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whumpacabra · 4 months

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34. Pressure Cooker

Referenced military setting and activities, referenced past captivity and torture, law enforcement mention, murder mention, referenced systematic and internalized racism, past trauma, victim blaming, fictional politics

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

Harrison was tired. He wasn’t that surprised - his body had been pushed to its physical limit, and finally having a respite from survival meant an exhausting recovery. He was surprised he wasn’t dozing off in that cozy diner, listening to a static filled radio. Lucy had gone out for a smoke with Merrill close behind, and Thomas was drinking his tea, eyes glued on the snow falling outside the window.

(Not too long ago he would have chided Elias for getting distracted by the weather during a mission debrief.)

“What’ll you do?” Thomas’ voice was timid, eyes drifting down to the mug in his hands. “Across the border, I mean.”

“Making sure we’re safe would be a good start. Make sure my family’s safe - whether that’s here or there.” Harrison studied the steam rising from Thomas’ oversteeped tea. “I don’t…Wolf can do what he wants. Stay, leave - last thing I want to do is start giving orders.” He chuckled weakly, grief thick in his lungs as his eyes dropped to his own scarred hands. “God knows I’m shit at following them myself.”

“How…” Thomas swallowed a mouthful of bitter tea and took a shuddering breath. “I mean, how does - how does this even happen? I - and why? Why the - the terrorist - why even…” He swallowed more bitter tea, anger and confusion painting his pale face. Harrison glanced between his hands and Thomas’ young, naive eyes.

“Why’re you a cop?” Thomas physically startled at the question, tea nearly splashing from his cup. He set it down slowly, eyes dropping to the table.

“Something to do I guess. Sheriff kinda took me in after my folks passed.” His brow furrowed, pale eyes glancing up to Harrison’s own. “Why?”

“Just curious I guess - well, I mean… I only signed up because of my dad.” He couldn’t help the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “He loved this country - a whole helluva lot more than I ever did. Between my sister going to med school and me off to boot camp I mean - we were his American dream.”

“Sounds like a good patriot.”

“He was.” Harrison huffed, swallowing back the lump in his throat. “Got shot on his way home from the store two - three, three years ago now.”

“Oh…I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be - you’re not the cops that called it a random homicide and never caught the fuckers that did it.”

“It wasn’t random?” There was a tense, curious gleam in Thomas’ eyes.

“A Sudanese immigrant named Mahmoud gets gunned down a month after 9/11. Cops said there was no evidence racial motivation, so as far as they care, it was just a random tragedy.”

“That’s just - they’re idiots. What kind of investigation - just, just gives up like that?”

“You’re young, Thomas.” Harrison shook his head, eyes turning to the snow outside. The ignorant indignity of youth was clear on the young man’s face. “Most people don’t care about justice or truth. They just care about staying comfortable. And it’s a helluva lot more comfortable for some cops to bury a brown man without any questions asked than it is to consider why someone killed him.”

Thomas’s expression fell slack, thoughts churning behind his shadowed eyes. There was a beat of silence, and Harrison felt as though his chest was carved open, heart exposed. Maybe it was, because he couldn’t stop talking.

“Two years ago I got reassigned.” He had thought about it - they all had, at some point. At least Merrick and Elias had, in silent code and whispered conspiracies while they laid bloodied and broken. “I needed something to throw myself into so I didn’t go on a vigilante justice spree so I accepted. Task Force 42, as I told you. Something about psychological profiles and mission efficiency. Same thing happened to the others in my cohort - we didn’t know each other at all. Hell, Merrick had been stationed in Germany the last 4 years.”

Harrison swallowed, only half sure he cared to tell Thomas, but those pale eyes were transfixed, expression open and curious. Like a child listening to war stories. Like Harrison’s niece asking about the bad guys he caught and epic battles he fought.

“We were good. I don’t know shit about psychology or whatever but they handpicked us to get shit done and by god we did.” It wasn’t always pretty. It wasn’t always just. “We…you’ve heard about the videos, right? Terrorists executing prisoners, torturing them, carrying around trophies.” Thomas’ nod was grim and serious. The news loved their shock value viewing numbers. “We had some of our own. Taking prisoners. Interrogating them. Putting them out of their misery. Not - not that my team did that directly. We just…caught the bad guys.”

Harrison shuddered, the memory of explaining his job to his young, impressionable niece bitter. He had been so desperate to prove himself to the higher brass. Self loathing and trying to show them - ‘see! I’m one of the good ones.’ He hated that he ever deigned to stoop to their level. He hated that he ever thought it immunized him to the cruelty of the war machine.

“The enemy is easy to - it’s amazing. It’s amazing how stupid it all seems now. How trusting we were.” In spite of his exhaustion, or maybe because of it, his brain was buzzing with unfiltered understanding. “They told us shoot, we shot. Capture, we captured. The enemy was whoever they told us the enemy was. Because - right, because - because they had our best interests in mind. The country’s best interests in mind. The top brass were duty bound, same as us, to do right by justice and honor and all that bullshit.”

“So, so when you wake up after heading out for another tour, another mission for the good of your people and home, another trip to push back the enemy…god, maybe - maybe if we weren’t so caught up in it all we would have realized.” The emergency lights inlaid in the ceiling of an underground, cavernous bunker. The electrically locked stone tomb. “I - I don’t know why. Why the - the facade or why - why us. Wolf - ” His voice cracked, throat bobbing. “Wolf - they didn’t send - there was just me, Merrick and Elias then. Just us. And Wolf - ”

Oh, how vividly he remembered every second after meeting the Wolf. How wrong he had been about every sneer and smirk. What he thought was glee was fear. A shine of superiority to mask the terror. Puppet strings tied too tight around a scarred throat.

“God, Wolf.” Harrison dropped his head in his hands, elbows propped on the table. “I can’t even begin to - I hated him. I hated him so much for so long and now I just…can’t. I, maybe I’m stupid. Maybe I broke - I did. A few times. Too many times. But I can’t - god I should hate him.”

“Why should you hate him?” Thomas’ voice was so small. So much like Elias. Like the small voice Harrison had strangled to death with his own bare hands. Reality crackled in his brain, cold ice cracking in a too-warm drink.

Maybe he still hated Wolf, he just hated himself more.

“I…I don’t know. I did. I thought - thought he was one of them.” It frightened Harrison, how desperately he felt he needed to protect Wolf. Or at least, how Wolf was perceived. No one needed to know what happened down there. No one needed to know what Wolf had done. What Harrison had done. “But he - god, he was just trying to stay alive. How can I hate him for that?”

There was a moment of silence, save for the static of the radio and the snow outside. Thomas opened his mouth to say something only for the bell above the door to ring, Lucy and Merrill dusting snow from their white hair. Lucy glided up to the booth, snagging a fresh pot of hot water from behind the counter.

“Need anythin’ else, hon?”

“No ma’am. Thank you.” Harrison’s voice was tight, breaths shuddering as he fought down the urge to burst into tears. Later, across the border, when they were safe he could afford to lose it. To grieve and rage and scream. But now Thomas was getting a fresh cup of tea from Lucy, and Mer was watching her wife with love in her eyes.

The cigarette smoke that lingered on Lucy’s clothes made Harrison’s stomach turn.

AU Masterpost / Previous / Next

(An AU of my Freelancers series)

Taglist: @i-eat-worlds @whumpy-daydreams

#whump #past trauma #past captivity #past torture #military setting #military activities #law enforcement #murder #fictional politics #idk if everything I put in the tw block applies but I wanted to cover all my bases #‘didn’t you just give us a lore dumpy chapter like two updates ago?’ yes. and I’ll do it again (joking threat)#Harrison has been out of hell for 24 hours he deserves a little breakdown. just a little. as a treat.#another one of those chapters I’ve had done for like a week but I keep staring at it expecting it to be better everytime I edit it #I can’t look at it anymore. woe. mediocre writing be upon ye.#the wolf and the hare au

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warningsine · 10 months

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The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu) shelled parts of Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan, on Saturday, whilst the army lost terrain in Dalami. Women’s groups staged a vigil denouncing the war and violations against women yesterday. Army supporters also staged a march.

The rebel movement fired about 20 heavy artillery shells at different parts of Kadugli since eight in the morning, most of which fell in the vicinity of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) 55th Infantry Brigade.

Four children were injured in the Um Batta neighbourhood on Saturday morning and people fled from the southern neighbourhoods and the area around the army base to the northern neighbourhoods in search of safety.

Radio Dabanga sources reported that one of the wounded children died in Kadugli Hospital of his wounds yesterday but said that the town did not witness any shooting between the army and the SPLM-N after Saturday’s shelling. Women’s groups did report some artillery shelling, however.

Eyewitnesses told Radio Dabanga that some Kadugli residents marched in support of the armed forces and provided meals to those stationed on the front lines. Most of the young men and women at the march are supporters of the regime of ousted dictator Omar Al Bashir, the witnesses said.

Dalami area

On Friday, the Sudanese army withdrew from Mardis, 20 kilometres southwest of Dalami, which was the last military stronghold of the army in the areas around Dalami in Habila locality, South Kordofan, since 2011.

A security source said that the force withdrew from Mardis and left behind equipment and weapons, including an armoured vehicle, without engaging with the SPLM-N forces.

Army forces withdrew to the base of the 53rd SAF Infantry Brigade in Habila, while others withdrew to the military garrison of Fayu, according to local sources.

Women’s march

Several women’s bodies in Kadugli carried out a vigil at the intersection of El Jamea El Kabeer Street and El Madina Hospital yesterday to condemn the war and the violations against women that accompany the fighting. The protesters called for a comprehensive peace.

Participants in the vigil reported to Radio Dabanga that dozens of women from different women’s organisations in Kadugli participated and brought banners to denounce both the war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army and the fighting between the army and the SPLM-N El Hilu.

Security services were deployed during the vigil, but they did not object to the vigil or try to stop the protesters.

One of the participants told Radio Dabanga that protesters feared artillery shelling by the army or the SPLM-N, but this did not happen until the end of the vigil.

The women’s bodies in Kadugli issued an official joint statement rejecting the war in Sudan and in South Kordofan in particular.

The statement condemned “all violations against humanity” committed by the parties to the conflict in Sudan, including killing, looting, rape and violence against women, and the displacement of thousands of families.

It also accused foreign parties of being behind the war and say of having no interest in the security and stability of Sudan.

The organisations called on all parties to the conflict to immediately stop the war, which they described as absurd and destructive, and to take care of the more than 70,000 displaced families in the state.

The war currently also disrupts the agricultural season and hinders the movement of farmers and herdsmen, which damages the local economy and food security.

“The military escalation imposes a complex security reality that impedes the movement of trade, movement, and work, especially for women working in the unorganised sector who were forced to stop working in evening shifts under the emergency law and the ban on Roaming,” the women’s groups explained.

#Kadugli #South Kordofan #sudan #Sudan conflict #news

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redsabres · 2 years

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☽Remember Our Eclipse☾ • prologue

Moon Knight x Reader, Friends to Enemies to Lovers

• one

Based on the poem "A Letter To The Sun From The Dark Side of The Moon" by Ranata Suzuki

Chapter Spotify Playlist

Summary: You and Marc did everything together, even dying in the desert and becoming avatars for gods that hate each other.

Warnings: profanity, canon-typical violence

Words: 2,547 (following chapters will be longer ;))

AN: not to flex but I wrote most of this before episode four came out, so maybe I should become a fortune teller.

add yourself to the taglist

The headlights of the wrangler bobbed up and down as it sprang across the northern Sudanese dunes, A Man Without Love playing softly on the radio. It was supposed to be a normal mission – at least, as normal as it could be when you were a bad person being paid to do worse things for the worst people. However, nobody with a properly functioning moral compass becomes a bounty hunter. That's why you all ended up here, wasn't it?

You swallowed the question down with a deep gulp. Sprawled across the back seat of the wrangler, your hands fidgeted nervously with the various weapons on your waistband, a nervous habit you picked up from your time in special operations with Marc. He softly chuckled from the passenger seat, noticing your actions in the reflection of the rearview mirror. This made Bushman – your somewhat pain in the ass colleague, roll his eyes.

"This is why I don't let both of you sit in the back seat." He grumbled.

"Hey!" You exclaimed, kicking the back of the driver's seat. This just made Marc laugh harder.

While the three of you laughed – although Bushman would definitely deny he ever so much as chuckled, you glanced at the rearview mirror, only to see Marc's eyes already trained onto your form. He gave you a soft smile, which you heartfeltly returned. The song faded into the background as the two of you were momentarily lost in each other, hearing nothing but your hearts beating in tune with one another.

"Focus, you two," Bushman glared at the both of you, "Save the lovey-dovey shit for the hotel."

You kicked his seat again.

"Hey, don't anger the driver." He warned, frowning at you in the rearview mirror.

You stuck out your tongue in response.

"And what? You'll crash into a pillowy sand dune? How terrifying." You joked, leaning to lay down across the back seat.

Suddenly, Bushman stopped the car – as close to a sudden stop as he could get considering the terrain, causing you to slide forward. For a moment, you considered he just slammed the brakes to prove a point, however, this was dismissed when he left the car and walked to the trunk.

"Hurry up, assholes!" He scolded, despite the fact that he had barely given you or Marc a warning to leave the vehicle, "Mission site is six hundred yards east." Bushman gestured to a map he had already rolled out in the trunk. Circled in bold, red ink, was a site labeled 'CAMP FOUR' in large letters. He continued as you and Marc prepped your gear, "We're gonna be heading towards a dig site where they've allegedly unearthed an ancient map showing where some old Pharoah is buried." Stated Bushman as he set up the communication equipment.

This piqued your interest. Regularly, the bounty was a living person, not an already dead one. You found this thrilling. Marc, however, had a different take.

"So, what? We get to play Indiana Jones for some rich fuck?" The words rolled off his tongue as his upper lip pulled into a slight snarl. You had to try not to giggle while Bushman smiled mischievously.

The larger man turned to Marc, "Precisely."

"Now, continuing with the details of our mission. The site is run by four archaeologists. There may be a few others, but they're all of no concern. There are two guard stations," Bushman began gesturing to areas on the map again, "One on the southwest end, and one on the north. They should be easy to take out." You and Marc nodded.

Bushman gestured to you, saying your name.

"You'll infiltrate the archaeologist's tent while Marc and I handle the guards. Grab the map, get out. Should be a clean run."

You nodded at Bushman, Marc mirroring your actions.

"Alright then," he continued, "The two of us will go along the southern path, "he gestured to a blue line drawn on the map, "and you'll go along the northern path." Bushman pointed to a purple line on the map. "We will give you a signal when the guards are down. Be ready."

"Affirmative. Will await signal." You responded, the formal wording a once thought forgotten habit from your days with Marc in special operations.

Bushman turned to leave, gesturing for Marc to follow. Before turning to leave, Marc glanced at you. He softly raised his hand to your face, gently caressing your cheek. Resting his forehead upon yours, he exhaled a deep sigh.

"Be safe." He said, barely above a whisper.

"No need to worry." You reassured him, softly smiling before turning to head down your separate paths.

"Hurry up, Spector!" You heard Bushman call from somewhere along his trail.

Chuckling, you continued on.

You waited in position just over the crest of a sand dune, awaiting the signal from Bushman and Marc. The two men were taking their sweet time, as per usual. But it was just supposed to be a few guards, right? Something felt off. Against better judgment, you pushed into the camp without the signal. After easily slipping past the guards, you silently slid under the white tarp wall of the tent.

It was completely dark, except for a lone LED lantern hanging from the central support. Sprawled out through the whole tent were various work areas, littered with papers and artifacts. Finding the map in this mess would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. You began your search anyways, the nagging feeling of something wrong still hanging at the back of your mind.

Suddenly, a light clicked on from the other side of the tent. You panicked, darting for the large desk near the central work area of the tent. Soft footsteps padded toward you, before walking around the desk and to the other side of the tent. You let out a soft breath as the footsteps padded back to their side of the tent, the quiet click of the light turning back off soon following.

You were halfway through a sigh of relief when bullets began tearing through the tent. Screams erupted into your surroundings as you pushed yourself deeper into the kneehole of the metal desk, praying none of the bullets would hit you. Your shuffling under the desk knocked it around considerably, as a drawer slid out of its place while you were rushing to take shelter. While bullets rained around you, an intricately carved, lapis lazuli scarab caught your eye. Without a second thought, you quickly reached out and stuffed it into your boot.

The bullets stopped, and all was still. Even you remained motionless under the desk. Shortly after, Bushman came waltzing in, eyes scanning the tent. You huffed, pulling up from the desk, anger painting your features.

"Bush, you asshole!" You screamed, "You could have killed me!"

The large man looked surprised to see you for a moment, but continued to let out a dark chuckle. "That's what you get for not waiting for the signal, sweetheart "

You just stared at him, lip raised. The thought of what Bushman had just done without so much as batting an eye made you sick to your stomach. You couldn't handle it anymore; the sight of the bullet holes combined with the occasional splatter of blood made bile rise into your throat. You turned to leave, tearing through the already shredded tarp. You stopped, upon noticing, turned back to Bushman.

"Where's Marc?" You asked, accusation littering your tone.

Bushman shrugged, "Said he had a headache. Went back to go sit in the wrangler."

Something still felt off, but you nodded, accepting his answer.

"You find the map?" Said Bushman, gesturing to the area around the two of you.

"Maybe I could have, if someone wasn't trying to turn me into a slice of swiss cheese!" You continued to shout at him, gesturing to the bullet holes dotting your surroundings. Bushman rolled his eyes. You huffed, shaking your head at your colleague.

"Fine. You can find the map then, I'll be outside."

Bushman looked like he was going to stop you, fingers twitching at his sides. However, once it was clear you were exiting on the side you came in, away from the camp, he seemed to calm.

The walk back to the wrangler was quiet. About halfway through, Bushman snuck up on you.

"Jesus man, did nobody ever tell you to not sneak up on people when they're walking alone at night?" You scolded, almost pulling a gun on him in surprise. He let out an amused huff in response. You decided not to think anything of it, chalking your colleagues behavior up to the strangeness of the overall mission.

Soon enough, the two of you were back at the wrangler, but something still felt off. Despite allegedly being inhabited by Marc, none of the lights were on. You silently prayed it was because Marc had a headache and wanted to rest, like Bushman said. Against your better judgment, you went to open the car door.

Bushman let out a deep, maniacal chuckle from behind. You went to look back at him, giving him a questioning glance. However, you were met with one of his giant hands as he slammed your head into the car door with a metallic thunk.

You were on the ground somewhere. You wanted to get up, scan your surroundings and calculate a way of survival. However, it was almost as if something was holding you in place. You barely managed to open your eyes, only to immediately close them. Everything around you was white. Above, the sun still beat down, feverishly so. You managed to turn onto your side, an attempt to escape the heat caused by your back being on the warm ground.

Suddenly, a deep, booming voice spoke.

"Get up."

You spun around in a sitting position, trying to find who, or rather what, was calling out to you, however, the blazing sun and white surroundings weren't doing you any favors.

"Get. Up."

The voice spoke again, this time more stern.

Somehow, you rose to your feet.

That was a mistake. Every inch of your body felt as if it were set aflame, your head feeling as if a large, molten stick were prodding it.

"Come, my child." The deep, commanding voice coaxed you.

"Nng... Everything hurts." You stated, stumbling toward the voice.

"Yes," the voice spoke. By now, you were close to seeing what it belonged to. The voice softly spoke your name, "You are dying."

No... Your steps faltered, causing you to trip.

"I don't want to die." You spoke weakly from the floor.

"If you are to be reborn, you must suffer through pain," the voice stated, it sounded much closer now, "It is the way of things, my child."

Propping yourself up onto your elbows, you were finally able to see what you were speaking to.

On an intricately carved stone throne sat a humanoid being with the head of a falcon, clothed in a loose-fitting white robe with long sleeves, adorned with many pieces of golden jewelry. The scorching sun settled behind the being's head, almost appearing as if its golden blaze was a halo.

You pulled yourself to your feet, pain forgotten in favor of the godly being in front of you. Stopping a few feet away from the base of their throne, you looked at the being, awaiting their next words.

"In exchange for your life," the being stated, your head perking up at the chance of not dying, "you will become an Eye of Ra. You will enact vengeance on my behalf, ensuring the balance between light and dark. If you choose to accept, you will be blessed with godly power and take a role as my avatar."

You nodded, mulling over the god's words. In full honestly, you had very little clue what exactly the god spoke of. However, you were in no place to bargain.

"Fine," you panted, the heat of the sun unwavering, "I accept your offer."

"Good." The god spoke, reaching out a hand to shake. You returned the gesture, sealing your hands together. You immediately felt a rush of power at the god's touch, the burning sun fading into a light warmth.

Suddenly, the white abruptly faded, leaving you alone in the desert. Although the sun was gone, your hand still burned. On the top of your left hand, thin, fresh scars now adorned your flesh, forming an eye of Ra. You clutched the scarified hand to your chest, careful not to irritate the fresh scars.

"Get moving, or the night will swallow you alive." Ra spoke, startling you.

You shot up, frantically looking around for any sign of the god. However, he was nowhere to be found.

"Where will I go?" You asked.

The god paused, as if thinking for a moment. Finally, he responded.

"We will start by atoning for your wrongdoings." The god stated cryptically.

"That's gonna take a while..."

"I heard that," he scolded, "Now come, experience your first taste of godly power."

To you, godly power would have been something more out of a children’s storybook, like shooting lighting out of the palms of your hands. To Ra, however, godly power was a reality, and that reality was making you fly around in a decadent suit, punching whoever he deemed a “threat to the balance between light and dark”, whatever that meant.

Through your many days together, you slowly learned of Ra's relationship with the other gods, how many respected him – with the exception of one: Khonshu. Apparently, the two gods have hated each other since their respective creations, a destiny determined by their control of opposing forces. You found it a bit childish, but would never admit that to Ra.

You and your god had highs and lows. At times, you adored being gifted with such power, but at others, it was like a weight that threatened to drag you down to inescapable depths. However, the worst night was easily the first. After being sent to bury those that Bushman murdered at the dig site,

you spent the entire night searching for Marc. You wouldn't be surprised if you flew over the entirety of the Sahara ten times that night. It was hell, barely having a grip on your newfound power. You would fly for a mile, then lose focus and drop from the sky. Each time you hit the ground, Ra was there to heal you. The cycle repeated many times that night, each fall worse than the last.

Eventually, Ra couldn't bear it anymore. He took control of your body, forcing you to land in a small cave filled with various statues of his fellow deities. In the front of the cave, where the sunlight would filter in, stood a tall statue of Ra, holding an ankh in one hand and a scepter in the other. On the other end of the cave, shrouded in darkness, stood a statue of Khonshu, missing its telltale cape.

"To my dearest love, my brilliant Sun,

The world has decided we can no longer be one

So you take the day and I’ll take the night

You with your happy glow, me with my cold & lonely light"

A Letter To The Sun From The Dark Side of The Moon by Ranata Suzuki

#moon knight #moon knight x reader #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #marvel #Steven grant #marc spector #moon knight series #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #remember our eclipse

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kummatty · 2 years

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Tellurian Drama (2020), Riar Rizaldi

On May 5, 1923, the Dutch colonial government erected a VLF radio telegraphic transmitter in West Java, one of the most powerful arc transmitters ever built, with the mission of projecting airwaves back to the Netherlands. In March 2020, the present-day Indonesian government embarked on its plan to reactivate the ruins of the station as a historic site and tourist attraction. Radio Malabar was originally constructed in an area traditionally known as Parahyang (the abode of hyang). “Hyang” has its roots in indigenous animism, describing either divine or ancestral entities who possess supernatural powers and invisibly inhabit high places such as hills, mountains, and volcanoes. Tellurian Drama explores the living landscape surrounding Mount Papandayan and Mount Puntang, the complex stratovolcano in West Java used as a suspension point for the transmitter. It tracks the story of Radio Malabar’s enmeshment with cascading histories of colonial rule, ancient Indigenous spiritual belief, and ecological resistance movements across the 20th and 21st centuries. Examining colonial ruins as an apparatus for geoengineering technologies, Rizaldi’s soundtrack composed with Sudanese musician Iman Jimbot, also gives voice to the mountain as a central character in the film’s narrative: the mountain as conductor of ancestral presence.

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fitemilk · 2 years

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african radio stations go so hard, these are probably my fave stations to listen to in the entire world. one of my current faves is a south sudanese station that plays a lot of choice 80s music but also plays other music too

#patton.txt

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vladtheunfollower · 5 years

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#south sudan #feminism

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dekierey153 · 5 years

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Ghirmai Kidane (Wedi Filipo): A multi-talented artist and a political activist

Mohamed Kheir

From a previous post in FB

When you listen to the masterpiece song, ‘Abbay Abbashawel’, the first thing that comes to your mind may be the name, Alamin Abdullatif, who sang the song. When you listen to songs on the radio or TV in our country or Ethiopia we are told about the singer only. All the credit goes to the singer. Listen to a song in Sudanese and the Arab world media, they tell first about the song writer, then the music composer and last comes the singer; a culture that appreciates all the contributions. Abbay Abbashawel, among other songs, was written and its music composed by Wedi Filipo. Girmai Kidane is not only a song writer, a musician but a political activist, too. This note which is based on an interview with him, sheds light through various milestones not only his life, but on the role of Eritrean artists on political activism. He was born almost 72 years ago on 19.06.1942. His father, Kidane Abraha Gangoul was born in Segeneiti and his mother Leteberhan Zere Yohannes was born in Kor Barya. His father died mysteriously in 1959, in the Imperial Palace and he says that was on orders from Emperor Haile Sellasie. His family was denied the corpse. He says a living witness that this event took place is the former Ethiopian President, Girmai Woldeghiorgis, who used to work as a security agent in Eritrea during Haile Sellasie’s rule. In 1953, he was the only Eritrean (black) is his batch who was studying in an Italian school. By 1959, he run errands for members of the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM)- Mahber Shewate- which he later joined and he participated on their initiative of forming the organization that promoted Eritrean culture and traditions. Some of the colleagues in the ELM, he worked with include Seid Beshir (Gesir), Gilay Girmai, Haile Woldemichael (Haile Gebha), Kiros Yacob (Kiros tzatze). He indicates that by 1960, members of the ELM wanted to break the monopoly of foreigners in musical bands and to mobilize the people against Ethiopian occupation and so initiated a competition on Eritrean songs through a theater group called ‘Mahber Tewaseoo Degebat’ and Tewolde Redda’s song ‘Asmeretey’ won the first prize. But the organization was later banned by followers of the Unionist Party. Among the persons he was acquainted with in that group were Tekle Adhanom (Tekle huwket), Yohannes Gebrekidan (Gozano) and the Tigrait singer, Jabir Mahmoud. He states that the famous Eritrean Musical group, Asmara Theatrical Group, ‘Mahber Teater Asmra’ was formed in 1961 in a meeting in ‘Piazza Mikele’ in the tea shop of Idris and later of Kahsay Michael. He mentions that as he was involved with the ELM in mobilizing the members of the Police and the public and was to participate in the Police Orchestra, he did not participate in the formation of ‘Mahber Teater Asmra’ but he contributed through song writing and by giving advice. The other side of Tedla Ogbit and the Police Orchestra Girmai recalls that when Brigadier General Tedla Ogbit, the Eritrean Police Chief, fell off with the Ethiopians he planned a coup d’etat. As the ELM was recruiting members of the Police, Tedla Ogbit was approached by Berhanu Ahmeddin and Haj Imam Musa. The importance of establishing the Police Orchestra was found to be important and so Tedla Ogbit formed the Police Orchestra on December 1962 to mobilize the people against Ethiopia and Wedi Filipo was one of those recruited in the Orchestra. Among those who were recruited were also Ali Mohmed (Ya Assina), Younis Ibrahim, Negash Tekie, Mohamed Burhan Atta, Kiflom Abbay and others. He recalls that Tedla Ogbit used to come regularly to Sembel to follow up the rehearsals of the band. Among the songs that were prepared for the agitation were the following: - Greetings from the Police Orchestra – group song- Adaliyuni (help me find…) - Younis Ibrahim- Yiaekel (enough is enough) - group song- Sesinu (flourish) - group songThose songs started to be aired on radio ‘Voice of Asmara’ that was owned by Cavallieri Mohamed. As the radio was broadcast through loud speakers at the grain market, ‘Idaga Ikhli’, those songs were well received by the public. On June 6, 1963, around 4 pm, while he was in a café (in front of Bar Autisti) with Martyr Ibrahim Abdulrahman and Alamin Siraj Omer, two policemen approached him and told me to go to Sembel and deliver his police belongings to the Sembel police station. He left his friends and went to the place where he used to meet General Tedla Ogbit. Tedla told me it was his order. He told Wedi Filipo that the zero hour where the anti-Ethiopia plans would be executed was approaching and he did not want Girmai to bear any responsibility. Tedla told him if his plans failed, he was going to take responsibility for it alone. If the coup succeeded then they would meet again. When Tedla Ogbit was killed by the Ethiopians, Wedi Filipo was arrested on June 1963 and taken for interrogation at the police headquarters at AGIP. Present at his interrogation were: the new police chief who was promoted to Brigadier General after Tedla’s death, Zere Mariam Azazi; the deputy of Zere Mariam, Colonel Erdatchew, Colonel Reta Demege (who according to Wedi Filipo led the special unit who came to kill Tedla Ogbit from Addis), and Colonel Mohamed Saleh. He was accused of being involved in the Tedla Ogbit revolt. Wedi Filipo recalls clarifying that he came regularly to Tedla’s office to ask for resignation. His explanation was supported by Zere Mariam Azazi and due to that he was not arrested. He was later told to go to Addis to join a musical group. Others from the police Orchestra who were accused to be involved with Tedla Ogbit and sent to Addis were: from the singers, Ali Mohmed (Ya Assina), Younis Ibrahim, Negash Tekie, Mohamed Burhan Atta, Kiflom Abbay and from the musicians Habtemichael Gebremichael, Figadu Andemichael, Yemane Yohannes, and Alto. When they arrived at Kolfe, they were told they were under arrest. They stayed there for six months. Gradually they were allowed to go to Addis for limited hours where he was able to meet some Eritrean political activists there, among them were Tekle Gebremichael (Tekle Eisenhower) who owned a hotel and Ibrahim Suleiman who was gatekeeper of Football Club Zula and later of Red Sea (Morosso). When they were released in February 1964, he returned back to Asmara. Being aware of the role of music in political agitation, he was encouraged in 1964 by Berhanu Ahmeddin and the then music teacher (who was blind), Umberto Barboy to recruit young singers to the service of the Eritrean revolution. They used the student scout shows at Comboni, Prince Mekonen school, Itige Memen School. Among the new singers were Tekle tesfazghi, Haile Gebru and Yemane Gebermichael (Baria). To cover up his political activities and to be able to gather information and to recruit young Eritreans, he served in the Naval Base Band (there were Eritrean recruits there) as well as in the 2nd Army’s Musical Band. He also played with European musicians in Asmara and was a member of the musical band, ‘Boys’. He recalls it was difficult to be recruited to the Navy from Eritrea as one was checked thoroughly so he was advised to travel to Addis and to get recruited from as the headquarters of the navy was there. He was told to meet some Eritrean activists there who had good relations with the Commander of the Ethiopian navy then, Iskander Desta. Some of those who helped him with recruitment were Tekie Tesfay Kibrom and Biniam Kiflemariam Squar. As he was specifically recruited to form a musical band for the navy, the Massawa administration of the Navy accepted that and around March 1965, a musical band for the navy was established. He recalls that one day he was invited for lunch by Commander Mekonen Abraha (uncle of Isaias Afworki) and Commander Hailemelekot Gebrewold where he was introduced to martyr Ibrahim Affa and were since then friends. He states that his mission at the navy was to create awareness and recruit Eritreans to the national cause. The Ethiopian security used to censure all the songs and he says we used various means to distract them. They used metaphor and also used to sing famous Amharic songs during the theatrical shows. In 1971, he initiated contacts with the PLF faction that was stationed near Dekemare area and was advised to go to Italy to establish contacts based on his former links to Italians. He did as he was advised and in 1972, he was linked to former ELM members in Germany. By 1974, he realized that that EPLF was not going in the right direction and started to air his views to that effect. After liberation, 1991 he realized that the EPLF leadership harbors hidden agenda and has since been opposing the regime, actively. I hope this note will generate discussion about the role of the political activism of artists then. I hope some will contribute to add or correct information presented here. My special thanks to Jelal Yassin for facilitating contacts with Wedi Filipo. -----------------------------------------------------

This note was written on the 23rd of December 2014, Wedi Filipo passed away on the erly morning of the 24th of September 2019

RIP Wedi Filipo an Eritrean singer and activist

#Wedi Filipo #Ghirmai Kidane #Eritrean singer #Eritrean music #African music #African artist #Eritrea #Eritrean #Asmara

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anniekoh · 5 years

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refugee places / spaces of refuge

We Built this City: How the Refugees of Calais became the Camp’s Architects Oliver Wainwright (The Guardian, 2016)

“There was a kind of life there that UNHCR camps simply don’t have,” says Hassett. “The cafes and restaurants, churches and mosques, even a bookshop and a radio station – the stages for strong social and cultural structures had somehow been forged out of nothing.”

...

The Sudanese families, for example, had arranged their shelters in groups around communal eating spaces, with separate spaces for cooking together. The Afghans, on the other hand, generally lived more separately, but had set up restaurants along an emerging commercial “strip” for social gathering. The Eritrean community, meanwhile, had established a nightclub in a dome-shaped structure, which doubled as a theatre and gallery during the day.

World’s largest Syrian refugee camp has developed its own economy (PBS, Jun 2016)

Refugees thought they would be here a week, maybe a month. No one imagined that stay would turn into five years and counting. Even though, for many, home is less than ten miles away, refugees have had to recreate their lives here.

That means, for many, opening up small businesses, just like they did back home. The pastry shop is one of three-thousand businesses inside the camp. Many line the main road.

There's a supermarket, a pizza place, a falafel stand, a gardening shop, and a store to rent bridal gowns. Abuelmena'em Abu Hesenih and his four brothers own Farouk Sweets.

vimeo

[Trailer for Hotel Splendid]

HOTEL SPLENDID (91 min, 2016)

This award-winning film is an intimate account of a community of migrants from Africa who are living in an Italian hotel converted into an emergency refugee camp. The film recounts the migrants' dramatic voyage to Europe -- the violence and abuse -- and the Kafkaesque, almost surreal experiences they encounter during the evaluation process.

I am unsure about this genre of humanitarian architecture/design competitions (presumably inspired by Architecture for Humanity). The 2018 theme was Place and Displacement / Integrating Refugee Populations within Cities

We challenge the innovative minds around the globe to design a marketplace with an operational plan for a vulnerable population (adolescents, single mothers, people with trauma, etc) in one of the refugee settlements in Kenya, Jordan and Germany.

#refugee #documentary #italy #architecture #france #calais #migration

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ayittey1 · 5 years

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COCONUT CLASSICS

Fed up with the buffoonery and tomfoolery coming out of Africa. So I compiled a litany of the eccentricities and flat-out acts of buffoonery that I have come across in my research and work on Africa. Let me know which one you like the best. Enjoy.

In March 2017, Emmanuel Elibariki, a hip-hop artist, released a song in which he asked “is there still freedom of expression in Tanzania?” He was promptly arrested and his song banned from the airwaves. (The Economist, Oct 19, 2017; p.43).

The late president, Gen. Samuel Doe of Liberia summoned his finance minister – “only to be reminded by aides that he had already executed him” (The New York Times, Sept 13, 2003; p.A4).

In 2016, Uganda’s Parliament voted Shs68 million ($18,320) to cover the funeral expenses of each MP (Daily Monitor, Sept 15, 2016). Hand them over. I will bury them for FREE – with the Cutlass!

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda wants to ban oral sex “the mouth is for eating” https://bit.ly/2ILs3RV

"Corruption is everywhere -- in the villages, wherever", Zambia's Lands Minister Gladys Nyirango acknowledged at a major conference on graft in Africa. Hours later she was SACKED. (Sapa-AFP, March 4, 2007).

A former minister of finance was found hiding – where else? -- in a coconut tree: “Zambia’s former finance minister, Katele Kalumba, was arrested and charged with theft after the police found him hiding in a tree near his rural home. Mr. Kalumba, who had been on the run for four months, is being charged in connection with some $33 million that vanished while he was in office (The New York Times, Jan 16, 2003; p.A8).

In Zimbabwe, the anti-corruption czar, Ngonidzashe Gumbo, was himself a bandit, jailed for 10 years for defrauding the commission of $435,000 (The Herald, March 12, 2015). https://bit.ly/2UCre4b

Zambia President Edgar Lungu is buying a new Presidential Jet fitted with a cutting edge military grade anti-missile defense system which fires lasers at incoming heat-seeking missiles (Zambia Observer, Oct 12, 2018). https://bit.ly/2UyS9ho

In Feb 2019, “The First Lady of Zambia, Esther Lungu, travelled to the US with a 25-man delegation to receive four fire trucks, which the Los Angeles Fire Department, had RETIRED from service” (Punch, Feb 7, 2019). Hopefully they did not fly back with the trucks!

When two coconuts fight . . . https://on.wsj.com/2PlEVzd

RWANDA: “I have caught you supporting rebels to destabilize my government. Take that! The border is closed!” (Delivers a sharp left hook). UGANDA: “Wui! . . . No, it is you who is destabilizing my government. Take that!” (Delivers a stiff upper cut). AU (the referee) is snoring zzzzzzzzzz and awakes: “I APPEAL to both of you to end hostilities!” And goes back to sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzz https://bit.ly/2SO3Agh https://bit.ly/2UzW39K

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Two journalists were arrested and charged with publishing false information for reporting that President Bingu wa Mutharika, had moved out of a new 300-room palace because he believed it was haunted. The two, Raphael Tenthani, who works for the BBC, and Mabvuto Banda of the newspaper The Nation, were reportedly taken in raids at their homes. Malawi newspapers and radio stations carried the ghost report over the weekend, quoting a senior official. Mr. Mutharika has angrily denied the reports, saying, "I have never feared ghosts in my life." (Agence France-Presse, March 16, 2005)

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Insecurity challenges heightened in Bayelsa State following separate incidents of kidnapping of four policemen and six other persons along Nembe waterways by gunmen suspected to be sea pirates. Sunday Independent gathered that the gunmen also seized a gunboat belonging to the Nigeria Police in an incident that occurred on Friday. Sources said the gunboat was escorting a barge owned by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) when the bandits struck (Daily Independent, October 26, 2014).

Coconut Eccentricities

Sudan

“Colonel Ibrahim Chamsadine was Sudan’s defense minister but was arrested and imprisoned in 1995 by Omar al-Bashir for opposing him. Later, the state claimed that he died in a plane crash on June 11, 2008. But he was found in a secret prison under a mosque in the Sudanese city of Omdurmanprison https://bit.ly/2YbKT9c

Mali

In March 1991, angry Malians took to the streets to demand democratic freedom from the despotic rule of Gen. Moussa Traore. He unleashed his security forces on them, killing scores, including women and children. But pro-democracy forces were not deterred and kept up the pressure. Asked to resign on March 25, he retorted: "I will not resign, my government will not resign, because I was elected not by the opposition but by all the people of Mali." Two days later, when he tried to flee the country, he was grabbed by his own security agents and sent to jail. From there, he lamented: "My fate is now in God’s hands."

Kenya

“President Daniel arap Moi has urged Kenyans to abstain from sex for at least two years to try to curb the spread of AIDS. . .Moi was speaking after the government announced plans to import 300 million condoms to fight AIDS” (The Telegraph, July 13, 2001)

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Uganda

Uganda’s Agriculture Minister, Kibirige Ssebunya, declared that: “All the poor should be arrested because they hinder us from performing our development duties. It is hard to lead the poor, and the poor cannot lead the rich. They should be eliminated" (New Vision, Kampala, Dec 15, 2004). He advised local leaders to arrest poor people in their areas of jurisdiction.

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Soldiers teach wealth creation

BUSHENYI- Soldiers implementing the newly established operational Wealth Creation program have urged farmers to stop being afraid of working with them, saying they are not a colonial army that used to force people to do community tasks. The appeal was made at a meeting for the program’s southwestern army coordinators in Bushenyi District last week. The project replaced Naads last year. The meeting was organized by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) aimed at harmonizing collaboration between UCDA and coordinators to improve the quality and production of coffee (Daily Monitor, Feb 24, 2015)

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No fewer than 300 Nigerian soldiers FLED to Cameroon when Boko Haram insurgents overran Mubi, the second largest city in Borno State from security forces on Oct 30, 2014 (SUNDAY PUNCH, Nov 2, 2014).

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Kibaki

In May 2005, Lucy Kibaki, one of the two wives of President Mwai Kibaki, was hopping mad. She stormed into the Nairobi office of The Daily Nation, confiscated notebooks, tape recorders and pens. Brandishing a copy of the newspaper, Mrs. Kibaki, flanked by several security officers and the Nairobi police chief, Kingori Mwangi, demanded to know the whereabouts of a reporter who had written a story headlined “Shame of First Lady” that offended her. “I am here to protest, and I’m not leaving until I find the reporter who has been writing all these lies,” a witness said. Mrs. Kibaki then camped herself for much of the night at the desk of the newspaper's editor, unleashing a fury of broadsides at the staff. When a local television crew arrived, she slapped a cameraman. The problem was that she chose the wrong newspaper to unleash her full fury. It was the rival Standard newspaper that had printed the offending article, not the Daily Nation. (The Daily Nation, May 9, 2005). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nigeria

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has proposed to spend N5 billion on the procurement of anti-terrorism, chemical, bio-radiation and NUCLEAR weapon equipment and other new projects. Breakdown of the budget by Daily Trust reveals that N254.2m was proposed for the procurement of NUCLEAR weapon equipment, as well as N196.6m for the purchase of two BMW 900 RT, 374 Sinoki motorcycles, 200 bikes and 30 rider kits. Daily Trust, Feb 21, 2018 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zimbabwe

Three people have appeared in court in Zimbabwe, accused of stealing a suitcase containing $150,000 (£117,600) of cash from the country's ousted president, Robert Mugabe. The suspected thieves allegedly spent the money on cars, homes and animals. A relative of the ex-president, Constantia Mugabe, is among the accused, government-owned media report. She allegedly had keys to Mr Mugabe's rural home in Zvimba, near the capital Harare, and gave the others access. The other suspects were employed as cleaners at the time of the theft, which allegedly happened some time between 1 December and early January (BBC Jan 10, 2019) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46830960 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenya

In January 2000,Kenya’s ruling party’s (KANU’s) gang of thugs known as Jeshi la Mzee (“the old man’s army”), attacked a group of opposition leaders outside parliament who were protesting against the resumption of IMF assistance. When the police were called to restore order, “It was the protesters, not the thugs, who were arrested” (The Economist, Feb 5, 2000; p.42). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zimbabwe

"In Zimbabwe, the thieves are in charge and their victims face prosecution" (The Economist, March 16, 2002; p.18). In 2000, Zimbabwe's Supreme Court ruled that invasions of white commercial farmlands by "war veterans" did not constitute a workable form of land redistribution -- a position, which was affirmed by a Commonwealth agreement struck in Abuja, Nigeria in Sept 2001. But President Robert Mugabe tossed the agreement aside, reconstituted the Supreme Court by packing it with pliant judges who then ruled on Dec 6 2001 that the violent land invasions were legal (The Economist, Dec 8, 2001; p.45).

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President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, was miffed in December 2017 when two Ugandan musicians suggested in a song that he should retire. The two were promptly arrested and charged with disturbing the peace of the president. “Singer David Mugema and music producer John Muwanguzi were accused of having composed and disseminated via the internet a tune titled “Wumula”, meaning “retire”, their lawyer Abdallah Kiwanuka told AFP” (Mail &Guardian, Dec 6, 2017).

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DR Congo frees goats from prison

A minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo has ordered a Kinshasa jail to release a dozen goats, which he said were being held there illegally. Deputy Justice Minister Claude Nyamugabo said he found the goats just in time during a routine jail visit. The beasts were due to appear in court, charged with being sold illegally by the roadside. The minister said many police had serious gaps in their knowledge and they would be sent for retraining. Mr Nyamugabo was conducting a routine visit to the prison when, he said, he was astonished to discover not only humans, but a herd of goats crammed into a prison cell in the capital. He has blamed the police for the incident.(Thank God, he didn’t blame the colonialists). It is not clear what will happen to the owners of the goats, who have also been imprisoned. BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says that given the grim state of prisons in Congo, the goats will doubtless be relieved about being spared a trial. There was no word on what their punishment would have been, had they been found guilty.

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Traffic Drives Nigerians Nuts, but a Trip to a Shrink May Go Too Far Enforcement of One-Way Rules in Lagos Tests Motorists' Sanity; 'A Lot of Cannabis'

LAGOS, Nigeria—You'd have to be crazy to drive the wrong way down a one-way street here. At least, that's what cops in the local Anti-One-Way Squad say.

Seeking to stem an epidemic of wrong-way driving, Lagos authorities have ratcheted up the standard $160 fine. Scofflaws now also face psychiatric evaluations. Contesting the charge can jack up the fine to $1,600—and you still get sent to a shrink. The legal logic is simple, says Sina Thorpe, spokesman for the Lagos state ministry of transportation: If you violate one-way rules, "you should have your head examined." Threatening errant drivers with psychiatric exams, which locals deem more bureaucratic than medical, is a twist in the rough road of Nigerian traffic. Lagos bigwigs have long paid on-duty local cops to speed them through jams by riding shotgun with machine guns and menacing other drivers with bullwhips. Cut-price motorcycle taxis use thunderous horns that sound like 18-wheelers to frighten others out of the way. (The Wall Street Journal, July 27, 2011; p.A1

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Zambia: Zambia's Transport Minister, Nkandu Luo, acting to "improve sanity in the transportation industry" ordered all buses and taxis to be painted in same uniform color: Blue and white. The United Transport and Taxi Association (UTTA) who were not consulted on the move, claimed that the imposition of the colors "amounted to the worst form of dictatorship." "If they think it is such a good idea to have a uniform color, why don't they paint all government vehicles in the same blue and white so that they lead by example," UTTA member Mr. Bwalya Chupa complained. Passengers were not impressed either. "The buses should have been repaired before being smeared with a coat of paint," commuter Juliet Sefu opined. Rather than bring sanity to the transportation industry, most Zambians believe the Transport Minister has brought even further insanity to their already beleaguered transportation infrastructure (African Business, May 2001; p.13).

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Sierra Leone: The Sierra Leone Government is urging people to stop jeering and throwing stones at former military leader, Captain Valentine Strasser. A government statement said Captain Strasser had been embarrassed by people throwing stones at him and booing him when he ventured out on the streets of the capital, Freetown. "It is a great concern to the nation," the statement said (Daily Graphic, Accra, August 18, 2001; p.5).

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Uganda

Minister seeks to attract tourists: Uganda has sexy and curvy women . . . And coconuts too https://goo.gl/FXWsgi

Chad

The president built a moat around the capital to ward off rebel insurgency led by his relatives: “The government is digging a 10-foot-deep trench around the capital, Ndjamena, to prevent a repeat of an attack last month, when rebels in pickup trucks rolled in and fought two days of heavy battles. The ditch will all but encircle the city, slicing through neighborhoods and forcing vehicles to pass through fortified gateways, a security official said. The remaining trees that line the avenues of central Ndjamena are being felled. Residents say the rebels used trees knocked down by rocket-propelled grenades and cannon fire to block roads during the fighting” (Reuters reprinted in The New York Times, March 8, 2008). And who are the rebels? His own nephews and relatives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has launched a space agency, hailing it a "milestone" as he campaigns ahead of elections at the end of the month. The Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency will deploy earth observation satellites, global navigation satellite systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, geospatial and space technologies for better farming, mineral exploration, wildlife conservation, infrastructure management and disease surveillance, he said in Harare https://bit.ly/2GZCq3w

Coconut Combat on Corruption

In Feb 2014 when Lamidu Sanusi, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, reported that some $20 billion in oil revenue was missing, it was he, the governor, who was immediately sacked by ex-Pres. Goodluck Jonathan for financial recklessness and misconduct! (BBC News, Feb 20, 2014) https://bbc.in/2Kb8rsE

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Paul Biya Fights Corruption? Don’t snicker; my head it splitting already! The man is holed up in Switzerland watching over his Swiss bank accounts! Holds a cabinet meeting every 4 years. In Oct 2018 he won a 7th 7-year term without even campaigning. He has already been in power for 41 years https://bit.ly/2XWI4cG

Life in a coconut Republic

Liberia under Pres. Charles Taylor

“Wheel barrows serve as ambulances for the people. The public schools do not function; more than 70 percent of the population is illiterate. Yet, all government ministers have Ph.D.s – some even three or four – all purchased. At the University of Liberia, Charles Taylor offered 11,000 scholarships to his friends in 1997 but did not pay their tuition bills. Nor did his government pay the salaries of university professors and public school teacher . . . Liberia had a judicial system but Taylor named his friends who could not read or write to be judges and attorneys, and sentences were handed down on his orders . . . The capital has a fire building, painted bright red but its only fire truck has no tires, headlamps, or even a hose. Wires dangle from the engine. With no running water in the city, firefighters must jog or hitchhike to a creek three miles away to fetch water in buckets to put out a fire” (The Washington Post, Sep 9, 2003; p.A18). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nigeria

The late General Sani Abacha’s family thought they were smart. They hired Usman Mohammed Bello – a Sudanese from Karsala -- to look after their three children attending school in Amman, Jordan. Usman became a close confidante of Abacha with access to several coded foreign bank accounts opened by the late General. The family so trusted him that Abacha gave him diplomatic status in the Nigerian foreign office in Amman. He was also issued with both diplomatic passport number F317567 and a standard passport number A104786. Subsequently, Abacha was poisoned or died in 1998 from exhaustion from a Viagra-fueled sex orgy – depending on upon which version one believes. A short transitional government led to the election of President Olusegun Obasanjo in March 1999, who vowed to recover Abacha’s loot of about $5 billion from abroad. On October 1, 1999, Usman Bello vanished. A hysterical Abacha family appealed to Nigeria’s police and government for help in catching him! “Nigeria’s State Security Service from from (SSS) established that the Sudanese might have salted away millions of dollars entrusted to him by the Abacha family and may also be privy to other financial transactions of the family overseas, especially in the Arab world” (Weekly Insight, July 19-25, 2000; p.1). Only in a coconut republic would thieves appeal to the police to apprehend a thief! Even then, part of the Abacha loot that was recovered, was quickly re-looted! About $709 million and another ₤144 million were recovered from the loot the Abachas and his henchmen stashed abroad. But the Senate Public Accounts Committee found only $6.8 million and ₤2.8 million of the recovered booty in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) (The Post Express (July 10, 2000).

Coconut Elections

Tanzania

The losing candidate lambasted voters, not his own incompetence, for losing an election: “The candidate of the Tanzania Labour Party (TLP), Augustine Mrema, did well in 1995 with another party, NCCR-Mageuzi, and less well with TLP in 2000. This time, he blamed the voters for betraying him. Mrema, a former home affairs minister who contested the 1995 elections as leader of his own party, chastised the voters for not choosing him previously. "I wonder why you have not given me votes to become president despite my impressive record as home affairs minister," he told a rally in Dar es Salaam broadcast live on radio and television. "I worked as deputy prime minister, which means I was boss to Mkapa and Sumaye, still you chose not to elect me president. Why? Some voters are hypocrites. They proclaim to support you but vote for other people. If you do not vote for me this time, you will have to explain." (Southen African News, Dec 16, 2005) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nigeria

To return Nigeria to civilian rule, the late military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, allowed only 5 political parties to be registered in 1996 and participate in the forthcoming elections. They all promptly chose HIM as their presidential candidate!

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Rwanda: On August 25, 2003, Paul Kagame, leader of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), won 95.05 percent of the vote. His challenger, Faustin Twagiramungu, found his campaign stymied at every turn by government security forces. His rallies were canceled, his workers arrested and his brochures seized. On the eve of the voting, “police arrested 12 of Twagiramungu’s provincial organizers, saying they were preparing election day violence” (The Washington Times, Aug 28, 2003; p.A19). “In Twagiramungu’s home town, soldiers reportedly looked at ballot papers and ordered those who voted the wrong way to try again” (The Economist, Aug 30, 2003; p.32). Faustin Twagiramungu, won 3.62 percent and a third candidate, Jean Nepomuscene Nayinzira, had 1.33 percent (The New York Times, Aug 26, 2003; p.A6). In the 2010 elections Kagame won 93% of the vote and in the 2017 elections he won 99.98% of the vote! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethiopia: May 2015 election the opposition did not win a single parliamentary seat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Ghana’s 1996 presidential election, opposition candidate, Col. Erskine did not win a single vote in his own constituency. In other words, he did not would vote for himself and neither did his wife and four children. He was livid. When he complained bitterly on a radio program, the electoral commissioner tossed six votes his way. Marriage breaker election. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Egypt

In Egypt’s March 2018 elections all of those who expressed an interest to contest either disappeared or were thrown into jail. The main challenger was arrested and his campaign manager beaten up. The only candidate allowed to run was Mousa Mostafa Mousa. He was a strong supporter of the president. In fact, his own party previously endorsed the incumbent, Abdel Fattahh al-Sisi, who won 97% of the vote. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe’s July 2018 election bore all the hallmarks of the long-ruling ZANU-PF party’s usual machinations. Voters included more than 1,000 people about 100 years old and older; four were even born in the 1880s. Emmerson Mnangagwa (the incumbent) won 50.8% of votes to 44.3% for opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. He scraped through by the skin of his teeth to avoid a runoff! Yeah right! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Congo DR The Mother of all Coconut elections took place in Congo DR on Dec 30, 2018 after being twice postponed. Vote in 3 opposition areas were postponed to March 2019. Rest of the country voted on Dec 30. The Electoral Commissioner declared Felix Tshisekedi, an opposition candidate, as the winner on Jan 15. There was widespread speculation that the incumbent, Joseph Kabila, had made a secret pact with Tshisekedi. The Catholic Church disagreed with the results, giving the nod to another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, who declared himself president. A nasty political crisis erupted which wend its way to the Constitutional Court. Awoken out of its slumber, the African Union with indecent haste ordered the Court to hold off and wait for its high level and high profile delegation to come to Kinshasa to resolve the crisis. And the Chairman of the AU seeking to resolve an election dispute? Prez PAUL KAGAME of Rwanda who in Aug 2017 tossed his political rival, Diane Rwigara, into jail and won 99.98% of vote in presidential election https://goo.gl/URjASb The Court told the AU to butt out and mind his own business. It went ahead and confirmed Tshisekedi as the winner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coconut Security Forces Mauritania

State news: Mauritania's president mistakenly shot by his nation's troops

(CNN) -- Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who came under fire from his own troops just hours before, took to his country's airwaves Sunday, saying the shooting incident was an accident. "I want to reassure all citizens of my well-being after the accident committed by an army unit on an unpaved road around Touela. ... Everything is fine," he said in an interview broadcast on official Mauritanian television. Troops shot the president late Saturday in what the government is calling a case of "friendly fire" -- though others believe it may have been an assassination attempt. Aziz's convoy mistakenly came under fire as it was heading back toward the capital of Nouakchott, the official AMI news agency reported. The gunshots came from a military unit stationed alongside the road in the west African country. http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/13/world/africa/mauritania-president-shot/index.html By Amir Ahmed, CNN, October 14, 2012 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenya

In Africa, most of the police are highway robbers and judges, crooks. Tell a police officer that you saw a minister stealing the people’s money and it is you he will arrest! Asked to investigate the brutal murders of Robert Ouko and British tourist, Julie Ward, Kenya police issued this report: “Foreign Minister Robert Ouko was presumed to have broken his own leg, shot himself in the head and set himself afire. Two years earlier, Kenyan officials suggested that a British tourist, Julie Ward, lopped off her own head and one of her legs before setting herself aflame” (The Washington Post, April 20, 2001; p. A19). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ghana

The security forces can unleash the full force of their fury on unarmed civilians with batons, tear gas, water canons and rubber bullets. But how really brave are the security forces? On 16 December 1998, Corporal C. Darko and Constable K. A. Boateng at a Police Station in Accra, Ghana, were instructed to go and arrest Samuel Quartey, who was reported to police for being involved in a theft case. "When the suspect came out brandishing a cutlass (a machete), the police officers took to their heels with the speed of lightning that could have made an enviable record had they been timed" (The Mirror, 2 Jan 1999, 1). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soldiers on guard duties at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation no longer guard an observation post behind the TV studios because of a ghost who slaps officers who go on duty there at night. In September, 1994, an officer on guard at that sentry came running to the head of security complaining of an invincible hand which had on two occasions pulled his helmet from his head and slapped him. The senior officer, unmoved by the soldier's story, decided to prove him wrong by manning the post himself. Within an hour, the senior officer fled to the office telling a similar tale, this time the ghost allegedly smacked him four times on the face (Ghana Drum, Feb 1995; p.33). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nigeria

On July 23, 1998, Colonel Anthony Obi, Osun State's military administrator, strutted pompously to deliver a speech at a state function at Osogbo in the southwestern part of Lagos, Nigeria. As the Daily Champion (24 July 1998) reported: "Panic stricken Nigerian officials ran for safety when first a rat and then a python, apparently drawn by the smell of the rat, made a sudden appearance. The officials leapt up from their seats when the rat, described as having a "long snout and offensive smell," appeared from beneath the carpet by the high table. Colonel Anthony Obi, Osun State's military administrator, and his entourage nervously returned after security agents intervened and killed the beast. (p.1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenya

Ambushed by bunch of rag-tag cattle rustlers, Kenya’s elite presidential guards quickly surrendered. Johann Wandetto, a reporter for the People Daily, a newspaper in Kitale, Rift Valley province, submitted a story in the March 6, 1999 edition with the title: “Militia men rout 8 crack unit officers: Shock as Moi’s men surrender meekly.” Wandetto was immediately arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison on what the court described as an “alarmist report” (Index on Censorship, 3/2000; p.99). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congo DR

Nor can the security forces shoot straight. When civil war broke out in the DR Congo in 1997, Chad sent in troops to help the regime of Laurent Kabila stave off rebel attacks. What happened? “Congo rebels said 93 Chadian soldiers were killed in an ambush by Kabila government troops who mistook their identities. Chad, one of the nations allied with the Kabila regime, insisted the toll was lower” (The Wall Street Journal, Nov 12, 1998, A1). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sudan

And the mother of all security forces? When the African Union (AU) peacekeepers' base on the edge of Haskanita, a small town in southern Darfur, came under sustained rebel assault on Sept 29, 2007, they fled into the bush. “Ten were killed; at least 40 fled into the bush. The attackers looted the compound before Sudanese troops arrived to rescue the surviving peacekeepers” (The Economist, Oct 11, 2007; p.48) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoisted by own petard

Ousted Mauritania leader in shock

The former president of the West African state of Mauritania has said he was stunned by the coup that ousted him from power. Army officers overthrew President Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya in a bloodless revolt on Wednesday. Speaking for the first time since the coup, Mr Taya said he had been shocked to find out who was behind it. He was toppled by the former security chief and close colleague, Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Vall. "My situation reminds me of the old adage: 'God, save me from my friends, I'll take care of my enemies'," President Taya told Radio France Internationale from Niger. "I was stunned by the coup d'etat [...] and even more so when I heard who were the authors," Mr Taya said. President Taya, who survived a number of coup attempts in his 21-year rule, was returning from the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia when the coup took place. Col Vall, 55, has been director of national security since 1987 and, after played a key role in the 1984 coup which brought Mr Taya to power. Critics accuse the government of using the US-led war on terror to crack down on his opponents. Mr Taya had also prompted widespread opposition by establishing links with Israel, making Mauritania one of only three Arab states to have done so. The following presidents were removed by members of their own security forces: Ben Ali of Tunisia in 2011, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 2011, Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria in April 2019 and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan in April 2019. They never learn and keep spending more and more on security forces. In the end they are booted out by members of their own security forces. Guinea

GUINEA: PRESIDENT ESCAPES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Guinea's leader, Lansana Conté, survived an assassination attempt, his security minister said, after unidentified men in military uniforms fired on his convoy. Mr. Conté, 70, a diabetic chain-smoker who has no obvious successor and is rarely seen in public, later appeared on state television. Military officials said his bodyguards returned fire and foiled the attack. Security Minister Moussa Sampil said that an unspecified number of people had been detained. In his television address, Mr. Conté spoke of "external manipulations" against him but added, "Personally, I only fear my close aides, who pretend they are with me while they are not sincere." (Reuters, Jan 20, 2005). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hundreds of marauding soldiers fired guns in the air in the streets of Conakry and other towns around the country on Friday, further threatening the ability of Guinea's beleaguered president Lansana Conte to govern. Banks, schools, markets and shops all closed at around 11.30am as news spread that heavily armed soldiers were marching into town, after talks between senior military officials and soldiers at a military base near the airport collapsed. "We want the leaders who stole our wages and betrayed us to step down," one of the soldiers marching in central Conakry close to the presidential palace, told IRIN on Friday afternoon. In the morning IRIN also saw presidential guards, distinguished by their red berets, in the center of the city. They were shooting in the air in what appeared to be an attempt to scare off the mutinous soldiers, but the presidential guards were outnumbered and eventually FLED! UN Integrated Regional Information Networks NEWS 11 May 2007

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.punchng.com/news/mubi-battle-300-nigerian-soldiers-flee-to-cameroon-again/

Boko Haram has seized control of a Nigerian town after hundreds of soldiers stationed there reportedly FLED across the border to Cameroon, a police source said. "Boko Haram fighters moved into Ashigashya" overnight on Monday, where they slaughtered three people in front of a church, a Cameroon police source told the AFP news agency on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. “Almost 500 Nigerian soldiers FLED the Nigerian border towns of Ashigashyia and Kerawa to take refuge from Boko Haram fighters on Cameroonian territory” (Al-Jazeera, Aug 26, 2014) www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/08/boko-haram-seizes-town-after-soldiers-flee-2014826181311739107.html

Islamist extremist group Boko Haram seized control of a Nigerian town of Malam Fatori, near the Niger border, after soldiers FLED, an official told the AFP. . . The fighting killed dozens and wounded about 30 people in the a commercial hub known for fishing and farming, the Anfani radio station in Diffa reported. “The town of Malam Fatori was taken by Boko Haram after violent fighting with the Nigerian army overnight,” said the official in Diffa. According to the official, 315 Nigerian soldiers FLED over the border to Diffa. Thirteen who were wounded were treated in a Diffa hospital, while the others have been repatriated (Today, Nov 10, 2014) HTTP://WWW.TODAY.NG/NEWS/315-NIGERIAN-SOLDIERS-FLEE-TO-NIGER-AS-BOKO-HARAM-RAIDS-TAKES-CONTROL-OF-ANOTHER-TOWN-IN-BORNO/

“NO fewer than 480 Nigerian soldiers have FLED into Cameroon following fierce fighting with Boko Haram insurgents. The Cameroonian Army Spokesman, Lt Col Didier Badjek, who confirmed this, said the troops had already been disarmed. (Cameroon Daily, Jan 20, 2015).

HTTP://WWW.CAMEROONDAILY.NET/2014/08/480-NIGERIAN-SOLDIERS-FLEE-TO-CAMEROON.HTML

Mercifully there is the Coconut Cure

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, there is a place called "the magic corner," where all and sundry, including politicians, come to be relieved or cured of their problems. "Even those top leaders of the government come to that tree," said Shabuni Haruni, a private security guard. "Yes, during the election." Upon the payment of a small fee, a traditional healer ("witch doctor") would take a patient to a huge baobab tree, reputed to be the abode of ancestral spirits. Patients remove their shoes, kneel in front of the tree with their eyes closed. At one session described by The Washington Post correspondent, Karl Vick, "Rykia Selengia, a traditional healer, passed a coconut around and around the head of her kneeling client. The coconut went around the man's left arm, then the right, then each leg. When she handed the coconut to the client, Mussa Norris, he hurled it onto a stone. It shattered, releasing his problems to the winds." (The Washington Post, Nov 12, 2001; p. A21).

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