The African Origin of Extradition

On June 28, 2013September 21, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations1 Comment

I just learned today that the first ever written extradition agreement – and peace treaty- was written in Egypt centuries ago by Pharaoh Ramesses II (The Great) between the Egyptians and the neighboring Hittites in 1259 BC. It is the world’s oldest and first extradition treaty. Mostly known as the Treaty of Kadesh, after the battle of Kadesh fought 16 years earlier, the agreement bound both sides to repatriate criminals and political refugees from the other side. It was concluded between Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, and Hittite King Hattusili III. The purpose of the treaty was to establish and maintain peaceful relations between the parties.

The Treaty of Kadesh (the Hittite version) engraved on baked plates and currently housed in Istanbul

In Egypt it was inscribed on the walls of temples in hieroglyphics, while in the Hittite capital of Hattusa (in present day Turkey) it was preserved on baked clay tablets. Archaeological excavations at the Hittite royal palace uncovered it among the palace’s sizable archives. The Egyptian version of the peace treaty was engraved on the walls of Pharaoh Ramesses II’s mortuary temple in Thebes. Translation of the text revealed that this engraving was originally translated from the silver tablet given to Ramesses II, but had since been lost to contemporary historians. The scribes who engraved the Egyptian version of the treaty included descriptions of the figures and seals that were on the tablet that the Hittites delivered. A complete version of the Hittite text is currently housed within Istanbul‘s Ancient Orient section of its Archaeological Museums.

Think about it, our ancestors the Egyptians were quite ahead of time… they even thought of extradition. As the likes of Julian Assange or Edward Snowden run around the world in search of a place with no extradition, it is good to know that ancient Egyptians were men of honor, and light who had thought about such a law centuries ago.

Petits Métiers: Vendeur de Soya / Small Trades: Soya Seller

On June 25, 2013September 3, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Economy8 Comments

Avez-vous deja goûté au soya? de la viande rôtie à la camerounaise? Le soya est vraiment différent du kebab turque ou maroccain, et est définitivement différent du barbecue sucré américain. Le soya est spécial. Il est pimenté, d’un piment épicé, aux épices du Cameroun. Au Cameroun, la cuisson du soya est génèralement tenu par les maguidas ou vendeurs de soya, qui sont des habitants de la partie septentrionale du pays, et qui ont toujours été de grands éleveurs de boeufs depuis des siècles. La viande de boeuf est donc découpée en quartiers et tranches et arrosés d’un bon piment qui fait du soya ‘un mets digne de la table des dieux’ comme le dit si bien l’écrivain camerounais Sévérin Cécile Abega. Abega dit si bien dans sa nouvelle Au ministère du soya dans son livre Les Bimanes: [le soya est] “cet Everest de l’art culinaire qu’est la viande en tranches ou en brochettes grillées au feu…“… “Nul autre qu’un maguida ne peut, avec la même virtuosité, avec le même bonheur, réussir cette alchimie. Souriant, chantant, plaisantant, semblant ignorer eux-mêmes l’immense portée … les créateurs de la huitième et la plus quotidienne, la plus appétissante aussi des merveilles du monde, chaque soir, transforment la plus banale des viandes, celle du boeuf, en soya.”

Allez-y savourer le soya… ce met digne de la table des dieux made in Cameroun.

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Soya sellers at the entrance of Douala (in Bonaberi)

Have you ever tasted soya? roasted meat à la Camerounaise? I don’t mean meat broiled or barbecued meat with some sweet American sauce, or the Moroccan or Turkish kebab. The soya is special. It is spiced with chilis, and spices from Cameroon. In Cameroon, the cooking of soya is generally led by the maguidas or soya seller, who are inhabitants of the northern part of the country, and who have always been great cattle rearers for centuries. The beef meat is cut in quarters and slices, and basted with some good chili which make soya ‘a dish worthy to be served at the table of the gods’ like the Cameroonian author Sévérin Cécile Abega said. Abega tells it so well in his novella At the ministry of soya: [the soya is] “this Everest of the culinary art which is meat in slices or in grilled skewers on the fire…” … “None other than a maguida can, with the same virtuosity, with the same happiness, succeed in this alchemy. Smiling, singing, joking, seeming to ignore themselves its immense scope… the creators of the eighth and daily, most delicious of the world’s wonders, every evening, transform the most common of meats, that of beef, into soya.”

Enjoy the soya … this dish worthy of the table of the gods, made in Cameroon.

‘Asimbonanga’ by Johnny Clegg

On June 21, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great Music2 Comments

Since we are on the subject of Soweto 1976, and since last week Madiba (Nelson Mandela) gave us a scare, I decided to publish the song ‘Asimbonanga’ by Johnny Clegg. ‘Asimbonanga‘ or ‘We have not seen him’ was released by Johnny Clegg and Savuka, in the album Third World Child in 1987, and called for the release of Nelson Mandela, and also gave homage to three martyrs of the anti-apartheid struggle: Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge, and Neil Aggett. I have posted the song with lyrics below (translation of the Zulu words to English is in italics). Enjoy, and don’t forget to visit Johnny Clegg’s website: johnnyclegg.com.

'Asimbonanga' by Johnny Clegg & Savuka — ‘Asimbonanga’ by Johnny Clegg & Savuka

Soweto 1976 and Marikana 2012: any similarities?

On June 18, 2013September 21, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment

With the cleansing ceremony for the Marikana massacre taking place today, I couldn’t help but think about similarities, if any, between the Soweto uprisings of 1976, and the Marikana miners’ strike of 2012.

First of all, the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976, was a movement of school children protesting against the use of Afrikaans as a medium in school and the fact that this was essentially limiting their career opportunities leading them to mostly menial jobs later in life; besides Afrikaans was the language of the oppressor, and in itself a symbol of oppression. The school children were reprimanded in blood by police from the apartheid government of John Vorster. It was a brutal repression. The pictures, particularly, that of Hector Pieterson‘s dead body being carried away by another student alongside his sister, were just heart-wrenching.

Over 30 years later, Marikana happened, albeit not on the same giant scale. Miners protesting for wages were repressed in blood by the police on 16 August 2012; this time under the free government of the rainbow nation led by Jacob Zuma. The violence used by the police was just as shocking, and has been compared by the media to the Sharpeville massacre.

Hector Pieterson being carried away by Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister running alongside (Photo by: Sam Nzima)

The similarities are important: both events showed police brutality against unarmed school children (Soweto 1976), and unarmed miners (Marikana 2012); Note: there are some claims that one miner shot first at the police before the police opened fire at Marikana, and images show that some of the miners had machetes. Both events showed poor judgment (more like lack of judgment) from government, and police repressive use of force. Both events harbored bloodshed. What Marikana 2012 showed us is that police brutality is the same decades later. I always wondered why didn’t the police use fake bullets in both cases? If the police was trying to restore order in both cases, why not use common sense and use rubber bullets instead? They have the upper hand and the bullet proof vests (and the dogs), they should act like the adults in the play.

The main difference, is that unlike Marikana, where the police was dealing with adults, the police in Soweto dealt with school children. Where is this world going when we now attack, hurt, and kill children? Has the human race descended so low? And the apartheid government had a clear agenda against color and race, while the current government’s agenda seems to be driven by capitalism. The children of Soweto were demonstrating for a better education, while the miners of Marikana were workers demonstrating for increased wages…

In the end, Soweto 1976 cannot be compared to Marikana 2012, where the government did not even conduct an investigation, and did not present apologies (or did they?) as they did not consider the lives of these Black children relevant in the apartheid society. And even today, one can see the difference between both events in the length at which Marikana was covered in the South African press, and the small number of archives (accessible?) on Soweto 1976. Besides, Soweto 1976 marked a turning point in the end of the apartheid regime. One thing is for sure, both events should never happen in the history of a nation.

This is my two-cents on this… What do you think were the similarities between Marikana 2012 and Soweto 1976? Were there similarities in your opinion? As people protest around the world, how do you stop police brutality? How do we ensure that lives are preserved, while populations’ protests are taken into account?

Remembrance: 16 June 1976 Soweto Massacre

On June 16, 2013September 21, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments6 Comments

Soweto3 — Soweto uprising: children walking peacefully (Source: Ezakwantu.com)

The Soweto massacre or Soweto uprisings also known as June 16, were some of the biggest massacre of the apartheid regime in South Africa, mostly because it showed police repression against kids. On June 16, 1976, Black high school children in Soweto protested against the Afrikaans medium decree of 1974 which forced the schools to use Afrikaans as one of the main languages in schools (50-50 with English): Afrikaans was to be used to teach mathematics, arithmetic, etc… In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, many people preferred English as the school language, the commerce language, etc, because of the violence attached with Afrikaans which was the language of the oppressor.

Soweto Uprising (Source:kilimedia.com) — Soweto Uprising: children running away (Source: kilimedia.com)

On June 16, 1976, over 20,000 school children took part in protests which left over 700 dead (the official numbers say 176, but we all know that this number could not be further from the truth). On that bright morning, 10,000 – 20,000 black students walked from their schools to Orlando stadium for a peaceful rally against the use of Afrikaans, the oppressor’s language, in school. The protest had been carefully planned by the Soweto Students’ Representative Council’s (SSRC) Action Committee, with support from the Black Consciousness Movement, and teachers from Soweto. The students were marching and they found out that police had barricaded the road along the intended route. The leader of the SSRC action committee then asked the crowd not to provoke the police, and the march went on on a different route, eventually ending up near Orlando High School. The students were marching, singing, and waving placards with slogans such as, “Down with Afrikaans“, “Viva Azania“, and “If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must do Zulu.”

One officer shot and fired his gun causing panic and chaos. Students started screaming and running, as more gunshots were being fired, and the police let out their dogs on children who responded by stoning the dogs. The police then began to shoot directly at the children. One of the first students to be shot dead was 13-year-old Hector Pieterson, who became the symbol of the Soweto uprisings. The picture of his dead body being carried away by another student while his sister ran beside them in tears, was captured by news photographer Sam Nzima, and made it worldwide. The police patrolled the streets throughout the night as the students came under intense attack. Emergency clinics were swamped with injured and bloody children. The police requested the hospitals to provide a list of all victims with bullet wounds, but the doctors refused to create the list, and recorded bullet wounds as abscesses. On the 17th of June, 1,500 heavily armed police officers were deployed to Soweto carrying automatic rifles, stun guns, and carbines. They were driving in armored vehicles with helicopters, while the South African army was ordered on standby… for repression onto school children.

In the end, the Soweto uprising established the leading role of African National Congress (ANC) against the apartheid regime; it marked the turning point in the opposition to white rule in South Africa. Formerly, the struggle had been fought outside South Africa, in neighboring countries (Rhodesia – Zimbabwe, South-West Africa – Namibia, and Angola), but from that moment forward, the struggle became internal as well as external.

June 16th is now celebrated in South Africa as a public holiday. Enjoy this quick collage about the events of June 16th, and please remember to commemorate the lives of innocent children killed on this day in South Africa, children whose future were ended too early. Don’t forget to check out these articles on BBC, Libcom.org, South Africa Info, and watch the video on Independent Lens on PBS.

The Lion, the Jackal, and the Man

On June 12, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & TalesLeave a comment

It so happened one day that Lion and Jackal came together to converse on affairs of land and state. Jackal, let me say, was the most important adviser to the king of the forest, and after they had spoken about these matters for quite a while, the conversation took a more personal turn.

Lion began to boast and talk big about his strength. Jackal had, perhaps, given him cause for it, because by nature he was a flatterer. But now that Lion began to assume so many airs, said he, “See here, Lion, I will show you an animal that is still more powerful than you are.”

They walked along, Jackal leading the way, and met first a little boy.

“Is this the strong man?” asked Lion.

“No,” answered Jackal, “he must still become a man, O king.”

After a while they found an old man walking with bowed head and supporting his bent figure with a stick.

“Is this the wonderful strong man?” asked Lion.

“Not yet, O king,” was Jackal’s answer, “he has been a man.”

Continuing their walk a short distance farther, they came across a young hunter, in the prime of youth, and accompanied by some of his dogs.

“There you have him now, O king,” said Jackal. “Pit your strength against his, and if you win, then truly you are the strength of the earth.”

Then Jackal made tracks to one side toward a little rocky kopje from which he would be able to see the meeting. Growling, growling, Lion strode forward to meet the man, but when he came close the dogs beset him. He, however, paid but little attention to the dogs, pushed and separated them on all sides with a few sweeps of his front paws. They bowled aloud, beating a hasty retreat toward the man. Thereupon the man fired a charge of shot, biting him behind the shoulder, but even to this Lion paid but little attention. Thereupon the hunter pulled out his steel knife, and gave him a few good jabs. Lion retreated, followed by the flying bullets of the hunter.

“Well, are you strongest now?” was Jackal’s first question when Lion arrived at his side.

“No, Jackal,” answered Lion, “let that fellow there keep the name and welcome. Such as he I have never before seen. In the first place he had about ten of his bodyguard storm me. I really did not bother myself much about them, but when I attempted to turn him to chaff, he spat and blew fire at me, mostly into my face, that burned just a little but not very badly. And when I again endeavored to pull him to the ground he jerked out from his body one of his ribs with which he gave me some very ugly wounds, so bad that I had to make chips fly, and as a parting he sent some warm bullets after me. No, Jackal, give him the name.”

South African Folk Tales, by James A. Honey, 1910, Baker & Taylor Company.

The British Government apologizes for Mau Mau atrocities

On June 10, 2013January 6, 2020 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments3 Comments

In a prison camp during the Mau Mau rebellion (Source:The Guardian) — In a prison camp in Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion (Source:The Guardian)

The British government finally recognized its wrong-doings in Kenya, during the Mau Mau uprising, and publicly apologized for it. The British colonial forces thoroughly tortured and murdered thousands of people during the Mau Mau revolt against British rule in Kenya in the 1950s. The British foreign secretary admitted last Thursday (06/06/2013) that: … ” on behalf of Her Majesty’s government, that we [the British government] understand the pain and grievance felt by those who were involved in the events of the emergency in Kenya.”… “The British government recognizes that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration. The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place and that they marred Kenya’s progress towards independence.”

Under British guns, during the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya in the 1950s

So today’s surviving victims, 5228 people will receive a payment of £19.9m for compensation. The compensation amounts to about £3,000 per victim and applies only to the living survivors of the abuses that took place. As I read this… first I was happy that after so many years (over 60 years), the British government could finally acknowledge their atrocities in Kenya, and I think this opens the door for other colonial powers to openly recognize atrocities they perpetrated in their colonies: such as the massacre and genocides perpetrated by the French in Cameroon, Algeria, and Madagascar during the colonial era and after independence. However, when I read the amount given to every victim, I gasped in shock: 3000 pounds per person? what is that? Is that a joke? What would £3,000 do to somebody who has been tortured, raped, and beaten to death? Would it erase the debilitating pain, and all those years spent fighting for the British to acknowledge their wrongdoings? Finally what is money compared to the pain? What is the British government doing to ensure that no such thing would ever happen again? As we know, paying quickly so that nobody bothers you is easy, but has anything been put in place for this never to occur again? Or would other citizens of the world have to fight 50 or 100 years from now for yet another apology?

Enjoy the documentary below on the Mau Mau rebellion… no amount of money can erase this! The case in court used some of the work by Harvard professor Caroline Elkins.

The Siddis: Africans of India

On June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations6 Comments

The BBC recently had a photojournal article on the lost Africans of India, and I thought it wise to talk about our brothers from the Indian subcontinent. The Sidi or Siddi, or Sheedi, or Habshi, are said to have first arrived on the Indian subcontinent around 628 AD at the Baruch port. Several others followed; most Siddis are believed to be descendants of traders, sailors, soldiers, servants, and merchants of East Africa. The biggest wave of migration is said to have lasted between the 12th and 19th centuries. Most Siddis are Bantu descendants from southeast Africa. In the 13th and 14th centuries, most slaves were mainly drawn from countries in the Nile region: lower Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. Due to their fighting prowess, many became soldiers in the armies of conquerors and sultans all over India’s princely states. They were wanted mostly because of their loyalty and strength, and received grants of land in return for their valorous services. With the arrival of the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, into the slavery scene in the 16th century, Siddis were now drawn from the inner continent in regions such as the Congo, and as far down the East African coast as Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania.

The origin of the word Siddi is very controversial. Some believe that it was a term of respect in North Africa similar to the word sahib used in India; others believe that it derived from the title borne by the captains (known as sayyib) of the Arab vessels that first brought Siddi settlers to India; while others believe that the word habshi (another term for siddi) is derived from the common name for the captains of the Ethiopian/Abyssinian ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent.

Today, many Siddis reside in the Western states of Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra, with some in the city of Hyderabad in India and Makran and Karachi in Pakistan. India counts about 20,000 to 50,000 Siddis. Their communities are very poor, and many have kept together, and do not marry outside. Siddis are mostly muslims, but some are christians; with few adopting Hindu as they could not fit appropriately in the Hindu caste society. Today, the Siddis are called a ‘scheduled caste‘, or ‘scheduled tribe‘, which simply gives them access to reserved quotas of government jobs, quotas in state schools, bursaries and subsidized housing. As is the case with the descendants of black slaves in the Americas, most of the Siddis of India do not know where their ancestors came from in Africa, but, amazingly, they have somehow preserved some of the musical and dance traditions of their long-lost forefathers (again, similar to Africans in the Western Hemisphere). Their African-derived music is known as the Goma and is clearly African in origin.

Many of the well-known Siddis in Indian history were war generals. One of them was Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut who rose to prominence in the Delhi Sultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals of India, as a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205–1240 CE); it has been speculated that he was her lover. Many of the kingdom’s noblemen resented the relationship between Razia Sultana and Yaqut, first since she was the first female ruler of the Delhi sultanate, but also because she elevated him to the great title rank of Amir of Amirs. Other important Siddis have been Yakut Khan, a naval admiral and administrator of Janjira fort who served under the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb; and Malik Ambar who created an army of over 1500 men on his own; and general Hoshu Sheedi, who was a Supreme Commander of Sindh‘s Talpur army, who fought with valor against the British in the Battle of Dabbo and laid down his life in defense of his country.

Lastly, it is good to note that Africans have influenced civilizations around the world, and continue to influence them to this day: many great cities and empires were built thanks to them. Imagine that some of the great generals and confidants of the Mughal empire were of African descent… doesn’t that make you proud? To learn more about the Siddis of India, don’t forget to check out BBC’s photojournal. Please read the article on The Lost Indians on NigerianMasterweb.com, India’s Sidis on The East African journal, as well as the article in the International Business Times.

Why the name: Marrakesh?

On June 2, 2013May 14, 2014 By Dr. Y.In Great Trivia5 Comments

What comes to mind when I say Marrakesh? Well, for starters, when I hear the name Marrakesh, my mind is immediately submerged by thoughts of Arabian nights, Mediterranean scents, spices and flavors, camels, oasis, couscous, men in gabar, beautiful mosques, beautiful women, sandy dunes, etc… So how far am I from the truth and what is the origin of the name Marrakesh?

Located near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas mountains in Morocco, Marrakesh was the most important of the four former imperial cities in Moroccan history. Spelled Merrakec in Berber or Marrakech in French, the name has its origin from the Amazigh (Berber) words ‘mur (n) akush‘ which means “Land of God.” Another interpretation will call it ‘the land of journey.’ From Neolithic times, the city had been inhabited by the Amazighs people, and was founded in 1062 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, sovereign and cousin of Yusuf ibn Tashfin. Led by the Almoravids, and later the Almohads, many mosques including the world-renowned Koutoubia mosque were built during the 12th century with Andalusian influence. Several palaces were built whose main characteristics were the carved domes, and lobed arches. The Andalusian influence merged with Saharan elements as well as West African, and all that was synthetized to give a very original architecture specially adapted for the weather of Marrakesh. The city became the capital of the Almoravid emirate which went from the shoreline of the Senegal river to the center of Spain, and from the atlantic littoral up to Algiers. The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122-1123, were built from red sandstone gave Marrakesh’s nickname as the ‘Red City‘ or the ‘Ochre city‘, as well as the ‘pearl of the south‘ or the ‘door to the south.’

Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa; Jemaa el-Fnaa or Djemaa el-Fnaa is one of the most famous squares in all of Africa and is the center of the city activity and trade, and has been declared UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985. After a period of decline, the city was surpassed by Fez, in the early 16th century, Marrakesh again became the capital of the kingdom and reestablished its former glory especially during the reigns of the wealthy Saadian sultans Mohammed El Mahdi, Abu Abdallah al-Qaim and Ahmad al-Mansur who embellished the city with sumptuous palaces such as the El Badi Palace (1578), and restored many ruined monuments. Under the Saadian reign, Marrakesh regained its position as a central point linking the Maghreb, the Mediterranean basin, and Sub-Saharan Africa via its caravan routes.

Today, Marrakesh is one of the busiest cities in Africa; it is a big tourist destination, and a major economic center. It has the largest traditional Berber market (souk) in Morocco, with over 18 souks selling anything from traditional Berber carpets to modern consumer electronics. It is also home to the Cadi Ayyad University, which is one of the major universities of Morocco.

African Heritage

Month: June 2013

The African Origin of Extradition

Petits Métiers: Vendeur de Soya / Small Trades: Soya Seller

‘Asimbonanga’ by Johnny Clegg

Soweto 1976 and Marikana 2012: any similarities?

Remembrance: 16 June 1976 Soweto Massacre

The Lion, the Jackal, and the Man

The British Government apologizes for Mau Mau atrocities

The Siddis: Africans of India

Why the name: Marrakesh?

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