Category: Politics

Beauty and the Bullets, guns and war

4/11/2014

Aiming with an AR 15

Female soldiers of the world

A few weeks back I did a post called “Ugly Beautiful” focusing on finding beauty within unlikely places, or seeing a different side of something usually perceived as ugly, that one can interpret as beautiful. Or perhaps just unveiling or uncovering some beauty by changing perspective. In this post though, it’s more of a misplaced beauty – beauty within unforgiving environs, or in places most would see as un-befitting. But, people are people and often something we see as odd or divisive, is more a reflection of ourselves than the actual state of the way things are.

Female soldiers, specifically, Special Forces; They’re rare and a part of our world that most in society don’t want to acknowledge, because on some level, it violates some moral code, or a puristic ideal and goes against what most believe being a woman is all about. This is perhaps harking back to traditionalists; where women are the nurturers and care givers, and men are the protectors and providers. However, women have immense strength, and besides, what happens when the man falls (as he so often does) – and let’s not forget that men usually go to women to glean strength and support. But really, this is just a slight demonstration of the strength of women, because they can be the best protectors and are already providers, but they can do it without forfeiting their nurturing and softer sides.

Anna Loginova.

I was going to get all philosophical about this and delve into the inequality issues and the fight that many women have been fighting for ages, but instead I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves because these ladies are simply badass – if that’s not too crude. I could've also gone into the various roles they'd played over the ages and still do today, from assassins (often in the vein of the John Le Carre coined term; honey-traps), freedom fighters or even bodyguards - the late Muammar Gaddafi was one leader known to be partial-to/fascinated-with female (virgin) bodyguards. And then there's the world's most famous (and perhaps the most beautiful and glamorous) female bodyguard: Anna Loginova. She had a successful modelling career alongside her other profession, including work for Chanel. She died in 2008 in Moscow, at the age of 29, from head injuries sustained in what authorities believed to be a random carjacking. Loginova studied martial arts and in 2005 founded an agency called Stilet (Dagger) dedicated to female bodyguards (trained by ex-KGB operatives) to provide discreet protection for Russian billionaires .
We know that women in this profession are in high demand the world over.

I'm also only handing a passing mention to past female leader's, known for their unshakeable stance when it came to conflict, strong women in history like Cleopatra, St Joan of Arc - the sword carrying saint, Queen Elizabeth I, Mbande Nzinga
Angolan Queen, 1582-1663 - who organized a powerful guerilla army to repel the Portugese settlers (eventually negotiating a peace treaty but refusing to bow to their then King), Queen Victoria, Golda Meir and the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher.
If you’re curious, there are other reasons behind my decision to post this – it’s simply because I am actually writing about it – perhaps not women soldiers in general, but my book does contain a central character which happens to be a highly qualified female operative. The fictional character's name is Ayalah Karmin, an ex-IDF paratrooper and Sayaret Matkal vet who is working freelance after a term in Mossad.
Of course when I researched this, I did not look into gender battles, but simply looked into the army, the units and disciplines, since all who achieve these exceptional feats need to meet the same exceptional standards. And then of course Israel is known for its equality in the military – with such a small country they can't afford to be stingy on who defends their country… ALL Israeli citizens are conscripted by law at the age of 18, for a mandatory 2 years of service.
Anyway, on to the gallery, (Respect):

Cathay Williams portrait - 1st official enlisted African American female Buffalo soldier in the 38th infantry. She enlisted, posing as a man, under the name William Cathay.

Maureen Dunlop, 1944 - She piloted Spitfires, Lancasters & Hurricanes in WWII.

Legendary Russian Sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko - she rose to the rank of Major and was honoured as a hero in the Soviet Red Army. Later she was also received as a hero in the UK, US and Canada.

A US Marine.

Israel

Russian military parade.

Israeli soldier on the frontlines

US women soldiers.

- "We don't thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient."
- "To be successful, a woman has to be much better at her job than a man."
--- Golda Meir

Canada

Women of the Russian military.

Italy

Israeli soldiers in training.

British Army Private Michelle Norris - Military Cross recipient 2007.

Turkish Army

Israeli army training.

1st Sgt. Monaliza Abdo is an Arab-Israeli woman who has completed her 3rd year of active service. She rose to the rank of commander in the Israeli army, instructing in counter terrorism among other threats. - (she wasn't required to enlist due to her heritage) - click the pick to visit page: "8 Female soldiers who shattered barriers in 2013" via the IDFblog.com

German women in the military - bundeswehr beret

Elizabeth Wasil overcame Iraqi combat injuries to her hip (& 3 surgeries), to become an all star army athlete in swimming, specializing in the breastroke - look out for her name as she targets a place in the 2016 US Paralympic team.

"To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be."
--- Golda Meir

Russian soldier in the trenches in WWII.

Mildred 'Micky' Axton - 1941, B-29 pilot. Starting out as a test pilot she'd soon graduate to a Women Airforce Service Pilot, or WASP in WWII.

Lyudmila Mikhailivna Pavlichenko - Sniper, 1941 - Russia - When she eventually retired due mostly to a wound from a mortar shell, she had amassed 309 confirmed kills.

“I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.”
“I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.”
--- Harriet Tubman (American escaped slave, Civil War Soldier and Abolitionist, 1820-1913)

British soldier Katrina Hodge: Corporal in the British Army Miss England '09. She enlisted in the army on a dare from her brother was nicknamed Combat Barbie after showing up to her unit wearing fake eyelashes, heels, carrying a pink suitcase. While serving in Iraq, she saved the lives of her comrades by wresting not 1 but 2 rifles from a prisoner, then knocking him out w/ her bare hands. After winning the Miss England contest in 2009, she handed over the crown returned to military service.

Swedish Special Operative.

Ukrainian soldiers line up as part of the 'Mis Desant' competition - testing weapons handling and field craft.

Israeli tank operator

Italian Army soldier - pic via David Silcox.

US soldier in civvies.

Ukrainian 'Mes Desant' participant.

Sniper with eyeliner.

- "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."
- "I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph."
-- Margaret Thatcher

Russian Army

K-9 unit

Russian Army

Lt. Shelly Markheva - IDF intelligence commander keeping watch over the Israeli Southern border against terrorist infiltration.

Unknown - via Ailenei George

Indonesian female soldiers perform martial arts to commemorate Kartini Day marking the birth of Raden Ajeng Kartini, a national heroine born in 1879, a pioneer in the area of women's rights in Jakarta

Serbian Armed forces.

Women of the Aghanistan war - British Army corporal Sandra Jordan exercises in the morning at camp Bastion.

[Image Credits: rediff.com, pinterest.com, alo.rs, yeeeeee.com, warfare.ru, moddb.com, desura.com, beautifulrus.com, news.xinhuanet.com, IDFblog.com, businessinsider.com, izismile.com, userfriendlyetc.blogspot.com, theatlantic.com]

"Daughters of the attitude that produced them, certain women will not appeal to us without the double bed in which we find peace by their side, while others, to be caressed with a more secret intention, require leaves blown by the wind, water rippling in the dark, things as light and fleeting as they are."

--- MARCEL PROUST, The Guermantes Way

"The fear of women is the beginning of knowledge."

---FRANK GELETT BURGESS, The Maxims of Methuselah

"For the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

--- RUDYARD KIPLING

Some links from the web:
8 Female soldiers who shattered barriers in 2013 (IDFBlog)
Women in the Armies of the World, 70 pictures
Most Impressive women in the military 2013 (businessinsider)

Related links from this site:
Captivating - Unveiling the mystery of a woman's soul - Book Review
God's Message to Women

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Tipping the 1st Domino

3/25/2014

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The pieces of war - returning to Israel for another look [PART 3], as Ukraine's civil unrest and the Kremlin's Crimea land-grab begs our attention, Forces within the Middle East haven't stopped their maneuverings. They never do...

“Never has there been a good war or a bad peace.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Once and for all the idea of glorious victories won by the glorious army must be wiped out. Neither side is glorious. On either side they're just frightened men messing their pants and they all want the same thing - not to lie under the earth, but to walk upon it - without crutches.” – Peter Weiss

An Objective look at Israel Part 3:

Israel have tempered the foul winds of conflict, and the threat thereof, since the country was born, or reborn. If there is one thing they must have learnt by now, it is how NOT to pull the trigger. The professionals are exceedingly good at doing just that, and killing in every way known and/or discovered. There are people dedicated to studying the ‘art’ of killing – simply finding new and devious ways of taking a human life, and hiding any trace of outside interference. This, is the machine that the region and a warring history has created.

With enemies pronouncing their intentions outright, and being such a small country, and the only Jewish state in the Middle East, they have been, and have needed to be ever prepared for the summons of war. Shortly (as in 24 hrs later) after David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s Independence in 1948, they were under siege by 5 countries. One could go as far as to say, Israel lives with war as a house guest, or even a spouse.

So, in walking this hard path, the nation has learned what it takes to survive, and what’s needed to keep ones enemies at bay. The Israelis are experts at manipulating global warring politics to suite their agenda. The fact is, that many believe this to be the region where a possible (some believe it to be inevitable) World War 3 will be launched. The pieces are certainly in place, or the foundations have been laid, and as most of us know, we are closer to the brink than it looks; actually most times many men and women are hard at work to steer the world away from ruin, and Israel are at the centre of all this, playing both protagonist and antagonist as it suits them.
They are no saints. I would say that looking at things within their borders that, though they are God’s chosen nation, they have strayed very far from his will, from his commandments – in the simple treatment of your fellow man – “do unto others”.

That being said, the IDF is one of the most ruthless, and equally accurate armies in the world. Proficiency is everything; and they, more than most, are mindful of the consequences of their actions, or inactions.

“Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent.” – Isaac Asimov

The world is quick to pick out their shortcomings and trespasses (not that the Knesset seems to care) due in part to their uncompromising nature, but how big of a role has Israel played in preventing war? This of course is not something that can be measured easily (and then one could say that they’re already engaged in a ‘passive’ war with Palestine), but the strange complex of the matter is, how much human life has been spared by a state which has forgotten the very value of it?

So this then is a brief look at that first weathered and scorched domino which remains standing, and Israel, the nation which has worked hard not to topple it, because to do so, would not benefit anyone. Perhaps the reason it has not proverbially fallen, is because the Knesset’s index finger hovers over it, poised to set it all in motion on its own.

Am I overestimating Israel’s role? I doubt it, though I do acknowledge the larger players at hand, players that are hard (if not impossible) to control or manipulate, just casting my thoughts to the recently voted Forbes’ ‘World’s most powerful man of 2013’, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin. It is thus quite amazing that such a small nation like Israel can punch well above their weight and exact so much power globally, by guile and simply shadow tactics.

What if their stance toward Palestine were only a grand distraction?

I have always asked myself when trying to consider both sides of conflict: What do they know that I, or we, don’t? What are we NOT told? Hence, it is easy to judge (and Israel does make it easy to be seen as the bad guys), but in this crazy world, who are the good guys really?

Should we be content, just so long as that domino remains standing? – Well I suppose we have to be. On the one hand we have dirt and shame, and on the other we have only blood and pain. Or have I been looking at this all wrong; could Israel, the state, be that first domino? And who would benefit from WW3?

There’s no honour left in war (perhaps a topic for another day).

“They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.” – Ernest Hemmingway

Another domino - different country…

With Russia taking back Crimea in the wake of the Ukrainian riots and unseated president, we’ve once again been witness to another close shave with war. It is only that a number of parties have NOT involved themselves that we’ve avoided a fallout because at the moment Russia, or the Kremlin, or rather Vladimir Putin (the former FSB spook) is doing what he wants. The sanctions that western powers have imposed on selective Russian politicians, many part of Putin's inner circle, are superficial – it’s the least they can do, and at the very least makes them look like they’re not doing nothing about it.

This is one arena wherein America cannot get involved because the history just runs too deep, though mostly they just fear Russia, and they should.

So whilst all this goes on, we’ve yet to mention the other Far East ‘elephant’ in the arena -so far as danger and unpredictability goes – North Korea.

As we can see, with the world powers, some random jihadists or an ill judged trigger pulled, all ever ready to take the shape of the catalyst, all forming elements dancing around that one domino, which does seem to shift toward any two parties concerned who get a little too close... we’re that far from disaster. What has been highlighted by at least one news broadcaster, is the immense discipline displayed by the Russian Forces in Crimea - yes there was a few exchanges of gunfire, but by all accounts, it was a peaceful takeover, avoiding mass bloodshed. Knowing full well the path that no one wants to take seems to have everyone, including the west, tiptoeing around, because just as bad as all out war is, the threat thereof is an ancient tool of intimidation.
- Lets not forget that many Russian's have family in both Crimea and Ukraine (especially in the Russian speaking/dominated Eastern half), so war will benefit no one...

Kyrgyzstan is set to name a mountain after Vladimir Putin - whilst he has warned Russians against forming a personality cult around him.

Some recent Vladimir Putin quotes:

“Some Western politicians are already threatening us with not just sanctions, but also the prospect of increasingly serious problems on the domestic front. I would like to know what it is they have in mind exactly: action by a fifth column, this disparate bunch of ‘national traitors’, or are they hoping to put us in a worsening social and economic situation so as to provoke public discontent? We consider such statements irresponsible and clearly aggressive in tone, and we will respond to them accordingly.”

When Putin called out the West for hypocrisy over Kosovo: “We keep hearing from the United States and Western Europe that Kosovo is some special case. What makes it so special in the eyes of our colleagues? It turns out that it is the fact that the conflict in Kosovo resulted in so many human casualties. Is this a legal argument? The ruling of the International Court says nothing about this. This is not even double standards; this is amazing, primitive, blunt cynicism. One should not try so crudely to make everything suit their interests, calling the same thing white today and black tomorrow. According to this logic, we have to make sure every conflict leads to human losses.”

Putin alluding to the West and their disregard for International law - if they can do it, so can he...

"Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains." -- Vladimir Putin

[Image credits: theglaringfacts.com, euangelizomai.blogspot.com, desertpeace.wordpress.com, obeygiant.com, rt.com, telegraph.co.uk, businessinsider.com, cnn.com, cbsnews.com, washingtonpost.com]

Related articles on this blog:
An Objective look at Apartheid Israel
Israel: An Objective look, Part 2
5 Reasons Ukraine is Rioting
Protests of the world in Pictures

Picture quotes above from: Top 10 Powerful quotes from Putin's historic Crimea address

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The Spy who came in from the cold - 50th Anniversary Book Review

9/12/2013

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To the day – the 12th of September 1963 – John Le Carré’s "The Spy who came in from the cold" hit bookstore shelves. To celebrate, I decided to finally get round to reading it.

It’s been labelled many things, including ‘the definitive spy story’ or ‘the best spy story ever written’, and in many ways forms as the signature John Le Carré novel. It took me a few years and two attempts to get around to reading it, but then again my first attempt was hampered by my own impatience. Older and wiser, I've finally taken the vaunted steps into this dark world.

Plot Synopsis
In the height of the Cold War,and the shadows of the iron curtain, the British Intelligence hatch a plan to entrap a high level German officer. The plan though, involves a Trojan-horse like operation that may result in them knowingly sending one of their own agents to his death.

Target

When I first attempted to read this I was still a teenager, and couldn’t get to grips with the initial pacing. So the target is a more mature reader. But you grow accustomed to the pace as well as the style of the narrative – as certain things occur in an atypical timeline, learning of conversations and events that have already happened, to punctuate and better explain events in the present. Once you’re in the groove though, the pages will turn quite swiftly.

“... I chose le Carré. God alone knows why, or where I had it from.”
>> David Cornwell on choosing his iconic pseudonym

John Le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell) - photo from mhpbooks.com

Bottom Line

Painted by the dull colours of his time in the service, David John Moore Cornwell – pen name John Le Carré – had to forcibly retire from British Intelligence (MI5/MI6) in the 60’s because of the success of “Spy”. British tabloids somehow got hold of his true identity and the rest is history.

Most of the great authors of the era tend to have some inside knowledge of the game (Robert Ludlum had his sources and friends within the CIA, Frederick Forsyth used his journalistic research skills for ‘The Day of the Jackal’), so the gritty and cold realism of his third novel seemed too good to be true in many respects. True enough, the world had never seen a book like it. It was, and still is the antitheses of the Spy novel we’re used to; namely the glossy, quirky, action packed and romanticized 007 archetypes. There are no gadgets or posh locations here, its all stark and in shadows, or alternatively, cold blinding and all exposing light.

What struck me was the way Cornwell describes characters and makes the ‘grey area’ of the spy world so apparent. Seldom do you find a villain so grating and sinister simply by the nature of the description of the character’s physical appearance. The antihero is a man you wouldn’t ordinarily like… and that is essential to the tormented beauty of this story – it’s simply about people, who happen to find themselves on opposing sides of a wall. They may of course have different values, opinions and beliefs, but when you disregard the dividing lines, it’s hard, or impossible to tell them apart and decipher the good from the bad. Of course the pace does quicken, but it's more of a tightening, and the tension in the climatic scenes is unparalleled.

If you enjoy this genre, then of course it goes without saying that this is a must read, a ‘must own’ even. It is a cold hard hammer of a spy story.

Sometimes we do a thing in order to find out the reason for it. Sometimes our actions are questions not answers.
John Le Carre, Magnus Pym in "A Perfect Spy"

Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the upcoming film adaptation of 'A Most Wanted Man' - also starring Rachel McAdams, Daniel Bruhl and Robin Wright

Plainly put, there are two sides to every story, or genre… in the spy world, there’s the two polar opposites as mentioned above, and then there’s everything in between. It speaks volumes that in modern culture producers, filmmakers and storytellers have seemingly sought to find the balance or blend between the two worlds of espionage. Even Timothy Dalton aimed to dirty things up with a darker and grittier James Bond in his 1980’s incarnation, a dynamic that has been taken to heart in the latest Daniel Craig version, all to keep up with the times, with a wiser audience to cater for. David Cornwell set a trend, and continued it with his subsequent George Smiley novels, and that is a hallmark. It may not have been Cornwell’s first release, but this was the one that got him noticed in a big way, it was the one that made him…

Film:

Richard Burton 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965)

The Spy who came in from the Cold was adapted for film starring Richard Burton as the fatigued and burnt out Alec Leamus and Rupert Davies as George Smiley. In 2011 we saw the release of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” with Gary Oldman playing Smiley. David Cornwell’s sons have been spearheading the new wave of film adaptations with "A Most Wanted Man" to be released later this year (based on the Le Carré novel of the same name) starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The timing of the latter release earmarks it for award season attention. The trailer – Coming Soon! There's also a sequel to Tinker Tailor in the pipeline. The films have also rekindled the interest as book sales have spiked, with new and younger audiences drawn in to rediscover a literary legend and his collection of genre defining works.

The 23rd and latest John Le Carre novel: 'A Delicate Truth'; view the Book trailer below.

This of course all this, stories, novels and films, tell of a very amoral world, where men and women hold themselves to higher or simply a standard removed from everyone else, a world constantly aware of the puppet strings, the walking wounded – it is cold and dark and unromantic, yet for the larger population it intrigues us to no end… suffice is to say, we’d rather read about, and watch it on the silver screen than actually live it. But, for those who do, us novelists (me in my infancy as it is - I do aim to emulate the greats - and this is timely inspiration) try to tell their stories, amplify their voice in whichever way we can, and to take a line form the book, (because sometimes that voice is hard to hear, the message either plainly simple or incoherently convoluted in the grey stage of world politics and economics, and war)

“Once she had cried out, and there had been no echo, nothing. Just the memory of her own voice.”
>> 'The Spy who came in from the cold' - John Le Carré

Visit Author John Le Carré's official site at www.johnlecarre.com

For an in depth interview to get a deeper sense of Cornwell the man, his personal life and what he’s up now in all his 81 year old glory, follow the link to an interview conducted by Dwight Garner for the New York Times earlier this year. We get to hear his thoughts on the modern Spy world as well as his sentiments about modern media and politics, even his views on the film Zero Dark Thirty. Article: John le Carré Has Not Mellowed With Age

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world"
>> John Le Carré

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We Steal Secrets - Coming Soon

7/18/2013

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News surrounding Edward Snowden continues to dominate headlines, another "secret spilling" case tied directly to Wikileaks is coming to light in the form of a documentary film that looks, and reportedly feels, like an espionage thriller.
As a film "We Steal Secrets' only received an average rating on IMDB, but interestingly was rated by Rotten Tomatoes at 94% - either way, it will be an interesting watch.

Synopsis:
This film basically tells the story of Wikileaks - quite possibly the biggest phenomena to hit the internet and modern media (It's amazing that Wikileaks was only started in 2006!). Put together by acclaimed Director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, 2007 - 100% on RT - watch trailer here) and featuring in depth behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with founder Julian Assange, with prominent focus on the Bradley Manning affair. It covers a variety of cases involving government secrets - particularly the US, and how the managers of the website (and their sources) are treated like "most wanted" criminals.

It once again poses that question of transparency - what information should we be privy to, if not all... in light of at least one Pentagon official's belief that government cannot run without secrets.
It's another look (for this director) at what goes on in the shadows, and what really happens when (US) governments get scared - or what the public may learn about their methods...

My comment:
I've always been a believer in that credo that 'a government should be afraid of those they govern' - not the other way around. Secrets are just another medium for government to instil fear and thence manipulate the people.
Sex Scandal:
It seems that the trend for most governments - when faced with an intelligence leak and possibly compromising and damaging information comes to light in the public - immediately rely on a smear campaign against the would-be whistle-blower which invariably involves a sex scandal of some kind. It seems like the easiest and dirtiest trick in the book, to try and "drag their name through the mud". Maybe its because so many politicians are caught with their pants down, so this is their way of getting their own back, sort of... although, how many scandals don't we know about.
Everyone's guilty of something - but who do you believe? Certainly not the government...

The Fifth Estate - the Hollywood biopic film on Julian Assange

This film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC TV's Sherlock Holmes, for those in the dark or sleeping under a rock) as Assange, looks to be touted as an Oscar contender. It also stars Daniel Bruhl.

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Eight wars and Eleven rocks

11/1/2012

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In the thorns and the cross-hairs:

Liberation movements – strange thing about them – labelled outlaws, terrorists, revolutionaries, enemies of the state….

Ideals change, men change, so do politics and thence, perhaps most of all, people… people are the most fickle.

“I choose God before man” – Rev. Beyers Naude

People are complex, forever in a struggle to find out who we are, what we’re here for. And so now, in the modern quest for globalization – although it has been an idea for quite some time now, since the inception of colonialism – making the world one country, seeking integration, unity, solidarity, love and all that good stuff, in a world getting ever ‘smaller’ – are we not discarding ourselves? We constantly (without reward) seem to be seeking answers in each other.

I made an earlier post about heritage, and remembering where we all came from; to not discard our past and to preserve our culture, yet this means to oppose the concept on globalization on some level.

Of course a part of the concept of the global village is to accept each and all equally, flaws and imperfections included, and unite under the banner of humanity. However, as is very easy to surmise and gather when looking at the world today; things are becoming ever more superficial, run by capitalistic ideas and motives. Thankfully, certainly from my perspective, the larger portion of society is waking up to see that ideals are not as black and white as they assumed it was – there was never the simple ‘good guy bad guy’ complex in world politics – we were just led to side with certain nations over others, when in fact guilt can be laid equally on all sides.

Propaganda. Humanity. Opinion. Belief.

Strange hey? Although it is our differences that make us unique – through all the beauty – it is those same differences that has been the cause for so much conflict.

Many would support the idea of maintaining traditions – the good ones at least – to retain some notes of cultures from all corners of the globe, for it is that which weaves such a colorful and diverse tapestry.

As we move headlong and with gaining momentum into an uncertain future, we should always reflect, remember, pause and breathe new and perhaps better life into one of the few certainties of this life – our past. To briefly shed the complexities and distractions of today.

I had such a moment a few weeks back while visiting Freedom Park in Pretoria. The center piece of the park is the wall of names (S'khumbuto - meaning, among other things "place of remembrance") with all those who died in the eight major conflicts that shaped the nation, with particular emphasis on honoring those who died in the name of peace, human rights and the freedom and liberation of South Africa.

Those conflicts are:

Pre-Colonial Wars
Slavery
Genocide
Wars of Resistance
The South African War
World War I
World War II
Struggle for Liberation (against Apartheid)

In total, up until 1994, the nation of South Africa had been at war for over 500 years.

However, it’s not just about recognizing those souls, but also laying them to rest. Something which should be mimicked in every country, in some way, is the concept of Isivivane (derived from the word “viva” – in this instance carrying the meaning of “commitment to solidarity”, “unity of purpose” and “coming together”) – the place of healing and rest. This is the symbolic burial ground for all those who died. Isivivane is crucial to Freedom park, built to enhance awareness and inspire commemoration. Arriving at the site, one is required to remove your shoes as a sign of respect. This was also the site where a host of religious leaders held ceremonies and rituals to lay to rest those fallen heroes. No matter your belief, it is hard not to be moved by this experience which is concluded (after receiving an in depth explanation as to the relevance and meaning of the surrounds) by washing your hands and face in a rock pool of fresh water. Everything here holds some meaning; even the type of trees planted, and the method for entering and exiting (through separate pathways).

The actual burial ground – some would liken it to the tombstone of the site – is the ring of boulders. In addition to the two boulders denoting National government and the International community, there are 9 other boulders from the 9 provinces in South Africa, all with Historical significance.

For example, the boulder from the Limpopo province is from a site once ruled by one of the earliest kingdoms on the sub-continent who traded gold with India and Egypt. The boulder from the Western Cape is from the Table Mountain range – one of the oldest mountains in the world. The biggest rock is from Mpumalanga province, a piece of green Verdite from the recorded 3.5 million year old Barberton Green-stone belt (yes, one side of the rock really does have a green hue to it).

If you ever get the chance, I recommend visiting this rich place, to get away from our usual everyday ebb and flow.

For those unable to visit the park, feel free to visit the website at Freedom Park.

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Shapiro Rules!!!

10/29/2012

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News update: How to win when you already lost.

Charges dropped. Court case avoided. A victory for freedom of speech and political satirist cartoonist Jonathon Shapiro. But! - Jacob Zuma... tut tut. He and the ANC - we shouldn't be surprised - sees it as a victory for the them... Why?

A victory for Freedom of Speech
Hence a victory for South African media, journalism, art and politics
Ergo, A victory for the ANC... just before their conference for leader elections

-- In other words; a typical political response! in some way, one kind of has to admire them, sort of, in a weird way... only a little

Shapiro SA Flag from whatishappeninginsouthafrica.blogspot.com

Jonathon Shapiro. click image to visit his site.

And now for the weather: Hurricane Sandy

image from nydailynews.com (projection)

Making landfall later this evening (USA eastern time) 90 mile/140 km an hr winds, 1600 km diameter...
My friends say they're safe... I'm keeping y'all in prayer!

image from guardian.co.uk (a few hours ago)

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Beauty and the Bullets, guns and war

Female soldiers of the world

Tipping the 1st Domino

The Spy who came in from the cold - 50th Anniversary Book Review

We Steal Secrets - Coming Soon

The Fifth Estate - the Hollywood biopic film on Julian Assange

Eight wars and Eleven rocks

In the thorns and the cross-hairs:

Shapiro Rules!!!

News update: How to win when you already lost.

And now for the weather: Hurricane Sandy

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Beauty and the Bullets, guns and war

Female soldiers of the world

Tipping the 1st Domino

The Spy who came in from the cold - 50th Anniversary Book Review

We Steal Secrets - Coming Soon

The Fifth Estate - the Hollywood biopic film on Julian Assange

Eight wars and Eleven rocks

In the thorns and the cross-hairs:

Shapiro Rules!!!

News update: How to win when you already lost.

And now for the weather: Hurricane Sandy

WRITINGWITH ​A CAPE

FROM MY DESK:

Top Topics:

Archives

BLOGROLL

Categories

WRITING
WITH
A CAPE