Afropolitan Economics

as 'Africa' continuers to grow in economic relevance and political power.

We have to be sure what we mean when we say 'African' in the internets global village, in Wolverhampton on anyday you will meet local citizens who's DIRECT 1st generation ethnic roots are Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, St Kitts etc. etc.. We have to be sure that we are not clinging to and discussing a 'romantic' African-ness, because MAMA Afrika is not an Old Lady she is a vibrant beautiful... fertile... Young Woman and like most young women of a certain age ... she has plans of her own. Maybe we should be talking about SISTA Afriqa.

There is an ageing body of American and European cultured 'Black' thinkers [elders] of African Descent and their 30/40 something children [I'll soon be leaving this 2nd group ;-) ] who think AFrica and African-ness is their natural right and enrobe [entrap?] themselves in their deep 1960's understanding of all things Afrikan, "Hotep to you my brothers and sisters".

Meanwhile the 20 something Afropolitans are creating the NU AFRIQA right now and only part of it is on the continent of Africa.
"Were you to ask any of these beautiful people “where are you from?’” you would get no single answer. This one was born in Accra, raised in Toronto and lives in London. That one works in Lagos but grew up in Houston, Texas. ‘Home’ for this lot is many things. It can be where their parents are from; where they go for vacation; where they went to school; where they see old friends or where they live (or are living this year).
At home in G-8 cities
Like so many African young people working and living in cities around the globe, they belong to no single place but feel at home in many. They are Afropolitans - the newest generation of African emigrants, in the industrialised world. You’ll know them by a funny blend of London fashion, New York jargon, African ethics and academic success." - http://myglobalhustle.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/afropolitan/
Where are they all? errr try the European Premier foorball leagues £100K a week Afropolitans
or The Honest Professional young 2nd and 3rd generation Nigerian investment banker Afropolitans
or Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, an Afropolitan fellow of the US Brookings Institution, Okonjo-Iweala is a former World Bank vice president who graduated from Harvard and earned a Ph.D. in regional economics and development at MIT. Her son Uzodinma Iweala is the celebrated young author of Beasts of No Nation.
She was Nigeria's Finance Minister and then briefly Foreign Affairs Minister from 2003 to 2006, the first woman to hold either position.
During her tenure, she worked to combat corruption, make Nigeria's finances more transparent, and institute reforms to make the nation's economy more hospitable to foreign investment. The government unlinked its budget from the price of oil, its main export, to lessen perennial cashflow crises, and got oil companies to publish how much they pay the government. Since 2003 -- when watchdog group Transparency International rated Nigeria "the most corrupt place on Earth" -- the nation has made headway recovering stolen assets and jailing hundreds of people engaged in international Internet 419 scams.
"Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a heroine not just of Nigeria, but of the entire continent. Her crusade against corruption has put her life at risk."
The Independent (UK)

Ghana Economist George Ayittey sees Africa's future as a fight between Hippos -- complacent, greedy bureaucrats wallowing in the muck -- and Cheetahs, the fast-moving, entrepreneurial leaders and citizens who will rebuild Africa.
George unleashes an almost breathtaking torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders and the complacency that allows them to thrive. These "Hippos" (lazy, slow, ornery) have ruined postcolonial Africa, he says. Why, then, does he remain optimistic? Because of the young, agile "Cheetah Generation," a "new breed of Africans" taking their futures into their own hands. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/151 has a video

And trust me they are not asking for acceptance and they don't plan on NOT being Victorious.

Happy Xmas and Holiday Eating

It might be worth noting that a method of promoting heart and general health is to avoid over eating, at this time of year, which is really why the stomach loses it's ability to digest properly.

Do eat, drink and be merry and do remember...

When the stomach is empty, having normally digested it's contents, i.e. not through starvation or lack of nutritious food, IT WILL DIGEST ANY FORM OF NORMAL FOOD IN ALMOST ANY ORDER AND BE HAPPY.

With years of over eating most of our digestive systems will become clogged, stomach wall lined and arteries narrowed, this is what leads to our sensitivity to different types of food and a host of other complaints.

I have stopped going to the gym so much and spend less time watching what I eat, I now focus on stretching and exercising at home and simply eating less of whatever, and not eating again until I'm hungry... It's cheaper than the Gym membership, less stressfull and it's working!

So be kind to your heart and ONCE YOUR STOMACH IS FULL STOP EATING!!!

Too many of our parents are going to the funerals of their 40 something children and despite the clever medical terms; from cancer to hypertension etc, the majority of the cause is Over Eating and Under Exercising.

Our parents worked so hard in their youth they built strong resilient constitutions and many are still going strong in their 70's and 80's.

Sitting down at a computer munching fast food, is setting many of us up for a short, sickly, old age....

And as for our children!!!!!!!!

So be kind to your heart and ONCE YOUR STOMACH IS FULL.... STOP EATING!!!

This may be the kindest and most loving message you get this Holiday Season.

Here's wishing you a lovely Xmas and New Year............. 2008


Ubuntu

Don

Male and Female Attributes

In my work on Gender I propose a distinftion between Man and Woman, which are sex based and genetic in there origin and development
and Male and Female which are Gender based and cultural in their origin and development.

that is if a child is born with a particular chromosome and hormone mix, wherever that child is 'aculturated' or grows up, she or he will still be the Man or Woman they were born with the genetic propensity to be.

If two children with the same genetic mix are 'aculturated' in two different societies with different concepts and traditions and training and expectations of what a MAN and a WOMAN are supposed to be then they will develop the particular MALE and FEMALE traits of their different socities.

The effect of both these influencers of core behaviour, genes and culture, are programmed at the non-conscious level and have been historically hard to distinguish within a culture.

When cultures collide the differences become starkly obvious, and as our modern cultures mix more and more, what it means to be MALE or FEMALE blurs more and more.

And as our science increases we learn that our Gonads determine what it is to be a MAN and what it is to be a WOMAN unquestionably.

Notwithstanding this our common HUMANITY as MEN and WOMEN gives us incredible flexibility, and beyond our life perpetuating SEX roles there is little our ingenuity will not allow us to do either MAN or WOMAN.

The idea of Maleness and Femaleness has been developed over time as a practical, utility function to allow us to achieve more as a group through role and task specialisation, to meet the challenges of life.

As the challenges change the tasks and roles change and so do what it means to be Male and Female, there may even come a time when beyond providing, sexually diverse, DNA there will be no role separation between the sexes.

Given the length of time it took to build the roles it is easy to see why they form an integral part of our identities and our societies. It may not take thousands of years to reprogramme ourselves more appropriately. It will take a few more generations however and some of the gender confusion we see today is that process taking place.