• I dream of the day when these, the African mathematicians and computer specialists in Washington and New York, the African physicists, engineers, doctors, business managers and economists, will return from London and Manchester and Paris and Brussels to add to the African pool of brain power, to enquire into and find solutions to Africa's problems and challenges, to open the African door to the world of knowledge, to elevate Africa's place within the universe of research the information of new knowledge, education and information -Thambo Mbeki, former South African President
  • They therefore concluded that “the findings of this (and other) surveys indicate that coverage of Africa, by the leading sources of American media is, at best, dismissive of the continent’s progress and potential, and thus leading to continued ‘exotification’ and marginalization of the African continent. At worst, coverage disregards recent trends toward democratization, thus betraying an almost contemptuous lack of interest in the potential and progress being achieved on the continent.”

Above excerpt is from a writer: Gbemisola Olujobi

  • By Gbemisola Olujobi - The Africa You Need to Know - Posted on Nov 28, 2006 See Full Article above

Why is the African image so negative?

  • Tell the Truth
  • What is your image of Africa?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

silent killer

I'm done. Finally off of it. wohooooo!
I can't tell you how liberating it is to be free.

This thing had coiled itself around me like a snake, and though i had control over it, it always seemed like i had an obligation to it. It's like a cigarette (never smoked in my life), but i always felt inclined to taste it, look, see, spend time on it. I needed to be on it,to see people, hear what's going on and be all over the place. BUT it started to feel ike a disease, like a total waste of time, I started to get bored. In the mean time, i lost focus on my reading and writing.

See, before the explosion of this beautiful silent killer, I kept an active journal, i had a blog and i read at least 2-3 books. But i can't really say that i read much or wrote enough while i was on facebook. This thing became a silent killer of reality in my life. It is a silent killer of productivity in the work place, a silent killer of marriages and relationships, and definitely a silent killer of time management. Don't get me wrong, i wasn't addicted, i wasn't not having a life, it just silently killed what i loved to do best. Thus my decision to let go. Ha!

Right now I'm thinking about all the people who are wrapped up in it, those who can't breathe without it. Every few minutes, every 2 hours, a few times a day, they go in there, update everyone else on their bad day, hoover on other people's profiles, take quizzes and post them to let the world know how ignorant, worldly, sexy, illiterate they are - and my favorite!! what song of Beyonce they are! c'mon now. I think facebook is semi evil, semi-useful, semi-dangerous, semi-scary, semi-helpful, semi-great. See, thing is, it's all about what you think about it. It's very personal and each individual is entitled to their own opinion. My opinion though is that i can live without it.

It took away so much of who I am. See, there are genuine moments in there, sometimes real stuff is on it, and the people are cool too. In there you find great friends, family, acquaintances, enemies, those who are out to hoover all over your profile, those who snoop and never say anything, and then when you meet them weeks later, they remind you of something you said! That's downright spooky!

Facebook is what you want it to be for you. It's what you make to be in life. As for me, myself and I, facebook was fun, gave me the opportunity to connect with friends old and new and family from far. But I am done for now. I am giving myself a break and I'm sure somehow somewhere i will be okay.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)