Wayne’s world in [Misuse Exhibition]
After year of absence, I went to see my friend artist Wayne Chisnall on the opening
of an exhibition titled [Misuse : Creating Alternatives] at the Cass Bank Gallery
in Whitechapel. London.
In fact Wayne has been very busy exhibiting his work all over the country and I’ve been
receiving his invitation quite often though, he gave me the notice month ahead —– after
a while, I forgot. —– But this time, he gave me a reminder on the day.
“Oh, yah yah, it’s today in deed” = So, I went.
—– May be I’m getting lazier or may be busy with burning issue of “somebody else’s
burning bottom” = It’s a bad tendency of “If I were asked, just help it” Zennist’s policy.
[]
What so ever the excuse, to see the old friend and catch-up with what we been
doing, or get the news of other friends, is a pleasure. So, we can find the
consistent core of the person, even under the changing situation of the life.
——– (Incidentally, Right photo left is Dan, who created a coincidence of me to start this Blog ! )
The exhibition was loosely themed in a context of how the artists interpret the existing object.
= some were converted the object to other use or made a thing with different material.
—– So, if I may bluntly say, many of them were a kind of boring second-class work.
= On a process of creation or design something new, the approach of [If Not] is
the easiest way, which in most of the case end up “Just a reverse of the same thing”
(others are well made — “So, I messed it up = this is my art” kind of rubbish)
—– one of exhibit, a common concrete-mixer was churning sun cream. = Yah, obviously it is
doing something different from it was intended = So what ? It’s a sign of a poor brain, not
mention rack of artistic inspiration. (Creativity tests, how freely, how far you can go 🙂 )
Or, [boring] was an ironical message to the people expecting to see good art ? 😀
If it was not sun cream but, say something a lots of empty bottles of cosmetic, manicure bottles
etc. the artist could made-up a brah, brah “Signify the waste and vanity of the consumerism etc”
—– (Though, could it mean sexism ? —– but now, even a man using cosmetics. 😀 )
Other work showing some fancy modification of alarm-clock, such as the one got many
additional hands, or heavily dented and broken. —– ? ? ? — where is a creativity ?
Unlike those, Wayne’s work consistently intrigued me as his imagination
always gone such far and his process of creation stays completely in enigma.
Utterly out of context, or I wonder, is there so-called context ever in his mind ?
Such as his old piece, [Nails ball] = Yes I can see they are old nails and they were hit and
nailed in. Though, the story ends here = our rational brain can see nothing other than
bunch of nails, but the piece appealing direct to our emotion (or hit straight to our fear ? )
I have no idea how this artist reached to here —– was that obsessive endless action, more
akin to a kind of neurological symptom ? —– as a mater of fact, most of the real artist is this
kind of maniac. = even without conscious and often without control, just keep doing it.
May be his love toward old nails started like a small child collecting the objects while believing
a kind of magic spell. 🙂 —– From there to create nail ball, is utterly out of normal
imagination, out of normal function or usage, still as it was driven by dark deep
urge, it started to show its own micro-cosmos, which strikes our emotion and
boggles our mind. —– Hence, it made a piece as an Art.
Above all, the end product is a piece worth keeping, and looks beautiful enough.
Wayne’s other and new work is on the same trail hence there are no explanation why it got such
shape or structure. Surely it was made out of small wooden boxes etc. which showed his skill to
be an accomplished craftsman. —– yet again almost obsessive endless work with
perfect accuracy, has created totally new micro-cosmos, it’s quite a demonic.
—– In the small cavities or windows, a kind of object of magic spell 🙂
I wonder, whether the magic spell is in the objects or in his mind —– or in my mind ?
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—– Incidentally, after knowing him over ten years, I found from his lines on the palm, how
he is an emotional man, which he admitted it. = Despite his soft, smiley face, this artist
completely hiding his heavily emotional up and down of which most of his friends even noticed
(of cause, I haven’t interrogated his girl friend yet 🙂 ) still, able to keep himself away from
such as alcoholism or drug addiction is remarkable. (It’s an indication of good discipline in his
youth = good family back ground)
Like the emotion in his dark chasm, his creativity and its source of inspiration
came from deep bottom of his subconscious though, something peculiar was
that he is letting the material to express its own soul or spell, not his emotion.
This is the Zen situation, the maker Wayne created the Piece, but in his selfless
state. —– Selfless ? If so, who created this = The resonance of the universe did.
So, that is why, it was a micro-cosmos. You need to hear this very Resonance.
He is a man born to be an artist, and he is communicating it in subconscious
channel, direct to your subconscious, not to your rational thinking brain.
(Your brain would only say “What a hell of this. I can’t make sens at all”—– Your brain is
too noisy to hear this almost inaudible resonance.
= Hence, you need to hear it, in your heart or in your subconsciousness.)
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—- As the exhibition goes on till 22nd March, I recommend you to pay a visit to
the gallery and see and feel Resonance or the Spell of Wayne’s work by yourself.
The Gallery information = www.thecass.com
The details of Wayne Chisnall’s work.
[]
PS :
While talking with him, I just asked “When you conceived the Idea on the very
beginning, was that an image or a text ?” —– He explained me that it was
always a vague image and not necessary a final image.
– ( This is the sketch / Doodl of Wayne’s Orifice piece when he got the idea in very first instance
– —– it’s shows the stage of development and on the end, it came to the stage, rationally
– figure-out and listing up the material etc. = just an image alone couldn’t be built —– technical
– skill and good management of project is essential)
There are two kind of brain and the personalities.
The one, handling the information in the brain in Graphical way, the other
handle them in written notion or say, in text.
The former is good in remembering the face but not the name. The later can remember the
name well, but not the face. (You know this very well 😀 )
My eldest brother was extremely good to remember the names, the words, its meanings etc.
anything written, though, utterly useless for the face. (So, he became a professor of linguistics,
teaching German, French and English) I was born opposite. Name will gone in two minuets
and spelling is hopeless, still even a face I had one glance, may stay after 30, 40 years (able to
guess its ageing !) and I still remember a scene of me looking up the temple
when I was 2 years old, like a photograph !
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I met many art students some of whom I gave photographic training.
Then, I noticed that a person who is good in drawing and has good graphical memory was
having trouble to compile their project-report explaining how it was conceived and developed.
But, the other who can explain well, how original idea came and then developed with other
reference etc. was very bad to draw sketch. (obviously no talent for art)
And, I realized that, this is the case again, it was a matter of the brain type.
A person who got artistic talent is not necessary good to explain it in text.
The other, who try to approach art from textual understanding has no skill
for graphical expression = Hence, become a so-called conceptual artists.
—– or may be Conceptual art was created for those people, in order to save a skin of
Art school. (at least they can grant a degree and justify hugely expensive tuition fee. 😀 )
Very interesting and very very funny.
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Plum (?) Flower
Well, whether this one is Plum or Apricot is a difficult question. Never the less, to my eyes,
this flower is the closest to the Japanese Ume 梅. Cherry, Plum, Apricot, Peach are all in the
same Rosaseae family. And as Plum, Apricot, Peach belong to the same genus Prunus, so they
are very close and easy to cross between. Adding to this, many more garden varieties exists.
So, here, I just call this flower as plum. (Ume 梅 said to be called Japanese Apricot though 🙂 )
What makes this flower distinctive (against Cherry or Peach) is, not only it blooms earliest
(in February) among the Prunus, when flower opens, the leaves starts to shoots as well.
And something notable about Ume is, despite Cherry is the National flower, when Japanese
select Tree of Distinction, they are 松,竹,梅 = Pine, Bamboo and Ume, Ume was regarded above
Cherry. (I haven’t found the reason why) In comparison to the Cherry, Ume is giving rather
sombre impression, so, if we say the Cherry is Yang, Ume is Yin and influences where to plant.
Like Sakura (Cherry) spot, there are many places to see Ume = Kitano Tenman-gu in Kyoto is
the most famous place to visit. (In there, Pink variety as well, which called Kou-bai / 紅梅)
— (This close-up was taken by Canon Fish-eye Lens, while lens was held away from the mount)
Japanese makes Ume fruits to a notorious pickles = Ume-boshi (梅干し) which is only edible to
the Japanese because of its almost poisonously sour and salty taste.(I don’t miss it at all 😀 )
So that, if you put it in Onigiri (おにぎり = Sea-weed wrapped rice ball) it wouldn’t go bad for days.
(I’m sure, no germ could survive in such environment 😀 )
What I’m wondering more is, why no genuine Ume was imported and planted in this country ?
In comparison to have many types of Cherry here, Ume-like tree is only this type.
I don’t know why. —– So, if anybody knowledgeable there, please let me know.
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ZEN Practice ?
Following the discovery of my old climbing boots, I found something amazing (to you)
out of packed up boxes I’ve stashed, may be 25 years ago. 🙂
Some of readers, even a keen Zen practitioner may be horrified to see this 😀
Then, some might ask, What this to do with Zen. Or, to be a Zennist, does it necessary to do it
in this extent ? —– There is no rules or requirement. All up to the person. —– Some might
be taking easy to sitting or could be walking, even cutting a lemon. Why not stitching. 🙂
But, I didn’t do this thinking of Zen. (It was long before I even become aware of
the meaning and the effects of repeating practice in the Buddhism) = I just did it
as I got too much time in a winter mountain shelter or in a tent while imprisoned by the snow
blizzard. What else to do then ? (Other than this, I curved fire log into such as a spoon.)
Still, it was only me doing like this and I never seen anybody else
did the same, then and ever since.
(And many years later, I realized that it WAS effectively a Zen practice.)
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Mountain woolly socks couldn’t last for ever, of cause. Soon or later, thread would be getting
thinner and break. But if we threading it with another woolen thread to reinforce
the part, it extend the life = pretty obvious = So, I did. 😀
(The socks photographed here had been worn, I think more than 8 years or more while using
it about 100 days a year. The heel part seemed to have 3rd ~ 4th generation of the
thread, and 40 years later, it is still usable !)
—– If you don’t know how to do the same, just look at how knitted thread runs.
Then just follow the existing thread, go through the loop alongside. And keep doing it to cover
all the part necessary to reinforce. (Use the thread partly doubled to make it even stronger.)
(My mother was very good making Kimono (of cause by hand stitching) hence by watching
her to do the work, I learned some sewing technique though, when my mother and sister saw
my re-threaded socks, it frightened them = so, it was not a common practice, and out of
imagination even to the Zen monk’s family. 🙂 )
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If this is a practice for Zen, provably this is the most humble yet easy to do
practice you ever heard of, still not such a labour than to sweep the street.
And on top of it, it would save some expense on your pocket too.
= You must be very grateful. So, have a try, when you are not too busy. 😀
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The kernel of the Buddhism is to do and to live unconditionally.
(So, if there is a thinning hole appeared on a heel of socks, just mend it.
= simple and straight. No need to think at all. 🙂 )
Therefore, Buddhism is not to search or ask something but just live.
Anyway there isn’t any answer. —– Hence,
Lord Buddha ignored the question, on this reason.
Since living and doing unconditionally in the first place, there couldn’t be
any hindrance or doubt. (Doubt was CREATED in the mind)
Hence, even going through the sufferings, it will be passing away without
causing any mind to buckle, even without taking notice. Therefore, even
when the death is arriving, there couldn’t be any stir in the mind.
This is the Nirvana. And this is what
Lord Buddha has taught.
___/\___
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Funny Invention — Creativity or Tradition ?

A toy and the Computer-game manufacturer Bandai
announced a new product called [Smart Pants] a day
or two ago in Japan. It is a cover to protect
the Home-key on iPhone.
As the photo shows, they are the small pants to put on
an iPhone —– I don’t know if Apple says it is an insult.
Ha ha ha. 😀
It is a simple item, you don’t need to use any of your
brain to figure out what it is.
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A sort of stereotype, you might think Japanese is a serious decent people though,
don’t forget they are the creator of many notorious Anime Characters or gaming
figure such as Pokemon too !
So that a kind of people who interested in such as Zen culture, and the fan of Japanese Comics /
Manga has been having completely different perception toward them.
—– And then, when those people visited there, they utterly amazed by the mixture of their
real face. —– So, in certain extent, even a monk in a temple speaks like a character
in a comics or to say they resort to the colloquial expression what the people speak.
—– in fact even a son of priest grown up with those comics and the games when
he was a child. 😀
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So, if you are knowledgeable to The Zen culture or Japanese tradition, you are rightly to say,
what on earth, how the same Japanese able to conceive and created such outrageous characters.
= it is because your study has been one-sided, ignoring such as the popular culture
among the population, even in the Shogun era = Edo period.
(You might have seen hugely exaggerated Pornographic Utamaro printing, which has been mass
produced and widely circulated right under the nose of Samurai Authority 🙂 )
Heavily Buddhist’s Feudal Society didn’t exclude or suppressed the creativity of the people.
In fact, the ruling class, even some of the local Lords were showing off and enjoying their
extravagance, such as Lord Date was famous of his extremely flashy colourful Kimono and
organizing extravagant parties even attended by the Shogun.
= hence the word Date was established to describe Flashy fashion and such a person.
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Well known Kabuki Theatre, the word Kabuki originated from a word Kabuku
= incline (or even twisted) —– extreme costume, the exaggerated make-up
and the special way of voicing created a kind of caricature on the stage.
= utterly unrealistic still realistic in symbolic way.
This kind of double meaning and the double context is always in the Japanese culture such as
in the Poetry and in Haiku.
The more talking about the full blossom of Cherry, it is in fact emphasizing
the fragility of human existences.
So, while producing something serious, in the same time giving a hint of mocking
was seen as a wit or humour and often it was used as satire against the authority.
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In this long tradition, Japanese are pretty good to conceive utterly outrageous fun.
The design of Humanoid Robot was started in this context. And the pretty outrageous but
utterly useless Chin-Hatsumei / 珍発明 (Funny invention) is to name but few of
those example. 😀
So, when Bandai got a project to design a protective cover for iPhone, to conceive a pants
wasn’t a big leap for them. (I know, they are pants :-D)
You might say, it is not in a good taste or very decent etc etc —– but, otherwise it didn’t
create a stir nor took your attention. = (Otherwise you didn’t even notice it !)
Whether I would buy or not (before considering it, I have to see, I don’t have iPhone 😀 )
still, it seems a fun. Why not. (They are sold about £2 each, but may be only in Japan)
—– strangely you may noticed, a joke or metaphor of Zen Master is often very
direct and bad taste too. 😀 (He might say, such consideration came from
timid small fear) Why do we need to afraid of PANTS.
I like it. (but except your pants)
___/\___
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Perpetual Cherry Flowers / Ultra Close-up by Fisheye Lens
—————- (In fact, this photo is the same one = last in this post, only cropped a bit.
—————- And in here, the flower petals were actuary touching the lens surface.
————— Fish-eye Lens isn’t too bad for Close-up. We only need to extend the Lens for
————— 2~3 mm though, there is no way to do it but to loose it from the mount 🙂 )
If you’ve been reading this blog, you may rightly say “Oh no, yet again Cherry flower ?”
I know, in fact I was rather bemused. This Cherry tree is the same tree appeared here before,
and again in a post in the last Autumn as it showed the flower utterly out of season.
Since when I’ve put a post last November when the tree had orange colored Autumn leaves,
I’ve been visiting her time to time as she always having flowers. = Hence, I came to a
conclusion that it was not caused by a confusing weather pattern but this tree is a new
variety who has the character, flowering all year round (well, half-year round at least 🙂 )
— (Photo by Canon 5D MkIII / Zoom Fish-eye 8~15mm at 15mm / Lens held off the Mount)
Without having macro lens with me, to take
close-up pictures, I resorted to use my Fish-eye
Lens lifted up from the body (not fully mounted
= Lens was held not fully inserted to the body
leaving about 2mm gap ! 😀 ) —– As the lens has
no connection to the camera’s electronics,
aperture is fully open and no focus indicator —– seeing the focus and using
the same shutter speed (only + 1/3) still, picture can be taken. (as you can see the result 😀 )
But, when the eye was concentrating the focus, the finger holding the lens couldn’t keep
the lens exactly in the center, the edge of the image-circle got into the picture =
I needed to click few times 😀
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Photography is a very critical operation though, in the same time, it is a very loose
flexible funny art, such as even pinhole photos are also the photos.
When I was young, before I got Macro-lens , lifting the lens, even the lens was held
in an angle (hence giving pan-focus effect) or held reversed, such technique was my
favorite improvisation. (No close-up lens or extension ring = hence, cost nothing,
still able to create more or less the same, or even better results. 😀 )
The matter is not the equipment but the Mind = Just try, just DO it.
It could be successful —— if not = keep mouth shut 😀 )
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My old and last Mountain Boots
The building where I live in a flat having renovation work and to vacate the space,
I’ve been sorting my possessions in the boxes of which some of them I haven’t
opened it more than 20 years. — In one of the box, I found my old mountain boots.
The reason why I didn’t throw this away straight and put it into a box was, I thought
I should take picture of this before let it go. —– was that because of its
sentimental value ? —– I guess not.
But because of it got rather funny history.
(Without a photo, nobody would believe the story. 😀 😀 )
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I bought this boots from charity shop priced £5. In order to make the bots fit to my
foot, I soaked it in the warm water then put it on and had a long walk —– as I did all
of my previous boots. —– unfortunately, this looks decent mountain boots was a
fraud. = Despite it having looks proper construction and the good leather with
Vibram Sole, the sole was not been stitched = simply glued to the upper.
Hence, while walking, the boots was disintegrated. (It was a hell) 😀 😀
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Then a crazy story began. = After it was completely dry, I’ve stitched and
glued the sole using the shoe making thread from shoe repair shop and a thick
nylon thread for industrial use. —– As a sort of experiment, I did to the Right
boot using a shoe repair glue and the thread. And to the Left, I used a tie-up
thread for electric construction and glued the sole with Araldite epoxy.
—– If one method found to be better, apply it to the both side.
(You may think, if a shoes disintegrating, it is THE END though, as a
shoe-maker is making a shoes step by step, a sole can be attached in a
way they are doing. If somebody a same human can do, why not to try.
= It is an opportunity to try and learn.
(And save a money £5 ! 😀 — If it is to save £1,000 it is a greed )
And the stitch by stitch kind of work is a good Zen Practice.
————- (Left is the Mid-Sole with yellowish industrial thread I used for stitching )
Since when I have repaired, the boots lasted over 3 years while used
everyday, without showing any difference between Left and Right.
Then one day, when I went to a hill walking and had a heavy rain, when I slipped
and tumbled, the water drenched boots was split open outside-toe. While later,
a gap opened to the other boot as well, and the foot were swimming inside.
—– days later I found, it happened because of the upper leather itself was tear-off
not by the broken stitch = leather was aged and rotten inside.
(I remember, somewhere I got a film photo of the boots under stitching work )
—– After that, I’ve been forced to buy a kind of shoes I hate. (though, I didn’t buy
another mountain boots, or so far, I haven’t found another £5 boots yet) 😀
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Nothing last for ever still, second-hand £5 boots lasted over 3 years
wasn’t too bad.
Believe or not, I was wearing this boots even in a club and dancing.
People judges others with its looks = hence the best of all, nobody seek a trouble
with a man wearing heavy boots. And may be because of this, the cloud in the
Fridge Club has mistook me as a kind of special security man with martial art. =
nobody want to be kicked by this kind of boots. 😀
—– (during 5 and half years, while I was a regular, there wasn’t a single violence
ever occurred in the Club. = it might be the another reason why the manager
gave me free entry :-))
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People may not like to ware heavy boots, still once it was well fitted,
it is surprisingly comfortable and give a feeling of quite solid stance
especially on a slippery ground. One day you may try 🙂
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YOU or Potato ?
Have you ever seen a bean or maze seed dropped to the garden, sprout.
Or did you ever planted vegetable such as potato, even a carrot in a soil and see them
shoot up. — Yes they are alive in deed. Still, we do fly, boiled alive and eat them.
Don’t make an excuse, they don’t have a sense, intelligence or feel pain = who knows.
(Have you ever been a Potato to make a first-hand report of being cooked alive. 😀 )
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We are all living on a margin of thin blue line of compromise and
dependency. We are just be here on borrowed time on probation.
So, don’t preach others with smug face, for conservation or environment what so ever.
= (Before preach, get rid of your cotton pants which was made by forcibly cultivated,
harvested and processed cotton flower, and stop eating vegetable which was grown for
money in a field where tree has been uprooted. ) = Guilty party keeps mouth shat 😀
In other words, there couldn’t be any quiet peaceful life = life is inherently noisy and
filled with all sorts of bothersome trouble. That’s what the life in Samsara is.
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Zen wouldn’t make you noble.
Zen teach you how to cut onion, potato (not mention Lemon :-)) efficiently without any
hesitation or wobble. (So does to do the business. Make you Just Do It. 🙂 )
And the Buddhism teachs you who you are = no different from a potato, yet still very
unique one. (I didn’t say you ARE Potato if not very close — a man of half potato must
be genetically very very unique = I never seen one though. :-D)
Therefore, Buddhism makes you absolutely humble and absolutely confident to be YOU.
(as one of guilty party which is natural.) No one is perfect or innocent = What’s wrong?
Wrong is, to imagine you are right, while wearing cotton pants and live in this world
still believing that you are right, is only in your imagination which is called delusion.
—– By the way, I didn’t say if it was a sheen nylon French-nicker, it would be OK,
though I don’t mind to see one. (As I’m one of the guilty) Ha ha ha 😀
(To live in Samsara is heavy enough, yet still, how heavy unnecessary load called Pretense we are carrying.
Still, some people preaching, wearing a mask of Pretense is they called Decency, and keep Pretending it 😀 ))
Let all those heavy load to go, is what Buddhists call [Enlightenment] !
(Its mean, if you are a Potato, DO live a life of proud POTATO
IS the Enlightenment ! ! !
= Even a Potato can get Enlightenment,
why not an ordinary man on the street.
___/\___
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Sea-Otter’s Valentine Heart !
I just found this photo in the Net. He is (or said to be = I didn’t ask him) an Alaskan Sea Otter
called Yu-tan lives in the Sea-Paradise of Hakkei-island, Yokohama, Japan. When a keeper
gave him a Heart shaped ice, he just carry it on his chest while swimming as they do as their
natural habit. —– What a performance ! Cute.
I like this joke. (Though, some may say It’s a bad-joke — I like Bad-joke = I don’t want to be
pretending decent man. Anyhow I’m not such noble man but killing vegetables boiled alive )
It’s THE good imagination of the keeper !
—– So, if you plan good fun in your Valentin, have words ” Even an Otter has his fun” 😀
(Photo from Jiji-Press = http://www.jiji.com/jc/p?id=20130209164425-0014024070&j3 )
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Ugandan Gathering
London is a strange place. You may not know the nationality of the person sitting
next to you, let alone to know what the person is.
Years ago, I happened to became a friend of an Afghan Mojahedine, a brother of
Ahmad Shah Masud who became the Defense Minister of the Afghan Government.
After the victory against Russia, my friend Walli became the Charge-d-affair and
moved from a small room in Wimbledon to the Afgan Embassy. (I’ve acted as a
go-between to Japanese media and a technical, electronic helper to them 🙂 )
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A black guy, I acquainted, was happen to be an Ugandan Politician, who is organizing
a movement of the Ugandan expatriates for Democratize their home country.
–—- from those activists, next leader of their country might be born.
Expatriates (he calls Diaspora) here consists the refugee from Idi Amin’s suppression
to all sorts of immigrants, and their mission is “Reclaim and Free Uganda Now” though,
I leave the matter to talk about their issue, to my friend and his web-site.
So, I just show the portraits of the people I met in there gathering.
—– ( Click the photo to enlarge and click again even larger 🙂 )
Their National Anthem.
Among their supporters, many of Doctors, Proffesors as well as the business people —–.
When it’s came to the matter of their lost Mother Land, it is an emotional matter.
—– (The Green and Red-cast of those photos above showed erratic response of the Canon
—– 5D Mk3’s AWB = its color balance changes frame to frame —– what a nightmare 😦 )
—– Young talented singer sang the Anthem for Uganda ~ ~ ~ Uganda !
—– (In fact all those images were cropped out small part of the original photo 🙂 )
—– ( I know, fish-eye lens is not suit for a portrait 😀 )
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 😀
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