^^ One out of two is not bad, Dahia.

^^ Yeah. Did you recognise the wife shagger though? (Don't mention any names; for legal reasons of course).

This month our regular columnist Peter Ndlovu recalls an unsavoury incident from the African Cup of Nations. During the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt. We had just played our final group game, ending on a high by beating a strong Ghana side but still crashing out of the tournament. At the hotel that night we decided to have a few drinks and toast to our victory. I had invited my friend, who I can’t name for legal reasons ( fans of English football will remember him from his highly successful period with Leeds United ), along as he had been watching the match. The lads started giving my friend a lot of stick for his country’s loss, especially our head coach. My friend was taking it quite gracefully but, as a proud Ghanaian, I could sense his patience was wearing thin. Nevertheless, the drinks kept flowing and so did the jokes. It came to the end of the night and some of the lads had disappeared to bed, most notably our coach and my friend. Now during the whole tournament the manager had personally entered the hotel rooms of our most lazy players (Benjani was the worst) and pulled them out of bed in the morning to get ready for training so myself and a couple of the other lads decided to repeat the routine on him. We got the keys from reception and seven of us bundled into his hotel room at 4 a.m. To our horror it was not our coach who we found in bed, it was my friend. The worst part was that he was having sex with the coach’s wife! I quickly rounded the boys up and ushered them out of the room, frantically hoping to keep a lid on the situation. After all, it was I who invited him to the party! We found the coach in one of the hotel bathrooms. He had had far too much to drink and crashed out. The next morning, at breakfast, I quizzed my friend about what happened and he delivered a line which I will remember all my life: When a man insults my country I insult him, by taking his woman Our manager did eventually find out about the incident and I think he separated from his wife for a period. The last I heard though was that they are back together and he’s now coaching in the USA. The moral of the story is never to slag off someone’s country! Source

^^ I have never been to one. I'd love to go though. Do you know of any taking place in London? I did watch a few Egyptian ones on TV. Looks like great fun. ps The area of magic, possession by Jinn and witchcraft is back again to being big business in Somalia. Some conmen and women are making shed loads of money out of it and I am feeling left out.

^^^

Ok. Ok. Here goes(Ahem..Ahem..cough): Q: What did R Kelly say when he was accused of child molestation? A: # My mind is telling me NOOOOOO! But my body, my Bodyy is telling me yeaaaah. I don't want to hurt nobody. But there is something I must confesssssssss! I don't see nothing wrong, with a little bump and grind #.

^^ It has elements of voyeurism in it but you are right, it's much more than that. The history of Zaar is fascinating. It is very similar to the goings on in evangelical churches in America. The difference, of course, is that the reverends in those churches tell the epileptic worshipers to let God into their souls thus causing all the shaking and fainting. With Zaar, the patient is appeasing his Jinn by doing similar shaking and fainting. The music and beat used in Zaar circles is extremely hypnotic. I can just hear it as I type these words. (Beats going to the gym I tell ya! Cara should try it).

Originally posted by Cara: ^R Kelly is right behind you! Did I tell you my R Kelly joke? Did I? Did I? I made it all by myself I did. I really did.

That's the fault of the leery men for marrying violent women.

Done months ago....

Originally posted by GJ_Goate: It all goes wrong when Manz get another wifey and they forgot to mention this to the first wifey. I remember a story a Somali man went on holiday to SOmalia , so he told his wife and got married to a second wife. The Wife was told this through the Somali grapevine or proffesional SOmali gossiptologists. He came back thinkin all was well, greeted his wife and she welcomed him nicely to the house. Told him to take a seat, relax and If I remeber correctly the end result was A bucket of hot water or some serious madness like that....... :eek: No wonder the man decided to marry a second wife. He would have done better to just divorce the first you know...

Today I spent a fortune in Amazon.com.

^^ Ubaahane's work was all mostly tongue in cheek, I doubt if this is the case here. Then again, I have to concede that I got taken in by that mad man once. ps I think people should leave Mar and UD to sort out their problems on their own. It seems to be working too! Marc is typing more and UD is shouting less.

^^ Is Jacaylbaro busy today?

^^ I bet she does.

I have lots of Arab friends and hardly any of them are obsessive or abusive. If their wives give them problems, they [flicks fingers] instantly divorce them. On a serious note though Ms DD, this was a bit of loaded question inviting all sorts of generalisations...

^^ I have an eye for such things. Come on Dahia, confess.

"The purpose of the Zar ceremony is to cure mental illness through contact with the possessing spirits which cause maladies. Though there are several methods for dealing with psychological disturbance, the Zar is the last resort which is supposed to have powerful therapeutic effect for several kinds of ailments," writes John Kennedy in Nubian Ceremonial Life. It should be noted that this ceremony is not widely practiced in Egypt. The Zar ceremony is most prominent in southern Egypt and is practiced further south into the Sudan, though in fact it may be performed anywhere in Egypt. This is a region that was least exposed to the many invaders from Greece, Rome and the Middle East, and the ceremony can be considered as a holdover from older African religions when older women were frequently priestesses. Regardless of the fact that Zar is a trance religious ceremony that uses drumming and dancing to cure an illness thought to be caused by a demon, it is technically prohibited by Islam as a pagan practice. However it continues to be an essential part of the Egyptian culture. It provides a unique form of relief to women in strict patriarchal societies. The phenomenon of Zar can be best described as the "healing cult". It involves hair tossing and swaying and it also acts as a means of sharing information among women of these cultures. "The Zar usually takes place in a big room which is preferably not one used by family members. Therefore, families often rent a house for the purpose of the ceremony," said Malak Yakan, an anthropologist. Another very important element that is essential for a Zar ceremony is an altar. This is a round tray placed on a tall bench in the center of the room. It is covered with a white cloth and laden with piles of nuts and dried fruits. The Zar ceremony requires a leader, who plays an important role in the ritual, keeping it on track and in compliance with what are apparently ancient traditions. In Egypt the leader is called "Kodia." The leader in most of the cases is a woman, and heredity plays a great role as mothers pass this role to their daughters. "Most of the possessing spirits are male and the possessed are almost always females," said Yakan. However, men do not become Zar leader's by heredity and it is rare for them to assist in the Zar ceremony in such a manner. "Men may contribute to Zar ceremonies, by helping with drumming, the slaughter of ritual animals, or they may themselves be a husband or relative required to make offerings to the possessing spirit," added Yakan. Usually the three to six helpers provide rhythmic backup to the Zar leader. The Kodia becomes possessed herself. She has come to terms with her Jinn, or spirits, and is therefore able to help the patient. With the altar in the center of the room, the Kodia and her musicians occupy one side of the room, and the rest of the participants occupy the other side. The participants or family are expected to put in an amount of money appropriate for the malady, their wealth, and their relation with the patient. The patient becomes the center of attention, and receives the help and concern of both her friends and relatives. She wears a white jalabiya and covers her hands and her body with henna. Kohl is also used for the eyes. The patient is then heavily perfumed with special Zar scents, as are the other guests. "The scents used during the Zar are said to purify the souls as they are inhaled," added Yakan. They are also used (especially frankincense) as the most common offerings to the Zar spirits. At the start of the ceremony, an aromatic censor is passed among the guests so that they may all purify their bodies. The musical instruments used during a Zar are typically the tar, a kind of tambourine, and the tabla. The Kodia, who is expected to be a trained singer, is suppose to know the songs and rhythms of each spirit. "The Kodia keeps watch throughout the whole process in order to spot the reactions of the patient and distinguish the specific possessing spirit," said Yakan. Each Zar spirit has his or her characteristic whirl called Gurri which includes a series of quick circular turns. The patients appear, with eyes half closed, abandoning themselves completely from their surroundings. Their movement should increase its intensity with the drumming. The patient should move in circles around the altar freeing his or her body from the inside out. The drums allow everyone to focus their attention on what is happening. It sets the mood and creates a flow of the event with rhythm. The spirit is then drawn into dialogue by the Kodia, and an animal sacrifice is used as an offering to the offending spirit. The animal used differs from patient to patient depending on their status. This offering should be consumed in the ceremony, in order to achieve, establish, sustain or celebrate friendly relations with the deity. Note that the Zar is not an "exorcism", as the spirit is not intended to be removed from the body. "The main purpose of the sacrifice is to please the deity and to secure his favor. Sacrifices are performed to mark various significant events such as the birth ritual (Sebou'), marriage and death. Chickens, goats, camels, doves, and pigeons are among the animals sacrificed. This is done by cutting the carotid artery. The patient's recovery is not considered complete until the sacrificed meal is eaten," added Yakan. In some Zar rituals it is essential that the group who attended the Zar go in procession to the Nile or the nearest local body of water with the remnants of the sacrificial meal and the instruments in order to dump them all in the river. Afterwards the patient is advised to be attentive to her spirits, perform such daily work as they require, avoid dirt and refrain from negative emotions. Failure to carry out these instructions may result in a relapse. Source Ps is the Somali one similar?

^^ I'm already banned from that party. I have no proble with Dahia (or you going there). Though, for some reason, I always picture you two (and Val) being more comfortable in a 'saaar / zaaar' party!

^^ You're the last person in the world to be invited or even is expected to enjoy a student party.

No break? No Reading Week? From exams to new semesters directly? Woow! (you smelly student).

^^ Like I said, I have not used the vacant second sim card slot yet. Once I get a new sim card I'll do all the needed research on these questions you ask.

^^ Are your exams over now?

^^^ Sell them one of the phones below. I got given one this weekend but it only has one sim card on it for now.

^^ Heh@ taking note...