From Krim: "You like to mock Baathist propaganda, how about this, from Reuters no
less:
Headline:
Malians say "Thank you, France!" as Hollande visits
Story:
Malians chanting "Thank you, France!" mobbed President Francois Hollande on Saturday as he visited the desert city of Timbuktu, retaken from Islamist rebels ...Heavily armed French soldiers in armored vehicles and Malian troops protected the French leader as he visited the mosque, built from mud bricks and wood in 1325. French and Malian flags fluttered from telephone poles...In a dusty square at the Ahmed Baba library, several thousand Timbuktu residents in colorful robes and wraps sang and danced, shouting "Thank you, France" and "Papa Hollande"...."These so-called Islamists did nothing but evil to us, they beat people, they cut off limbs," said Lala Toure, a woman who went unveiled and wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt with the printed words "Thank you France for your help"."Today, thank God, we can dress as we want," she added."
My commentary [still from Krim]:
First, Timbuktu was not under French control, so how could they have "retaken" it? Simple, twist language to justify a neocolonial invasion. Second, like the locals are going to say anything negative when under the careful gaze of their "liberators". Third, the writer obviously doesn't know how patronizing "Thank you, France", and "Papa Hollande" read. I never thought the White Man's burden could so easily be resurrected. Fourth, I know next to nothing about the social climate of Timbuktu, but the last paragraph about the women in a short sleeved T-shirt with the words "Thank you France" just seems so out of place in a town supposedly known for its Islamic religiosity, not to mention that it's such a crude propaganda device."
Headline:
Malians say "Thank you, France!" as Hollande visits
Story:
Malians chanting "Thank you, France!" mobbed President Francois Hollande on Saturday as he visited the desert city of Timbuktu, retaken from Islamist rebels ...Heavily armed French soldiers in armored vehicles and Malian troops protected the French leader as he visited the mosque, built from mud bricks and wood in 1325. French and Malian flags fluttered from telephone poles...In a dusty square at the Ahmed Baba library, several thousand Timbuktu residents in colorful robes and wraps sang and danced, shouting "Thank you, France" and "Papa Hollande"...."These so-called Islamists did nothing but evil to us, they beat people, they cut off limbs," said Lala Toure, a woman who went unveiled and wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt with the printed words "Thank you France for your help"."Today, thank God, we can dress as we want," she added."
My commentary [still from Krim]:
First, Timbuktu was not under French control, so how could they have "retaken" it? Simple, twist language to justify a neocolonial invasion. Second, like the locals are going to say anything negative when under the careful gaze of their "liberators". Third, the writer obviously doesn't know how patronizing "Thank you, France", and "Papa Hollande" read. I never thought the White Man's burden could so easily be resurrected. Fourth, I know next to nothing about the social climate of Timbuktu, but the last paragraph about the women in a short sleeved T-shirt with the words "Thank you France" just seems so out of place in a town supposedly known for its Islamic religiosity, not to mention that it's such a crude propaganda device."
