Oliver Mtukudzi passed away yesterday. His music was a pleasure to listen to. He was 66.

Attacks like this are tough to take especially when the people hurt and killed are there to help.

In Ghana people killed owls because it was believed their call made women infertile. Yellow corn from the States was not consumed because it was believed that it was only fed to animals. Some here have beliefs that are just as incorrect but refuse to listen to any reasoning what so ever. There are many of those walking around in the halls of Congress, preaching from pulpits and getting a lot of airtime on the tb and so on. 

There is little difference between here and the northern reaches of a huge country where many live like in the photo. The biggest difference is we have access to no matter how poor you are to knowledge much easier but like there refuse to adapt and learn.  

Soon I will be able to have a conversation from a person who works in an embassy in Nigeria who will be staying here. I look forward to that.

Nigeria is one of only three countries where polio is still endemic. Nine female polio vaccinators have been killed in two shootings at health centres in northern Nigeria, police have told the BBC.

Some Nigerian Muslim leaders have previously opposed polio vaccinations, claiming they could cause infertility. On Thursday, a controversial Islamic cleric spoke out against the polio vaccination campaign, telling people that new cases of polio were caused by contaminated medicine.

In the evil sense that our Empire is training others to fight kill and die protecting corporate interests so ours don't die. Below is part of what came out of a report that I can't find.

Through deploying African troops to Somalia, “the Obama administration is trying to achieve US military goals with minimal risk of American deaths and scant public debate,” the report added. “Nearly 20 years after US Army Rangers suffered a bloody defeat in Somalia, losing 18 soldiers and two Black Hawk helicopters, Washington is once again heavily engaged in the chaotic country. Only this time, African troops are doing the fighting and dying,” the report said.


Makes no difference who's in charge bama or another the results would be the same. The 1% salivate at the thought of what monetary possibilities that lie ahead in the Dark Continent. They will not be denied.

And few give a shit.

And we have one raising hell now in the Ivory Coast. His name is Gbagbo. Drop the first g and that's the pronunciation. You know he's the guy who lost the recent election but will not give up power. Pauline lives in Abidjan and posts on this and also writes for Bloomberg. Her latest article is here.

I just don't quite understand what it is with powerful African men that they feel the need to rape their own country. This situation is not good at all and I feel for the ordinary people caught up in all this. How human beings can treat their fellow countrymen so horrendously is beyond me. I do have ideas that probably have some merit but we're not going there. I can tell you this though and it's all true.

Ghana borders the Ivory Coast to the east. Like cocoa and chocolate? This is where most of it comes from. I was to leave Ghana in March of 79. Just before that new currency was issued and the borders were closed. It was a pisser as they say but I was white and it was a bigger pisser for the Ghanaian's who had endured so much from their recent "big men".  Briefly-

I left when things stabilized just about three months later. Very shortly after that a successful coup by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings changed the country dramatically once again politically.

Three former heads of state and five other military men were taken down to a beach just outside Accra where they were strapped to posts stuck in the sand blindfolded if they wanted and then blown away by firing squad to the big stool in the sky. The world was a better place and the little guy got a bit of satisfaction for a change. I did not think Akuffo deserved it but shit happens. 

This is all about accountability something we don't have here. These big men got the message loud and clear and I really do not have a problem with this. Nigeria has done the very same.

 Get this - the coup by Rawlings was instigated by him while he was in prison. I admire this man I really do and know the country is much better for it. Rawlings took charge and said they would have elections and they did. He had put a caveat on the elections telling all if they started pulling the same old shit he was coming back. Well folks he came back for just that reason. Ran the country again until elections were held and he's never been back.

Originally posted 1/18/08

We drank this local concoction in Ghana more times than not. "Akpet" was cheap and all in all pretty damn nasty. Some of these guys would distill it twice and surprisingly when made like that it was quite good. Accidentally saw this and it reminded me of days gone by.

An Akpeteshie competition at Bodomasi, near Agogo in Asante Akim North, in Ashanti Region, ended with the death of a competitor, Yaw Ohemeng, 35. Yaw, also known as Two Sure, was one of three people to whom the challenge was allegedly thrown. The others, who were named as Yaw Willie and Kay, declined it but Ohemeng gladly accepted it.


Akpeteshie is a popular local spirit used for ceremonial purposes and also recreational drinking. In conjunction with other local ingredients some local community members believe that it is an effective male performance enhancer. For some individuals, distillation is an important means of generating an income in addition to the sale of crops.

Gin Distillation from Palm Wine is a traditional local process and a source of supplementary income. However, the process currently has a number of areas in which improvement is desired.

Yea-the fact of the matter is that the Obama's could very well be called white if they happen to get out and about a bit and that ain't no shit. I've been called "obronie" (pronounced o-brew-knee) thousands of times and the humor is that although it basically means "white man" black people from well to do country's are called that also. I'm chuckling now. Got old at times and came mostly from the young. We could never figure this out. They just have this need to point out white people to each other or something like that because it's not derogatory. If the Obama's get out very far that would happen without a doubt and that's damn funny to me.

If I had planned the Obama's itinerary this evening would start with this dish prepared with proper palm nut soup and fowl.



After that they would attend an outdoor venue for an evening dancing to Highlife and partaking of spirits while listening to music such as this. I just heard this and it is SO good!

If I were to return much time would be spent in outdoor beer joints so to speak listening,dancing,eating kabobs,flirting with the girls and having some Club beer. You betcha.




One thing that they will hear from the moment they step off the plane from every Ghanaian they meet is "You are welcome". We would all get the same treatment and I can't tell how nice that is. That is Ghana.

Please-you are welcome President Obama



Note-
Looking around came across these. A travel site that covers starting out where I was. It works well.

A post from today from an Obroni Mom where life away from where the Obama's will be hanging isn't so "sweet" as is said there a lot.

Then this a video put up before that I like. It crosses Highlife with a bit of hip hop and it's just fun.

I am interested in events in Africa but with all that goes on here it's tough to keep up. This story is out of Uganda and the Congo and states the US has been training Ugandans in counter terrorism tactics for several years. It is a small band of killers from Uganda that are raising hell in the Congo.

What's interesting according to this is that former President Bush authorized the "African Command" unit of the Pentagon to assist Ugandan and Congolese units in the effort to finally dispatch the "Lord's Resistance Army". It didn't work and resulted in many more deaths of innocents.

If this story is accurate as much as I dislike doing so I will give credit to Bush for making the attempt to finally do these killers in as they have been killing for several years all over the region.

I do not want my country involved in manipulating elections to suit our needs or instigating coups or killing powerful people in country's that do not fit into our game plan. I do want them to assist if possible when asked to get rid of these nasty bastards who kill for the sake of killing people who's only crime is that of being a human being.

Story link