Buenos noches, just incase i insulted someone or their mothers, what i meant to say was eita, howzit, hola, e ti seng?

How u all doing today, once again the weekend is upon us and to top it off its almost like August, where the hell has this year gone, feels like just the other day literally that we drove back from a phat stint in Cape Town. Cape Town truely rocks, big up to the Cape Town massive...no Yaw u aint doing a live show!! Thanks for the emails this week always a pleasure receiving some mail thats not just jokes, porn, porn, porn...`;. -)

U no i was clean out of ideas this week, but then i realised that i have droped plenty an email about my adopted country SA, but not much has been said about my other country, u know that country where i am neither a ka--ir nor a makwerekwere, but may well be a kwasia or a gymi-gymi, but everyone qualifies to be called that...well i guess that would be cos i am semi-clueless when it comes to my country of birth, Ghana formerly known as the Gold Coast. So i decided to drop u all a mail about my Ghana and the man who unleashed us from British colonial rule (i just really wanted to use that word unleashed so i just shoved it in there).

On the western bulge of africa, lies a tropical paradise known as Ghana, bordered in the east by Togo, in the west by recently war torn Ivory coast in the south by the Atlantic ocean and in the north by Burkina Faso. Population of 20mil, avg temperature of 26 degrees, and plenty of humidity, checked on the net and there are over 90 dialects, with english being the official language. A relatively poor country Ghana is, but most definately a country with the warmest and most welcoming and accomodating inhabitants, inspite of their plight in life! Modern Ghana takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Ghana which is some 800km to the north of present day Accra, which is the capital of Ghana the ancient kingdom of Ghana was one of the great Sudanic states that dominated afrcan history it controlled the trade of gold between the mining areas to the south and the Saharan trade routes to the north.

First of the Europeans to Annex our land was the Portuguese, in Ghana they found gold in abundance and it was right on the coast, which made export a breeze, using established trade routes. They built a fort called Emina (the mine) to repel other europeans. This was the first of a series of such forts to be built on the coastline. Well in time the europeans realised eish there are natives here..hmmmm!!! eureka, here's an idea, hows about we sell these dark skinned Godless creatures to our cousins accross the ocean, hell it will save us buying horses and they can think too(but shh dont tell them that, cos then they'll start getting ideas about having rights and shaite)...and so started the slave trade. The slave trade soon took over as more lucrative a trade than gold. The forts built soon became a place of bartering slaves for gunpowder and guns and a place of accomodation for the slave merchants and also to hoard the slaves till they could be shipped off to be sold. Whilst the europeans fought amongst themselves for trading spots along the coast, slave prices etc. the story of modern day Ghana was begining to unfold. It was somewhere in the mid 17 century when 2 empires were formed. They were the Asantes(Ashantes) and the Fantes. The Asante empire, known for its sophisticated administrative efficiency sought mastery of the coast and to take control of Elmina, which along with plenty of the coastline, was firmly in the hands of the British after they had managed to ward off any other europeans. There was 50 years of military campaigns before the British finally managed to tame the Asante spirit, and they gave up sovereignty over their southern possessions.

During the same time the Fante empire was expanding under a king-president, but u know those poms they caught on and in 1871, they arrested the leaders of the Fantes and charged em with treason, but a month later they were freed. In 1874, the Brits set about formally establishing a British Crown Colony...hence my command of the english vernacular :-). The Fante's and the Asante's tradition of education and organisation and their longing for autonomy never left them during the period of British rule. The Brits were proud of the Gold Coast, touting it as their richest, best educated of their colonies with the best native authorities. Clearly nothing for the natives to be proud of, and in 1948, they started trying to drive home the point that listen cousies, best u head back where u came from and go save ur queen, cos Colonialism has no place here! But the walk to self rule was a long one, perhaps not as long as Nelsons, but a long one nonetheless.

The man who led Ghana to become the first country, south of the Sahara to obtain to gain self rule, was Dr Kwame Nkrumah, born in 1909. Dr Nkrumah is considered by many to be a figure od pan-africanism and here is his story.

Kwame Nkrumah was a man with a dream, like most other negros of his time, but what put him streaks ahead of his peers was his willingness to action out his dreams. He dreamt of a United States of Africa, an Africa where Africa is governed by Africans, an Africa where we are not just raped of our natural resources, but an africa that could actively participate in the world economy. He was born in a town called Nkroful, he was educated in Gold Coast Schools but subsequently went to the states where he obtained a doctorate from Lincoln University in Pennysylvania, this was where his vision of a united states of africa was born. He returned to Ghana in 1947 after 12 years of absence. In 1949 he formed his own party, called the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), which he formed to remedy or address the shortcomings of his previous party the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), which largely ignored the workers, who would gain the most from an overthrow of the British rule.

On the 28th Feb 1948, a group of servicemen tired of unfulfilled promises, drew up a pettition seeking redress of their grievances. So off they marched, unarmed and defenseless to present their petition to H.M's Governor Sir Gerald Creasy. Remember June 16th 1976, well the same fate was awiting some of these servicemen, for no reason whatsover, th troops were unleashed (see i used it again) on the men and when the smoke cleared 63 loyal soldiers lay dead or badly wounded on the streets of Accra. The Gold Coast would neva be the same..huge riots broke out and this together with the looting lasted for 5 days. The Governor read the riot act and declared a state of emergency. As expected Nkrumah and other prominent figures were arrested and exiled to the northern parts.
Students demonstrated, insisting on Nkrumah and his crews release, and they met the same resistance the servicemen did.These protests were unrelenting and after less than a month the detained leaders were released, this act was intended to silence the aggrieved natives. It did no such thing, it infact made them more vocal, their leaders were back, they had a cause to fulfill. Nkrumah toured the country speaking to large groups, rallying support. On the 26 Feb 1948, he formed a Committee on Youth Organisation which was designed to bring youngsters actively into politics. At this same time the British government had sent a commission to the Gold Coast to determine what was up with all the uproar and rioting etc, this commission was known as the Coussey Committee. They presented a report on their findings on the 7 Nov 1949, this report went as far as including africans in government, but didnt have a wiff of self rule anywhere in or near it. Nkrumah was livid and he set up the Ghana representative Counsel to contest this report. Plans were put in motion for a national strike begining on the 1st Jan 1950, with these words he gathered support.."we prefer self rule in danger than servitude in tranquility" deep stuff!!

1 Jan dawned and along with it the mass strikes, well as was expected, the government would have none of that and 200 political figures were arrested. The government acepted the report and set about holding municipal elections, firstly in Accra then Cape Coast followed by Kumasi, Nkrumah won an alarming 22780 of the 23122 votes cast...and this man was behind bars! Well after 13 months of detention he was released and the then governor asked him to form a government, of which he would be the leader, he accepted the offer, but itterated that he felt whole-heartedly that the constitution based on the report was bogus. The new government was formed..the sun was soon to set on the Gold Coast and a new Ghana was to shine with the rising sun. For the next year Nkrumah set about with self help schemes, development projects and work on the Volta hydroelectric plant which is powered by wated from the Volta Lake, one of the largest man made lakes in the world, if not the largest. On 6th March 1957 Ghana was granted full independence from British rule...Ghana was free!

Once again a story of 1 man making a difference!

Here is the first verse of our national anthem...Nkosi sikele afrika....i joke :-)

God Bless our homeland Ghana,
and make our nation great and strong,
Bold to defend forever
The cause of freedom and of right;
Fill our hearts with true humility,
Make us cherish fearless honesty,
And help us to resist opressors rule
With all our will and might foever more

Birthdays

28th Joeseph Jele, Reider Gray and my folks 30th wedding anniversary
30th ETO Maravanyika and Will lee

Quotes

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of priciple stand like a rock - Thomas Jefferson
Real heoroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they've stayed true to their ideals beliefs and commitments. Kevin Costner

Yáll have a great weekend see!! Respect...and i am out!

"Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful earth will again experience the oppression of one by another. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign. God bless Africa." - Nelson Mandela

No prizes for guessing what the topic of this weeks email is gonna be :-), but before i proceed 2 new additions, Sean and Kirstin, thanks for joining or world, hope its a beneficial experience, should u feel the need to be removed from the list, holla @ a brother. Should you have any comments on anything i write or anything at all, please eiter mail me or go to http://mondaymail.blogspot.com aiiii!!!

Now hows everybody doin today? Me be well fit, and the fact that it is friday dont hurt one insy bitsy bit!

I could possibly have spoken about this great being last year this time, but enuff can neva be said about Nelson Mandela. He is a being, definately worthy of all the praise bestowed upon him! Imagine this:here u are living maxin and relaxin in your crib when one day some gun-wielding bra comes and decides...ey no more bra, this house is now mine from now on u is my biatch and ur name be Toby not Kunta Kinte, u protest, but your protests agianst this gross injustice gets u incarcerated which costs u a large chunk of your adult life.How would that make you feel? Needless to say that 99.9% of us would be livid, i sure as hell would come out seeing red...if i made it out ofcourse. And in my mind thats what Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela endured, he and millions were but a mere slaves in their land, no rights, no voice oppression was the only life they'd know, living in oppression and the aftermath of that is evident to this day. But Nelson and his padres took a stand, this is our country too and we will not just sit back and let our fate be determined for us!

And so they set out to institute rage against the racist apartheid machine, he was arrested, he was banned, he ran, he hid, he had 27 years (my whole life thus far) of his life taken away from him, why, because he stood and fought for what he believed in.why? because he cared for his fellow people and despised their persecution. Did this man come out of prison an angry and militant soul? to the contrary, he came out preaching peace, he came out offering an olive branch, he came out and worked side by side with members of the same government that had for all his life been a constant thorn in his side. He came out preaching peace and reconciliation, he came out preaching Ubuntu, the spirit of togetherness.

When Chris Hani was assasinated the country was ready to go to war, scenes of the father of the nation's youth, lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood kept replaying itself in the mind of the people, the masses were ready to go to war against the apartheid machine that refused to die. On the other side the supporters of the apartheid machine, who feared the inevitability of the 'black machine' coming to power, were ready to go to war. But whose voice was it that preached sense and calmed the nation? Not even president at the time, Madiba, took it upon himself to address the nation through the SABC. The nation listened and peace prevailed.

Madiba was definately the right person, at the right place, at the right time, and South Africa is a grateful country! There was no way things could carry on as they were, change was inevitable, but an equal evil would have been a radical change which would completely sideline the supporters of the apartheid regime. In this whole episode what amuses me is prior to 2000, Nelson Mandela's name was likened to an insult by the apartheid government and its supporters, yet today we have former president FW de Klerk on radio singing Mandelas praises, we have everyone clapping hands and saying what a great man he is blah blah whatever, but whilst he was rotting in jail, not a word of praise was uttered his way. And what changed? the man preached of a unified South Africa where his people would not be marginalised, a South Africa where the masses had a voice and were treated like humans and finally in 1994 he was allowed to put it to practise.

And his work for the needy is yet to end. 85yrs old and if he is not out canvassing for contributions to help the fight against aids, he is out doing work for the children or telling war crazed world leaders that they are stupid. His words 'The struggle is my life' are possibly the best words to describe how the man has lived his life

If a man, so fully entitled to be bitter and enraged can forgive, who are u and i not to?? It was Bill Clinton who once said, if we all could take a piece of Madiba and live in his light, what better a person we would be (that is not verbatim).

Will our self consumed generation ever be able to produce a being so selfless and serving of his country...the world?

Below is a brief biography of the man, thanks to the www...
He was born in Qunu, near Umtata, where plenty a great people have hailed ;-). He matriculated at Healdtown Methodist Boarding School. He then attended University of Fort Hare where he enrolled for a BA(clearly the joke about the difference between a large pizza and a BA degree dont apply to him). He and the late Oliver Tambo participated in a student strike in 1940 and was expelled as a result. He then moved to Johannesburg where he completed his degree thru correspondence. He did his law articles and registered for an LLB qualification at Wits university.

In 1944 he helped found the ANC youth league. In 1952 he was elected as the national volunteer-in-chief of the defiance campaign, his task was to gather resistance to discriminatory legislation, for his sins he received a suspended sentence not thinkin that was enuff he was soon after hit with a ban that confined him to Jo'burg for 6 months. During this time he devised a plan to break down ANAC branches into underground cells. During this same year, he and Oliver Tambo opened the first black legal firm in the country. He was also the Transvaal president of the ANC and the deputy national president...looks like being busy is the order of the day for this man, whether he is 34 or 85...In the second half of the 50's he was one of the accused in a treason trial, he conducted his defence with a one Duma Nokwe.

When the ANC was banned in 1960 after the Sharpville massacre he was detained till 1961, he then went underground, at this time most people would have given up the cause and accepted their fate, but not Madiba and his crew. During his time underground he lead a campaign for a new national convention. MK(Umkhonto we Sizwe) was born in this same year. Under Madiba's leadership, MK launched a few offensives against government and economic installations. He then left to Algeria to obtain millitary training in 1962. On his return he was arrested for leaving the country illegally and for inciting a strike, he conducted his own defence, unfortunatley he was convicted for 5 years, during his sentence, he was also convicted of treason and was sentenced to life as a result. In prison he continued educating the people and supporting the struggle. He never compromised his political stance.

During the seventies he refused an offer of remission of sentence if he recognised the Transkei and settled there, in the eighties he again rejected PW Botha's offer of freedom if he renounced violence against the apartheid guard. But soon after his release on the 11 Feb 1990, Madiba and his delegation agreed to the suspension of the armed struggle. The man has honorary degrees from over 50 international universities and is chancellor of the University of the North. On 10 May 1994 he was inaugurated as state president.

On 18 July 1918 this great man was born to the world. South Africa thanks you, its children thank you and the world admires and respects you!

Birthdays
15th Garth and Naeem
18th Madiba

If it was ur b-day and i missed it, sorry for u...here is a quote for u all "we are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think. when the mind is pure, joy follows, like a shadow that never leaves - Buddha

Quotes - Nelson R Mandela
"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realised. But if needs be, my lord, it is an ideal for which I am ready to die." At the Rivonia trial, 20 April 1964
"I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place my life in your hands." On his release from prison, 11 February 1990
We are both humbled and elevated by the honor and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness. We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. - Extracts from Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 10 May 1994
Well i guess thats the end of my tales for this week, a great weekend to u all, and those travelling travel safely. Maximum respect to the masses. Aiii!!

Ladies.....Fellas.....

Whats the deal yo? (translation for those who aint down with the gangsta lingo...it means whatsup!) Forgive me guys, 50 cents or R3,80 is doing its rounds in my car radio.

Hows everyones week been thus far, i definately think friday cant come soon enough. Had a brief visit to Cape Town on thursday and friday and all those boys and girls who made the effort to come meet up for a drink, much love. Magill thanks for givin me a place to lay my rather otherwise head, thanks as well for waking me up on saturday, would definately have missed my plane! Went to Durban for a day or so as well, to go and watch the Durban July, South Africa's Premier horse racing event, saw some mighty fine fillies, but kcuf me if i saw a single horse! But man it was copious amounts of fun, must admit though i was pretty tired, but hey thats what youth is all about, remember there is no such thing as tomorrow cos u never know!!

Neway, have no words of my own for this week, but received an article from Nasrin, which i think is worth a read.
It is so easy to complain and grumble, to find fault and to feel and act as if you are doing the world a favour and that the world does not appreciate it. It is very difficult to feel happy if you feel that you are owed something, if you feel that you are doing things against your will. Well life has a very simple philosophy, change your job or change your attitude.
While you may not always be able to do what you like to do, you can always learn to like what you do. The way that you feel about what you are doing will always determine how well you do it and how much satisfaction you get from doing it. Luckily your feeling are yours to control.
Take your job for instance. You spend more of your "awake" hours at work than you do at home yet how many people do you know that ever say that they love their job. Most people complain about their jobs and about the people that they work with, or for.
Do you like your job? If you don't then why do you do it? How does it make you feel having to get up and go to some place that you do not like, to do something that you do not like to do. Does that fill you with enthusiasm? Does that excite you? If it does then you are some kind of masochist. But my guess is that you feel forced by circumstance to do this daily routine, but if you had a choice you would rather do something else.
If you feel this way about work how does it affect your performance? Are you always looking for ways to contribute, to add value, or are you looking for ways to get out of work. Looking for excuses to avoid doing something. Looking for excuses not to go. You see if you resent doing something then you will resist doing it. Remember this People who try to get out of work, or see what they can get out of work, will soon find themselves out of work.
If you do not like your job then you certainly won't feel grateful for it and you won't respect yourself for doing it. Let's look at this from another angle. How would you feel if you lost your job? How much effort would you put into trying to get your job if you were unemployed? How attractive would this "horrible" job be if you did not have it?
The fact that you can work, that you can generate an income through your efforts is something to be proud of. By your efforts you make a contribution to this world. What you do affects other people and makes their life easier. Realise that no matter what you do or how menial you perceive the task to be it is important that someone does it. Learn to be proud of what you do and to do it the best that you can. Look for the value in what you do. Acknowledge the value of your contribution, be grateful for the opportunity.
Always look for the significance in everything that you do. Always ask "What does it mean to me that I can do this?" "What does doing this allow me to do?" "What would happen if I did not, or could not do this? But whatever you do always remember that “The secret of happiness lies not in doing what you like but in liking what you do."

This weeks birthdays...
8th July Dinesh
9th July Julie ...rhymes doesnt it?
11th July Santie
12th July Yao A

Looks like round about oct/nov is when most peoples folks got freaky ;-)
Here is a quote just for u all......"The past is like a river flowing out of sight, the future is an ocean filled with opportunity and delight."

Weeks quote
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Confucius
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.
Socrates

On that note i sign off for yet another week, till next we meet, fond adieu is what i bid thee all, till next we e-speak....toodles

Respek