FW DE KLERK’S VERSION OF HISTORY

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Recently Guardian journalist Gary Younge reminded me of an interview he did with FW de Klerk, the ast Apartheid President of South Africa in 1999 while De Klerk was promoting his self-serving autobiography, “The Last Trek, A New Beginning.”It’s worth repeating Gary’s right-on take on De Klerk’s view of the end of the Cold War and Apartheid, now that De Klerk is traveling around the world picking up cheques to tell people how he liberated black South Africans (the  crowds inviting him also believe that: on Monday next week he’ll speak at London’s National Liberal Club on “”The Impact of the Fall of the Berlin Wall on South Africa and the World”):

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‘The Butterfly Effect’

The best rap music video I’ve seen in a while (I don’t care much for rap music anymore). “l’effet papillon” (the butterfly effect) by the French rapper, Youssoupha. I like the way the video combines bling, African history, the connections between Kinshasa and Paris, etc. Youssoupha has music in his genes (if there is such a thing). He is the son of Tabu Ley Rochereau (if you don’t who that is, I am sorry). Youssoupha, whose mother is Senegalese, also has a degree in literature from the Sorbonne.

MUSIC / LUCAS LIGETI AND BURKINA ELECTRIC

I like the sound of Brooklyn band, Burkina Electric. Here they perform with composer Lukas Ligeti on “Soundcheck,” a music program on WNYC, the New York City public radio station.

MUSIC / DUFFY

It’s Saturday. While waiting for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, I might as well as empty my “to blog” folder. Lots of music. I like Duffy’s voice. (In the US there is some criticism of the appropriation of soul music by white British singers, but I don’t subscribe to that argument. I think these singers respect the origins of the music and they also talented). This is Duffy performing her song “Mercy” live on the Jools Holland Show–an institution on British TV.

MUSIC / KEIZER

I like this Dutch’s rapper’s flow. I also like it because I understand the lyrics.

WARMING UP FOR 2010, PART 2

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I’ve blogged before about the progress with the stadiums for the 2010 World Cup (separately I also linked to reporting about the downside of the World Cup), but we’re back to admiring stadiums today. This time the seating patterns of the Mbombela Stadium outside Nelspruit, close to Mozambique.

More images (courtesy of Shine 2010) here.

ART / VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR

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I chanced upon this guy’s work last week while googling for something else. I really like this piece titled “The Point of View.”

Here, here (a video interview), here (his writings for the Nigerian newspaper, NEXT) and here are some links (including a video interview) to his art, his journalism and him talking about his work. Worth a visit.

MUSIC BREAK / KRUSHED & SORTED

It’s worth it just for the Riaan Cruywagen cameo.

SUDAN’S NO DRINKS POLICY

Remember the Sudanese woman who was arrested and tried for wearing a jeans? Now this:

Nigerian star Stephen Worgu, who plays in Sudan, has been convicted of drinking alcohol and has been sentenced to be flogged.

Worgu plays for the Sudanese giants Al Merreikh, who are based in Omdurman in Northern Sudan.

Alcohol is illegal in the Muslim North, though not in the semi-autonomous and largely non-Muslim South.

The punishment on the diminutive attacking player has not yet been carried out, as his lawyer has appealed.

If the appeal is turned down, Worgu will receive 40 lashes and have to pay a fine of 250 Sudanese pounds, about US$100.

Fifty pounds was for drinking alcohol, and 200 pounds for driving while drunk.

From the BBC:

POETRY / WARSAR SHIRE

English-Somali poet, Warsar Shire‘s poem “The letter my mother would have written had she known English.” Damn.

Via: Aryan Kaganoff

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