CONSPIRACY OF THE CUSTODIAN

Unearthing the gone glory of the Media

Society grows or retards according to the information available to it and the actions forthwith which the pieces of information engineered. No other sector of the society makes the information available and effectively spread it other than the media. The media is the custodian of the society. Everything about a people is known through no other means than the media. The richness in culture, tradition not excluding the organisation of the country in politics and economics are portrayed to the outside world through the artistic exertions of journalism. The job of the journalist anywhere in the world can never be circumvented. In this, the journalists are committed to two guiding principles which are the umbilical cords of the job. Professionalism and Objectivity. In keeping to these ethics, they shoulder a large and heavy load; balancing facts and fictions, separating lies from truths and also keeping the nucleus of the society alive.

Many a time the journalists have swayed in their quest in the separation of facts and fictions as well as promoting more of lies than truths especially when the lies are paid for or wanted by the government of the host country. Propaganda. Loss of prestige. Fox News in the US is clearly notorious for propaganda in the US. Even the Canadian government rejected it as a local broadcasting station. It can only be watched via satellite in Canada. Aljazeera is clearly quite in the propaganda race too. I took special time to view the Arab Spring from different angles, always switching constantly consistently from CNN to Aljazeera. CNN was simply awesome in objectivity though the impression I had for long had about it was that of a Western media bulldog. Aljazeera clearly made it flagrantly known that the Qatari government did not like Maummar Gaddafi and Bashar al Assad. Marvelous propaganda. 'Un-professionalism' at its heights. When CNN was keen on the Bahrain protest and that of Saudi Arabia, complaining of Western connivance and silence, Aljazeera mentioned them in passing. Despite this, Aljazeera still has more educative, innovative and factual programmes than most international media.

Back home, the media in Africa is nothing but ordinary news arena, mostly imbalanced and uninteresting. Gory tales. Horrific news. The media is clearly more of an horror movie news industry. There is no gainsaying the fact that Africa has more of outrageous events than those that positively catch the mind but the media has forgotten that there is a generation to be nurtured after the heinous thieves ruling the continent might have been deposed or gone naturally to meet their king, Lucifer. I wonder if the tales of woes now are more than those of the past. Definitely by all standard NO. Africa now only needs more objectivity and problem-solving media criticism. Constructive criticism. Africa needs a media that will charge the system and not continue to make the thieves influential criminals. Africa needs a media that will tell the people what they need to do. Africa needs a media that will not be too quick to announce to the world that there is a riot after election as witnessed in Ghana.

During the US election, the Republicans objected to the process in Florida claiming they will contest the result. Many hiccups occurred in the process that produced Obama but all were kept at the base so that distractions will not occur. So also was that of George Bush. The media knows that it is capable of disrupting even the best electoral process in the world. Did we ever hear of the African-like election tales and stories? Rigging is so cheap in the US that only a $2 dollar microchip will perform the magic. Both the Republicans and Democrats know this. Who heard of Patraeus during the campaign and election? How about the US drone fired at by Iran? Media guides societies. Africa does not need a media that only makes bribery and corruption look institutionalised. Africa needs a media that juxtapose facts and developments in different African countries as well as in the world. Africa needs a media that will unearth the past and remake it for the modern age. Africa needs real investigative journalism.

When the continent was really hot with almost 2/3^rd of the wars and conflicts domiciled in it, the media of then still had time to broadcast educative programmes for children and youths. We also heard more from our parents. They contributed to the morals of many today. All these programmes we reminisce today as growing adults and we silently cry. The Tales by Moonlight (traditional African stories of great and dynamic morals), the Village Headmaster (western education in an indigenous act), Checkmate, Palace (showing real fatherly love). There were many too in indigenous languages. How about foreign ones? The most popular was the 'The Rich also Cry'. This movie gave many of us the strong-will that money is not all. We watched 'Passion' and realised the West (US) has charms and voodoo power too. So educative and informative. Programmes with near-adult contents like deep kissing were always broadcast at night where parents would have guided their children to bed. What we have today is extreme adult movies shown in broad daylight even on weekends when children will be at home mostly likely to view them. Where are the 'Power Rangers' and 'Voltron' that simulate a quasi-technology desire in us? All gone. Mexican soaps and even African-style porn mostly coming from Ghana have flooded the media.

We are a continent of great cultural heritage, envied by many in the world. Taking a leaf from China and India, we would see and realise that their cultural pattern influenced their developments. China's censorship of the media is mostly centred on political events. She did not make the mistake of allowing her awe-inspiring culture to be silenced. India is same. Porcelain today is China's traditional commodity and now re-packaged to be accepted in the modern world. Numerous documentaries about great China are shown on CCTV. India is doing same in NDTV. What do we have in Metro TV in Ghana? AIT and many others in Nigeria? Political news on corruption always; making these nefarious ones popular rather than contrast the past and their acts as well as broadcast programmes to show the upcoming ones that this was not the way it was and it can never continue. One day all must be revolutionalised for good. The media has gone along with the society in the extremely colossal search for wealth; thrown ethics, professionalism and objectivity into the thrash bin. No investigative journalism.

Youths need to know that African women were not slaves as portrayed by Western media. They need to know that traditional leadership in Africa was based on the interest of the people not the pockets. They need to know that slave trade and colonialism changed all these. They need to learn about the Amazon of Dahomey. They must know about Queen Amina of Zaria. They should be enlightened about Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. They must know about the Queen mother in the Kikuyu and Ashanti kingdoms. They must know how powerful they were before and immediately after Western-infested contacts. The West bribed African leaders and media not to broadcast 'The Root' again claiming it makes African children and youths hate them. What nonsense! So they never wanted hatred and they destroyed the future from slave trade to colonialism and now neocolonialism. Besides, 'The Root' never made us hate anyone, it built our resolve back then to build our Africa because we could not withstood the sufferings and felt we need to tell the world that Africa shall be free and advanced. I am so sure it will do same magic to the coming ones too.

They must learn that when African women were great traders and farmers, German men used chains and padlocks to lock the private parts of their women till around the 16^th century. They must know that no African woman ever disguised her name to be accepted by the society. The TS Elliot and others of today were women with the pseudonym of men because of the European male stigmatisation of women. African youths must know that all these historical and indigenous feats can be brought back and re-fashioned with modern trends. They need to know that no place is like home. The media needs to bring back the African nucleus for the coming generation if truly Africa must advance.

Soursop Fruit Kills Cancer 100 Fold better Than Chemotherapy.

                              

Raymond Kirlew, Yvonne Kirlew of Discovery Bay, St Ann, and Florida radio host Dr Dennis Grant, hold leaves and a soursop from the soursop tree behind them.

ON THE verge of death Yvonne Kirlew was, nearly a decade ago. The chemotherapy to destroy her lymphatic cancer was apparently killing her too. But her husband, Raymond, was determined that she wasn't going to leave him. He nursed her through a dreadful time of pain and near-death moments, and the cancer went into remission.

But, alas, it came back. And Raymond's war on the cancer started all over again, and this time around he went to nature for help. He acted upon the information that the leaves, stem and bark of the soursop tree, found all over Jamaica, were more powerful and less debilitating than chemotherapy. Daily, he has been feeding Yvonne the drink extracted from the leaves and the bark of the soursop tree, and Yvonne has been cancer-free since January 2010.

WELL documented

Yvonne and Raymond Kirlew's story is well documented. The reaction to the articles was overwhelming. Readers from all over the world called or e-mailed seeking further information and to get in touch with the Kirlews. The last article was published in The Gleaner on Saturday, August 20, last year, but the fascination with their story cannot seem to die.

But the information on the healing properties of the soursop tree has long been in the public domain. It was sent to south Florida radio host, the Reverend Dr Dennis G. Grant, about five years ago, and he posted it on his home office wall. Dr Grant is the host of a very popular two-hour Saturday show called 'The Love Hour' on WAVS 1170.

In April, the native of St Mary, Jamaica, who has about 35 fruit trees in his yard in Florida, also began to boil the leaves from his own tree. "I started to take it (the drink) myself, figured it was working. My high blood pressure, my cholesterol are now normal without medication," he told The Gleaner.

Then someone sent him the August 20 article. "And when I looked at the article I saw your name - and that's when I picked up the phone and called you," he told this writer, whom he had met earlier this year at an event called 'Kingston Pon Di River', "and I started to do my own research, my own investigation, and I told my radio listeners about it."

TOTALLY Healed

Subsequently, Dr Grant began bottling the drink extracted from his own leaves. "On a Saturday, after my radio programme or during my radio programme, we don't have hands to get rid of it," he said, "and now we are getting testimonies: My insurance agent, diagnosed with gall bladder problems and prostate cancer, he's now totally, totally healed by drinking the soursop. So it has been working miracles. We have numerous, numerous testimonies."

Yet, there are skeptics. "A lot of people have read your article. I have emailed it to thousands of people. A lot of them don't believe that this is really factual. As a radio host, I wanted to come and meet the Kirlews myself," Dr Grant said. So, to remove some of the doubts, Dr Grant flew in from Florida last weekend to visit the Kirlews at their home at Dairy, Discovery Bay, St Ann.

But unbeknown to Dr Grant, the big soursop tree that seems to be sustaining Yvonne and keeping the Kirlews happy was blown over by Hurricane Sandy. Some of the roots are still firmly embedded in the ground, and the leaves are still fresh and green. It will be propped up soon by Raymond. Just as it was with Yvonne, death is not an option.

After a warm reception by the Kirlews, they gave Dr Grant a synopsis of their story, and some of the soursop portion from the fridge, which they drank on the spot. Then, it was time for Raymond, always the enthusiastic storyteller, to give anecdotes of people whose cancer was cured by the soursop tree, and those who chose chemotherapy over the soursop, and had since made the transition.

At 10 o' clock, via telephone, Raymond and Yvonne were interviewed live on Dr Grant's radio show. With the fallen soursop tree as the backdrop, Yvonne, Raymond and Dr Grant spoke for about 10 minutes. At one stage, a smiling Yvonne Kirlew exclaimed, "I feel great!" to which Dr Grant replied, "And you're looking wonderful! If they could just see how wonderful and healthy you look."

After the live interview, Dr Grant told The Gleaner, "I can go back and now say, I have met them, I have seen them. They have told me how it's done, what it has done. They have the medical records right there in the home. I am a believer.

I now believe even more that this soursop cured Mrs Kirlew, and it is a miracle drug. If my visit saved one life - this visit from Florida to Discovery Bay, Jamaica - just one life, it would have been worth it." Soot.Net.