Citizen Reporter

Oil, Shell, Nigeria, and Struggle: The story of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the people of the Niger Delta.

AudioCommunique #67(mp3)
27min+, 64kbps, 13Mb+

In 1995 a Nigerian author and playright, Ken Saro-Wiwa was murdered along with his fellow activists, following years of resistance and struggle against the oil companies that were destroying their land and killing their community. This podcast is just a little reminder of that story, that is long from over, especially when so many fret about the price of oil.

I mention: Project Underground, Shell Press Releases, Democracy Now.

Music includes:

Tower of Power – Only so much oil in the ground
Fela Kuti – Who are you?
Bill Frisell – Baba Drame
Billy Bragg – Price of Oil
Richard Bona– Muna Nyuwe

With all the issues of concern in the world, I haven’t spoken of the ‘dam lately….

A cold wind has blown in from the North Sea, and brought that familiar fall rain with it. Moreover, it has brought Madge Weinstein and the Vlog Europe conference to town, which means it is garunteed to be an interesting few days.

For those who don’t know, a Vlog is a Video blog. Sound strange? Well you’re reading a blog, which is text, you listen to podcasts which are audio, and just imagine clicking on a video and watching me tell you all this while I look you in the eyes. It’s a all related; grassroots, personal media, in all its imperfections and honesty. I myself don’t Vlog yet, but never say never, and the conference brings up lots of good points about citizen journalists and the future where we will all consult video blogs regularly. (which of course, you can start doing now!)

If you’re interested, I recommend the following two tools, of which I met the creators today and one of them knew exactly who I was from my podcasts.. yay! So.. first there’s MeFeedia an excellent tool for finding vlogs and watching them. And then there’s FireAnt, another tool for finding and watching video on the net. Keep in mind, I recommend them, but Ive never really used them… but I will!

In the meantime I’m very much enjoying riding around Amsterdam with Madge. Despite her obescity, she’s able to get around on a special bike with re-enforced tires. I even find her complaining about her thighs rubbing together as she pedals, charming.

And that’s just how it goes in Amsterdam sometimes. You meet interesting people from all over the world. Some who live here… some who are just passing through.

I’ve got some world bank people reading this here blog, which is good, because there are no sacred cows here — it’s time to tear into the WB. Specifically there “Doing Business 2006” report which just came out with rankings for what countries are “best” for doing business. Immediately this begs the question — what is good business?

This because for me… the keeping the costs of HIRING and FIRING employees low is NOT a measure of success. Neither is having few tax requirements for corporations. They even have a topic “dealing with liscenses”, as if to say the laws and regulations devised by elected representatives of citizens are somehow… a nuissance. Who knew the WB had gone full-on libertarian?

But lets go to the rankings, shall we…

Hiring and Firing Top 5:

1. Palau
2. Tonga
3. Hong Kong
4. new zealand
5. Maldives

So.. consider moving there because you’ll easily get a job and then lose it just as easily. yay!

Dealing With Liscences Top 5:
1. Palau
2. New Zealand
3. Micronesia
4. Marshall Islands
5. Japan

Hooray… less hassle with those annoying “liscences” for these countries.

And finally for today, The Burden of Paying Taxes Top 5:
1. Maldives
2. Hong Kong
3. Iraq
4. Oman
5. Saudi Arabia

See… no need to pay taxes.. fuck the building of infastructure and needs of citizens..

Thanks Paul Wolfowitz, for your keen business sense and cold hard facts.

Please remember Victor Jara.. in the Santiago Stadium… Es Verdad? Those Washington Bullets Again..

As a teenager I used to (i still do actually) sing along to these lyrics along with basically every Clash song there is. And of course, it led me to want to know more. – Who is this Victor Jara… and what happenned to him in a Santiago Stadium? And that led to me learn all about the wonderful Chilean singer and activist who was murdered before a stadium full of people, because he was a folk singer and sang about injustice and poverty.

Stadium. Injustice. Poverty. Murder. Sufferring. Hmmm.

September 11th.. 1973.. Chilean Military, led by General Pinochet and fully supported by the CIA and the American Government, carry out a coup to oust the newly elected president Salvador Allende. On that same day, they arrested countless, including Victor Jara. For those five September days, he was tortured and starved. Then on the 16th, he, along with many others, was led into the stadium and further beaten and brutalized. Some reports say they cut off his hands, while others say they broke his hands, and then they threw his guitar at him, and told him to play. Witnesses say he proceeded to sing in a most chilling and beautiful voice, a song supporting the coalition which had been democratically elected. The soldiers then opened fire on him with machine guns… then beat his dead body.

As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende, and the days before,
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara,
In the Santiago Stadium,
Es verdad – those Washington Bullets again