Bullets & Honey: Ryszard Kapuscinski

Bullets & Honey: Ryszard Kapuscinski: The Literary Vulture Circling African Suffering [@nonymoused]: "I am not for disguising the violence and poverty that afflicts parts of Africa - in fact I am for it enough that I am writing a doctoral thesis on the place of genocide in political life by studying Rwanda. But I know that I am not the only one who is sick and tired of these European writers who come to Africa to wax on about bloodthirsty militias, corrupt and stupid officials, and, of course, good hearted prostitutes. Certainly all these observations are true, and to a large extent I agree with them. What I hate though, is how Africa for too many European writers and humanitarians is merely a mirror to confirm their superior humanity. "

[...]

"Extract from Granta 48 Africa Issue:
The European mind is willing to acknowledge its limitations, accept its limitations. It is a sceptical mind. The spirit of criticism does not exist in other cultures. They are proud, believing that what they have is perfect. "

"Extracts from Shadow of the Sun:
Let us remember that fear of revenge is deeply rooted in the African mentality.
The European and the African, have an entirely different concept of time.
In Africa, drivers avoid traveling at night darkness unnerves them they may flatly refuse to drive after sunset.
... in Africa a cousin on your mother's side is more important than a husband.
The kind of history known in Europe as scholarly and objective can never arise here because the African past has no documents or records, and each generation, listening to the version being transmitted to it, changed it and continues to change it..."

I was curious when i learned in another post that:
"Ryszard Kapuscinski will be speaking at various fora in New York City starting on Saturday the 16th of April 2005 - invited by PEN America"
but the rest of the post is on how he is a liar... there seems to exist some people who really hate him. i'll try to understand but i'm affraid i won't...