Category: Uncategorized

Nigerian passengers are very profitable for many airlines. However that does not always translate into due respect. There is some silly behaviour that in my original opinion was due to rogue staff. they would harrass African passenger who were in transit over their passports. Remember these passengers are not seeking entry into Turkey. These are passemgers who have already been checked for the final destination at their port of embarkation by Turkish airlines staff. In one case I heard…

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It was predictable that after the crash of Ethiopian airlines some Western commentators would be insinuate that it was due to poor African  pilot skills. However FT reports 4 April 19  : ‘ Ethiopian minister of transport Dagmawit Moges said that the crew of the Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 “performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but were not able to control the aircraft”. ‘ Note 1 Much to my…

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On 8 Feb we went to a private screening of ROMA. This was a visually enchanting film which was quite magnetic and held one’s attention. At the private screening the director, producer, cine-photographer, and the main stars came on stage for a Q&A after the film. For once the Q&A was utterly rivetting. Alfonso Cuaron, the director/producer described his unusual way of producing/filming in that everything was shot in sequence. He also confessed that the final scene in the…

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Front page news: The Pope dismisses a US cardinal from the priesthood! WSJ reports that after a report documented decades of clerical abuse the Catholic hierarchy has chosen to act. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-former-cardinal-is-defrocked-after-sex-abuse-conviction-11550311326 ) A more interesting question for Africans is the almost total absence of convictions or public allegations in Africa. Given the long history of the Catholic church in Africa and the role of European priests it beggars the imagination that the same priests who misbehaved in US or…

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Spent this evening listening to Bill Bryson at the London Library. The London Library is an august institution founded in St James’ Square London  and has associations with many great British writers whose ghosts are seen happily strolling along its arcane alleyways, browsing along the shelves, brimming with delight when their books are NOT on the shelves because they have been taken out to be read! Bill gave an enchanting talk about how he came to England (note specifically England…

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One often hears the call for Black Unity and underlying many platforms is a belief that together we are strong. People will recall days of civil rights struggle and the apartheid struggle as evidence. This is an example of selective memory and dangerous pseudo politics in so far as it substitutes ‘feel good ‘ factors for real political analysis. Our first step is to understand that Black and African political struggles  are NO DIFFERENT  from any other. Western academia’s…

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Carnival in the summer in  Notting Hill is an annual fixture. It has been an event attracting visitors from all over Europe. It is a joyous celebration of Caribbean spirit. Quite fabulous costumes (Fig 1 -2 ) are on display as are sounds systems blaring calypso, reggae and other Caribbean music. There is an important  political  issue here – the amount of foreign earnings  arising from the music produced by those of Caribbean descent in UK and the failure…

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    With this new issue we welcome Dr Wesley Morris to our editorial board. A proper introduction will be presented later. It is a clear core focus of this issue  how Western academic and literary  establishments deal with data, factual data, about Africa. Many Western authors appear to openly invite criticism on the basis of prejudice. Their  strident offensiveness appears to seek such a response so clearly they are prepared for this. What they appear not to expect…

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An interesting evening at Royal Photographic Society  International Photography Exhibition 160 awards   1 March. Because of the weather we are fewer people than normal but it was fun.  These photographs were enticing and captured the imagination. Each series  spoke to some emotional story and conveyed the extra-odinary power of simple photographs. Nothing fancy nothing photoshopped, just demonstrating the power of seeing. Many of those who attended lived nearby and were unlike myself and a few others not members of…

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