Tuesday, February 17, 2009

What is the first thing you think of when you see Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade??

If your answer was The Jackson Five, then there may be an investment opportunity for you in Nigeria. According to a BBC report reprinted in today’s Mmegi, Marlon Jackson of the Jackson Five is apparently planning to build a theme park and resort at the historic slave port Badagry in Nigeria to the tune of 3.4 billion US buckaroos.

The plan is to combine the genocide of 10 million Africans who died in slave ships heading to America to do the work that would create a country that runs around telling people they’re a Super Power because of that good old American work ethic, with the disco beat and pop memorabilia of the Jackson Five- a perfect match, dontcha think? There will be replicas of slave ships where visitors can be strapped in and feel the experience and a 5-star hotel to relax in after a long day of slavery and disco. They don’t mention it, but I imagine there will be roller coasters called things such as ‘The Whip’ and “Journey to Hell’. They do say that they intend to entertain the throngs with holograms of the five jive fellows in full ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ mode. Yaoza! In between the glittering get-ups and the mirrored balls, there will be a museum all about the slave trade in the area. Combining education with entertainment in such an innovative way- how tasteful!

Being the quick thinker that I am, I’m wondering if Donny and Marie would not be interested in setting up a mega deal with the Holocaust Museum in Berlin. If I’m anyone to go by, I would say the extermination of 8 million Jewish people and the Osmond Brothers just feels like a hand-in-glove fit.

Why stop there?? I’m sure Rwanda would be interested in setting up a genocide museum with Boys2Men. And what about Cambodia? I’m thinking Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores- he has that Khmer Rogue air about him.

5 comments:

Helen Ginger said...

Good gracious. That sounds like a really bad joke. I hope someone comes to their senses and nixes the plan. A museum, like the Holocaust Museum in DC, would be great, but a Jackson Five theme park? That's so bad, it's scary.

AM-C said...

Hahahaha...Being a Nigerian, I should not be laughing at what should be an employment opportunity for the local people, but I just can't help myself. It is indeed a laughable idea. The Jacksons sure know how to come up with stuff that is guarnteed to keep them in the media.

groovyoldlady said...

Oh. My. Word.

Are you SERIOUS???

I was already nauseous over the assinine foolishness in Venezuela this week. Now my head is completely swimming.

STOP THE WORLD! I WANT TO GET OFF!

Lauri said...

Ayo I agree that finding jobs for people is important and getting international money invested in the country is a priority, but what is up with these so called celebrities? Did they ever hear about consultation? There are very few cases of these celebrities investing in African countries in a way that fits African sensibilities. Okay- perhaps Bill Gates, but then maybe he is not a celebrity.

Look at Oprah's school. Take the clever black girls from their families, culture, and communities, lock them up in a Western dipped school, restrict access to all that is familiar to them, and then give them a world class education. Can anyone spell dysfunctional? I wonder how this is different from the Canadians taking the Native Americans and putting them in religious schools to Anglicise them? It was for their own good -right??? Or the Australians with the Aborigines?

Anonymous said...

Those Jacksons need some help. I have never heard of anything so perverse. What will be next - a re-enactment of the Inquisition complete with actual burning at the stake?

Surely someone will step in and tell them it's not on? Sickening.