Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
I read on Yahoo that up to five hundred, mostly women and children, have been hacked to death with machete`s by what I can only think of as primitive savage`s in Nigeria, and I don`t mean that in the same way that early explorer`s called all native`s. That word religion has cropped up again as usual, as it`s between muslim`s and christian`s. I don`t know if Sid has any views on it?
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
there is a part of nigeria where this goes on according to the media.
not long ago an elderly woman was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
apparently she was gang raped, i have no idea whether the sentence was carried out.
No stonings have been carried out, they are just token sentences for the benefit of the Sharia law in that part of Nigeria. Any sentence that severe is always referred upwards to the national judiciary. If execution is deemed the right sentence the state will carry it out, usually by shooting the guilty party. Seriious offenders in Nigeria only need to be caught once!
I've tried to contact a friend of mine, Soji Awosika, who is airport Station Manager at Jos to see if he is okay and what is happening up there. Flights to Jos are not yet cancelled, so maybe this is not as serious as some would like us to believe. When/if I get a reply I will update the members via this thread.
Generally, Al Qaeda would love to make Nigeria a slaughterhouse, but the local muslims want no part of it. Unfortunately in Africa, there is next to no border security to prevent dissidents moving about and outsiders tend to be the troublemakers. Nigerians are extremely friendly and hospitable people. The press also seem hungry for a Christian/Muslim war in Africa for some reason. If there has been a problem it is more likley to be tribal than religious, as those tensions still exist.
Also, don't get too hung up about the use of machetes as they are a common implement in Africa and, for 99.9% of folks, is the only form of weapon they are ever likely to have to hand. They are however, more commonly used for cutting grass rather than heads off.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
Thanks Sid. I was waiting for your take on this; with your experience of Nigeria, I knew you'd put it all into some perspective. Dontcha just hate religious bigotry, or indeed bigotry of any kind?
The only input I can offer on Nigeria is the advice given to Foreign Office staff in the early 80s at their induction courses before being posted to Lagos (the old capital) or to the FCO consulate at Port Harcourt - I'm not sure if either office is still open, but in those days both were classed as 'Hard Postings' - which put them on a par with Russia, China and the Falkland Islands. The reason was culture and a curious anomaly in the law in which parties found guilty of causing death through dangerous or reckless driving were held financially responsible for the family of the victim. In the late 70s and early 80s this led to a spate of desperate parents pushing children in front of cars being driven by white men in the knowledge that they would be made to pay for the loss of their child. At Port Harcourt this was especially the case, as white people employed there were usually employees of Shell or BP - in other words, Oil rich and therefore loaded....... Probably more Wild West than the old Wild West itself, but desperate times drew desperate measures. The advice given to FCO employees at that time was 'If you hit a pedestrian in your car, don't stop under any circumstances.' Ye Gods.
True friends stab you in the front.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i remember that too andy, it applied in many african countries at the time.
on one my one visit to lagos there was a body lying by the side of the road just outside the airport, 2 days later when catching the flight home the body was still there.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
Lots of very interesting stuff there Sid, you do a far better job than the media. I`m glad I didn`t dive in there with any of my outspoken views. I think I`ve mellowed somewhat in recent month`s of being on here.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
2 Very good postings ther from Sid and Andy.
Don't listen to every thing you hear on the media.
As Sid says the Machetes are a very common tool in that part of the country, a friend of mine was presented one once, made from a suspension spring from a Landrover, it was and still is indestructable.
Over here we have knives and Stanly blades.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
I should think that Henry Morton Stanley, the great explorer of the dark continent and famous for his expedition to find Dr. Livingstone, would also have used a Stanley knife!
That Africans do not have a monopoly on cruelty is evinced by this horrific exerpt from Wikipedia:
"In 1886, Stanley led the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition to "rescue" Emin Pasha, the governor of Equatoria in the southern Sudan. King Leopold II demanded that Stanley take the longer route, via the Congo river, hoping to acquire more territory and perhaps even Equatoria. After immense hardships and great loss of life, Stanley met Emin in 1888, discovered the Ruwenzori Range and Lake Edward, and emerged from the interior with Emin and his surviving followers at the end of 1890. (Turnbull, 1983) But this expedition tarnished Stanley's name because of the conduct of the other Europeans: British gentlemen and army officers. An army major was shot by a carrier, after behaving with extreme cruelty. James Jameson, heir to an Irish whiskey manufacturer, bought an eleven-year old girl and offered her to cannibals to document and sketch how she was cooked and eaten. Stanley only found out when Jameson had died of fever. Previous expeditions had given Stanley satisfaction, but this one had only brought disaster."
Here is Stanley alighting at the Admiralty Pier in Dover after this expedition:
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
Interesting Ed. Historically, European`s must have the most appalling record of all for cruelty and killing, both of their own kind and other species. History has always been glorified over the year`s, but much of it now mean`s nothing to me personally, with all the current factual knowledge available. Hollywood and the rest of the film industry, have alot to answer for. I`ve enjoyed films over the year`s, western`s, war film`s, gangster film`s the same as everyone else, but in recent years, I feel like I`ve been `cheated`, if that`s the word, hence my lack of interest in anything that Hollywood or tv companies churn out today. Entertainment for many, but not for me.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i was always brought up to believe that the colonies welcomed us as their saviours.
turns out that it was not totally true.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
True friends stab you in the front.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
and not forgetting wembly stadium,dover castle etc.
Being hated goes with the territory when you belong to the world's superior race, the English.
The Yanks may be the worlds greatest military and financial power today, but even they know they are still but a colony of ours, allowed out on leash until we decide to take it back.
All the other colonists and ex-colonists are deeply subconciouly in awe of the English.
The colonies of other powers would rather be part of the British Empire (English Empire to give it the proper title).
Rule Britannia and all that!
You can't beat a bit of class!!!
Thanks Bern x
Got a reply from Soji in Jos today to say he was okay and all was calm and back to business as normal.
