Africa

They say that Africa is a humankind cradle. In Olduvai, an ancestor of the contemporary man appeared for the first time – Homo habilis and Homo erectus – and from the heart of Africa, it spread into the whole world. The area of the East African Rift Valley is rich for the many fossil findings and Olduvai is just here in Tanzania. However in year 2002, Brunet et al. published in scientific journal Nature^* about the oldest hominid petrifaction. This would not have been anything so strange, but question is: Where were found these petrifactions? The scientists found them in distance of 2500 km (1 553.43 miles) from the East African Rift Valley in central Africa in Chad and they estimated their age between 6 and 7 million years!!! This is Africa surprising.

Africa, these are the streets of Marrakesh, the pyramids near to Cairo, the temples in Luxor and Karnak, the cities like Casablanca and Alexandria, the lost Timbuktu with its doors, the endless plains of the deserted and sometimes green deserts like Sahara or Kalahari, or the deep and impenetrable rainforests with the richness of flora and fauna that often disappear forever.

Africa, these are the Nile River with its cataracts and with all burying Aswan Dam, waters of the Victoria Falls, with snow covered peak of the highest mountain known as Kilimanjaro and the deep mines with diamonds and gold in Kimberley and Congo.

Africa is also the extreme poverty in glamour of the riches. It is hopelessness, high unemployment, pain and sadness, worry and death. These are the depopulated villages. These are prejudices and superstitions. It is hunger, HIV and it is AIDS.

I was in Africa only once sometime in year 1985, it was in Algeria. Nothing of what I have now written, I have seen or experienced. Only the oleander flowers attracted me through their aroma and I drowned in them under rays of hot African sun.

Come back to the reality. Africa has materialized for me on just ending weekend. The theatre “Husa na Provazku” (Goose on String) in Brno has entertained some group of people, enthusiasts, doubters, but even faithful and selfless people and donators this Saturday (26.06.2010). Africa has materialized for me in the form of the large photos, beads and small baskets made by people that are far. Africa has materialized for me in the form of African drummers from Congo; by the way they live in Czech Republic. Their drums have totally overturned the world and the theater has become a furnace of Africa.

However, in an intermission we have listened narrative of Missis Gita Fuchsova about many projects that are under way in Kenya and in neighbouring countries. Missis Gita Fuchsova is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the UNEP and UN-Habitat ((UNEP = United Nations Enviroment Programme, UN-Habitat = United Nations Human Settlements Programme).

The wide spectrum of programs has covered, for example, the preventive vaccination of dogs in Mt. Kula mountain chain in Kenya, which is every year made by people from the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brno and they do it successfully. It is also “Doll for UNICEF” project, where the voluntaries sew some doll and it is offered to an adoption for 600 CZK. This amount is needed to revaccinate of one child in the underdeveloped countries against six mortal child illnesses.
And of course, it was Bwindi Orphans, because this civically association and its activities in Uganda were a midpoint of that day. It has begun by some afternoon talk and has continued then in the theater passage and in the evening also during the concert. It was not missing also a connection between Bwindi Orphans and the virtual world Second Life, which was tried to explain by Fanda Ryba. I think that he has succeeded it. At his presentation, he has shown us also several pictures from SL, where is also placed the school, for which there is a fund-raising campaign through the pink pigs that are on many sims of Czech and Slovak community in SL. Around this school you can see also picture made by the court photographer of Bwindi Orphans Michal Prihoda. The account amount is updated regularly on this web site and all donators (more than 400) are there listed even with the respective amount of Linden dollars. To this day (01.07.2010) people has donated 634 805 L$.

However, the performance of the band called Cankisou (maybe pronounced as Tschankeyshow). This band was founded by bigbeat musicians at some Christmas party in year 1999. With help of the most various instruments form the whole world, they threw themselves into absolutely new waters of ethno, world music and in an original way, and they based their work on some legend about an ancient uniped nation of Canki (Tschanki). During 10 years of it existence, the band has gained the solid place in musical sun and today they belong to the top of Czech world music.

To describe an atmosphere in an auditorium and even on a stage is quite difficult, one have to experience it. So, at least there are several pictures from this event here: ones on the official site of Bwindi Orphans and other ones on Zuza Ritt stream. Well, finally you can look at three clips of Cankisou only for an idea what they play.

Zuha clip was shot in Pakistan by LP Fish during our participation in World Performing and Visual Arts festival 2007 in Lahore. Borrega clip is animated one made by students at Film Academy of Miroslav Ondricek and Independent Film College in Pisek. Last one was based on materials that Michal Prihoda recorded and shot in Uganda.

^*M. Brunet et al.: A new hominid from the Upper Miocéne of Chad, Central Africa. Nature 418, 2002, 145.

Pictures: Offical site of BWO [only in Czech], Zuza Ritt stream

SLurl: 3D-model of the school on Shinyland

(Sources: Cankisou [only in Czech], UNICEF, UNEP, UN-Habitat, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Embassy in Nairobi, Wikipedia, YouTube)

Wedding

Just passed weekend was slightly hectic both in real world and in Second Life. Strictly speaking I did not ever follow the celebration of seven year existence of this world – SLB7. However, I received some wedding invitation in SL. Paula Ghennyn and Fraggo Serrao got married and the party was on sim Mumuland. As usual I came later, but I caught the party. So beautiful created wedding arbor and dancefloor I have never seen so long time. Furthermore, there were full of nice people dressed with wonderful clothes. I went from the arms to other arms, well, ladies was falling in my arms even the bride. Then the night came and the big fireworks only together wit the stars shined in the sky.

Say, is not it romantic?

SLurl: Mumuland

(Note: I have made many pics, about twenty, so I have made some small stream with music. The individual pics are the on Koinup or Flickr).

Nymph

An avatar is a social creature, dancing on the border between fiction and fact.

(Mark Stephen Meadows: I, Avatar – The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life)

The sea deeps are identically mysterious, dark and deep like in our real world. The exploring of them can have sometimes even the surprising results. What kind of the creatures live around or staying at such depths? And what about such the nymphs! In Greek mythology, they were water, wood and mountain goddesses or demigoddesses. All of them were beautiful and singing, dance and entertainment were their role. They usually occurred in the company of other natural creatures like Sileni, Satyrs, Pans were or in the company of the gods, these were often Apollo, Dionysos or Hermes or Artemis.

Once I bathed in the deeps in Mortifera sim. Actually rather I explored these deeps. Surprise was not long in coming. There was some nymph in the shadows of a reef. We both hung around a while and looked at each other without any conversation. And when darkness descended and the only mere gleams of light penetrated till us, I had drawn near and had asked her.

Surprisingly we both spoke the same language and likeable girl came out from the nymph. We told a whole and since she likes dancing and me too, then later we danced on the floor in some club. Unfortunately, I have forgotten its name.

So then that it dies not pay to seek in Second Life deep.

SLurl: Mortifera

(Source: Wikipedia)

Note: Pictures are published with permission of depicted female avatar.

Destiny – Disaster – Reality

Some situation can come by each of us, the situation, which influences everyone very markedly. And so that way that one never can forget it and even one will ever forget. Is this an omen? Maybe yes.

This day was not or did not begin like any other. All day there was the big hot (about 34 °C = 93.2 °F) in the shade. It lured to go somewhere to water and to take one’s poor body into the cool waves. On the other hand, many people inclusive me did not want to leave their houses and to beat down sun.

Nevertheless, finally I gave out on the town and sat in some café on the summer terrace. I looked at the world around. At the same time, I looked at the world around me in Second Life. The next moment, as if these two worlds began to penetrate each other and to blend in one.

The darkness had come, slowly like some creeping creature. Yes, the world had darkened, but it was other darkness than if sun sets and the sky is covered with the distant or nearby worlds.

If we would substitute one of the Aristotle elements – fire – for the phenomenon light, that this one had switched off. Strange darkness interlaced with the wads and the cords of heavy rain (water element) however was full of light of lightening and noise of thunders (fire element).

Did the world go crazy? No, it did not, only the nature showed one of its features. There were hard features, because the trees felt down. There were the trees, which destroyed the houses. There were the trees, which killed. One woman died and her five dogs maybe will be placed in some pound.

It was the destiny.

It was the disaster.

Only the reality.

In The Light of the Moment
In the Embrace of the Fire

11.6.1775

An avatar is an interactive, social representation of a user.
(Mark Stephen Meadows: I, Avatar – The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life)

It is a bit strange title of my today‘s article, isn’t it? Not particularly, I titled it so advisedly, because this day in my country will be the hottest in a row of day just form this very distant date. Today’s outsider temperature should reach 34 °C (93.2 °F), in the shade of course. The streets will become void, the swimming pools and the natural lakes and ponds will crowd, and people maybe will hide at home themselves.

So take swimwear, towels, something to drink and hooray to water!

And what about to water in Second Life? Everything is possible, as I have made sure yesterday, when I have received some IM: … i am in sl by the swimming pool and i bathe …” It only suffices to search through an inventory, takes the right type of clothing and sets out.

So I have looked on my inventory, took some clothing form Splendeurs and set out. First, it has not been to water, but later really to water, so to the sea, where I have lounged in pretty society.

Try it as an avatar! You are interactive and you are social!

SLurls: New Port, Splendeurs, Wirreno

Magic moment

Every day we live out the moment of an awakening into the new day. Sun rises above the horizon and shines with its lights all around. Sometimes, this day is somber and cloud over and only the shreds of the foggy morning most cover the hills. For all that, these are only the volatile and magic moments of our life.

Since some event will take place on Saturday June 26 in Brno, I have refreshed my memory with reference to the Bwindi Orphans project. Some of you knows that I written here about this project here several times. Only for reminding, Bwindi Orphans is Czech non-profit organizations with the seat in Brno, Czech Republic and it is focused on help to children in Uganda in Africa including a children long-distance adoption. There is already some donation for long time. Its gains will be used for the building of a nongovernmental school in Soroti.

To my big surprise and joy, I have found out that an account rise and mainly it thanks to many people form Second Life world. The possibility to donate Linden dollars via small pink pigs in SL achieved high popularity and the amount such gifted money surely is not small. It exceeded 600.000 L$ and totally there is 75.000, - CZK on this account. The list of people that donated is totally imposing, look here. It is possible to donate also in real world. There was another magic moment of the day.

And even if sun sets behind the horizon, nothing ends. Nigh world of Second Life is like created of seeking and making of the magic moments. Just find the right place.

(Sources: Bwindi Orphans official site (in Czech), SL donation fo Bwindi Orphans)

Eruption

It was really worth waiting. The half-year passed as nothing and May 30 was here and I was on the road to Vienna. Weather, typical for last days by us, was absolutely bad, but we did not mind. A cup of red Moravian wine warmed us for our whole journey to the final bus stop, which was Viennese Prater.

Since we had enough time, we took a walk into Vienna center. Actually I was never here. So we visited several churches, bought an ice cream and did not forget to take a cup of coffee in well-known Café Hawelka. This old shabby café exists in Dorotheegasse 6 (Dorothy Alley) since 1936, when Leopold Hawelka opened it. It remained no changed till now. So we visited it too. “Zweimal Kleiner bitte,” I said to a waiter. Thus you have to order coffee, if you want an espresso. In other I recommend you to try also Melange or Mokka. I guarantee, you will not regret.

Time passed slowly and thus we set out to our destination. Since it was far form Vienna center, we use local metro, here it is called “U-Bahn” and it goes on the surface. The Austria Center is located behind the Danube in an area, where there are a lot of modern buildings including the residential houses. Just here, it took place that, because of we came to Vienna – an opening concert of 20^th Jazz Fest Wien 2010.

After an initial chaos of the organizers, when they guided the viewers to the bad directions to the concert hall, and after the festival opening speech, some support came on the stage. I have forgotten its name. And it was not surprised, it was total catastrophe. Five same or better said, five same sounding songs put many viewers off, so that they left the hall to take a bit to eat.

But the main one came later. It got dark in the hall, the music started to play and he rushed in. The next concert of the world tour “The Pursuit World Tour 2010” had begun. Jamie Cullum presented his the most new songs from the homonymous album The Pursuit and also from two previous albums Twentysomething and Catching Tales. He enchanted the whole hall, btw. the capacity is 3000 people, and he brought all of us to the boil, which had no any analogy, and he kept it, in fact, till to the final finale.

After end of one song, the whole band including Jamie set out into the hall middle to the twentieth line and thy played one song here in the center among the viewers. All stood up to see them. Some stood on the chairs. This, what came after, it was like some wild dream. The moment Jamie and the band members returned back, the people mass followed them and surrounded the stage. It was given an encore, the song “The Wind Cries Mary”. The wild ride came then. Jamie sang and danced like a dervish on the stage, the band played and when the viewers joined the rhythm, it was nearly an inferno.

Due to a frequency of people mass stomping the hall floor, and maybe even stage itself, begun to vibrate. The technicians had to hold the speaker towers with power to prevent a possible fall into the people. The floor shook in a foreboding of an eruption. The horrified organizers run around and communicated with each other with walkie-talkies, but the euphoria of the crowd had not stopped. The vibrations were not only to feel, but they run through the whole body, which resonated the music sounds at the same time. The vibrations were also visible. It was that, when the imaginary piano strings in the stage background begun to shake too.


The par excellence finale finished with the huge eruption. It was the eruption of big applause, scream and flashing cameras and mobile phones. It was the eruption that longtime did not stop. Then all calmed down and went silent and Jamie sung his last song, nice ballade. There was only he his piano on the stage. The way home through dark Vienna, Niederöstereich and South Moravia was only feeble reflection of that, what it happened before.

…

The words are only feeble rehash of that, what I experienced. Who did not see, he/she will not believe. So, settle for two videos from YouTube.com. The first one is a small official cut form the Jazz Fest Wien 2010 organizers and the second one is above mentioned The Wind Cries Mary from one viewer.


(Sources: Austria Center Vienna, Café Hawelka, JamieCullum.com, Jazz Fest Wien 2010, YouTube.com)