I'm a firm believer in Jesus with a fond love for film and music and a keen interest in
current affairs and social justice.
Can’t get enough of this. Anyone fancy trekking across Iceland?
Jonny’s Recent Decent TV
So, it’s 3:30 am and my mind is buzzing; it appears I have insomnia again.
I’m being dramatic, I don’t have insomnia, just awful sleep patterns. I find blogging helps, or so I tell myself. It actually furthers the problem and means I probably won’t get to sleep till at least 5am. I currently have little to wake up for though so its no biggie. I am unemployed and usually spend my days pottering around the house, keeping the fire stocked up, the odd bit of cooking and watching TV. Lots of TV. Not live daytime TV. No, high quality catch up programmes on iPlayer and 4OD. So I thought I’d share some of my current recent decent TV programmes.
1. Top Boy
3. Louis Theroux: America’s Most Dangerous Pets
4. Coach Trip
My favourite this week has been Top Boy. Currently on 4OD, Top Boy tells the story of an inner city gang and it’s effects on the community around it. Set on a rough estate in East London, it’s gritty, authentic, excellently acted and has a great script. Ashley Walters (aka Asher D of So Solid Crew fame) puts in a decent lead performance as Dushane, a drug dealing gangster stuck in a life of crime. Oh and did I mention its beautifully filmed? The cinematography is stunning.
This is way up there on my list of films to watch…
‘The Interrupters’ is a documentary following the work of an organisation called CeaseFire which aims to end gang violence in Chicago. The film focusses on three “Violence Interrupters”. All of them are ex-gang members and most have done time in prison for offences ranging from drug trafficking to murder. Their aim is stop killings before they happen, confronting gang leaders and resolving conflicts before the violence escalates. Essentially they’re trying to save lives. Extraordinary people doing extraordinary work. Out in cinemas now.
Been wanting to see this film since it came out in cinemas. It’s now on dvd. Humanity at its finest.
Is Facebook eroding the meaning of friendship?
Here begins a rather long rant about Facebook and the impact of social networking sites on the meaning of friendship.
The other day I was going through deleting people from my friend list who I haven’t spoken to in years and have no intention of speaking too. We all have Facebook friends from our school days or friends of friends that we once met at a party or worse, old friends of friends who you can’t remember where you met. They’re not friends. If it wasn’t for Facebook I would never see them again. Facebook, however, says they are friends and they can see what I’m up to, look at my photos and if they wanted, chat to me on Facebook chat (that would be awkward).
So if our Facebook accounts are full of people who aren’t really friends I wonder how this social network is affecting our understanding of friendship. Is it devaluing the whole concept of friendship, diluting what we believe and expect friends should be like? If so this is worrying as its use is so widespread, almost everyone in society uses Facebook. Anyone with access to a computer is tempted to link up with their ‘friends’ via Facebook. When my dad first tried it he asked me, “why are all of these people adding me?” He thought much of what people were writing as statuses was silly.
What’s a tad sad about this is that real and close friends are lumped in with all these other pretenders. They are just a few among hundreds of people. The news feeds can become full of junk from people we don’t even like that much. When I now hide people from my news feed I find myself wondering why we’re ‘friends’ at all.
Sticking with Afghanistan, I went to see an excellent exhibition at the Tate Modern a few weeks back. Simon Norfolk conceived a “collaborative project across time” with John Burke, a 19th century photographer. With the aim of replicating Burke’s earlier work, Norfolk has revisited Afghanistan to shoot portraits of troops, local people and the stunning landscape. Their work can be viewed side by side at the exhibition. A short video followed Norfolk as he snapped the country and revealed his thoughts on its people and the futility of war. See the exhibition online here and an interesting interview with Simon Norfolk here.
If you fancy a bit of culture here’s a great programme about Afghanistan which refreshingly doesn’t focus on the war. A sad but hopeful portrait of a resilient and proud people in a beautiful country. Watch here on iPlayer.
Inspirational video from jeremycowart.com
I like Thom Yorke. And I like this.
Surprised to see he went on the Passion World Tour in 2008 which I managed to catch in Kampala.
Another great anthem from Hillsong. I don’t know how Reuben Morgan does it. This is off Hillsong’s 2010 live album, A Beautiful Exchange. The lyrics are superb, especially these lines in the chorus -
“Oh, I’m running to your arms, I’m running to arms, The riches of your love, Will always be enough”.
It’s got a hint of the prodigal son about it - No sin is too great for His love. He will always welcome us back with open arms and be as close as if we never left. So often we wait for Him to move but this reminds us He’s always waiting for our return. What a tune! Love it.
Also available on Spotify on the new Passion 2011 live album (which is also good, like most of the Passion stuff).
African Vibes: a few of my favourite African artists
On a hot (almost summer’s) day, this music fits oh so well. Thought I’d share a few of my favourite African musicians with you. They’re very different from the popular western music we’re used to (which quite frankly I get very bored of, same formulas used over and over).
First up is Amadou and Mariam, then a band from the Saharan desert called Tinariwen (meaning ‘empty place’) and lastly Oliver N’Goma.
Amadou and Mariam make great music and are an established group on the world music scene. They are a married couple from Mali who met at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind (both are blind). Amadou and Mariam have been making lively, vibrant tunes since the 1980s. They mix a traditional Malian sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion, creating a sound referred to as ‘Afro-Blues’. Other artists which fit into this category are Idrissa Soumaoro, Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder. Here is the Damon Albarn produced Sabali (spotify) and on youtube. Also well worth a listen is Je Pense A Toi on spotify and Youtube. Their 2008 album, Welcome to Mali, is excellent.
I saw Tinariwen on the Jools Holland show back in 2003 and was instantly drawn in; an intriguing sound and such a strange sight - tribesmen in full nomadic dress, playing electric guitars in a London TV studio. Tinariwen are ethnically Tuareg - a nomadic people populating the Saharan in North africa - and their music embodies the heat, dust and harsh life of the desert. Tinariwen founder Ibrahim Ag Alhabib said - “we write about the emptiness, the loneliness and solitude, the pain in the heart of missing your camp and your loved ones”. Here is Amassakoul N’Tenere on Spotfiy. See here for Youtube version.
I first heard this Oliver N’Goma song while walking through Kampala and was instantly hooked. It sounds a little like Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins. Such a great beat and melody. He’s not Ugandan but West African, hailing from Gabon. His breakthrough song was Bane in 1989, which made him famous across Africa. He was highly popular in Uganda which explains why I heard this song off the street. Sadly N’Goma died last year on the 7th June from renal failure. Nge on Youtube / Spotify.
If anyone’s got any of their own world music favourites, I’d love to hear them. Please share!
“God I look to You,
I won’t be overwhelmed,
Give me vision, to see things like You do.
God I look to You,
You’re where my help comes from,
Give me wisdom, You know just what to do”
- Written by Jenn Johnson
Every now and then you find a song which speaks so clearly and runs so deep. I’ve had this one on repeat for the last week now. The lyrics are just what I need - a call for help and a yearning for vision and wisdom from Him.
The Bethel worship team has a knack for this, writing songs that appeal to the heart and draw us into His presence.
From the same album as Furious below, which is here on Spotify. Highly Recommended.
Kidult: Cuban Punch-Up - The Boys who Fought for Castro
Part of the Storyville documentary series currently showing on iPlayer, Kidult: Cuban Punch-Up - The Boys who Fought for Castro is an unusual little film about 3 Cuban boys training for the national championships. It’s a tough life for these kids as they’re driven to succeed in a harsh and unforgiving sport. Provides an intriguing insight into life in the Communist state under Fidel Castro.
Skate nostalgia…mmm.
