Chinese in Africa

[Thomas]

Jesus loves you.................he'll even forgive you for raping another Iraqi kid!!

Hi Berimbau!
I think we all know what you want to say, and I'm with you in some points. I'm also concerned about the fact that people are using the words of jesus, budda, mohammed,etc. to reach their goal and to even find excuses for mass-murder, etc.
But such a statement is too much, it's also spreading hate and prejudices. You should be more clearheaded than those people which you are talkin' about.
I don't wanna offend you, don't missunderstand me, I just think that such statements don't help anyone!
All the best, Tom!

[Berimbau]

Dear Tom,
Actually my post was meant to satirize those folks too sanctimonious to allow reality to seep into their lives. All religions were created by human beings to fullfill social and psychological needs as well as to manipulate people and attempt to change or control their behaviour. I'll give you that a lot of people are stark raving nuts, and probably NEED to be controled, but these days they are the very ones IN CHARGE!!! Faith is, of course, a personal journey for the enlightened, a quantam leap into the unknown. Now that may be fine in itself, but it's really ALL the subsequent prothlesizing that spills the blood and fills the body bags....or Hummer gas tanks!!!



Saludos,



Berimbau

[OLSONGO]

And all mentioned happens in a planet, smaller than a grain of sand. How idiotic and selfish can we be. I am still waiting for that voice from beyond, screeaming.... CHILL and LEAVE AS ONE, otherwise YOU; WILL KICK YOUERSELVES in the HEAD. And that would look pretty damm funny.

Paz OLSONGO

[Berimbau]

Paz to you, too Bro. Osolongo!
I'm just afraid that we all kicked ourselves in the head two years ago this November, and now we are trying to kick everyone else in the head, too!!! I don't know about you, but I never leave home without a football helmet on. For some of you folks posting here you'll find it fits right over your tin foil hat!!!



Mo Paz,




Berimbau

[congamyk]

.... Armed with their Christian ethic, they invaded and looted lands that did not belong to them....

....God Bless America, and Jesus loves you.................he'll even forgive you for raping another Iraqi kid!!....

This is a public forum so all types of ideas, no matter how ridiculous or grotesque they may be, are allowed.
However it's good to know where some people's "thought" processes lie.

As a Christian, I find your post specifically (and some following) typical of those with an extreme anti-faith bias.
I liken it to a future historian 100 years from now claiming that Wall Street greed, lies and stealing in 1990 is also the work of "Christian Ethics" simply because some of those people claimed to be Christians.

In fact, many of the most prolific slave traders were Jewish and would also disagree with you strongly.

"Christian Ethics" begin and end with Jesus Christ and His teachings exclusively. I encourage you to read and gain even a small grasp of His teachings and ethics prior to spewing error. If you have an issue with His "ethics" in regards to how Africans were mistreated please feel free to let me know your findings.



Edited By congamyk on 1160442343

[Berimbau]

Dear Congamyk,
Actually I am a man of GREAT FAITH so stop making assumptions about that!!! As to "Christian ethics" I haven't addressed them here, so no true Christian should take offense.
It is the Xtions who will be offended. They call themselves Christians, yet fail to display Christ's GREAT LOVE or to do his work. They have X-ed Christ's love out of their hearts, churches, homes, and communities. Throughout history they have killed millions of Jews, Africans, Pagans, homosexuals, and now Muslims. They work for Satan and make WAR, take slaves, rape women and children under the guise of working for Christ!!!
I know and LOVE many GREAT CHRISTIANS. These folks would give their last dollar to someone who smited them. We sure could use a LOT MORE of these folks!!!! It is the pious racist followers of the War Demon George Bush that are currently leading the Xtions. This is who I'm addressing!!!!!!!!
Now Congamyk, I will assume that you ARE what you claim to be, a Good Christian. Anyway it is not my place to judge you as you have judged me. That is God's job!!!!!!! But you are either with the Lord or the Demon Bush, you know there is NO MIDDLE GROUND and that God is watching you!! The choice is yours......say NO to hate and hipocracy and say yes to GOD'S love!!!!




Peace,



Berimbau

[congamyk]

I don't think it serves this forum or the people here to intentionally use semantics and playing with words to further your political ideas or to promote bigoted ideas about an entire group of people (Christians).

Please private message me if you want to correspond further with about this instead of posting it here. Your post has nothing to do with this topic, which is about China and Africa.



Edited By congamyk on 1160452788

[ABAKUA]

:D
Oh yeah! Can you feel it? Feel the love...
Group hug time. :laugh:



Berimbau, please remove your hand from there! :p

[Berimbau]

Well thank God someone still has a sense of humor!!!!!!!!!




Love,



Berimbau
(the anti-Bush)

[Isaac]

The truth shall be revealed to all
when Borat from Kazakhstan arrives
to good old US&A next month.

~ ISAAC :

[davidpenalosa]

In fact, many of the most prolific slave traders were Jewish ..

I doubt that very much.

However, I can understand how you were offended. I'd like to suggest that we stay away from politics and religion and stick to drumming.
-David

[Thomas Altmann]

I'd like to suggest that we stay away from politics and religion and stick to drumming.

Hi David,

That's a very wise decision!

However, in this time it is hard not to be affected by the political situation, especially if you are as sensitive as an artist should be. And, being unpolitical has never been as highly political as today.

Looking back at the past years now, I can tell, that the events practically threw me as an artist. I'm still playing, but I shouldn't, if I kept on being as serious to myself as I always used to be.

But I agree that it does not make a lot of sense discussing political issues here, and I'm not going to engage in it.

Greetings from Merkel-Land,

TA



Edited By Thomas Altmann on 1160518568

[OLSONGO]

I do agree that we are on a site dedicated mainly to the conga drum, with comments about other drums and percussion instruments; and it should stay that way.
but I do ecourage more sencitivity towards what is going on in the world, some of us as artist who like to write also, should communicate this in our lyrics, because it seems that most of the crap that I hear now days is all about, bling bling, sex, romance and superficial BS; all with a laugh as if everything was OK.
Somehow I miss Ruben Blades and his righteous social messages.

Paz OLSONGO



Edited By OLSONGO on 1160607850

[Facundo]

"However, I can understand how you were offended. I'd like to suggest that we stay away from politics and religion and stick to drumming."

"But I agree that it does not make a lot of sense discussing political issues here, and I'm not going to engage in it."

"I do agree that we are on a site dedicated mainly to the conga drum, with comments about other drums and percussion instruments; and it should stay that way."

Berimbau & Brothers,

I've been reluctant to weigh in on this part of the discussion due to the often delicate nature of religious and political sensibilities. However, I happen to deeply disagree with the quotes above. While initially, it would logically seem that religion and politics are far removed from music, this is not the case with music rooted in the African aesthetic. Virtually, all of the African based musics in the western world are a product of some forced cultural disruption. More often than not, this happened with deep trauma to the progenitors of these musical forms. Yet the musical responses have been tremendously creative, beautiful and globally influential. I will only dare speak for myself and close musical associates with regard to the drum's impact as being life transforming. f No doubt many on this list will say the same for themselves.

For me, drummers are very unique and special people and conga drummers even more so. There is something celestial in the sound of congas playing with congas or in a supporting role in a band. In all of this is to be found the magical basis of the special type of camaraderie among drummers. The conga's rhythm is indicative of the African captives' reach beyond the pain, hopelessness, depravation and unspeakable indignities to invoke universal energies for healing and enjoyment. I contend that we as afecionados of this artform should never forget the social and political peculiarities in which our beloved music evolved in. Doing so, would be to disconnect ourselves from the true power of our instrument and marginalize the agony of our collective musical ancestors that gave us the drum and the musical genres that have impacted us so deeply!

Nothing changes for the better without facing our historical actions with honesty. I agree that sanctimoniousness does inhibit clarity, vision and understanding with regard to how one interacts with fellow humans. This is due to an indoctrinated belief system that causes some to feel that their belief/ religion is the benchmark for the spirituality of all of mankind. Thus creating a mindset of intolerance for anything different. Most importantly, this is taken as a license of justification for subjecting "non believers" to any number of inhumanities even if such acts are in obvious violation the fundamental tenets of what they extoll to the world. All of this is blatantly hypocritical, so in that regard I fully agree with Berimbau. Satire is certainly appropriate and hopefully will serve to cause some to take a closer look at how they represent their professed religions and the historical track record of that belief system.

However, I disagree that : "All religions were created by human beings to fulfill social and psychological needs as well as to manipulate people and attempt to change or control their behavior." Now I may be splitting fine hairs here or we may be speaking about different sides of the "same" coin. True, in the case of the largest global-wide religions, their clergy has been in bed with national power brokers to control the minds of the masses. One could even say they have been used as mental / psychic weapons to destabilize the cultural construct of targeted areas with the ultimate goal of stealing resources. Astute critics such as Berimbau are quick to see these effects.

In any event, I remain convinced that those "inspired individuals" that are credited with founding the various religious systems had a different core agenda than their clergy or membership ultimately externalized as dogma, practices and methodologies. In my humble view, most of the madness that we see today on the world stage is a result of a disconnect between mankind and his environment and mankind with humanity as a whole. Again, the core agenda of those "inspired individuals" was surely just the opposite. The common intent was to elevate the individual's consciousness and deeply connect the human spirit to all of creation. This of course causes a problem begins because self cultivating agendas produces liberated minds. Such mindsets are dangerous for those with co-optive and stealing movtives. The world will only become a better place if we hold our political, social and spiritual leaders accountable. This means not letting them or ourselves hide behind vails of self-righteousness.

Best Regards,
Facundo

[Diceman]

and the Chinese in Africa...............................??????

Diceman

PS You are in for a treat when Borat arrives!!!