Sudan and Neo-Colonialism in Africa

On a day where a warrant was issued out of The International Criminal Court in The Hague for Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, a term was used that is becoming more and more prevalent. In response to the warrant that detailed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region, a statement from the Sudanese government read as follows:

“This decision is exactly what we have been expecting from the court, which was created to target Sudan and to be part of the new mechanism of neo-colonialism,”

They also dismissed the warrant saying it would “not be worth the ink it is written on” and that the ICC could “eat” it (Source: BBC).

The question that is raised in all this is exactly what role the Western world should and is even able to play in Sudan. Unfortunatly similar to the propaganda used by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe, al-Bashir is playing up the past destruction of European colonialism to reflect the Western world, instead of himself, as the enemy. The term neo-colonialism essentially means: “They screwed us before and they’ll do it again.”

And who are we to say otherwise? At least that is what people in Sudan would say to Westerners. The truth is that there is nothing any Westerner, including myself, can say to combat this type of propaganda. In fact, anything we do say, no matter how well reasoned it is, is like blowing air into a fire to big to be blown out; it will only fuel the fire of anti-Europeanism.

This propaganda is so strong in fact that I have to take a step back and really evaluate the situation. Of course as an outsider I am biased. Even with my mind open as wide as it will go my criticism of another country in another part of the world will be conceived as biased and judgmental. This is the problem that members of the industrialized world face as we try and help the poorer nations of the world. But why?

The sad reality of the situation is that their propaganda, although false and misleading within the context of the current situation in the Darfur region and the atrocities committed by the al-Bahir regime, is grounded in truth. The Sudanese have every reason to mistrust the people that came to convert and colonize them; people that are just as foreign in their concept of the world as the geographically “othered” Africa is to us.

The warrant issued today is not useless. If nothing else it is a statement; a statement that however biased the Western world’s opinions might be; al-Bashir is a criminal. Whether or not this ruling is accepted in Sudan is inconsequential. Undoubtedly the question will be (and to some degree has already been) raised whether or not the ICC has the right to determine who is or is not a criminal in countries such as Sudan. Obviously rulings such as these must be monitored closely. It is always dangerous when a court is given too much power and is too liberal in handing out punishments. In this case however, the warrant is clearly justified, if not too light-handed as it does not accuse al-Bashir of genocide, although all signs have pointed to ethnic-cleansing on non-arab Sudanese in the Darfur region for quite some time.

With regards to “neo-colonialism” it is still up for debate whether this concept is wholly invented or if it exists. It is difficult for anyone reading this in a Western country to try and take an African perspective on this, but I would suggest that most of our conceptions of Africa involve some sort of idea of Western involvement in areas like the Darfur region of Sudan. Whether in a humanitarian sense or a more militaristic sense, the participation of the industrialized nations in the affairs of underdeveloped countries has become associated with terms like duty and obligation.

However altruistic these notions might be we have to remember that charity is often bundled together with derogation. In other words, the involvement of the Western world in African affairs can be seen as meddling or in a “we know what’s best for you” sense. This does not mean we should not be helping countries like Sudan. It just means that we should be aware that not all Africans are like Omar al-Bashir and that these people should have our respect and be treated equally to any Westerner. The Sudanese, as well as all Africans, have a point of view that should be heard and respected for its differences as well its similarities to ours. If it is not than we are doing nothing but fulfilling the neo-colonialist propaganda that keeps men like al-Bashir in power and fuels the genocide his propaganda conceals.

Will Grassby

Barenaked Ladies are Us

I wonder how much Kraft Dinner they eat now. When four twenty-year-olds from Scarborough piled into a Speaker’s Corner booth at Queen and John, they were beginning a twenty year odyssey from goofy Canadian indie folk to international rock stars. It’s been One Week (less a day) since a large chapter in that journey drew to a close. Last Tuesday, Steven Page announced he was leaving the Barenaked Ladies to further pursue a solo career, and the rest of the band would be carrying on without him.

They are saying all the right things about mutual decisions and continuing careers, and there’s really nothing to suggest otherwise, but after a year involving kids’ albums, cocaine, and plane crashes, cracks were beginning to show. Maintaining a creative relationship involving musicians as talented as Page and Ed Robertson can always have its complications. Let’s hope this provides Page an avenue to further explore his own creative ideas, and that the band can carry on without one of its founding members.

But speculation and hearsay aside, we should remember the Barenaked Ladies for what they meant to Canadian music and to many of us individually. Personally, it started as a kid, with my parents’ copy of Gordon with the original cover as the soundtrack to those car trips to Nova Scotia (it was a while before I learned that Mr Roboto was actually its own song). One of my earliest arena concert experiences was BNL at the ACC in high school with my friends, and then again as the second-to-last act at Live 8 in Barrie. When I first picked up a guitar a few years back, some of the first songs I learned were Brian Wilson, If I had $1000000, and The Old Apartment.

The Ladies also had a big impact on this country. Starting at Speaker’s Corner, they had a large relationship with their home town of Toronto, despite being kicked off the 1991 New Year’s Eve bill by Mayor June Rowlands for ‘objectifying women.’ They would go on to sing about their new place on the Danforth, sweet Jane (and) St. Clair, GO Trains, and Birchmount Stadium, Home of the Robbie, as well as giving nods to Halifax, Peterborough, Phil Esposito, and much more Canadiana. They would sing silly songs about Yoko Ono, Styx, and their hardships faced in Grade Nine (they called me Buckwheat!).

Reaching international fame with One Week and Stunt, they added to Canada’s already disproportionately large contribution to international music, and toured the world. Following Stunt and after Kevin Hearn’s battle with leukemia, they released a more serious album Maroon, spawning such hits as Pinch Me, and Too Little Too Late. Later albums would feature songs about Chimps, tunes for the holidays, and in 2008 a kids’ album called Snacktime, displaying an extremely versatile musical repertoire.

Perhaps most appealing about the band is their propensity for humour and fun. They never took things too seriously, and this shows in their songs and their persona. It takes a rare talent to be able to sing about eating too much Kraft Dinner and Yoko sings “Aoyoyoyoyoyoyo!” mixed with more serious numbers about preconceived gender roles and spousal abuse, all on the same album. To get a good idea of the fun Page and Robertson have, check out the Bathroom Sessions on Youtube, where the two of them and an acoustic guitar perform a number of their songs, and genuinely have fun. Ed also provides some 'How To' videos for a few songs, something that not a lot of musicians will make the time for or openly 'give away' their songs for free.

So, good luck to all parties with future endeavours. Here's looking forward to the reunion tour. In closing, some of my favourites moments from twenty years of making records:
Downtown record shops in the rain; demanding the nostalgic return of old mousetraps and dishracks; cruel green dresses; sprinklers and gym shorts; shopping carts in the ravine, foam on the creek like pop and ice cream; you’re the last thing on my mind; laughing at funerals; and if I filmed my sister walking, I’d yell stuff like: “Hey, get off the phone!”

Thanks, that was fun.

Russ MacDonald

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNVkEqy7lpI&feature=related $1000000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69cR9J-V-Qg&feature=related One Week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_snpe3QmzCc&feature=related Bedside Manor (they almost lose it laughing)

Time to Live a Simpler Life

Maybe Jesus was on to something…

The current economic crisis has started claiming its first victims and each day the signs grow grimmer for our consumeristic way of life. Of course it is the small that fall first; this evidenced in the recent government collapses in Iceland and Latvia as well as the news that GM would be feeding Swedish carmaker Saab to the pecuniary wolves.

Yet as the current uncertainty gives way to a certainty of worse things to come, it is hard ignore the way the superficiality of our the economy is exposed. Everything depends on continued consumption; something we all know is unsustainable, but something we are all unwilling to admit. The scary part is how reliant on this consumption we have become. If people were to stop buying unnecessary items, which ironically enough is also destroying the planet, the job market would dry up and millions of people would be left without work. This sounds like a travesty but I cannot help but see how people like this, including myself, are dependent on frivolity. In the US, each household has an average of 3, count it, 3 TVs. Think how many billions of dollars in revenue would be lost if Americans (and Brits, Canadians, French, Germans…) had, on average, one less TV in their house. TV manufacturers, cable providers, DVD player makers (each of those 3 TVs needs its own dedicated DVD player), video game makers and even the people that make all the parts for those TVs would face massive reductions in revenue and jobs would of course be the moribund currency.

And with apologies to those bible non-enthusiasts, a quote from your favourite book:

"Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:13-15

Jesus makes a very clear distinction between “life” and “possessions.” What he means is that life is about people, not things. No matter how many TVs we own they will never become a part of our lives the way that friendship, love and our relationships to other people will.

Ultimately what this whole economic crisis is going to come down to, along with other crises such as climate change, is who is willing to make sacrifices and who is going to hold on to their possessions. Regardless of whether one is atheist, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, CEO of a company or assembly-line worker, those that cling to their 3 TVs will go down with the ship. Those that value humanity, morals, knowledge and recognize the adequacy of one TV; they might just make it through.

And now to satisfy those that might not be a big Jesus fan; a quote from a popular beer commercial that some in Canada might remember:

“It’s all about balance.”

Whether you are talking about the balance between spending time with the guys and, well, watch the commercial here, or the sustainability of the world’s resources and quality of life, there is a lot of wisdom in the idea of balance.

All jokes aside, the economic crisis will no doubt have a major effect on the entire world, and it would be naïve to think that it will just be the little guys that will suffer. Everything is connected. Those that value their possessions need to learn that the future will not be about excess. It will be about balance. Just ask Bob. ("Thanks for gettin' me away from all that sex!") If people can learn that a simpler life might be the answer (something that, as always, is easier said than done), this crisis can be turned from black cloud into a silver lining that forces us to change our ways before it is too late.

Maybe Jesus was onto something...

Or maybe it was the beer guys.

Will Grassby

Obamamania

Today's post will be slightly different in that it will be more personal and more rant-like. However, I hope these factors will make it no less enthralling.

As I'm sure many people were aware, American President Barack Obama made his first foreign visit as president to Canada this past Thursday. It was quite the ordeal, and made us feel special again, after Bush's Mexico snub. The rest of the world must be green with envy. The requisite bus trips were planned from the GTA and around the country, and Obama Tees were on sale again. Multiple camera crews milled through the throngs asking people what the day meant to them, and CBC had a couple of hours of coverage, including some stirring images from the quiet, rainy, closed streets before the motorcade arrived. All this attention, even though Obama's schedule barely included time for a wave from his limo into parliament.

I actually made my way to parliament hill shortly after he arrived, but the excitement had mostly died down. There were still some cameras and sign-wavers, but many of the people had dispersed. Still there, however, were the snipers on various roofs around the parliament, which led to a discussion about how many innocent lives would be justified in being taken to protect the president. I fully appreciate the security concerns, and perhaps more so with Obama's unique circumstances. I also appreciate that these people have a job to do, and if there is an imminent threat to the president, then those responsible may have to die quickly. I don't have a problem with the snipers being there, nor was there any indication that they would hastily place anybody in harm's way. It was really more of a rhetorical debate about the circumstances.

My issue with the security came later in the day. We grew tired of waiting outside parliament in the drizzle, so we returned to grab our skates to play some hockey. We ventured across the frozen canal, and made our way to the Sandy Hill rink, only to find it still covered in snow. We decided to try our luck at Jack Purcell, which involved crossing back over the canal. It was when we arrived at Pretoria Bridge that we were informed we would not be allowed to cross until the motorcade had passed, which wouldn’t be for another forty-five minutes. We wouldn’t be allowed to cross anywhere.

Let me set the scene for those of you who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of Ottawa. The Rideau Canal runs from beside the parliament buildings down to Carleton University. This is about an eight kilometre stretch of the city, with Colonel By Drive following the east side. It was down Colonel By that the president would be travelling to get back to the airport, and therefore the road was closed. To everybody. I can understand keeping vehicular traffic off the street. A man who barely has time to wave can’t be held up by congestion, and I suspect exploding cars have the potential to do more damage that exploding people, even if you are in a bomb-proof limo. But to not let pedestrians cross the street half an hour before he is scheduled to arrive is a little bit ridiculous. Even more so when you consider that the street is eight kilometres long.

We were essentially stuck. The ever helpful police officers snidely suggested we pay for a cab to drive us across on the highway, but we are not in the habit of paying to cross the street, and we took no cash on our hockey excursion. We couldn’t even go home because we lived on the other side of the canal. The people skating on the canal were fine, and there were stairs leading up to the other side of Colonel By from the skateway, but those two lanes were impenetrable. There must have been twelve of us standing beside the road while nobody drove past, held at bay by two grouchy cops. When someone appeared on the other side from the canal, they were quickly attended to and told to stay where they were. (The cop crossed the street to do so.) There was even a police car that drove down the street with a megaphone instructing people to get off their balconies if they overlooked the road, which raised the attention of two cops stationed nearby who wandered towards the site of the people standing quietly on private property to check it out. I would have been tempted to find out what their response would be if I refused to go back inside. I don’t think ‘peacefully enjoying a winter’s afternoon on your balcony’ is a criminal offence.

I reiterate that I understand there are security concerns. I appreciate that they have to take precautionary measures. But I should remind you that this man is driving around in vehicle flown in for the occasion, encased in five inches of military grade armour, among many security specifications. I don’t think the good people living on Echo Drive are likely to be out there with nefarious intentions, and I would like to think that someone would notice a person setting up weapons extensive enough to harm the president. I also think someone with truly evil intentions could simply run back outside as the first cars in the motorcade drove by. Or perhaps those of us waiting to cross around the city could pull out our rocket-launchers just at the right second.

There are going to be security concerns, but you can’t account for everything. Especially in a country like Canada, where his approval rating has topped 80%, and our list of assassinated politicians is two names long in 142 years. Full credit to Obama for squeezing in some time to stroll around the Byward Market and buy a Beavertail and some trinkets, showing his appreciation and comfort in our nation. I suppose a truly clever assailant could have sprinkled some cyanide in with the cinnamon, but Obama was willing to take this risk. However, the Ottawa police were not willing to take the risk of letting citizens cross a major street spanning much of the city up to thirty minutes before the heavily armoured motorcade drove by, nor were they comfortable with people enjoying the presidential view from their balconies. I suppose on the plus side we got to glimpse the outline of his head through the thick tinted glass, but I don’t think that really makes up for the indignity served to the people of Ottawa.

Russel MacDonald

Another One About Buses

Apparently I like to write blogs about buses, with this one following previous discussions on increased safety on the Greyhound and the OC Transpo strike in Ottawa. I think there’s something simple and communal about the bus. Driving from A to B with an evolving flow of strangers getting where they need to be. I haven’t actually taken a bus in months, which had nothing to do with the transit strike, but I guess I just like the idea of them. But I digress.

Today’s post is about the atheist bus ads which have been taking the country by storm (or at least a discussion or two on CBC radio and the odd newspaper article…). For those who haven’t heard, the Freethought Association of Canada has decided to bring an ad campaign that started in Britain over to Canada. They plan to plaster the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” on buses across the country. The ads have been approved in Toronto and Calgary, and have begun to appear on TTC vehicles. They have, however, been rejected by Halifax, Ottawa, London, Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna. The Halifax Metro has refused to meet with the organization, and London and the British Columbia three have quoted general policy guidelines rejecting ads that “promote or oppose a specific theology or religious ethic, point of view, policy or action.”

In Ottawa it’s a little bit stickier. They have said: “The Advertising Standards section of our contract specifically excludes religious advertising which might be offensive to transit users, so we cannot approve this ad.” This has not stopped them from approving not-yet-released ads for Bus Stop Bible Studies, which quotes scripture and asks ‘big questions.’ It has also not stopped them from plastering pictures of glum pregnant young women ironing, with a slogan suggesting fathers should lock up their daughters because a certain radio station is bringing back the Gods of Rock. (I do not believe in God, therefore I do not believe in Gods of Rock. I find this offensive.)
By including the intangible phrase ‘offensive,’ OC Transpo has left itself room for criticism. Not that the decision in the end is any better than in London or Kelowna, but at least there the intolerance is all-encompassing, and maintains ad space as a way to hock unnecessary junk. Even the founder of Bus Stop Bible Studies is dumbfounded, asking with an Obama-y level cooperation why OC Transpo approved his ads but not the atheist ones. David Harrison asked: “Why would they approve ours and not theirs? If we don’t stand up for (the atheists’) rights, ours will be trampled too.”

I am not going to sit here and spew outrage at OC Transpo’s decision. It was clearly a misguided decision, and likely one that will be overturned. Maybe they’ll even make it a two-fer, and cover up misogyny with discourse. I suspect the Freethought Association would even have been disappointed had the ads not been barred in some cities. Much like PETA’s naked broccoli banned Superbowl ads, they get lots of sympathy and free publicity this way, and will still likely see their message on a number of buses.

Whether or not the ads will strike somebody and make them realize that they don’t actually believe in God and therefore they are atheists (it’s true), the ads have still already accomplished much of what they were attempting to do, which is stir up healthy debate. Most ads are aimed at exploiting people and subtly maintaining a culture of consumerism anyways, so let’s not hold them with too high an esteem. Had the slogan read something like: “God doesn’t exist, you moron,” then I could see some people being upset. But as they stand, they are nothing but an attempt to open debate, and get a rise out of people who take life too seriously. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

Russel MacDonald

The Caste of the Forgotten

Much is made of the caste system that has existed in India for hundreds of years and the way this very visible form of social stratification goes against the ideals of the “West.” Yet, as is shown in a very saddening and poignant column by Joe Fiorito in today’s Toronto Star, a less visible, yet extremely distressing social schism exists in cities around the world, including Toronto.

The case shown by Fiorito is that of a 62 year old named George who recently died in his socially supported apartment in January. I will not recount the squalid conditions her was living in, but instead I would like to look at a few of the details in the article that stand out to me.

For a whole week after he died he lay on his bed until the smell coming from his room alerted people to the fact something might be amiss. A week. Think for a moment how lonely this man must have been. Think of all the people you would interact with in a week, then think of this man who went a whole week without anyone coming to see him; without anyone wondering where he was. Fiorito says of the apartment: “It was not the smell of death. It was the smell of years of dying.” In many ways George was already dead to the world. He was ignored, cast aside and left to fend for himself, something he was clearly not capable of doing.

How many other people like this are there? How many times have you passed someone on the street who might’ve been someone like George, or even George himself?

This is clearly not an isolated case. There are tens of thousands of people like George. But why is it that those who are least capable of fending for themselves that are often left to do just that? Unfortunately there is only one answer to that question, and it is one not many of us would want to admit. We believe we are more important; that somehow our lives mean more than those who suffer from alcoholism, metal illness or problems known only to themselves.

In the caste system in India, people are organized into social groups by birth and have no opportunity to move up except through reincarnation. It does not matter how talented one is, they are stuck in their caste. Unfair? Yes, but by whose standards?

In the Western world we do not believe in holding people back but in so called virtues such as “free will” and “equality.” Yet there is a very fine line between opportunity and a Darwinian “survival of the fittest” type of society. Do not get me wrong. I am not advocating the Indian caste system, but instead trying to clarify that while the most able of us reach for the stars, we unconsciously step on the dreams of others and often leave them in our dust. So should we forget about our dreams to take care of the weak? I believe it is possible to both dream and take care of those around us, and the beginning is awareness.

As is seen in the case of George, he was left behind in the caste of the forgotten. There were people that could have helped him but, through weaknesses of their own, they did not.

The word society implies things like community and helping others. There are always those that need help and do not get it. Maybe they do not want it or maybe they cannot find it. Like the case of George, thousands of people like this isolate themselves from everyone around them, and according to many, deserve their fate. How often have you heard or even said the words “There’s only so much you can do.”

But why should there be any limit to what we can do? We, as a society, pride ourselves on reaching for the stars and being the best we can be; why should that stop when it concerns helping others, one of the most integral parts of our existence?

Or is it only important to do our best when there is something in it for us?

Will Grassby

A New Chapter for Zimbabwe

Continuing on in the current trent of inaugaurations, todays blog article will look at the situation in Zimbabwe and the hopes that the burdened nation is pinning on their new prime-minister. Morgan Tsvangairai took his oath yesterday in the capital city of Harare as some celebrated in the streets, hoping that this new face will usher in a new era and mark the end of the intense suffering for the people of Zimbabwe.

Not to put a damper on the festivities, for celebrating is probably what is needed most in a country too well known for war, but a report from the BBC today outlines concerns that are metaphorically reinforced by the inauguration ceremony. To quote the BBC report, which can be found here, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband says that “While Morgan Tsvangirai is acknowledging the crowds, behind him is a lurking figure and that figure is President Mugabe, who has tyrannised that country and bought it to its knees.”

Miliband could be speaking both metaphorically or literally in this case because, sure enough, it was none other than President Robert Mugabe who administered the oath and stands in the background; and lurking would not be the wrong word to use. The event was described as “smileless” and Mugabe denied Tsvangirai the opportunity of a national address, which was earlier promised to him.

This in stark contrast to the happenings in Washington just a few weeks ago where President of the United States Barack Obama gave a powerful speech (see The Blog Journalists’ report on this event here.) that was seen around the world. This is one case where democracy would be better served in the hands of less people, as Tsvangirai’s title as Prime Minister is contingent on his sharing of the power with Mugabe’s regime. Mugabe has proved himself a worthless leader, as evidenced by the revocation of his knighthood and several of his honourary degrees from various universities, and until he is truly gone from the picture Zimbabwe will continue to suffer.

However, the inaugauration of Tsvangirai as Prime Minister does have one major similarity to that of Barack Obama’s, and that is the theme of hope. Just as Obama’s inaugauration did not mark the end of the financial crisis or the trials invoked by the Bush regime, it did mark the start of a new era based on hope and vision; something to believe in. Today, this is why the people in Harare should be dancing. Mugabe may not be gone but the illusions he and his followers painted are fading. It will take years to bring Zimbabwe back to where it was in the 1970s and even that will not bring back the hundreds of thousands that have died due to famine and war, but amongst the quotes in the BBC article lie words like “cautiously optimistic”, “step forward” and an overall feeling of equality; another virtue Obama poignantly brought forth.

It was this feeling of equality that Tsvangirai very explicitly addressed when he finally got the opportunity to speak in front of a stadium full of hopeful Zimbabweans. I will leave you with this quote and the link to the entire speech which I can highly recommend reading.

“People of Zimbabwe, we face many challenges but we are brave and resourceful. By uniting as a nation and a people we can succeed. If you match our efforts with your own, we will succeed, if you match our desires with your own, we will succeed, if you match our dreams for Zimbabwe with your own, we will succeed.
At each point in our proud history we have looked forward not backwards, we have stood for hope not fear, we have believed in love not hate, and we have never lost touch with our democratic values or sight of our democratic goals.”
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=11428

Will Grassby