R.I.P Mandela

I found out about Mandela's death via social media. Though deep down I knew the passing of Nelson Mandela would occur during my lifetime it is something that I did not want to accept. Even when Mandela took a turn for the worse in hospital a few months back I kept praying that he wouldn't die. Unfortunately the day I was dreading came on 5 December 2013.

I remember first learning about Mandela in my latter years of Primary school from my teacher who was a South African. She told us about Mandela's imprisonment and played us a song and the lyrics were "free Nelson Mandela, free Nelson Mandela" (you can youtube it "The Specials - Nelson Mandela"). That was a song I never forgot

Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo a small village in South Africa. His birth name was Rolihlahla Mandela. His first name in Xhosa means "pulling the branch of a tree" and "trouble maker". He was given the name Nelson by his school teacher on his first day of school because in those days it was common for African children to be given Christian and English names.

I was going to spend the majority of this blog post summarising his life but that is something you can easily read on Wikipedia. Instead I am now going to focus on what can be learned from Mandela's life.

The thing about Mandela's life which strikes me the most was his imprisonment for 27 years. Pause. TWENTY SEVEN years!!! I haven't even lived for 27 years, I still have a few years to go until I reach that age. During his imprisonment Mandela was not allowed to attend the funerals of his mother and son. He was only allowed visitors once every 6 months and he missed out on his children growing up. He spent 18 of those years on Robben Island. He endured hard labor which included breaking rocks which affected his lungs (and I believe that was a contribution towards his death). This is a lot for any human being to go through.

When he was finally set free in 1990 he FORGAVE those who did this inhumane act against him. His main focus was reconciliation not revenge. If I went through what Mandela did I would want revenge on those who inflicted this on me. Taking 27 years of my life that I can't get back somebody will have to pay. Luckily Mandela didn't have my kind of mindset. It takes a really strong person to be able to forgive those who committed such an inhumane act against them. From this we can learn the importance of forgiveness, the Bible says "Forgive those who persecute you" as hard as it is, it's something we must try, that person who disrespected you, that person who hurt you, we have to learn to let go and forgive. If more people in the world forgave the world would be a much more peaceful place because far too many people die as a result of revenge and retaliation.

From Mandela I have also learned that it is important to stand up for what is right and what you believe in. He was a courageous man who was prepared to die for what is right.

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. - Mandela

How many of us are willing to die for what is right? not many of us including myself. But I do believe sometimes we do need to speak up against whats wrong whether its at work, school, home etc. There are times we may witness something which we know is wrong but do not want to get involved so we keep our mouths shut. Staying quiet will not bring change, we need to be more courageous. Standing up for what is right will not make everybody happy.  Mandela was labelled a terrorist because he was fighting against what was wrong in society. Sometimes we focus so much on what people will think about us but we shouldn't. As long as you are doing the right thing that's what matters.

Mandela achieved a tremendous amount in his life. He fought against apartheid, he fought against inequality and he was a great leader. Because of the contributions he made in his life the whole world is mourning his death. To have leaders from all over the world to attend his memorial, to have millions of people on social media post his pictures and share his quotes shows how great of a person he was. I hope most of the world leaders can learn from the example set by Mandela. Starting as boy from a small African village to becoming one of the greatest men to ever walk this earth. This shows that you do not have to come from wealth & privilege in order to be great. What you are today does not define what you will be tomorrow.

I am currently reading Mandela's Autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom" and I hope to finish reading it before the film based on the book is released. Here is the trailer

I'm not African!

Africa aka the Motherland, where life began. However the depiction of Africa and its people are usually negative. When some people think of Africa they think of this:

Africa seems to be synonymous with poverty and hunger. Yes there are Africans that live in poverty but it doesn't mean that the WHOLE of Africa is like that. The same way not everybody in Europe is rich.  The Western media has been consistent in portraying ONLY the negative aspects of Africa which influences people's perception of the continent. Because of this negative perception some people do not want to be associated with Africa. I have come across people of African descent who deny their African roots or take it as an insult when they are called African. There are black people who will state how they are mixed with Latino, Asian or White, which is not an issue but then say it like it is a badge of honor as if being mixed is better than being just "black". Even when it comes to beauty some of our standards are distorted. With the European standard of beauty certain African features are viewed as ugly such as having dark skin, kinky hair, flat nose and thick lips.This reminds me of Malcom X's speech "Who taught you to hate yourself" This ideology has also affected some black communities where being a lighter skinned black person with more European like features seems to be viewed as more attractive. Unfortunately the issue of Colorism (the whole light skin v dark skin issue which has its roots in slavery and colonization) is still prominent.

Can we blame people for having this mentality when it is something they have been fed with for years by society? especially by institutions such as slavery, colonization, religion and the education system

During the trans-atlantic slave trade Christianity was distorted and used as a tool to justify the enslavement of black people. The story was called "The curse of Ham". This story talks about when Noah was drunk and his son Ham saw him naked. Ham went and then told his brothers who then covered Noah's nakedness. Because Ham didn't cover his fathers nakedness  Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan  (so far this is all in Genesis 9, now here is when the distortion comes in) As a result of this curse Hams descendants had blackened skin. Therefore having black skin was seen as a curse.

Even in the education system when we are taught about black history we are mostly told that Africans were slaves, but we are never taught about African Kings and Queens. They never tell you that Africa had some of the most powerful empires in the world such as the Ghana Empire and Mali Empire. They never tell you that the worlds very first university was in Africa, The University of Timbuktu in Mali which taught sciences, maths, geography and medicine in the 12th century.They never tell you that some of the greatest inventions such as the clock, traffic light, mobile phone, typewriter etc were created by people of African descent.

Africa is a land rich in culture, music, dance, art and history. Never feel ashamed whether you come straight from Africa, or you are a descendant of enslaved Africans, or you're part of the African diaspora. You should never allow yourself to feel ashamed or inferior because of your African heritage. The language you speak, the food you eat, the way you look should not make you feel less than your European counterparts. The world would not be what it is today without the contribution of Africans.

I am pro black and believe that in God's eyes all humans all equal, our differences make us unique and beautiful. I believe that the years of racism, degradation, oppression and  brainwashing that countless black people have endured has caused an inferiority complex within the minds of many black people. I want to uplift those who are a victim to this and do not know and understand the true beauty of their African roots. As Marcus Garvey said "A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots". I have been doing research into African history and will be doing a blog post series on it. Here are a couple of pictures of the Africa they never show you

Nairobi

Ghana

The Church - The House of God or a Business Enterprise?

*Disclaimer: This is a controversial topic that I am going to discuss. This is my own opinion on the subject matter which you may or may not agree with. This is not an attack on the Church but a critique of those who exploit the institution of the Church for personal monetary gains.

As someone who likes to watch Reality TV shows I came across a new reality show called "Preachers of LA"  I was very skeptical at first, I thought to my self "Oh gosh why? this show is going to portray Christianity in the most negative way possible!". Out of curiosity I decided to watch the show. There were both negative and positive elements to this show. One thing I didn't like was the flaunting of all the material wealth these preachers had. The big houses, expensive cars, swimming pools etc. However the main thing that really stuck out to me was a discussion between the preachers about whether it is right for preachers to be charging high fees to speak at churches. One preacher (Deidrick Hatton) was asking whether it is right to charge churches and whether fees can be lowered in order to accommodate to smaller churches that can not afford their high fees. Another preacher (Clarence McClendon) pretty much said if a church can't afford his fees he can not  speak there. The debate sparked an argument between these two preachers. I did agree with Deidrick because he raised the point that Jesus didn't charge anyone in order to spread the message however the other preachers kept saying the church is a business enterprise.

In reality it does seem that the institution of the church is being exploited by people in order to make money. As someone who grew up in the Christian faith I have seen a number of sermons, I have been to different churches, attended conventions and seen a number of different Pastors preach. I have witnessed a couple of preachers who made me question their real motive for becoming Pastors because they appeared to be very materialistic and money motivated. I remember seeing one Pastor brag about a new Mercedes Benz he bought directly from Germany, I've also witnessed another Pastor talk about the 5* star hotels he stays in and the expensive cars he owns. I was thinking to myself since these "Men of God" are financially well off why do they require the money from the church congregation who are struggling financially. Some of who are unemployed, have low level jobs or are on benefits but these richer Pastors are taking their money. I even heard about a Pastor who preached at a church and when the church paid him - sorry I mean "blessed" him, he complained that the money he received was too low. I couldn't believe a man of God will do such a thing.

I understand that some Pastors don't have a job so depend on income from the church in order to live (like everyone else they also have bills to pay), that I don't have an issue with. But for those Pastors who are well off and use their congregations money to fund their lavish lifestyles is something that I disagree with especially when the majority of their congregation are from a low economic background.

I now want to address "seed sowing". To those unfamiliar with this concept it is when you give a an amount of money (sowing) in order to receive some kind of blessing from God (reaping). I believe in the principle of sowing and reaping BUT I disagree with those Pastors who tell the congregation how big their seed should be. I've heard a Pastor ask a congregation if anyone wants to sow a seed of a minimum £500 (WHAT?! does he think that money grows on trees?). I think you should sow whatever amount you feel in your heart you want to give, after all God looks at your heart over the amount of money you give.

(However God explicitly mentions tithing in the bible and that Christians should contribute 10% of their earnings to the church. That I agree with  because it is a biblical principle)

On radio shows and on some Christian channels there are Pastors who invite viewers/listeners who are going through hard times in their life to call in so that the Pastor can pray for them but...wait for it.....you have to pay a fee!. Paying for prayer? where is this in the Bible? I can't find it, if someone knows where this is please let me know! otherwise I might as well keep praying for myself for free.

Church has become a money making scheme and this epidemic is happening internationally. From America with some of these mega churches to Africa where churches are popping up left right and center to Europe. There have been a few documentaries exposing these false preachers.

I am totally against exploiting the poorer in society especially in the name of God in order to make a greedy person rich. What happened to the Pastors who preach out of their love for God? the churches that built schools and helped the homeless? the Christian missionaries who dedicated their lives to building poorer communities? I do believe they exist but they are now being overshadowed by these false prophets. It seems that a proportion of the church has deviated from the teachings of Christ. I'm sure if money was taken out of the equation many of these preachers would not be preachers.

The bible warns us of  false prophets

" But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you." (2 Peter 2:1)

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

As sad that it is that there are people knowingly deceiving thousands in order for monetary gain, there are still genuine Pastors out there and churches that have helped the lives of many people. I guess with good there is also evil. Just be careful who you listen to and who you choose to give your money to. Let the bible and the Holy Spirit be your guide.

The Woman

The lips, thighs, breast, eyes, we are the ultimate men's desire. Out of Adam's ribs the woman was created to be the companion of man because God knew "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18). Women are the creator of life, we nurture the future generations, we love unconditionally , we make it a priority to take care of others before ourselves.

But sometimes when I look at what some women are and it is upsetting.

It seems that we tolerate a lot of things that devalue our being. We tolerate the cheating, being verbally/physically abused, being disrespected, being used, being treated as objects.

We allow men to dictate our worth. Why is our worth dependant only on our physical attributes? It seems that these days having a big ass seems more important than having a degree.

This is the reason why a lot of us have low self esteem. We place our worth on the wrong things and when we don't look a certain way then we feel bad about ourselves. Low self esteem makes some of us sexualise and degrade ourselves. The strippers, prostitutes, glamour models, video vixens, the girl who sleeps with rich guys, the girl who posts pics in her underwear to get likes on instagram, the girl who goes from man to man because she's searching for love, the girl whose face is always caked in make up, the girl who is willing to go through dangerous procedures to enhance her body. Low self esteem even has some of us being content with being a mistress or sidechick. We yearn for attention more than respect.

The media plays its part, we see these models and female celebrities and aspire to be like them. When we have people like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian in the spotlight no wonder some girls are the way they are. Even the way women are portrayed on some reality TV shows where being degraded is the norm. It is okay to be disrespectful, it is okay to be a side chick, it is okay for him to keep cheating on you, it is okay to be his baby mama when he has no intention of  marrying you, it is okay to become successful because of who you slept with. This is the detrimental culture which our young girls are seeing. Any female can open their legs to a man, thats easy but it takes a strong woman to work hard and use her intellect to build a name for herself. 

We need to see women who use their brains, not just their beauty or vagina to succeed in the world. It is a shame that the media does not bombard us with images of female doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, engineers, academics etc.

We seemed to have lost our worth and as a result there are men out there who don't respect women. "I only respect women who respect themselves" a phrase I've heard many times. However it does show that men will treat us how we allow them to. As long as we tolerate BS we will keep receiving BS, we need to have standards on how we should be treated.

A man should be the one to protect us not hurt us, give us love not pain, provide not take away, lead us not deceive us, respect us not dishonor us, take care of us not abandon us to raise our children by ourselves.

We shouldn't be allowing unworthy men into our lives giving them the opportunity to take advantage. God made women to become a WIFE to a man ("That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh" Gen 2:24) not just an object for whenever he wants to penetrate. Stop settling for less, you should be with someone you deserve, don't just settle for the first man that comes by.

Stop allowing your past experiences to define you and make you feel less than you are, we've all made mistakes. Know your worth. Be a goal digger not gold digger, work on becoming a better woman. You are more than just a cute face, big ass and vagina. You are valuable. Women are Queens, and should be treated like royalty. Queens deserve a King who will love, respect, protect and cherish them. Learn to love yourself first. You are beautiful and deserve the best. After All without women where would men be?

Girlfriend : Babe, what's your favorite position ? 

Boyfriend : When I get on one knee and make you my wife

Don't settle for being his side chick

Be with a King who will make you his Queen

Written by Dinah

Eric Thomas live at The Mermaid

What up what up what up!! Its ya boy....Ok I'll stop lol

On Saturday 27th April I had the opportunity to see my favorite motivational speaker (though he doesn't like that term) Eric Thomas live in the flesh! The experience was indescribable.

Last December Eric announced that he would be coming to do a tour in London and that tickets were on sale. I knew I could not afford to miss this opportunity so I made sure I bought my ticket. I can honestly say that was one of the best investments I had ever made.

I first discovered Eric when I saw his youtube video "Secrets to Success" while I was a student at university. I was literally in awe after watching it. Since then I subscribed to his YouTube Channel and followed him on twitter. Every Monday I look forward to his video's Thank God Its Monday (TGIM) . The way he is able to motivate people and change the way they look at life is just amazing. His words are able to touch you so much that you think to yourself "I need to change the way I live my life".

On the day of the event I was really excited, I got to the venue early and the queue was already looong! It made me realise the amount of people that Eric impacts. When I finally got into the auditorium I had my pen and notepad ready. When Eric came onto the stage everyone was excited and the energy was crazy. He spoke for about an hour but it didn't feel that long because his message was so captivating. I didn't want it to end, I wish he had more time to speak (coming from me that is saying alot because concentrating during uni lectures and church sermons that long is a real struggle for me lol). I was writing notes during the event as if I was in a university lecture. By the end I had pages of notes written down. One thing he said at the start was that by the end he wants us (the audience)  to leave as changed people. I can honestly say that he did accomplish that. At the end Eric received a standing ovation from the audience. His message was more deeper than that of his TGIM videos. There is no way you could have been at that event and his words didn't touch you in a certain way. I can't even put into words how I felt. Seriously I AM going to make the REST of my life the BEST of my life.

Here are a few quotes from the event:

"You are not where you want to be because you are not who you are supposed to be" 

"Stop looking at people and look within"

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered you will never grow"

"Recycle your pain, allow it to take you to the next level and push you to greatness"

If you haven't seen any of Eric's video's I urge you to watch them!

I would like to thank Incipio academy for making this event happen, it was worth every penny and I would like to thank Eric for his inspirational messages. Next time Eric comes to London I will make sure all my family and friends attend!

Written by Dinah

Football Players Greed

Let me start of this article by stating that I am a huge football fan and I support Liverpool football club. I regularly watch football regardless of whether I am busy or not and I always ensure that I watch all of Liverpool’s matches. I have always been a strong football fan.

However, for quite some time now, there is one issue in football that has started to bother me. In fact this issue has irritated me for a while, but it has come to a stage where I am sickened by it. This issue is the greed element mired into footballing culture today. In the past, footballers were only paid a few hundred pounds per week. Players such as Bobby Moore received enough money to take care of themselves and their families. These players played solely because of the passion they had for football and not because of monetary reasons.

However, today, football has changed dramatically. Football players in the premiership earn a minimum of £10000 a week! The wage just quoted is the minimum amount for players who are mediocre at best. The majority of talented players earn in the excess of £40000 a week. Let’s take Theo Walcott as an example; up until recently he was earning £55000 a week. However he stalled on signing a new contract at Arsenal simply because he wanted a substantial increase in his wages. Arsenal then submitted to his demands of £100000 a week. This dear reader is absolutely shocking. How can human greed be so profane? One does not need to earn £10000 a week to make a living in the UK, it is simply absurd. Even Doctors, Fire-fighters, Lawyers and people serving in the army do not earn a fraction of what these players earn (not that I’m saying that they should be earning £10000 a week).

What do these players spend their money on? Well as someone who once worked at Chelsea and West Ham united football grounds, I can say that these players spend a portion of their wages on purchasing extravagant cars. The following are the type of cars they drive to their stadiums: Mercedes, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Range Rovers, BMWs, Rolls Royce and other brands. Furthermore, they also spend ridiculous sums of money on mansions whilst half of the rooms will forever remain unused. In addition, these players’ huge salaries attract females that attach themselves to players purely because they wish to live the rich and famous lifestyle. As a result of these football players gargantuan wages the wag culture in Britain is intensifying.

Many of will remember when Wayne Rooney stated in 2010 that he wanted to leave Manchester United. After Manchester united offered him a new contract worth a staggering £250000 a week he signed the contract instantaneously. This is one in a number of episodes which shows that todays football players are interested solely on money. Manchester City is an epitome of the greed engulfing football today. Manchester City who have wealthy owners have the ability to purchase any player of their choosing because they can afford to pay these players higher wages. Hence, in the world of football today, it is no coincidence that the average player lacks loyalty and is very unlikely to remain at one club. Gone are the days when money did not dictate who wins and who losses matches.

Considering how much money these football players earn, we are yet to hear of many players joining together to form charities to help the starving children in the world, or the masses of UK citizens who are struggling in the current economic crisis. Many players have allowed their natural greed instinct to take over their thinking, and as a result, they have become out of touch with the reality of the average citizen. A good example of this is Rio Ferdinand’s twitter exchange with a football fan. https://twitter.com/BBCSporf/status/286200987113373696 This shows that some football players are similar to some politicians and do not care about the masses, but they simply serve to maintain the current capitalist status quo of materialism, consumerism, individualism and as this article stresses: greed. Football players have successfully kept we the fans in constant awe in matches when it is we the working class who are funding these hoggish men. Even the fact that the average fan may be struggling financially and still manages to purchase expensive season tickets does not seem to affect the players. In fact, the players remain indifferent towards the average citizens struggles.

What can be done to stop this? I think that the F.A, or a greater body can meet and introduce a law which will lower players wages significantly. If this approach doesn’t work, and footballers wages can’t be lowered, then footballers should spend their money appropriately by setting up charities and giving at least 70% of their incomes towards charitable causes. Also, with lower wages, clubs can lower the ticket prices to fans which will enable more people to have a chance to attend football games.

Overall I still love football, but because of the direction football is heading in I have started to become disillusioned with it, and it may only be a matter of time before I stop watching it altogether unless there is a reform of the current policies.

Written by Aaron

Revolution: can it happen?

Up until very recently, I was a devout supporter of a worldwide Marxist revolution to overthrow the corrupt establishment. I procured these views from reading many Marxist books and literature. I was desperate for a removal of the current capitalist system that is enslaving 99% of people and benefiting only 1% of the population. Prior to my revolutionary thoughts, I was extremely materialistic whilst I was growing up. Every single time my mother took me out I would always request for her to purchase me something, whether it be designer clothes or trainers. The majority of the products I desired were unnecessary and not helpful to my well being  As a working class citizen growing up in a materialistic consumer based society such as the United Kingdom, I desired products which I did not need. I felt that not having these products would make me “uncool” amongst my peers. My mother did not possess the monetary funds to purchase these products I so desperately craved and as a result, I would throw tantrums and strop. This process continued until I started to grow and mature. I then started to listen to a music artist called Lowkey. 

Through listening to Lowkey’s music my entire disposition changed. He was a complete aberration from normal rappers. He rapped the complete truth. He spoke out against: capitalism, consumerism, war, poverty, racism, women rights abuses, religious immorality, and many more. I became so deeply into his music that I told every single one of my friends about him, which showed how strongly his music touched me. After listening to his music, I genuinely believed that I could bring change to the world and through a concerted effort, I along with many others will march to the streets and take back what is rightly ours. However, after doing some serious thinking, I have realised that this is not the case.

Throughout history, there have been many revolutionaries who have tried to overthrow the status quo and all of them failed in their quest. All of them were either assassinated, sabotaged or put into exile. All of this occurred without any protest or revolution happening in their name. This started to put doubts into my mind as to whether a revolution is possible. Furthermore, it is well known that the rich 1% control the majority of the wealth in all capitalist countries but all revolutions against the establishment have been scarce. The only notable movement in the western world was the occupy Wall Street movement which is yet to lead to a removal for the current system and it looks evermore unlikely that it will. So the fact that the majority of the masses remain passive while the rich billionaires hoard our planets resources is shocking. Karl Marx prediction was wrong. The proletariats are not uniting in unison to take out the bourgeois. One needs to ask themselves why? Why are the workers of the world not uniting? Then I came across the reason as to why this is the case. Human beings are born with a natural tendency to be greedy. It is no coincidence that the majority of people we see on a daily basis love designer clothing. Furthermore, most people still have aspirations of making it into the top 1% even though the chances of social mobility for the poor are decreasing rapidly and a good portion of rich people inherited their fortunes. 

Nevertheless, the capitalist system is so entrenched within society that the average person does not even think about revolting against the system that exploits them and robs them. So, overall the rich 1% has used their financial muscle to manipulate the minds of the masses through media and politics to make us believe that we have the possibility of joining the top 1%. They have also hijacked humans natural greed instincts and have made the masses of people purchase products that they do not need through forceful advertising. Greed has proven to be humans greatest weakness, since the system that works to benefit only a small minority of people is seen as okay by the masses because they one day dream of being in the top 1%, or in a lot of cases, being richer than they currently are. This is not to say that there are many people out there like myself who are deeply saddened by the worldwide system and see straight through the capitalist media and finance. However, we are only a minority who have been able to supress our greed instinct through knowledge. I still have a slight hope that one day things will get better, but at the present moment this is looking ever the more mythical.          


Written by Aaron