“(AHN) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday that he will not attend the Democratic National Convention as claimed by Bill Kristol, Weekly Standard editor.

‘I do not have time to waste on Bill Kristol’s musings,’ Powell told ABC. ‘I am not going to the convention. I have made this clear.’

Kristol said in a Fox report earlier in the day that Powell was planning to endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on the third night of the convention, the day Democrats speak about the theme “Securing America’s Future.” He added that Powell is scheduled to give a speech explaining his support for Obama.” — Kris Alingod/AHN News Writer

Colin Powell was a voice of moderation and reason in the Bush Administration. He was frequently at odds with Dick Cheney and the rest of the neocons, who had an ill-fated pipe dream of invading Iraq and turning the Muslim country into a bastion of democracy.

“In July 2007 Powell revealed that he spent two and a half hours trying to persuade George W. Bush not to invade Iraq but that he did not prevail.” — Quotation from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell)

Powell was deeply opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but instead of doing the honorable thing and resigning he went before the United Nations to present his “dog and pony” show in favor of attacking Iraq.

Colin Powell: The Speech that led to WAR (1/8)

Powell’s speech before the UN was such an egregious betrayal of everything that he stood for, that it forever mars an otherwise sterling political and military career.

Sen. Barack Obama’s early claim to fame was that he was against the Iraq war from the start. His vehement opposition to the Iraq war is the main reason why he is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Under no circumstances should Obama accept Powell’s endorsement, it would be a betrayal of everything he stands for.

Powell’s timidity and cowardice at a critical juncture in history has forever stained his legacy, and if Obama accepts his endorsement it will compromise his moral legitimacy.

REFERENCES:

2. Former aide: Powell WMD speech ‘lowest point in my life’ — A former top aide to Colin Powell says his involvement in the former secretary of state’s presentation to the United Nations on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was “the lowest point” in his life.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Séun Anikulapo Kuti has made sure that his late father’s (Fela Anikulapo Kuti) ‘Afro beat’ musical brilliance and his band Egypt 80, are kept alive.

Séun performs music from both his father’s repertoire and his own. He is an exact replica of his father — Fela Anikulapo Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, October 15, 1938 - August 2, 1997), or simply Fela, who was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick….

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 Performing in Dakar, Senegal

From Wikipedia: The American Black Power movement influenced Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s political views. He was also a supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism (although in a 1982 documentary he can clearly be seen rejecting both capitalism and socialism in favour of a third way that he described as Africanism), and called for a united, democratic African republic.

He was a fierce supporter of human rights, and many of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specifically the militaristic governments of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a social commentator, and criticized his fellow Africans (especially the upper class) for betraying traditional African culture. The African culture he believed in also included having many wives (polygyny) and the Kalakuta Republic was formed in part as a polygamist colony.

He defended his stance on polygyny with the words; “A man goes for many women in the first place. Like in Europe, when a man is married, when the wife is sleeping, he goes out and fucks around. He should bring the women in the house, man, to live with him, and stop running around the streets!.”

His views towards women are characterized by some as misogynist, with songs like “Mattress” typically cited as evidence. However, he also extols African womanhood in his song “Lady,” singing “Lady na (is) master.” It should be noted though that Fela was very open when it came to sex, as he portrayed in some of his songs, like “Open and Close” and “Na Poi.”

Fela once ran for the presidency of Nigeria on a platform of — Legalized Marijuana. The military Junta promptly locked him up! — – [more]

Fela Anikulapo Kuti — In Political Mood: Lamenting a corrupt Nigerian Govt.

Sadly, this great African Musician died in on on Saturday, August 2, 1997, at 4pm (local time) in Lagos, Nigeria. It had been rumoured for some time that Fela had a serious illness he was refusing treatment for, many said he was suffering from prostate cancer. But as it turns out, Fela died from complications due to AIDS. As Fela’s brother, Olikoye Ransome Kuti, said at a news conference: “The immediate cause of death of Fela was heart failure, but there were many complications arising from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.”…[more]

RELATED:

1. From AfroPop.Org — Séun Kuti & Egypt 80, North American Tour and NYC Debut 2007: Séun Kuti and Egypt 80 - his father Fela’s fabled afrobeat band - wowed an exuberant sold-out crowd as they made their New York City debut on July 1st, 2007 at SOB’s.

Everyone was very curious to see what Séun was like, and man, he did not disappoint. What a performer! Singer, sax player, charismatic, bright, and a joyful, quirky dancer - this guy has it all. Someone in the crowd was overheard saying, “A star is born.” Séun shined performing both Fela’s repertoire and his own. Banning Eyre’s photographs tell the story.

2. Seun Anikulapo Kuti’s MySpace Page

Want More? Visit video.africanmusicforum.com

Popularity: 37% [?]

Congolese musicians started playing Cuban songs, mimicking the Spanish lyrics or replacing them with verses in their own languages and composing original songs in Cuban styles.

Congolese Soukous | Rumba Video

Want more Videos Go Here: video.africanmusicforum.com

Records produced in Léopoldville (the Belgian Congo) and Brazzaville (the French Congo) in the 40s and 50s confirm, however, that the early stars of rumba Congo never merely imitated Cuban music. Paul Kamba, Antoine Wendo, Henri Bowane, Kallé Kabasele and other artists of their generation created a new sound.

They called it Rumba but used a variety of rhythms and song structures, some recognizably Latin, some not.

Their melodies followed the tones and accents of Lingala and other local languages instead of Spanish. They favored clarinets or saxophones over flutes and trumpets, and above all they featured guitars.

In Congolese Rumba, guitars—usually in pairs or threes—covered all the parts that the guitar, the trés, the violins and the piano played in Cuban music.

And when innovative guitarists such as Franco, Dr. Nico and Papa Noel took up electric guitars in the mid-’50s, Congolese Rumba further distinguished itself from its Cuban antecedent. Soukous is a offshoot Rumba.

MORE: | What is Congolese Soukous | What is Congolese Rumba | Afro-Insights: Music Video Postings |

Popularity: 34% [?]

Meiway (Frederic Desire Ehui) a.k.a “Monsieur Zoblazo” or the “Genius of Bassam”; was born on March 17th, 1962 in Grand-Bassam, a coastal town west of Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast. His signature music style is “Zoblazo,” a catchy rhythm from southern Ivory Coast. Read the full story

Popularity: 29% [?]

Enjoy a short interlude with ‘KOZO’ — dancing to Congolese Soukous

La danse Lopele

….something more serious!

‘Danger de Mort’ by Koffi Olomide
Uploaded by DaDoubleSProd

Want More? — Go Here

Popularity: 27% [?]