photo of Jure Robič after winning the 2007 RAAM by Kayvz from Wikipedia english

The niche sport of ultra cycling has lost an icon, and tragically the Robič family has lost a second son in the same year.

Reports came out over the weekend that Jure Robič was killed when he collided head-on with a vehicle while on a training ride near his home in Slovenia.

My only experience of cycling in Slovenia was this summer on our company’s Amber Route cycling expedition. We found the back roads, like those Jure died on, to be lightly trafficked, and beautiful. Slovenian drivers seemed, for the most part, to be accepting of cyclists and a little less aggressive then their neighbours in Italy. From the limited information that has come out so far, it seems as though it was simply tragic timing that Robič and the driver met at the bend in the road as they did.

Flickr photo by ts32raam

Jure is best known in North America as the 5-time champion of the grueling Race Across America – a non-stop race where top athlete’s sleep sometimes as little as one hour a day as they cycle day and night across the USA.

As part of the crew for a two-man team in 2007 I never had the pleasure to meet Jure Robič. But even then, he was the man to talk about at RAAM. A legend in the sport before I had even heard his name. He was the symbol of a sport that very few people even knew existed.

But the double tragedy of the passing of Jure was that on August 7 of this year his brother Sašo Robič also died. Sašo, a ski coach and accomplished alpine skier, reportedly jumped to his death from the Peračica viaduct also in Slovenia.

It is a great loss to their family and to the unique world of ultra athletics, and to Slovenia’s sporting world. Jure Robič and Sašo Robič will be missed by many.

Below, I have put a few links to the stories that I have come across regarding these events.

That Which Doesnt Kill Me Makes Me Stranger – A 2006 profile of Jure Robič by New York Times reporter Daniel Coyle

24ur News Site -  Slovenian news story on Jure Robič death. You can see by the number of comments (876 at time of writing), that he was certainly a well known sportsman in Slovenia. (or read the poorly translated Google vers.)

Slovenian Blog discussing the double tragedy of the deaths of brothers Sašo and Jure Robič translated with Google.

RAAM Winner Jure Robic Dies in Traffic Accident – Velo News

Jure Robic killed in Road Accident – Bike Radar

Ultracyclist Jure Robic Dies in Collision with Car – Outside Magazine blog

It was announced Friday that Amanda Lindhout has started the Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF). Here is the stated vision of GEF from their website launched this past weekend:

The Global Enrichment Foundation believes in developing strengths already within women to assist them in changing their lives. We believe that building stronger communities, cultivating leadership and promoting peace through education are goals which can be achieved though proper support. With the right tools, women in even the most poverty-stricken and violent of countries can forge their own key roles in society, using gifts they naturally possess.The Global Enrichment Foundation believes in developing strengths already within women to assist them in changing their lives. We believe that building stronger communities, cultivating leadership and promoting peace through education are goals which can be achieved though proper support. With the right tools, women in even the most poverty-stricken and violent of countries can forge their own key roles in society, using gifts they naturally possess.

A few months ago I wrote about Amanda Lindhout, about Somalia, and discussed some of its difficult modern history and how the country has come and gone many times from radar of the western media.

Here is an excerpt from my post entitled Somalia – In the news, but soon forgotten… again:

When the five Toronto Somalis fade deeper into the web of jihadist groups and while the former captive journalists begin to return to their normal lives, will the world again turn away from Somali, and wait for a more bad news?

Even though Ms. Lindhout is undoubtedly trying to return to her normal life, she is not forgetting the people of Somalia. Though it was a place where she likely spent some of her darkest days, her Foundation is attempting to give some women in Somalia the ability to govern their own futures through education.

UPDATE: Video and report from the Red Deer Advocate on Amanda Lindhout’s appearance Sunday at a church she attended in her childhood. Amanda discussed GEF and her time in captivity.

On Monday May 10, the Globe and Mail’s world news site will be guest edited by a Kenyan blogger named Ory Okolloh. In the Globe’s words…

Ms. Okolloh has been invited to edit our world site in order to share with readers a view of Africa and African news not normally seen in Canada — “The Africa You Don’t Know.” We want to present our readers with a full experience of what the average news day looks like across the continent, featuring content from bloggers and smaller papers to mainstream media outlets.

I think what we are likely to find in Ms. Okolloh’s articles and links is a much wider variety of topics than what we are used to seeing coming out of Africa.

African bloggers have more on their minds then corruption, poverty, and war. These are certainly areas that are discussed often, but there is a lot of other things being said as well. There is everything from Tanzanian celebrity news on BongoCelebrity to internet trends and technologies on this Ghanaian blog.

You can find a whole range of African blogs on a variety of topics via sites that aggregate and rank the top African blogs. Two of the more popular ones are Afrigator and Global Voices Online, (the latter discussed previously here).

Spend some time visiting Africa on the web – you might be surprised what you find.

Flickr photo of Kenyan Ory Okolloh by Gregor Rohrig

Last week I posted the detailed reports from Slava on the situation currently unraveling in Kyrgyzstan. This post takes from those reports and adds in my personal experiences in Kyrgyzstan when I visited in 2007.

“Did you hear about Kyrgyzstan?” was the message that came across Skype from Slava Koshelev in Moscow. It was April 7, 2010 and almost three years since my time in Kyrgyzstan. Slava was the Kyrgyz tour operator that took me there. Since I met him, he had moved to Russia and was helping his company expand and find more tourists from Russia to explore the wonders of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.

Slava forwarded me a link to a video that showed images of the violent demonstrations that had taken place earlier that day and that were still ongoing. Crowds of angry protesters overpowering riot police. Armoured personnel carriers in the streets and live rounds being fired at the growing crowds. It would not be many days later that Slava would return home to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan where some of the most intense rioting occurred. His business, and friends back home required his attention.

***

It was late September 2007 and the trek to Saimaluu Tash would start the following morning. Slava and I had already covered considerable ground by car on seasonal roads from Djalal Abad just to reach Kazarman, and the rock carvings were still a day’s hike up into the mountains.

We woke early, and drove from Kazarman over rough tracks to the launching point of the days hike – a honey farmer’s house at the start of the trail. His farm sat on a small groomed plot of land in amongst the surrounding mountains known as Tian Shan or the Celestial Mountains.

We set out, and began hiking. I quickly shed a few layers of clothing. First my hat, then one of my long sleeve shirts, then my gloves as our body temperatures rose with our effort steadily increasing.

The route was upstream along a sharply graded yet gently flowing creek that found its way through a narrow slit between the high mountain walls. Our path was littered with rocks; presumably dragged down from higher heights by glaciers of time long past. We were headed high into the Celestial Mountains in search of the ‘decorated’ stones, rock carvings known as Saimaluu Tash and perhaps Kyrgyzstan’s most sacred place.

***

The devastation to the capital Bishkek and elsewhere in the country was massive. Both in physical damage and in the political repercussions that ensued. There were many burned out cars still lying in the street in the days that followed the riots. Many government offices destroyed or looted. President Bakiyev had fled the capital and was soon to leave the country with his family – maybe never to return. Hundreds of protesters, and police had been killed, or injured.

It was a few years earlier in 2005 that the Tulip Revolution saw popular protests across the country which resulted in Mr. Bakiyev coming to power in the first place – a hope for real democracy and future prosperity. It is now similar problems and continued dissatisfaction that led to his overthrow and the undoing of the revolution.

Slava made his way to Bishkek, relieved to find his business still intact, and his friends and family safe. Though saddened to see his city and country in such a state, he remained positive. When I asked him about the current state of things in his cities days after his first Skype message, he had this to say…

things here are getting back to normal … well, near to normal:

Shops are opening …  well some shops: those that weren’t totally destroyed …

Banks are open for business as normal … well, some banks that is, because five, that have connections with President [Bakiyev]’s family have taken under special administration

Schools and Universities are operating as usual …well, as far as I am aware, all the schools are working, although some classes are denuded as some parents have kept their children at home while they see how things develop

The current situation is still fluid. The interim government certainly has not brought the country back to any stable place yet, and the future remains uncertain.

photo of boy infront of burnt out cars by Ilya Varlamov

***

As the hours passed, our ascent continued, and our legs grew tired. With temperatures dropping incrementally with every meter higher we climbed into the mountains, the layers of clothes we were taking off earlier, were now one by one being put back on.

It was late September and it was reaching the end of the season that allowed access to Saimaluu Tash. Anytime now there would be an accumulation of snow that would stay most of the year at these altitudes.

About four hours into our journey, the walls that lined our route opened up to a grassy, rock strewn plateau. A large field, still sharply sloped, but distinctly different terrain from the previous hours we spent to get there. But after such a physical effort to reach it, the plateau was somewhat anti-climatic. A field of jagged boulders scattered across the morraine.

After spending some time catching my breath and upon closer inspection I saw the significance of this place. I slowly settled into this sacred pocket of land high in the mountains, far from civilization, and conflict.

***

I asked Slava shortly after the April 7^th riots about what his thoughts are for the future of tourism in his country.

Those of us working in tourism are worried, of course, about the effect that all of this will have on the up-coming season.

The big “clean-up” continues and the detritus remaining after the rioting and looting had been cleared away within days – … well, most of it. The city still bears signs of the damage incurred.

So, life goes on …

I am quite looking forward to getting back to dealing with run-of-the-mill everyday matters and making a dent on the pile of papers that has built up on my desk over the last ten days,

***

As I wandered around the area, I started seeing them, the petroglyphs; beautiful, ancient rock carvings of antelope, sun gods, hunting scenes and more. Carved into volcanic stone, there are estimated to be over 11,000 pieces of ancient art scattered here.

Art from not just one time period, but from as far back as (the earliest estimates) 3000 BC up until the Middle Ages.  The Bradt Travel Guide for Kyrgyzstan (1^st edition, 2007) eloquently describes the spiritual significance of the place.

The Bronze Age tradition of marking this sacred spot with rock drawings was continued by subsequent settlers in the region and one of the most fascinating things about the site is not just the sheer extent of the galleries, or the large number of petroglyphs, but the millennia-long continuity of the site as a place of spiritual activity.

We descended the mountain and ended at the old man’s humble honey farm and as part of the community based approach that Kyrgyzstan takes to tourism we were invited into his home. He served us tea, and offered us some bread, some honey of course and other snacks  – much needed fuel as our supplies from the day were depleted.

***

It might be some time before people will be able to travel to Kyrgyzstan and see sites like Saimaluu Tash, but the opportunity for more tourism is certainly there. There are certainly reasons to be positive. Saimaluu Tash is one of many memorable experiences I had while in Kyrgyzstan. It is a place I hope to be able to return to and explore further.

This is a guest post by Slava Koshelev who works in Bishkek and Moscow as a director for a tourism company called Advantour. He has been working in tourism in Kyrgyzstan and Moscow for 11 years, and was born in Bishkek.

His post is in two parts. Part One is his first report from Bishkek from mid last week, and Part Two is an update from a few days afterwards. Slava gives us an excellent and detailed look into life in Bishkek in the weeks that followed the unrest earlier this month.

Part One – from April 22, 2010

It has certainly been a long week … an eventful week.

The interim government has set to work with gusto. It’s not been an easy task. There’s been a lot to do.

To matters more complicated, there is no united leadership. Roza Otunbaeva (former Ambassador to both the US and to Britain) was selected as the chairman of the interim government, and she given four deputies and these five people represent five of the parties that made up the opposition.  At the moment they are trying to work as a team and present a united front, but occasionally differences between them do emerge and we have to wait and see how they will handle in the months to come.

One of the biggest problems they have faced is that of “legitimacy”.  Bakiev was the elected President – even if many people felt that he “stole” the election by using unfair means, (a view that I have heard expressed several times in the last week). Even though the international community expressed concerns over the conduct of the election, no-one declared that they considered the results to have been invalid. Bakiev was the President, but he had “run away” to his home village in the South of the country near the regional center of Djalal Abad, where he met with journalists and others. I hear that he had ended one interview, telling the journalist that his voice was going as a result of having given so many interviews.

There he was in the south of the country, away from the capital, and apparently unable to take command of the situation.  Almost all the power structures are based in the capital, Bishkek, in the north.

According to some reports, even he accepted that he had no power to influence events. Some even said that he agreed that he had no “moral right” to be President after so many people died in the protests. Indeed, he said that he was prepared to resign but complained that there had been no negotiations, that no-one was talking to him. He had his conditions for resignation … he wanted guarantees for his safety, and safety for those of his family, and he wanted to stay in Kyrgyzstan.

He continued to maintain that he was innocent of wrong doing and he laid the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the “opposition”, or the “interim government”, depending on which side of the argument you stand.

If, as he seems to have agreed, he was incapable of fulfilling his duties as President, then the Constitution decrees that the authority passes to speaker of the parliament … but she was in St. Petersburg and afraid to return to Bishkek. If the Speaker of the Parliament is incapacitated in anyway, then authority passes to the Prime Minister, but he had resigned and was, apparently in Kazakhstan.

Every decision the interim government made, every document they issued, every appointment they made, every signature and every stamp was open to question and dispute. The international community noted this and no-one recognized them, although offers of help and assistance to Kyrgyzstan and “the people of Kyrgyzstan” came in.

They seemed to treat Bakiev with disdain … and even disinterest.  “Let him be the President of Osh” said one newly appointed official.

Eventually Bakiev attended a rally in his home village and, somewhat emboldened, he decided to travel to Osh, the second city of Kyrgyzstan, often referred to as the southern capital of the republic.  There, he was basically given “short shrift”, and the people he would normally have counted amongst his allies turned on him.  His security guards fired into the air, pushed him into a car and drove him back home where, according to report, he appeared shaken.

Within hours he had left the country and resigned.

As well as having to find new people to take the posts vacated by resignations of the government, the interim government has had to look at virtually all the posts in civil service.   Some people have been replaced, others not. One particular case has caused considerable debate, that of the Mayor of Bishkek. This is a fairly important post in the Republic, but the latest incumbent had proved to be quite popular and was seemingly making a real difference to the city. Despite this, he was removed from office and a criminal investigation started into his affairs … he denies all allegations of wrong doing and claims that it is all a case of politicking.  I suppose that we’ll have to wait and see.

I am told that, apparently all of the staff who were employed at the [Kyrgyz] White House have been dismissed – no matter how lowly or menial their role.

Of course, anyone who hasn’t been dismissed is eager to show how they are working and how good they are at their job. Tensions are high and tempers seem to be flaring in many a government office.

However, things here are getting back to normal … well, near to normal:

Shops are opening …  well some shops: those that weren’t totally destroyed … Beta Stores is open working almost normally….

Banks are open for business as normal … well, some banks that is, because five, that have connections with President Bakiev’s family have taken under special administration and a couple of others are subject to “special investigation” by the National Bank;

Offices are working normally … well, some offices, because some were looted and they cannot operate without their computers.

Restaurants, Cafes, Bars are welcoming diners  … well, some restaurants, cafes and bars.  Some are still undergoing renovations and some operate on shorter working hours than before, (which is probably wise because there are fewer clients at the moment)

Schools and Universities are operating as usual …well, as far as I am aware, all the schools are working, although some classes are denuded as some parents have kept their children at home while they see how things develop, and some lessons have been cancelled because teachers are ill.

Public transport is operating … Buses, trams, trains, (what few there are in Kyrgyzstan) and taxis are all running normally … well, there are less busses on the street because nearly thirty were completely destroyed and almost ninety suffered serious damage in the events of April 7th.    There is some disruption at the airport, but after the first night, when it closed temporarily, most flights have arrived and departed according to the timetable.

The police are on duty and patrolling the street … well, most of them.  Two policemen died and six hundred were injured in the upheaval, and according to the fifty or so officers who staged a, (peaceful), protest rally in the main square some of them are facing abuse and attacks when they are in uniform.  They complain about being blamed for the tragic events when they were merely doing their duty.  They lost twenty six police cars in the riots, The GAI, (the traffic police) are manning their roadside positions, controlling the traffic, stopping and fining drivers for whatever infringements that they detect.

Construction is under way, … well, at some sites around the city.  Work on the 24-storey building just over the road seems to have been put “on hold” for a while, which, (at least), less banging and booming disturbing me at all hours of the day and night.

The borders are open … well, almost all of them. Three of our four neighbours, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), closed their borders with Kyrgyzstan pretty sharply when the disturbances started, but now only the one with Kazakhstan remains closed, although they accepted a flight with Kurmanbek Bakiev on it, and there are rumours that even that border will soon be open

The big “clean-up” continues and the detritus remaining after the rioting and looting had been cleared away within days – … well, most of it.  The city still bears signs of the damage incurred.

So, life goes on …

On a more personal note:

As far as we are concerned, then I, personally, have been kept extremely busy … writing, attending meetings and so on … and, of course, following the news.  So much so, that the pile of papers on my desk has been constantly growing as I have been called off here and there to attend this or that meeting. The rest of the team has been working away in sterling fashion.

Those of us working in tourism are worried, of course, about the effect that all of this will have on the up-coming season.

Just as in 2005, (when, unfortunately, we went through a similar experience), we have taken a number of cancellations both in the hotels and from tour groups, but most of those relate to people who were due to arrive in the near future.  Those who were planning to arrive later in the year still seem to be adopting a “wait and see” police … waiting to see how the situation develops.  I can’t help recalling that those who did come later in 2005 encountered no problems but, in light of what I have seen on CNN and BBC, I can’t say that I blame anyone for cancelling; especially those who were planning to come here in April and May.

After all the uncertainty of the last week, Bakiev’s resignation has come somewhat as a relief.  It doesn’t mean that everything will now be a “bed of roses”, there’s a lot to do and a lot of problems that need to be resolved, but it does remove a huge question mark which was hanging over the future like the sword of Damocles.

I am quite looking forward to getting back to dealing with run-of-the-mill everyday matters and making a dent on the pile of papers that has built up on my desk over the last ten days, or dealing more mundane crises, like the ceiling falling in on a family of friends last Monday evening … but that’s another story …

Part Two – from April 25, 2010

Anyway, this week … well, it’s been another busy week … It began with an “incident” in Maevka – a group of people from out of town held a protest rally to demand that land be allocated to them for building homes. They wouldn’t listen to the representatives of the interim government and a large number went to the village of Maevka, on the outskirts of Bishkek to mark out plots of land and “sieze” them. The police were late getting there, for whatever reason, and in the resulting fracas five more people died.

There has been some suggestion that the violence had an element of ethnic conflict, but that is not clear. Virtually all of the official statements, (for example, from the government here in Kyrgyzstan, from Russian and Turkish leaders), deny this, but the region does have a long history of ethnic tension. The unrest has led to appeals to the government form various sectors of Kyrgyz society, and from abroad, to ensure safety and security.

The government make statements that the situation is under control, but they have authorised the police to shoot at demonstrators “with the intent to kill” in the event of a repeat of such violent outbursts. This seems a little odd when it is remembered that they came to power and claim part of their legitimacy from the fact that the previous authorities shot at demonstrators, resulting in so many deaths.

Bakiev has now left Kazakhstan and arrived in Minsk, Belarus, where he was welcomed by President Lukashenko. There he astounded everyone by stating that he did not recognise his resignation as valid, that he was still the legitimate elected President of Kyrgyzstan, calling the interim government bandits and gangsters, and asked world leaders not to recognise them. A press spokesman for his one time ally, Russians, promptly told the media that they considered his resignation as effective and the interim government as the new authority in Kyrgyzstan.

Other organizations have also come out offering support, recognition and aid for the new authorities … so it looks as if his appeal has fallen on deaf ears. The reason for renouncing his resignation was that he felt the interim government had reneged on their part of the deal which he understood to be to guarantee the safety of him and his family, but some of his family still in Kyrgyzstan are “being persecuted”, (one of Bakiev’s brothers has disappeared … some say kidnapped and shots were reported by the person he was talking to on the phone at the time), and so he felt that the deal was off. Despite the renunciation, he has also said that he doesn’t “intend to return to Kyrgyzstan as president,” Oddly enough, the Mufti, (an Islamic religious leader), who is said to have had close ties with Bakiev, has also disappeared.

The affairs of the Bakievs have been undergoing scrutiny here in Bishkek. Banks have been put under special administration, companies have been put on notice that an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the “Bakiev empire” and influence. Some of the more unpopular measures of his government, especially the increased tariffs for energy and heating have been reversed; some companies have been put on notice that they are likely to be renationalized; … and so on.

An inquiry into the events of April 7th is underway, and the interim government have said that they will seek Bakiev’s extradition following it. Other arrest warrants and extradition requests for some members of his family and associates have apparently been issued. Apart from the Maevka incident, which was widely reported here and in Russia, but received only limited coverage in the West as far as I can tell – presumably because there was so much else going on in the world: elections, volcanic eruptions, sports matches and the like – everything is fairly quiet here. The streets are quiet and people seem to be enjoying the sunshine.

That is not to say that everything is hunky dory. Fortunately the “pro Bakiev” demonstrations in the south have been more or less peaceful, even if the protestors have seized and conducted a sit-in in some government buildings. The police, themselves, have also been protesting and are threatening to go on strike if their demands aren’t met. Although they were late getting to Maevka, they have otherwise done a reasonable task in keeping order, and have been assisted by volunteers who have formed a sort of “civil guard” to help patrol the streets at night.

There is still uncertainty and a certain amount of tension in the air … but, as I said last week, life is returning to normal. There have, for example, been incidents down in the south, demonstrations in support of the “deposed president”, but they have passed. I am told that the resident in another part of the country are “feeling empowered” … which sounds pretty euphemistic for something unpleasant, but, so far, everyday life on the streets is showing signs of “returning to normality”.

photo of Slava Koshelev by Shanny Hill in the Tian Shan mountains near the Kyrgyz border with China

Watch for next week’s post where I talk about when I first met Slava and my personal experiences in his country.

Rogers Park is the northernmost community in the city of Chicago. It’s a 30 minute taxi ride from downtown, and I would imagine that most visitors to the city would never make it this far north. If I was not asked by Michael James to be interviewed about our movie screening in Chicago, I would have never made my way this far north either, but I am sure glad I did.

I don’t often get interviewed and so for me there is certainly a novelty appeal to being the subject of a radio interview. As a result I was eager to meet Mr. James and happy to answer his questions about the film, about Canadian health care, or about anything else he wanted to discuss.

I arrived to Heartland Café just before  9:00am Saturday morning. My first impression of Michael is that of a warm and welcoming human being. He is the busy co-owner of the Heartland Café and host of its Saturday morning radio show. Located in ‘the Heart of Rogers Park,’ it is a little north of Uptown Chicago where Mr. James made his start in Chicago.

Over the course of the next hour I got a glimpse at the life of a fascinating individual. From the corner stage I sat answering questions while the typical sounds of a busy café whirred in the background. And along the walls I could see a photo-display of Mr. James’ activity during the 60s and 70s as a community activist alongside groups like the Black Panthers.

Michael James reached out to a poor, mixed racial community in the north of Chicago and is still there today. He was a voice for change and unity from the time he first arrived in Chicago right up to today. I felt inspired by his story and compelled to learn a little more about this man.

History of Michael James’ Chicago

“I spent the summer hanging out under the el tracks [Chicago’s elevated trains], on corners, building stoops, and back porches, and in corner restaurants… spent time with guys drinking, bullshitting, complaining, telling stories, and playing guitar… it captured my heart and changed me forever” James said in an essay he wrote about his first summer in Chicago in 1964 called Getting Ready for the Firing Line.

James spent some time in California as a grad student before being drawn back to Chicago just a few years later. He worked with JOIN Community Union which had grown out of Jobs or Income Now, which reached out to the community, mostly the the poor, and assisted with housing issues, women’s rights issues , and unemployment. As James puts it, he “stood up for the little people.”

By 1968 Michael James had roots in the community. That was also a year of great turmoil, with events that effected not only Chicago, but much of the United States. It started with the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr in April and then Robert F. Kennedy in June. Riots broke out in a number of cities following Dr. King’s death and then, in August of the same year, fierce protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago capped off a year of division and unrest.

Certainly, these difficult times for Chicago and America were part of James’ motivation to move on and try something a little different. So Michael James’ work with JOIN ended and in 1969 he started Rising Up Angry.

The idea was to reached out to the white youth not only in Uptown but throughout Chicago and the surrounding region. Rising Up Angry would create a unique voice that it hoped would steer people away from racist forces at work in the city. Rising Up Angry also worked closely with Bobby Lee and Fred Hampton of the Black Panthers Party, with the Young Lords, and the Young Patriots. It was a newspaper, and a community voice.

Here’s an excerpt from an article explaining what Rising Up Angry was:

With profiles of figures such as Malcolm X and Fred Hampton, John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, reviews of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and The Wild Bunch, Rising Up Angry mixed political and cultural commentary with cartoons, montages, discussions of motorcycles and custom cars, with histories of labor activism and guerrilla warfare.

In a interview with James Tracy, Bobby Lee explains how Mike (Michael) James and Rising Up Angry helped to make the Rainbow Coalition a reality.

When I went to Uptown Chicago, I saw some of the worst slums imaginable. Horrible slums, and poor white people lived there. However, two organizations prepared the way for the Rainbow Coalition, without them there wouldn’t have been a chance of forming one. Rising Up Angry (rua) and [JOIN] Community Union. The uptown neighborhood was prime recruiting zone for white supremacists. Most of the cats who were in the Patriots also had at least one family member in the Klan. Cats like Mike James and Jewnbug, and Tappis worked hard to fight that mentality. Mike James and rua drove a wedge in that bullshit, that white supremacist bullshit, their groundwork was just amazing, out of this world.

I had to run with those cats, break bread with them, hang out at the pool hall. I had to lay down on their couch, in their neighborhood. Then I had to invite them into mine. That was how the Rainbow Coalition was built, real slow.

So with community activism now part of his life for over 11 years, and while running a successful magazine, and a Rainbow Coalition taking root, what was next on the horizon for Michael James?

He saw a new challenge and a new way to strengthen the community. The progression saw Michael create the Heartland Café. Opening its doors in 1975 the Café served “Good Wholesome Food for the Mind and Body,” it grew into a community focused hub for art, music, food, and celebration. With a Saturday morning radio show – broadcast right in the Café – a general store, a bar, a theatre, an athletic organization, and much more.

In the words of Jessica Herman of Centerstage “Heartland Cafe is more a lifestyle than simply a restaurant, bar or music venue: Entering this haven of color, cornbread and community spirit feels like taking a trip to Berkeley for the price of an [el] ride north to Rogers Park.

A Few Questions for Michael

I asked Michael some questions in a follow up email a short time after we had met:

What has been the most rewarding thing for you with Heartland Café?

Well, I would say keeping it open, having up to three generations of families coming through, and the rally for mayoral candidate Harold Washington, who two days later won the primary and went on to be Chicago’s first African American mayor. He was a wonderful man; too bad he didn’t eat at the Heartland more that two times – his health would have been better.

(Washington died of a massive heart attack early into his second term as mayor.)

What were the most memorable interviews you have had?

Barack Obama (Feb. 4, 2004), and Studs Terkel.

(He also interviewed Gary Fisher in 2008 and ME.)

What’s next big plan on the horizon for Heartland Café?

We started a substantial gardening project on the roof. Want to really develop that over the next couple of years: We have 8000 sq. feet up top with lots of sun.

How’s the cycling in Rogers Park?

There are a lot of bike riders, increasing bike parking, designated routes after the lake front parks stop to the south, though the routes don’t hook back into the lakefront in Rogers Park (& 49th ward). Only one bike shop, Roberts, though several in Evanston, and some to the south of us. A co-op bike group was going to open a place. not sure where that’s at.

Strong Community Activism Still Needed Today

In Michael James’ own words…

1968, and the consciousness symbolized by Chicago’s Rainbow Coalition saw the emergence of a movement in Chicago and beyond that forged a generation whose actions, beliefs, and spirit is coming to fruition, whose involvement in politics and government is emerging today. There is a direct line, a direct link, from 1968 through the election of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington all the way to the Obama for President campaign.  Perhaps more than ever We the People are in a position to help create a politics of affirmation, of unity and inclusion, that is about justice, fairness, and peace, hopefully playing a part in bringing people everywhere to that place where we can share one heart.  All Power to the People!

Some time had past after meeting Mr. James, when I was reading through a Rogers Park neighbourhood newspaper that I had grabbed when I left the Heartland Café called the Urban Coaster. One of the cover stories was of an extremist Christian group called the Westboro Baptist Church that had made a stop in Rogers Park to protest in front of a Jewish Synagogue.

This hate group I remember first came to my attention when members had tried to cross into Canada to protest at the funeral of a man brutally beheaded on a Greyhound bus, saying that it “was God’s response to Canadian policies enabling abortion, homosexuality and divorce and remarriage.”

A few haters were out on Sheridan Road in Chicago, but from the article it appeared that the community was out in force too. Refusing to stand for this; Jews, Christians and regular old activists alike lined the street in front of the Synagogue, while a few haters occupied the opposite sidewalk – it was peaceful, but forceful in the numbers of citizens who would not let this pass quietly . The article states that the haters “were confronted by 10-deep phalanx of citizens who stood quietly in front of the Synagogue”

Though I don’t know for sure, I suspect a guy like Michael James would not have been able to resist the urge to be at such a protest. Though if he weren’t there in body, the spirit of resistance by groups like the Black Panther Party, Rising Up Angry, and the forming of the Rainbow Coalition and other movements and community groups James was involved with made this community stronger and intolerant of such hate.

photos by Shanny Hill

photo by Tatters:) – aerial view of the smallest island nation in the world

In a bizarre tail this past week Nauru has officially recognized Abkhazia as a country.

Abkhazia is a 8288 square kilometer breakaway region of the small country of Georgia in the Caucasus region. No, we’re not talking about the breakaway region of Georgia that was at the center of the Georgia-Russia conflict in August 2008 -  that’s South Ossetia. Confused yet?

Nauru, on the other hand, is a 21 square kilometer island nation located on the other side of the planet from Georgia. Apparently hoping to win favour (and financing) from the Russians, Nauru recognized the legitimacy of Abkhazia – a territory and a people who previously had no diplomatic ties to Nauru.

Before the start of last week I wonder if Abkhazians and Nauruans could have even found each other on a map?

photo by ctsnow Mogadishu, Somali

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the release of the Canadian and Australian freelance journalists that had been held hostage inside Somalia. Since then the Toronto Somali community has been shocked by the disappearance of five young Somali men that many are speculating have gone to Somalia to fight with a terror group called Al-Shabaab.

These current events, coupled with the rise of Somali pirates over the last few years, has meant that Somalia has had a rare and somewhat prolonged time in the news.

So what has brought Somali to where it is today, and why is it so rarely in the news?

Some recent history

The most striking moment in Somalia’s recent history is perhaps the events that began on October 3, 1993. On this day a US special forces operation was to storm into the capital, Mogadishu, and physically remove warlord Muhammad Aideed from power to help secure a coalition government for Somalia. The mission went very wrong and had far reaching consequences beyond the borders of Somalia.

Long before this, Somalia gained independence from British and Italian influence on July 1, 1960 and they elected their first President, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar. The young and unstable country, that never even existed in its entirety before the colonialists drew the border lines on a map, fell victim to clan power struggles, and border disputes with neighbours Ethiopia and Kenya. Through the instability Muhammad Siad Barre assumed control during a coup in 1969, and things continued to spiral downwards. Beyond the political violence and general lack of order, drought and famine also devastated the country further.

In 1991 President Barre was ousted by, among others, warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed. By this time, parts of the country were also splintering off and declaring their independence.

In 1992 the disintegration approached its climax as a US-backed UN mission was launched and some early successes lead to the eventual mission to remove Mohamed Farah Aideed. By the time it was all over, 48 hours later, 18 US soldiers and between 315 and 2000 Somalis lost their lives (figures vary widely on the number of Somalis who died).

The failure of the mission was brought home to the American public on CNN with the bodies of dead US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, and another battered soldier being held hostage by Aideed’s group.

This marked a change in US foreign policy concerning Africa. From that point on America, with some of the International community following its lead,  no longer wanted to get there hands dirty in Africa. Many believe that the events of October 3 and 4, 1993 led to the inaction of the world in the genocide in Rwanda that began less than a year later and resulted in over a million deaths, and millions more in the ensuing war in the Congo.

Somalia has since had peace talks, transistional governments, an African Union Peacekeeping force, attacks from Ethiopia, and an increase in extremist forces within its borders. What hasn’t happened since 1993 is international support on a grand scale to protect the people in Somali that are most effected by the ongoing trajedy.

When the five Toronto Somalis fade deeper into the web of jihadist groups and while the former captive journalists begin to return to their normal lives, will the world again turn away from Somali, and wait for a more bad news?

Further Reading

BBC’s historical timeline of Somalia.

Wikipedia’s account of the Mogadishu battle.

Wikipedia’s account of the Somalia Affair that deeply scarred Canada’s international military reputation.

Report of a recent US operation in Somalia that somehow stayed off the radar of much of the world media.

CIA Factbook on Somalia.

The release of Canadian Amanda Lindhout, and Australian Nigel Brennan – who had been held captive for 15 months in Somali – has set off debate over the role of freelance journalists reporting in danger zones. Their capture in August, 2008 – reported here by the National Post – happened near the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Lindhout and Brennan along with their Somali fixers were on their way to a refugee camp when they were taken.

Toronto Star’s Michelle Shephard asked; was Amanda Lindhout a gutsy reporter or naive thrill-seeker? It seems as though talk around Toronto Star surrounds Amanda’s professionalism as another recent article illustrates:

Her Facebook site is filled with glamorous photos of her reporting from around the world… Local journalists had reportedly warned her against going into Somalia.

Though it is not clear what Facebook ’site’ Toronto Star is referring to, this group set up on Facebook (boasting 8750 members at time of writing) shows several photos of her. It’s important to remember these are personal photos – posted by friends and family – and perhaps shouldn’t be used as a basis to pass judgement on her credibility.

In contrast this Guardian article chose to focus on what hurdles there are for freelance journalists like Lindhout and Brennan.

The kidnappings of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan underline the risks faced by freelancers who run into trouble abroad. Freelancers are unlikely to have insurance cover to bring them professional assistance if they are abducted.

Lindhout and Brennan have no doubt spent plenty time considering all the actions that led to their capture, but they are unlikely to be the last freelance journalists to head to dangers zones in pursuit of a story.

As a side note to this debate, the local fixers and local support acompanying Lindhout and Brennan have been somewhat overlooked through this ordeal. There is still no definitive number given on exactly how many others were captured with them. It is clear that Somali journalist Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi was one of them, and was subsequently released in January of this year. What is not clear is whether there were two additional security guards, or one other driver. Almost every article that covered this story had a different account of who the Somalis were.

In 2016, the summer Olympics will make their first ever stop on the South American continent when Rio de Janeiro becomes the host city. As with cities of games past, the spotlight will begin to shine on the areas where the hosts are not doing enough to manage the games ethically. The pollution blanketing Beijing before and during the 2008 games, and the costly mishandling of ‘Canada’s worst slum’ in Vancouver’s downtown east side in the lead up to next year’s winter Olympics are two recent examples.

Dona Marta, where this YouTube video was shot, is one of many favelas in Rio de Janeiro. A favela is essentially a slum or shanty town, and like many other cities in Brazil, and throughout the world, Rio has an increasingly large percentage of their population living in these impromptu, clustered neighbourhoods.

This photo was taken by exfordy from Corcovado Hill, presumably while standing next to Christ the Redeemer statue as He gazes down at Dona Marta and central Rio beyond it

Some of the common problems found in many slums around the world are overcrowding, lack sanitation, limited water and electricity, crime, and drugs. This is a problem that isn’t improving. The UN Habitat Agencies 2009 Global Report on Human Settlements states that over half of the world’s population now live in an urban setting, with one billion of them living in slums.

Though one could argue that a common thread between many of the world’s slums seems to be the strength of its people. These communities contribute a great deal to defining the culture of a city as a whole. At least one resident living next to Favela Dona Marta, has taken the time to write his praises of this neighbourhood. And Projects like this Judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sports academy in Dona Marta add to the quality of life for the children of the favela – perhaps propelling some of them on to future Olympic appearances.

The urban downhill video has been viewed more than 660,000 times since being posted in October by event organizer Redbull. As a geared-up and sponsor-clad downhill mountain bike racer rips through narrow corridors, rolls across a church roof and drops into the Dona Marta alleyway below, one might ask, is this exploitation of an impoverished neighbourhood?

Perhaps it is, but as the bike racer, Gee Atherton, states in an interview on Redbull’s website…

The crowds were awesome and were so excitable – it was a real party atmosphere…I was nervous coming into this. I’d heard a lot about the favela, but once we walked the course and saw how friendly everyone was and how pleased they were, I changed my mind.

His experience in the favelas changed his perception of the place. So how will the favelas be dealt with in the lead up to the Olympics? Urban downhill is definitely no Olympic sport, and venues for the Olympic events most certainly won’t involve Favela Dona Marta, but how will these troubled, yet vibrant places be included or marginalized?