put a spell on you
My heart is torn between East and West. I live somewhere between the present and the past. I don't know who I am.
Just another human being biding their time on this earth. Passionate about current affairs, history, politics (particularly MENA region), religion, cute animals and food. Posts are mainly in English but I may post in Arabic/French/Turkish.
Disclaimer: All photographs on this blog do not belong to me but to their rightful owners unless otherwise stated. All efforts have been made to link the material back to its original source. Please drop me a message if you see any of your material and would like to have it removed!
- Egyptian Fencer Abouelkassem wins silver medal in the Men’s Individual Foil Fencing Finals:
LONDON: Egypt clinched its first London Games medal on Tuesday, Egyptian fencer Alaaeldin Abouelkassem winning the silver after a narrow 15-13 defeat by China’s Sheng Leii in the final of the men’s individual foil.
Abouelkassem, who had to carry on with an injury after hurting his arm in the first period, gave Egypt its first medal since Judoka Hesham Mesbah won the bronze four years ago in Beijing. It is also Africa’s first fencing medal in history.
He came within a whisker of clinching gold after leading 13-11 in the third period but Leii roared back to emerge the winner in a tough contest.
Earlier in the day, Abouelkassem from Egyptian coastal city Alexandria reached the final following a 15-12 victory over South Korea’s Byungchul Choi. He also overcame former world champions Peter Joppich of Germany and world number one Andrea Cassara of Italy en route to the final.
It is Egypt’s first silver medal since Judoka Mohamed Rashwan’s triumph in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. It is also the country’s 25th Olympic medal in history.
The 21-year-old has broken into the top 10 on the Federation International d’Escrime point rankings in the last two seasons.
Eighth in the world, he did come tantalizingly close to a semi-final in the 2010 Paris world championships where he took sixth.
Abouelkassem trained in Alexandria before the London Games opened instead of Cairo as the capital was in political upheaval in the wake of the Arab Spring which led to the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 after 30 years in power.
Brother from another mother has made Egypt proud today - thank you for the skill, the perseverance, the hope and the sheer inspiration that you’ve brought to this game <3
There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one’s cultural superiority. My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a (usually) wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a well-meaning college student speaks of villagers dancing because they were so grateful for her help, I cringe. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a Western protagonist, I shake my head — because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West’s fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West’s prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems.
-Uzodinma Iweala, “Stop Trying to ‘Save’ Africa”
(via thenorthafrican)
Aisha’s Song: a short film.
‘Partially blinded by an unknown illness aged 4 and sent out to work on the tough streets of Kano in Nigeria aged 9, Aisha Sani Abdullahi’s life chances were not great. However, a chance encounter sent Aisha’s life in a completely different direction.
Beautifully shot and musically lush, Aisha’s Song is a touching and uplifting story of female empowerment from a part of the world where women are all too often overlooked.’
The film was made for Girl Hub and to find out more about some of the issues at the heart of the film please go to: girlhub.org
Film Credits:
Director / Producer Orlando von Einsiedel
Cinematographer Franklin Dow
Editors Peta Ridley & Katie Bryer
Composer Patrick Jonsson
Assistant Producer Patrick Vernon
Executive Producers Ben Gallagher, Jumoke Adekunle, Mark Sanderson & Jon Drever
Solitude, Kamakwie, Sierra Leone
“Solitude can be found in a crowd. When visiting an adult literacy group in Kamakwie, Sierra Leone, I came across a room where most learners had formed pairs or small groups to work but one young lady had chosen to separate herself in order to concentrate.”
By: Laura Cook
danceswithfaeriesunderthemoon:
Images of Africa from the Albert-Kahn Museum Collection.
Country of origin (clockwise):
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Benin
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Benin
- Morocco
awwyeah.
(via ondaroof)
Farewell, Rwanda
“Sadly saying my goodbyes on my last day in Rwanda, I was overwhelmed by the children running down the hill after me shouting, ‘Bye bye… Bye bye!’ Turning around one last time to wave, I took my final photo. A shutter speed of 1/80 and a large aperture (5.6) captured a sense of hurried movement among the frozen smiles of the two young boys.”
By: Katrina Struthers
Mbukushu Mother and Child, Okavango River, Botswana
“A Mbukushu mother and child cross Botswana’s Okavango River, whose seasonal floods bring life to a parched land.”
By: Frans Lanting
That’s what I call a smile, Menaka, northern Mali
“These two absolutely lovely girls were two of a billion kids in a Bella family I interviewed outside of Menaka, in northern Mali. They are standing right by the family’s small granary for fonio, a tiny kind of millet, which they collect by hand where it grows wild. Fonio is one of the most important cereals in West Africa, and I believe all the way across the continent to Sudan and Ethiopia. The grains are tiny, tiny, and people spend enormous amounts of time first collecting, and then removing the husk. This family would generally eat a meal consisting mainly of fonio per day, to try to make it through to the next harvesting season without having to purchase grains.”
Feeding Time, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
“An Endangered Rothschild Giraffe enjoys being fed by a girl at Giraffe Manor in Kenya”
By: Robin Moore
Peekers at Bofina Pub, Bujagali Falls, Kybira Village, Uganda
- “Children peeking into pub.”
- By: Leslie Alsheimer
Gold Miner, Mozambique
Photograph by Robin Hammond, Panos
The glowing hues of dusk bathe a mud-splattered gold miner in the border province of Manica. The area draws scores of workers from neighboring Zimbabwe who pan for traces of the precious metal in turbid waters.
Animal Reflections, Aberdare national park, Nyandarua District, Ndaragwa, Kenya
“A dawn descent to the watering hole in Aberdare national park, under the watchful gaza of Mount Kenya”
By: Libby Powell
Precious water by daveblume on Flickr.
ANGOLA: Child stands under a tap with water barely trickling out through it.
This is so painful to look at.
The Birth of South Sudan: Friday, July 9th 2011 witnesses the birth of a new nation, the Republic of South Sudan. People celebrate after voting for independence in a referendum under a peace deal that ended decades of war.
The Republic of South Sudan has become the world’s newest nation by officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars and over five decades of conflict with the north. It is the 193rd country recognised by the UN.
A mood of joy and celebration swept through its capital Juba at midnight on Friday, with scenes of jubilation and sounds of church bells ringing.
Thousands of people gathered with friends and family on the streets singing, dancing, banging drums and honking horns in celebration.
The main ceremony on Saturday is due to include military parades, prayers, raising the newly proclaimed republic’s flag and Salva Kiir, the country’s first president, signing the transitional constitution.
The Great Mosque of Djenné, Djenné, Mali
“The Great Mosque of Djenné, the largest mud brick building in the world.”
By: Larry Louie
