A Czech on Africa

Analysis of US Military Interventions

2011-09-26T20:51:00.004+02:00

In looking at the United States interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, I will try and identify the motivations for each and the different forms they have taken. It goes without saying that previous U.S. military interventions over the past hundred years (from entry into the First and Second World Wars, to Korea and Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua) have all shared to some degree or other, the motivations for the latest ones.

In its contestation with Stalinist Russia (which had imposed direct control over other peoples in the form of the Soviet Union and indirect control in the form of the Soviet Bloc), the US used only the proxy method. This meant that the US had to select potential allies within the competing rivals in a given country. Characteristically this meant supplying arms and political recognition to a political movement that agreed to US penetration of its markets, US access to its mineral and energy resources and support for the US in its battle for world supremacy over the Soviet Union. This resulted in the US tolerating regimes that were often little more than dictatorships or oligarchies operating in flagrant disregard to human rights and economic equality. Examples of these were Apartheid South Africa, Mobutu’s Zaire, Saudi Arabia, Pinochet’s Chile, South Vietnam, Marcos’s Philippines and the Shah’s Iran. As such, the US track record since 1945 as a champion of democracy and political freedom is severely tainted. Moreover, the unrivalled US hegemony occasioned by the collapse in 1990 of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc was short-lived. The rising economic power of China, India, Brazil and South Korea has meant that, in percentage terms, the US share of world economy has declined quite appreciably in a remarkably short time. The precariousness of its financial system, the stripping of its manufacturing base and its enormous debt have also contributed to the US economy’s stuttering performance notwithstanding its IT dominance. A further factor is obviously the energy crisis. All these, taken together, constitute the context in which the latest interventions have to be seen. But what are the specific factors that have given rise to each one?

Taliban rule in Afghanistan was marked by adherence to the narrowest forms of Islamic law, extreme intolerance of other religions, suppression of the human rights of women and gay people and a gross lack of internal democracy/freedom of expression. However, the US, though perhaps irked by the extreme nature of this religious fascism, did not at any stage take active steps to give effect to ‘regime change’ even though Taliban support for Al Qaeda was common knowledge. It was only the 11 September attack on the US mainland that precipitated an outraged and vengeful reaction – on a world wide scale. In this scenario, Afghanistan was to be isolated and invaded so as to drive out Al Qaeda; the overthrow of the Taliban was a collateral act.

As such, the 2001 intervention was directly precipitated by the 11 September terror attack and had to do with assuring the physical security of the US mainland and with reasserting its prestige and influence across the world. And because of universal abhorrence at the deaths of so many civilians (almost 3,000), the invasion in fact enjoyed much global legitimacy.

That US troops are still there over a decade later is testimony to enduring fears of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism and the instability of the new dispensation - not a result of economic imperative.

What then are we to make of the intervention two years later in Iraq?

Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1992 had been universally criticized. US oil interests were affected but could probably have been restored through diplomatic and other non-military means. After all, Saddam Hussein had not threatened to stop sales to the US or any other country or to renege on existing contracts. As such the resulting coalition formed to eject him, led by the US but reflecting wide ranging North-South support, while having underlying resource control motives, could be sanctioned on the basis that Iraq had no more right to annex Kuwait than any other party. A more general concern was the need to show Iraq international displeasure at the use of force to expand its territory and ambit of influence. It goes without saying that the growth of such a regional super power terrified other small Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. As such, having regard to all factors, Iraq was not expelled from Kuwait in order to bring democracy and social justice to that small tribally-led principality. The intervention was primarily about disciplining an expansionist regional dictator. In general then, the coalition enjoyed a global mandate if only to restore the status ante.

The second invasion of Iraq in 2005 was, however, an entirely different matter. Here we had gross distortion and manipulation by oil and military-industrial complex interests of US and British public fears in regard to physical security. An imaginary bogey (weapons of mass destruction) was created and a climate of hysteria to support invasion and regime change was engendered by outright falsification of evidence.

The objective was simple: to impose US/British control over an important energy source. Sanctions imposed on Iraq following the restoration of Kuwaiti sovereignty had crippled the Iraqi economy and severely undermined its military capacity. Secular Nationalist Baathist Iraq had no contact with Al Qaeda and was isolated in the Arab world. The looming shortage of fossil fuel, however, and Iraq’s major reserves were the impetus to an adventure that has grossly back fired on its sponsors and brought untold suffering to the Iraqi people. A civil war sparked by the brutal and politically inept US/British occupation has destroyed the fabric of daily life and devastated the economy. It will take decades for Iraq to recover from the trauma. This was US imperialism at its ugliest – Britain was also responsible, but being a junior partner, to a lesser degree.

What then of the Libyan intervention? This year, following a series of uprisings in several countries of the Middle East and in the Mahgreb, popular demonstrations broke out in Libya against Gaddafi’s forty year dictatorship. This movement was met by bullets and sought regional and then world support, which it received (from the Arab League and the United Nations) in the form of sanctions against the Gadaffi inner circle. Then, on its own, the movement organized an armed response to Gaddaffi’s assault. When this armed response began to founder, the appeal for external armed support became controversial. How far could the outside world go in challenging the existing state?

An interesting way to test the legitimacy of armed external intervention is to ask how would the world have reacted had the New Egyptian army invaded Libya in order to spread the Arab Spring? Would this have been more effective than a US/NATO action?

The answer is undoubtedly ‘yes’ – particularly if other Arab League countries had participated. This would have been unquestionable popular support for democracy and social equality and laid to rest any suspicion that the US/NATO intervention had a hidden agenda: Libya’s oil. Having said this, there are many reasons why this regional intervention did not take place; so the fact that US/NATO firepower was instrumental in toppling Gaddafi was positive. And the likelihood of a hidden agenda being successful is made more difficult by the fact that they are not physically occupying Libya. There is every chance now that Libyans themselves will determine the direction of their society.

In conclusion, the US intervention in Libya was of a very different order to the second invasion of Iraq and can be supported. In fact, one must ask why the democratic forces in Syria are not getting the same regional and global support.

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As a random aside from the sometimes drab world of international politics, you may want to venture out and buy lottery tickets online or have a browse at some of the best online casinos in the hope of never having to hear another story about US foreign intervention!

On a personal note, I'm just about at the end of a 6 month sabbatical and looking forward to my next assignment - definitely in a nation not at war this time thankfully!

I have to give a special mention in this post to my personal strategy coach who has helped me discover some pretty amazing things about myself over the last few months. If ever any of you require a personal coach or need to hire a facilitator, then I would highly recommend getting in touch with Pratish through his executive coaching site or directly through Fusionfields.

I leave for South East Asia for a short stint and then I'm back to a dream photographic assignment in Botswana. At some point in this lifetime, I will actually deliver on my promise to post my photos on this blog... Until then, enjoy!

Covering Libya and the Middle East

2011-04-03T21:36:00.005+02:00

Photography can be a very calming pastime. Often when people meet me for the first time and ask what I do for a living, the response I receive is usually associated with exactly that impression.

"Oh, you're so lucky - it must be wonderful to go around and take photos all day," they'll say. And yes, to some extent that's very true. On some assignments, however, you experience capturing moments that you would rather not. Moments that are deeply precious for those experiencing them and somewhat opportunistic for those trying to capitalise on them For me, my recent experience in Libya and the Bahrain, was exactly that.

People abroad want to get a reflection of what's happening on the ground and they rely on journalists and photographers to provide them content to help them do so. After all, how else are foreigners expected to base their decisions on whether and when their respective governments should intervene. (As though the general public ever have a say in such decisions made by their governments in any case).

Witnessing carnage and murder first hand is something I'm not sure I have the hunger or stomach for any longer. When I was younger, that type of challenge excited me. But there is an element of unpleasant consistency you see in the pain. Certainly the money is welcome, but the trauma in dealing with the atrocities you see is really not worth it and I believe I will stick to the likes of photographing sporting events like the Commonwealth Games and the joyous Cricket World Cup in the future.

Enough for now, but more soon when I recover from my trip. In the meantime I think I could definitely use some more of that executive coaching I had at the end of last year and I'm definitely going to play lottery in India in the hopes that I would never have to work again.

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If you're bored, be sure to check out some of Wonkie's latest recommended links or read up a bit more about strategy coaching here.

Making New Year's Resolutions that Count

2010-12-25T23:46:00.008+02:00

Over the last couple of years I haven't really taken out much time to ensure that everything was on track in all areas of my life. My focus has mainly been my career and to be honest I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I've photographed at some major world events this year including the Commonwealth Games in India which was certainly an unbelievable experience. Just recently I've completed a photo stint for the World Festival of Youth and Students - also amazing. Despite the disorganised nature of the event, experiencing the diversity and energy of young people was something I'll never forget.

Today was a kind of sad day - it normally is for many people that are away from their families and loved ones during this time of year. Christmas is not a great time to be alone. Sure, the day was fun and I spent some time with local friends and colleagues from the BBC and Czech newspapers, but for the first time I did miss the snow and the traditional Christmas eve dinner (carp not turkey!) in Czech Republic. it did get me thinking a bit about what I really wanted for myself in the longer term and I set out to find a decent guide to making effective New Year's resolutions.

As luck would have it I stumbled across a life coaching website that had an interesting article on the exact topic. In fact it offered a free making New Year's resolutions tool. I was rather sceptical about at first - you know, I thought it might be one of those let's fill in a personality questionnaire and we'll send you some generic email that could be applicable to anybody types. I decided to give it a try though and I'm so glad I did. The quiz was a short one - not more than 2 minutes to complete, even with some thought. The results however were really interesting - not so much the content (which was mostly my own input from the form) but the presentation of it. It gave me an incredibly clear view of what was most important to me and how well I was faring in terms of my own goals from a holistic perspective - spirituality, career, work-life balance, money, family, relationships etc. There were a series of thought-provoking questions which really struck home too - both in terms of relevance and in terms of importance.

All in all, it triggered a bit of pondering on what I want for myself for next year, 2011. More importantly, it allowed me to think of aspects of my life in relative priority which I had not really taken the time out to do before. If that's what personal life coaching is about - I'd say it's definitely worth the time. Even if you don't hire a coach - do the questionnaire... it's worth the effort! It certainly was for me. You can find the coaching questionnaire on http://lifecoach-pro.com/20101212/make-new-years-resolutions/

All the very best for 2011 - it's going to be a great year ahead!
Oli

India Commonwealth Games miracle

2010-10-09T22:47:00.006+02:00

So when I first heard about the snakes in the village where the athletes for the 2010 Commonwealth games were going to be living, I almost had a heart attack. Then with foot bridges collapsing along the way I was even more certain that the games were going to be a total disaster. What a change in organisational effectiveness when compared to South Africa when they hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup earlier this year! An MBA case study if there were ever going to be one.

Upon arrival in New Delhi, India however, both the atmosphere and actual delivery of the games has been nothing short of spectacular. In an incredible turnaround - and incredible it was - the village was ready, the opening ceremony was amazing and the athletes in India are certainly doing their nation proud. Over a dozen medals to the hosts and counting - India's largest tally in similar international athletics events to date.

Opening Ceremony - Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

Above are some of the photos of the facilities. To imagine that these were largely constructed purely for these games and were in a horrid state just last month, India has certainly pulled one out bag this time. The events have been a pleasure to watch and photograph as a freelancer - certainly one more once in a lifetime experience for me!

In other local news in Delhi, it seems some government lobbyists for India casinos licenses have been staying in my hotel near Connaught Place. The reports of corruption from the games sounds like it is barely a drop in the ocean compared to what I've been hearing in terms of the process of government regulator lobbying for gambling licenses in Assam. Gaming (of the non-sport kind!) is currently only allowed in Goa in India at present.

On the whole, the trip to India so far has been amazing as always. I was quite doubtful before I arrived but once again the media seemed to have blown things completely out of proportion in terms of their reporting. Either that, or a miracle took place in India last week!

A to Z of ZA - Positive South Africa!

2010-04-15T08:52:00.003+02:00

Just came across this pro-South Africa campaign that I think is just what the country needs - with all the negative press around these days around Malema and kill this and shoot that, it's nice to see someone promoting the good in SA. Check out A to Z of ZA

This comes at a time when despite the good energy around the world cup in 2010 in SA, there are many internal fault lines being exposed particularly in terms of service delivery.

The photo books on display truly illustrate both the diversity and the energy of the country - I'll certainly be submitting my entries soon in the hopes of securing one of those neat MacBooks!

All is well otherwise - I've been completing an African photo journal that will be published in Prague later this year. Some stunning shots in it taken at the Kruger Park last week!

Alas - no luck for the romantic

2010-04-06T17:47:00.004+02:00

Ok - So, I couldn't resist and wound up dropping the guy an email to find out if she had responded.. it turns out we met at a writer's conference quite a few years ago - talk about a small world! In any case, sadly she had not responded so he was pretty disappointed but who knows right? I still think it is probably one of the cutest things I've seen anybody do for a random stranger they've never spoken to... her loss for sure!!

On brighter news, I'm going for a leadership conference in Canada over the month of July this year - it's going to be great. It has been ages since I have photographed in Whistler, Banff, the Rockies.... sigh - I cannot wait to get going! I've just recently completed the first volume of a photo book... you know someday I will get all these formally published for more than just my friends! ;)

Romance does exist!

2010-03-18T16:00:00.003+02:00

Ok, so today by chance I stumbled onto something on the net that really made me smile. I hesitate to publish the link here as it's obviously a somewhat private message but if it made an old cynic like me gleam it... hey, here it is: Smiley-eyed Botswana girl.

This has to be the sweeeetest way for someone to get in touch with a random stranger on the net... let's hope she reciprocates and accepts the invitation - I'm half tempted to write him myself and ask! :)

What we need are a few more guys like these in the world and it would definitely be a more fun place to be.

On photo galleries and disaster photography

2010-03-04T08:49:00.005+02:00

No, I haven't forgotten to post photos on the blog just yet! I've been working on setting up a proper image gallery online with my full portfolio together with a fellow photographer and Czech journalist, Petr Venzl.. coming soon (probably even more likely to happen considering I'm not putting it together!)

It would have been great if I could have included a gallery feature directly on blogspot but I can't seem to find a way to post photos here without having to put them up individually with a blog post. That makes it quite difficult to search and sort.

I have just seen some of Petr's photos from Haiti on his recent trip there - they are amazing. He will be submitting some of them to a European photo contest and I'm certain there's a prize in there somewhere waiting for him. I'm not a huge fan of the 'disaster photo' genre but Petr's were certainly more hopeful than the likes of the winners of prizes following the tsunami in Asia a few years back.

I'll post the link to the new site as soon as it's up!

March has arrived

2010-03-01T00:12:00.004+02:00

Interest rates are still low in the UK and thankfully for most in sunny South Africa as well - it's unlikely that rates will rise in the near future given the pressure Cosatu will apply after the recent increases in the South African electricity prices and the increased fuel surchage that will kick in from the first Wednesday of April 2010.

I'm finally looking at buying a flat in Cape Town soon - all this travel has been great but I think I need a place to truly call home for a while. I've been so busy with my journalist duties I've not paid any attention at all to my blogging - let alone anything to do with my photo blog (I know, I know - I've been threatening to be consistent since 2008 and I've only just barely come around to start posting stuff on facebook!

This last weekend, I attended a 60th wedding anniversary party of one of my friends - it was awesome.. so romantic! I'll post some photos later this week... I actually went a bit old school and decided to use traditional black and white 35mm film on my old canon. Hopefully I can still recall how to develop these in a dark room!

Onward and upward!

2010-01-08T13:20:00.002+02:00

Firstly, all the very best for the New Year to all my regular readers. once again it has been awhile since I've written a place where there's a good reason for this. Our what the hey, you've heard it all before so I should not bother making excuses again! Seriously though, I hope that the new year ahead is full of optimism love and happiness for you all.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. South Africa has not collapsed into a heap as many had predicted after Jacob Zuma took power in South Africa in April last year. From what I've heard from my friends and colleagues is that the crime rate has improved significantly though. Clearly this could not be attributed directly to the new presidency however the efforts to curb crime that were promised by the state before the elections have certainly not been delivered. This year alone I had one friend that was hijacked and her house is broken into. She lost everything. Stories like these are a dime a dozen: from ATM bombings to jewellery heists committed in broad daylight in public malls across the country to hijackings petty theft and household robberies -- nothing has changed, in fact things have gotten much worse.

On the work front my photography has stalled somewhat and taken a backseat to some freelance journalist work that I was doing across the southern Africa region. The work has been quite interesting and the articles have been published in a number of European journals and newspapers over the last six months.

I am currently working on a number of websites including one with a psychiatrist friend of mine working in the UK. I have also undertaken to write for guest articles for the Wonkie cartoon blog website as well as Ira Vaidya's new site when it launched called PeachyAnna

A number of my photographs have been recently published in two journals in Slovakia. I will be publishing these photos on this website shortly too.

Again, all the best for the New Year and I hope to be much more regular in the year to come. 2010 will surely be an exciting year to be in Africa not least of which because of the 2010 FIFA World Cup that is going to be held for the first time in Africa.

A new president for South Africa

2009-05-07T17:37:00.002+02:00

Ever since the election, the mood amongst South African white people has been quite sombre. It seems there is a vloud hanging over them. Coming from Europe I guess I can appreciate the sentiment however this is not Europe now, is it? Mr Zuma certainly has had quite a battle on a number of fronts to get to where he is. His tenacity has served him well and I only hope he applies the same tenacity to his new role.

Mr Zuma will be inaugurated on Saturday - I have been covering some of the parliamentary swearing in ceremonies at the Union Buildings earlier today and security is high. Not least of which because of the attendance of Robert Mugabe on Saturday - posters are already flying around Pretoria in protest.

While Mr Zuma's appointment was pretty much a given even prior to the election, what remains to be seen is his choice of cabinet. Whether or not he appoints people based on merit will be the first indication of the medium-long term future of South Africa. Wonkie cartoons had some interesting suggestions on the Zuma cabinet - South Africa 2009. If Mr Zuma wants to start with a bang, he has an opportunity now to get rid of the dead wood in a number of departments - I hope he takes it.

Back to the blog

2009-04-08T23:43:00.003+02:00

The last couple of months have been great from a personal development point of view - I met and interacted with many interesting people in my travels across South East Asia - in particular some buddhist monks and a Rinpoche left quite an impression.. more about this later though - I've also been invited to write as part of a group blog on spirituality in the West.

It seems somewhat peculiar to return to South Africa after a long stint of this sort - with all the violence, crime and corruption (although I cannot say I am surprised that the NPA dropped charges against Jacob Zuma) - after all it was predicted last year already that this would happen. I'm glad to see that Wonkie cartoons was runner up in 2 categories in the South African blog awards .. well deserved and sorry I couldn't add my vote from the Himalayas! LOL

Anyway, I shall be posting some of my photos up over the next couple of weeks - need to acclimatise to Pretoria once more before I do anything else!

Blogs vs Factual reporting

2009-01-10T18:32:00.003+02:00

There appears to be a number of interesting debates going on with many media heavyweights across the globe including the BBC regarding the use of new technology in reporting. Notably twitter and other micoblogging services. The issues are two-fold - one is whether or not journalists and media houses should even be entertaining these unverified information sources such as twitter. The second is the involvement of journalists in creating and maintaining their own blogs leading to dilution of true news reporting.

Many commentators believe these journalist blogs such as BBC editor blogs and the South African Main & Guardian ThoughtLeader blogs hosted under the banner of media houses taints factual reporting with opinion. These commentators claim journalists spend too much time spicing up the content and not enough time penning the cold, hard facts. This, claim some critics is not the role of news agencies whose sole purpose should be to report facts.

I, for one as a journalist, believe that todays readers are considerably more sophisticated than those of the pre-Internet era. Provided twitter-type information sources are clearly labelled as unverified and journalist blogs offer comments based on the reported facts, readers will be better off. Critics of new technology should confine their criticism on how the technology is used effectively to promote communication of both news and opinion. It is not their place to determine what the public reader is capable of understanding and interpreting.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T10:49:00.002+02:00

Back with a vengeance with 2 articles published in the Czech and the UK. The New Year has been off to a great start so far. I have to say I started this year with a lot more momentum than any other years before - hopefully it will be sustained. I've cast my vote already on Wonkie already about whether I'm optimistic or not for 2009 (see Vote for 2009) - it seems like most peoplle are upbeat about the year despite the forecasts of global financial doom.

I'm well on my way to producing my first article on the SA elections that are going to be held later this year. The political personalities and their backgrounds are fascinating to say the least.

On a sadder not, I was really sad at the passing of Helen Suzman... I had had the pleasure of meeting her for an interview of sorts some time back and was truly taken aback at her strength of conviction and sense of determination. Alas having seen the South African leadership's lack of backbone in addressing the Zimbabwe crisis it seems she was the last of a dying breed.

I managed to take quite a few photos over the December break as well... Prague is beautiful in the winter :) I'll post them as soon as I get my act together with copying the photos off my camera.. soon! My New year's resolution is to be a bit more stable with the photography and reporting back on my blog!

Time for a break!

2008-12-21T14:02:00.002+02:00

I'm taking a few days off this week to catch up with admin work before I fly back to Prague for New Year.. really looking forward to that trip actually.. it's been a while since I visited and it will be nice to catch up with friends and family there. Mmm.. the thought of having carp for Christmas won't appeal as much to you no doubt but if you're Czech, it's heaven!

A few interesting developments came up over the last week. I saw a couple of my friend Pratish's cartoons on the Mail & Guardian thought leader website - e.g. see Michael Trapido's article on the controversial Zapiro cartoons and free speech - they're excellent. I have spoken to him about making some cartoons for my coverage of the SA 2009 elections .. I think that'll be amazing. Also check out his cartoon blog called Wonkie to get a feel of some of the caricature and satiristic humour.

Tragedy strikes when you least expect it

2008-12-14T23:32:00.000+02:00

Sorry for disappearing for the last 10 days .. have been spending some time with a dear friend from Zimbabwe who lost her brother in some of the recent violence in Zimbabwe. Things have deteriorated to an unbelievable level and it's had to believe the international community, particularly South Africa is just sitting around and not contributing to the solution there.

Anyway, not much in the mood for updating this now although I have taken quite a few photos over the last week.. some pretty amazing ones at that. I'll post them soon.. just too down and out at the moment to upload and resize for the blog.. soon

Visitors and more visitors!

2008-11-30T11:08:00.002+02:00

Had a guest over this weekend from London - it was great catching up after so many years. It's amazing that with some people you don't keep in touch for ages and then when you meet them again it feels like you've never been out of contact at all. I guess that's a sign of enduring friendships.

On the whole the week was quite a traumatic one.. one of my very dear friends, Joseph is a journalist and was based in Mumbai to cover some of the upcoming 20-20 cricket events. Fortunately, he wasn't caught up in all the chaos in India with the terrorist attack.. it's quite scary to think about being there. I remember speaking to Pratish, another close friend who was living in London at the time of terrorist attacks on the tube there. It was awful.. he was much closer to the blast and pure luck and what turned out to be bad (or is it good!) timing prevented him from being at his regular metro stop that day.

It's sad that the world has come to this. I do hope the catch many more of this group and do whatever it takes to neutralise them. Sorry, I don't believe in Gandhi's turn the cheek approach when it comes to this sort of thing.

A photo - finally!

2008-11-26T18:20:00.005+02:00

It's been a great week so far.. lots of action on the work front and ahead of schedule for once.. nice feeling (too bad it doesn't happen very often though!) I'm still waiting to develop some of my photos from the weekend escapade at the play.. shall post them on as soon as I get a chance.

In the meantime.. I would be curious to see any thoughts on this photo. Firstly it would be great if someone could guess what it is!

I'll give you a clue - it's not a fireworks display.. think closer to home.

Monday.. and I'm not blue!

2008-11-24T16:05:00.007+02:00

Actually I'm feeling really well today. I had a relaxing Sunday - went out with a colleague to see his daughter's play (she's 4) .. not something I'd normally do but I was feeling quite chilled out so just went with the flow. The play was titled The Grasshopper and the Ants (my friend's daughter was a cute little ant all dressed in black with adorable red antennae). I guess the play inspired me to get my act together and do some work!

I had quite a productive morning - completed one article that will be published next weekend in the UK.. that ought to pay the rent for a couple of weeks lol :) The article is basically a foreigner's commentary on South African politics and the run up to the election next year. Pratish - you're going to have to give me license to use that Julius Malema background cartoon of yours at some point - it's great!

Basically I do agree with the analysis on the cartoon blog - Malema has been at the firing end of the media guns for a while now. While he has been victimised to a certain extent it would serve people well to remember that a lot of his rhetoric is not targeted at the media - his real audience - the poor, young and uneducated - relate well to him and probably get all worked up and energised by his speeches. It's funny to see how the ANC is trying to reign him in now - articles in just about every paper about this today!

Saturday afternoon

2008-11-22T23:09:00.002+02:00

So I'm actually half enjoying this even though I'm not writing very much each day. Well - it is supposed to be a photo blog! Have taken some amazing photos over the last day .. have left my USB cable in the car though and too lazy to head out of of the house to fetch it.. lol, nice to take photos - uploading them editing and writing blog posts around them is a lot more painful (OK OK I'm lazy.. enough already!)

Getting ready for dinner.. more tomorrow!

Friday, Friday!

2008-11-21T13:58:00.005+02:00

It's Friday at last - not sure what I'm happy about considering this whole week has been like a weekend for me.. it's been great! Yesterday I just decided to take a complete break and not feel guilty about it - it was great! Think I needed the holiday actually.. am raring to go - off to take some photos this weekend .. will definitely post them on the site as promised when I started this venture earlier this week!

Pratish - liked the Obama Kenya cartoon on Wonkie... lol - not sure they'll fancy the paternity testing joke there though :)

R & S - see ya tmrow evening for dinner.. shall bring the shots from my last trip to Argentina for you.. Please sms and let me know if Nikita is coming too so I can bring her baby stuff! Have fun and catch up soon!

Help!

2008-11-19T18:12:00.003+02:00

Why can't I just get going with my writing - it's been a couple of days now and I've been quite happy catching up with research and not doing anything I've been supposed to be doing! I'm not feeling lazy at all - I want to do stuff but I just can't seem to get the kickstart I need... the difference between writing for work and writing for pleasure I guess.

Am attaching a photo of a Jamaican sunset - dreaming of the Caribbean again today!

Anyway, I'm writing the rest of the day off - perhaps I need a break.

Just can't start working!

2008-11-18T17:36:00.004+02:00

It's been a rather long and lazy day - spent most of it reading up on the history of the ANC and other South African political parties. I think the run-up to the South African elections is going to be quite an interesting one - probably not quite as entertaining as the US elections this year. It will certainly be a lot more physical and animated though!

I miss sitting around at Radost in Prague.. think I may well go back there for Christmas.. am babbling.. will write more tomorrow.

Back to work

2008-11-17T13:28:00.004+02:00

Back to work today (yes, freelancers do have work times too!) Spent a great day yesterday catching up with my friend from India. It always amazes me how calm I feel after I talk to him.

I'm writing an opinion piece on the SA 2009 elections for a paper in Europe at the moment and came across some really interesting articles over the weekend papers. One in particular in the Sunday Times by Paddy Harper was great - it was titled "A promise for every voter".

I loved the twist in Sizwe's Zuma cartoon on his cartoon blog - it always intrigues me how the general public fall for politician promises so easily and so consistently.

I know I promised to post some of my photos on the site (yes Ray the nagging will eventually work!!) - will get them up by the end of the week - promise!

Lazy Sunday

2008-11-16T09:32:00.002+02:00

Not much going on today thankfully - just out and about all day with a guest from India. Looking forward to taking a break and catching up with an old friend. Heading off to Brightwater commons and then to Montecasino for a while - gamble a little (there are no casinos - well legal ones at least - in India so the novelty will be there for my friend!), perhaps watch a movie.

Still trying to figure out how to make image and video posts here - will start taking some photos today for my photo blog element :)

Thanks!

2008-10-29T15:00:00.000+02:00

Forgot my list of thank you's to finally get this blog going - a special thanks to my colleagues Ray and Susan... mwahhh! I'm sure you're going to continue pestering me to keep this up to date as well! And Pratish what can I say.. love your cartoon blog.. can't wait to see some Czech cartoons there soon! Lol

I'll post some of the photos of my recent trip to Lesotho and Botswana next week if I can figure out how to upload things to blogger!

My first day

2008-09-15T14:38:00.000+02:00

So I've finally gotten off my cute behind and decided to start writing a blog - hopefully this will last for more than just a few days - I am determined to stick at it though! So a little about me - my name is Olga and I'm originally from Brno in the Czech Republic.. have been living in Africa now for the last 12 years and loving it.

There have been many interesting experiences here over the last decade and I hope to share some of these with you and my thoughts on current residence in South Africa. Workwise for those who don't know me I write under a pseudonym for a variety of international papers - largely on subjects of current affairs and topical local news.

Enough for today - at least it's a start to this process.. chat again soon!