LONDON CHIPS, SOCCER AND THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN

 We had just watched an entertaining game. France and Nigeria. As immigrants we always go for France, boosting two thirds of players from Africa. But Nigeria is an African team so the allegiance was complex and tricky.

“Go Nigeria! Go!”

A Kenyan pal chanted.

“I don’t particularly like Nigeria,” Maggie, his five months pregnant girlfriend protested.  “They treat women very badly. The government has been sitting ducks while Boko Haram grabs school girls and keeps them in forests for months.”

We kept our mouths shut.

 Unblinking, Maggie was dead pan, serious. Fact is she was not even bothering watching the football. She was here to give company to the father of her unborn baby.

OF ZAMBIA, WHITNEY HOUSTON AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

Considered one of the greatest writers, American artist Edgar Allan Poe, lived a very difficult life of poverty and disease and died aged only 40 in 1849. Poe (pictured below) was a multi-talent individual who did journalism, poetry, literary criticism and teaching. 

 Among his best poems is Eulalie (published in 1845).  The three verse piece describes pain and solitude:

“I dwelt alone
In a world of moan
And my soul was a stagnant tide
Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride-
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.”
Reading Eulalie reminds us of two crucial events last weekend. Both entwined in moaning and smiling.
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MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS AND THE QUEST FOR POLITICAL MILEAGE...

Last week former heavyweight champion and one of the most famous personalities in the world, the African American, Muhammad Ali celebrated his 70^th birthday. For a whole week London’s ITV beamed one hour documentaries of his fights called “Ali Still the Greatest.”

Ali floors Liston in their second match in 1964. Pic from here

Among Ali’s best tournament was 1974  “Rumble in The Jungle” where he faced George Forman and beat him in the eighth round in Kinshasa. The contest was so interesting that it has nurtured two finest films:  “Soul Power”, featuring musicians who performed at the event : James Brown, Miriam Makeba, Luambo Makiadi, Tabu Ley, BB King, Bill Weathers, etc. Dubbed the “the black Woodstock”, by Wikipedia, “Soul Power” was launched in 2008 and has amazing music from especially Miriam Makeba, Mama Africa, who died after performing in Italy, the same year.

Miriam Makeba's "best of" released in 2001

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