With the challenge of technology comes this delayed video from Lagos... no, it was not filmed at the beginning of the 20th century. My writings and postings have been as slow as uploading these videos onto YouTube. I am now in Ukraine... a lot to share. This video was shot on February 6
Unlike Chinua Achebe who has an Ibo (Igbo) tradition from Nigeria's South East,Wole Soyinka has a Yorùbá cultural heritage from the Lagos region. He was the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 for his extense work. In 1959 he published his comedy The Lion and the Jewel which I depict here. An amusing short play filled with colour, sense of space and creativity.
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I land in Frankfurt before dawn. I see snow on the airport tarmac for the first time. I had never been to Germany in the winter-winter. I am surprisingly not as sleepy as I should be. I cross customs with ease and walk to the train station instinctively. I've been using this route for quite sometime now and know my way quite well (although this airport seems to be under constant construction). Germans are friendly at a distance. They look at you with neutral eyes (they may wonder about your existence but won't hesitate to show it).
As I walk on ice to my destination I decide to stop at a corner on kandleStrasse... to shoot. My question of the day is a controversial one, that some of us may dare to wonder about at times... is God dead? or is he/she alive? Nietzsche got into this dilemma and he stated it in "Thus spoke Zarathustra", a slightly complicated read, that as most philosphical accounts, leaves one with more questions than possible answers. This novel was published between 1883 and 1885 and besides its remark on the "funeral of the deity" it also deals with a theme I found amazing at the time: the "eternal recurrence of the same". Inspired by Nietzsche, I wrote a short story that I included in my novel Humanum (2001). It is entitled 'David y su Eterno Retorno'. Thus spoke Zarathustra is much denser and esoteric, Nietzsche uses the style of the Bible in order to oppose Christian and Jewish morality and tradition... an interesting concept.
Dusk is hitting Frankfurt and I am going back home to share with my warm hosts. I'll try to be on my blog as much as I can. I am leaving to Abuja tomorrow before noon.
My tip of the day: the best remedy for jet-lag is a good coffee, a short nap, a couple of tylenols and waiting... waiting, waiting as long as you can before going to bed at night. I'll let you know how it works. Cheers!
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No matter how far a specific date may seem, that day will arrive... time never stops. When I was a kid I used to see the year 2000 as a distant moment in the far future. I knew I would be 28 at the time, and in my mind that seemed like an eternity! Well, the year 2000 came along and is now long gone; in fact, it's been a decade ever since (you do the math). Days inevitably arrive and the 31 of January, 2010 is now here. What does it mean? My trip to Africa and Russia is imminent. I farewell Ottawa on a warmer day (-5 degrees). My first destination: Frankfurt, as a via point on my way to Abuja, capital of Nigeria. My author of the day is Herman Hesse, whom I thought to be a pure German but he happens to be a Swiss depsite his Black Forest birth in Southern West Germany. Journey to the East (published in 1932 as "Die Morgenlandfahrt)is a relatively short novel that involves famous characters such as Plato, Mozart, Pythagoras, Paul Klee, Don Quixote, and Baudelaire. They are all involved in this search-for-ultimate truth journey. "Truth" (as we may know) is a controversial word often charged with heavy expectations. Philosophy can certainly theorize about it, and Hesse does it quite well... but the truth about Truth is mirage. I like journeys. They imply a great deal of learning and adventure. I am about to visit four countries I have never been to. I am glad I am starting in Frankfurt; a place that has become familiar to me, since it is an easy stop on the way to Africa and Eastern Europe. Frankfurt is the hometown of Goethe... another big thinker of our times... wished I had a moment to re-visit "his" house in the heart of the city. I am a bit tired but not as jet-lagged as I thought I would be.
My tip of the day: Read on planes, it shortens distances and brighthens one's night. If you can accompany it with music... I recommend 'Bose' headsets and a good iPod playlist!
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After arousing my brain cells in front of the big screen with Avatar, I exposed my head to the freezing cold by walking onto the front entrance of the Coliseum theatre in Ottawa at minus whatever. That’s my disclaimer for “swallowing” the word “thousand” for Jules Verne’s 20,000 leagues under the sea. Instead I said 20! I loved Jules Verne as a kid. He was a synonym of fun science and fiction. As soon as I could read I was given this beautiful collection of illustrated books and 20,000 leagues was one of them. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) and one of my favourites, the Courier of the Czar, Michel Strogoff (1876), which I will talk about once I get to Russia!
A great number of us have heard of Nemo… but not only referring to the lost clownfish in Andrew Stanton’s film but also for Verne’s Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. If you haven’t read the book … there is a “ride” in Florida’s Disney World with this theme…. And there’s also a movie from 1954... with Kirk Douglas playing Canadian master harpoonist Ned Land(a classic in technicolour)
And I am going to sound old, but I used to accompany my reading with what is now considered a toy: my red viewmaster (created in 1939). Remember the seven 3D stereo images rotating on that paper disk? I had one of the Nautilus being attacked by the gigantic squid (or octopus, according to the French version). ‘Twenty thousand leagues’ refers to the distance traveled by Captain Nemo, and his experience with New York professor Aronnax. They travel from the Arctic to the Antarctic through the seven seas. A ‘modern’ resemblance of Homer’s Odyssey and the ‘revolutionary’ vision of a free anarchic submarine detached from any land-based government (in times were devices of this kind were unthinkable).
Verne has been a best seller in most languages for years (after Agatha Christie); and so is James Cameron, Mr. box office success. I thought I would compare the Avatar of the 21st century to the creative and constructive science fiction mind of the 19th century. Verne’s submarines, balloons, rockets, trips to the centre of the earth and all other journeys… were beyond people’s imagination in his days. Cameron has managed to bring us to a different era as well, connecting the thematic reality of today (military powers, unfriendly-profit-oriented enterprises, endangered indigenous communities) to a modern computer-designed mythology. I liked Avatar… although I found some stereotypes that could’ve been avoided (like the ‘nature-oriented, spiritually inclined, animal-friendly’ portrayal of the Na'vi people). The script serves the standards of a good movie, and today’s technology facilitates the transition between the fragile human bone and the resilient blue flesh. Avatar has magic moments and its use of light and colour is literally ‘fantastic’.
Suggestion of the day: let’s dust our view-masters and have a theme party… stereograms predate digital photos and were a great way to see tourist attractions especially from those places far from our reach.
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No, Canada doesn't have a President... that was a Lapsus Línguae on my video of the day... although, I am sure our Prime Minister would love to become the King of Canada (over our unpopular Prince Charles)!!!! Anyway, Canada is a parliamentary system unlike the US which is a Republic (you do your research).
And Yes, I hate the shiny light reflected on my glasses as well. I didn't have much time to find the right spot for my video entry last night... darn... oh well... it kinda goes with the theme... that layer of shine that may cover our eyes at times, preventing us from seeing.
Blindness is a wonderful essay on human condition and human interdependence. Beautifully written, quite disturbing on occasion, it is impossible to drop it. There are moments when you literally suffer the pains inflicted on the characters. Brilliant work of Nobel Prize Laureate Saramago. This book is my second favourite of his after the Cave. If you don't like reading, watch the movie. If you like reading, go for it... and then watch the movie. I thought the film wasn't going to be as interesting (it didn't get very good reviews in North America)... but it was actually quite good... the audience may not have been prepared to see themselves reflected on the screen! Fernando Meirelles the director (City of God, 2002) is a genius. The cast is excellent... and what about the slightly cheesy ending? Well, we all need some optimism after all... Hollywood endings are more popular than we think.
I like open endings... endings that leave you wondering, that allow your imagination to complete the scene. Those are rare... there's a little bit of that in this book and film (despite the spark of optimism). There is rebuilding ahead, and that is not shown... that part is left for us to reflect on.
I've chose this book because I see how Haiti will disappear from the TV radars soon. After two weeks a catastrophe becomes history... a Wikipedia entry... we will soon forget how the earth roared on January 12, 2010... killing thousands of already impoverished Haitians. We will forget because the earth rotates at a very fast speed. The struggle for survival in Haiti will get shadowed by Apple's new iPad, or by the State of the Union speech... we just throw more rubble on what is dated, and move on... is it nature? is it choice? is it just short-attention span?
Actual news, which is supposed to mean "information on a recent event or happening", is associated with 'media news' (which is what media outlets and media associations, i.e. AP...consider is a 'recent event')... well, if official media newscasts stop broadcasting an event... should we forget about it ourselves? Should we move on to the next catastrophe? This is today's open ending to ponder on...
Tip of the day: We, as citizens have more media power nowadays than we did before, because of the Internet and other social media outlets... let's continue to empower ourselves. Citizen journalism is IN!
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I loved this book. and I warn you, it may be disturbing for some. It is very well written, modern... with the sincere confusion of people finding their ways, especially when they reach that middle age... and want to question everything all over again, relationships being one of those items. Experimenting with my camera and web cam, I noticed the delay in my speech. And how my image, reflected on a computer screen and mediated over and over, resembled that approach to online intimacy. We are close but distorted. We can develop a sense of intimacy because the natural physical barriers allow us to open up to strangers, and yet, we are pixels away, hiding behind the comfort of a screen and a cheap web cam.
These thoughts remind me of two modern thinkers located perhaps at two opposite ends of the spectrum. One is Canadian educator Marshall McLuhan and "the medium is the message", meaning, as stated by Wikipedia, that "the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived" (you go figure that one)and the other one is Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek (this goes for my friend E)who talks about the impersonal forms of modern life, where we get to "experience" things without their essence... many products are deprived of their "malignant property": coffee without caffeine, cream without fat, beer without alcohol... and virtual sex without sex!
Tip of the day: we may want to revisit the term intimacy but especially its actual sense of existence.
By the way, I didn't keep the Kite Runner to myself... I passed it on the same way I found it. When my friend EH moved to Germany I gave it to him as his farewell present. It'd be great to know if E has read it and what his thoughts of the book are. Share your input if you read this blog entry. Let us know how far the kite has flown!
As a kid I used to fly kites. August is the windy month in Colombia. There is actually a very famous kite festival in Villa de Leyva (Boyaca). The fun part was to make one's own kite with string, wood sticks and colourful cellophane... and an old bed sheet that you ripped into strips of fabric for a tale... My own kites never went very far so my family ended up buying me one every year. They of course didn't last very long... they get caught in trees, they fall far off the hill where you're standing, they go flying on their own with a surprising gust of wind or they get stolen... Nevertheless it was so literally uplifting to see your kite flying higher than others, conquering the skies... right before circling and falling. Kites are magic, and the Kite Runner has the ability of reminding you of that innocence of childhood, and also the subsequent fall... when we as youth awake to many other realities we ignored out of excitement.
I had never tried pierogies until I came to Canada, they are some kind of dumpling filled with stuff. When the government of Stephen Harper decided to "prorogue" parliament last year (cancel it/postpone it)to avoid a vote of confidence, the words prorogue and pierogi were matched up. "Pierogies are for lunch" was one of the lines that rally goers scream in front of the Parliament in Ottawa today as we got together to oppose the decision to close the House of Commons until the Olympics in Vancouver are over."Go back to work", "Don't shut democracy" and "Pass that bill" were some of the other popular lines.
Beautiful day to protest, somebody said that Mr. Harper may want to take credit for such a bright day as he believes to be "the king". I don't want to go that far, I'll call it "The Prince" as I choose this book by Machiavelli to be the one of the day.
Mr. Harper may think that "the end justifies the means", but he may be wrong this time. We certainly hope so... in the best interest of the country. It is hard to believe that he represents the vast majority of Canadians.
For more videos on the rally, please visit my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/alvalle
Tip of the day: Never take for granted that the members of parliament represent us as the people of a nation and they are accountable to us because we elect them and give them the power to act on our behalf.
I'd like to thank Julie Laurin (A first-time rally-goer as well) for sharing her comments with me. This is the first of a two-video story that she's posted on her blog. You can follow her at: http://julielaurin.com/?p=582
I have watched two movies recently. Youth in Revolt - a Juno-like coming of age movie (It must be the Michael Cera style) and the Living Bones, somewhat cute, disturbing, Hollywood pretty with a good cast. Nothing earth shattering.
The restaurant: The Black Tomato, 11 George Street (Ottawa) in the Byward Market. Great location, good menu, abundant plates although relatively pricey.
Event: Daniel Ghur on Social Media and Canadian Education Marketing
Cultural remark: Russians look severe and may come across as rude, but they are quite friendly and efficient... if one follows their rules. This is a conclusion based on my Russian visa application submitted this morning.
My book of the day" as I get closer to having two nationalities, my choice is How to be a Canadian by the Ferguson Brothers Will + Ian. The book jokes about the concept of "Canadianness" and it is told with grace and asserted humour... from the weird spelling of words, to the use of "eh", to the neighbours of the South and the Canadian symbols. A funny essay for Canucks and non-Canadians alike.
As of tomorrow, God and the Queen willing, I should have two nationalities.
Tip of the day: take risks even if you have to apologyze for mistakes made.
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Redundant as it may sound; mirrors show a reflection of ourselves. The mirrored image often serves as the mental image we have of ourselves. Photography and video have come to play that same role. A friend has called me “brave” for recording myself on camera. Don’t we hate to see ourselves reflected? Our voices recorded? Our “bad angles” photographed? Mirrors and images of us can be “horrific” as they make us self-conscious… However, the best thing about them is that they are not really us (Rene Magritte’s “Ceci n'est pas une pipe" -"This is not a pipe"), they are just a reflection… and reflections can be deceiving, certainly subjective, altered by external components like the mirror itself and the influence of light. But also by internal elements such us our minds, our eyes, our senses. Descartes dedicated part of his life to theorize about the unreliable effect of our senses and the unpredictability of perception.
On today’s video, I play with my reflection, altered by the effect of mirrors. What we see is something similar to what it was, but never the act per se. Paulo Freire, questioned the role of traditional pedagogies and called them “banking education”, information that is not neutral, that serves a system of thought, a moment in time, and that is often deposited in our brains like we deposit cheques in the bank. We call ourselves skeptical these days, but we are not sure of what… paying attention to the way we do things, trying to understand how we see, how we look at things, how we analyze and draw conclusions… is a good path to awareness. And awareness is what we need in order to discern our times and what we are accountable for… now and tomorrow.
Catastrophe is defined online as “a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin”. Catastrophes alter our sensitivity and awake a sense of solidarity. We get in the mood to help, to change, to pray… but we soon get bored, tired, we forget, we move on. Catastrophes can be like mirrors, reflections of a horrific moment in time… but not the real image, not the embodiment of the course of history (the before and after the event). If we could only dig deeper and unearth what lies beneath?
Thought of the day: Haiti has been perceived as the “cinderella” of the Americas, impoverished and caged in its own misfortune… but the beauty of its people, of its nature, of its history, combined with the strength of its roots can change the course of history…and soon shine. I believe I’ll see it in my lifetime.
The force of nature is like death, unknown and absolute. Death is like a thief that comes in the night, unannounced, and so are earthquakes. I have experienced a few of them in my life, the last one in Tokyo, Japan in 2008. Colombia, located in the Pacific rim of fire, is prone to tremors. Growing up, I woke up to several of them. The strongest one of my era occurred during Easter Thursday 1983 in Popayan, capital city of the state of Cauca in southwestern Colombia. On January 25, 1999, at about 13:00, an earthquake measuring 6,4 on the Richter scale destroyed the city of Armenia, in the central coffee region. We felt it very strongly in my hometown of Cali, a 4 hour car ride away. That afternoon I flew down the Buga-Tulua highway towards the epicentre, with food, water and blankets. I did not think much about it. That evening I stayed with a friend’s family and shared the event with thankful survivors. The city was destroyed, dark, cold, still in shock. It was hard to move through the debris… but of course one doesn’t think about more dangers when a huge catastrophe such as this one has hit a community… what can be worse?
A 7 degree earthquake just hit the already depressed half-island of Haiti today. My thoughts are with the Haitians. Bravery and strength, support and determination are necessary to rebuild Port-Au-Prince and the morale that has fallen with this tragedy.
