Monday 30 July 2012

African Heroes, Losers or Jokers?

  • Africans once more are the laughing stock of the international community. 
  • Ill equipped politicians to ill equipped sportsmen. 

Ever wondered why you get that near disdainful pity look from colleagues, friends, etc when you tell them your are from one of  the countries that make up Africa? This article will hopefully dispel that.

Image:BBC

First it was Eric "The Eel" (Equatorial Guinea) at Sydney Olympics 2000, now we have London Olympics 2012  Hammadou Djibo Issaka (Niger) "The Snail". The so called rower from landlocked Niger came a remarkable last place at Eaton Dorney rowing competition. He finished at an outstanding 60 seconds after the second to the last rower, amidst "cheers" from the crowd. (You know the type of pity cheers a benevolent crowd uses to egg on the forlorn, fallen destitute as they struggled to reach a life line).
The 36 year old Nigerien only took up rowing in April this year. Trained originally as a swimmer, Djibo Issaka was sent to Egypt to master a sport most had been practising since their childhood years.


Joker or Hero? Djibo Issaka

He was later quoted as saying "I have no technique, only strength". Reminiscent of  The Cameroon Football Women's team successfully managing to score null point at both Olympic matches against Brazil and England. The former handed The Lionesses of Cameroon 5-0 and the later(England) 3-0. A friend was to later remark The Lionesses from the West Africans country so often called Africa in miniature, ran like women carrying a basket of cocoyams. Like Djibo Issaka, strength but no skill. I have seen more agile Lionesses as they lay in wait for the bait, skilfully planning an attack with strength, dexterity and common sense. The Cameroon Turtles will be a more appropriate name change...thick, slow and heavy.

The Lionesses of Cameroon. How about a name change to The Cameroon Turtles?


And who can forget Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea who also made a name from the bottom of the Olympic swimming pile at the 2000 Sydney Games? He appeared to "sink" during the 100meter swimming race. It was later revealed Mousambani  had only taken up swimming 8months ago, and had only ever swam in a hotel pool 20meters long! To be fair on the poor soaking sod, information conveyed to him had been he would be swimming in a 50meter pool. Moussambani created a world record of his own by finishing 43 seconds outside the Olympic swimming time, even slower than those who had swum the 200meter pool race earlier! Magnifique!

All physique and no skill- Moussambani



 


 Again and again we see these Africans so poorly equipped and ill trained making a soggy mess of themselves amongst sporting elite who have been training rigorously for such sporting ventures as far back as their childhood. It is almost as if these went to bed and had an apparition of becoming a rower or swimmer overnight. Unfortunately in the real world, you have to work and train hard at excelling in sports. This often involves mental and physical stimulation and not just  physical strength.

Heroes, losers or a huge mockery of African sportsmen...I am yet to decide which adjective to hand on a Golden medal to these.

Black Footballer wins case against racism and unfair dismissal

  •  FC Gillingham tried to "Frustrate him out" as McCammon reports of "going through hell".
  • Feared being physically hit by aggressive and violent manager.
  • Case first of it's kind in British football history as victory signals new hope for racism in football.

Image Credits: Flicker

The former £2500 a week Barbados international made history in UK football as he took his former club to the employment tribunal for unfair dismissal back in November 2010.
The court heard McCammon and other black players at the club were treated differently from their white team mates as McCammon was:
  • Refused private treatment and instead offered NHS treatment for injuries whilst another team mate was flown to Dubai for his injuries. In a statement, McCammon was quoted as describing this as "Completely out of character" for a club in the Football League. He was later fined two weeks wages for seeking private medical help.
  • During hazardous dangerous snowy conditions, McCammon and two other black footballers were ordered to drive 4miles to the club's medical while white players who lived two miles away were told not to come in. McCammon and the other black players later received threatening text messages requesting them to show up before noon lest they were fined two weeks wages.
  • Contrary to what popular national newspapers such as the Daily Mail had written about  McCammon painting him out to be an angry confrontational black man  (February 27th 2012 @9:20am), McCammon described at the tribunal a scene when the club's manager was physically aggressive towards him (McCammon). The incident happened after he found out black players were ordered to drive in perilous snowy conditions to the club whilst white players had been asked to stay at home. In the ensuing meeting that took place, manager Andy Hessanthaler became violently and physically agrressvive throwing a table, computer, etc prompting  McCammon to fear he would be hit by his then manager. Shortly after this, McCammon was dismissed from the club.
  • McCammon was  made to stay behind at the club fours longer after all the other injured players had left. McCammon claimed this as "strict instructions" from club Chairman, Paul Scally. He milled about the club room watching televison and later described it in a statement to the tribunal as  'The process of waiting was designed to inflict maximum levels of frustration on me and it certainly had that impact. Sitting at the club instead of progressing with my operation was like watching paint dry.
  • The club tried to slash McCammon's salary by 15% over terms which were not written in his contract but had been "verbally" agreed.
McCammon also accused his former club of playing a game of sabotage against his career as ever since his departure, he has had 11 failed crucial talks with other clubs who have shown interest. Yet somewhat mysteriously at the 11th hour, the deals were all called off. McCammon claims club chairman  had been interfering. 
A compensation hearing will take place on August 10th. Leading industry lawyers say McCammon stands to get figures in the sum of £40,000 or more.

Thursday 26 July 2012

Athlete banned from Olympics for making racist comments

Source: DM & Telegraph

Another one bites the tweet dust.


Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou has been dropped from the Greek 2012 Olympic squad after tweeting "racist" comments.
Papachristou bites the tweet dust and is banned from the Olympics. Credits :memeburn

The 23 year old blonde athlete and supporter of Greek's controversial far right party Golden Dawn,put her foot in her tweet when she tweeted sarcastically about African migrants. Responding to recent reports about the presence of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus in Greece, Papachristou made the tweeter faux pas of airing dented and negatively skewed opinion on the social site, which has the seen the tragic virtual fall of so many. The naive athlete tweeted: 
‘With so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!’

The statement could have almost been termed mildly funny and a  poor tasteless joke if like Jeremy Clarkson, you appreciate indecorous mouldy infected humour.
However the West Nile virus is not just an "African disease"  which affects only Africans. The virus which is carried by mosquitoes can be found in both temperate and tropical regions. It has made appearances in Europe, North America, Middle East, Oceania and Asia. Countries affected include Canada, USA, Russia, Greece, Congo,Czech Republic, etc.
Affecting both humans, animals and birds, it is not known to discriminate with the different races but rather conducts an Equal Infecting Opportunity on all.

Thus the tweet was terribly wrong and if anything, highlights the ignorance of this athlete. We hope fresh from bailing out Greece during their financial crises, an educational bailout isn't next!
So Voula...VoilĂ ! Not only did your tweet highlight your gross stupidity, it has earned you a no show spot at London 2012 Olympics.

Read more about the West Nile virus here

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Black Actors not recognised enough in UK film industry, says leading black British actor.


Source:  Telegraph & Daily Mail

‘In the UK, we don’t have a growing, viable, strong, aspirational black culture. Commissioning editors and advertisers don’t see us as a target market and because of that we’re not really part of the fabric of society.'
Black British Actor David Harewood Credits:Zimbio

The star of hit American TV show Homeland, has spoken about the struggle faced by black British actors within the UK film industry. In an interview with the Radio Times, black British Actor David Harewood MBE spoke about the difficulty and length of time he faced before proving to UK film bosses he,  like his other non black counterparts is equally just as suitable for the role of a 'leading man'.

‘It’s taken me 26 years and a couple of trips to America to convince people in the UK that I can carry a show and that I can be a leading man. It’s taken a long time, and that’s frustrating, but I’m just glad that I got there.’
Harewood further suggests lack of a UK black middle class as a possible main root of the problem. Unlike America with it's strong black middle class background, unearthed as far back as the Civil Rights Movement which today has produced the likes of President Barack Obama, the UK black population still appears to fleet between poverty and the lower-lowest working class.(The last opinion is that of the Author and not Harewood's).  
Speaking to the Telegraph back in May, Harewood expressed disappointment at not having had a single job offer since being back in the UK for six months, despite Homeland's TV succcess/.


President Obama may have given Homeland the White House Seal of Approval when he mentioned it as a  favourite, but the main star is yet to coin an approval from the UK film industry.

Guardian reporter, Lindsay Johns had also bemoaned about the substantial  lack of a black UK middle class in an article for the Telegraph back in 2011. Johns wrote:

There’s no educated ethnic middle class in this country to counter the black 'street’ stereotype.The chronic dearth of educated, black, middle-class professionals in this country explains the mess we are in today. If there were a sizeable black middle class, perhaps there’d also be less racism
Acclaimed US actor Morgan Freeman voiced support over Harewood's comments. Commenting a few weeks ago, Freeman noted black UK actors were forced to leave the UK for greener pastures overseas, due to the limited amount of work available to them.  ‘The British film [and television] industry needs to catch up with the times. he noted.


Idris Elba, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Gina Yashere, etc are but to name a few black British actors/comedians who fared better and became "accepted" in foreign waters other than their UK homeland
However, Harewood commented the UK was more racially integrated than the US.




Black British Actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste fared better in the US than their UK homeland

Friday 6 July 2012

Oh! la! la! Tsonga le Wimble-DON!

Oh how I wish for Murray to win! It will make him the first "British" man to clinch the prestigious Wimbledon tittle since Perry's 1936 win ( At this point we of course assume everything Scottish is British and vice versa).
However after seeing this picture of Tsonga surely one cannot be expected to still support Murray?
The half French and half Congolese athlete is due to face Murray today in the Men's Semi Finals.