THIS IS A DEMONSTRATION. THIS IS HOW THEY DID IT TWO CENTURIES AGO. NOW THEY BUY THEIR IRON IMPORTED FROM CHINA, JUST AS WE DO. Smelting iron from ore by a smith family in West Africa. The only complete, high quality video of iron smelting in Africa. Making charcoal, digging ore and flux, building the kiln, firing the kiln, sacrifices, smelting the iron, forging the iron into tools. With Chinese subtitles. A CULTURAL RECREATION !! THIS WAS DONE FOR ME TO FILM. THEY DO NOT SMELT IRON LIKE THIS ANYMORE.

The event followed a now familiar pattern: a small convoy of dusty 4x4 vehicles drove on to the edge of the airstrip at Galkayo in Puntland, north-central Somalia; armed security guards took up watchful positions nearby and a number of bemused-looking men stepped gingerly from the cars and lined up to have their photographs taken by the media.

On this occasion there were 11 of them; all had been hostages until that morning. They were sailors from a Malaysian cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates a few years ago and held until a ransom was paid for their release.

One of them gave a brief account of what had happened. "On November 26, 2010 our ship was hijacked in the Indian Ocean. Their demand was 20 million. After that, they threatened the owner. You now increase money or we will shoot the crew. The owner didn't increase the money and then one Indian is shot with just three bullets. Then they hit us and tortured us. Tell your family to bring us money, otherwise we will kill you!"

The crew had been held for three and a half years but they were the fortunate ones. Five of their crew mates had died in that time. Now the survivors were going home and a UN plane with two envoys on board was flying in to see them to safety.

Such scenes have become relatively commonplace in Galkayo in recent times. Eighty percent of global trade is carried by sea and Somalia sits on a key maritime route linking Europe and Asia. More than 18,000 ships pass its shores every year. Over the past decade, Somali pirates, often former fishermen whose traditional livelihoods have been destroyed by foreign trawlers and toxic waste dumping, have attacked more than 300 vessels and kidnapped 700 people.

Faced with such a threat, the international community responded aggressively. In 2008, European states, the US and others began sending naval forces to these seas. They are still there today - warships, planes and helicopters patrolling thousands of square miles and doing a fair job of keeping the hijackers at bay. The UN and others have also played an increasing role in facilitating negotiations for the release of hostages - such as those set free at places such as Galkayo - for whose liberty large ransoms have been paid.

But if the problem is now slowly coming under control in Somalia, the same cannot be said for other parts of the world where piracy is on the increase. Lawlessness, desperation, poverty, greed and even political radicalism have brought the phenomenon to the waters of South America, Asia and, perhaps most aggressively, to West Africa.

In an effort to understand the reasons why, Bertrand Monnet, a French academic and filmmaker, has been travelling to piracy hot spots around the coast of Africa. In an extraordinary and very tense series of encounters, he came to face to face with heavily armed pirate gangs operating in and around the Niger Delta, where Nigeria's huge offshore oil industry, which employs thousands of expatriates, offers rich ransom pickings. It gradually became clear that piracy in West Africa has many of the same root causes as piracy in Somalia and elsewhere, not least of which is that those who don't share in the benefits and profits of global trade have ever fewer reasons these days to respect the security of those who do.

Source: Al Jazeera


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A film by Callum Macrae & Elizabeth Jones

It's one of Africa's most bitter, if often forgotten, conflicts.

In 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan following a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running civil war.

After a referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted to secede, Africa's newest country came into being, the first since Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993.

But two Sudanese provinces, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, the people of which predominantly wanted to become citizens of the new nation, were excluded from the deal.

The SPLM-N, the northern affiliate of Sudan's People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan, consequently took up arms against the Sudanese government of President Omar al-Bashir, and fighting has continued on and off ever since.

Five years ago, as the war got under way, People and Power sent reporter Callum Macrae to investigate allegations of war crimes committed by the Bashir regime in the region. Last month he went back.


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While George Washington Carver's rise from slavery to scientific accomplishment has inspired millions, time has reduced him to the man who did something with peanuts. This documentary uncovers Carver's complexities and reveals the full impact of his life and work.

A collection of audio essays from the world's most famous death-row prisoner. Some are new, including one on the 2000 Presidential elections, some are newly released from the NPR archive, some are vintage recordings from his days as a freeworld radio journalist, including his classic interview with Bob Marley and his coverage of the conflicts between Move and the Philadelphia police.All are new to CD, and together give a portrait of Mumia over a 30-year period.This features rare interviews by and with journalist and 20 year Pennsylvania death row resident Mumia Abu-Jamal. Produced by Anita Johnson of Hardknock Radio in association with Weyland Southon. Executive Producer : Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.Mumia Abu-Jamal is the author of Live from Death Row and two other books. He lives on Pennsylvania's Death Row at 175 Progress Drive.Shared for historical purposes. I do not own the rights.

Tracklist Hide Credits
1 –I Was Born With Two Tongues For Mumia 2:58
2 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* A Rap Thing 4:06
3 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Public Schools & Public Housing 2:30
4 –Ruby Dee Why A War On The Poor 2:58
5 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Defense For The Prosecution 3:42
6 –Rubin Hurricane Carter Rubin Hurricane Carter 1:12
7 –Assata Shakur Assata Shakur 3:23
8 –Marc Bamuthi Joseph Marc Bamuthi Joseph 3:45
9 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Police Shooting 2:07
10 –Michael Franti Manhood 3:55
11 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* The Wheels Of Soul 0:33
12 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Youth News Magazine 1:09
13 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Lost Generation 3:38
14 –Unbound Project Allstars* Mumia 911 Producer – Diamond D Remix – Rocks Tha World 7:55
15 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* NPR 10/03/80 "Carter Campaigns" 1:11
16 –Martin Espada Another Nameless Prostitute Says The Man Is Innocent 2:58
17 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Senior Hot Lunch Program 1:24
18 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Absense Of Power 3:15
19 –Peter Coyote Meeting With A Killer 4:24
20 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Building A Better Mousetrap 3:13
21 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Nursing Home Crisis & Disabled Activist 2:13
22 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* A Crisis Of Black Leadership 3:04
23 –The Seeds Of Wisdom* You Make The Call 5:48
24 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Interview With Ossie Davis & Ruby DeeInterviewee – Ossie Davis, Ruby DeeInterviewer – Mumia Abu-Jamal*1:24
25 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Black Promoters Boycott 1:22
26 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Interview With Hugh MasekelaInterviewee – Hugh MasekelaInterviewer – Mumia Abu-Jamal*1:11
27 –Mumia Abu-Jamal* Interview With Bob MarleyInterviewee – Bob Marley Interviewer – Mumia Abu-Jamal*1:11

Ms. Betty Shabazz (May 28, 1934 - June 23, 1997) speaks at Northeastern University on Malcolm's life and the condition of Black people in America.

In this episode, Ted Vincent explores Marcus Garvey's relations with the Left and the causes of the decline of his movement.Credit To: Pacifica Radio Archives

Xhosa men building a roof and then will apply thatch. This is in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Max Boot discusses his new book, "Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare From Ancient Times to the Present," as part of the Pritzker Military Library Presents series.

SPEAKER:
Max Boot
INTRODUCTORY SPEAKER:
Nancy Houghton

http://www.cfr.org/wars-and-wa....rfare/history-future

A homage to the Spiritual Expressions of our Ancestors