All Clad

Warning : Contain spoilers from the video game Crisis Core My WMM had very big problems with the music, so it took me a long time and it was very hard to me to make this video. But I finally finished it ^^ Yay, I have Last Order without subtitles now ! =D Thanks To Djidane ^^ And Thanks To S-Leo for the songs ^^ And thanks all of you for watching ! ^_^ —– Credits : I don’t own FFVII nor the songs used. The song is : “Cat and Mouse” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The Credit song is : “Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. FFVII Crisis Core FFVII Last Order And FFVII Advent Children belong to Square_Enix. Thanks to www.ffdream.com for the Crisis Core clips. —– This video is purely fan-made. I don’t try to make any profits with it. No infringement intended.

Image : http://www.flickr.com

At a book-reading event in Lagos, Nigeria, let us picture a South African

(Antjie Krog) reading from her bestseller book on Truth and Reconciliation Hearings. It was organized by a local group on the Arts.

A renowned female Nigerian journalist – Chris Anyanwu – who was incarcerated during the infamous Abacha Military Government of Nigeria also paired with her on stage. She too had her own turn to read from her book based on her prison experience.

It appeared as a truly balanced set up.

This scenario paints a recurrent picture of awaiting validation and approval outside African continent before many needed initiatives are taken.

Consider the latest fad for a product promotional show, where a multinational company invites a music star from abroad supported with very impressive local artistes. The former plays for much less time but goes home with much higher fees.

(Good for the foreign artistes as many talented creative persons are accorded respect in their home countries)

It is the way they want to be perceived and they naturally get a commensurate reward for that.

On the other hand, the local stars are expected to count themselves lucky for the opportunity and they are treated as such by the local organizers.

This brings me to ask:

Are some Africans still mentally enslaved and if this were to be true, could this be worse than the physical slavery as experienced in the past?

Let us look at another instance. After a short stay, a foreigner on being prompted would say: “Yes! I enjoyed my stay in that country, they are very friendly!”

But deeply when you look amongst the people you will find it difficult to see this so-called attribute in play.

So what brings about the contradiction? Are we really friendly to ourselves? Are we really friendly to a foreigner?

On the intellectual platform, we continue to witness jam packed symposia, workshops and the likes. Attendees all clad in appropriate dresses, purportedly listening in rapt attention, coupled with the expected demeanor reserved for such events.

The scenario goes like this: At the centre stage is a globally renowned egghead or expert, who is supported by our local African intellectual heroes who are given the chance to add few words after the main speaker.

They talk about business, corporate governance, ethics and human development.

Of late a well of motivational speakers are springing up.

This is a new idea expected to lift up the self inflicted impoverished spirits as we go through these challenging times. And I cannot but agree with that.

The motivational rounds, I believe help if only they can be extended to the teeming citizens in the remote villages using their local dialects!

But where are the real wheeler-dealers within these halls? The power brokers at the helm of affairs in governance? Those who make things happen.

Where are those who hold the destiny of African nations within their grips? Of course, they invite them to most of these intellectual gatherings of rhetoric, philosophies and theorems. However, the decision makers could possibly mumble to themselves in their privacy asking if all the postulations are needed.

To buttress this point, not too long ago, I also noticed on TV an event in Lagos. What struck me was the large attendance of first class Nigerian intellectuals -mostly well dressed- as I could identify some of them and as in many cases, the star attraction was not even a prominent Nigerian decision maker.

I was thinking: that the gentleman, the guest speaker and the likes of him, get listened to in his country where his postulations are considered and some used for the general benefit of his fellow country men. His talent gets appreciated.

Over here in a typical African country, one asks: what happens after all attendants disperse from these halls? What do the local influencers amongst the audience do thereafter? What do they do with strategies of new knowledge that they have imbibed, how do they make all of these become a reality for the betterment of all in the country?

On the other hand, could it be just for making an appearance and to be seen to belong?

Do they internalize what must have transpired at such events, waiting for that opportunity to persuade those at different levels of governance, in politics and business?

Lastly we need to consider our own people worthy of being celebrated if they have done well. I believe there are many Nigerians who can hold their own anywhere in the world, who can ’speak the language’ we all understand for more fruitful results within our space.

We need to start now. We need to be bold to encourage them to come forward, stand behind the rostrum, share their knowledge, and use such for the common good and the rest of humanity, visionary politicians inclusive.

But there is a hope that this will happen not too far into the future: that is, going by the quiet revolution going on amongst the young people who are getting unconsciously detached from the experience of the vestiges of the ‘colonial mentality’ this being the attitude of most older generation (the post-independence generation)

Young people making statements by their efforts, attitudes and utterances, breeding a new crop of confident partakers of this planet, who could hold their own any where in the world. They are fast acquiring new knowledge and putting them to practice -showing positive results in many spheres of human endeavor despite the failed governance in some African countries.

And if you ask me what is mainly responsible for this?

The increased education and exposure through the Western media (mainly the TV) and the Internet, despite the misgivings about the aforementioned. Nothing is perfect in life.

I believe we will get there..

Muyiwa Osifuye is a photographer based in Africa. He works within the thematic, documentary and commercial modes. (catch a glimpse of his limited edition works at [http://www.pictures-of-nigeria.com]) His documentary works explore the rich cultural heritage of his country, Nigeria. Major international exhibitions and events continually show his thematic works which address cogent issues that he feels are necessary for a global understanding. He is a regular columnist in a prominent Nigerian newspaper and a budding writer; sharing his thoughts and perception about humanity as a whole.

Image : http://www.flickr.com

If you think of traditional England, you perhaps imagine small villages joined by leafy lanes, a few cows munching grass in a small field surrounded by ancient hedgerows, and time to sit and listen to the birds, disturbed only by the occasional sound of a far off tractor. It’s hard to find this traditional England, but not impossible. One of the best places to start is in the Cotswolds, the region to the west of Oxford in the southern part of the country. The Cotswolds is the largest region in England to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

You will find a myriad of small villages, where ancient ivy-clad houses built in the attractive local yellow stone cluster around the village church. Some of these villages are very much part of the tourist trail while others, often just as lovely, have continued as always and escaped the arrival of the coaches full of visitors. Don’t just visit the well-known villages such as Upper Slaughter or Chipping Norton, but also look for the villages that are not listed in your guidebook!

But there is more to a holiday than pretty villages, and the region has larger towns that still have traditional markets, offering fresh produce straight from the farm, along with all the more modern shopping facilities that you might need – try Malmesbury or Stow-on-the-Wold, for example. There are many of these market towns, and most have interesting historical sites in the centre.

Still need somewhere more exciting? Be sure to venture to Bath or Cheltenham. These both have very beautiful regency centres, with impressive grand townhouses and broad streets. Bath, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, also has important roman remains to visit.

The last unmissable treat is at the north of the Cotswolds, at Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford was the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and you can visit the house where he was born. There is something magical about visiting the property that will ensure you never forget your visit.

Whichever time of year you visit you will enjoy visiting the Cotswolds, although spring and autumn are my personal favourites. Whenever you come you are sure to have a great time and find plenty of things to explore and enjoy.

Be sure to to plan ahead – but also leave time just to explore if you are planning to visit the Cotswolds – there is much to discover in the quiet streets and lanes lost in the countryside.

A little to the south-west of the Cotswolds region visit also Stonehenge, perhaps the most fascinating prehistoric monument in the world.