Ace,
You're very funny sometimes. Darn near paranoid. I have not seen anyone so paranoid about free speech before. This is a new one on me. But because I love you my man, I take it as a good thing. I actually share most of your concerns so maybe we can share ideas here to arrive at a happy medium.
 
[In a message dated 5/23/2010 7:05:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:Haruna, Very interesting and sensitive article. I like your choice of articles. They are on target to Freedom-Street.] Ace.
 
Thank you Ace. Coming from the ultimate doyen of freedom street, this is golden. I do it all for you men. I love you.
 
[But President Wade is not completely crazy on this one.] Ace.
 
I say the man is completely crazy on this and many other things. He's a dinosaur.
 
[Foreigers are using Africans to run their companies in Africa in the name of Africa and are leaching these poor countries while only one person or a few get rich. They are nothing but poverty PIMPS.] Ace.
 
I agree with you Ace on the above. I want to share with you however that in every country you go to, you will find foreigners using Africans to run their companies in the name of Africa. It is not just in Africa. Check it out. And that includes Africans. Not just foreigners. So you will agree with me that criminals come in all shades, sizes, places, and colours.
 
[Maybe he will move it to The Gambia. They will believe in Yopussou than any other Gambian.] Ace.
 
You're funny Ace. This is a whole nother problem. It doesn't even have to be Youssou TV in that case. Gambians have a fascination with shiny things especially snow on TV. I do agree with you on the underlying premise....Gambians would rather support an outsider than their own. Misery loves company you know.
 
[Companies in Africa are richer than the states they operate in more than culture and non government.] Ace.
 
I agree with you again Ace. Not only in Africa. In many countries, corporations are richer than the state. The state becomes a mechanism to perpetuate that hegemony. You will discover that the owners of such corporations are also the legislators in the national assemblies, the Imams at the mosques, the preachers at the churches, and the monks in the militaries. Ace don't get me started on this. This still doesn't address whether or not Wade was crazy in usurping the powers of Telecommunications Czar in Senegal.
 
[Sometimes one person alone will take the Elephant share to be a President.] Ace.
 
I understand your anxieties. Could it be that Wade took the elephant's share of ....... to become President??? I think you get my drift Ace. Just imagine how Wade unilaterally gave Karim the custody of 80% of Senegal's budget. Better yet you remmember how the statue thing unfolded???? Would you trust Wade to be in charge of issuing licenses for anything, even dog-catcher???? And you're not even Senegalese Ace.
 
[Now to be president now is a business especially in Diamond and oil rich country also strategic location for ghost businesses] Ace.
 
I agree Ace. I think the closest you're coming to our issue at hand is the intimation that some foreigners may be funding Youssou TV to propel Ndure to Senegal's Presidency. I understand your anxieties. But consider this: If indeed there is a foreigner or even Youssou himself using TV to propel Youssou or someone else to the Presidency. In that case why would Wade take it upon himself to issue or approve Telecommunications licenses??????????? Wade is the President of Senegal. Whether or not Youssou TV is going to be used to propel anyone to the Presidency of any nation, I think the viewers of Youssou TV will have more to say about that than the TV. The same could have been said about Wade's patronnage of religious congregations, newspapers, radios, internet, etc. All I was saying Ace is that Telecommunications licenses bear too much on Free speech and expression to have a President anywhere near the licensing procedure. Why is Wade not satisfied with an independent Telecommunications board or commission as in every sane democracy??? Because Wade is crazy on this Ace. I understand your anxieties but trust me, the best sanitizer is sunlight. You're beginning to scare me Ace. Don't tarnish your exquisite image of doyen of Freedom street by siding with Wade on this. He's clueless on this.
 
[and other natural resources and there are investors waiting in line for this venture.] Ace.
 
I know Ace. I say let 'em come on. What are these investors waiting for???? You can be sure that as long as Wade is in charge of issuing and approving TV licenses, its open season for special-interest TV wouldn't you say??? I don't even know why Wade would burden himself with such enormous responsibility as to determine who is and who is not criminal TV?
 
[Cultural TV is quiet sufficient. Thats MTV. It is a multi million business already!] Ace.
 
What're you tralking about Ace???? What is in cultural TV that cannot propel anyone to the Presidency if other TV can???? MTV is the biggest Presidential determiner you've ever seen. Dig into it some more. How did Diddy put it? "Vote or Die" I think. And even for cultural TV, why would Wade be the decider or approver of such TV license?????????????????? You see what I mean don't you???? I think you don't care much for Youssou. Well I don't either. I don't blame you. The question here however is much more than Youssou. If you wanna know what I really think about Youssou, he's a big dummy. But Youssou was not really my consideration here. My consideration is the systemmatic corrosion of democratic institutions in the guise of "protecting Africa". From whomever!!!
 
[www.okodrammeh.com] Ace.
 
Wait a minute. Ace, I remmember you have your own TV station.... Sotokoto TV. Imagine if Wade were in charge of issuing you license or approving license for that??????? Now you see what I mean. And Youssou doesn't have anything to do with that. I know you're gonna say that's cultural TV. Well voting for representative is the biggest cultural activity you've ever seen Ace. Word!!! Rooooots...Kanilai!!!
 
I love you men. Haruna.

 

From: Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sun, May 23, 2010 3:27:24 PM
Subject: Senegal's Youssou Ndure finally granted albeit limited license to operate his own TV station.

President Wade had denied him the license under the guise that Ndure's enterprise is financed and funded by a disgruntled French concern. After Ndure proved to all and sundry that his application for license to broadcast and the eventual TV enterprise is not funded nor supported by this or any foreign enterprise, Wade yielded and granted license to Ndure but only for a cultural TV station. This Wade is an idiot. Why is he in charge of issuing or approving licenses for telecommunications in Senegal??? That's what I wanna know. He's poking his nose in any and every enterprise. Like Yahya. Who died and made him telecommunications Czar????
 
Haruna.
 
Sénégal : Le musicien Youssou Ndour obtient une licence pour sa télévision privée
La star de la musique sénégalaise Youssou Ndour a annoncé mardi soir à Dakar avoir obtenu l’autorisation d’émission pour sa télévision privée que l’État sénégalais refusait de lui accorder depuis 2008, rapportent mercredi les médias dont il est déjà propriétaire.
L’artiste de 50 ans possède au Sénégal son groupe de presse, Futurs Médias, qui comprend la radio RFM et le quotidien L’Observateur, souvent critiques envers le régime d’Abdoulaye Wade.
Le long conflit avec les autorités portait, officiellement, sur le mode de financement de la chaîne de télévision que le chanteur voulait lancer coûte que coûte.
Le 1er mai, le président Abdoulaye Wade avait lié le refus d’accorder une autorisation démettre à la TFM à la volonté de l’État d’échapper à tout conditionnement de sa politique par "des étrangers".
Le chef de l’État avait alors fait allusion au groupe Bolloré, qui avait perdu en 2007 la concession du port à conteneurs de Dakar, et laissé entendre que Youssou Ndour bénéficiait de financements de ce groupe français.
Lors d’un entretien, lundi, entre le président et le chanteur, Youssou Ndour a apporté "toutes les preuves" sur le financement de sa chaîne, a déclaré mardi le ministre de la Communication, Moustapha Guirassy.
"Le président a compris (...) quil n’y avait pas un financement étranger", a commenté, de son côté, le directeur général de Futurs médias, Mamadou Diop, cité par l’Agence de presse sénégalaise (APS).
Cependant, le chanteur n’a pas été autorisé à lancer une chaîne privée généraliste, mais "une télévision culturelle".
"C’est moi qui ai choisi, au regard de beaucoup d’interprétations et des échéances électorales en vue (scrutin présidentiel en 2012, ndlr), un tel format. Maintenant, il n’est pas exclu qu’on revienne plus tard, quand les passions se seront apaisées, à une chaîne généraliste", a assuré le chanteur, cité par l’Observateur.
Youssou Ndour avait récemment lancé un "mouvement citoyen", avec l’intention de soutenir publiquement, pour la première fois, un candidat à la présidentielle. "Je vais beaucoup plus éveiller les consciences, faire des tournées pour aider à comprendre et pour dénoncer les tricheurs", avait-il lancé.
A l’automne 2009, le chanteur avait diffusé sur internet une chanson intitulée "tout est obscur", qui faisait clairement écho au malaise social dans la banlieue de Dakar du fait des inondations et coupures d’électricité récurrentes.
DAKAR (AFP) - mercredi 12 mai 2010 - 12h16

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