15 June 2012

Not My Business by Niyi Osundare

Not My Business by Niyi Osundare.

Wikipedia: In Not My Business, the people around the voice of the poem are unjustly taken in Nigeria, but the voice says that it is not his business if he is not taken. Eventually, he is taken but there is no-one left to save him.

Osundare used his poem and others to object to the dictatorship that ruled his country under General Sani Abacha from 1993 to 1998. During Abacha's rule, writing poetry was considered a dangerous activity. Osundare regularly wrote poems for a Nigerian national newspaper which commented on the lives of people in that country. As a result, he was frequently called to account by security agents and quizzed about what his poems meant and to whom they referred. Osundare himself says, "with the kind of poetry I write, I can never be the dictator's friend. So I get a knock on the door at two in the morning a couple of times."

The poet criticises people who allow injustices to go on as long as it does not directly affect them. He suggests that if no one stands up against military dictatorship, cruelty, poverty and injustice, it will, eventually, affect their lives.

They picked Akanni up one morning
Beat him soft like clay
And stuffed him down the belly
Of a waiting jeep.
What business of mine is it
So long they don't take the yam
From my savouring mouth?

11 June 2012

ATN Bangla Chairman prejudiced

Another part of  the never ending saga of Bengali media in the UK.

From Bangla Mirror


Bangla Mirror Desk:: The Chairman of ATN Bangla TV Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman made prejudiced remark against the people of Sylhet and uncalled-for comment on murdered journalists Sagar and Runi. His remarks created commotion in Bangladeshis living in Britain as well as in Bangladesh.

ATN Bangla in the UK called a press conference on 30 May to inform viewers and listeners about the future plan of the TV.

The ATN Bangla will telecast news at 10pm solely prepared by news department in London with all information of the community and country and the people living in here. Same news will be recast for the convenient of late night viewers at 1am at mid-night.

The ATN Bangla will arrange other programmes according to viewer’s demand. The press conference of the TV was arranged to convey those messages through other media to the viewers. The Chairman of ATN Bangla out- tracked and gave wrong message to print and electronic media here in London.

Commotion built up and spread like wildfire in here and in Bangladesh and he issued a statement to clarify his position.

The statement of ATN Chairman Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman said that some media did not produce his message exactly as he delivered in the press conference. He did not mean to derogate Sylheti community or the language. He wanted to spread culture and heritage of the people of Sylhet through ATN all over the world, it was his dream. Some are out to damage reputation by altering meaning of his message the statement said.