'Nigeria: the context for violence' (2006-2013)

[KingJaja]

The link is from allAfrica.com: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908140153.html.

Part of the Public Affairs Officer's job is to NOT do the "he said she said" because that often leads to greater confusion and people are human and prone to mistakes. This obviously creates perception by not countering negative message nor promoting positive messages. If things could be so simple.

Great, the best way to play on African soil with Africans is by American rules. I have a feeling that since the US withdrew from Africa after the fall of the Soviet Union, they haven't really come back.

Another variation of the same story: US Army Prepares for Nigeria’s Possible Break-up (2015) - http://www.newsrescue.com/2009/08/us...break-up-2015/

Then there are Hollywood movies like "Tears of the Sun" - central theme is US intervention in Nigeria.





Opinion shapers will spin messages from the Internet and combine them with images from Hollywood to create a narrative that will eagerly devoured by the gullible.

[KingJaja]

Well, back in 1972 when I first went to Kenya my training was only in cultural anthropology and innovative change. As you say, I picked up almost all of my understanding on the field. I became fluent in Swahili and Kalenjin. Language is a HUGE plus in understanding people and being understood and taken seriously.

Did you hear that your Al Jazeera friends now plan to broadcast in Swahili? Seems like wherever Al Qaeda and the US Military go, Al Jazeera sets up shop.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2...wahili-service

[Chowing]

Did you hear that your Al Jazeera friends now plan to broadcast in Swahili? Seems like wherever Al Qaeda and the US Military go, Al Jazeera sets up shop.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2...wahili-service

I had not heard that, but not surprised. The first place I go to look for African news, after allAfrica, is Al Jazeera. As you said in another message, they cover Africa more indepth, and I, too, watched them on DSTV.

[Stan]

The link is from allAfrica.com: http://allafrica.com/stories/200908140153.html.

Thanks ! But, it is verbatim from the link I provided. With a slight twist, courtesy of the author, we have pure mayhem.

Great, the best way to play on African soil with Africans is by American rules. I have a feeling that since the US withdrew from Africa after the fall of the Soviet Union, they haven't really come back.

Regret any confusion, Jaja, but the "hit" was on America for trying to play by our rules on an African soccer field, and not the other way around.
I went into great detail on the AFRICOM threads regarding the fall of the Soviet Union and our "so called" departure. Could have been done better, but the new administration was not having anything to do with the Reagan and Bush era "blind and deaf human rights policies" and former dictators. The "departure" really only brought us back to what the guiding principles dictated in the first place. This is not to say the Africans were at fault and the Americans simply departed. If it could be so easy to describe

Another variation of the same story: US Army Prepares for Nigeria’s Possible Break-up (2015) - http://www.newsrescue.com/2009/08/us...break-up-2015/

Oh, c'mon already - the link is pure propaganda and you just fed me a dissertation on how much the Africans have evolved and use the internet. One of my jobs was to read the local papers nearly every morning and tell my boss what I thought (as he could not read Lingala nor fully comprehend the cultural spin generally put on all the articles from underground sources). This is just that, propaganda addressing a naive public based on one article (that literally says nothing) and wire feed after wire feed.

Then there are Hollywood movies like "Tears of the Sun" - central theme is US intervention in Nigeria.

I would almost be tempted to respond, but you did a perfect job below. So, part of informing the public is to screw with their suspicions til they riot, pillage and plunder ? That won't accomplish much.

Opinion shapers will spin messages from the Internet and combine them with images from Hollywood to create a narrative that will eagerly devoured by the gullible.

I can't imagine what I would think reading our thread, had I never stepped foot in Africa. It's no wonder our public are in the dark. I'd make half of the rich and film industry go there for six months on my wages with the expectation that they solve all your problems and learn a foreign language in 13 weeks, all the while performing every task to perfection without the remote risk of being misinterpreted. Good luck with that, Dude.

[KingJaja]

Oh, c'mon already - the link is pure propaganda and you just fed me a dissertation on how much the Africans have evolved and use the internet. One of my jobs was to read the local papers nearly every morning and tell my boss what I thought (as he could not read Lingala nor fully comprehend the cultural spin generally put on all the articles from underground sources). This is just that, propaganda addressing a naive public based on one article (that literally says nothing) and wire feed after wire feed.

You don't understand where I was coming from. In my dad's generation it was Radio Peace and Progress, Moscow on one side and BBC, VOA on another. Today, there are a plethora of actors, each with an agenda. That story will be warmed up, redressed and served to the public this time next month. And it will be eaten up.

Don't get me wrong, Africans are by and large, better informed. However, they are more willing to believe stories that reinforce their fears. (Just like a certain segment of the US population considers Muslims, the United Nations and the Council on Foreign Relations as pure evil).

The advent of the Internet has not mitigated these fears, but amplified them.

Are all these people naive? Not in every sense of the word.

My point is that just as the US was successful in getting its message out during the Cold War era, it should make just a little more effort to get its message out today. Can the US live with the present state of affairs? Yes. Presently as things stand, is there an overwhelming strategic case for the US to be more involved in the public diplomacy arena in Africa? Not really, the US has a lot of money and money has a voice of its own.

It is a nice "to-have" and good investment for the future.

[KingJaja]

Have you guys watched this BBC documentary "Welcome to Lagos"?

Helps you understand Nigeria better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHKLIpz9F5c

[KingJaja]

SECURITY agents last night arrested a Senator who a suspect named as a Boko Haram sponsor.
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno), who is being held by the State Security Services (SSS), is likely to face trial today in Abuja.
The Nation learnt also that 13 suspects have been arrested by the Joint Task Force in connection with the recent bombings in Damaturu, Yobe State.
Ndume will be arraigned in court with some members of the sect already in SSS custody, sources said.
A source, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, broke to The Nation news of the senator’s arrest at about 10.20pm.
He said: “He is presently being detained in SSS custody, pending his arraignment in court.
“Based on the confession of some Boko Haram suspects in custody, we have interrogated Ndume and he has made a statement accordingly. We are going to charge him to court on Tuesday (today) with some of the suspects in our custody.

Reinforces the fear that certain elements with the Northern elite are behind Boko Haram. The North could come out from this entire Boko Haram crisis, weakened.

[Chowing]

Have you guys watched this BBC documentary "Welcome to Lagos"?

Helps you understand Nigeria better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHKLIpz9F5c

I just finished watching the entire first episode. I have live 25 years of my life in Africa. Most of it (23 yrs) in very rural villages among pastoralists in Kenya and agriculturalists in Benin. In those years I came to understand that the poorest of the poor, those who have the toughest life are, for the most part, those who live in the cities.

These people, as you say, despite their hard work, are easily swayed by the blame game that can come from Islamicists, Christians, or politicians of any ilk. As long as poverty reigns, they will be swayed from one side to the other. That is not say that they do not think for themselves....as if we in the West think for ourselves jaja.

I have often said to my spoiled university students in the West, the only difference, the only REAL difference between me and these people is that I came out of my mother's womb in nice hospital in L.A. California and they came out in a mud hut. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I did nothing to earn it (not really sure it is a blessing sometimes).

It is interesting to read some of the comments at the sites where the film is hosted. Some of the more educated and members of the elite families take real exception at such a portrayal of Nigerians. In reality, the life of those in dump is not theirs.

After being involved in Africa for so many years, the predicament of those in poverty effects me more than ever. Yet, I will not let it stymie me, I will find ways to act. Ways in which help people and hinder terrorists.

Thanks for the link, KingJaJa.

[Dayuhan]

Once again we go into the problem of perception, and the inability to counter negative messages. Everyone in Nigeria is of the opinion that US wants to intervene in Nigeria to protect its interests in the Oil and Gas Industry. There are several versions of the story all over the web, each with a different twist.

There has been no rebuttal or explanation from the US Government, so the assumption is that that is the USG is complicit. Another version of the story with additional twist:

My point is that just as the US was successful in getting its message out during the Cold War era, it should make just a little more effort to get its message out today. Can the US live with the present state of affairs? Yes. Presently as things stand, is there an overwhelming strategic case for the US to be more involved in the public diplomacy arena in Africa? Not really, the US has a lot of money and money has a voice of its own.

It is a nice "to-have" and good investment for the future.

I really don't want to see the US Government trying to deny or refute every rumour that flies around. It's pointless: anyone who believes the rumour won't believe the denial, and the stream of rumours is endless. It also plays into the hands of the propagandists... as they say, "let's make the bastards deny it". Better to ignore it.

Actions speak louder than words. The best way to debunk the rumour that the US wants to intervene in Nigeria is to not intervene in Nigeria. Of course there will be provocations from people who want the US to intervene, but the only way to deal with that is to stay the course and follow the policy. If we establish a knee-jerk policy of allowing provocation to suck us into intervention, there will never be an end to provocation.

[KingJaja]

I really don't want to see the US Government trying to deny or refute every rumour that flies around. It's pointless: anyone who believes the rumour won't believe the denial, and the stream of rumours is endless. It also plays into the hands of the propagandists... as they say, "let's make the bastards deny it". Better to ignore it.

Actions speak louder than words. The best way to debunk the rumour that the US wants to intervene in Nigeria is to not intervene in Nigeria. Of course there will be provocations from people who want the US to intervene, but the only way to deal with that is to stay the course and follow the policy. If we establish a knee-jerk policy of allowing provocation to suck us into intervention, there will never be an end to provocation.

I agree with you.

[KingJaja]

A more astute observer of Nigeria, describes Nigeria's predicament. Once again, America's role should be to stand back and observe.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b0349a7c-1...#ixzz1eVeMsaHf

[davidbfpo]

Local residents talking to correspondents, so maybe not 100% accurate and I've checked other on-line news reports:

The attacks by suspected members of the radical Boko Haram sect, which also seriously injured two other policemen, happened in the town of Azare and lasted four hours, they said.

The attackers armed with heavy machine guns, threw explosives and fired heavy machine guns into a regional police headquarters and an adjoining police station in the town, setting fire to the buildings, residents said.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...lls-three.html

Wikipedia for a map and background:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azare