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Irene van Schagen
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The voice of the indigenous people
February 2, 2004 - 06:39 AM
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Hi friends
Learning about the problems of the indigenous people I allways became more and more ashamed of being white and living in the continent whose ancestors have wiped out so many other peoples. Untill I learned that the first indigenous people that were wiped out were the people from the land of Europe itself.
We all grew insane the moment we cut ourselves loose from our rooots and connection with the earth we live on, and started believing in the way "science" told us to look at the world.
By now we learn that the force of western scientific technology is life-destructive and that the result is a planet where the inhabitants are in war with life itself.
It is now, that the remaining indigenous peoples go around over the globe, forgiving the harm that has been inflicted upon them and starting to teach this white brother that it is still not to late for healing and a future in harmony with the earth and life itself.
So if there is one thing important about the common caracteristic of the divers indigenous peoples, is that they carry the memory and entrance for us to heal our hearts and connection with our roots.
To remember who we are, where we come from and how we can contribute to the immense healing that is needed on our common habitat, the earth.
It are the people that are living close too the earth that can help us to find the way back home, and we HAVE TO listen and learn to become our own indigeneos people again.
Nobody else can do it for us, we are responsible for our lives and the chances for our future generations.
I hope this message inspires you all to be proud of being indigenous or make contact wíth indigenous, because it are the peoples of the earth, the friens of life, that will enter our common future.
May Peace Prevail on Earth
Irene
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Damilare
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Indigenous Philosophy
February 2, 2004 - 11:19 AM
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Yes!
I think it is time when we look back to our roots, to find out the glorious life our people lived in the past.
The indigenous people lived quite a primitive life. They sacrificed humans, did all sort of atrocties, but on the other hand, they lived a peaceful life, free of descrimination, bomb, war and all the bad things of today.
Here in my country, Nigeria, the white missinaries of the 18th centuries, tried to wipe away the works of my great ancestors, which is their main philosophy that gave birth to our traditions, culture, religion and morals. Their philosophy answered many questions of mankind. But the missinaries looked down of those indigenous people with disdain. And they poisoned the mind of the peoples.
Now, people no longer belive in our traditions, which i find very annoying. Right now, I am trying my best to protect not only the indigenous people but the indigenous culture, traditions and philosophy!
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Irene van Schagen
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african tradition
February 3, 2004 - 10:26 AM
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Hi great african
Is it true that people do not believe in your tradition anymore? I believed a huge revival of the african traditional culture is happening now, and even spreading to areas where slaves used to be brought to. I think of the candomble in Brazil.
Once we realise more and more that the voice of the indigenous people is the voice of mother earth herself, than people will start believing again.
we need a lot of firmess and patience, and learn to forgive. let's keep it up!
irene
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Irene van Schagen
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forgot
February 3, 2004 - 10:31 AM
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And also:
not all ancesters sacrificed human life. I do not say we have to move back in time, but we do have to move back home,........move back towards living close to the earth.
I know their lives were 'primitive' , but our lives in the big cities now turn out to be degenerated.....what is more healthy?
people in big cities do not realise anymore that they live on a planet, on the earth. That is like cancer.
see the direction?
irene
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Eric Nicolas Schneider
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Re: The voice of the indigenous people
February 5, 2004 - 09:38 AM
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aha, interesting and important topic.
I agree tht the Children of Nature are giving us industriual kids an important psychotherapy and heart therapy, reconnecting. I have experienced the gift and pleasure of a 12month journey of such, and since have come across chances to dive into different traditions with remarkable elders.
Ths consequence is that I am working on establishin an intercultural education platform for treating such "UNSEEN" aspects of CULTURE : worldviews, tradition...
A comment:
it was lost in europe before sciences, the church did its part. and altough christianity is not really from the central european woodlands, and is dualist in nature (as opposed to the tribals) it holds truth : as amazon elders have declared "we know this energy, it is in our forest also, and your maria is the holy plant, mother earth. So we respect you, just let us do it our way. thats o.k. we are borthes in spirit." I find this vry important to note, as most industrial culture youth looking for the indigenous are tking an inimcal position to christinaity, which is an incorrect generalization, as I hpe to have depicted properly.
The indigenous root is important to have a wider perspective and understanding of how each of us is personally related to the living universe that we are intrictae part of (not detached as dualist chrisian church has taugh us, and the worldviews of science and ECONOMICS!!!! keep transmitting in their own way). Also, the traditions of festivities help us with our own archetypal connection to ritual and connecting to the rhythm of nature. and the magical storytelling stories do their own :-) if they get lost we are really lost!
HOW SEEK AND SEARCH ?
I have found that some people in berlin, although born in germany, have come to discover a very cose connection to african or native american or indian spirituality. I am referring not to new age seekers, but to people that ARE truly connected to the "root" of those traditions.
Reanimating European traditions are important for reconnecting ot the spirit of the land, the plants, healing traditions and caring for nature. However, some people I know who are not connected to the ideas of european traditions are more connected to living as a natural person than others always "talking" about it :-)
NOW WHAT IS EUROPEAN CULTURE ???
Finally, I have come across the saying that "indigenou people tell us to rediscover our own culture" ... "and to sit with their elders" first - of course - the kids do not follow the counsel to sit with their (disrespected) elderly citizens, and 2nd: then the german kids (alternative or leftist) run back to unearthing germanic culture... with no connection to the 21st century, and rejecting the mainstream society. The funny thing is, that the same indigenous elders/wosdom keepers meant something very different ! They have excellent dialogues with the universal scholars of today (=the european ELDERS of today), about the achievements of Hegel, Kant, Hesse, Einstein, Schweitzer, and the ecosophy of Arne Naess - an aproach of a holistic worldview fit for the 21st century eropean mind.
HOW COMBINE THE TWO?
The central idea is INTEGRITY; INTEGRAL worldview, combining the traditional with the very tidal wave of societaland scientific findings (which today reveal that the ancient worldsare all true) : earth is a living organism etc.
and its application lies in system sciences and the likes, which - unfortnately - are little represented in the still conventional (reating everything as isolated, barricaded in their own terminology etc.) scientific environments.
sorry for so much talking, :-)
so - just to share an idea of how to merge / compose the indigenous feel and perspective with 21st century thinking and terminology. so we dont get stuck digging in our roots :-) ...
good luck on this wonderful adventure!
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Henry Oke
Joined: Feb 23, 2004
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service delivery to everyone regardless of locations
February 26, 2004 - 06:08 AM
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HenryShoFOR
THE UNDER PRIVILEGED
Old 21A New 23 A Ajayi Aina Street, Ifako-Gbagada, Lagos.
Dear Sir,
SO THAT THE RICH MAY NOT ALSO CRY
If the governments of the rich nations would bring international service delivery to the door step of the poor nations with minimum level of stress to the poor and employ/deploy less than 30% of their resources to service of over 70% of the World population representing the under-privileged subjects, the world would be a better place for all to live in peace and harmony and produce better and versatile leaders and not just empty promises form the rich nations.
The poor nations are not getting richer. They know how to ‘manage poor’ through the survival instincts of economic bondage of loans from IMF, World Bank, Paris Club etc. Must the poor nations get richer or remain poorer? The rich nations must sincerely and genuinely help and assist the poor so that the rich may not also cry.
Yours truly,
For: Henry Sho.
Email:henry_sho@yahoo.com
(A Non-Governmental Organization committed to capacity building, development, utilization and empowerment of the underprivileged, canvassing their cause and advocating for them, welcomes donations, contributions, sharing of information and idea and cooperation from individuals, governments corporate subjects and others)
Henry Oke
President
5552990
DO NOT IGNORE THIS. FORWARD/EMAIL TO A FRIEND
HenryShoFOR
THE UNDER PRIVILEGED
Old 21A New 23 A Ajayi Aina Street, Ifako-Gbagada, Lagos.
Dear Sir,
BRING SERVICE DELIVERY TO THE DOOR STEP OF THE POOR
I have written to the Nigerian leader, President Olusegun Obasanjo, over 28 times and to the various banking and financial sectors regulatory authorities/bodies before and after the second coming current dispensation of the Obasanjo’s administration and to all other relevant/appropriate authorities about the ineffective and inefficient service delivery of the public institutions to the underprivileged subjects in Nigeria and they could not cope with the burden of litigation which is a key index for the perpetual corruption that has plagued the country for over tow decades and cited cases, examples and references as pointers, this time around, I just feel confident that as a public servant, he would show a good example for others to emulate by hearkening to the voice of underprivileged Nigerian subjects as enumerated in this piece without further delay.
Two decades after its independence, Nigeria had been wandering in the wilderness of endless economic reforms while at the same time, ostensibly faced with political and logistics dangers, bribery, graft and corruption, fiscal indiscipline, ineffective and inefficient service delivery to the people and other vices inherent in the system and polity for over twenty years. Good in policy formulating, bad in policy execution and operations.
Since the inception of this administration in 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo has traveled the north and south poles of the globe including the Antarctica regions ostensibly wandering in the wilderness of comity of nations for solutions to the above stated problems that are inside the pocket of his trousers.
It would be a mistake for Nigeria and its leaders to believe that the solution has come with the recent disbursement of USD$32 million World Bank loan to Nigeria. We would end up remaining in perpetual indebtedness, debt servicing, beggar and economic bondage of the Western World. The solutions to the country’s problems were not in taking up the loan or any other loan whatsoever, the solutions are right inside Nigeria.
The report titled “World Bank Urges FG To Empower The Poor” published by the local Financial Standard newspaper, January 26, 2004 edition drew my attention, curiosity and concern for the under-privileged Nigerians
who suffer from the service delivery failure and corruption of the public institutions in the country. I would like to make some contributions towards the subject matter, identify one or two ways service delivery failure of the Federal and State Governments have affected the lives of the poor and identify how the FG could make service delivery effective.
Less than 30% of the population, some 65% of the private sector and about 90% of the public sector engage in graft, bribery, corruption, political and logistic dangers and other vices inherent in the system and polity for over two decades.
Over a generation, if Nigeria could make service delivery to the people more effective, it would certainly reduce corruption and according to Daniel Kaufmann, the World Bank’s top official’s statistics on the corruption issue, the country will enjoy a 400 percent improvement in its per capita income. That translates into a jump from, say, $4,000 a year for every many, woman, and child to a relatively prosperous $16,000. By contrast, people subject to a truly corrupt government like Nigerian government often see a reduction in their living standards.
Unfortunately, it is the over 70% of the population of the country representing the underprivileged subjects, suffer from the vices, political and logistic dangers, graft, bribery and corruption caused by and being practiced among the very few. When the world leaders do visit the country, they do not get a chance of visiting the underprivileged areas to have a quick understanding and on the spot assessment of the state of the nation which may provide the incentive much needed for and give way to the issue of debt pardon which would be channeled towards better life for the people instead of the perpetual economic bondage of debt. If service delivery of the rich nations is brought to the doorstep of the poor nations, the world would become more peaceful and a much better place for all to live with minimum level of stress.
Recently, the Nigerian TELL magazine No. 51, of December, 22, 2003, published a case of foreign exchange currency transfer by one company to its suppliers in Europe and America in 1982 through the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Nigeria. After over a decade of tactical delays and deceits by UBA, the company got fed up of these antics and finally took the bank to court in 1994. The high court in Nigeria ruled against the bank and the appeal court upheld the ruling. The case has gone to the Supreme Court in Nigeria for final judgment.
TELL revealed in its investigations that between 1985 and 1987 the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) carried out a refinancing scheme of all imports to the country to date at that time. The Naira deposits of those imports from the international community that did not scale through the scheme according to the CBN’s directives were to be refunded to the local depositors perhaps, for them to find another means of paying the beneficiary for the goods already supplied to them in Nigeria by way of converting the money to property or bond or find a way of utilizing the naira deposits locally depending on the agreement between the supplier in Europe and America and the Nigerian business partners.
Surprisingly, the banks in Nigeria refused to make such refund to the depositors against the apex bank’s directives making them (the depositors) believed that their applications for foreign currency approval remittance were still being processed by the CBN. It took over a decade before it dawned on the depositors that they were being deceived by the banks. These antics cut across various banks in Nigeria from UBA to First Bank of Nigeria Plc and others.
Unfolding events however, suggests that the CBN’s refinancing scheme was a monumental conspiracy, connivance and fraud with the intent and purpose against the unsuspecting members of the international community and their counterparts Nigerian entrepreneurs who had genuine desire, honesty and sincerity of purpose to establish mutually rewarding business relationships with their principals in Europe and America.
Interestingly, similar cases had been widely publicized by the local newspapers including the TELL magazines of October, 22, 2001, December 17, 2001 and March 18, 2002 respectively involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc., yet, the authority in Nigeria is unwilling to take up cases like these and decisively tackle them.
Two of such cases involved First Bank Ikeja Industrial Estate branch, Lagos State, in 1984 under the following cover: MBC 188/90/724 for US$3,835.00; DRAWN ON: HENRY SHO & COMPANY; DRAWER: DUTCHESS BAKERS’ MACHINERY COMPANY INC; CBN BATCH AMOUNT US$3,835.00; CBN BATCH NO. 008/100 of 15/8/84; AND NEW YORK MAIL TRANSFER FOR US$483.80; FOR NATIONAL BANK OF COMMERCE IN SUPERIOR ACCOUNT NUMBER 920-1-046779 FOR SUPERIOR LIDGERWOOD MUNDY CORPORATION. The mark up-date for allocation of foreign currency by Central Bank of Nigeria was September 10, 1984 and First Bank Enugu Main Branch, Enugu State in 1984 under the following Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) cover: - MBC 140/92/1;CBN BATCH AMOUNT US$5,893.41;CBN BATCH NO. 008/020 of 26/10/84;RELEASED BY CBN ON 5/11/84;BENEFICIARY:HORll & CO. LTD, TOKYO, JAPAN.
In a year 2000 speech, Mr. James Wolfensohn, the World Bank President said and I quote in part that “do not recite generic answers but raise fundamental questions to which there are no easy answers”. Why couldn’t legitimate transactions that had been processed to the level of remittances between First Bank of Nigeria Plc., and Central Bank of Nigeria scale through the refinancing scheme? Certainly, it calls for detailed explanations, investigation and to be decisively tackled.
First Bank offered a refund of N2,951.14k in September 2001 in respect of the trade bills. Henry Sho & Company did not accept the offer as it negated the principles of equity, justice, fair play and good conscience on the part of its staff, management and directors. The refund must take into account length of time, current exchange rate, accumulated interest rates and accrued profits to date to cover losses and effectively resend payments for the goods that had been sold and used in the baking industry in Nigeria via another channel. The refund must also come with the original shipping and exchange control documents.
The Central Bank of Nigeria in a letter dated February 12, 2002, promised an investigation into the matter but nothing has come out of it till now.
The committee on Public Hearing, House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the second term of the Bosanko’s administration in office did respond to my petition against the First Bank of Nigeria Plc., I replied thus: - “Your letter dated 12th February, 2004 which was received 16thth February 2004 and your email, in which I was invited to an investigative hearing on my petition against the First bank Of Nigeria Plc., by Wednesday, 18th February, 2004 refers.
While I appreciated your efforts, but I did not know that the National Assembly would add to the burden of an already over burdened, heavily laden, poor and under-privileged Nigerian subject who ran to you for cover and succor. I haven’t got enough money for postages as my business had suffered ruin for many years without succor not to talk more of a visit itinerary from Lagos to the House of Representatives in Abuja the burden of which I cannot cope with as at present especially with such a short notice and on health ground.
For the National Assembly to be truly national, it must have its spread all over the thirty six states in Nigeria perhaps, by setting up liaison offices with powers and responsibilities through each state of assembly to make it accessible to all, both the rich, the poor, the highly privileged and the under privileged Nigerian subjects.
The National Assembly must be seen as truly representatives of and make its service delivery to the people effective and efficient with minimum level of stress to the citizens.
After all, casting of the votes was brought to the door step of the voters during elections equally; service delivery must be brought to the door step of the voters after casting of the votes. Thank you very much and may God bless you.”
Cases like these would stand the test of time to see if Nigeria is truly committed to sanitizing its system, polity and environment to make them more businesslike for investors to do business and to restore the confidence of the international community in the country which would lead to gradual removal of political and logistic dangers and other vices inherent in the system and polity and which has plagued the country for over twenty years. This would perhaps, send a signal to the rest of the world that finally, Nigeria is getting right.
A proverb in this part of the world goes like this “A wealthy, powerful and influential man who stole the fowl of a poor man in a community is tantamount to stealing the fowl of a Town Crier as he will use the only weapon to the best of his capacity and ability to get justice done in the court of public opinion.
Mr. Joseph Sanusi, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria was the Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc., during the CBN’s refinancing scheme. So, why is it difficult for him and/or any other relevant/appropriate authority/agency in Nigeria to investigate reported cases like these and decisively tackle them?
The government cannot continue to ignore and must constantly hearken to the voice of under-privileged Nigerians who are socially, economically, politically, or judicially disempowered, disadvantaged and capacity de-utilized groaning in the dwindling economy and politics of exclusion at least, to enable them continue with the business and survival strategies of capacity utilization and development through effective and efficient service delivery system of the public institutions, social, economic and political rehabilitation, integration and empowerment. This would somewhat minimize corruption and other fraudulent practices.
A good example is the dispute with First Bank Of Nigeria Plc., enumerated above. Appropriate/relevant authority should take up reported cases like these and decisively tackle them with minimum level of stress to the victim. Somebody, someone, someday would wake to the reality that the governments cannot continue to ignore the under privileged Nigerian subjects and allow them to waste, rotten and die away in the land while at the same time, the very few of about 30% representing the highly privileged Nigerian subjects enjoy their loot unpunished.
This piece may sound too personal, but it does illustrate the principle that if service delivery could be brought to the door step of the poor effectively and efficiently and the government could employ/deploy up to 70% of its resources to the service of over 70% of its population representing the under-privileged subjects, their standard of living would be improve individually by seven folds and collectively, that translates to about 500% increase it its per capita income and this means a jump from, say, $5,000 a year for every many, woman, and child to a relatively prosperous $20,000. The country’s problems would have been solved by up to 70%.
By contrast, a government that has a poor service delivery to its subjects often thrives in high level corruption resulting to reduced standard of living of its people.
Yours truly,
For: Henry Sho.
Email:henry_sho@yahoo.com
(A Non-Governmental Organization committed to capacity building, development, utilization and empowerment of the underprivileged, canvassing their cause and advocating for them, welcomes donations, contributions, sharing of information and idea and cooperation from individuals, governments corporate subjects and others)
Henry Oke
President
5552990
DO NOT IGNORE THIS. FORWARD/EMAIL TO A FRIEND
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Eric Nicolas Schneider
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Re: The voice of the indigenous people
February 29, 2004 - 05:25 AM
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shame and horror, and going beyond that shame, not identifying with the dominant culture any longer, might be a useful if not necessary trigger to at last start walking a different lifestyle, not only talking nice but ACTING and standing up for it.
however, there's yellow and black ones (less red ones actually) that are good company to the worst whities: check news about the indonesian governments aggressive policy towards the indigenous peoplle in New Guinea; that is among the worst atrocities of history, for the past twenty years and still happening, with the backup of the affluent nations... gold, timber, the good old story: slaughtering hundreds of thousands of natives right NOW.
As my native american uncle once said: "All honourable people belong to the same tribe." there's two extremes to the scale: givers and TAKERS. And those are wearing many skins today. This might not appear to make it easier to create a better world, but it at last should take us beyond ANY STEREOTYPE AND IDEOLOGICAL TRENCHES of nationality, colour, sex, age...
"All honourable people belong to the same tribe." And those are the brothers and sisters of all living creatures, SANE Children of Mother Earth.
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kelly wombacher
Joined: Feb 28, 2004
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in ashame to your post
February 29, 2004 - 12:13 PM
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hi all,
in reply to your post, i felt horrible to read the first line. "im ashamed to be white"??? what, youre ashamed to be who you are, who your ancestors are?? ya, u can be ashamed of your culture's history, but its not YOU. you can be anything no matter what color you are.white people made a big mistake and yes, we are in debt to them for a long time, but dont be ashamed. learn from your ancestors and the people in history to never let it happen again. please dont say your ashamed, becuase that hurts your whole heritage.
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Felida Schreiber
Joined: Mar 27, 2005
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Re: The voice of the indigenous people
March 27, 2005 - 04:34 AM
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Irene I was wondering if you could give me some information about the Hungarian zculter and how Hungarians feel about indigenous peoples in there country i am working on a project for one of my classes about Hungary's tortue and indegenoous people. If can or can not please email me at aka_tinkerbell2@yahoo.com.
ThankYou,
Felida
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