Comments on: Stuff African People Like: Big Words

By: How to Have Maximum Positive Impact on an African Immigrant’s Life - The Displaced African

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:03:10 +0000

[...] Simplifying our ideas: More than just satirical, I really meant it when I said African people LOOOOVE big words. We love being esoteric and sounding intelligent, myself included. If we use the assumption above, [...]

By: 3 Blogging Secret from a Practicing Professional Blogger | Nigerian Entrepreneur - NaijaEcash

Mon, 26 May 2008 05:04:43 +0000

[...] To learn about the Stuff that African People Like, in the same spirit as Stuff White People Like, please check out the Displaced African. [...]

By: Stuff African People Like: Job Titles » The Displaced African

Stuff African People Like: Job Titles » The Displaced African — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:05:22 +0000

[...] an African, make sure you give his job the fanciest name (now that you know how much Africans love big words, feel free to use flowery language when describing their job. In fact the more complex sounding the [...]

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:56:59 +0000

@kenya: Oops my bad…I meant highest form of existence. Thx for the correction.

By: kenya.fm

kenya.fm — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:48:27 +0000

But that is obvious, so maybe
“serving other people the highest form of social EXISTENCE”

By: kenya.fm

kenya.fm — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:32:12 +0000

2nd point: wasn’t there- it was a title based on your previous reply

Your post seemed to suggest that you were seeking a way to change things, so my interest was basically to assist you in this: If you need to solve a problem, figure out what the problem is. It is my considered opinion that Africa’s major problem is that of F(Tower of babel). I mean, if the 700m Africans were all one, they would be like china or India, not easily controlled. Or, if they took the path of smaller entities such as Malaysia/ S Korea, you could still control them(ie is a fact of life) but THEY too would have mutual benefits. Currently, africa has no such benefits( as you said, a few, perhaps 0,00001% sit at the emperor’s table)

On “..serving other people the highest form of human existence?” NO. NO I STRONGLY DISAGREE.

Perhaps said this way, it may be correct “serving other people the highest form of social SERVICE”

As for reason of existence, i am sure you know what solomon said.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:31:51 +0000

@kenya: Just to be clear…if African leaders don’t do what the West wants them to do, I don’t think we doubt that the West will kill them. Mugabe and Moi were and are controlled by that ever lingering possibility but also through economic means – AID aka compound interest loans which HAVE TO BE REPAID – diplomatic pressure and means – as was shown during the violence. I think the behaviour of the West during the violence should have made it pretty clear how little control we have of our destiny: ” Condoleeza blatantly said, that the country was going to return to peace and calm OR ELSE!” I didn’t imagine that, so I think my point of the West still having MAJOR control of African life still stands. I actually wrote a short little funny post about that too:
http://www.thedisplacedafrican.com/41/raila-and-kibaki-to-bring-end-to-kenya-riots/
I didn’t understand your second point, please rephrase.
On the third and final point I fully agree…that’s one of the reasons this blog exists…to see how we can utilize the vast brain power of all the Africans in the diaspora to bring positive change back home….I think with the advent of technology and communication via phones and the Internet we can do much more than we ever did without even having to travel HOWEVER I do agree that leadership back home is needed. I intend on eventually going back home and know I’m not alone. Let’s hope over the course of this blog’s life I inspire many people to return home and serve.
As to the Tower of Babel…I agree too. I am an eternal optimist but it looks like this world will constantly be in struggle and strife on the basis of our differences….that having been said, that’s no excuse for us not to work towards improving people’s lives and raising their consciousness NOW. Isn’t serving other people the highest form of human existence?

By: kenya.fm

kenya.fm — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:15:39 +0000

I do not agree with ALL your points. For example, who is holding a Gun on Mugabe’s Head? Who held a Gun on Moi’s head when he was running down the institutions. Is anyone holding a gun on Kibaki;s head? Anyway.

On igniting the MINDS

To be effective, ALL those in the West going back to their ingo’s and engaging the people. Tell the people what they need to do to make life work for them. Tell the young people about how the Movies/TVs (Tyra banks, Mexican Soap, BET) being just that, fairy tales.

The Best way to give back what we got is to go be leaders back home( But how many of us will accept the diminished life style?)

But, point F is the greatest obstacle to any progress.

By: Mwangi

Mwangi — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:00:39 +0000

@kenya: I for one do not believe Africa is a basket case at all. Let me see if I can go through your points one by one and give you my take on why I think that is:
a) Africa NEVER REALLY had her chance per se….I remember reading somewhere recently that the decolonization process was planned by the US and Britain. They would train the future leaders of Africa in the West – Nkrumah, Kenyatta and on and on – and put them in as puppets or if not as leaders who would proliferate Western interests in some way shape or form. If a leader did not do what the West wanted he was shot…maybe if the leaders who were shot and overthrown with Western support were still alive we may say that Africa had her chance with all things even.
b) The only resource that has ever been necessary for change to take place is many people coming together….THAT’S IT. We can talk about guns, minerals, diamonds, technology and so on and so on all we wan. However, change came one way and one way only all through history (including the West): significant numbers of people said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, death is better than this and took to the streets to organize until they improved their conditions.
We have millions of people in Africa who are at their breaking point. Can you imagine if tomorrow all the young people of Africa decided to drop their tools and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, Africa would change in a heartbeat. I think the Kenya election violence and the fierce protest in Zim shows you that this energy is there and just waiting to be channeled.
c) There have been empires since the dawn of time and an empire consists of one country that controls many other little ones. Many empires have risen and fallen. Our destinies as nations have been interconnected for a very long time….if we look at it historically, we are just in the midst of yet another country (America) running other countries, that’s nothing new. Empires fell, remember.
d) Propaganda, fear and brute force to control the masses has always been there too. It’s just been adapted to control us..but it’s always been there. Again, empires have fallen. If you are looking at it historically, there’s a greater chance of the US collapsing and another empire rising up (not that I’d want that) than US running the world forever.
e) I will not change the world no…I want to ignite the minds of the people who will, THE MANY PEOPLE WHO WILL. Only when the many decide will anything get done. One wants to control the media so that they can ignite many minds simultaneously and keep the embers burning.
To be honest though, I don’t even want to be in the media to cause a revolution, I just want to find some way to improve the lot of people’s lives NOW assuming America remains in charge of the world for a long time. How can we improve the lives of Africans now? What messages can we transmit that will somehow improve their conditions? That’s all I want to do…………..

By: kenya.fm

kenya.fm — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:31:04 +0000

@mwangi. I read your post. This is my quick response.

I am a very positive person, BUT i also look around me and observe things. I must tell you, i do believe (75%) that Africa’s case is a gone case, that no one, repeat, no one, ( except the Lord of Hosts from on High ) can save her.

Why?
A.Africa had her chance, to shake herself from bondage of a cruel taskmaster, but she did not have good thinkers to liberate her and take her out of her misery these past 50 years. Even now she does not see the future. That chance is now mostly Gone, because of C
B. There is a fierce battle for resources ( manpower, natural resources, etc). The stronger manipulate the weaker, and controls mostly ALL ( mosttly the resources). Africa is weak (because of A and F )and therefore cannot compete well. She is being destroyed slowly by slowly.
-look at Zaire, Sierra Leone, Sudan. SO much wealth, so many poor people, killing each other, shipping the wealth away offshore.
-look at you and me and a host of your buddies? Where are they after spending so much money being trained to tackle local problems?
-see the manipulation?

C The world is becoming global. Long before that, you could hide in your own little corner somewhere and do things your way. Now, the world is becoming one big corporation. Countries are mere departments. If a department is “poor” or non-performing (the term they use is failed state), it will be neglected or discontinued, merged with another or put under receivership.

D.The Media has been used by C to control the masses ( to think, to sway, to buy, to go,) to do wherever/whatever the Leaders of the corporation want people to. Can you stand against this? Yes, if you are massive and know what you want. If you are like Kenya or Uganda, ha ha.

E. Can an individual like you turn Kenya over? Yes. People change systems. You perhaps have 0.001% chance by ourself. The chance increases to 99.999% if your have the Lord on your side. The starting point is of course the Media.

F To know the Origin of Africa’s problem, consider the tower of babel case. “Lets confuse their language so that they are not one.. And they Killed one another.. and left building their houses..” Africa has failed to grasp the importance of this principle, so she cannot be ONE, but many peoples pulling in different directions. Therefore she is weak, and shall continue to be easy prey to whosoever is stronger than her.