WHAT IS WRONG WITH A BLACK WOMAN?

I woke up this morning feeling very beautiful, like I believe any woman who has come to understand herself and cherish what she has in every ramification should feel. I think a lot of black women in a love-hate relationship with their different parts of their bodies – from the kinky hair, to excess endowments, to the black skin – which unfairly comes from the broader society that tells her (sometimes quietly, sometimes brashly) how unattractive she is.

Yes. And please do not pretend you don’t know where I’m going with this. You do. But if you decide to say to yourself: “Chantal can't be talking about me, then it shows you have bigger problems than the rest of us! Lol!

Let’s be sincere with ourselves, deep down, we know how it feels when we run through our work load via the internet and somewhere between clicking to check our mails we stumble on Kim Kardashian’s pix or Scarlett Johansson’s….and somehow we whisper to ourselves: “Isn’t she a perfect beauty?”

If you have never said this, or ever wished it…then maybe, just maybe, I exaggerate things. But if you have, then it is good cos you are in the process of getting your healing faster than those who will not even admit to themselves how it feels sometimes to be a black woman in a society that favours anything lighter, slimmer, straight-haired…and stands for all the things you don’t possess!

One afternoon while in the restroom at a hotel after a long endorsement meeting, I met a lady there who happened to be a fan *smiles* and we got talking when an Asian lady walked in. My fan sighed, and then turned to me and said, “see the weave we spend so much money buying, resting peacefully on its original owner’s head!”

We both laughed and continued with our gist but afterwards, I got to think about my fan's comment on the Asian hair. I will also admit here that her (Asian) skin looked supple and so very bright and beautiful! I feel that way about my own black skin, but that was after many years of that love-hate relationship I spoke about earlier on *shaking my head*

If we think about it sincerely, we can at least admit to ourselves, oooh! the beauty black African women, that there is a tinnie bit of wish that our hair was the straight-and-gorgeous-out-of-bed kind, and our skin was as bright as the sun. That wish is there. If it wasn’t then all the hydroquinone products and weaves will not be multi-million dollar businesses all over the world!

But that doesn't mean that we do not love ourselves. We just spend too much time thinking of the things we do not have which affects our positivity and being thankful for the things we have! When we start to appreciate the black beauty – kinky hair, black skin, excessively endowed physique, then we can truly live the life we are meant to have.

And if a man won’t stay with you because you are black and beautiful, he still won’t stay when you bleach yourself white.

We are black women. We should be proud of who we are.

Go on and shine!

Chantal

Big Brother: the biggest show in Africa returns!

So says M-Net who kicked off 2012 with the news that the seventh season of the continent’s attention-grabbing Big Brother Africa series will be hitting DStv screens in May! With TV commercials promoting the series’ return now screening on M-Net, entry for the new season opens in just a few short days…

And there’s more good news…Big Brother Africa will once again be refreshed by Coca-Cola who returns as series sponsor.

So just what can viewers expect from the reality TV powerhouse that continues to draw widespread audience interaction, fan fervor and some of the most entertaining personalities on African television? According to series executives, viewers can once again get set for drama, action and entertainment with twists and turns galore!

“This show is definitely a high demand property that draws and holds audiences from start to finish,” explains M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi. “And while the basics are the same, every season is different from the last. Re-invention is crucial so I am very pleased to confirm that this year we’re doing something that has never been done before in the history of Big Brother Africa!”

She continues, “Big Brother Africa remains relevant because it constantly surprises audiences with everything from two houses, more housemates, unexpected guests and new participating countries to unveiling two winners, an All Star reunion, super star performers and the list goes on. So to be able to say that we’re doing something that has never been done before in Big Brother Africa is wonderful. And we really believe it’s what our audiences want to see next!”

Format owner and producer Endemol South Africa’s MD Sivan Pillay says, “We look forward to surprising and entertaining Africa’s viewers with more twists and turns that have seen this compelling format continue to succeed on the continent as it has around the world. M-Net have established a highly engaging continental audience for the Big Brother brand.”

With more details of the new season to be revealed shortly, there is one secret M-Net is opening up about already. “At the end of 91 days, while many housemates will walk away with fame and the experience of a lifetime, there will be only ONE winner. So this season, the winner takes all,” says Alabi.

“And we’re announcing the new season very early so that people who are interested in participating can start thinking about whether they want to take this incredible journey. That decision is the first step on a road that may well lead right to the Big Brother house!”

For more information on how and when to enter the new season of Big Brother Africa, keep a close watch on M-Net, or check the website regularly for updates.

And with the entry criteria and the all-important prize money also set to change again, it’s clearly going to be a rollercoaster ride every step of the way. But then again, who expects anything else from Biggie?!

Big Brother Africa is produced for M-Net by Endemol South Africa and is seen, live 24/7, in 47 African countries only on DStv.

http://mnetafrica.dstv.com/2012/01/04/big-brother-the-biggest-show-in-africa-returns/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150481070976305_20550379_10150481123136305

Big Brother: the biggest show in Africa returns!

M-Net Africa

History will Judge Mugabe on Land Reforms Favourably

History will remember Robert Mugabe as a brave man who stood by his people. He stood by Africa and he stood by his principles. His only blight will be that he never knew when to leave.


The economic meltdown which has been well chronicled, one sided of course, by the western media will be a saving grace for the “Big Man”.

Mugabe is an independence hero who was darling of the west until about 1999 when he suddenly became a “dictator” in western media coverage.

President Mugabe bold land reforms made him a dictator after years of cordial relations with western world.

And where did the rain start beating?

Zimbabwe earned its independence in 1980. Mugabe had always wanted land reforms just as it had happened in other countries like Kenya. Britain was to give loans and let whites in Zimbabwe sell their land to the government which in turn was to distribute to wananchi. It was to be willing buyer willing seller policy just as it was in Kenya with white highlands in years after independence.

British Prime Minister then the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher never considered that as a priority. John Major succeeded Thatcher at 10 Downing Street. The only thing that shows on Zimbabwe effort was a flurry of letters between Harare and London.

Then came Tony Blair in 1997. Clare Short was Secretary of State for International Development from 3 May 1997. She was directly involved in the Zimbabwe issue and could not go along with Mugabe.

By this time tension was building in Zimbabwe. People were getting impatient, with 80 percent of the best arable land being owned by white Zimbabweans, almost 20 years of “independence”.

Clare Short in a letter to Mugabe said that British were also colonized and they never sought to get the land back therefore Britain was not willing to help. In essence she dismissed Mugabe.

“I should make it clear that we do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe. We are a new Government from diverse backgrounds without links to former colonial interests. My own origins are Irish and as you know we were colonized not colonizers”, she wrote in part.

Mugabe went ballistic. With elections round the corner in 2000 and tension building over land, Mugabe was helpless when invasions began. The pent up frustrations against white dominated land ownership in a purportedly independent country had reached melting point.

Invasions did take place and it was messy. Whites were bloodied and chased away. Note that in Namibia and South Africa, whites continue to own over 60 percent of the best land. Mugabe is still labeled as a dictator, and yes, some of the people close to the President benefited more than others.

The Inflation.

The inflation was artificially created. In 2001 President Bush at the urging of Tony Blair got congress to pass the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.

The purpose of this Act was to create rebellion against Mugabe from the masses by weakening the economy and thus creating conditions for removal of President Mugabe through popular uprising.

The Act stated US would veto - any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe; any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the United States or any international financial institution.

The international financial institutions targeted by this crippling Act were; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; International Development Association; International Finance Corporation; Inter-American Development Ban; Asian Development Bank;Inter-American Investment Corporation.

Others were the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency.

These two simple acts drove inflation to unimaginable levels. Mugabe stayed put and told his people what was going on. They stuck with him despite the problems.

After all these years the Western governments now realized Mugabe will only go by natural souses, refer to Wikileaks from Zimbabwe ambassador .

The truth is Morgan Tsvangilai who was put up by Western governments has already said it will be difficult to repossess those lands from Black Zimbabweans. That’s the reality.

Visitors laud new Martin Luther King statue in Washington DC | Spero News

Visitors laud new Martin Luther King statue in Washington DC Spero News

Tribute to Steve Jobs 1955-2011

I am still Saddened with the loss of the greatest entrepreneur in history. The world has lost an amazing human being.  It's crazy to think about how many people are sharing the news of Steve Jobs death using devices he invented with his brilliance, passion and energy which has improved our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. He has died aged 56 after a long battle with cancer. His death was announced by Apple in a statement saying: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.

Without a doubt Steve Jobs will go down in history as the greatest creative entrepreneur.  Under the visionary gaze of Steve Jobs, Apple has become the world’s most respected brand for innovation. This inspiring entrepreneur has transformed the way the world relates to computers, software, movies, music, phones, books, magazines and screens. Not only has Steve Job's story inspired millions of entrepreneurs, his innovations have become the platform of choice for some of the most creative people on the planet as well.

Twitter has been flooded with reaction to Jobs' death. The site initially struggled with the deluge of tweets. At one point, five of the site's top 10 trending topics were related to Jobs: RIP Steve Jobs, ThankYouSteve, iHeaven, iClouds and Only 56.

World famous leaders have paid their tributes to the Apple Genius, a great man whose legacy will forever live

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said: "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."

The president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, has just said:

@MedvedevRussiaE People like Steve Jobs change our world. My sincere condolences to his loved ones and to everyone who admired his intellect and talent

CEO and founder of digital music service Spotify, Daniel Ek, tweets his respects:

@eldsjal Thank you Steve. You were a true inspiration in so many parts of my life, both personal and professional. My hat off to our time's Da Vinci.

Here is Barack Obama's statement in full:

"Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it.

By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grown-ups alike.

Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: He changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve's wife, Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him."

Larry Page, CEO of Google:

"He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me."

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder:

"People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he set himself."

Paul Allan, co-founder of Microsoft:

"We've lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn't help but be encouraged by how he persevered."

Steve Case, Founder of AOL:

"I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages."

"Windows" may have put a computer in every house, but it was "APPLE" who put one in every pocket. #RIPSteveJobs

Farewell Wangari Maathai, you were a global inspiration – and my heroine (1940-2011)

Wednesday the 6th of July 2011 Wangari Maathai received a honorary doctorate at Copenhagen University and spoke about her work with the Green Belt movement, the Taking Roots movie and more.

The history books are replete with stories of women who changed history. Many of those women, from Cleopatra to Queen Victoria, were born into royalty or power, but there are many examples of women who started out as everyday citizens but went on to change the world.

Wangari Maathai an internationally recognized Icon for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation

Her death has brought the loss of a great environmental campaigner. Today is a great loss to the African Diaspora and the World. Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai succumbed to Cancer. The Africa Society mourns the loss of this Great African Leader and Environmentalist. Her solution, to work with the poorest and most vulnerable women to repair their own degraded environments and empower themselves, proved inspirational. I have been reading Wangari Maathai’s blogs on peace, environment and democracy One of Kenya‘s most recognizable women, won her Nobel in 2004 for combining science and social activism and a founder of the Green Belt Movement, where over 30 years she mobilized poor women to plant 30 million trees.

Wangari Maathai, almost lost her life trying to secure karura forest. It was this forest that for years represented the underbelly of our government and the dysfunction therein. It was this forest that reminded us that the environment is political. And quite frankly the thought that we can now go there and enjoy a picnic, a walk and some splashing in the river is amazing!

Planting trees became a worldwide symbol of hope and community regeneration. The Green Belt Movement that she started, evolved into one of the first truly worldwide, grassroots, self-help organizations. Over the next 20 years, billions of trees were planted by women around the world as a direct result of her work.

Her anger with the west and her disappointment with a succession of Kenyan governments never abated. But after she unexpectedly won the Nobel peace prize in 2004, she become a powerful voice of African women. From being dismissed by governments as a dissident, she was embraced by them as they turned to the environment as a fig leaf for their other destructive policies

She was a fearless opponent of corruption, a thorn in the side of the male-dominated Kenyan authorities – "that woman", they used to call her – and was never afraid to speak the truth to the most powerful world leaders when they dragged their feet on climate change. She will be remembered on several occasions having addressed the UN and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions. RIP Mama

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org

Abolish Death Penalty

A busy and exciting week for me, until I notice my TL with lots of people protesting against Troy Davis' death sentence and pleeing for his commutation. It seems unbelievable - unreal - if you were to see it on a TV show or movie.

But it's no TV show or movie. Troy Davis faces possible execution tonight! The clock is ticking on the life of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis. A judge recently signed his death warrant and the Georgia Department of Corrections has set his execution by lethal injection for the evening of Sept. 21. Yes it is today! The death penalty is a violation of Christian belief and faith…it violates the sanctity of life....Jesus reminded us that he who hasn’t sinned will cast the first stone…When Jesus taught love, he taught mercy. You can’t delegate God’s power to give and take life to the state. Human beings are imperfect; it is impossible to make a perfect justice system with fallible human reason....One innocent death is too much

The death penalty violates the right to life. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. An execution, just like torture, involves a deliberate assault on a prisoner. It is also discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, the powerless and the marginalized, as well as against people whom repressive governments want to eliminate. The death penalty does not deter crime more than other punishments. International human rights treaties prohibit courts sentencing anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime to death, or executing them. But a small number of countries continue to execute child offenders, violating their obligations under international law.

Troy Davis will be sentenced to death without any physical evidence linking him to the crime. His conviction was based on the testimony of nine witnesses. Since the original trial, seven of the nine have recanted their testimony, citing police coercion and fear of the prime alternative suspect. Evidence of Troy's possible innocence was finally last year heard but ignored by a judge who himself admitted Troy's conviction was "not ironclad." The judge instead ruled that Troy had not "proven innocence" - hardly a standard to be set for the defence in a capital punishment trial. In the testimonies at the new trial, a new eyewitness identified Sylvester "Red" Coles as the actual killer. That witness joins nine others who have signed affidavits pointing to Coles as the real killer.

In logic, an argument is not considered valid if counterexamples exist. Troy's team has shown counterexamples that are reasonable and probable - with even stronger evidence that another person was responsible, than was used to convict Troy. International standards on the death penalty require that any person sentenced to death, have the ability to appeal for clemency. Clemency is the last-ditch effort to avoid a death sentence and it matters not whether one is guilty or innocent. Innocence is of little use it seems, when appealing a death sentence in the courts. This is where clemency is _supposed_ to be used to prevent an execution where serious doubts remain over the conviction or where the punishment does not seem proportional to the circumstances of the crime.

The "system" has failed Troy Davis from day one. Even when granted an unusual request to have a new trial to 'prove his innocence' the system essentially rubber-stamped a conviction that should never of happened. To say with certainty why the system has continued to fail Troy is to speculate somewhat. The crime was a horrendous one - the killing of a police officer. In 1989, Officer Mark Allen MacPhail was shot and killed in Savannah, Georgia. Officer MacPhail was doing off-duty (but Police-uniformed) security work that night. MacPhail was shot to death when he went to assist someone in trouble.

Executing Davis will not achieve 'justice' - even a death penalty advocate would have to conceed that executing the wrong person is more of an insult to the dead officer than imprisoning the perpetrator. October 10th marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty, a day marked to urge countries around the world that still implement capital punishment to abolish it.