Having recently written many articles about very disturbing political facts I´d like to present two little art works which I´ve made with the help of my computer. I also do this to express my thanks for the inspiration I´ve got from the old NOK culture of Nigeria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nok_culture).
Die letzte Zeit auf meinem Blog sehr beschäftigt mit äußerst beunruhigenden politischen Geschehnissen, hatte ich das Bedürfnis, zwei kleine Arbeiten zu zeigen, die ich mit Hilfe meines Computers gefertigt habe. Dies geschieht auch, um meinen Dank für Inspirationen an die alte NOK-Kultur Nigerias (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nok-Kultur) zum Ausdruck zu bringen.
„Although it may take several decades for the process of transformation to unfold, in time, the art of warfare on air, land, and sea will be vastly different than it is today, and “combat” likely will take place in new dimensions: in space, “cyber-space,” and perhaps the world of microbes. Air warfare may no longer be fought by pilots manning tactical fighter aircraft sweeping the skies of opposing fighters, but a regime dominated by long-range, stealthy unmanned craft. On land, the clash of massive, combined-arms armored forces may be replaced by the dashes of much lighter, stealthier and information-intensive forces, augmented by fleets of robots, some small enough to fit in soldiers’ pockets. Control of the sea could be largely determined not by fleets of surface combatants and aircraft carriers, but from land- and space-based systems, forcing navies to maneuver and fight under water. Space itself will become a theater of war, ad nations gain access to space capabilities and come to rely on them; further, the distinction between military and commercial space systems – combatants and noncombatants – will become blurred. Information systems will become an important focus of attack, particularly for U.S. enemies seeking to short-circuit sophisticated American forces. And advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.“
from: „Rebuilding America´s Defenses“, September 2000, page 60, among the authors is Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Wolfowitz
Planned Ebola: An Absurd Suspicion?
The new Ebola virusepidemic striking West Africa with a virus strain that is associated with the Central African region has claimed thousands of lives already and turning many people in the world into panicking. We´re told since quite a time that mankind has to expect epidemics by hitherto unknown viruses and germs from time to time. And true, mankind had always been stroke by such nightmares from time to time. The more dramatic such things are with the modern technology of air traffic. Spanish Flu short time after WW I claimed more lives even than that horrible war did. HIV is troubling mankind since the eighties. Why come up with such suspicions?
Some people will just shake their heads, murmur „conspiracy theorists just turning to their `usual suspects´“. Let them do so. Lets go back to the quotation at the beginning: „And advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.“ One feels reminded of Noam Chomsky´s sarcastic remark: „Terrorism is always what the OTHERS do“! In the hands of US power biological warfare obviously turns „from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.“ This will hardly target the white majority of the US population but different people, perceived as the most different: people of African descent! „Race War“!
In the „Kissinger Report“ from December 1974 (NSSM 200, http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PCAAB500.pdf) you will read about population growth in „developing countries“: „Whether through government action, labor conflicts, sabotage, or civil disturbance, the smooth flow of needed Materials will be jeopardized. Although population pressure is obviously not the only factor involved, these types of frustrations are much less likely under conditions of slow or zero population growth“ (page 40) . „Overpopulation“ is „thus creating political or even national security problems for the U.S.“ (page 8).
„Wherever a lessening of population pressures through reduced birth rates can increase the prospects for such stability, population policy becomes relevant to resource supplies and to the economic interests of the United States.“
Now one can argue that a limitation of population growth is also in the interest of the Southern countries as well, and true so, but on basis of a just and fair system. But China was internationally bashed on basis of their „one child policy“, and here are the words of one of US imperialism´s key figures, Kissinger!
Ronald Klain
In Face of Ebola and HIV: Main Problem, „Overpopulation“!
Now, that´s not all! Hear one high ranking expert on vaccines, Charles Arntzen (http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/people/charles-arntzen) from Arizona State University, joke about a means against „Overpopulation“: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsD7l9xENRQ! Arntzen: “Go out and use genetic engeneering to create a better virus!”, are his words! One is driven to add: “a `better virus´ than those ones you´ve created already?” And, let´s be very precise: it´s the Southern Hemisphere seen as the cause for overpopulation!
But there will be many Westerners who think: as many evil things as might have been done by our mighty ones, this is too much to believe! Don´t be naive!
In Apartheid South Africa there was Project Coast headed by Wouter Basson on the way, including bio warfare against the black majority. The dream of the devilish “doctor” was the “Black Bomb” targeting Africans on basis of tiny genetic differences (see quotation at the beginning of this article and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4I3LznMKGk). He was also said to have had contacts to Israel (http://www.sott.net/signs/signs_ethnic_supplement.htm). The whole project has never been uncovered to the full extend. It can be suspected that the dying Apartheid regime has planted HIV via its Apartheid “health system” at large scale.
There will be people ready to believe the US Power Elite might be able to do such things to people in Africa but might have the reservation: the epidemic could spill over to the US! Those people should be reminded of the fact that there were numerous incidents where dangerous experiments were perpetrated on US citizens as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciR6BWXjmrA. But in the end we´re not even talking about the US government but about the US Power Elite (http://tinyurl.com/nrxxej5), especially the “Neocon fraction” and their secret services! And for those hundred people one thing is clear: they play with racism, but all “common people”, no matter whether black, brown, yellow or white are nothing more than vegetable! And even a spilling over to the US could be the cover for another ”Business Plot”! Mind that contrary to Cuba´s sending of 165 medical personnel to West Africa the US are sending 3000 military personnel to West Africa, possibly to train how to “get to grips” with such situations. But it appears that the spilling over might not appear, so we can leave that as a speculation.
Another point has nothing to do with speculations: the US Power Elite in its greed for Africa´s resources doesn´t mind to sacrifice millions of African lives (http://tinyurl.com/kkpvcf7). And the technological development makes the Empire more independent of labor force. We´ve to be on alert!
Clay, maybe 2000, broken in the burning procedure, repaired, about 14 cm high
Ton, etwa 2000, beim Brennen zerbrochen, repariert, ungefähr 14 cm hoch
Clay, 1998, about 3 cm high, worn by myself as a lucky charm neckless
Ton, 1998, etwa 3cm hoch, vom mir selbst als Talisman getragen
The King of his Herd
Der König seiner Herde
My Little Art Works
(deutsche Version unten)
After my elder sister died in 2007 and after the father of my Lady died some two years ago we got some little art works, I had made for them, back. Three of those works are heads out of clay. Likewise the little head I´m wearing as a lucky charm arround my neck. Those four heads were inspired by the art of Old Nigeria, the Ife Art: http://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/ancient-africa/ife/?start=8
In 1969 a friend from Ghana gave a book on Africa by Basil Davidson to me as a birthday present. It included a photo of one of the Ife art works. I was thrilled by the master work. In 1982 I started trying to work with clay myself and forming heads on basis of the Ife inspirations.
The drawing „The King of his Herd“ I did in 2006, it was inspired by the photo of a herdsman from East Africa.
Nachdem meine ältere Schwester 2007 und der Vater meiner Lebensgefährtin vor etwa zwei Jahren gestorben waren, erhielten wir einige Dinge, die ich für sie gefertigt hatte, zurück. Darunter waren drei Köpfe aus Ton. Einen weitereren kleinen Kopf, den ich als Talisman trage, habe ich ebenfalls aus Ton gefertigt. Diese Köpfe sind sehr von der Ife-Kunst aus Alt-Nigeria inspiriert: http://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/ancient-africa/ife/?start=8
1969 hatte ein Freund aus Ghana mir zum Geburtstag ein Buch von Basil Davidson über Afrika geschenkt. Es enthielt ein Foto von einem dieser großartigen Kunstwerke. Ich war elektrisiert! 1982 begann ich mit Ton zu arbeiten und fing an Köpfe zu formen, die ihre Inspirationen von der Ife-Kunst erhielten.
Das Bild „The King of his Herd“ ist vom Foto eines Hirten aus Ostafrika inspiriert.
At the end of the seventies a good friend from Ghana gave a book to me as a birthday present. It was “A Man of the People” by Chinua Achebe, the great author fromNigeria. Then started my close encounter with this giant of African literature, better to say of world literature (1)! I´ve read the book at least six times by now, but needless to say that I also read the other three books of that brilliant cycle from pre colonial days and the appearance of the “palefaces”, “Things Fall Apart”, over the struggles with the occupant, “Arrow of God” and the time shortly before independence, “No Longer at Ease” to the book mentioned at the beginning and the time after independence. They always kept me breathless to the last page. The poem collection “Beware Soul Brother” got only into my hand some seven years ago. I feel shame but also obliged to admit that Anthills of the Savannahand “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s „Heart of Darkness“and other worksare still on my “have to read” list!
After all it is “A Man of the People” which always has touched me most. As for a guy (now as old as 65) born in Hamburg you might suspect that the scenery of that time with the colonized habits might be nearer to me, but the reasons are others. Firstly it reflects the time of “new start” which I remember too well, since I was absorbed and integrated into the African Community of Hamburg 1968 with the beginning of my sociological studies. The optimism and the feeling of endangered independence were also vibrating in that African Diaspora in Germany. Secondly the book shows how “European corruption” (I prefer to call what is in Western media generally dubbed “African corruption” so, since it has been brought to Africa from West) is undermining the new won “Independence”, which was never meant to be real independence by the West! Thirdly the presentation of school life as given in the first part of “A Man of the People” is so authentic because it reflexes Achebe´s own experiences as a teacher in the beginning of his professional career. The book is always like a time machine to me because it presents the mental atmosphere of this mixture between optimism of people somehow at the beginning of their adult life and skepticism of the future seemingly so much dominated by the West which was so characteristic of my young days in Hamburg´s African community.
Honestly spoken, as much as Wole Soyinka has deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature, I always felt Achebe should have been the first African Author to get it, irrespective of the fact that if I´d have known him personally I´d have quarreled with him during the days of the “Biafra war” as I used to quarrel with two other good Igbo friends about this imperialist inspired war. But to hell with the Nobel Prize, Africa would have the capacity to establish its own system of honoring “men and women of pen”!
PENALTY OF GODHEAD
The old man´s bed
of straw caught a flame blown
from overnight logs by harmattan´s
incendiary breath. Defying his age and
sickness he rose and steered himself
smoke-blind to safety.
A nimble rat appeared at the
door of his hole looked quickly to left and
right and scurried across the floor
to nearby farmlands.
Even roaches that grim
tenantry that nothing will dislodge
fled their crevices that day on wings they
only use in deadly haste.
Households gods alone
frozen in ritual black with blood
of endless tribute festooned in feathers
perished in the blazing pyre
of that hut.
From “Beware Soul Brother”
It should be mentioned that apart from my deep personal friendships and literary enthusiasm I have more connections to Nigeria. My little artistic efforts (http://tinyurl.com/3kyjdo6) have been inspired a lot by the art from ancient Nigeria, especially from the art of the Nok people, produced around 500 BC (2) and more even by the art works from Ife (3). Moreover I had and have the pleasure to see a young Nigerian artist, Burxy Sule (http://tinyurl.com/8cs9pz5) rising to wonderful artistic brilliance. With all these close ties I feel more obliged to say to Nigeria: sorry, sorry, you great country, I deeply feel with you!
The 17 years young artist Burxy Sule from Nigeria has been very active again. He was having his own exhibition already last year about which a report is found here – Der 17 Jahre junge Künstler Burxy Sule aus Nigeria war wieder sehr aktiv. Er hatte schon letztes Jahr eine eigene Ausstellung, über die hier berichtet wurde:
But his creativity is driving him farther and I´m proud to be allowed presenting his new works here – Aber seine Kreativität treibt ihn weiter und ich bin stolz, seine neuen Werke hier präsentieren zu dürfen:
Click to have a look – hier klicken, um seine neuesten Werke zu sehen: latest-works-of-burxy
Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule (http://tinyurl.com/7ntqx8v), der siebzehnjährige jugendliche Künstler aus Nigeria, dem ich das Vergnügen habe, Mathematik-Stützunterricht zu geben, hat wieder „zugeschlagen“! Die Osterferien haben eine neuerliche Explosion seiner Kreativität ermöglicht!
Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule (http://tinyurl.com/7ntqx8v), the seventeen years young artist from Nigeria, whom to give additional Math lessons I have the pleasure, has “hit” again! Easter Holidays have given the opportunity for another creativity explosion!
Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule, the now 17 years old Nigerian Artist (http://tinyurl.com/3hfn66p), has been busy again. Wonderful works are again the result:
Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule, der jetzt 17 Jahre alte junge Künstler (http://tinyurl.com/3hfn66p) aus Nigeria war wieder fleißig. Großartige Arbeiten sind das Resultat. PDF-Datei hierüber anklicken!
Schon mehrfach wurde auf diesem Blog über Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule, einen hoffnungsvollen jungen Künstler aus Nigeria, berichtet. Der Sechzehnjährige, als unbegleiteter jugendlicher Flüchtling vor etwas weniger als einem Jahr nach Berlin gekommen, hat, wie berichtet (http://tinyurl.com/3kp7spr) vom 4. – 6.9.2011 an einen Kunstworkshop teilgenommen (http://tinyurl.com/6b3o289), dessen Ergebnisse in einer Galerie (http://african-painters.com/) versteigert wurden. Der sehr engagierte Galerist, Herr Dieter Bickenbach, war vom Schaffen des jungen Mannes so begeistert, dass er eine Ausstellung organisierte, die gestern, am 28. Oktober, eröffnet wurde und bis zum 26. November bleibt (http://tinyurl.com/3etfs8u). Damit ist ein weiterer Schritt gegangen, um diesem Talent den Weg zur Verwirklichung seines Lebenstraumes zu ermöglichen.
Hier Eindrücke von der Ausstellung – click below – Inpressions from the Exhibition
Several times I reported about Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule, a talented young artist from Nigeria. The sixteen years old Youngster, having come to Berlin as an “unaccompanied juvenile refugee” less than a year ago, participated – as reported (http://tinyurl.com/3kp7spr) – in an art workshop from 4th to 6th of September this year (http://tinyurl.com/6b3o289). The results of this workshop were presented and sold for a social purpose in a gallery (http://african-painters.com/). The socially engaged owner oft the gallery, Mr. Dieter Bickenbach, was so fond oft he young man´s talent that he organized an exhibition, being opened yesterday, the 28th of October, lasting till the 26th of November (http://tinyurl.com/3etfs8u). Thus an important step has been made to pave this young talent´s way to materialize his dreams.
Schon zweimal wurde auf diesem Blog über Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule, einen hoffnungsvollen jungen Künstler aus Nigeria, berichtet.
Als unbegleiteter jugendlicher Flüchtling ist er aus Nigeria gekommen und wohnt in einer sogenannten betreuten Jugend-Wohngemeinschaft. Der junge Mann hat bei seinem Vater in einer Werkstatt mitgearbeitet, in der auch Bilder gefertigt wurden. Da ist er nicht ohne Schulung geblieben, wie seine selbstgemachten Möbel beweisen, aber seine enorme Kreativität und vielfältige Stilrichtungen, denen er immer wieder neue hinzufügt, verschlagen einem den Atem! Es gibt kein Material, das er in die Hand bekommt, aus dem er nicht Kunst machen würde.
Nun hat er erste Bande in die Afrikanische Kunstszene Berlins knüpfen können. In Kooperation mit LISTROS e.V. veranstaltete „African Painters“ (http://african-painters.com/) unter der Obhut des Senegalesischen Künstlers Abdoulaye Guissé vom 4. – 6.9.2011 einen Kunstworkshop. In diesem Workshop konnten Jugendliche im Alter von 16-18 Jahren Bilder zum Thema „Afrika in Berlin“ anfertigen. Am Samstag, den 10.September 2011, von 15 bis 18 Uhr, wurden die Werke dann der Öffentlichkeit präsentiert und konnten ersteigert werden.
Burxy hat natürlich Eindrucksvolles beigesteuert.
Africa in Berlin
Fotos von der Ausstellung – click – photos of the work shop
As an unaccompanied juvenile refugee Oriakhi Obefe Burxy Sule came to Germany and lives in a flat with other youngsters under the care of the Youth Welfare Office. The young man was trained in his father´s workshop where also paintings were made. So he wasn´t left without training, as also self made furniture shows. But his enormous creativity and multiple styles to which he´s again and again adding new ones are breath taking! There´s no material that´s getting into his hands which he wouldn´t turn into a piece of art.
Now he has woven the first ties with the African Art scene in Berlin. In cooperation with LISTROS e.V. „African Painters“ (http://african-painters.com/) under the guidance of the Senegalese artist Abdoulaye Guissé organized an art work shop from 4th to 6th of September. This work shop gave the chance to youngsters of age 16 to 18 to create art with reference to the topic “Africa in Berlin”. Saturday, the 10th of September the creations were presented to the public and could be acquired.
As could be expected Burxy contributed impressive pieces of art.
