RageforLight

I've listened to a lot of M.I.A. Argued about her writing with friends, ref to her randomly in my own writing. Love how she's eclectic and fearless and borrows from everything. mixes everything up. I've major issues with her lyrics and videos though. But all that'll feature in another post. Reason I mention her today: one of her influences is Baile Funk - music of the shanty towns ....

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In a recent post I wrote about afro-fusion. I think one reason I like this sort of music (or any fusion, basically) is because it involves mixing bits and pieces of different cultures and worldviews - hybrid musicSimilar thing: while listening to Alex Ross (music critic at the New Yorker) talk at google headquarters, I heard him play an excerpt composed by Osvaldo Golijov. The piece was called "Tancas ....

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Saw two presentations on development and the artificiality of the labels "Developed" and "Developing", by Hans Rosling - one at TED 2006 and one at TED 2007. Great presence, great sense of humour, absolutely amazing graphics using Trendalyzer, developed by the Gapminder Foundation (inspired by "mind the gap"). I've never been a fan of a heavy focus on quality of presentation when arguing something in public, but the way ....

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Listening to Freshly Ground. They play what wiki calls Afro-fusion - mixing traditional South African music with blues/jazz. I'm beginning like a lot of this sort of fusion - sort of a middle ground between imitating another culture wholesale and being parochial. Tshila (Ugandan songwriter/poet/singer) is the same - heard her sing Namboozo and Scientific Love. Amazing.I like how they're dealing with their colonial baggage - not whining about ....

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Just discovered the South African Music Awards (SAMAs). Features several musicians that I like - like Vusi Mahlasela. His songs feature on the soundtrack of Tsotsi. Also played at TED recently - briliant version of Thula Mama. He's amazingly free and almost uncontrolled in his singing - something I like in musicians and writers. Also, he was an apartheid activist (another thing I like in musicians and writers :-)) ....

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I've been trying to use Twitter as a specialized news-source, like an RSS feed off of IRIN or AllAfrica.com. Annoyingly, none of the UN or humanitarian agencies seem to have started using the service effectively. Bugger. Will keep hunting. ....

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I found the the Google.org course on poverty and development on the home page of the Stanford Center for Social Innovation . All the lectures are posted on youtube. The course is pitched for business people who are new to development issues, but its still great. I liked the case studies on the successes and failures of development assistance, and the final sum-up lecture at the end. There's also ....

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