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08/03/2010 • 18:11 0

Zimbabwean Jews Confirmed via DNA

Tudor Parfitt’s remarkable journey to introduce the Lemba tribe to the world began with a lecture in South Africa on the Jews of Ethiopia. After meeting with the tribe, observing their lives and listening to their oral history, he returned to England where he determined that “this would be a wonderful research project.” Thus began an intense relationship with the Lemba during which he lived with them, gained their acceptance and respect, and was finally able to secure their agreement to DNA testing.

Lemba Minyan

Parfitt’s scientific research generated a great amount of interest in this group of sub-Saharan Africans who claimed they are Jewish. Josh Bernstein, noted explorer, archeologist and Jew, decided to retrace the amazing journey that may have resulted in the Lemba settling in Zimbabwe. During Josh’s peregrinations he decided to try to decipher the reality between myth and fact regarding the Biblical Lost Tribes of Israel.

Josh encountered many groups around the world who claimed either direct or peripheral descent from the Biblical Jews. However, it was the Lemba Tribe aka Lembaa, who live in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, who proved to be the most intriguing encounter in this quest.

Like the Bene Israel and Cochin Jews of India, the Lemba people did not fit neatly into most peoples’ perceptions of “what Jews look like.” As previously discussed in this blog, the Jewish diaspora is as varied as the peoples of the earth. However, in addition to anti-Semitism, racism plays a large part of the discomfort people have with the concept of Jews of Color. The identification of the Lemba as Jews would have probably passed largely unnoticed except for their sub-Saharan ancestry.

Today news sources around the world are loudly proclaiming and tacitly conferring upon the Lemba recognition of their heritage as direct descendants of Abraham because of the efficacy of DNA testing. It is particularly poignant for me because this news was widely publicized in Israel via The Jerusalem Post, which I hope will begin to ameliorate some of the difficulties faced by Jews of Color in Israel. Ethiopians in particular and others in general.

For me and other ‘People of the Book,’ it is always satisfying when science lends credence to our beliefs. It was prophesied to Abraham by G-d nearly three millennium ago in Bereshit 22:17 ~ “That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, as the sand which is upon the sea-shore.”

Filed under: Africa, Ethiopia, News , Africa, Amharic, BBC, Bene Israel, Beta-Israel, Cochin Jews, Digging for the Truth, DNA, Ethiopia, Ethiopian Jewry, Habesha, Indian Jewry, Jewish Diaspora, Jews, Jews of Color, Jews of Ethiopia, Jews of India, JOC, Josh Bernstein, Judaism, Lemba, Lembaa Tribe, Minyan, People, Southern Africa, The History Channel, The Jerusalem Post, The Lost Tribes, The Lost Tribes of Israel, Torah, Tudor Parfitt, Zimbabwe

23/02/2010 • 01:35 0

Inferno and Purgatorio in Juárez

The atrocities imagined in the 14th Century epic poem the “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri seem to prognosticate the horror that encompasses the daily lives of the inhabitants of Juárez, Mexico. The town “stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), across from El Paso, Texas.

William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

El Paso and Ciudad Juárez comprise one of the largest binational metropolitan areas in the world with a combined population of 2.4 million people. In fact, Ciudad Juárez is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, in spite of the fact that it is “the most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones.”[1]

With an average daily death toll at 12 a day and the most recent massacre of 16 innocent teenagers, Juárez is synonymous with senseless, brutal deaths and is the epitome of avarice and the inhumanity and depravity which are its natural by products. The violent deaths and murders of both the innocent and guilty have shocked the world and anesthetized the inhabitants. Only in this cauldron of mayhem and destruction could Santiago Meza, known as “The Stew Maker,” find purchase and purpose.

Santiago Meza

Meza, a scruffy, non-descriptive man was known as “El Pozolero” because he dissolved the bodies of the enemies of a local drug baron in industrial drums of acid turning them into a gelatinous soup which he later poured his property. Over several years he claims to have “disappeared” 300 enemies of Teodoro García Semental, a former henchman for one of the largest cartels in Mexico. Meza stated that he was paid $600 a week by García and during one interview he said, “they brought me the bodies and I just got rid of them. I didn’t feel anything.”

If Inferno or Purgatorio exists, the innocent citizens of Juárez must ask and wonder what they have done to deserve such a fate, while we wonder if there is justice in this world or the next for those who would blithely take human life over pieces of paper called the dollar.

Mexico’s Drug War Brings More Carnage To Border

Border Towns Across Rio, Worlds Apart in Drug War

[1] Wikipedia

Filed under: News, Social/Political , Relationships, CNN, Juárez, Mexico, Murder Capital, Mexican Border Town, Drug Cartels, Drug Wars, The Stew Maker, Santiago Meza, Dante Alighieri's, Divine Comedy, El Paso, Texas, 14th Century Poetics, 14th Century, Rio Grande, Gustave Doré, Purgatorio, Inferno, War on Drugs, South American Drug Lords, Drug Related Deaths, Mexican Military, El Pozolero, García Semental, Border Town Violence, Tijuana

17/02/2010 • 13:42 0

King Tut died from Malaria

The revelation today that King Tutankhamun “Tut” most likely died of malaria is intriguing. I narrowly survived an infection of cerebral malaria when I was 10 years old. We lived just outside of Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, and because my father did not believe in Western medicine, he forbade my mother from seeking treatment for me when I fell ill. If treated at the immediate onset of symptoms the chances of recovery are quite high.

However, by the time she took me into Dar to the hospital, I beyond the threshold of medical intervention. The doctors told my mother to take me home and prepare for my death. My mother did take me home where I lapsed into a coma while she tried everything she knew to break the fever. My mother is a woman of great faith, though not dogmatic nor “religious,” she believes in G-d with every fiber of her being and it was the power of her faith and prayers that pulled me through.

Even after I emerged from the coma I remained critically ill for many months afterward. I was one of the lucky few who survive cerebral malaria in which mortality rates for patients is as high as 50%. It should come as no surprise the King Tut succumbed to this particularly pernicious disease as malaria in general is the number one killer in the world today with a 90% percent of malaria-related deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, it is a little disappointing to learn the truth of his demise because like so many others, I reveled in speculations of palace intrigue, royal malfeasance, murder and usurpation. Today, the world learned that King Tut was merely a boy, one who had access to and buried with the riches of ages, but a frail boy nonetheless who died from a very treatable infection.

National Geographic Photos of King Tut’s facial reconstruction

New York Times “Science” coverage

Filed under: Africa, News , Africa, Ancient Egyptian Rulers, Ancient Eyptian Dynasty, Cerebral Malaria, Egypt, Eradica, Exotic, King Tut, King Tut's Mummy, King Tutankhamen, King Tutankhamun, Malaria, Malaria Awareness, Malaria Infection Rates, National Geographic, People, Pharaoh, Roll Back Malaria

11/02/2010 • 04:12 0

Nigeria’s Taliban Clash with Police

Maiduguri (Nigeria) – In July 2009 violence erupted in Northern Nigeria between Boko Haram and government troops. The equivalent of the Taliban they seek to replace the current penal code with Quran based Sharia law. Currently 12 of the 36 states in Nigeria enforce Sharia law.

During the clashes the leader of Boko Haram was killed and his followers accused the police of conducting an extra-judicial killing. In the ensuing months the conflict increased in violence resulting in significant casualities.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Al-Jazeera aired footage that shows two uniformed men forcing seven young men to lie face-down at the side of a busy road. The uniformed men then fire into the men’s backs. The footage could not be authenticated by The Associated Press.

Nigerian Police have been accused of being responsible for hundreds of extra-judicial executions, other unlawful killings and enforced disappearances every year. It also said the majority of the killings go uninvestigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. If the purported execution of these young men is confirmed, it will be another blow to the image and perception of Nigeria’s police force.

Borno state Police Commissioner Ibrahim Abdu says the TV images are false and “a deliberate attempt of the surviving sect members to cause confusion and threats.”

Source: The Associated Press

Filed under: Africa, News, Social/Political , Africa, African Politics, Al Jazeera, Boko Haram, Government and Politics, Naija Issues, Naija Politics, Nigeria, Nigeria Islamist Militants, Nigeria Oil, Nigeria Violence, Nigerian Government, Nigerian Politics, Northern Nigeria, Police, Politics, Politics and Corruption, Social Issues, World News, World Politics

09/02/2010 • 23:38 0

World’s Untold Stories: Innocence for Sale

On January 26, 2010 CNN aired “World’s Untold Stories” program that featured Cambodia and examined the heartbreaking stories of Southeast Asia’s child sex industry. The full length report can be viewed at CNN World.

Seen through the eyes of Aaron Cohen, CNN goes undercover into the karaoke brothels where sex with a child costs the same as a round of drinks. We witness the destitution and deprivation that keeps the young girls in the brothels and we’re there when Cohen pays his final respects to the teenage girl he’d rescued, but couldn’t save from the heartless grip of prostitution, in the face of her family’s poverty.

What’s uncovered in this half-hour will shed new light into the dark corners of the human trafficking problem in Cambodia, where we discover in many cases, the blame for the children’s exploitation lies not solely with the pimps and madams.

The documentary will enlighten and inspire new conversation about the challenges currently preventing aid workers and authorities from winning the battle in the struggle to free children from this most despicable form of modern-day slavery.

Source: CNN

Filed under: Children's Rights, Modern Day Slavery, News , Aaron Cohen, Cambodia, Child Abuse, Child Murders, Child Sex Slaves, Children for Sex, Children's Rights, CNN, Observations, Paedophilia, Pedophiles, Pedophilia, Selling Children, Sex Industry, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Deviants, Sexual Enslavement, Sexual Violence, Southern Life, World's Untold Stories

04/01/2010 • 23:52 0

Friendship, Palestine, and Israel

Readers who are familiar with this blog, know that the tenor of many of the posts is one that seeks to explore the communality between people, faiths and cultures. As a person who has lived within three distinct cultures and faiths, I understand the nuances that may perplex individuals who are always looking from the “outside in,” and based upon this cursory perspective draw conclusions that are specious at best and malicious at worst.

The adoption of these entrenched positions and beliefs are required in order to dehumanize the object of our derision and animosity. This is not to say that there is not some basis in fact for such antipathy, but generational antipathy is usually a consequence of learned behavior versus direct experience. In the end, we are all human, and while many humans do very bad things, just as many recognize that we all share the desire to love and be loved, to understand and be understood, and to live peacefully with each other.

This is not always easy which is why I felt it was important to feature these two young women who are braving the divide.

Mona Sbouh and Yaara Tal

“A fresh start is nearly impossible wherever there’s a history of violence. But our special new year’s program shows that people around the world can make new beginnings with old enemies. Stories include: a Palestinian and an Israeli teenager who overcame their fears to become best friends; a Muslim and a Hindu filmmaker whose relationship was tested and strengthened while working in conflict-torn Kashmir; a man in Zimbabwe who now preaches against the intertribal violence he once took part in. We also feature an essay from Sri Lanka about overcoming caste divisions, and another from a survivor of Sarajevo with her reflections on the war crimes trial of Radovan Karadzic.” Source: The State We’re In, 2 January 2010: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Listen here to Mona Sbouh and Yaara-Tal among others share their stories about bridging the divide.

Filed under: News, Social/Political , 88.5 FM, Africa, American University Radio, Caste Divisions, Hindu, Human Rights, Intertribal Violence, Islam, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Jews, Judaism, Kashmir, Mona Sbouh, National Public Radio, Ndebele Tribe, NPR, Palestine, People, Project Kashmir, Public Radio, Racism, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Radovan Karadzic, Shona Tribe, Siege of Sarajevo, Sri Lankan Caste System, The State We're In, WAMU, WAMU 88.5, Yaara Tal, Zimbabwe

11/12/2009 • 22:18 0

Sex Tourists Invade Kenya

Sex tourism is a crime against humanity; it irrevocably harms girls, boys and women, and should not be tolerated under any circumstances. Most people are aware of the horrendous problem with sex tourism in Asia. An organization named ECPAT ‘End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes’ International is trying to make a difference for the children caught up in this horrendous trade.

Equally disheartening is the fact that sexual tourists and abusers are constantly in search of fresh victims, and to that end East Africa has become the new port of destination for individuals seeking to sexually exploit children, women and men.

Kunal Dutta wrote an informative article for “The Independent” newspaper, which I highly recommend in addition to viewing the video above.

Mzungus are raping our children, and it is allowed because of poverty and hunger. I urge everyone who follows this blog to highlight this issue by reposting this video.

The full length report can be viewed on CNN International.

Filed under: Africa, Children's Rights, Modern Day Slavery, News , Africa, African Women Living With AIDS, Child Abuse, Children for Sex, Children's Rights, Feminism, Gender, Gender Relations, Life, Memoir Shorts, Mombasas, Observations, Paedophilia, People, Rape, Selling Children, Sex, Sex Slaves, Sex Tourism, Sex Trade, Sex Workers, Sexuality, UNICEF, Women and Children, Women's Issues, Women's Rghts