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We Are the Scatterlings of Africa
28-Feb-2009
Ancient bones from Olduvai, echoes of the very first cry, who made me here and why beneath the copper sun?
Oh I don't know, Mahmood looked so cute with that African necklace on the homepage that I have Africa on miy mind. And anyway I needed a diversion because I'm working on something far more difficult.
So what I have on my mind is that in the early eighties a mixed race South African band called Juluka achieved international fame with a song called "Scatterlings of Africa." Under apartheid there were almost no mixed race bands or venues for them, and Juluka had to play underground and their reputation spread by word of mouth. Due to the political content of many of their songs, their co-founder and lead singer, the South African white Johnny Clegg, endured several incarcerations and even more beatings. But Clegg never gave up.
A "scatterling" is someone wiho has no home, who wanders. The meaning in the song is dual. On the one hand it refers to the uprootedness and squalor of the life of the urban South African blacks under apartheid, and on the other to the probable origins of all humankind in Africa, with some of the oldest remains being in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
And well Truth and Reconciliation has long been a sacred concept to me so I thought I'd take the opportunity to pontificate about it yet again, and apply it to Israel/Palestine, and all the barking that goes on on the political threads in general here. But even a cursory glance at wiki reveals that, just over a decade later, today's South Africa is a mess. (Well I kind of knew it anyway, but I didn't want to admit it..)
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, with its amnesty for all those who gave full disclosure of their crimes, was by no means universally loved by the blacks, since obviously the misdeeds of the white masters were far greater than those of the African National Congress. And many of those whites who chose to remain after apartheid ended have since emigrated due to the high crime rate. This has created a most untimely brain drain with AIDS endemic, affecting 20% of the population. Additonally, poverty among whites, previously virtually unknown, has been rapidly rising.
But the fact remains that Johnny Clegg never gave up.
And we are scatterlings of Africa, each and every one. Africa will never give up and we must never give up on Africa.
Her day must come.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzlfd5KQAUA
(Give it a minute, it moves, a lot, and watch it full screen, it's...kheili tarik, i.c....the video quality, I mean...).
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You are correct
by Multiple Personality Disorder on Tue Mar 10, 2009 07:21 PM PDTI read this blog when it just came out, I didn't have an expert opinion about the subject matter so I did not leave a comment, but I should've at least left a comment for it's superb writing, so here it is.
heelloo
by MRX1 friend2 (not verified) on Mon Mar 02, 2009 02:28 PM PSTwhy why why why, in margi khooshkeleh cheeghaadr zaboon deraaaaaaaaz shodehhh.
roiban
by anonymous fish on Mon Mar 02, 2009 02:13 PM PSTi think you hit the nail on the head... in terms of priorities. the middle east isn't even my first! it's the friggin' recession. the wondering if MY job is going to be considered expendable one day. i'm worried about paying the rent for God's sake!!! americans have always been interested in the "cause of the day". unfortunately we look to celebrities to bring our attention to the latest disaster. and to tell you the truth, i don't think most americans put iran in their top 10. they hear it on the news occasionally, they see it on TV... but i doubt the "average" american thinks much about the iran/israel/us triad at all! to a certain extent, i'm the same way. i "know it in my gut"... we're not getting into ANY kind of confrontation with iran. and israel isn't going to do shit either, except blow off a little verbal steam. fine, let them all talk tough. there are bigger things to worry about. sorry for getting off track from africa but i can sure as hell see why it's on the back burner for now.
only human? that's no small thing
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Mon Mar 02, 2009 02:08 PM PSThe should use the brain that brought him to the top of the so-called food chain.
My frined MRX1
by (mrx1 friend) the 2nd generation (not verified) on Mon Mar 02, 2009 09:27 AM PSTFeels very very sad and is therefore unable to respond accordingly to this name calling.
Marge- you should develop more compassion and not hurt my smart friend's feeling so abruptly. He is only human you know..
oh hello there
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Mon Mar 02, 2009 08:20 AM PSTmr. anonymous sexy person, you are slow. OF COURSE i'm an idiot. also, i didn't call him an idiot. he or she is maybe very smart. but what he or she said made him or her sound like an idiot. what are you? his or her lawyer? get over it. also, please don't read my blogs anymore. you sound very boring. i'm on a roll. btw that means you might not really be boring, but you sound like it. merci.
marge
by MRX1 friend (not verified) on Sun Mar 01, 2009 08:32 PM PSTi some times read your blogs and few are okay but you just disappointed me now . i think you are the idiot now and not mrx1 for not having enough depth to see what he meant . how so rude of you to insults every one just like that . you have problems for sure
Actually you know, there AREN'T that many animals
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Sun Mar 01, 2009 05:11 PM PSTleft in Africa..I'm sure you're well aware of that.
//protectingourenvironment.com/africas-endangered-wildlife-species/
that would be great
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Sun Mar 01, 2009 05:05 PM PSTi hope so. but i've read his or her other comments and they are equally as callous. I'm all about the benefit of the doubt. You shall have eet Mr. sexy 1
I think Mr. X is being satirical and biting. I think..
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Sun Mar 01, 2009 04:41 PM PSThe cares very much. I think it's a criticism of others who don't care.
I think that's why he read this an posted on it.
MRX 1 - speak for yourself
by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on Sun Mar 01, 2009 03:35 PM PSTYOU don't care about africa. You sound like such an idiot. No one cares about Iran either, except to bomb it.
i know few peoplecare about africa, but i think that's my point.
by rosie is roxy is roshan on Sun Mar 01, 2009 04:38 PM PSTthis man cared. actually his parents were south african but he was born in britain and lived in many places growing up, inluding israel (he's jewish). and he cared.
i don't think most white people will care about africa for a long time, not until the issues in the middle east are resolved. it's like a spectrum. first you have the white people and then they have to deal with equality for the brown people in the cradle of our civiliation before we get to the black people, in africa, our mother.
africa is the sewer of the world. it's a radioactive toxic dump. but sooner or later that has to change. because if it doesn't there's just no hope. you can't abandon your own mother and then hope for the future.
so we have to keep africa on our minds and hearts, even if for now it's on the back burner of the world. during the gaza war some people would say jere, why not darfur? and they werre right but no one responded to them. neither did i. but i thought about it a lot. and that's what i realized. there's just no way most people will care about africa until the middle east issues are resolved.
but we have to care. we have to.
no one cares
by MRX1 on Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:06 AM PSTabout Africa. it does have good selection of animals though.