Sunday, February 6, 2011

From the BBC: Egypt protests: Muslim Brotherhood 'to join talks'

Egypt's most influential opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, says it will enter talks with officials on ending the country's political crisis.
The group told Reuters the talks would begin on Sunday and would assess how far the government was "ready to accept the demands of the people".
The negotiations would be the first ever to be held between the government and the officially banned Brotherhood.
President Hosni Mubarak has rejected protesters' demands that he quit now.
Mr Mubarak - who has been in office since 1981, tolerating little dissent - has said he will not stand in elections due in September.
Huge crowds have been on the streets of Cairo and other cities in the past few weeks demanding his immediate resignation and calling for democratic reforms.

Analysis

Mr Wisner is a veteran diplomat who knows Egypt and President Mubarak well. He urged people to control their rhetoric - the more Egyptians hear demands from outside the country for Mr Mubarak to stand down, he argued, the more it could have negative consequences.
The former ambassador set out the familiar US demands - changes to the Egyptian Constitution; respect for minority rights; a free press; free and fair elections and so on.
Crucially he said that, in his view, Mr Mubarak should stay in office to steer these changes through. So is this the view of just a well-informed expert on Egypt? Or a glimpse from Mr Obama's special envoy of the real game plan in Washington?
The Muslim Brotherhood had previously said it would not take part in negotiations between the government and opposition groups.
But a spokesman told Reuters: "We have decided to engage in a round of dialogue to ascertain the seriousness of officials towards the demands of the people and their willingness to respond to them."
A spokesman told the AFP news agency the dialogue was also aimed at ending "foreign or regional interference" in the situation.
The Islamist group is Egypt's most influential and well-organised opposition but it remains officially banned and its members and leaders have been subject to frequent repression.
Mr Mubarak has blamed it for the unrest and said that if he leaves, the group will exploit the ensuing political chaos.
The Muslim Brotherhood denies accusations that it is seeking to create an Islamist state in Egypt.
Resignations Opposition demonstrators are continuing to occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square as the protests enter their 13th day, although the numbers have fallen from Friday's huge rally.
The military has been attempting to re-open the square to the public in an attempt to restore normality, and to confine the protests to a small area.
A protesters in front of a tank in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt (5 Feb 2011) Protesters lay down in front of tanks to prevent them clearing Tahrir Square
"You all have the right to express yourselves but please save what is left of Egypt. Look around you," said army commander Hassan al-Roweny, addressing the crowds on Friday evening through a loud speaker.
But hundreds of people then attempted to prevent the army from entering the square - some lay on the ground in front of the tanks to block their progress.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says they fear the protests would become irrelevant if they were confined to a smaller area - but he adds that relations between the soldiers and the demonstrators have remained friendly.
The US - a key ally of the Mubarak government - has called for a swift transition of power, although it has not explicitly told Mr Mubarak to leave.
It has also encouraged all parties to fully engage in talks with opposition groups.
US Vice-President Joe Biden phoned his Egyptian counterpart Omar Suleiman on Saturday, and called for "credible, inclusive negotiations for Egypt's transition to a democratic government to address the aspirations of the Egyptian people", the state department said.
The entire leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) resigned en masse on Friday, apparently in response to the protests.
Two of Mr Mubarak's allies, including his son Gamal, lost their posts while Hossam Badrawi was appointed secretary general.
 

Thursday, January 27, 2011

You grew up Nigerian If

Remember all the fun you had growing up watching TV programmes like Sesame street, Danger Mouse, Voltron, Superted, Rentaghost, Dodo the kid from outer space, or eating snacks like Oyakaka rice biscuit, Gogo, Sprint chewing gum and Okin biscuit. Well there’s a place where you can relive those moments. Join our fan page http://www.facebook.com/yougrewupnigerianif , share your experience and come hear other people’s experiences. Don’t forget to invite your friends to join as well. The more, the merrier.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

SHE’S BACK…



Yes, I’m back, I have been out of the radar for a while but now I’m back. I’m done with my master’s programme and concentrating on other stuffs now.
The master’s year was a very fascinating one for me, one filled with lots of experiences and intellectual battles not only with your peers but especially within yourself which arises as a result of tutoring by well researched lecturers who believe more in realism than the metaphysical and who constantly advised us to be more reasonable than emotional in life.  My favourite course was Romanticism; my favourite theory psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalysis is a theory which helps in dealing and understanding people. The theory is divided into three main concepts namely, the id, the ego and the super ego. Each of us have these three concepts within us but one manifests more than the others. The id is the emotional part of us which acts without based on our emotions, the super ego is that part of us which acts according to the laid down rules of the society on how things should be done and the ego who is the mediator and the arbitrator between the two, that part of us which studies circumstances and blends with it.
I met people with these traits in my class, in fact, we had three people whom we nicknamed these concepts and along the way provided a platform for our class discussions.
Generally, the master’s programme was worth the while and despite the hitches that it brought along, it is one that keeps me smiling each time I reflect on it and I’m grateful to all who made it memorable for me.