Safari Notes

James Bond When Ian Lancaster Fleming, who died from a heart attack at an early age of 56, started writing the James Bond books, he never realized it would have such a profound international impact for this long and on so many people around the world. And no one, least of all Fleming, would have realized that Fleming's creation, James Bond code name '007', would be the basis of fifty films and a household name, worldwide. Why did Fleming name his fictional character James Bond instead of something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers'? Because he wanted  the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name he could find - and to him that was 'James Bond'. The role of James Bond has been played by Barry Nelson, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, David Niven, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and today's Daniel Craig. Bond films are known for style, sensual scenes and being very macho. And there are the stunts, the gadgets, the villains and the...

As a young girl in the 1980s, living under the apartheid regime, she was taught what to do if tear gas got in her eyes during protests in her neighbourhood. "Apartheid didn't affect me as much as it affected other people," she told Outlook producer Siobhan Tighe. "There is definitely some kind of amazing spirit in Soweto and a lot of history. Of course with apartheid it's unusual with people throwing teargas and all this stuff happening but apart from that it's just the home that you live in." In Soweto Tsakane was living with her grandparents in a two-bedroom flat, because in her family there was a tradition that young children initially lived with their grandparents who "groomed" them for life with their parents. Read more from the BBC More on Tsakane: Daily Mail , The Independent , Times On Line , Wikipedia , The Stage , Salife , classicalx , News

"Africa must revert to what it was before the imperialists divided it. These are artificial divisions which we, in our pan-African concept will seek to remove." "Countries such as the U.S. and Britain have taken it upon themselves to decide for us in the developing world, even to interfere in our domestic affairs and to bring about what they call regime change." "The Commonwealth is a mere club, but it has become like an 'Animal Farm' where some members are more equal than others. How can Blair claim to regulate and direct events and still say all of us are equals." "Let Blair and the British government take note and listen. Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans. Our people are overjoyed, the land is ours. We are now the rulers and owners of Zimbabwe." "Let Mr. Bush read history correctly. Let him realise that both personally and in his representative capacity as the current President of the United States, he stands for this "civilisa...

Mention the name Raila Odinga and you are met with all kinds of reactions. Some writers coined the terms 'Raila Phobia' and 'Raila Mania' to describe the sorts of reactions he gets when interacting with the public. Most of his life has been served in the public service, as a university lecturer, as a civil rights activist, and as a member of parliament. Raila was first elected as an MP for Langata constituency of Langata, Nairobi, in 1992. He has retained the seat in subsequent elections in 1997 and 2002. He has been in different parties, in Ford-Kenya, in the National Democratic Party where he started his co-operation with Moi's government and where he was appointed minister for energy. He later defected to the Liberal Democratic Party, one of the coalition partenrs of the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) that won the 2002 general election and broke Kanu’s stranglehold on power since Independence in 1963. He was then appointed minister for roads, public works, ...

In March 2005, supermodel Liya Kebede was appointed as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. She was given the task of advocating on behalf of WHO programmes and initiatives focused on maternal, newborn and child health. An Ethiopian fashion model – and herself a mother of two – Liya's responsibilities include raising global awareness of maternal and child health issues, and helping WHO in its campaign to improve the health of mothers and children. Her appointment took place in the run up to World Health Day 2005, the slogan for which was: Make Every Mother and Child Count. Liya has since worked to link WHO initiatives and programmes with the activities of her newly created Liya Kebede Foundation. She has also teamed up with WHO to designate funds to support maternal and newborn health initiatives through online donations which raised nearly US$12 000; to support World Health Day 2005 and Mother's Day in 2006; to launch the WHO obstetric fistula ...

John Nettles has been a familiar face on British and International television screens for over thirty years. From his early beginnings in the UK hit comedy "The Liver Birds" (1969), he became a household name overnight playing the Jersey detective "Jim Bergerac". The series, "Bergerac" (1981), was a huge hit in Britain and was exported to many countries across the world including France, Spain and Greece, gaining him thousands of fans. His new found fame as Bergerac gave him almost film-star-like fame and fortune, not to mention thousands of female admirers! Despite "Bergerac" (1981) being mothballed in the early 1990s, the series still has a considerable fan base and lingering popularity abroad, especially in Jersey, where images of John Nettles are still used for advertising tourist attractions and other services on the island. John Nettles is a very balanced and underrated actor, happy both on-screen or on-stage. His polished Shakespere...

"The shining star of African reggae, Lucky Dube , made his first record in 1982, a Soul Brothers imitation produced by his cousin, singer Richard Siluma. Inspired by the public reaction to Jimmy Cliff's South African tours, Siluma then encouraged Dube to try his hand at the music he really loved, reggae. In 1987, when Afropop Worldwide first visited South Africa, Dube was on the verge of super-stardom, but he seemed like a loner. At big outdoor music festivals--the only permitted venues for popular acts at the time--Dube was the one reggae singer amid a sea of South African "disco" acts and established stars like Brenda Fassie, Stimela and the Soul Brothers. Dube waved a multi-colored scarf at the crowd, and in between every song, the band dropped into the vamp from Bob Maley's "No Woman, No Cry." The act showed promise, but also a hint of insecurity in its need to embrace the icon of international reggae so pointedly. Even as we watched, Dube's wor...

SAIDA KAROLI was born on the 4th of April 1976 in the Northern part of Tanzania within a small region called Bukoba. As a singer, composer, dancer and drummer, and within a short period of time, Saida has become a much sought after female artist all over East and Central Africa. She has staged live shows in almost all parts of Tanzania, and has been on ~everal successful tours in Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar. Her artistic musical talent, which is filled with tradition, has captivated the diverse cultural audiences and her mellow singing voice continues to earn her a place the hearts of people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. As a child, Saida lived in the small village of Rwongwe in Bukoba. Her culture did not permit girls to sing or play drums but her mother, who was also a musical figure in the village, encouraged her and taught her the essentials of music. Due to lack of support from her drunken father, Saida only managed to attend school up to grade 5. At...

"Salif Keita, born in 1949 in Djoliba, is sometimes called the Golden Voice of Africa. He is a direct descendent of Sundiata Keita, the Mandinka warrior king who founded the Malian empire in the 13th century. Born an albino - a sign of bad luck - Keita was shunned and ostracized by his family and community alike. His poor eyesight also contributed to his personal sense of alienation. In 1967 he moved to Bamako where he began playing in nightclubs with one of his brothers. Two years later he joined the 16 member, government sponsored Rail Band that played at the Bamako railway station's Buffet Hotel de la Gare - a very choice gig at the time. In 1973 he left the Rail Band along with Kante Manfila (guitarist, composer, and leader of the band) to join Les Ambassadeurs." African Music Encyclopeadia More On Keita: Official Site , Albums , last.fm Wikipedia Image: Flickr