On the Wheels

Porsch GT-3
Originally uploaded by r3oodi

Wajeha Al-Huwaider is Saudi Writer and Women’s Rights Activist had recently wrote an article titled " Help Women in Saudia Arabia to Buy Your Cars", it really made me think about how lucky we women in Oman. Oman is one of the neighboring country to Saudi Arabia, it takes a border line two women separated between this border line. One opens her eyes to life and find her mother and other women are driving and anther one, she opens her eyes to learn that driving is not allowed or forbidden. I recall my trip to Saudi Arabia when I was a teenager with my brother and elder sister, we were driving to Saudi Arabia before reaching the border my sister who was driving had to switch driving seats with my brother. I had this urging question why was driving forbidden in Saudi Arabia, in past before cars, during the prophet's time women rid horses and camels. I kept wondering what was so different.

I'm waiting for our sisters in Saudi Arabia seeing them on the wheels with their cars. Hope it will be soon, it will also open us doors to cross KSA by driving. Looking forward to cross Saudi Arabic driving one day…

Please join in the campaign to see our Saudi Sisters getting on the wheel…(Read the article in here)

http://www.aafaq.org/english/aafaq_today.aspx?id_news=135

Black History Month (USA)

Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer
1917-1977
[Beaten for trying to VOTE]

In 1963, Mrs. Hamer and other civil rights workers arrived in Winona, MS by bus. They were ordered off the bus and taken to Montgomery County Jail. The story continues "...Then three white men came into my room. One was a state highway policeman (he had the marking on his sleeve)... They said they were going to make me wish I was dead. They made me lay down on my face and they ordered two Negro prisoners to beat me with a blackjack. That was unbearable. The first prisoner beat me until he was exhausted, then the second Negro began to beat me. I had polio when I was about six years old. I was limp. I was holding my hands behind me to protect my weak side. I began to work my feet. My dress pulled up and I tried to smooth it down. One of the policemen walked over and raised my dress as high as he could. They beat me until my body was hard, 'til I couldn't bend my fingers or get up when they told me to. That's how I got this blood clot in my eye - the sight's nearly gone now. My kidney was injured from the blows they gave me on the back."

[To read more about Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer click HERE]

Where Our African Heroes

I recall as a child hearing about the Ugandan president Idi Amin and at one time hearing the news that he was on exile in Saudi Arabia. Last week we had a movie brought home titled The Last King of Scotland which apparently is based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician Dr. Nicholas Garrigan during the 1970s. How clueless of me to not know that he was a brutal dictator, so as I sat to watch the movie assuming that this movie was trying to show us the history of Idi Amin's which it had indeed removed my blindfold but it was through his physician and from the first scene how Dr. Nicholas travel in the bus meeting an African woman who invite him for one night stand, showing us how energized through this night stand. The movie goes on smooth until we reach on a special party held by the President or on nightclub I can not really tell where we are shown how African women dancers dancing topless and with Dr. Nicholas meeting one of Idi Amins' wife where he gets involved with her physically and this scene has been detailed. The movie swerve that the wife get pregnant from Dr. Nicholas and the journey of the women to abort herself and the brutality that happened with it.

Normally I watch a movie and forget about it, this movie left me with intense anger, my African in me was so angry as how our African women had been portrayed in this movie. As an African I wonder do we have in our history heroes that we could look up to and we can portray them in a movie that can do them justice. Isn't high time for us to bring the glory for those who did us proud in Africa or there is none of them to mention.

I watched this movie and had a question that is this all we have in Africa to show to the rest of the world.

This movie have been directed by Kevin Macdonald 2006 and had won Oscar and nominated for many other awards.