JUNGLE JUSTICE

There were two of them but for all I may not know, a few others watched from a distance. I was in a hurry to get to my country’s consulate on time (to collect my new international passport). The taller one spoke to me, asked that I must give them some money. For a moment, I thought he was another brother who needed my help. Still in my quick strides, I told him it would have to be another time. He came across me and as he smiled the gold on one his teeth flashed to the brightness of the sun rise. “If you act funny, someone is gonna get hurt” were the words that followed. After some resistance from me, I finally let them have the cash and they walked away. All this while, there were many other pedestrians who just looked and passed by.

For that moment I missed my home country where at the single shout of “Ole” in the public, able-bodied men and women would come to my rescue. And it does not matter whether I am stranger to the team of “standby rescue workers”. I missed when everyone watched out for his neighbour and crime was only in the aloneness of darkness; a thief was not only in the night but he would run to his escape if he heard human movement before his act. I missed the age when there were jungle justice and vigilante groups. Crude as it may have been, one policeman (who oversaw my medical treatment of someone who had been brutally injured by passersby when he attempted to break an ATM) said that it was actually more effective.

The end should never justify the means but present day policing and criminal justice has never been sufficient that in certain circumstances one desires more. I hear there what they call community policing or neighborhood policing; a policing strategy and philosophy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime and reduce fear, with community members helping to identify suspects, detain vandals and bring problems to the attention of police. This needs to be emphasized along with the patrols and check points as security agents can never really be ubiquitous.

The illustration above actually happened to yours sincerely only yesterday. I do not want to think of what may have happened in the full glare of passersby if I did not have some money with me at the time nor if the greed of my attackers went beyond cash. It’s time for community policing. Unlike the biblical Cain, let’s say “I am my brother’s keeper".

...and the World Cup was in my backyard!

Only yesterday, the FIFA World Cup, South Africa  2010 ended with much colour and excitment. The past month has been a buzz for football followers. As the games were in my backyard, I toke the opportunity of an appointment in one of the host cities to join in a match day's frenzy. I did not travel with my camera and so I had to employ the use of a mobile phone and the generosity of a friend's camera to capture the moments in 2D. I have decided to blog some of my photos  below.

EVENT: World Cup 2010, 3rd place match, Germany v Uruguay.
DATE: 10th July, 2010.
LOCATION: The "Sunflower", Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

On our way we stopped and had a shot

...and our excitment was loud enough, a passerby joined in

could not miss the chance to stand with a fellow spanish fan

showing off my facials!

she did the painting

                                      

with a desperate fan

many mothers do have them! each kid cheered the other team

with Yirsina

fans from Cape Town...World Cup Halloween

3 from Bloomfontein

on the German ball: "sorry, you lost to the spanish".

rubbing it in

inside at last!

Kick off

WHERE WERE YOU?

There was a football game on TV the previous night after which I went straight to bed. My morning habits when there is no one in the waiting lounge was to check my emails as a foremost activity at my then work place. And there it was on my homepage that morning: Michael Jackson, the king of pop was dead. He had apparently died the previous night (my local time zone) at age 50 following the events that we are all now too familiar with. The first thing I remember doing was jumping out of my consulting room to practically announce to my front desk staff what I had just read (alas, they all knew about it before I did).


The above-narrative occurred exactly a year ago to this day and the memory of it has been said over and again. This is because the death of MJ is one of those events of life that is easily drawn in day-to-day conversations and for first time acquaintances; it is commonly asked “where were you when you heard about MJ’s death?”

Much mystery surrounded the life and times of Michael Jackson, with many a question yet unanswered one year after his death. However, it is unanimous that he represented a great talent who toed a path unheard of and rose above the restrictions that held sway in his society. These are universal marks of greatness and MJ has his place in the history of humanity, his flaws not withstanding.

Indeed a part of being human is being flawed .While this is certainly not an excuse for bad behaviour, in my opinion no flaw is less “evil” in itself. We all have our struggles in life, most of which is unseen to the world around us. A look at the facial expressions in the latter life of MJ seem to express this inner turmoil of being a mortal; someone with wishes and regrets. And yes, if we did not agree to the things about him that commanded negative comments, we can at least learn from them rather than spite the man.

I am proud to say MJ lived in my generation. He may not have had the entire juicy PR we would prefer him to but he was outstanding in his field. This made him an icon and enlists his name in the annals of mankind.

TWO THINGS

Today, I got an email with an attachment that spurred me to make this post. The attachment is video of a stand-up comedian doing his thing to much cheer from his audience. Said he, there are always two things in life and one thing will always have 2 out comes. When it came to HIV/AIDS, he said there is only one outcome: death.

The video is a very imaginative in creating awareness on the reality of HIV/AIDS but lacked the completeness of the modern HIV/AIDS message. This message now includes providing accurate information on the mode of transmission of the disease, the process of the disease as well as what options there are for People Living with HIV/AIDS. The latter is serving its purpose of encouraging more people to volunteer for HIV testing and its hopeful consequence of reducing the spread of the virus.

The last time I wrote to convey the reality of HIV/AIDS, I used my personal experience vis-a-vis the emotional ruffle I went through following a needle stick injury while dealing with a patient who turned out to be HIV negative. It was very dramatic and I made it public on Face Book. In response, most of my readers reassured me from Christian religious perspective. Soothing as that was (yours truly has great value in his faith); I thought my readers were less balanced on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Indeed, as much as I appreciated the good intent of my readers, I am of the opinion that science; in its final position is the application of wisdom of God and that the latter transcends to the socio-economic responses to all the ills that have fallen humanity. For example, the stand that an individual infected with HIV should take ARVs is as Christian as it is scientific.

It is the completeness of information fed to the public that will pave the way for our society achieving her interventional goals in any issue of societal calamity. As someone has said, half of the truth can be more dangerous than an out right lie! So I join in saying:

“Spread the message and not the virus”; but make sure it is the accurate message that is disseminated.

                                                       The Video

MY VUVUZELA

Earlier this week, I bought my own Vuvuzela, that cheek bursting plastic trump which in recent months has become the emblem for the fan cheer of the FIFA World Cup, South Africa 2010. Of course, the football fan I have always claimed to be was true to me in buying a Spanish football muffler well before the present winter; the Spanish being the team I am cheering to finger-print the golden trophy.


I have always fancied myself as someone who never wants to miss life’s ultimate moments but this year’s football festival almost caught me napping. (One’s job can really be a distraction you know!). However, my recent trips to 2 of the cities hosting the matches have brought me out passivity. Really, how could I let this moment pass quietly? Watching football is one of my hobbies and for the 1st time its ultimate competition is being held in my home continent, specifically in South Africa where I live presently. It’s historical and everything from TV commercials, the drapes on the streets to store cashier uniforms reflects an exhilarated population. I join in the slogan to say “feel it, it is here!”

As I punch the keyboard to enter this post, it’s to the live music coming from the pre-tournament concert and in less than 24 hours the games should have begun. It’s been a long but eventful wait for this moment (including all the many threats of industrial actions to disrupt the games - in order to gain better pays!). If you ask me, I think SA position is that of gain as “we” host this world cup.

From where I live, the nearest stadium where some games will be played is some 3 - hour road trip away, so I’d be much glued to my TV this next month. Even my overtime has been arranged to match! I am undecided about going to public viewing centres yet but I am sure going to be a renewed football fan this world cup.

Back to my Vuvuzela, it’s going to be my emblem beyond the tournament. I also like the sound of the name “Makarapa” but I don’t really fancy wearing it. So my Vuvuzela will be it; hoping it lasts as a souvenir from this moment of history.