waziristan. He has also made successful attempts to fuse together various terrorist groups to fight their “common enemies”.

The operation is termed as ‘Rah-e-Nijat' which means ‘way to good riddance'. In the wake of the operation Rah-e-Nijat several tribe leaders form Baitullah's native tribe have turned against him. Junaid Khan at Pro-Pakistan gives an insight on the alliance:

Now that the army operation is imminent, a division between the Mehsuds are becoming visible. The tribal people of South Waziristan will have to take sides since remaining neutral will be a difficult option.

Another post at Urdu Maza emphasizes on the need of the operation:

Its the best time, we have dispersed more than 3.5 million Pakistani, now Pakistan army should clear every militant in north and South Waziristan, enough is enough, northern areas are the backbone of our culture and society, these areas are symbol of purity and beauty and of course a heaven of tourism, but unless these criminals are not wiped out completely, they can create problem again.

With the local tribesman volunteering to help the army and a Rs. 50 million bounty on Mehsud, it is hoped that the operation will be swift. But Pakistan is facing a growing number of refugees who are fleeing the wars and if this operation continues for long, this will trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.

4 comments · read »

Iraq: Reflecting on Iran

Salam Adil · 10:32, June 28th, 2009 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → fr · es

Assuming my dear readers have not been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks, the developments after the recent Iranian elections need no introduction. Here I present, in their own words, the recent comments of Iraqi bloggers on the subject. So much has been said about the elections already, that whether a blogger is pro- or anti- the protests is becoming more irrelevant. But, what is important here is the Iraqi perspective. How, after sanctions, forced regime change, war and destruction do Iraqis respond?

An Open Letter to Iran…
Layla Anwar:
This is from an Iraqi woman.

I will not mess around with words…I know that this is your speciality…it is not mine.

I have learned that life is too short lived…and I have no time for words.

I will tell you, give it to you the way it is…and the way it is supposed to be.

There is a sense of urgency looming over my head. And am getting quite impatient…

I have swallowed words, paraphrases, sentences, dictionaries…whole and undigested.

Now, excuse me, I have one hell of an indigestion and I need to vomit it all out…in your faces.

Listen to me, and listen well…

I am no beggar of an Arab,

I am no Palestinian either…

These are your pawns, and they love being played around with…to the applause.

I am neither.

I am no pawn and no beggar.

And I also have no time for delicacies,

I have no time for niceties.

I have invented Language, I own it.

I play with it, pull it like a string dangling from a

from a puppet…

There is nothing you can teach me,
nothing you can invent…

I have mastered the Art

The art of deception,
the art of hypocrisy
the art of language…

I have mastered the art,

of sitting on edges
like a humpty dumpty
and I see you now
teetering…

I know,
you know,
we know…

Leave aside the wordings
kick away the propaganda…
like in a football
match

I match,
you match ?
No you don't.

I know, I know.

I know and you hate me for knowing.

I know your torturers by names.
I know your hidden agents by their codes.
I know your identities even if you are hiding…

Cover up,
like you cover us up.
Ali, Hassan, Hussein
watch them over
wearing Arabic labels
glued on their chests,
stamped from Al-Hijaz.

I see Darius galloping
in your minds,
minds covered with turbans
of pretence
bowing to yourselves….
bowing,
prostrating
to a saint
the saint of your imagination…

I hear echoes…
blasting through cement walls
as thick as your brains
thicker than your brains.

I see colors pouring down hallways,

I see the green
I see the black
I see the red
and
I see the white
of Death
hovering over…
fluff, fluff
cotton fluff
cloud fluff
word fluff
hovering above
open arms
receiving truths
from dungeons
dungeons
where Aryans
dark skinned
Farsi
interrogate
in the name of
Mani
of Zarathustra
in the name…

Whose name was it
do you remember the name?

I have forgotten names
I have erased them,
with chalk
with paint
with black covers…
a thick cloth

A thick cloth
through which you are now
shouting
I hear you
I hear you,

But did you hear me
in that dungeon
where you engraved
my name
with the sword
of some Ali
where you chained me
with the rods of
some Hassan and Hussein…

My eyeballs just rolled on
the floor
like some dice of fate
like some dice from a poker
game
being played
in a sand castle
a castle of turbans
a castle of turbans
and lamenting women
waiting
for another prince…

I feel metal drills
drilling secrets in my limbs
touching nerves
with which
I will awaken you….

I push aside thick curtains
black thick curtains
hanging behind bars
hanging behind subterranean
cages
I push them aside
and watch your faces
shouting
for freedom…

I cry out to you,
I am Josef in the well
give me your hand.

You do not hear me,
you buried me
alive.

Now you are screaming
I hear you screaming
alone…

Iraqi Mojo:

As the the death toll in Iran reaches into the dozens and outrages American leaders, the “resistance” in Iraq and other jarab continue to mass murder Iraqis in the numbers we have become accustomed to seeing there, without the outrage expressed by the President. It's as if Iraqi lives are worth less than Iranian lives. It reminds me of the comment by Madeline Albright, about the sanctions being worth the price. Iraqis have always been expendable.

Nadia:

Hey I wish the Iranian people the best too, at least the best that they can possibly get out of the situation they're in right now. But why is it when so many liberals and leftists feel the need to convince the right wingers that Iranians are human beings, it's a portrait they paint as a contrast to all those “special” people that they are surrounded by? Not that I didn't already know that that was how they felt, cause believe me, this is not the first time I ran into this sentiment and it won't be the last.

This really wasn't what I wanted my first post on the aftermath of the Iranian elections to be about, but there it is. If anyone cares though I concur with this guy.

Layla Anwar:

Neda Agha Soltani is the name of the young woman assassinated with a bullet in her heart by the Iranian government Basij Militias. No family funeral was allowed for Neda.
Her family and fiancé were interviewed and the video of her ruthless murder has not ceased circulating across the globe…

All the media outlets have been talking about Neda. That is fine with me. But how come no media outlet has spoken of the thousands of Nedas in Iraq that have been brutally murdered by the Iraqi Shiite Militias trained, armed and funded by Iran ?

Hundreds of Iraqi women have suffered a worst fate than that of Neda, and only in total 3 articles and a couple of videos were circulated in their names. Not even.

Why ?

…

The whole of Iraq has become a Neda with a bullet in her heart.

And that is more or less it. While Twitter and other blogospheres have been ablaze with comment most other Iraqi bloggers chose to spend their words talking about daily life or Michael Jackson, or Microwave Chocolate Mug Cakes. From a country which will, arguably, be the most affected by any upheaval in Iran, this lack of interest speaks more than all the comment in the world.

5 comments · read »

Iraq: Remembering Michael Jackson

Salam Adil · 00:23 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → fr

There was some comment in the Iraqi blogs on Michael Jackson. But first…

If you read no other blog this week read this one:

A little late in the posting but essential reading. Sunshine studies for her exams while braving constant explosions, shooting and poor electricity. She writes:

I wish the shooting and explosions will stop , and It will be a miracle, if we can have electricity more often , I'll feel the luckiest person in the whole world, my eyes hurts me when I stay late at night studying with torch light, I can't study more than two hours with poor light! Sometimes I wonder Am I demanding too much??? !!

Michael Jackson

The Narcicyst, an Iraq rap musician, summed up his feelings in MJ titles:

Fight till the end, but I'm only human.

You're moonwalking while we stay living in black and white. You made us all stare at the Man in the Mirror and find a way to heal the world. There was no way we were BAD enough, even a smooth criminal knew he wasn't dangerous enough. We are the world, but the world of music will never be the same without you. We apologize for chastising you, the world is a fucked up place. Rock Rock On my brother.

Miss you man.

Layla Anwar pays tribute writing: “Had it not been for Michael Jackson, the stupid, racist MTV would have not allowed a black man. M.Jackson was the first black man to appear on MTV with his Billie Jean, paving the way for subsequent black artists…” while reminding us to keep some perspective on the news:

While the whole world mourns the pop icon M.Jackson, whose Thriller was the turning point in his career, there is another series of thrillers taking place in Baghdad and which will mark another turning point in the recent bloody history of this doomed country.

Over the past 4 days alone, over 350 Iraqis were killed. And scores of others injured. …

I already see zombies and ghosts rising from the graves just like in the M. Jackson Thriller video, except this Iraqi thriller is no pop video and no one is there to pay their homages and mourn us.

And Attawie reminds us of her favourite Jackson lyrics:

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Maybe the world would stop talking about if he was white or black, good or bad, Muslim or not.

That's all for now
and… Let's heal the world

0 comments · read »