abqtommy
abqtommy's JournalFrom Al Jazeera: The BBC's latest attempt to play down the UK's role in slavery (...)
Why did the BBC publish an article glorifying a 19th-Century Nigerian slave trader amid global BLM protests? by Tafi Mhakaby
"In July 2018, Nigerian journalist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani wrote an honest, captivating and illuminating article about how her late great-grandfather's life as a 19th-century slave trader shaped her life.
In the expansive essay published by the New Yorker, Nwaubani told intriguing tales about family, Igbo traditions, slavery and colonialism. She explained how her great-grandfather, Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku, gained wealth and influence during the transatlantic slave trade era by selling other Africans and helping missionaries establish Christianity in Nigeria."
snip
"On July 19, just seven weeks after George Floyd's police killing in Minnesota sparked a global movement for racial justice, Nwaubani chose to tell her great-grandfather's story once again, this time to the BBC. The new article, titled "My great-grandfather sold slaves", has a brand new editorial slant and does not once mention her family's efforts to reckon with the slaveholder's legacy.
This time, the Nigerian journalist describes his grandfather not as someone who "gained power and wealth by selling other Africans across the Atlantic", but merely as "a businessman" who lived in a time when "the fittest survived and the bravest excelled"."
much more at link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/bbc-latest-attempt-play-uk-role-slavery-200730095612890.html
Interesting perspective...
Saw a well-washed t-shirt at the store today with this message on the back:
Free the Missiles
Hear the Sirens
Since Violence
is all our species knows (...)
Bill Nye explains the science behind skin color: 'We're all one species': The New York Post
"It turns out everybody on Earth is descended from people that live here, Africa,” he says while pointing to a map. “As groups of us moved around the world, the color of our skin had to change, and here’s why.”
snip
“Skin is where we make Vitamin D. If you don’t get enough ultraviolet, you don’t get enough vitamin D,” the bow-tie wearing scientist, 64, says. “If you have too much ultraviolet, you break down your folates. You have to have it in perfect balance,” he explains, showing a meter ranging from pale beige to dark brown.
“Because the ultraviolet varies, the color of our skin varies, and that’s it!”
He ended the video with an important reminder: “We’re all one species! But we’re not treating each other fairly. Not everybody is getting an even shake,” he says. “It’s time to change things.”
link: https://nypost.com/2020/07/23/bill-nye-on-the-science-of-skin-color-were-all-one-species/
Here I've been thinking of writing an op on this very topic. But Bill Nye beat me to it and did it better!
From The Guardian: Protests predicted to surge globally as Covid-19 drives unrest (...)
New analysis finds economic shock of pandemic coupled with existing grievances makes widespread public uprisings ‘inevitable’ (...)
By Karen McVeigh
The economic impact of coronavirus is a “tinderbox” that will drive civil unrest and instability in developing countries in the second half of 2020, according to new analysis.
Highest risk countries facing a “perfect storm”, where protests driven by the pandemic’s economic fallout are likely to inflame existing grievances, include Nigeria, Iran, Bangladesh, Algeria and Ethiopia, the analysis said.
more available at link if the reader takes advantage of The Guardian's "free registration" with the disclaimer "It’s important to say this is not a step towards a paywall" (...)
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/17/protests-predicted-to-surge-globally-as-covid-19-drives-unrest
It's my view that it's clear that protests/civil unrest are occurring in ALL of the world's countries.
Let's take all the advantage we can from this.
Oh, and Guardian, if you're listening, I've contributed to you in the past but don't expect any more
until your priorities and mine match up.
From The Guardian: "The Truth About Sharks" in pictures...
Power, majesty, wonder: the startling world of sharks(...)
A species of unrivalled variety, sharks find themselves threatened around the world by overfishing, microplastics and habitat loss(...)
By Eric Hilaire
link to pics:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/jul/11/power-majesty-wonder-the-startling-world-of-sharks-in-pictures
WOW!
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