My Winnipeg Revisited

Last week, I called an old time friend in New York whom I only knew within the context of my immediate past life. He was not aware that I have moved to Canada. When I told him I live in Winnipeg, he said, “Oh! Maddin's sleepy city.” And he went on to talk about the movie, “My Winnipeg,” How he liked it and how he had told his son he had to go see it. He watched it twice and discussed it afterwards and I was interested in knowing what they thought about it. Why they had liked it. Why it was interesting to them and what motivated them to go see the movie in the first place, and him, a second time. I didn't know my friend to be someone interested in “travel” genres, or documentaries such as Maddin had created. But his likeness of the movie was quite welcoming.

This was a week after I had seen it so our discussion was interesting as I could relate to aspects of the movie that struck a chord with him. I wanted to know whether the movie aroused some interest in him wanting to visit Winnipeg someday. He said it actually did. His response caught me off guard somewhat as the style of Maddin's cinematography using old black and white photo technique; his depiction of Winnipeg as a sleepy city and of the chug chug of the train throughout the movie did not exactly paint a picture of the traditional flashy documentaries that would usually accompany a tv ad from the tourist board to attract tourists to its city. What also struck me was his remembrance of scenes within the movie that otherwise a casual viewer would not pay that much attention to. The scenes of the MTS center and the frozen horse heads. It made me realize that somehow, the non flashy nature of Maddin's style left indelible marks on people's memories. My Winnipeg is not a movie to be forgotten. The images remain for much longer.

It took me a while to secure the movie. I had visited my local library and requested for it. I was put on a wait list that eventually lasted one week instead of the one month that I was initially told. I realized that the movie was in high demand and quite a number of Winnipegers were fascinated by it. I had thought it was a movie that would remain on the shelf and would be immediately accessible to whomever would want it and at whatever time, just like most books in the library. But alas, My Winnipeg was in high demand. I was lucky to be next in line after just a week.

I watched it with a partner and wanted to know what impression it created in her. I specifically wanted to know if Winnipeg's winter as depicted in the pictures were viscous enough to make her leave the city for another more weather friendly one giving her dis-affinity to the cold. She didn't think the movie made her sleep nor did it want to make her 'up and go' at the next possible moment but rather provided her more knowledge as a recent immigrant to understand the city and its dwellers; why perhaps they behave the way they do; how that the city has its influence on them in some way, but mostly, a desire to stay. The winter was not negative a factor enough.

I personally wanted to watch My Winnipeg again and again simply because there are certain undertones that can only be gleaned after several watches. Hidden messages exists within the lines that Maddin described. Perhaps Maddin, in his depiction of a sleepy traveler wanted the viewer to see how much control the city had over its inhabitants. Perhaps he wanted us to see that our efforts for wanting to leave would always translate into an unflinching love and desire to remain. It is as if he was saying that you can dare how much you want, the city would always have its hold on you. The city controls you, the city overwhelms you. The city rules its inhabitants and makes them its subjects The city does its pleasing and its royal subjects must comply. Dare how much you want, to leave or otherwise, but your threats are just empty.

Maddin painted Winnipeg all black and gray with shades of white perhaps so you could conjure up the colors yourself. He teasingly told us to fill in the rest of the gap with our imagination. For you could only do that if you identified with the city itself. You could paint it in the colors that was most pleasant to you. That resonated with you and that would make you own the city by the colors you painted it (when in actual fact it owned you).

Maddem made it sleepy so you could stay awake in the city. In fact your wakefulness is your sleepy submission to the city's controls. And because you do not have the strength to wrest your will back you give into the city's desires and exclaim, “My Winnipeg!” You own it, it owns you. It is non other's but mine. Mine in whose control I belong. Mine in whose hands I am helpless. Mine in whom, no matter how hard I tried, I could not wish it off my sleepy head but to succumb to its viscous icy embrace.

My Winnipeg made me love the city and drew me into it than pushed me off. The force of its embrace made me want to search more – the city's history. A search that should lead me to loving it. Identifying with it and becoming a part of its sleepiness.

My Winnipeg.

Literacy as defined by new media

Media literacy encompasses many aspects yet it is defined by two words that do not, at face value, quite do justice to its real meaning. The media has existed for quite some time and perhaps a description of the history of media might do justice to this blog post. I will however spare the reader the pain. Nevertheless, I will dwell quite a bit on the subject of literacy postulating that a better understanding of the word may give us certain glimpses into understanding the media and hopeful the term “media literacy.”

The definition of literacy resonated with me during Dr. Denis Hlynka's seminar on media literacy. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write or the ability to encode and decode. It is the latter for which I am most concerned. For the ability to read and write may not be sufficient enough to represent the word literacy. I may write with a great degree of ambiguity, lack of understanding, or scribbles which may make no sense but may be written in standard roman or latin text and arabic numerals. I have written, in 'known' characters, therefore I may be counted among the literates. I may be able to read what I write or even be able to translate it from one language to another but yet it may hold no meaning to me or bring any import to my state. Not that the words in themselves hold no meaning but I am unable to imbibe their meaning. I have written and read but the essence of those acts may be devoid of the action themselves – the essense of the reading itself. The world and its standard may consider me literate for my ability to read and write but not necessarily my ability to extract meaning from my writings or the ability to comprehend my readings.

Yet, global standards consider me literate. Because literacy, according to the world, is the ability to read and write.

This is a fundamental flaw of media literacy in the sense that the said word conveys totally different meanings to the listener from those originally intended by the author. Indeed, words, speeches and text may hold several composite factors, for instance, context, which brings the words alive and convey not just the meaning of the words but the original import, circumstance, and conditions surrounding the words which the author intentionally wove into the literal text. Such texts becomes alive and it is said to be living. They breath their very existence and are ageless. When a reader reads a text and strips it of these important elements, and yet they are considered literate but lose the exact essence of the text they have read then a flaw is propagated. And its a global one. One that wrongly defines literacy.

So I will strip a text of its context and talk about its context alone. For in my opinion, it is the understanding of the context of the text that brings the essence of the text to life. If you understand the essence of the text then you are literate.

I will describe the essence of a text as the original meaning intended by the author, the gut of the text – the inner most being of the text itself. The heart of the text or literally, the part that gives the text its breath of life. When a text is made alive, it elicits a certain response from the reader. A response for change, an action to move. The essence of a text could be likened to the charisma of the text or those of the author – as Heidegger would describe causa efficiens. The feeling we receive, to arise to action from an authoritative and eloquent speaker is the impartation of the essense of the text to, on and in us. It is different from the feeling of watching a news item, or reading the sports section of a newspaper with a triggerless outcome. A live text will constantly remain in our minds, will prick our conscience, and cause us to respond.

If the essence of a text can be conveyed without a literal representation, then a living text could be heard and not necessarily read. And thus literacy may not be tantamount to reading afterall but to a comprehension of the text through hearing. If we accept that meaning or essense could be imparted without reading (although reading is one and not the only way by which we can gain an understanding of a text) then literacy may and should not be defined in terms of reading alone. Thus it is the second definition of literacy that nearly appeals to me – the ability to encode and decode. For decoding refers to a process of understanding the hidden message within a medium. Media literacy is therefore a decoding of a text to the comprehension of the recipient of the same.

Encoding and decoding are words that can be used to replace the ability to speak and to understand a language other than yours, or to learn a new skill and apply it in a new way, or to learn music without a music degree. This new understanding sits well with traditional knowledge of medicine, or of wisdom, or of kinship handed down tacitly from generation to generation. This knowledge so passed down may not have been documented in literal terms but this fact does not make the custodian of these cultures, traditions and knowledge any less literate than one who may have read the literal text (if they were written down) and yet may not comprehend its essence. The learned fellow may not be any more literate than the custodian of this knowledge or culture.

Today, multimedia has began to define a new way of encoding and decoding knowledge. It does not anymore have to remain within the confines of written text and thus challenges the traditional mis-conception of knowledge or literacy as a thing within the domain of writers. If I can speak into a device, and that device can encode my knowledge into a form that can be searched, retrieved, or transcribed, all the actions that we can apply on traditional text and through which we have defined the standards of literacy above, then I am considered a knowledge creator and a literate person. Also, if I can photograph elements and through these process generate search-able knowledge then I am considered a literate person. In all of these, I many not have to have written a word of text and yet I am considered a literate person. Modern media thus questions the traditional definition of literary and in turn media literacy.

John Grierson (1898-1972), The Art of Making Quality Content

John Grierson (1898-1972) was an icon well ahead of his time. Today's TV personality are usually described according to their respective roles. But Grierson was an epitome of several roles and personalities melted into one. He was a producer, media manager, director, commentator, critic, content producer and many more. Today, Grierson would have to be cloned. But it is not so much of the multiple hats that he wore that was most resonating. There were three core components of his personality that is profound and worth reflecting on:

1. His desires for Quality Content
2. His realisatin of the role that Quality Collaboration brought to quality content development
3. His quest for Equitable Quality Content Distribution mechanism

Quality Content
Though Grierson's focus was to bring content to the homes of people as opposed to ordinary media delivery mechanism which, in his day, used theaters and public arenas, he felt a responsibility towards his viewers. A responsibility to produce quality materials that would be enlightening, informative and of educational value. Grierson used his role in media to advance the courses of positive propaganda. While he sees the TV (medium) as “an instrument of domestic ease,” he would still use the same medium to distribute content to his viewers. The difference – the quality of the content that he produces. TV should not be about entertainment only, as it was the order of his day, but one in which real life situations and realities could be brought into the homes of people. It is as if to say that while this could be an instrument of domestic ease, why dont we make the most use of it? Grierson recognised the need, the desires of viewers for quality content, information and not just entertainment, better than what they were used to. This is visible from the focus of his documentaries, everyday people – miners, soldiers, female soldiers; from the angle of his camera shots, the close ups of axe-picking, gold-digging miners; from the voices of his narrators – which spelled reality in visible and vivid terms. These were brought into the rooms of his audiences. Grierson sees art as, “not a minor but a hammer.” His reference here reminds me of affordances – the use of the right tool for the right job. It was as if to say that it is only when you have a better understanding of the tool and its process of use that you can better deliver results with its application. The quest for quality content production led Grierson to a better understanding of documentary production and its process. This same quest for quality content will take Grierson to India to understand the principles of birth control; or the life interview format which brought commentaries by everyday people, from their living rooms, out to the homes of others. Grierson's perception of quality content was the ability to use TV as an instrument of “making peace as exciting as war.” An instrument to advance the quality of life of the viewers which he ever so brilliantly targeted.

Quality Collaboration
Grierson saw collaboration, not as a limitation of his abilities but as an extension of his skills towards quality content production. Grierson did not know animation but recognized the power animation brought to quality content. He would utilize the skills of Norman McLaren to bring alive the positive values of war propaganda; or Lorne Green's baritone “voice of doom” to give weight to his narratives. Grierson explored and pushed voice, video and animation to the limits. He would be intrigued now to see how this same principles have affected film production today. The Avatar (the movie), Pixar studios, Disney are a reflection of some of the possible outcomes of quality collaborations.


Quality Distribution
The distribution of content could make or mar any production. Grierson recognizes this and ensures that his content reaches both the elite and and the people on the street. He will distribute his content, not only on TV but would utilise the train station, streets to challenge traditional forms of distribution. By doing this, Grierson cut out the middle man in the content distribution process and strove to reach the most audience. His production would be most effective if he could bring it home to more people beyond the means and ways in which content was distributed in his day. Such realization would lead to a new level of quality content distribution besides the traditional studio-home broadcast model. It was as if he challenged the distribution model of his day, to say that, though it [TV distribution] achieved the objectives of meeting certain target audiences, it fell way short of the larger audience for which such TV production would be most effective. Similar to the way peer-to-peer (p2p) distribution mechanisms have challenged today's media industry. With the advent of viral videos and open media distribution platforms such as youtube, Grierson will be pleased that content can reach anyone but will be displeased at the quality of the content that is actually being distributed. The sweet and sour forms of content distribution today may be charting new courses in ways by which content could be more pervasive and most effectively distributed. This has remained true for most ground breaking technology deployment which would commence with fanfare, chaos and completely unregulated vigor but would eventually lead to innovation. P2P has challenged distribution mechanisms but have led to innovation in terms which are common to us now such as video on demand. For that Grierson will be happy.

American Elections and Modern Culture

There is a black man in the white house and modern culture had a whole lot to do with it.

The simple statements, 'go vote', which President elect Obama often made appealed to popular culture but mostly those, youths, new voters and internet and technology saavy generation. Telecommunications had a lot to do with it and the average age group of supporters and voters bringing the first African American to the white house is a reflection of modern 'culturism'.

What I would term modern culture is all the elements of popular culture plus today's concept and culture of openness facilitated by technology. The culture of openness, freedom, rights and expression becomes more profound in recent times. Larry Lessig, Yochai Benkler and Pierre Levy would talk about the culture of the internet and postulate on the openness and freedom that it should have. Open access movements, in the last decade have kicked every ethics of knowledge out the window, challenging the culture of hoarding knowledge for power. Indeed, empowerment has come with a large degree of openness. The advancements of the internet, user generated content, the bottom up approach to information and creation becomes additional elements of traditional culture, making it more modern.

Modern culture does not primarily erode aspects of traditional culture. It however, enforces it and gives it an opportunity to thrive using modern technology as a medium for widespread dissemination. The traditional social element would fit into modern culture when they spread technology enablers on their bread of traditionalism. This is the dividing line between modern and traditional culture. The ability for one to recognise the gulf that separates modern culture from tradition, and the bridge that links them.

Obama recognised this and therefore took the approach of modern culture that such entities like facebook, linkedin, myspace, google, etc are characteristic of. He challenged traditional culture of allowing a cap over his campaign finance and would rather take the approach of unlimited possibilities when every one dollar from unseen, unknown millions would amount more than $85million dollars of tax payers money.

Obama would use the internet to facilitate pyramid marketing techniques to encourage voters, volunteers, and donors to move one candidate forward.

He would use the mobile phone knowing clearly, that communications is the oil that wheels mass mobilisation. And though he could stand at a podium and do the famous, 'I have a dream' speech, he would rather disperse his 'voice' via sms and mobile phone calls.

If the world were to vote, it would be a landslide. The seesaw would tip as all weights shift to one side. The appeal to global audience, knowing the support that comes from the international scene was capitalised on by media networks. Though journalists feign fairness, one could tell certain biased reporting to global audience. He is much liked and thus appealed more to global consciences, a reflection of the after effect of modern culture.

The face of todays internet is the face of the average youth. The average youth, well mobilised can change anything including change itself. Thats modern culture and that was the difference between Obama and McCain.

On Broadcast Rights, Crime, Preparedness, of South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Grahamstown, South Africa, Highway Africa Conference, Sept 9, 2008. On Broadcast Rights, Crime, Preparedness, of South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Talking with Peter Kwele, Phil Molefi, Zolisa Masiza and Roland Williams

There is no alternative but for the SABC than to be ready. SABC and telcom should be ready with all the support and resources it has to it - Zolisa Masiza, Telkom, South Africa.

'For the first time in 2010 mobile phones will be used to broadcast the FIFA world cup. Mobile TV was not used during the 2006 WC in Germany. Policy directives have been issued by the South African government that require mobile operators to test mobile broadcast with relevant spectrum test space made available.' These are comments from Zolisa Masiza, former counselor with ICASA, the South African regulator but now with Telkom, South Africa's incumbent operator.

Phil Molefe, a manager at SABC says South Africa intends to showcase an African event. First, to establish the premise – South Africa is the stage and the entire continent of Africa is the theater. The country is providing the pitches but the continent is also a part of the event in 2010. The SABC has sought to develop strategic partnership with regional and continental broadcasting partners to make sure the event involves everyone in the continent. The Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA) recently held an event in Mauritius and it intends to work with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) to make sure every broadcaster is on board for the World Cup. In the process, the SABC has developed the 2010 World Cup African Legacy Project and it is using this as an opportunity to mobilize support on a number of issues but primarily to ensure that after the games have taken place, Africa can look to the benefits of the world cup. Phil mentioned that the World Cup is about:

1.Building the broadcasting resources on the continent – ensuring that 'not one country is the island of excellence in the sea of technological underdevelopment', ensuring that broadcasting resources are up to a minimum standard
2.Focusing on the Training opportunities and the skills development of broadcasters in the continent – it should be a legacy of the 2010 World Cup
3.Ensuring that there is awareness raising and effective education of people on the scourge of Hiv/aids
4.Conflict resolution – drawing experience from Cote d'Ivoire in 2006, torn into two halfs, northern parts (Bouake) held by rebels and southern parts by the government but seen as a single country during the last World Cup. Everyone agreed to set aside differences and become 'one' country throughout the duration.

In response to the recent Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, Phil Molefe mentions that they were roundly denounced. 'All of us as South Africans and Africans are deplored, that it should not happen again.' Further stating that xenophobia was an indication of a country that has been isolated from the rest of the continent and it thus, places responsibility on broadcasters so that people ignorant are assisted to begin to understand their history, culture, where they come from as a people, to know that geographic boundaries are things that came due to no fault of Africans.

Manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Roland Williams' message to South Africans and Africa is that SA is more than it will ever be [prepared] to host one of the two largest events to happen any where in the world. Nothing else is larger than the World Cup except the Olympics. We will probably never experience the World Cup in South Africa again. The next time it comes to Africa, it would be somewhere else. Its a once in a life time opportunity. Fifa has been advertising to the world that South Africa is ready stating that a comparative study on where Germany was 2 years to hosting the last world cup, with where South Africa is now, the latter is miles ahead ranging from the signing of host agreement, to the state of readiness of stadia, infrastructure, broadcast, etc. The World cup was not given to South Africa as a token but rather that South Africa has earned its rights to host the event and has complied with the requirements of these rights.

Talking about crime, Roland Williams says that not one incident of crime in South Africa was recorded during the hosting of many major events in the country. It has hosted quite a number of global and international events, including the cricket and rugby world cups and not a single crime was reported associated with these events.

Mr. Peter Kwele, General Manager for Strategic marketing and communications but Acting Director for the 2010 World Cup at SABC approached the world from four perspectives:

1.Preparedness: in partnership with the host city, ensuring that the continent and the world are updated on the state of preparedness leading up to the world cup.
2.sustaining livelihood: that there is and must be, an economic spin off
3.showcasing the rest of Africa: through programming, content quality, commissioning of various program
4.green revolution initiative: strongly believing in the green revolution and leveraging the fact that the color green is widely used in more than 40 flags in Africa.

Responding to issues of infrastructure, Zolisa mentioned that the submarine fibre cable SEACOM has been rolled out in the east coast. But warned that 'we are as strong as our weakest links', referring to African operators. Generally postulating that all the questions raised at the session boils down to effective communication. 'Are we saying enough to everyone? Is telkom saying all it should to people and saying it can deliver what it should deliver?

The question I posed on broadcast rights were not responded to. I have no reasons for that. But most generally, they were formulated as follows:

“In a situation where the broadcast rights for the last CAF African Cup of Nations in Ghana was owned by a foreign entity and African broadcasters had challenges accessing rights to broadcast. There were situations where TV tickers indicated that rebroadcast of a certain TV is not permitted by other TV stations and other countries. (1) What measures are being taken to keep broadcast rights local? (2) And to ensure that Africans broadcasters receive rights to broadcast at fees that they can afford. (3) How transparent will the sales process to access rights be? By rights, I mean TV, Radio and Mobile.”

However, cornering Phil Molefe outside, I was able to glean that the issues of rights have not been completely resolved, that it should be discussed quite effectively, and should commence from now. The AUB should be discussing that. Phil referred to the fact that the CAF boss, Mr. Issa Hayatou was approached on TV rights for the 2008 CAF cup but rights were eventually sold to a French based company resulting in difficulties of African broadcasters to relay the tournament in Africa. There were initial threats that live matches could not even be relayed to even Ghanaians in Ghana! SABC is in talks with FIFA on rights issues.

As I think about the 2010 world cup as an African world cup, the recent happenings during the CAF 2008 African Nations Cup, would broadcast rights be the undoing of the continent? Perhaps we may have not completely learned from the Ghana experience enough to commence discussion well ahead of the 2010 World cup. Perhaps there should be a platform for discussions, online and realtime, or a conference convened to include broadcasters, the African union, or even regional economic commissions, operators, and civil society to address rights issues. It would do good to begin dialog, and to begin it now otherwise, Africa will host the event, but may not benefit from it. No allusions to colonialism.

836 FCFA/litre (Approximately $US2)!

Thats the pump price I paid for gas this morning in Dakar, Senegal. And it is increasing!

Last week, I paid $US40 to fill up a gas tank in North America. I would pay twice that amount to fill up the same car in Senegal.

Ok, my amazement hit the roof tops as I drove out of the gas station. I always ask for a receipt (not a usual occurence in Senegal) when I buy gas. I guess I never often paid attention to the pump price. I was keeping the receipts just for accounting purposes. Today, I looked and I was literally stunned, dazed out of my bones as it hit me that I pay more for gas in Senegal than I do in the US!

The price of everything has literally hit the tops and it sees no limits as sky rocketing costs has become the order of the day - gas included.

I pay between $400-500/2 months for electricity. I do not have the same appliances my good friend Sonnie has living in Indianapolis, US. In fact, I have far too little appliances to compare to a third of what Sonnie has in his luxurious and beautiful home. However, I pay twice what he pays for his electricity bills per month.

My day to day subsistence in Senegal has gone way through the roof. I can no longer afford the little luxuries of treating myself to a self rewarding weekend meal at a restaurant for a hard days week work, or pay for my golf club subscription (luxurious), afford gym payments (a necessity) or even insurance for my car, house and life! Not to talk about affording little indulgences such as dessert after a wonderful home cooked meal which is suppose to be far less expensive than some mass produced restaurant made equivalent.

I can't afford to buy a house in Senegal because it a cash based society for an expat with no surety or collateral for a home loan. And houses are not cheap - renting or building one!

So, I wonder, what do I live for, in my region or country, where I am suppose to find the solace of family, and the comfort of easily affordable lifestyle, such as would make me not seek to hit the high seas on some rickety piroque in search of fools gold in the shores of some European village which I have only imagined exist?

If the cost of daily necessities are more affordable for me, a professional, in North America, why would I not jump in an aluminum piroque along with other professionals for fools gold in other shores?

Same difference, just that I may be able to afford the new lifestyle, flipping burger or 'red-eyeing' at Walmart. The only difference is the means by which we got there. I may have been able to afford the fare for an aluminum piroque. My friends could not.

God bless the day...

Casablanca Airport,
Morrocco
April 8, 2007
1:45pm

Taking a trip to Moroccos was to discover myself and to find out a new meaning for my life. I found out other things. I guess I have been needing a holiday for quite sometime so the trip doubled up as a holiday too which turned out to be quite a fascinating experience. I will recount this experience in the next few lines. One thing I have learned for sure is that the African continent is endowed with so much wealth and resources that we should be self sustaining. Well, I guess I did not discover this fact on this trip, it was just reasserted. For I have seen the rubber plantation in Liberia, to the Cocoa in Cote d'Ivore and Ghana, the Cashew, nuts and pulp in Guinea Bissau to the oil in Nigeria, the fish in Senegal, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and the gold in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana. Not to talk of the finished products which we have not resourced maximally. We still eat swiss chocolate, made from Ghanian cocoa, nuts from Brazil made from Bissau cashew, tires from Italy made from Liberian rubber. I guess I am alluding also to the clothes bought in Nigeria by Nigerian traders, brought to Senegal to be designed, embroidered by the rather careful and meticulous craftsmen of Dakar. This is just a few instance of inter-country trade that happens in West African – the production line between locally produced resources and finished good. Even then, the pieces of fabrics used come from outside the continent hence it is not a completely 100% 'made in Africa' product.

Africa's raw/natural resources gets shipped out to other countries and then re-imported with high taxes, duties and rates that cripples the buying power of the average person. And because the average person sees this as a must have, goes to whatever length to acquire these designer goods further plunging themselves into a debt totally fabricated by the West. I have alluded before now to the fish from African's coastal countries being sucked out to the orient in exchange for infrastructure or Liberian rubber with production factories outside the continent. It is very rare to find 100% locally produced African goods, and 100% locally consumed. I may not have paid attention but I could only discover smuggled refined petroleum products from Nigeria to neighboring Benin – the quantity of which is perhaps less than .01% of Nigeria's petroleum export capacity. Yet African countries buy finished petroleum products from everywhere else but Nigeria. In fact it is mentioned that Nigerian petroleum smells hence cannot be consumed in Benin – such flimsy excuse! While this may be true, I reckon such issues can be dealt with during bilateral trade negotiations between these countries and of course could be on the table for discussion between Nigeria and other countries in the region and the continent as a whole.

It would be interesting to conduct a study aimed at discovering how much of locally produced goods are locally consumed. A lie is being fabricated by the West that African produced finished goods are not fit for consumption in the West as they do not meet their quality control standards. Incredible! Yet, the raw materials do! Fascinating enough is the fact that western produced goods fall within the sub standard, low African level of quality control. this is the case for cashew nuts from Guinea Bissau, which gets shipped out of that country into Brazil by shrewed Indian business men. No goods produced in Guinea Bissau can meet the QC standard of the International Standards Organisation. In fact, Guinea Bissau can never produce a QC mechanism that will meet up to international standard – so it is alluded. What QC can India produce that cannot be produced by Guinea Bissau? Or why do standards differ from country to country? Why are there shifting goal posts? Not withstanding the corruption factor, etc most of these fabrications are just but to keep Africans from playing in the global market.

Then is the solution trade amongst ourselves? As mentioned, very few cases of regional trade exists. Nigeria-Senegal traditional clothe trade aside. How much more of such exists? Indeed the Senegal tailors and fashion designers have met the standards of the Nigerian market. I hear the president of the country even wears these clothes! Was this standard defined by some international organisation? Was the standard defined locally in Nigeria? Was there a formal standards authority that defined a set of indicators/rules that should define well made Senegalese clothes for use in Nigeria? The point is that standards are relative and perhaps do not require the vetting of any international organisation. At least not within the African context. Do we then need to define rules for regional trade? Do we need to set up a formal structure for which trade must happen or should we just follow the free rules of allowing the river define its course? Should we leave the definition of these standards between the the producer and the consumer of the goods but then focus on catalysing the trade links? Initiating it such that the course for standards are defined later on? What is needed within and between our countries? What do we have and what do we need to share amongst ourselves? Perhaps then we can define rules that block the infiltration of substandard similar goods that flood our markets. These should be standards that should be created. Imagine the blockage of genetically modified canned or packaged goods from coming into the continent and the impact it would have on the West. And that being a decision made globally by the entire continent. By the way, there is food enough to feed the continent without depending on obese-causing GM foods.

Back to my Moroccan trip, I guess another very striking moment is the thousands of European license plated cars that traverse Moroccan roads. Its the holiday season in Europe, hence the 'world' floods Morocco. A quick glance on the license plates show an almost one for one statistics to locally numbered vehicles. These range from motorcycles to trucks. The taxi driver from the Corniche in Casablanca to the airport mentioned that there is an 'accord' by the Moroccan government to allow cars traverse their routes for some one or two year without matriculation What generosity!. The influx of cars from other parts of the world to Morocco – Africa makes me wonder what the reverse really is and if there is a possibility that the reverse can happen. If any government of the West or Europe has allowed or would allow an accord permitting cars with African matriculation traverse their territories. Again, a question of standards is called in. Are the vehicles on African roads worthy enough to be driven on European roads? These standards are invoked when needed for if a car can travel into the continent without a road worthiness check then it should believe that a road worthiness exist for the reverse.. This imbalanced standards are invoked as in trade issues mentioned above. A remarked observation is the rudeness expressed by these drivers of foreign numbered plates on African roads. Things they would not do in their countries. It seems that they operate under some invincible immunity clause. Thats beside the point.

Morocco exports oranges to most world countries. I have seen Moroccan oranges in Senegal. I do not know of any other African countries that import Moroccan oranges. It could be that they are not needed as most African countries perhaps produce oranges or some fruit that can be substituted for oranges. But was there a formal trade agreement between Senegal and Morocco for the import and export of oranges? Are there other goods produced in the Margreb that can be consumed in other parts of Africa and vice versa? And perhaps also take this informal trade routings and not so clearly defined standard rules of trade between the countries within the continent?

African is a popular destination for tourism. Loads of tourists flock key destinations in the continent annually and throughout the year to experience the sunshine in the continent, its beautiful waves, beaches and hospitable people. January to December sees people to Capetown and Durban in South Africa, the Safari parks in Kenya, the mountains in Ethiopia, the beaches, tranquil and lovely teranga welcome of the people of Senegal, the secluded and nicely endowed beaches of the Gambia, and the akwaaba of the Ghanaian people. Thousands visit these destinations annually. Bus loads after bus loads are emptied into hotels. Chartered flights help cope with the volume of travel at special times defined by the climate in these counties.

Another popular destination that this trip has afforded me an experience is the desert dunes of the Merzouga in South Morocco, the winding and breath taking strips of roads up the atlas mountains between windy Ouarzazate and homely Marrakech, the historic souqs of Fes and the camel ride to see the sun rise over the hills. Beaches and deserts alike are flooded annually!!! Anything in Africa is indeed a tourist attraction! Imagine the opportunities available for tourism in the deep forests in the Congo, Ghana and Nigeria. God bless the day a guided tour can be made through one of the forests! A popular tourism destination is created! And guess who it is sold to? The West of course! Marketed to the same Europeans who colonized but ensured that we remained below standard – as defined by them. Chances are, such businesses will be owned by the west themselves. Who said colonialism was over?

The bottom line here is that we may not be popular tourism destinations for ourselves, which is rather unfortunate as our continent should be discovered by ourselves well before another set of Mango Parks, Robinson Crusoes, and Vasco Da Gamas embark on another exploratory voyage of our luscious continent. I should pay to go visit South Africa, Kenya or even Cape Verde – one of Africa's best kept secret islands , Sierra Leone and its beautiful 7 beaches before spending my hard earned 'sub standard' cash in 'popular destinations in Europe and the rest of the world. Perhaps we would be able to market ourselves better to ourselves, cut down the bureaucratic visa tapes that shut ourselves from visiting ourselves. That enables us to sever the links with our colonial past – God bless the day the Kenyan government would give authority to another African country to issue its visas rather than the present United Kingdom embassy in Senegal!

Moaning aside, it is tiring to see our continent being enjoyed by others when we could ourselves 'occupy' our residence. It seems a curse has been placed on our heads. Who said voodoo was only African? Where did Harry Porter come from? It must be something of the sort – spells and bondages imposed by witches that keep our eyes closed to very simple and basic realities. How else can one explain this quagmire we find ourselves. It must be that, or we simply cannot organise ourselves in a way that makes us use our resources for ourselves.. God bless the day we see our continent as one state. Where the boundary lines totally disappears from our eyes. Where visas are a thing of the past, where regional trade becomes a normal occurrence. God bless the day we sell our continent to ourselves. Yes, thats what we need to do. We should sell ourselves to ourselves and for once forget about the day that liberation would come from the west. We have waited 50 years (Ghana's independence) for this to happen and yet it has not. It will never happen. Reality must hit us like a ton of bricks and we must ourselves take the battle to ourselves. It lies in the moment. My child wont do it. I will play my part and s/he will when their time comes. Just that we must seek to achieve the one goal and objective – liberate our continent and thus ourselves!