Sean Jacobs's Blog, page 637

'The Oil Complex'

Video of a worthwhile lecture (recorded in February this year) by Berkeley geographer Michael Watts breaking down the workings of the oil industry.  In the lecture–titled "Dispossession and Oil Violence"– Watts riffs off David Harvey's explanation of the workings of neoliberalism, challenges the "the resource curse" theory, makes fun of Paul Collier's ideas, and the popular support for armed militant groups in Nigeria's Niger Delta, among other things. The whole thing is about 50 minutes; Watts speaks for 30 minutes and then takes questions. Stay till the end. Watts is well qualified to speak on the subject. He has done extensive research on oil production in Nigeria. He collaborated with American photographer Ed Kashi for a book about the Niger Delta, Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, published in 2008.  In 2007 while traveling in the Niger Delta, Watts was shot and wounded by unknown gunmen.

Via Naijablog.

Ali Bongo loves America

Ali Bongo, the new, very corrupt Life President of Gabon (as we know a favorite destination  of  Newsweek's editors and Jay Z) was in Washington D.C. last week to meet the leader of the free world.  Bongo is quite corrupt, the country is run like a police state and has been led by a Bongo for 44 out of the 50 years of independence.  (His father, Omar, had been president for 42 years when he died in 2009.)  For the record, Barack Obama, in between smiles, "pressured" Bongo on human rights. But we can assume they did discuss Gabon's generous oil supply to the United States.

The US media hardly took notice of his visit. ABC News' "Nightline" did a piece which was decent by American standards. However, they could not help the sensationalism: the reporter spent too much time on Bongo's ex-wife looking for homes in Los Angeles and Bongo's relations with Chris Tucker (he regularly holidays in Gabon). Bongo, who does not grant interviews to Western journalists (except those from France) thus suffered some negative publicity from the "Nightline" piece.

But few cared about or saw the piece. Who still watches Nightline?

That is until Eric Bolling, a host on Fox Business Channel decided to use Bongo's visit to race bait President Obama.*

Last Friday, Bolling, introducing a panel discussion on his show, said that Obama was hosting "hoodlums" in the "hizzy" by inviting Bongo to the White House–so soon after rapper Common came to recite poetry in the East Room. Fox News had smeared Common as a cop killer. Bolling also referred to the White House as "the big crib" and photoshopped a flashing gold tooth onto an image of Bongo.

(As for the segment itself, Bolling and his guests (watch it here), spent there time agreeing how necessary it is for the US to maintain relations with unsavory regimes were.

Media Matters, who monitors right-wing media, and blogs called Bolling out. And rightly so. Unfortunately, everyone stopped talking about Bongo who must consider this a PR victory of sorts.  Bongo must love America.

* Bolling, btw, has a history of racist innuendo when it comes to Obama: when Obama drank a Guinness on a recent trip to Ireland, Bolling said he was "chugging 40s;" earlier he claimed Obama's long form birth certificate (which birthers demanded Obama produce) was a photocopy. And this was Bolling, in April this year, discussing Obama's budget proposal: "How does increasing taxes count as spending cuts in your world, Mr. Obama? Maybe in Kenya, but certainly not here."

Maids in Manhattan

No not the bad Hollywood movie version with its fake set ups, but real life:

The life of a hotel maid [in New York City] is not an easy one, with naked men flaunting their wares, verbal abuse, lecherous suggestions and personal hygiene standards that would shame a chimp. But thanks to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, things may be about to improve.

There are more than 10,000 hotel maids – or room attendants as they prefer to be called – in New York City. An invisible army of cleaners working for $24 (£15) an hour (if they have a union job), they rarely hit the headlines.

But their work was thrust into the spotlight after the alleged attack by the former head of the International Monetary Fund on one of their number in room 2806 of the Times Square Sofitel last month.

Politicians are calling for security checks, more cases of abuse are coming out into the open and the voices of the maids themselves are being heard.

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize

I saw this. Noted it and forgot about it. Then I was reminded by Afro Europe that last month the British writer of Sierra Leone descent, Aminatta Forna, was awarded the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for her novel "The Memory of Love," set in the country of her father. It is worth celebrating. In the video,above, recorded in 2010, with the BBC's Bola Mosuro, Forna talks about some of the characters and themes of the novel.

New Documentary Films

A clip from Ann Buford's new film, "Elevate," about four high school athletes recruited from Senegal to play basketball at upscale prep schools in the US.

Then there's "The Redemption of General Butt-Naked" directed by Eric Strauss and Danielle Anastasion. From the film PR: "… Once a brutal warlord who mercilessly slaughtered men, women, and children during Liberia's bloody civil war, Joshua Milton Blahyi (General Butt Naked) led his child soldiers into battle in the nude, believing their bare skin to be impenetrable. This riveting documentary follows Blahyi as he reinvents himself as an evangelist and seeks forgiveness from the survivors of his victims, raising difficult questions about the limits of forgiveness and the possibility of deliverance." The video above contains an interview with the directors as well as clips from the film. (The video was shot at Sundance 2011.) Here's a link to another video interview with the directors of the film.

Both films are screening next week at the BAM Cinemafest (link to the program) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I am hoping to see both films as well as the documentary film about Brooklyn street photographer, Jamal Shabazz.

Music Break

TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone join Tinariwen for this song. BTW, Tinariwen is touring the US this summer. (They're playing New York City on July 20.)

The POWA Mixtape

Johannesburg-based Tumi of Tumi and The Volume has released a mixtape. It seems to be in support of People Opposed to Women Abuse and was inspired by the story of rape victim Akona Ndungane. Among those getting the Tumi remix treatment are Mos Def (a fan of Tumi), the Beatles, John Mayer, Radiohead and Kanye West. Film director Teboho Mahlatsi pitched in with this dramatic video above; watch through till the end for the finale). South Africans Zubz, Tuks, PRO, Chen Lo, Zaki Ibrahim, Molemi, Ben Sharpa, KG and Lebo (of Voodoo Child) join Tumi on the mixtape.

Get it here.

Gautrain

Useful summary of the South African government's ambitious plans for the first high-speed train line in Sub-Saharan Africa; its from a story in The Globe and Mail about the large Canadian firm, Bombardier's attempts to get their hands on much of the contracts on offer:

South Africa has announced an ambitious plan to upgrade its decaying rail system, with $14-billion to be spent on rolling stock over the next 18 years …

The 80-kilometre Gautrain line, the first high-speed train line in sub-Saharan Africa, is scheduled to be finished by the end of June, allowing passengers to zip between Johannesburg and Pretoria in as little as 26 minutes, with more than 100,000 daily passengers expected. Bombardier's share of the project is worth more than $2-billion.

The first phase of the project was launched just days before the beginning of the World Cup last year, wowing tourists with its sleek modern trains between the international airport and the Johannesburg business hub of Sandton. But the final phase this month is much bigger … providing a full commuter service to compete with a traffic-clogged expressway.

The South African government will be looking for foreign financiers to support its railway upgrade plan at an investment conference in Cape Town [yesterday and today]. Nearly all of its existing rail fleet was built in the 1950s and 1960s, and its system is aging so rapidly that it was forced to curtail some of its intercity passenger services last year.

The government hopes to buy up to 9,000 new trains and carriages over the next 18 years, beginning next year. Most of the new rolling stock would be for commuter rail lines within the major urban areas …

… Rail companies from around the world, including China, will be bidding for the South African contracts. Some observers suspect that Chinese suppliers will have the edge, especially after a railway investment agreement was announced during a trade mission to China last year by South African President Jacob Zuma …

… Job creation is the top priority of the Zuma government, and it hopes to create up to 100,000 jobs for skilled and semi-skilled workers from its railway upgrade program.

There are also media reports that South Africa could approve a $30-billion high-speed railway between two of its biggest cities, Johannesburg and Durban, with a Chinese company seen as the likely winner of the deal after lobbying hard for it …

Meanwhile, local officials in Johannesburg say they would like to extend the Gautrain high-speed line to the east and south of its existing terminals.

The Minister of Finance

"The Minister of Finance," one of a series of over the top, mock portraits by Zimbabwean-born, Johannesburg-based artist  Kudzanai Chiurai. The work was first exhibited as "Dying to be Men" and is currently on show in London (at the Victoria & Alibert Museum as part of a big show on contemporary South African photography) as "The Parliament." Below is the PR from the Victoria & Albert. You can also see the full series on the website of his South African gallery's website:

His satirical series The Parliament depicts the fictitious characters of an imaginary government cabinet in a parody of media representations of masculinity and political power. The series draws upon the conventions of African studio portraiture, dramatised magazine features, hip-hop, film and fashion as well as the story lines, stereotyped characters and plots of soap operas.

Here's the Minister of Education:

And, the Minister of Defense:

Music Break

The video for "All the Same" by Vieux Farka Toure, son of Ali, from his new album, "The Secret." The song features the singer Dave Matthews (born in South Africa). Yes him.