Tuesday, March 29, 2011
More oil discoveries in Ghana
More oil discoveries in Ghana, this time the west Cape Three Points block . The same discovery is also discussed here. Would be convenient to find a summary of discoveries so far. Production in the Jubilee field started in December and is already expected to reach 850,000 barrels a day this year.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Anti-government protests in Togo
The Togolese opposition struggle on, even as popular rebellions sweep the arabic world. The government recently passed legislation banning demonstrations and street marches; recent protests against the act have been broken up by the police.
If this were taking place 1000 miles to the north, it would be front page news. Becauase it is happening in Togo, it is unimportant. That is as good a definition of "strategic" as any.
If this were taking place 1000 miles to the north, it would be front page news. Becauase it is happening in Togo, it is unimportant. That is as good a definition of "strategic" as any.
Transparency (?) in Ghana's oilfields
Intrigued by a recent article about the ongoing negotioations between the various stakeholders in Ghana's vast Jubilee oil field. Curious that two businessmen close to the former President John Kufour have ended up with a stake worth $300 million for apparently little or no initial investment.
Also: I suppose it was just a matter of time before Ivoirian refugees began to appear en masse in western Ghana. Of course, this is just the latest wave. But I wonder what accommodations have been made by the Ghanaian authorities for these refugees? When I was last there in 2005, a Liberian camp still existed just west of Accra. Just as likely that camps built for Ivoirians will be here in 15 years, one fears.
Also: I suppose it was just a matter of time before Ivoirian refugees began to appear en masse in western Ghana. Of course, this is just the latest wave. But I wonder what accommodations have been made by the Ghanaian authorities for these refugees? When I was last there in 2005, a Liberian camp still existed just west of Accra. Just as likely that camps built for Ivoirians will be here in 15 years, one fears.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Couldn't help but be annoyed by a recent article in The Times on the decline of Detroit's population in the recent census. The article conflates the decline of the auto industry and of the inner city in the most simplistic way, ignoring a number of salient facts - that until the last decade, greater Detroit thrived while the inner city collapsed; that the decline of Detroit began long before the auto industry went into terminal decline.
In fact, it was the vigor of the industry in the 1940s and 1950s that laid the foundations for the inner city's decline. High wages allowed employees to seek a better standard of living in the suburbs, while technological innovation demanded new, larger factories on greenfield sites.
And, incidentally, Kid Rock and Emninem haven't decamped to the suburbs; they are from the suburbs.
In fact, it was the vigor of the industry in the 1940s and 1950s that laid the foundations for the inner city's decline. High wages allowed employees to seek a better standard of living in the suburbs, while technological innovation demanded new, larger factories on greenfield sites.
And, incidentally, Kid Rock and Emninem haven't decamped to the suburbs; they are from the suburbs.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Amady Gum's narrative begins with a brief but dense description of his family:
"This is to show what brought me from my native home.
"I was born in Goree, my mother was born in Joloff & my father in Salum. On what I hear from them, was, that they come in Goree when they were young, but that they were slaves there. My father behaves himself very well towards his master, at last his master gave him free, my mother also was with his master & her brother come from Joloff & wanted to pay for his freedom but her master won’t because he love her very much. So she live in Goree until she grow, the first child she got was a boy but we were not one father, at last she born four children & I was the youngest of all, when my mother died."
Gum immediately locates his origins within the culturally diverse milieu of Goree island. His account is revealing, despite its brevity. The fact that his parents were enslaved as children and lived their entire lives on Goree is a reminder that the slave population was a stable element within society. The different experiences of his parents highlights the gendered aspect of slavery: his father was able to earn his freedom, but his mother was unable to presumably because of her greater reproductive value.
"This is to show what brought me from my native home.
"I was born in Goree, my mother was born in Joloff & my father in Salum. On what I hear from them, was, that they come in Goree when they were young, but that they were slaves there. My father behaves himself very well towards his master, at last his master gave him free, my mother also was with his master & her brother come from Joloff & wanted to pay for his freedom but her master won’t because he love her very much. So she live in Goree until she grow, the first child she got was a boy but we were not one father, at last she born four children & I was the youngest of all, when my mother died."
Gum immediately locates his origins within the culturally diverse milieu of Goree island. His account is revealing, despite its brevity. The fact that his parents were enslaved as children and lived their entire lives on Goree is a reminder that the slave population was a stable element within society. The different experiences of his parents highlights the gendered aspect of slavery: his father was able to earn his freedom, but his mother was unable to presumably because of her greater reproductive value.
Postwar, rediscovered
The recent death of Tony Judt inspired me to return to Postwar, his masterful history of Europe since 1945. What I remembered from reading it before was its excellent coverage of Europe at the end of the second World War - easily the best thing I have read about the war and its costs in years.
But I never made it much past the 1950s, if memory serves me correctly. So it is illuminating to dip into some of the later chapters - on the differences between the different Easten bloc regimes, on the fall of Communism, and on the origins and problems of European union.
This is simply one of those indispensable books that provides context and a sense of narrative to already-familiar events. In its scope and balance - it moves from east to west, and from country to country with ease - it reminds me of nothing so much as Diarmaid MacCulloch's The Reformation.
But I never made it much past the 1950s, if memory serves me correctly. So it is illuminating to dip into some of the later chapters - on the differences between the different Easten bloc regimes, on the fall of Communism, and on the origins and problems of European union.
This is simply one of those indispensable books that provides context and a sense of narrative to already-familiar events. In its scope and balance - it moves from east to west, and from country to country with ease - it reminds me of nothing so much as Diarmaid MacCulloch's The Reformation.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Slave narratives from the Gambia
In 1839, Wesleyan missionaries in the Gambia recorded the life histories of about a dozen or so former slaves who were members of their congregations. The resulting narratives are a unique source for the history of slavery and Christianity in western Africa. This blog will publish them and explore their significance as historical and biographical artifacts.
The narratives survive in manuscript form in the archives of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in London. They are not polished literary creations. They bear all the hallmarks of their authors' rudimentary literary capabilities: irregular spelling and grammar; extremely long-running sentences; a lack of punctuation, line or paragraph breaks. They are written in a variety of scripts, presumably those of their authors.
The subject matter of the narratives typically embrace the circumstances of their author's enslavement, the means by which they arrived in the Gambia, and their relationship with the Methodist mission. But each narrative emphasizes different aspects of its author's life.
Some provide a detailed picture of the author's life before enslavement; others provide only the sketchiest details. Some describe the circumstances of the author's enslavement and eventual liberation in torturous detail; others gloss over this passage in a few sentences. Some place great emphasis on the author's encounter with Christianity, while others refer only briefly to the influence of the Wesleyan mission.
The last point is particularly significant. These narratives were almost certainly collected to serve as missionary propaganda, although only one was ever published by the Wesleyans. Yet most bear only the loosest resemblance to classical conversion narratives (such as the Life of David Brainard) or to the liberation narratives of Olaudah Equiano and others -- already an established genre by c1839. What makes these narratives remarkable is their individuality.
The narratives survive in manuscript form in the archives of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in London. They are not polished literary creations. They bear all the hallmarks of their authors' rudimentary literary capabilities: irregular spelling and grammar; extremely long-running sentences; a lack of punctuation, line or paragraph breaks. They are written in a variety of scripts, presumably those of their authors.
The subject matter of the narratives typically embrace the circumstances of their author's enslavement, the means by which they arrived in the Gambia, and their relationship with the Methodist mission. But each narrative emphasizes different aspects of its author's life.
Some provide a detailed picture of the author's life before enslavement; others provide only the sketchiest details. Some describe the circumstances of the author's enslavement and eventual liberation in torturous detail; others gloss over this passage in a few sentences. Some place great emphasis on the author's encounter with Christianity, while others refer only briefly to the influence of the Wesleyan mission.
The last point is particularly significant. These narratives were almost certainly collected to serve as missionary propaganda, although only one was ever published by the Wesleyans. Yet most bear only the loosest resemblance to classical conversion narratives (such as the Life of David Brainard) or to the liberation narratives of Olaudah Equiano and others -- already an established genre by c1839. What makes these narratives remarkable is their individuality.
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