Sunday Inspirations: Ballerina Michaela DePrince

Michaela DePrince was orphaned in war-torn Sierra Leone at the age of three. She fulfilled a childhood dream when she recently played the lead in Swan Lake at the Lincoln Center. See a video here: http://youtu.be/2M72_FsPx9k read more about her and her story in full here:  http://bit.ly/1544Os8 via daily mail.

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sat’day riddymz

The New African Photography

This six part documentary series is presented by the Aljazeera program Artscape. It profiles six African photographers and their vision of their continent as seen through not only their camera’s lenses, but influenced and inspired by their personal experiences in getting the shot to tell their stories. Click on the image below:

“Will Zuma survive his son’s ploy?” ‏by Nkwazi Mhango

Recent security scandal and flaw in South Africa exposed President Jacob Zuma’s weak spot. It’s reported that an Indian plane carrying a wedding entourage landed at a military base near Pretoria contrary to the norm and law. This act of aggression and transgression to the security of the country regarded as Africa’s big brother, miffed and irked many people in and outside South Africa.

The plane carrying the suspicious family of Gupta and their Indian guests was heading for a wedding between Vega Gupta and Indian born Aakash Jahajgarhia in the Sun City, left South Africa paralysed. Controversial as the Guptas have always been, enjoying special treatment thanks to being business partners to Zuma’s son Duduzane. Like any prince in a corrupt Africa, Duduzane is a source of wealthy for any con man that’s able to fix and use him. This is what the Guptas were able to do. Untoward Zuma-Gupta’s relationship is an open secret in South Africa since 1994. Just as his rape scandal of 2 November 2005, the Gupta scandal has galvanized Zuma’s dectactors who want to see a thorough investigation into the matter. Again, thanks to cronies and tribal politics Zuma has always survived.

One South African political analyst Fabian Scherer puts Zuma-Gupta’s marriage of convenience as thus, “The issue shows to what extent private businessmen, particularly with good relationships with the president and his family, have gained influence on South Africa’s parastatals.”

Fabian is not alone. Zuma-Gupta business baffled even other countries that once hosted him. In India, Mail and Globe quoted a source who was in Zuma’s entourage reporting how Indian authorities were shocked saying, “They were asked why the president is hanging around with these guys… they don’t have a great reputation in India.”

Despite all ire and the way the scandal has roiled South Africa, Zuma seems to remain unmoved. Even his son is scantly touched but the whole burden is on the shoulders of his officials and confidantes. His government jumped a smoking gun saying that it was “gravely concerned”. Justice Minister Jeff Radebe was quoted as saying, “Government is gravely concerned at this violation of the security protocol and total disregard of established practice for clearing the landing of aircraft in a military facility that is of strategic importance to the country.”

To show how influential and out of touch the Guptas are, one of them was quoted as saying, “I don’t know what they want…. The airplane had permission. No airplane in the world can land without permission.”  Who permitted the plane to land and not only to land but land in the military base?

A day after saying that there was nothing  wrong about the Jet landing, the Guptas were quoted as saying, “In light of what happened… the family would like to issue a general apology to all affected, including the South African and Indian governments, the local authorities, the South African public and especially our guests,” said Atul Gupta in a statement. You can connect the dots and see the big pictures Zuma-Gupta cabal does not want anybody to see.

Though all is left for the government-cobbled commission to investigate, some major question any person can ask are: “Is South Africa reliable security wise if anybody can just get into its territory and land at the military base without any detection?”

Why didn’t the Guptas want their plane to land at O Tambo International Airport? Did the plane have illegal items such as weapons, drugs, illegal immigrants and whatnot? Why taking such a risk which would have resulted into bringing down the jet had such a thing happened in countries like US or even in South Africa had the military decided to intervene?

Will South Africans keep on staying aside and look as Zuma-Gupta relationship is driving their countries to demise? Are Guptas the mere pawns Zuma uses to man his business as it has been the tradition of African corrupt rulers? Is Zuma being used due to being gullible? M&G ran a story in 2012 accusing Zuma of benefiting from the Guptas and wrote, “There is evidence that the Gupta family is helping first lady number four, Bongi Ngema-Zuma, pay off her R3.8-million home loan.” There was no logical rebuttal to these belittling allegations from Zuma. This means what’s alleged was taken as true.

Why haven’t Zuma and his son learned from the plights-cum-quandaries of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak? Ask Guy Scott, Zambian vice president who was recently quoted as saying, “I quite like him, he seems a rather genial character but I pity him his advisers.” Will SA rid itself of the Guptas and their tick-like menace?

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.

“Where is the Black Church?” by Derryck Green

Op-ed submission by Project 21

Problems infecting and affecting the black community must be addressed in a serious and sincere manner. Many of these problems center around moral values that were once readily available and in abundance among black Americans. Now they are increasingly becoming rare.

To deal with this crisis, there should be a focused and concentrated effort, originating within black churches, that renews hearts and minds. This renewal should focus on Christian moral values as the answer to the pervading psychological ills that now afflict black America.

That blacks are in need of spiritual, social and economic renewal is no secret. A certain segment of blacks have succumbed to behaviors that most would label as counterproductive and undignified. Frankly, these behaviors are embarrassing and morally disturbing. What’s worse is that these behaviors are now being accepted as “culturally authentic.”

Under the current societal trappings of “tolerance,” “diversity” and moral relativism, blacks have willingly relinquished the painful but necessary process of self-critique. This behavioral and spiritual deficiency leads black culture to define “authenticity” as comporting oneself with stereotypes that the generations of many of our grandparents and great grandparents sought to avoid and overcome. In other condescending terms, this “authenticity” is often equated with “acting black.”

In assessing the situation, we can conclude that the black church has failed its moral and spiritual obligation of leadership, because, despite the many claims to the contrary, the behavioral effects and cultural degradation are now too abundant to ignore. Of course, not all black churches have failed. Collectively, however, churches have failed black America.

Further, many well-meaning white people, Christian and non-Christian alike, also are silently complicit in this failure due to fear of reprisals such as being labeled “racist” or “insensitive.” In refusing to speak out and condemn unacceptable behaviors, these people passively accept and legitimize a form of conduct that they likely would vigorously oppose if it came from someone in their own family.

Recognizing the impotence of so many black churches, we must assume that many black ministers are evading discussions of personal and communal sin. Sermons regarding the guilt and shame of socially self-limiting and damaging behaviors obviously don’t contain the potent condemnation they once did. It’s a self-evident truth predicated upon the preponderance of detrimental activity that proliferates within black culture. These activities represent moral and spiritual captivity.

The first enslavement of our community was obvious, it was an existential reality recognized by blacks. Unwanted, it was still an accepted reality. It was challenged as a moral evil and was abolished.

This second slavery, when fully understood, is much more reprehensible than the first. Though American blacks are physically free, their spirits and minds are still bound, even though the generations of blacks living in America today are among the freest blacks ever in the history of the world.

I’m angry and sad that a community whose heritage and dignity once coalesced around the lordship of Jesus and his church has allowed itself to come to this. This apparent timidity of the black pulpit, in not properly teaching the gospel of truth and not holding congregations to a higher standard of personal and communal morality, has had disastrous effects.

We know the power of the black church as has been evidenced by history. The black church sustained generations of blacks during periods of American history when society was much more intolerant and unbecoming than it is now. It fostered an elevated level of character that included “blessing one’s enemy” while “turning the other cheek,” even when circumstances made it exceptionally difficult to do so.

Blacks must realize that our cultural redemption won’t come from the tip of a pen of a liberal politician. It will come by returning to the biblical values contained in the Christian faith of their fathers, facilitated by a church that bears witness in the pulpit.

Derryck Green, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 black leadership network, received a M.A. in Theological Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his doctorate in ministry at Azusa Pacific University.

Angela Davis and Assata Shakur’s Lawyer Denounce FBI’s Adding of Exiled Activist to Terrorist List

2 Black Men vs 1 Black Woman

The significance of Barack Obama and Eric Holder placing Assata Shakur on the FBI “Most Wanted Terroist List”, with the likes of Al Qaeda’s number two leader Ayman al-Zawahiri (I guess now number one since Bin Ladin’s death), the ONLY (black) female on this list, is and will be lost on most African-Americans. These two “Black” men are sending a signal to their “White” masters that they not only repudiate the struggles of Black people against oppression and for their own empowerment, but that “Black Militancy” itself, is a form of TERRORISM! Further they are now declaring a “war on terror” against the backbone… the heart and soul… of the Black Liberation Movement: The Black Woman!

Unlike the murdered teen Trayvon Martin, whom Obama stated “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon”, he sees no connection of his black daughters and black wife to Assata Shakur. Regardless, isn’t one of the primary roles of a man (in most if not all cultures and throughout history) to protect the woman of his community from the unwarranted and unjustified attacks of men from a rival community? What does it say about these two black men who are willing to sacrifice this black woman on the altar of white supremacy? As an American citizen, is she now a legitimate target of an extra-judicial drone killing like Anwar al-Awlaki?

The sad thing is, regardless of this latest blatant act of once again turning his back on the African-American community and perpetuating the system of injustice and “terror” against them, 99% of these same negroes would vote for Barack Obama for a 3rd term as President if they could! smh!

Excellent articles:

1. Why the hunt for Assata Shakur matters
2. Assata Shakur: Understanding the politics behind the FBI’s new attack

sat’day riddymz