LONG DISTANCE DRIVER

[Those of us who love or have to undertake long-distance driving, often fail to notice the unique comfort of strangers on the road. Liking long distance driving, as I do, I have indulged in the varying moods of sharing the road with others...and made unknowing friends with drivers with whom I never exchanged a single word or gesture, or ever will. Next time you are on a long distance drive, think of the mood captured in the following prose. It's a true reflection of my own experience].

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I didn't quite see his face.
He had dark glasses in place,
driving his droning truck devotedly,
strong arms parallel,
hands gripping firmly,
man and truck in harmony with time;
truck, man and road,
all in the rhythm of their prime.

My own road master,
blinked and blasted its way past.
I commanded for more fuel,
and surged forward fast.
That was when I saw his profile,
and his face...
a man on a mission
and profound taste of pace.
His horn sounded
and his grill grinned.
My mirror brought back to me,
his greetings rimmed.

We consumed kilos of meters
in their hundreds;
we drove;
not speaking...
not seeking;
but two souls in one glove...
two men,
two trucks
in different worlds in one...
solitude was there,
but loneliness was gone.
Like gum in the mouth,
eight wheels chewed the mileage
for hours;
our presense in unison;
time lost its passage...

Then frantically,
I checked my mirror
and adjusted. Frantically!
My shoe belly left the face of the fuel lever,
unattended.
My truck slowed
and a detached distance back,
I saw the other truck with the man and company, slacking...
Like a thousand pumps,
draining the waters of a shallow pool,
my mood lost spark...
and dangled, like a soiled piece of wool...dampened!

I watched my diminished world view
in my rear view mirror,
as the truck vanished from sight.
Suddenly carrying the load of travel alone,
and feeling punished...
the horizon surrounded me,
in its overwhelming roundness;
limiting me;
shrinking me;
sinking me,
in immense weariness...

It took just a truck;
a strange truck,
and a strange person,
a person I never knew,
never would know,
to drain my drive stamina
and drown me
in a nostalgic stew...
Yet I look forward to the next dewey drive;
and the next luxury of a soothing passion cry...
Do not come driving with me...
for Im looking for sweeet loneliness...
strange horizons
and the merry sadness
of strange company found and lost...


Author: Andrew Sesinyi.

A RICH MAN'S GRAVE

[ Poetry is much more than a word play. It's one of the most subtle but deepest introspection processes the human mind can be subjected to. The following poem, "A RICH MAN'S GRAVE"attempts to translate the unspoken and inevitable equality of humans. Please travel the road to modesty with me].


This tomb of marble and precious stones,
embraces the remains...
of one that loathed to go.
These bones that shed their weight,
are denied expression.

Loan them a mouth and they will rattle a protest
of riches left unspent...
Give the bones a voice and they will sing
tunes of wealth-sickness...

These bones, in their prime, sought and got...
now time is up...
The soul seething, searches for illusive sleep
in the jingly cemetary silence...

In life a colossus, in death an equal,
like a pauper he lies...
death deals the heaviest blow to the ego train,
diminishing might to prostrate form...

His demise was decorated with pomp and might,
no expenses spared...
Yet the pauper that lies desolate and unmarked,
is like him, soil to soil...

Death is dark, yet derisive and humorous.
No great is greater...
A bulging wallet and bursting bank vault
promiscuously await new takers...


Author: Andrew Sesinyi

THE JUNGLE OF THE WITTEST

All the animals of the jungle were having a meeting. There was a crisis. Word had spread like a cold chill through the forest that some rogue lion had gone mad. At least that was what every jungle dweller thought. The citizens of the animal kingdom lions were killers alright, but that they only killed for food or to defend territory against their cousins the leopard and the cheetah; and yes, quite often the king of the jungle, the male, maned lion had to set the record straight with the mangy hyena when it attempted to grab a meal from the lion's family dinner platter. The majority of the animals knew that some of them could end up on the lion dinner table but that was once in a lifetime and there was safety in numbers. A lot of other animals carnivorous predators who were partial to the vegetarian diet of the herbivores killed for the pot too. So, the current fear sweeping across the jungle had little to do with fear of being eaten by the anti-social lion on the loose. This particular lion seemed to kill for fun. It was, in the view of the shocked jungle inmates, a serial killer who killed senselessly and without remorse. The lion on the prowl appeared to kill and gore its prey mercilessly, often leaving its mauled victim on the verge of a long and agonizing death, uncared for by relatives.
The animals recalled that just a week ago, Mmutlenyana the hare, had been killed in this gruesome manner and left uneaten to rot and make the jungle smell of death and a foreboding sense of peril. The previous day, Phokoje the jackal, had suffered the same fate although it was known that lions did not eat members of the dog or cat family; and the jackal was not so much of a nuisance around the lion's dining area. Phokoje with his pointy mouth did not eat much and usually dashed away from a lion feeding frenzy with unwanted entrails of a kill. This jackal had, therefore, perished for no apparent reason. It was clear, upon wildlife investigation, that the culprit was the rogue lion because, as it were, Kgabo, the monkey and setlhora the squirrel had, during their sentry duties, witnessed some of the killings. Setlhora and Kgabo were trusted sentries who never lied.
It was in this mood of fear and despair that a voice squeaked a suggestion:

"I think we must hunt this mad lion down and kill him instantly. He is a menace to the animal society."

All the animals turned to scrutinize the speaker. It was the voice of petit Peba, the mouse.

"And do you want to lead the lion hunt, eh, Peba?"asked Thutlwa , the giraffe.

"Well," Peba replied nervously. "I may be small and helpless folks but I am a citizen too. And I feel threatened too. With everybody scared silly, my family is the target of every meat-eater who wants a snack. Look fellows. United we can do a lot. Take you Thutlwa. You have a kick powerful enough to kill a lion; and you Nare, the buffalo, your horns may be facing all directions but you are strong and powerful, with a demolishing forehead. You, Phiri, the hyena. I don't care much for your jeering giggles and laughter but your families have often cornered lionesses and forced them to flee, leaving a fresh kill. Your jaws are formidable."
Peba went through the rest of the animals identifying their various traits and strengths. the animals knew he was telling the truth; united they could either kill the rogue lion or at least cause it to flee their territory. The key word was united. How do they unite when they were such a variety of different species? Who would start the attack when they confronted the lion? Mmutlenyana whose family had been killed by the lion, cleared his voice loudly before speaking, pricking his long ears to attract attention and knowing that his big round eyes on a small face made up for his tiny frame; and also aware that the animals considered him clever... virtually declared the think tank of the jungle.

"I think Peba has a point. We're cousins-twice-removed, that's why he's often smart. But Peba thinks small as always. We've got to think big and that means tricking the lion. If we don't trick him, at just the first roar, Phiri the hyena will spray us all with his diarrhoea and the battle would be won by the lion."

Despite the tension of the moment, the animals laughed. Mmutlenyana continued:

"I've survived many attacks not just because I'm fast but mainly due to the tricks I play on my attackers."

The animals, groaned impatiently this time, though respectful of Mmutlenyana's intelligence and fully aware of the lion's claws and jaws.

There was a massive movement and a high pitched voice broke in:

"Well," said Tlou, the elephant, moving into the centre of the meeting. "My family and I can easily crush this lion of yours. What's the fuss all about? I don't like shortcuts; and when I do take shortcuts my weight just can't take it. So we crush the lion. do you want me to do it?"

Every animal respected Tlou's physical prowess and imposing structure, but the animals also distrusted Tlou's traditional strategy of brute force, most times without using common sense even where such strategy would have worked. The animals also knew that if they sat Tlou and his family on the enemy hunt, the elephants would merely runover every lion on sight and that could upset the balance of power in the animal kingdom and wreak havoc. Cornered lions could be dangerous and their rage could easily spark a civil war in the kingdom. No one wanted a situation where hyenas might emerge victorious due to their large numbers and sheer love for fun and a good fight. Hyenas did not mind wars because they ate virtually everybody in the kingdom and so the battle ground would provide them with plenty of fuel to win the war.

Mmutlenyana spoke again:

"No. we must think of ways that will not set animal against animal. Our survival lies in togetherness. I'm for a trick on the lion. Something that will disarm the lion and allow us to win only over him; not to antagonize the rest of his species. Those fellows are mean and I'm their favourite snack when they don't have enough food. I am to lions what Peba is to Phokoje the jackal."

The animals thought and thought again but they could not come up with either trick or strategy. When they began to worry that there was a stalemate, a tiny voice floated from the rear of the crowd.
"
"Fellows, fellows, fellows! I know that some of us have been killed mercilessly, but why did that happen? Let's find the reason for the lion's unusual behaviour and then we can address the problem."

It was Khudu, the tortoise. The rest of the animals were annoyed. Tortoise had this way of slowing down everybody and at that particular time the animals were even more annoyed at the thought that tortoise was probably the safest among all of them because of his hard-shelled mobile home. He could afford to be theatrical.

"If you're so smart, Khudu, why don't you go after the lion?" It was Nare, the buffalo. He was irritable because he knew that the animals may end up nominating him to take the lead in the attack. Jungle comrades bragged about his intelligence apart from strength. He was thought to be almost as intelligent as a human child of eight years and that put him way ahead of other citizens of the jungle.
At the thought of Khudu the tortoise going after the lione, the rest of the animals lughed and for a moment the tension subsided.

"I'll do it!" That was Khudu the tortoise, to everyone's shock. "I will go after the lion."

"I'll help him," said Mmutlenyana the hare.

"What?" All the animals asked in a chorus. It was incredulous that the smallest of the animals, one too slow for everything, should have been the first to volunteer in this deadly pursuit. The animals were even more amazed when the tortoise and the hare refused to divulge their plan. Nonetheless, for lack of a better plan, the animals dismissed the hare and the tortoise as touched individuals but allowed them to proceed with their shemes.

As it turned out, Mmutlenyana and Khudu evolved a plan. First Mmultlenyana looked for the lion. He found it. As he had suspected, he found that it was an old and severely injured beast hiding in a thicket. When the hare approached the lion he saw that it had a great deal of diffculty moving. the lion grimaced and roared at the slightest motion, sending animals in the vicinity, running helter-skelter, not knowing from which direction the road came. Mmutlenyana studied the injured lion carefully before getting closer to its hiding place in the thicket. On closer scrutiny, Mmutlenyana saw that a broken piece of a cruel human metal trap for animals still clutched the lion's right paw , blocking its blood circulation. The pain had driven the lion beserk. Rushing back to the tortoise, the two animals confided and the toroise approached the lion and said:

"Lion, oh, old lion. If you will put your paw close to my shell you pain will ease."

Irritated, the lion roared, but the sharp pain that bit into his paw made him soften a bit, seeking any type of help. the toroise approached the lion. mmutlenyana cautiously pushed the lion's paw towards the toroise. Khudu squirmed a little, spraying the lion's paw with his smelly urine. The lion roared in anger, but seeing the small animals unimpressed by his antics, the lion relaxed. Khudu, with Mmutlenyana's help put the lion's paw between his neck and the shell; twisting his head to the left, the tortoise held the lion's paw in a ight grip. As the lion growled in pain and outrage, the hare bit the lion's tail. The old lion swung around flicking the tortoise into the air, as he did. When that happened the manacled trap jaws slipped over the sticky toroise urine and came off. the toroise was thrown off and landed on his back. Laughing, despite the gravity of the situation, the hare helped the toroise back on his feet and the two of them watched the whimpering lion as it nursed a bruised but less paining paw.
During the subsequent days, the tortoise kept on urinating on the lion's paw. The ammonic acid in the urine acted as a pain killer and disinfectant. Soon the lion was extremely hungry and weak in the thicket, but could once again step on his paw. A relieved lion old the hare and the tortoise about his plight:

"I could not hunt and so my pride through me out. My sons took over the pride. Even antelope herds started teasing me. you know how springboks are. I was livid with rage and frustration. the pain made me want to kill everything on sight."
"And you did, said the hare. "You killed my family."

"I'm sorry Mmutlenyana, "said the lion. "Whatever can I do for you?"

Tortoise retorted:

"The jungle knows no cruelty. Eat or be eaten. We live through the deaths of others."

Hard as it were, the hare nodded philosphically.

It was at that moment that a group of pronking antelope passed by. Seeing the lion in the thicket with a toroise and a hare, the head of the flock approached the thicket with a mocking shake of his horns.

"Dear oh dear! Lion, you've seen your worst days. In your dying moments your last meal will be a stinking tortoise and this morsel of fur called hare. Pathetic, I say. You are pathetic."

As the pronking springbok started his ritual, the lion pounced and made the easiest kill of his life. Toroise and hare left the lion feeding and went to report to the rest of the animals that there was no mad lion in their jungle. Peace reigned. In the antelope herd, the next strongest young male took over, and re-wrote the law of the jungle to add "wittest" after "fittest"!


THE END

Author: Andrew Sesinyi

http://andrewsesinyi.blogspot.com

[Whilst the rest of the writings on this blog are creative pieces, I included the statement below which I made at an international meeting hosted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). My interest in sharing this statement arises largely from the content as can be perceived; but mainly to illustrate the extremely difficult firewalls professionals from the developing world, Africa in particular, come against during the course of their duties. Invariably, an African journalist has to explain himself, additional to the credentials he or she presents...only to be told: You are different. That is supposed to be a compliment...a compliment that suggests that nothing of value, in human terms, can come from Africa. Africa is largely responsible for the poor image propagated from the continent because of incessant political and socio-economic blunders that continue to haunt Africans. It is, however, indefensible to use the serial blunders of African leaders to cement a new pavement of bigotry, as appears to be the case when a common platform is shared on issues of a better tomorrow; but the real point is that when I stood up to speak in Geneva on the date shown, I was unduly but justifiably on the defensive...thus losing the moment to project views and let them be judged fairly. I was a victim..a prisoner of background]

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12 December 2003

Statement by:

Andrew Onalenna SESI NYI

Secretary-General, URTNA

During my several travels around the world, no memory has remained as deeply engraved in my mind as the expressions of incredulity in the developed world countries I visited, whenever I showed excitement on the eve of my return home to Africa. To these well meaning people, some of them would be my hosts, the return to Africa for an African represents my reconciliation with poverty, hunger, disease and death. Many would actually express that they thought my clothes were bought in their countries and that the façade of my physical well being had been enhanced by their local food. These nice people, God-fearing and non-racist people, would have watched their cable television networks and viewed an African story that would invariably feature a continent of conflict, self-inflicted suffering, cannibalism, rampant corruption, misery and death. Many a time they would have already referred to me as "different" and asked me with disbelief how I came to speak the English language so well. I haven't mastered my French yet but I'm getting there and I know questions await me. How then can this so called different African be excited about returning to purgatory? Some have actually politely accused me of putting on an act to minimise the daunting prospects of returning to the hell on earth called Africa. All these people are products of, victims of, and faithful believers of the power of the New Media to bring the truth-nothing else but the truth-to their living rooms. What a wonderful world, this Digital Age! There, in front of them, and with digital excellence, their television sets and the silky voice of their African correspondent loaded with an amazing repertoire of vaccinations in the blood, would have told them an African story. At times the child in me overcomes my old age and silently asks me a bemused question: if they think there is no life in Africa, how come they believe there is death? Even going back decades, one asks : these Africans have been dying in such multitudes how in the world do we still have millions of them? The real questions to be asked by a mature, well informed and a fair judge of information and communication processes would be: Is that an African story? Just because your TV set has shown Africa and the Africans, does it make it an African story? Has the African story been told? The other question is : who is telling the story? A true African story would and should not be in denial. We are dying of poverty, hunger, disease and conflict ; but the African story would carry some explanations or give some insight into the illogical scenarios of armed gangs with sophisticated weapons in regions where you cannot even get an aspirin. An African story would put into perspective the fact that not all of Africa in conflict is conflict-diamond sponsored ; and would ask: how in the world do these New Age weapons of destruction leave the efficient contours and shores of the developed world? Who are the real sponsors? An African story would reveal how self-proclaimed environmentalists with more money than information run endless campaigns designed to perpetuate ignorance in Africa and convert people into wild life species for the tourist pleasures of the developed world ; and also for the pseudo-environmentalist, just to prove that Africa is wild and has to stay wild. Yet, with most of our real wildlife species still in tact we represent the best conservationists in the world. An African story would question where the abundant wildlife species of the developed world has gone to...rare bird species shot for spot and target practice ; buffalo decimated ; forests razed down. Who is the expert here on conversation? An African stor y would reveal how in 1994 when Nelson Mandela exchanged hats with F.W. de Klerk in an atmosphere of peace, security , tranquillity and amazing decorum, western journalists packed their bags, unplugged their New Age media technology and publicly complained that the Pretoria ceremony was a nonstory; and that they were heading for the Great Lakes Region where once again, Africans were killing each other. The inauguration of President Nelson Mandela had been speculated to be an event fraught with danger and almost certain violence. The Developed World media was disappointed at what they felt was an unreal African story . The full story, the real story; the comprehensive story about Africa and the Africans can best be told through concerted efforts to develop local content and ensure that it is disseminated in the broadest manner possible. In Africa, traditional broadcasting remains the most potent tool for the dissemination of information, communication and education. The advent of new technologies has not, however, been used to strengthen the supply of local content. I say the supply because local content does not exist but it is predominantly a raw material that requires refinement and subsequent dissemination. Several philanthropic organizations, individuals and countries of the developed world have rushed to Africa's side and assisted in a number of ways. They have relentlessly been engaged in antipoverty schemes and campaigns against diseases including the current pandemic HIV/AIDS. We are eternally grateful. But problem solving methods, mechanisms and solutions arising there from are not interacted even though the problems are virtually identical. The successes of one region are inefficiently shared around the continent resulting in recidivism of problems. My organization wishes to enter the sphere of broadcasting and collaborate with others towards the strengthening of interactive broadcasting in Africa. Simply put, we wish to enhance local content development and content-sharing either through simultaneous transmissions or delayed broadcasts. Information is a cure for many ills in our society and just like the successful medication, the information distribution system of Africa should be improved, strengthened and modernised in order to spread messages cost-effectively and efficiently.That would have the impact of sustaining the strenght of our supporters and enhancing our chances to be active part of the global village. I am informed that at present, the programmes of public radio and television organizations of 30 African countries are broadcast on and over 20 satellites. This dispersion does not favour viewer ship or listener ship. There is clearly no interaction and lessons learned from success stories from other parts of the continent. My organisation consists of 48 member organizations, almost all of them being public service organizations funded by their respective governments. Some are beginning to emerge from the handout syndrome by using their airtime to raise revenue and sustain their own programmes. But it is a steep road. Local content needs both development and transmission, we have said. The view that information or content must be shared around the continent is in consonance with the aspirations of the political leaders of African countries to unite Africa under the African Union-formerly the Organization of African Unity. No matter how much conviction is gained in the corridors, halls and suites of Summit venues, if the ordinary African does not understand how unity, free movement and sharing of resources can help her or him, political leaders cannot attain their noble goals. The African media offers its services not only to the African Union to which we virtually belong anyway, but to the rest of the world that is frenetically engaged in efforts to attain the globalization of information and reach new dimensions of developing our societies. Africans, just like other people, can only unite and hence scale down conflict, enhance conflict prevention and conflict resolution if they are facilitated with the information to know themselves. For more than ten years now, our organization's main objective, though expressed and not implemented, has been the acquisition of satellite capacity in order to network Africa. We believe that conditions have never been more favourable than today to gain space capacity that meets the requirements needed by our broadcasters and the market as a whole. Technology, today, permits interactive broadcasting with small investments. Just an example, we have heard of the VSAT Network and I am not doing a commercial for them. They are a necessary reference. This communication system that allows several sites to make telephonic and exchange data can be an excellent means for connecting the URTNA Secretariat Headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, with its Centres in Bamako, Mali, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Algiers, Algeria and Nairobi, Kenya. I am informed that when associated with the Digital Video Broadcasting-R eturn Channel over Satellite (DV B - R CS), the Communication system I have alluded to can enable the distribution of radio and television programmes of member organizations of URTNA; that would be, between our country organizations on the one hand and on the other hand, provide access to Internet at high efficiency levels with useful applications such as telephonic and video conferences. With cooperation, and combined with the fact that technology has become relatively more affordable for modest users such as our members in Africa, we can begin the process of circulating content within our countries and around the continent. I also learn that the advent of a new satellite, co-positioned with the one used by the European Broadcasting Union, the EBU, may offer a dual gateway between Africa and Europe. Our partners, supporters, sister unions and all those committed to the concept of the globalisation of information may wish to stand ready to facilitate the utilisation of these opportunities. The late President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania has been quoted as having said : "When some are striving to join the moon, we are striving to reach our villages". This statement cries out for a comprehensive understanding of the concept of globalisation during this age of the New Media or the Digital Age. If it is to be global, Africa must be there with genuine local content. Disparities in life, in development, in technology mean disparities in advancement of communication means and ways. The advent of the New Media-the digital world, comes with fears of a creation of the digital gap that bears in itself the dangers of isolating vast numbers of people, particularly in Africa. I am glad that this fear has been recognised and is being dealt with through measures towards digital solidarity ; but I am equally perturbed that in spite of the laudable efforts of supportive organizations such as UNESCO, in attempts to stimulate the production and development of local content, the situation remains complex since the advent of the New Media does not show any unique endeavours to encourage the creation of local content, particularly in digital formats. Development of local content does not only correct distortions created among our peoples and the rest of the world about Africa in particular, but the fact is that local content can be a development tool allowing people to have greater ability to improve their levels of life, reduce or overcome poverty, reduce the impact of disasters, build a fortitude to fight diseases and pandemics and create a new crop of visionary leaders that are committed to democracy and freedom of expression. Traditional broadcasters in Africa are already making inroads into the transformation of the perspectives of their own political leaders by using communication skills to change the thinking of politicians who view the media as a threat, a negative challenge, a nuisance, or simply an unsettling factor. In conclusion, I wish to categorically state that URNTA represents the bulk of African broadcasters and is legitimately the voice of the people of Africa. Our members run the public service broadcasting organizations on behalf of the people of Africa. With credibility building in our media organizations side by side with increasing trends towards democracy and free flow of information, viewers and listeners in A frica act and react in their daily lives on the basis of information provided by our organizations. I wish to stress, however, that for our sake as a continent, for the sake of our supporters, and in the interest of bona fide globalisation of information, the acquisition of satellite capacity for the Union of African Broadcasters would open a new chapter of interactive broadcasting, unity among A fricans, and provide a local content data base for the rest of the world media. Acquisition of satellite capacity is an investment project that has the immense potential to raise revenue and be therefore sustaining. The African Network would spring from this project and for once in the history of the continent, we would start to hear the African Story. We are ready to discuss with all interested parties.

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