We have had some great home-made Osama pictures uploaded to the site. Some have made images on the computer, others got creative with the sign they downloaded. Here are some of our favorites:
We have had some great home-made Osama pictures uploaded to the site. Some have made images on the computer, others got creative with the sign they downloaded. Here are some of our favorites:
We've made it to 100 Osamas! There were moments when I thought we'd never see this day. It hasn't been easy, but the joy of seeing that brace of smiling Osamas up there for your delectation makes it worth it. It seems fitting that our hundredth Osama should be a young Pakistani news anchor, full of optimism and sparkling with energy.
He had us hooked chatting over chai in Karachi - there was so much to talk about. Pakistan is a very exciting place to be right now for a lot of reasons. For example, there's the nearby physical frontline of the Global War on Terror (aka the Gee WOT), impending political impeachment, stunning monsoon rains, delirious crowds preparing to celebrate Pakistan Independence Day on Thursday, and last but not least, the involuntary daily practice of gastrointestinal russian roulette.
We've only got a few days left but the Osamas are coming in thick and fast - don't forget to upload yourself if you are one, and if you know one, put him in touch with us!
(1 comment so far)
Karachi's Clifton Beach is a hazy place of vast horizons over rolling, foam-capped waves. Camels decked in bright pompoms pace the sand sedately, occasionally startling me with a snort or bellow. Sindhi hawkers in embroidered caps ply their trade selling sweet treats or lover's trinkets.
Here I met our first two Pakistani Osamas today - a pair of cheerful college students, impeccably polite and full of academic promise. One of the Osamas was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and even had a "bin" in his name. After the windows of his home were blown out by one of The Bad Osama's own bombs exploding four doors down the street, he binned the bin.
As I stood there in the sea breeze thinking about what I'd do if someone heinously evil suddenly ruined the name Farrah for me, I was distracted by a strange and hypnotic music coming from behind me. Then I met the beady-eyed and sinuous Nang Raja and his charmer, a Jogi whose forefathers and their fathers have caught and charmed cobras for as long as he knows.
This morning met Osama from Jakarta at 5.45am. He loves martial arts and his job involves distributing goat's milk. At the crack of dawn, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of his 400 pungent goaty pals. Amid the bleating and a familiar odour reminiscent of the cheese counter at my local supermarket, I watched the skillful milking of several full-bellied goatesses. They were very tolerant as I squatted with a pail and began to tweak their plump teats under expert supervision.
Despite having domesticated goats for about ten thousand years I couldn't help but think that it was a bit strange for an adult human female to be kneading the udders of another species to extract milk intended for its young. My goat victim was infinitely patient and rolled a yellow eye at me. I patted her rump in thanks when I had finished and she began her breakfast of soya slops with a quiet dignity.
After milking this morning, I met another lovely Osama - a biographer, politician and journalist who runs a successful media house in Jakarta. As we stepped into his luxurious office and smartly dressed aides scurried around us, I suddenly became acutely aware that I smelled quite goatish. I hope he didnt mind. His love will be up soon!
(2 comments so far)
The volcanic island of Java is a rather special place. After all, it's home to the first archaeological specimen of homo erectus ever found, incredible biodiversity and coffee beans.
Seeking Osamas among the undulating banana leaves of Jakarta's charming side streets led me to an even more remarkable little boy. Let me introduce you to little Osama, aged 6 years, 10 months and 19 days. He loves riding his bike, among other things including his skateboard, Playstation and parents. Possibly in that order.
Young Osama was born in a Leeds hospital on September 11th 2001. His name had been decided many months before that day. I watched a video tape of his birth at a hospital in Leeds today and heard his father announce his name in the delivery suite. A fresh English rose of a midwife replies in a broad Yorkshire accent "Ooh, that's a lovely name!"
Today we played together, ate chocolate cake and chased squawking chickens down the street. He's too young to really understand why his name and birthday are so astonishing for us and why British broadsheets ran huge colour pictures of him as a newborn. He did love learning that his name means "young lion" in Arabic, and here's a picture of both of us doing our best lion impressions. His beats mine hands down I think.
(1 comment so far)
This Osama came to light and was uploaded to the site using this form.
So another Osama for the pile bringing our total one closer to 500...
If you are an Osama or know an Osama, why not take the lead from Osama the Shopkeeper and upload your photo!
Every Osama we get submitted to us counts toward the mission so do Farrah and Masood a favour and make sure your Osama is up there with the likes of Osama Hosney and Chef Osama.
(5 comments so far)
We're en route to our next exciting destination and currently in transit somewhere in the Middle East. We found a superb Osama entirely unexpectedly on the plane from Cairo - in the cockpit!! Our ears pricked up at the pre-flight announcement. It began with some Quranic recitation invoking God's blessing and protection on the passengers and journey and then introduced captain and crew - Osama was flying the plane!
With some precision schmoozing and persuasion I managed to meet the delightful First Officer Osama. He couldn't take part in the lovehearts malarkey 'cos of the rules of his job, but he did tell me what he loves: flying people safely to their destinations. There was a certain poignancy about this encounter. I wish I could have talked to him for longer.
I read an article today about Queen Rania of Jordan who is on a mission to break down negative stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. I wonder what she'd think of our mission? Maybe I should get in touch with her and see! Let me know what you think.
(2 comments so far)
Could you bellydance with candelabra on your head?
Last night was surreal and spectacular.
Masood and I had the honour of being invited to a huge Egyptian wedding held on the banks of the Nile. Complete with a troupe of bejewelled - but not skin-baring - bellydancers, the bride and groom entered the room to a cacophony of traditional drumbeats and joyful pipes.
The captive guests provided us with a prime Osama-hunting opportunity, but I felt Britishly awkward about going for it. It felt rude to Osama-hunt at a wedding! Luckily, the groom’s brother was very enthusiastic and we struck one.
Only one Osama, however, left me with a sinking feeling. I’m getting worried about numbers, despite having met some cracking characters in Cairo. Then Ramy, our friend, had an idea. He told us that in the summer season when Gulf Arabs visit Cairo, the desert behind the pyramids of Giza is a hotspot of horseriding, dune buggies and general frivolity at the hour of sunrise. So we went to the pyramids at 5am to find some Osamas.
We found three, including our first Saudi, who was applecheeked, cheerful and very positive about the project. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful and intensely dreamlike – I had to pinch myself.
Back in northern Nigeria we established that the market is one of the best places to find Osamas. Having trawled the more touristy sections of Cairo's main market earlier this week, we aimed for somewhere a little grittier today and traversed the glistening model pyramids and scarab pendants to reach chunky silver markets and finally, textiles.
We found loads of Osamas, but the shouting crowds, grime and heat were intense. People went absolutely nuts as the search gathered momentum. One Osama took us to another Osama who took us to another. This is exactly how we dreamed it would be! The only drawback was that the heckling was massive and it was hard to record. Since I don't speak Arabic, it was hard at times to tell whether the crowd were angry or just really, really excited - it was the latter.
Several Osamas had left their stalls to pray. The call to prayer over Khan El Khalili from the magnificent entrance mosque was haunting and beautiful as the green minaret lights switched on at dusk.
My personal favourite Osama from today was the lovestruck Koshary seller who wouldn't reveal the object of his affections by name but was clearly utterly besotted by her. He could think of little else as he fried onions and simmered lentils all day dreamily.
(4 comments so far)
Yesterday we found six Osamas! We’re trying our best to get them to you but the connection is super slow. Northern Nigeria has plenty of Osamas – it’s just a case of seeking them out sensitively and without causing uproar at the mention of the name. I’ve had the urge to trawl busy markets asking at every stall but, whereas I could probably get away with it at Spitalfields or Borough, it might not be sensible here...
Almost every Nigerian Osama we’ve met has confessed to being a football obsessive. I admit I felt a swell of pride at being British when I heard the names of our home teams spoken with such adoration so far from our chilly little island. It’s forcing me to reconsider my usual stance on football – resigned tolerance. No amount of contempt at the telly being hijacked on match days can detract from the pure, unadulterated joy I’ve seen football bring to these lads.
Kano is a deeply religious city with green signposts on each roundabout inscribed with Arabic praise to God. When prayer-time approaches, people perform their ritual wash – wudu – at any available water source. Often they just use a little plastic kettle of water or even a small sealed sachet, the size of a packet of crisps. You can buy them on the street, and once the corner is torn off, they are carefully manipulated to cleanse face, forearms, head, feet, without spilling a drop. It makes turning the tap off while you brush your teeth seem faintly silly in comparison!
(5 comments so far)
