When Andy Warhol Laments : My Aborted Fifteen Minutes with the BBC

I called my very good friend back in Accra this evening after a nice piece of pizza this evening. It was with shrimps this time, and was this side of heaven. She said she had missed my nagging and I should "hurry on home". Cheers, J!! Nice to know I am at least missed by someone, other than my parents.

Didn’t I say I was that pathetic? Oh, sorry.

Now, today has just been one heck of a long day. In the morning, I attended this very interesting workshop, entitled, "Framing Global Governance Processes Around WSIS". Sounded right up my street, and it was. Not to mention that it was organised by my organisation’s sister organisation in Uruguay—Third World Institute.

We looked at WSIS and the future, and how it is a process—not an outcome, etc. Two academics talked a bit about the semantics around WSIS and tried to make sense to us what we were trying to get out of the UN summit. I bemoaned the state of the private sector, and how we should not seek to endorse it so much at this summit, when exactly a month later, we shall be battling with them at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong! Didn’t sound very coherent to me, but hey, that’s only small me…

We looked a bit at power relations as, let’s face it, you’ve got the power, you’ve got it made. I am not at all surprised that the US will STILL maintain control, by way of ICANN, of the Internet. Of course there is word out in the conference circles that ICANN will need to incorporate more of the role of civil society, etc. Who knows?

Look, I will not bore you too much to death, but I thought a discussion away from me trying to chase members of the opposite sex or…a battery(!!), was called for. SO this is the change, but I can feel your eyes glazing over already, so please bear with me…

The weather…OUCH! One of the reasons why I am in here at all is to escape the cold. I am not kidding when I tell you that despite a cotton jacket and trousers, I am still feeling cold. Was so tempted to take my dinner indoors this evening. There was a chill wind blowing, and I don’t know whether it was a metaphor to signal the tensions that have been caused by some tussles between Tunisian security detail and other civil society activists over the semantics of workshops entitled "expression without repression=", as one blog has put it (http://blog.hiwired.com/archives/2005/11/well_this_doesn.html) , but all I know was that it was DEFINITELY cold.

I got a call from my friend/former neighbour in Belgium. She is South African, and is this side short of VERY personable. Not to mention seriously attractive. Steady on, she’s got a partner, and she’s living in a rather lush part of the outskirts in Brussels. Very green indeed. Oh, I’m not talking about the scenery—I’m talking about me;-) I do miss Belgium sometimes actually, and this bleeding cold weather is minimising my missing, as it were. No, I’m not on drugs, just getting into Jadeville, and feeling rather creative with my alliterative skills.

Getting back to the weather very quickly, it RAINED almost the whole day today. Yes, it did. Must be one of the reasons why it’s so cold, now. Yet, as befits Tunisian night activity, many people are outside even as it is midnight thirty-four!!

Oh, oh, oh. I missed my fifteen minutes of fame with the BBC. Here are the two emls they sent me:


1. ---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Kevin Anderson-Washington"
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:00:44 -0000

>Emmanuel,
>
>I was just reading your posts about the WSIS in Tunis. I work for a
new
>BBC World Service Programme called World Have Your Say. It's a global
>discussion programme. We're trying to get a few audio diaries from
>attendees at the summit. We'd like to talk about tech/internet issues
>where you come from and what is being talked about at the summit.
>
>We'd ideally like about five minutes of audio both today and tomorrow.
>
>We could do this one of several ways.
>1) If you have a way of recording audio, you could send it to my Gmail
>account, globalkev@gmail.com
>2) We could interview you via Skype
>3) We could put you in touch with one of our BBC World Service teams
>there.
>
>Let me know if you are interested and if so, how we might be able to
do
>this.
>
>best,
>k
>Kevin Anderson
>BBC World Service and Five Live
>kevin.anderson@bbc.co.uk
>http://www.
>bbcnews.com/worldhaveyoursay
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/upallnight_blog/
>
>(w - UK) +44.207.557.0293
>(m - UK) +44.7796.102.155
>skype: kevglobal
>"The best way to predict the future is to invent it" Alan Kay
>
>
>
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/
>
>This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain
>personal views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically
>stated.
>If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system.
>Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in
>reliance on it and notify the sender immediately. Please note that the
>BBC monitors e-mails sent or received.
>Further communication will signify your consent to this.


And

2.
FROM: "Kevin Anderson-Washington" | Save Address


DATE: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:10:00 -0000
TO:
SUBJECT: BBC interview request update


Emmanuel,

Just an update. We don't need anything as complicated as an audio diary. We would simply like you to join our programme for about 15 minutes between 1900 and 2000 local time there in Tunis. I can provide you with a more precise time in just a little while. The issues will be the same, but we don't need anything as complicated as an audio diary. Just a couple of phone numbers - a landline and a mobile phone number for you.

thank you for your time,
k
Kevin Anderson
BBC
World Service and Five Live
kevin.anderson@bbc.co.uk
http://www. b
bcnews.com/worldhaveyoursay
http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/upallnight_blog/
(w - UK) +44.207.557.0293
(m - UK ) +44.7796.102.155
skype: kevglobal
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it" Alan Kay


http://www.bbc.co.uk/


I sent him a text message, and he unfortunately texted me back a few ten minutes ago that the programme had already aired!!

OUCH!!

The day you decide to leave not checking your mails, then Murphy’s Law strikes!