Africa, Africa, Africa,
Hi Blooming lotus.
“Have just chanced on an opportunity to take dharma and aide to Mozambique, Africa. Firstly, I heard someone mention ma in Africa a little while back. Does anyone know what they’re doing combat wise out there?”
Besides the national sport of stick fighting and lion hunting? How about stone throwing? Just kidding. Southern Africa is much more developed than you think. South Africa is very similar to Australia in many ways.
Mozambique is an old Portuguese colony. There was a war that lasted for a couple of decades, which left the land broken and very dead. The southern border of Mozambique is still loaded with land mines, which was planted there during these wars, and the UN has been busy for the last few years to try to clean up these mine fields. I once read a newspaper article about the amount of land mines in Mozambique, and it was shocking. They are still waiting for the Morocans to send the million monkeys to hunt for the landmines. Mozambique was once a thriving holiday destination. At the coast, its very topical with white beaches, clear sea, palms trees, banana trees and all those nice things. There aren’t many people around, and it hasn’t been much of a holiday destination anymore, but there are still some nice hotels and great places to go scuba diving.
“Secondly, in terms of buddhism, and particularly ch’an, do they have that information there?? I really don’t know alot about the place, except the brief module I learnt in a history component at uni. “
There is a big branch of a Buddhist Temple down in South Africa called the Nan Hua Temple. You can do a search, I know they have a website, but I don’t have the address. Their Main Temple is in South Africa in a town call Bronkhostspruit, but they have smaller “ branches” in other places. They might have some places in Mozambique, but again, I don’t know. It’s a Taiwanese branch, funded by Taiwan.
“Ps: may not have much food, water and likely not a computer. Because of lack of facilities , if and when I leave, I doubt it’s going to be pretty. If I go, I’ll send you my best “ugly shot” me in shaolin greys under the kilimanjaro. ( is that near - by there?? ) you may get lucky and loose me afterall “
The water is not half as bad as the water in Asia, and it all depends on where you go. Kilimanjaro is by Kenya, very far from where you are going.
“Ps: If everyone thought like the above, how do these countries ever develop, how do they bail themselves out of their national dilema and you all say you’d like to see world hunger and needless suffering end ha??”
I am pretty sure that there are hungry people where you come from too. You know the saying, Charity begins at home, have you ever thought of helping out the people in your home town? Africa is Africa, and I guarantee you, you are in for the culture shock of your life. But then again, Africa is also different to the rest of the world. Somehow people manage to live past all of the suffering and make life bearable. Not all African countries are in National dilemmas you know. Mozambique has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Botswana is has one of the most stable economies on the continent and us down in South Africa has some of the most beautiful girls around (Charlese Theron is from Johannesburg).
“Bs. It all starts with education. Besides the government has only the funding is does, and I did here recently they’ve made huge ground there in Africa for agriculture recenetly and may experience their first surplus in the last 100 or so yrs.”
Im sure you are reading the wrong newspapers. Education and Poverty are the two most used words by politicians in any campaign down here.
“Now they may have money to spend, they need to have the education to count it, and spend it in the most effective ways. They also ( now they’ll be in the “world market”) need language to negotiate effectively and so forth. Information about business, health, economy, language skills etc will be priceless there in yrs to come. If enough of us get out there, it will change futures, individual and societal.”
Actually, there are more than enough languages over here. Do you know if you know French, English and Portuguese, you would be able to travel to just about any African country and be able to communicate to people.
Africa is not like what you see on the Tarzan TV shows or on CNN you know.
“lol… and a Mugabe is what did you say??”
now how are going to help eradicate poverty if you don’t even know what a mugabe is? Oh well, let me try explain. A mugabe is something between a Bush and a Hoossein. A terrorist who owns a large part of the oil and diamond fields in Africa.
Anyways, here is a very big list of Martial arts down in Southern Africa. Go to www.martialarts.co.za and go the the links pages. You might be surprised how diverse Africa really is.
My suggestion? Why bother to come down here and help people you know absolutely nothing about. I mean, you don’t even know what a mugabe is, you obviously don’t know too much about the present political situations down in Africa. Africa has unique problems (I have said this many times) and it needs unique solutions. A Huge part of the problem is about clashes between different ethnic groups and races (even though you may think all Africans look the same, they have different cultures and backgrounds). By introducing a new, foreign religious philosophy don’t you think you are just adding fuel to the fire? I don’t know. Although your dreams are noble, I suggest you learn more about the places before you just believe all that you hear.
Tobi
“Places to go? Maybe buy a farm in Zimbabwe. Or I’ve heard Somalia is nice at this time of year.”
Don’t you know? You don’t even have to buy farms in Zim anymore. You just go and take one if you want. That is, if you fit the profile I mean.
I better go now, an elephant just trampled my rose garden outside, and it sounds like the baboons are in the kitchen again J (just kidding BL. You make it so easy for us)
me in shaolin greys under the kilimanjaro. ( is that near - by there?? ) you may get lucky and loose me afterall 
)
