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Nelson Mandela's Funeral.
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Nelson Mandela has finally been laid to rest, but what do others think of the extraordinary length of the final proceedings?
Yes and what can be said about all those African dignitaries in their smart suites and fancy dresses, this was a different Africa than is generally displayed to us on our TV screens, not a single poor little infant with faces covered in flies, or women folk walking miles to get a pitcher of muddy water.
But through out all those speeches that were made there was plenty of talk about 'equality', but I saw very little evidence of it this morning.
Nelson Mandela has finally been laid to rest, but what do others think of the extraordinary length of the final proceedings?
Yes and what can be said about all those African dignitaries in their smart suites and fancy dresses, this was a different Africa than is generally displayed to us on our TV screens, not a single poor little infant with faces covered in flies, or women folk walking miles to get a pitcher of muddy water.
But through out all those speeches that were made there was plenty of talk about 'equality', but I saw very little evidence of it this morning.
Answers
I get what anotheoldgit was saying. He was being ironic......
14:20 Sun 15th Dec 2013
AOG
"Yes I know that Africa is a continent which contains many countries, but they are all very much the same
Congratulations. With only a few days left of 2013, you have successfully posted the most remarkable statement of the year on AnswerBank.
I think you should give an acceptance speech.
Like at the Golden Globes.
"Yes I know that Africa is a continent which contains many countries, but they are all very much the same
Congratulations. With only a few days left of 2013, you have successfully posted the most remarkable statement of the year on AnswerBank.
I think you should give an acceptance speech.
Like at the Golden Globes.
sp...LOL.
It will be interested to see if we get the same world wide coverage when Queen Elizabeth the Second dies and if the people of Spain and South Africa are "swamped" with persistent media coverage.
sp...I am not complaining about the world wide media, so much as the "chronicity" of the event.
It will be interested to see if we get the same world wide coverage when Queen Elizabeth the Second dies and if the people of Spain and South Africa are "swamped" with persistent media coverage.
sp...I am not complaining about the world wide media, so much as the "chronicity" of the event.
AOG
Whenever I see a charity appeal after a natural disaster, or because of war, I am always aware of the country involved.
I see the appeal being country-specific. I think we may see the world differently, because I went to school with, and have subsequently worked with people from the Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia and South Africa and know a bit about them, their backgrounds etc.
I'm not someone who looks as Africa as one homogenous group. Rather, I think of Africa like Europe.
Regarding equality.
Doesn't every politician from all over the world wear the equality badge?you yourself believe in people being treated equally. I think it's an admirable stance - but in reality, there is absolutely no way of guaranteeing it.
It's a goal, a laudable goal...but whether any country will ever be able to achieve it is very doubtful.
Whenever I see a charity appeal after a natural disaster, or because of war, I am always aware of the country involved.
I see the appeal being country-specific. I think we may see the world differently, because I went to school with, and have subsequently worked with people from the Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia and South Africa and know a bit about them, their backgrounds etc.
I'm not someone who looks as Africa as one homogenous group. Rather, I think of Africa like Europe.
Regarding equality.
Doesn't every politician from all over the world wear the equality badge?you yourself believe in people being treated equally. I think it's an admirable stance - but in reality, there is absolutely no way of guaranteeing it.
It's a goal, a laudable goal...but whether any country will ever be able to achieve it is very doubtful.
Sqad
Between me and you (and anyone who reads this post) - I've not watched a single second of either the funeral or the memorial service.
All over Islington right now, cups of mocha are being dropped in shock at that statement.
Whilst I admired the man, I am not going to sit through wall-to-wall coverage of his death.
There...I've said it.
No doubt I will be getting a visit from the Liberal Intelligencia this afternoon.
They use a form of torture whilst is like water boarding....but it's actually cheese boarding.
Between me and you (and anyone who reads this post) - I've not watched a single second of either the funeral or the memorial service.
All over Islington right now, cups of mocha are being dropped in shock at that statement.
Whilst I admired the man, I am not going to sit through wall-to-wall coverage of his death.
There...I've said it.
No doubt I will be getting a visit from the Liberal Intelligencia this afternoon.
They use a form of torture whilst is like water boarding....but it's actually cheese boarding.
sp....;-)
I understand how you feel. i am an odd guy in that I do not know how to grieve, never did when my grandparents died and never did when my biological mother died. I sit at the PC and see all the understanding, sympathy and condolences which are distributed to ABers after various tales of woe and misfortune...............and I feel NOTHING.
Seen it all before.
I understand how you feel. i am an odd guy in that I do not know how to grieve, never did when my grandparents died and never did when my biological mother died. I sit at the PC and see all the understanding, sympathy and condolences which are distributed to ABers after various tales of woe and misfortune...............and I feel NOTHING.
Seen it all before.
-- answer removed --
sp1814
/// I see the appeal being country-specific. ///
That's clever because most of them just state that they are African based, unless of course there is a particular appeal on behalf of a particular African country.
/// I think we may see the world differently, because I went to school with, and have subsequently worked with people from the Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia and South Africa and know a bit about them, their backgrounds etc. ///
We are not talking about personal acquaintances here, only face and body images on a TV screen.
/// I'm not someone who looks as Africa as one homogenous group. Rather, I think of Africa like Europe. ///
I am 'European' and I couldn't tell the difference in facial images between someone from Germany, France, Holland, England, etc.etc. could you?
/// I see the appeal being country-specific. ///
That's clever because most of them just state that they are African based, unless of course there is a particular appeal on behalf of a particular African country.
/// I think we may see the world differently, because I went to school with, and have subsequently worked with people from the Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia and South Africa and know a bit about them, their backgrounds etc. ///
We are not talking about personal acquaintances here, only face and body images on a TV screen.
/// I'm not someone who looks as Africa as one homogenous group. Rather, I think of Africa like Europe. ///
I am 'European' and I couldn't tell the difference in facial images between someone from Germany, France, Holland, England, etc.etc. could you?
AOG
I'm glad you put 'European' in quotes. Because if you didn't the whole edifice of AB would come crumbling down.
Yes, I can tell Northern Europeans from Southern Europeans by skin tone.
I can tell, simply by sight, whether someone is from Somalia or Nigeria, and I can tell by accent whether someone is from Nigeria or Egypt.
However, like Europeans, I can tell immediately if someone from Africa starts to speak, roughly where their family hail from, because of accent.
The same way that I can tell Germans from French and Swedes from British.
Eastern European accents I find difficult to differentiate, because I'm only friends with one Pole and one Ukranian, so that doesn't give me a sufficient baseline for compar...
Hang on - how did we get to this???
I'm glad you put 'European' in quotes. Because if you didn't the whole edifice of AB would come crumbling down.
Yes, I can tell Northern Europeans from Southern Europeans by skin tone.
I can tell, simply by sight, whether someone is from Somalia or Nigeria, and I can tell by accent whether someone is from Nigeria or Egypt.
However, like Europeans, I can tell immediately if someone from Africa starts to speak, roughly where their family hail from, because of accent.
The same way that I can tell Germans from French and Swedes from British.
Eastern European accents I find difficult to differentiate, because I'm only friends with one Pole and one Ukranian, so that doesn't give me a sufficient baseline for compar...
Hang on - how did we get to this???
I get what anotheoldgit was saying. He was being ironic..........and before anyone starts on me, I grew up in Kenya so I have some idea of what living there entails. Some years ago I visited Dar es Salaam and was shocked to find there were no street lights, but lights lit the way to the president's mansion, sidewalks full of huge potholes, beggars with leprosy, and in the supermarket, the people just walked round and round not buying anything cos it was too expensive. All the goods were covered in dust. The wall to wall coverage on TV has been excessive, there has been other news going on and I had to turn to CNN to see what it was. Problem with Africa is that the countries are divided as per the old colonial lines (by that I include Portugal, UK, France, Germany, Dutch, etc). If you put tribes into a country with other tribes it just doesn't work. Even in the UK look at Scotland/England/Wales/Ireland......we all have our own customs......
No doubt shortly we will seeing adverts for the poor, starving of whatever part of Africa is deemed to be the most newsworthy, asking us for money. The overseas aid we give does not go to these people...........it goes straight into Swiss Bank Accounts for their leaders who know they have a t lifespan in office (Mugabe excepted) and who make hay while the sun shines. This is not about colour, it is about human greed......because you can class many so called "white" dictators in this as well.
There is enough money in the world for everyone to have a decent house, job, standard of living..............unfortunately it is not equally distributed.
No doubt shortly we will seeing adverts for the poor, starving of whatever part of Africa is deemed to be the most newsworthy, asking us for money. The overseas aid we give does not go to these people...........it goes straight into Swiss Bank Accounts for their leaders who know they have a t lifespan in office (Mugabe excepted) and who make hay while the sun shines. This is not about colour, it is about human greed......because you can class many so called "white" dictators in this as well.
There is enough money in the world for everyone to have a decent house, job, standard of living..............unfortunately it is not equally distributed.
Reading with interest Sqad's post: "...I understand how you feel. i am an odd guy in that I do not know how to grieve…" Mainly the interest originates with being a kindred spirit in such matters.
I can't recall how many funerals I've attended… distant relatives, burying my own mother and father (as an only child) as well as various friends, etc., but the primary motivation was to attend to matters as an adult. Moreover, I couldn't relate to the truly emotional displays often seen. It's not my place to attribute motivation for such displays… truly heartfelt of worn on the sleeve, but the worn and sometimes trite phrase used here in the colonies is that funerarias are for the living, not the dead.
Fond memories or other recollections don't fit into the above category of emotionality, but somehow are more private and, at least for myself, don't include sorrow given the reality of the situation.
Thanks, Sqad...
I can't recall how many funerals I've attended… distant relatives, burying my own mother and father (as an only child) as well as various friends, etc., but the primary motivation was to attend to matters as an adult. Moreover, I couldn't relate to the truly emotional displays often seen. It's not my place to attribute motivation for such displays… truly heartfelt of worn on the sleeve, but the worn and sometimes trite phrase used here in the colonies is that funerarias are for the living, not the dead.
Fond memories or other recollections don't fit into the above category of emotionality, but somehow are more private and, at least for myself, don't include sorrow given the reality of the situation.
Thanks, Sqad...
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