“Chosen Few, South Africa’s only openly gay female football team, was created in 2004 by the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) to fill a void for many of the passionate, soccer-loving women who attended their sessions but who had been expelled from their township teams because of their sexuality.”
Source: CNN
Cameroonian singer Coco Mbassi performing at what appears to be one of the Eden Project biomes in Cornwall.
I just love this photo of the late Manute Bol. May the man rest in peace.
Unknown, Sports Illustrated, Manute Bol in swimming pool, 1990 (via ekc)
Congo: 50 years, 50 faces
From the doctor to the crocodile keeper, the model to the general, Stephan Vanfleteren marks half a century of Congolese independence.
5 plays
Rokia Traoré - Dounia
How can one nation produce so many amazing musical talents? #Mali
iPad: a Distraction From the Joys of Boredom
Peter Bregman writes a guest blog post for Harvard Business Review on why he returned his iPad to the store after a week. His reason: he found himself using the iPad so much that he missed being bored.
“Being bored is a precious thing, a state of mind we should pursue. Once boredom sets in, our minds begin to wander, looking for something exciting, something interesting to land on. And that’s where creativity arises.
My best ideas come to me when I am unproductive. When I am running but not listening to my iPod. When I am sitting, doing nothing, waiting for someone. When I am lying in bed as my mind wanders before falling to sleep. These “wasted” moments, moments not filled with anything in particular, are vital.
They are the moments in which we, often unconsciously, organize our minds, make sense of our lives, and connect the dots. They’re the moments in which we talk to ourselves. And listen.”
He also hilariously describes the unjustified sense of “material pride” he felt during his week as an iPad owner.
“And, of course, I proudly showed it to, well, anyone who indicated the least bit of interest. (That could be a whole post in itself. We proudly show off new purchases as though simply possessing them is some form of accomplishment. Why? I didn’t create the iPad. I just bought one.)”
6 plays
Cocody Rock - Alpha Blondy
Yeah, we need some Cocody Rock tomorrow for sure. Come on #CIV please show the Canarinho what African teams are really capable of. Go #Drogba! Go #Touré!
A different kind of soccer World Cup will be held in Argentina in October. The city of Crespo plays host to the 2010 Amputee Football World Cup.
Not surprisingly African teams are well represented in international amputee soccer competitions. A large player pool is an unwelcome side effect of civil wars, regional conflicts and brutal ethnic violence.
This year’s World Cup was originally slated for last year but the host city of Novo Friburgo in Brazil withdrew its support at the last minute much to the dismay of the teams scheduled to compete.
“teams around the world lost thousands of dollars in non-refundable airline tickets, damaging the reputations of national amputee football associations around the world, and worst of all, crushing the hopes of players who dreamed of competing in a world championship tournament.”
Ghana are the current African champions but Sierra Leone are considered one of the favorites for this year’s World Cup.
Photo courtesy of Justin Hane.
listening to "Sally nyolo Agneungle"
@rinzwin: Sally Nyolo - Agneungle #CMR - well some team had to be the 1st out :(
(photo: Jane Hahn for The New York Times)
A cautionary tale for the U.S.
With new estimates that as many as 2.5 million gallons of oil could be spilling into the Gulf of Mexico each day, the Niger Delta has suddenly become a cautionary tale for the United States.
As many as 546 million gallons of oil spilled into the Niger Delta over the last five decades, or nearly 11 million gallons a year, a team of experts for the Nigerian government and international and local environmental groups concluded in a 2006 report. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 dumped an estimated 10.8 million gallons of oil into the waters off Alaska.
So the people here cast a jaundiced, if sympathetic, eye at the spill in the gulf. “We’re sorry for them, but it’s what’s been happening to us for 50 years,” said Emman Mbong, an official in Eket.
So when are we going to start doing some SERIOUS research into alternative energy sources? When are we going to stand up against this world greed? When are people going to realize that we have a responsibility to make sure things like this doesn’t happen? A human, ethical, and moral responsibility for the things that not only happen in our homes, but across the world?ALL of us. Not just a certain group of people.
And putting @SI_PeterKing at the helm of a twitter account is like erm, putting 2 Black Hawk helicopters into downtown Mogadishu, or was that an “unfortunate” analogy?
listening to "Va - Mamani Keita By Nicolas Repac - Falalou Kassikan"
Mamani Keita and Nicolas Repac.These 2 work so well together. Better than Simon and Garfunkel. #Mali
“In 2007 a list of ‘South Africa’s Top Web Startups’ was released. We look at where they are now, and if they made it as big as predicted.”
Click here to see the full article and an extended list of companies.
(H/T @whiteafrican)
“Apala is a musical genre, originally derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a percussion-based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The rhythms of apala grew more complex over time, influenced by Cuban music. Haruna Ishola (above) is undoubtedly the most well-known performer of apala in Nigerian history. He played an integral role in the popularization of the genre, and incorporating it into fuji music.”
In 1969, Ishola founded STAR Records Ltd with fellow musician I.K. Dairo. This was the first African label owned entirely by its artists.
You can download the entire album here.
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