King of Pop

As you know, Michael Jackson has being pronounced dead, died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, and aged 50. I am deeply saddened by this occurrence because I feel he was a part of my youth.

I was born in the year thriller went platinum (1983), I am sure my mother was listening to one of his songs on the way to birth me into this world.

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in pop music and the first entertainer to accrue a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional too. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists. I watched Neyo(the singer) last night as he paid tributes to the king of pop. He had spoken to him about making a comeback album. He was arguably the most famous person in the world. People in uncivilised world must have heard a Michael Jackson song. Although Jackson’s music career hit its peak in the 80’s, his influence on music, and especially music videos, has persisted throughout.

He was one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; he also gained other achievements including multiple Guinness World Records, Most Successful Entertainer of All Time, 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career.

I remember Michael from his music videos, my friends and I belting thriller at the top of our voices while trying to do the moon walk. I remember the Pepsi commercials. Michael made me toss a bottle of Coke cola into the bin and replace it with a bottle of Pepsi. I did not know what the difference was between the two beverages (and I still do not know) but if it was good enough for Michael, it was good enough for me.

There have being so much in the press about his abnormal life but who are we to judge. He had done things many people might never do in ten life times. I appreciate the fact he is not perfect, and although he had surrounded himself with people that fed off him, he was still a genius. There will be no other Michael Jackson. He loved children, in any case, his love for boys might have brought him before the law twice, and we would never know what went on during those times; however he was acquitted of every sexual charge against him. He was an eccentric character, his baby dangling over the balcony in Germany, his choice of fashion, his love for facial surgery and his impulse spending should have being viewed as a cry for help due to his very apparent low self esteem and not a platform or grounds for attacking his character.

I will remember Michael Jackson as the King of Pop, who wrote the Grammy award winning song “we are the world” and “heal the world”. Say what you like, he tried to elevate child poverty with these songs. Whoever does that in my book will forever be a legend.

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson, there will never be none like you and you are alive again forever in our hearts.

“Think about the generations and to say we want to make it a better world for our children and our children's children. So that they know it's a better world for them; and think if they can make it a better place.” Michael Jackson “Heal the world”

Michael Jackson

God be with you

Whats in a name???

A name is a label for a noun, normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context.

I believe a name speaks a thousand words. It tells a story about the past, manifests the present and indeed predicts the future.

The importance of a name can be seen in biblical history. Adam was the first man created by God; he was named after the earth from which he was created. One could say that his name had a lot to do with his lenient punishment after he ate the apple handed to him by Eve. The earth yields harvest, therefore Adam being the earth was the first father on earth.

Name can predict one’s future or one’s destiny. Abram and Sarai were renamed to Abraham and Sarah when God told them they will be the father and mother of all nations. Jacob was renamed to Israel, and Saul was renamed to Paul.

Biblically, people were named at birth; this name would reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. Solomon meant peace; Joseph named his son Manasse (which means causing to forget in Hebrew) as a gesture of pardon to his brothers for selling him into slavery.

In Africa, a name means more than the person bearing the name. A name is placed on an individual to tell the story of his family or to signify the individual’s status within the community. A name confirms an individual’s identity and windows on that individual’s culture. A name links with the past, the ancestors and is a part of the individual’s spirituality.

In Africa, the birth of a child is a moment of joy and significance. Naming a child is Africa is of great importance, it is believed that the name chosen will exercise an influence on the life of the child. In the Yoruba land, a name prefixed by “Ade”, usually means the bearer is of royal lineage. The name “Balogun” indicates the bearer is of the warrior lineage and name prefixed or suffixed by “Ola” usually indicates wealth.

An African adage says a good name is worth more than all the fortunes in a kingdom. It is however important that one’s name is carefully guarded and not abused.

During a gathering with a few friends, we began talking about the political situation in the United Kingdom. The British National Party had gained two crucial seats in European parliament. This would not have being an issue if the British National Party were not alleged racist in practice and doctrine. My friends and I watched an interview given by the British National Party press chief Phil Edwards with disbelieve and anger. He described Africans as people with low intelligence quotient (IQ) and immigrants that are always involved with crime. He preached Britain for indigenous British. In simple language, Africans are not welcome in the United Kingdom because we are not good enough.

We as Africans have stereotypes attached to us. One needs to listen to/watch the news, or flip through the news paper and our ignorance are very apparent. These stereotypes have being passed through generations and I sincerely hope this generation will put a stop to these stereotypes.

Over twenty youths were killed on the streets of London last year through gang violence, how many of these youths were of Caucasian origin? So if a pompous over educated buffoon from the British National Party describes Africans as people with low intelligence quotient (IQ) and immigrants that are always involved with crime, then he has a ground to stand on. I say this because all he sees or rather pays attention to are the minority of Africans chasing the fast life, crime and easy money.

Yes, people of the Caucasian origin are also involve in similar or even worse activities, however I will not touch on that issue because I believe when an individual is on fire, he kills the fire on his skin before he attempts to help another individual on fire.

Some Africans accept these stereotypes that it becomes part of their thinking, these sets of people believe they can never amount to nothing because of the colour of their skin unless they result to crime. I understand the challenges facing them, issues like absent fathers, and lack of role models, lack of self respect and low self esteem has crippled the minds of our youths. They subscribe to the thought that academic knowledge is far inferior to street knowledge. They look up to those on the silver screen with big chains and aspire to be as unreal as what they perceive. We as people will not sort this problem out unless we unite, accept we need to change, and help each other change. We need to instill self believe in our youths, show them the importance of real education, restore the pride in our fathers and acknowledge the importance of our mothers, let the strong among us mentor the weak.

That night we discussed the name Nigger and its origins. One of my friends seems to think it was ok to be called Nigger. He felt it was offensive for a person with Caucasian origin to use the word but it was fine for Africans (black people) to use it as it makes a mockery of what it meant. This statement disturbed me and I wondered if he understood the importance of a name. I asked him how he would feel if I referred to him as stupid instead of his birth name. He gave me the obvious answer. He shares a lot of peoples view on this issue. Nigger is a term used by everyone in today’s time. It is thrown around in music and even rolls off the tongues of many (black people) effortlessly. I feel it is an insult on those that fought for equal rights of people of African origin to maintain the name Nigger. Even more insulting when it comes from a person of African origin.

Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable as a pejorative term and common ethnic slur for black people. The word originated as a term used in a neutral context to refer to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun Negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective Niger, meaning "black". I will refrain from writing more about the origins of the word Nigger and how it was imposed on people with African origin to confirm their inferiority. If our ancestors fought so hard for equal rights and just to be treated right, then we will keep that name out of our existence.

Our discussion then led us to the names of countries in Africa. My friend made a valid point, if we are fighting to change the name bestowed upon us by another race to confirm superiority or inferiority, should we campaign to change every name that is not African, even the name of a precious country Nigeria?

Lord Lugard’s Caucasian mistress gave Nigeria its name. Lord Lugard was the first governor general of Nigeria (1914-1919). The name Nigeria was created from the words Niger and Area, taken from the River Niger running through Nigeria. This name was made-up by Flora Shaw

Eko has lost it real name to Lagos. Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited the area in 1472, naming the area around the city Lago de Curamo; which has since developed into Lagos. Should we also campaign for Lagos to be only known as Eko, its original name?

I started this article by stating the importance of a name, its deep meaning and spirituality should be guarded and never abused. I will state now that Nigger is not my name, neither is it the name of my ancestors. I am Nigerian, simply because it carries or hides no derogatory term and I will refer to Lagos as Eko, Lagos, las giddi or giddy, same reason as Nigeria’s

Whatever you choose to call yourself or allow people call you, always think about the meaning, origin and importance of that name.

Naija....we are HERE

This is shows hard work pays and Nigeria rocks

What Are Your Terms N Conditions???

Lately I've been hearing bout couples not working out or fighting over silly things and so on. Usually we attribute all this "cat and dog" fighting to the relationship moving from the "honeymoon stage" to the real nitty gritty. This period you start realizing that your girlfriend actually bends funny when she walks or could just be a little more caring and cook instead of always wanting to eat out. At this point you realize your boyfriend isn't conscientious with his money, he is just plain stingy, and that "distant cousin" that keeps calling him has more than family interest in mind. It boggles my mind how people get so carried away with that first spark and fall so quickly in love without keeping in mind that it won't always be "I love yous" and 5 hour midnight conversations the whole time. I was thinking wouldn't it be nice if each person before starting a relationship could actually remove the cloud of love from their eyes and discuss what their expectations are?? When it's all said and done no one wants a worthless person by their side all because she looks so good in that red dress or cause he knows how to do that thing so well in the boudoir…..

When one is hired on to a job the first thing you have to go through is an orientation. The boss will go through the job description with you, what he expects from you, how your task should be done and the reward for a job well done or the consequences of falling short. This way both of you reach an agreement, there are no misunderstandings and at the same time you are given the opportunity to let him/her know what you expect from him as a manager. If something does happen along the line both of you can refer back to that initial discussion and it's easy to resolve the matter….

When you buy a new camera…it comes with a manual. This manual explains to you the features of the camera, how to use it to get its maximum potential, and how to troubleshoot it if something malfunctions. This manual is a preview of the camera…if you read it and it doesn't meet your expectations you can still return it for a refund…..if you have your receipt of course!!!

The first day of that infamous organic chemistry course; your professor hands you a syllabus for the class. This will detail the topics you will go over the next few months, the tests, assignments, and projects that will be expected from you. You will also be told how you will be graded. Attendance policy, possibility of extra credit, any possible office hours all this is detailed right at the beginning of class.

Sooo imagined you chose to ignore what your boss man told you on the first day…or he failed to even go over his expectations at all? Imagine if you didn't open the manual of that 500 bucks camera until the day it stopped working and then you realize that you've been using it the wrong way. Imagine if your organic chemistry professor never told you what was expected of you until the end of the semester and you end up with a fail. What am I driving at????

Every relationship and every association is bonded by an agreement of expectations. Imagine if we went into a relationship already knowing what the partner expects from us. It would be soo much easier. We are so consumed in playing the act that we're "perfect" forgetting that one's true behavior is like a smoke…it can't be contained for too long. So be real…sit her down let her know you like a lady who can cook ; sit him down let him know you love presents every Friday whether there is a celebration or not. I met this one guy who has been dating a girl for 5 years and they agreed from the beginning that he is not a "one girl type of guy". She accepted and from day 1 understood that he can't be at her beck and call 24/7. The couple got engaged just recently and about to be married. He said the girl understanding him then made him realize that she was the only one he wanted for the rest of his life. SOOOO people people people before you decide to sign on that dotted line called love and dating…take the time to read and understand the terms and conditions………..

SOO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM MOI????

Max Lovett

My vision is blur, I struggle to allow light penetrate through my eyes, it feels painful to open my eyes, I wonder if this is the heaven I have constantly being hearing about, I imagine the golden roads, the golden gates, the angels and the book of life.

I have heard so much about that book, questions race through my mind as fast as the Olympic hero Hussein Bolt, I wonder if my name has being inscribed on the pages of that book, that determines my eternity.

“Max……Max”, the sound of name echoes through my ears, I adjust my eyes to eliminate the blur; my sight focuses on the face of my mother. I’m glad to have her here with me; together we shall walk through the golden gates into heaven.

“Max, you should not have done that, the doctor said you were inches away from cutting an important vein. Do you want to kill me?”

The voice of my mother made sense to me, I am not in heaven, I am not dead, and the stab of the knife did not kill me. I look around me and judging by the equipments all around the room, it is clear I am in the hospital.

I can feel the tears from my mothers face drop on my the side of my hand, the wetness made me shiver, reality dawned on me.

“The truth is I am not your mother and he is not your father, your biological mother died shortly after you were born and your biological father died a week before your birth. You should not have tried to kill yourself”

She is not my mother and he is not my father, which is part of the reason I am here, lying on this bed, unable to move my upper body without feeling stab pains. I remember clearly the reason I put that knife through my skin with intentions of ending my life.

I have always being a bit bigger than my peers; I guess puberty arrived early for me. Before I understood the meaning of breast, I had full developed ones, which were nice because the attention from all the boys towards me increased, these puberty changes also attracted another kind of attention from my father. He seemed to touch me more. He would hold my hands when we watch television in the afternoons, however he would never hold my hands in the evening when my mother was there watching with us. He started giving me money to buy things for myself, I was very happy as I was never short of money whenever I needed to buy sweets from the malam kiosk from across the road. Thinking back now, I should have seen the writing on the wall.

This continued for so many years, through junior secondary school and into senior secondary school. The touches became ever so frequent however discreet, the touches began to irritate me but there was nothing I could say. I expressed my concern to my boyfriend who seemed to laugh about it, to be honest; I think he was just satisfied to kiss me at the back of the house every day in the evenings when I needed to fetch some water from the tap.

Last night, mother had gone to the party from across the road. I was in the leaving room of the house with father, we were watching television. I got tired so I decided to go to bed earlier than usual. I announced to father I was going to bed; I was surprised when he asked me for a good night kiss. I laughed it off as I made my way to my bedroom. I changed into my nightgown and hopped into my bed.

Few minutes later, the door to my room open, my father was in the room. I adjusted myself in the bed and prepared to answer his question as I assumed he came into the room to ask a question. He had a grin on his face as he walked to the side of my bed. He sat on the bed next to me and said,

“Why didn’t you give me my good night kiss, did you not hear when I asked you for one”

“Daddy, I can’t kiss you now, you are my father”, I struggled to make sense of his request as I answered him.

“I am not your daddy, I am a man who likes what he sees. Each time I look at you, I think of something”

“What daddy?”

He did not answer with words but his actions said a thousand more. He ran his hands through my thighs and moved closer.

“Daddy, what is the meaning of this? What are you doing?”

“I admire your body, when I am through with you, you will surely want more”, he said as he moved his hand over my breast and fondled them. His hands were everywhere on my body as he ripped my night gown off my body, and he began to moan. It dawned on me that he was going to rape me.

I struggled to release myself from his grasp; his mouth was on mine as he tried forcefully to push his tongue in.

“Relax and let me teach you something, you will like what I have for you, your body needs it”.

With one hand, he removed his trousers to reveal his bulging manhood, with the other hand; he had me pinned to the bed. I felt disgusted as his bulging manhood touched my skin. I needed to get away fast so I grabbed the empty coke bottle that stood on my side table and smashed it in his face.

I ran out of the house naked, crying and screaming. People gathered as they heard my cry. I explained to them what had happened. Someone called out to my mother and she was disgusted when she saw me. She took me back into the house and I explained everything to her. I asked her if he is my biological father.

“The truth is I am not your mother and he is not your father, your biological mother died shortly after you were born and your biological father died a week before your birth. You should not have tried to kill yourself”

Those words hit me hard, I hated myself, I hated him and I started hating her. I ran into the kitchen grabbed the knife and put it through my skin.

As I sit here on this hospital bed, I ponder about my future. I do not hate my so called mother anymore but I hate her husband. I made up my mind not to go back to that house, however where do I go. How do I move on from this?

What a world I have being through.

Global Warm DIS

Where are all those global warming experts on a day like this, The snow in London at this time is an occurance that has not being experienced since the seventies.

One would think one has just stepped into Moscow or some Canadian country side. I had to double check where I was on the GPS just to be sure this was still London.

London has being brought to its knees, public transportation has being crippled, although this might be fun for some lazy students, lazy workers, that man that needs to stay at home or that woman that needs that extra time to put her feet up, please cast your minds to those without shelter or those that need to be on the road to put food on the table.

I must confess however, it is a beautiful sight to behold and a dangerous time to attempt to drive on the icy roads.

Hopefully there would be less amount of snow tomorrow.

I have included a picture from the back of my house

2 TRuths and a lie

1. I have three different tatoos on both arms.

2. I was shortlisted for the finals for an international poetry competition.

3. I played basketball with Micheal Jordan (the real one)at a Nike event in London.


Can u guess the lie?????

debowale tagged me

OBAMA BOGGIEEEE

yes we did

the revolution will be televised

Inauguration is upon us, Obama has walked through the doors of change, his actions and victory has prompted a belief in the hearts of everyone, a belief that has always being there but perhaps needed a push or a nudge.

I await the Inauguration like a kid whose mother has promised him vanilla ice cream as a reward for good deeds. I wholeheartedly support the change and hope Obama offers. I am patiently waiting to see them manifest in full. I understand these changes will take time however, I am even more positive than ever these changes will be well tolerated.

To put a spin on things, I can't help but think the euphoria that surrounds Obama is more out of his skin colour than the perception of what he might do and achieve as president, some(quite a large number)of african americans associate his victory to their struggle as slaves.

To make things a little clearer, I am NOT stating he won the elections because of the colour of his skin, he has achieved alot due to hard work, he is a warm and likeable character, quite an eloquent orator, however the euphoria, the buzz, all the celebs attention, the popularity, one can put all that to the colour of his skin.

I do hope that we all rally round Obama even when the going gets tough.