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Africa Shone This Week
- Thread starter Angelo
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nocilah
Banned
bawahahaha it is almost as funny as the 'african renaisance' we keep hearing about.
Actually it's sadder than that: one that a forumite would post such absolute drivel - with zero thought in consideration of the truth.
President Thabo Mbeki, at another heart-warming gathering on Saturday night to honour former President Nelson Mandela, reminded us that it all began 10 years ago when Mobutu Sese Seko was talked by uTata into accepting exile.
So for 10 years they've been killing each other - while Bob and the rest steal the diamonds, rape the woman and children - and generally wallow in another black hole of africa - but let's celebrate!! What a farce.
It is no secret that Mandela and Mbeki do not see eye to eye on many things, and that Mandela had wanted Cyril Ramaphosa to be his deputy and therefore his successor. But you could not have even thought of this on Saturday as Mbeki waxed lyrical in a lecture that pulled at the heartstrings, calling for rededication to the RDP of the soul and not wanton greed.
At least he got that one right - and the change will be?
Isn't that what Mbeki does best: wax lyrical - while they get stinking rich and the rest of the country sinks further into poverty. Sickening rhetoric from a government which does little of nothing for its own people. (See - my 10 years of flying around africa did some good - pleeaze!)
Among the people honoured was Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Last week this newspaper published a story about how a man was facing the threat of dismissal because he had been reluctant to close a shop where she had wanted to buy a bed.
It is a story that bothered her, as I knew it would when we decided to go ahead and publish it, three days before a date on which I would be sitting with her, hosting her and honouring her. Such a story, in years gone by, could have resulted in midnight raids and John Vorster Square . My thanks go to Sisi Phumzile, for reinforcing my belief in the new Africa of openness and respect.
A name synonymous with the gravy train - please spare us!! Honouring her? Openness and respect??!
John Vorster Square? For staying open late - or what??! WTF. And isn't Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka one of those guilty just a little while ago of wanton greed!!?One that, like in the past when our forefathers gave the world civilisation and numeracy, was regaining its position as a haven of peace such that when J esus was threatened with death in the Middle East as it burnt like it is doing now, God saw the only safe haven as Africa.
Oh FFS - numeracy was invented by the Arabs - in the middle east - not black africans. When are you going to wake up and start doing some thinking for yourself??! If this - according to the DRC is civilisation then what the f#ck is the alternative?
600+ a day = civilisation = somehow I think not.
(and pray: where did the original come from [I can guess] - [and don't want to go look for it] - but typically underhanded - we won't post the referring link.)
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If African Renaissance was funny you would just laugh than whine when places get African names. e.g. OR Tambo International Airport.
huh? what has renaming an airport got to do with African Renaissance?
Giving an airport an African name has everything to do with African Renaissance because this phenomenon is also about honoring African icons.huh? what has renaming an airport got to do with African Renaissance?
African Renaissance
But what about “renaissance” as a metaphor or a representation of a desired the “African Renaissance”, as opposed to its European counterpart, is not a celebration of an accomplished past, but an aspiration and somehow even apocalyptic. The “Renaissance” as a metaphorical projection into the future assumes that, given certain minimum objective conditions and subjective factors, the future can be predicted with certainty. The subject has confidence not only in his/her subjective intervention in the historical process, but also in the hope that historical forces can be brought under control with relative ease. Hence the debate in question, moving from the “second moment” as an objective given, explores ways and means (the subjective factor) to bring about the “third moment”.
What could be useful, therefore, is for South African debate to follow its European counterpart and recognize “renaissances” (in plural) rather than the renaissance with a capital “R”. In this way, it becomes easier to learn from other experiences and avoid repeating unnecessary mistakes.
There is also a way that South Africa debate can learn, for example, from critiques of the modernisation theory and ethnophilosophy. ‘’The globalist perspective has a modernist connotation that seen to suggest that the ‘’african Renaissance’’ involves ‘’catching-up’’ with Europe at the economic and technological level through Western Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The cultural perspective, for its part, reflects a serious ignorance of what is now a generally accepted critique of the works of Placide Temples, Lucien Levy-Bruhl and John Mbiti, in particular. Even the Negritude a la Senghor and Anta Diop’s notion of ‘’ stolen legacy’’ have been a subject of intense discussion, especially among African philosophers.
Conclusion
This paper may have left the impression that ‘’ African Renaissance’’ should not be our continent’s ideal. Far from that, very few people in Africa want to see the continent continue to be as marginal as it is today, a renaissance of some sort has to happen. What this paper tried to tackle however, is the extent to which the South Africa ‘’African Renaissance’’ debate advances the cause of the renaissance on the one hand, and contributes to intellectual deliberations about the plight of the continent and its future, on the other. Without doubt, the South African debate is a crucial instrument for nation-progressive and Africentric agenda for the post-apartheid ear. Perhaps what remains to be done is to make a break whith the “triumphalist syndrome” that tends to affect newly liberated countries.
But what about “renaissance” as a metaphor or a representation of a desired the “African Renaissance”, as opposed to its European counterpart, is not a celebration of an accomplished past, but an aspiration and somehow even apocalyptic. The “Renaissance” as a metaphorical projection into the future assumes that, given certain minimum objective conditions and subjective factors, the future can be predicted with certainty. The subject has confidence not only in his/her subjective intervention in the historical process, but also in the hope that historical forces can be brought under control with relative ease. Hence the debate in question, moving from the “second moment” as an objective given, explores ways and means (the subjective factor) to bring about the “third moment”.
What could be useful, therefore, is for South African debate to follow its European counterpart and recognize “renaissances” (in plural) rather than the renaissance with a capital “R”. In this way, it becomes easier to learn from other experiences and avoid repeating unnecessary mistakes.
There is also a way that South Africa debate can learn, for example, from critiques of the modernisation theory and ethnophilosophy. ‘’The globalist perspective has a modernist connotation that seen to suggest that the ‘’african Renaissance’’ involves ‘’catching-up’’ with Europe at the economic and technological level through Western Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The cultural perspective, for its part, reflects a serious ignorance of what is now a generally accepted critique of the works of Placide Temples, Lucien Levy-Bruhl and John Mbiti, in particular. Even the Negritude a la Senghor and Anta Diop’s notion of ‘’ stolen legacy’’ have been a subject of intense discussion, especially among African philosophers.
Conclusion
This paper may have left the impression that ‘’ African Renaissance’’ should not be our continent’s ideal. Far from that, very few people in Africa want to see the continent continue to be as marginal as it is today, a renaissance of some sort has to happen. What this paper tried to tackle however, is the extent to which the South Africa ‘’African Renaissance’’ debate advances the cause of the renaissance on the one hand, and contributes to intellectual deliberations about the plight of the continent and its future, on the other. Without doubt, the South African debate is a crucial instrument for nation-progressive and Africentric agenda for the post-apartheid ear. Perhaps what remains to be done is to make a break whith the “triumphalist syndrome” that tends to affect newly liberated countries.
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Not at all, renaming places is part and parcel of reconciliation and transformation, things you cannot quantify in monetary terms. And it's not like there is no budget for this.
Wow. Maybe less money should be spent on the ideological wants and more on the needs of the people?
Say, how much is being spent on "ideological wants" and on "needs of the people"? I want rand values.
Ok let's see:
Conversely only a few millions of Rands spent on houses for the poor.
And while we're playing the numbers game, how many houses have been provided to the needy so far? How many new hospitals have been built (not clinics)? How many poor people have been connected to a stable, low cost fixed line telecommunications network?
I have read through some of your posts and it appears that you are a bit of a troll that hardly responds with any hard facts, so you will forgive me if I don't expect a decent response then.
- Billions of Rands to be spent on building new stadiums for a 4 week sporting event.
- Billions of Rands spent on renaming towns, cities and airports.
- Billions of Rands spent by government officials on congresses, meetings and trips to all corners of the world.
Conversely only a few millions of Rands spent on houses for the poor.
And while we're playing the numbers game, how many houses have been provided to the needy so far? How many new hospitals have been built (not clinics)? How many poor people have been connected to a stable, low cost fixed line telecommunications network?
I have read through some of your posts and it appears that you are a bit of a troll that hardly responds with any hard facts, so you will forgive me if I don't expect a decent response then.
chiskop
Executive Member
Thank you for the well-thought out and informative post. Did it take you a long time to make up all those numbers?
chiskop if you or angelo wish to enlist my auditing firm to dig into those numbers for you then I'm sure they would oblige. Their hourly rate is R575. In any event, anyone trying to attach Rand values to the sheer cost of renaming things or the perceived costs of building relatively worthless stadia is at best sucking his or her thumb dry. The fact is that the cost does run into the billions. Alternatively, show me the exact number of houses (I'll give you a 10% margin of error) that this government has built, then I'll pay my auditors the first hour to try and equate the cost of renaming JHB international.
Of course, the underhanded dealings in the government is clearly set to continue, so why provide houses and amenities to the poor when it is easier to make money by renaming things or establishing profit making companies to handle the 2010 FIFA world cup? It's all about the money, always has been and always will be.
Of course, the underhanded dealings in the government is clearly set to continue, so why provide houses and amenities to the poor when it is easier to make money by renaming things or establishing profit making companies to handle the 2010 FIFA world cup? It's all about the money, always has been and always will be.
None so blind nor' so deaf than those who so desperately want to believe. My post below is in response to your deafness - read jontyB's as response to your blindness - the sums and cognitive thought are there for you to see - but you refuse. Why? Stupidity? A lack of cognitive thought? Simple liar? Or someone truly desperate?
The original quote was: "One that, like in the past when our forefathers gave the world civilisation and numeracy, was regaining its position as a haven of peace such that when J esus was threatened with death in the Middle East as it burnt like it is doing now, God saw the only safe haven as Africa.
And I feel so good and proud about it."
You then post a link to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arithmetic on Arithmetic. I stand by my original general knowledge quote, ie, numeracy was invented by the arabs in the middle east. Numeracy is not Arithmetic.
Numeracy: "Numeracy is a proficiency which is developed mainly in mathematics but also in other subjects. It is more than an ability to do basic arithmetic. It involves developing confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires understanding of the number system, a repertoire of mathematical techniques, and an inclination and ability to solve quantitative or spatial problems in a range of contexts. Numeracy also demands understanding of the ways in which data are gathered by counting and measuring, and presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeracy
If you would like a history lesson - get one here. Also - an investigation into the history of the abacus could be helpful to you.
If this is the level of our education system I despair. If this is the level of cognitive thought (in original article) and Angelo's responses since - I despair of the level of desperation inherent in the support of a bunch of despots (600+ dead a day.)
I will not extend my sympathy to Angelo - he is an example of what is wrong with our culture today. I salute you for being here and partaking - but I desperately wish you would get a clue and help this country into the future instead of your blind unquestioning rhetoric.
"The issue is not merely lexical: at the conceptual level, literacy is much more clearly defined than is numeracy. For instance, I quote from a recent Unesco publication on measuring education achievement in the three main domains of ‘life skills’, ‘literacy’, and ‘numeracy’. Putting ‘life skills’ aside, the author says under literacy that “items concerning reading skills fall into two general categories essential for acquiring further skills: reading/reading comprehension and writing/writing comprehension”, and under numeracy that “this domain examines the child’s ability to perform simple arithmetic as well as solve exercises. It is important because it reflects his/her capacity for logical thinking and abstraction which is vital for everyday life”.5 Literacy is clearly defined as the ability to use a precisely given practice — writing. Numeracy is defined not by reference to a practice, but by a loosely given subject matter. Its significance is seen in reflecting some other, deeper abilities (“logical thinking and abstraction”). This, then, may be the prevalent image." http://www.shpltd.co.uk/netz-counter-culture.pdf
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IanC
Expert Member
and how long did you spend on your response, not long I'll wager. Renaming an airport (for example) doesn't just p*** off S.Africans, it p***es off the world at large ... Why!!! I here you cry ... plane navigation systems for one.
What "p****" off the world at large was the names celebrating the butchers of our people which is why we in unity with the world worked tirelessly to rid the nation of that leadership and now we shall continue to remove their legacy which is like a scar in our country's history.
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