Friday, January 30, 2009

Kumbukumbu ya 'Kiatu' Iraq


Rais wa zamani wa Marekani, George W. Bush, anatamba kuwa ameokoa waIraq kutoka kwenye udikteta wa Saddam Hussein. Lakini waIraq wengi wanamwona mtu mbaya ambaye kaharibu nchi yao na kusababisha vifo vya watu wengi.

Leo, kuna habari kuwa' kumbukumbu ya kiatu' imejengwa huko Tikrit Iraq tena kwenye nyumba ya yatima. Hao watoto ni yatima kwa sababu wazazi wao walikufa kutokana na vita aliyoanzisha Bush huko. Habari zinasema kuwa baadhi ya watoto yatima walisaidia katika ujenzi wa kumbukumbu huo.
Mwezi Desemba mwaka jana Raisi Bush alienda kuaga waIraq. Akiwa kwenye mkutano na waandishi wa habari mmoja wao Muntadhir al-Zaidi, alimrushia rais Bush viatu vyake. Tendo la kumrushia viatu ni tusi kubwa huko Arabuni.

Kwa habari zaidi someni:




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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- For the war-beaten orphans of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, this big old shoe fits.

A monument to a shoe thrown at former President Bush is unveiled at the Tikrit Orphanage complex.

A huge sculpture of the footwear hurled at President Bush in December during a trip to Iraq has been unveiled in a ceremony at the Tikrit Orphanage complex.

Assisted by children at the home, sculptor Laith al-Amiri erected a brown replica of one of the shoes hurled at Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi during a press conference in Baghdad.

Al-Zaidi was jailed for his actions, and a trial is pending. But his angry gesture touched a defiant nerve throughout the Arab and Muslim world. He is regarded by many people as a hero. Demonstrators in December took to the streets in the Arab world and called for his release.

The shoe monument, made of fiberglass and coated with copper, consists of the shoe and a concrete base. The entire monument is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) high. The shoe is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide.

The orphans helped al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure -- unveiled Tuesday -- in 15 days, said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director.

"Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war," al-Naseri said. "The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist."

"When the next generation sees the shoe monument, they will ask their parents about it," al-Naseri said.

"Then their parents will start talking about the hero Muntadhir al-Zaidi, who threw his shoe at George W. Bush during his unannounced farewell visit."

Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader toppled by the United States in 2003, was from the Tikrit region.

Al-Zaidi marked his 30th birthday in jail earlier this month. One of his brothers said he is "in good health and is being treated well."

Al-Zaidi's employer, TV network al-Baghdadia, keeps a picture of him at the top left side of the screen with a calendar showing the number of days he has spent in detention. The network has been calling for his release.

By tradition, throwing a shoe is the most insulting act in the Arab world.

2 comments:

  1. Tatizo kubwa la Wamarekani na ambalo watalijutia kwa miaka mingi ijayo ni ugumu wao wa kutotaka kujifunza tamaduni za watu wengine - hata wale ambao wanataka "kuwakomboa". Maguvu na silaha kali za kutisha kamwe haziwezi kushinda fikra-kombozi za watu hata kama ungewafanya nini. Wameshapoteza mabilioni ya dola, walichotegemea (mafuta) hawakukipata, wamepoteza wanajeshi wao wengi, hadhi na heshima yao duniani kote imeshuka, uchumi wao unaanguka na badala ya kujengewa minara ya kumbukumbu kushukuriwa Waarabu wanajenga minara ya viatu kuwadhihaki. Wallahi hii inauma kama nini. Sasa wameamka na wanakazania sana wanafunzi wao wasome lugha za mataifa mengine na waende nje wakajifunze tamaduni ngeni. Kidogo hii inaonekana - kama wasemavyo wenyewe - ni too little too late. Kazi bado ni ngumu

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  2. Yaani Bush ameua watu bila sababu. Kisa ni uchu wake wa mafuta. Bush ana damu kwenye mikono yake kuliko hata Saddam.

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