Violence in Kenya continues

Latest on the situation on the ground, from Aljazeera English. I'll try to write a little more on this in the coming few days.

Congolese casualties add up to the population of Denmark

Surveys conducted by a major humanitarian agency show that the death toll in war torn Congo far outweighs that of Darfur, Rwanda, Kosovo and Bosnia. Although the war in Congo, also known as Africa’s World War, officially ended 5 years ago, new reports conclude that: “The Congo conflict and its aftermath, in terms of fatalities, surpass any other nation since World War II”. 

"Congo's loss is equivalent to the entire population of Denmark or the state of Colorado perishing within a decade," George Rupp, President of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement. Most of the casualties, caused by preventable and treatable diseases, are claiming up to 45,000 lives each month, which estimates that around 1,500 people are dying every day. Hopefully the talks of a peace deal between the government and rebels will finally end the devastating crisis. 

The situation in Gaza

Palestinian women broke through the Egyptian-Palestinian border yesterday, and overnight the border crossing was blown up. The situation in Gaza is dire, and the suffering is so great that the people aren't really afraid of gunfire or the Egyptian security, they just want to eat and feed their children. Many of those who've crossed to the Egyptian Rafah came back after they bought the food supplies they needed. Aljazeera was one of the first channels to cover it, perhaps the first, and certainly had the best coverage and footage. Luckily, these reports are available online, on Aljazeera's Youtube channel.

The graveyard of miracles!

So much for winning the hearts and minds. Afghans are flocking to the graves (mass graves, actually) of the Arabs who died in American attacks in 2001. The thousands, who come from as far as Pakistan, believe that drinking from the salty water nearby will cure diseases. Here's a translation, by my good friend Hashmat, of the original story from the BBC's Persian services:

Thousands of Muslim Arabs moved into Afghanistan after Taliban consolidate their gains on the major city in the south of Afghanistan. Qandahar city was one of the most desired cities for the Arab families. However, After the events of 9/11 ,an the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan, many of these Arab families lost their lives in the American carpet bombings. On the road to Qandahar, and on the road to Spinbuldak, are Arab villages which have been raised to the ground by the American Carpet Bombings. Many of these Arab families have been killed and are now buried in Kandahar’s main cemetery. Over the past few years these graves have become a place of visiting for thousands of locals who believe that these people are saints. The American-backed government of Afghanistan has tried to stop the people from visiting these graves, but the news of the graves have spread throughout the south, and even as far as Pakistan. Men and women flock to these graves for special prayers.

Bush's Middle East tour

The most powerful in the world, the American president, is touring the Middle East, and the international media is reporting, analysing and repeating every aspect of his trip.

To cynics like myself, Bush might appear somewhat "contradictory": he discusses peace with the Palestinians and Israelis but threatens Iran, he's preaches democracy but is praises Arab autocratic regimes (and calls them moderates), he talks about freedom but calls the occupation of Iraq "liberation", he says the US deeply cares for Lebanon but he supported Israel when they mercelessly bombed Lebanon, he offers aid to some countries but starves the Palestinians in Gaza, he denies Iran the right to have nuclear technology but encourages the Arabs to have it, and he says he wants peace in the Middle East but sells weapons to the Arabs (moderates, I mean). Paradoxical?

Clearly Bush had a good time, based on what we see on TV. In the Gulf ,he was shown handling falcons, dancing with sword, and threatening Iran (must be his favorite pastime). Iran, however, wouldn't be too worried. In a recent interview with Aljazeera, former Iranian defense minister Ali Shamkhani smiled mockingly when he was asked about US threats to attack Iran, he simply replied with an Iraqi proverb, "He who is drowns in the river (can't swim), would he venture into the sea". President Bush is in his last few months as a president, he knows Iran can make or brake his 'surge' strategy in Iraq, that won't be good for the republicans running for presidency. Besides, the CIA's recent report on Iran didn't do him much favor, and Russia and China won't accept an attack on Iran, they've interests there. There's nothing he can do to Iran except to use 'strong words'.

Bhutto's posthumous fame

"People from all over the world are demanding fabrics with printed photos of Benazir, autographs, books and articles containing her famous quotes and signatures"

According to reports, Benazir Bhutto's assassination has dramatically increased her popularity as items of her, such as postage stamps and photographs, are in high demand worldwide. She has also been chosen for Ireland's 2007 Tipperary Peace Prize which will take place in April 2008. Former winners include Nelson Mandela and assassinated Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. 

Extremism in Britain

“It is now less possible for Christianity to be the public faith in Britain.” 

Those are the words of the Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali from his article in the British Telegraph. It is evident by its title that his argument is based around the notion that Islamic extremism is growing because Christianity is decreasing. The article avoids discussing why there is a growing increase of British people who consider themselves to have no religious affiliation at all. Instead, he is criticising the authorities’ public recognition of Britain as a ‘multi faith country’ by claiming that “the British [are] losing confidence in the Christian vision which underlay most of the achievements and values of the culture and, on the other, they [seek] to accommodate the newer arrivals on the basis of a novel philosophy of multiculturalism.”

The use of ‘newer arrivals’ suggests that this issue is about immigration as much as religion, if not more. Whilst he states that more people and newer developments (of Islam) are creating a “no-go” area, he is also paradoxically praising the influx of Christian immigrants – “If it had not been for the black majority churches and the recent arrival of people from central and eastern Europe, the Christian cause in many of our cities would have looked a lost one.” It seems that the current issue of immigration in Britain is swept under the rug as long as the ‘right’ kind of foreigners arrive. The Bishop, the only Asian one in his Church, is an immigrant who came to England from Pakistan. 

I agree that a segregated country will not be a prevailing country and that there are greater issues of isolated communities that need to be dealt with but the otherwise interesting article is tainted by his conclusion that tackling these problems “has to do with the Bible's teaching that we have equal dignity and freedom because we are all made in God's image. It has to do with a prophetic passion for justice and compassion and it has to do with the teaching and example of Jesus Christ regarding humility, service and sacrifice.” By limiting qualities such as dignity and compassion to just the Bible, it excludes the larger population of agnostic Britons who don’t equate 'freedom' and equality with the influence of any religion. Therefore, isn’t he essentially fighting one kind of extremism with another? 

Kenya and the prospect of a civil war

Both Kibaki's and Odinga's factions are responsible for the violence, but the bulk of it should go to Kibaki. There's no dispute the election was rigged, though it doesn't necessarily mean Raila Odinga has won. But Kibaki went ahead and formed his government anyway, hardly a reconciliatory gesture.

Quarter of million people have fled their homes because of the violence, I was shocked by the number. I expected thousands were effected, but never that big a number in only few weeks. But it was also extremely disheartening to see one of the few remaining countries in East Africa with no civil war of a sort to crumble like this. Nobody expected it, not even the Kenyans.

What makes this tragedy even bigger is the fact that Kenya is home to all East African refugees; from Somalia, Rwanda, Sudan and elsewhere. Daniel Arap Moi, it was reported, once warned Kenyans in a speech: "Look at the Somalis", he said, "they don't have home, the don't have a country and they don't have Ugali. Do you want to be like them!". It was a powerful message. But the current Kenyan political elite clearly don't understand it: using tribalism and ethnicity for their own gains will plunge the country into a civil war, just like Somalia and Sudan.

Knocked Up

"It's a serious matter, but the date won't be fixed today. It is serious. You will find out when it happens."

And find out we did. According to the British Daily Mail, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s girlfriend/fiancé Carla Bruni is pregnant. They have been in a ‘serious’ relationship for less than 2 months. Reports indicate that Sarkozy is dropping in opinion polls due his less than conservative lifestyle. Despite the fact that the President came to power as a newly single man, it is interesting that his personal life is overlapping that of his job. Are we starting to judge public figures on their private life more than their abilities to do their work? What's the difference between the two nowadays? If only that much media attention could be directed towards the urban riots

Disney World - For Slaves

Thank you to Abdurahman for that lovely introduction and I'm very excited to be a part of this great blog.

An early contender for the most bizarre news story of the year is that of American expats Ron and Carla Bluntschli who are, at this very moment, trying to raise enough money to create Memory Village - the first ever 'Slavery Theme Park'. The couple, who have lived in Haiti for over 20 years, are hoping to commemorate the enslavement that took place in Haiti over 200 years ago.

According to reports, 'visitors to Memory Village would decide whether they wanted to be spectators or participants during a twelve-hour day. The latter would receive traditional African clothing and then be mock-kidnapped from their homelands, shackled, chained and forced to march to the slave ship (resting on a real stream), where they'd be piled in as cargo for the crossing of the Atlantic. Once the ship reached the New World, the participants would be brought to market and sold, then broken down in the quarantine and put to work out on the plantation. Near the end of the day, a slave rebellion would start, a rebellion that would eventually lead to the establishment of Haiti.'

It's not yet clear how much much a 'day pass' would cost but who would really want to pay money to be humiliated? The notion of educating people about the devastating effect of slavery to this day is great but this reeks too much of being influenced by a 'reality TV era' that is being dramatic for the sake of being shocking. Obviously there is far more to slavery than this 12 hour 'experience', no word if rape and lynching is involved. Or perhaps that is where the thin line is drawn? I don't think that slavery should be forgotten in any way but I absolutely don't think that it is progressive for the couple to conclude, after 20 years of living there, that the best way to spend up to a million US dollars is to build an event that profits a great deal of money from reminding people of their pain. That money should be spent on the millions in absolute poverty in Haiti as I suspect the real tragedy would be that the poor population wouldn't be able to afford to "act" as a slave for half a day.

Big News!

This is big news! Hanna Ali will be blogging here, in this very blog. Hanna is a a young Somali women, who grew up and lived in many countries including Sweden, England, Egypt and, of course, Somalia. She is also a brilliant photographer. She is one of the most interesting young Somalis I've met, and I'm sure when you read her posts, you would agree.

Aljazeera's report on Bhutto receives more than half a million views

Aljazeera English's report on the death of Benazir Bhutto's death received more than half a million views in just 2-3 days. It's dramatic and captures the moment when some of her supporters received the news: