Monthly Archives: December 2014

Revolutionary Figures of Sierra Leone

 

It has been a long road for Sierra Leone after the slave trade era. There have been quite a few ambitious people looking to change the dynamics of this small country. Unfortunately, little has been done throughout the years. Shortly after Sierra Leone gained their independence in 1961, chief minister Siaki Stevens is appointed the first president.  While there were some negatives to his term, Stevens did make some contributions to Sierra Leone’s economy. One of his contributions included working on the construction of the Sierra Leone Development Company railway which links the Port of Pepel with the iron ore mines at Marampa. Additionally, he was co-founder of the United Mine Workers Union to represent the interests of workers. This is groundbreaking because Sierra Leone’s history of unpaid workers has affected the country progression in so many ways. Siaki’s initiative paved the way for future leaders to take action in regarding to its people and opening job opportunities. As mentioned before not of all President’s Siaki’s actions in power have been noble. When political tensions became high he met violence with violence leading to the death of many innocent people. Siaki Stevens passed away 10 years after his term in 1988.

We live in a male dominated world and this power is blatant in the small country Sierra Leone. Throughout the years, many male figures have been the backbone (or destruction) of Sierra Leone. Many years before the time of General Siaki Stevens, was another leader of Sierra Leone. His name was Chief Tamba Songu M’Briwa. He came from a good family and was able to obtain an education. Afterwards he went into politics. In his position of power during the beginning of his term he wanted to spread the knowledge of the importance of an education. So he opened a few schools for his people of Sierra Leone.  Unlike many recent political movements, during his term promoted unity and positivity among his Sierra Leonean people. To many, Chief M’Briwa was even considered a hero.

In a country where politics is just complicated, swaying its people many times may be less complicated. Sierra Leoneans are have always been looking for a fresh start, one away from the violence and corruption. Unfortunately, words are just words and many leaders of this impoverished country let wealth and power get to their heads. It is true that a democracy isn’t for everyone, but if Sierra Leone could find a system of balance in government that could potentially change the entire country. With some guidance from past good leaders and taking the good qualities like the ambition of Chief Tamba Songu M’Briwa a lot can be done for this country and its people.

http://www.sierra-leone.org/Heroes/heroes9.html

http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=1&num=12703&printer=1

http://sierraleonecivilwar.com/

Beauty of Africa and its People

When many people think about the beauty of Africa many people will think, Madagascar. And because I am a nature lover, Africa is definitely a continent for exploration. With so many different species and wildlife dominant from coast to coast, Africa’s wildlife is the sight to see. Africa is home to the African Bush elephant which is the largest living land mammal and the second tallest after the giraffe. Now that’s definitely something I won’t see at the Philadelphia Zoo! Africa is home to vast deserts, tropical rain forests, rugged mountains, and fertile grasslands. It’s abundance in these is unsurpassed in any other continent. Another beautiful sight in this immense continent are Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria. Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest mountain in Africa while Lake Victoria is the largest lake.

While we could spend the entire time talking about the natural beauty of Africa, there is nothing more beautiful about a place than its people. Unlike popular belief not all people in Africa share the same language or culture.  Africa is home to thousands of tongues and many different cultures. Focusing on my country Sierra Leone, although things lie corruption have hindered the country’s development this does not prevent its people for having a sense of pride for who they are. Sierra Leoneans enjoy sports like many societies. Specifically, they enjoy the sport of soccer. As a matter of fact, Sierra Leone is home to a champion national soccer team.

In terms of geography, Sierra Leone is very small compared to other countries in Africa. It can be compared to the size of North Carolina, but smaller. Unlike our four seasons, weather in this western country is determined by two seasons. From months May to November, it is rainy, the rest of the year are their dry months. As mentioned before Africa is home to many different languages and cultures and Sierra Leone is no exception. It has been reported that fifteen to twenty different ethnicities reside in Sierra Leone. Impressive right! On top of that, unlike popular belief, not everything is rural in Africa. About thirty six percent of Sierra Leoneans live in urban areas. Regardless of their differences, like English is to America, Franca krio is the national language that unites the people of Sierra Leone.

Prior to taking this class, I was very oblivious to the society that lived east of us. Like many, I was brainwashed by images and news reports that barely did any justice to the actual situation of a continent like Africa. Due to its horrific past and major contributor to the slave trade, Africa has been deprived of many opportunities of progression and development, especially focusing on the west of the continent. These countries, like Sierra Leone, prime location between the eastern and western worlds made it a victim to the capitalism inspired minds of colonists. Regardless, the people of Sierra Leone many which live on less than two dollars a day have realized the importance of other things in contrast to the rest of the world’s materialistic preference. They show the importance of family and being humble and live every day still with a sense of pride. This is extremely telling and if more people appreciated the important things in life could possibly help end the suffering in other humans’ lives.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/African_Bush_Elephant

http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Sierra-Leone.html

http://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/facts-about-africa.html

South Sudan: bright sides

After decades of brutal civil war that left about two and a half million dead, the devastated and vastly underdeveloped southern part of Sudan secured independence in 2011. The world’s youngest nation came into existence amid great challenges. Secession from Sudan marked as a major milestone and a fresh opportunity for South Sudanese, but massive state-corroding corruption, political instability within the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and persistent tensions with Sudan over the sharing of oil revenues left South Sudan deeply vulnerable to renewed conflict. Actually, I recognized this movement itself as one of the great challenges and revolutions that Africa is currently suffering and confronting from its political brutalism.

On December 15, 2013, tensions between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir, of the Dinka ethnic group, and those aligned with his former Vice President, Riek Machar, of theNuer ethnic group, exploded into fighting on the streets of Juba, the capital city. South Sudan’s dramatic return to war has torn communities apart and left countless thousands dead. As of September 2014, 1.8 million people were still too afraid to return to their homes.

In order to secure a durable peace, South Sudan’s warring elites need to begin to feel the consequences of their actions. Negotiations led by the East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which includes Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, have so far failed to yield an agreement. Although neighboring states have threatened to impose punitive measures, including asset freezes and travel bans, on individuals obstructing the peace process, deadlines have passed without action. The regional heads of state have met over a half a dozen times to discuss the situation in South Sudan, but these extraordinary summits have done little to stem the violence. Without regionally and globally enforced sanctions on key individuals and credible threat of prosecution for mass atrocities and human rights violations, the civil war looks set to intensify

Even with this hard suffering and hardships, since 2012, Sudan and the newly created South Sudan have been excluded from the index but that will change when enough data on both countries is again available. That may take another year or so. The index shows nations fluctuating in their absolute ratings, although their rank in the index is less likely to change. The countries that improved the most in the last year were Ivory Coast, Guinea, Niger, Zimbabwe and Senegal. It is quite hard to hear much about those places in the media. But the five nations that slipped the most (Egypt, Libya, Guinea-Bissau, Central African Republic and Mali) are in the news a lot.

Indexes like this have become increasingly common and popular, except with the leaders of those nations shown to perform the worst. Because all these indexes use data that is verifiable it is difficult for the poorly performing leaders to dismiss them out of hand. That puts pressure on the poor performers to improve, or face the wrath of a population that is better informed of why they are getting screwed. Most of the poorly performing nations are also dependent on foreign aid and these surveys because donor nations to apply pressure as well. And the most important thing is that more and more people began to having interest on African society with careful eyesight.

 

The Bright Side

 

When most people think of Somalia the image of things like black hawk down comes to mind. They have no idea of the politics, culture, art, music, or even the beautiful locations that reside in the country. To the everyday person Somalia is just a disease-infested country that has continuous problems, and has to rely on the rest of the world to solve its issues with military action. Now to say that the country doesn’t have its share of problems would be a lie, but looking at all the bad without focusing on the good is one sided. There are still some people that even through the turmoil, attacks, and threats continue to move forward.

For instance, in 1991 Somalia, after their civil war split in two with Somaliland, residing in the Gulf of Aden. Since this divide Somaliland has held peaceful elections and has began to slowly grow. They have done so without the aid of foreign countries, because all the support goes only to Somalia. They have also done so without the recognition from other countries. They have been a self-declared country for 23 years with a functional political system and its own currency. This is a good example of strong willed people that are willing to progress against all odds.

The self- declared country also maintains its own national defense and helps maintain order in their region. They do so by effectively dealing with pirates, disarming aggressive militant tribal groups, and even have anti-terrorism laws set in place. Also even with the neglect of aid from outside sources Somaliland still contributes to public goods in key areas. These are things like basic security, the investment climate, and service delivery at the local level, and they do all this by taxation from local businesses.

Besides from the political situation there are also many beautiful things to be seen in Somaliland. There is the Sheikh Mountains and the bypass offers a host of natural attractions and extraordinary driving experience. In Berbera there is a coastal city, which serves as the biggest seaport for Somaliland. Activities on the coast include swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and scuba diving, and there is also the Hargeisa Zoo which houses a menagerie that includes lions, leopards, antelopes, birds and reptiles. These attractions can all be seen because Somaliland has tourist locations within the country that offer hotels and a variety of food.

Now a perception that I had before this article was dealing with food. It was not until I did some research that I discovered that Somali like many other nations has many different foods. For instance they have the sabaayad flatbread, which is a Somali flat bread made with flour cooked on a hot griddle, and it can be rolled with butter, sugar, or honey. A lot of other cuisines that Somalia has have been influenced by English, French, and Italian cuisines. However since Somalia and Somaliland are Muslim they do not use pork in any of there dishes.

Finally the last thing I will discuss is how all of this research has impacted my original thinking on the country. I’ve spent a lot of time near Somalia, and have had an image of what that region must have looked like. From all my travels and the countries that I have lived in I have learned that every country has its beautiful things. They all have their attractions, cultures, music, and the best of all foods. These experiences have allowed me to look at the world differently than most Americans that have never left the sanctity of the country. In conclusion Somalia like many other countries is one country I would like to visit, and experience their cultures in a different habituated environment.

Film Project

My film project was about Botswana and its booming economy and industry. I wanted to shed light an African nation that has been made strong my taking advantage of its natural wealth with the backing of a strong and stable government. Many African nations that have mineral wealth are full of corruption. However, Botswana has used its diamonds to transform the country causing many of its citizens to be in the middle class.

Citation

Grynberg, Roman. Botswana Polishes its prospects. 2012. MailGaurdian.com. Web 5 December.

Harris, Edward. Botswana Diamond Boom. 2010. Rueters Africa Journal. Youtube.com. Video. 5 December , 2014.

 The Okavango Delta: Africa’s Last Frontier. 2014. Hiddentrails.com. Botswana. Web.5 December, 2014.

 Gaborne-Capital of Botswana.2011. Einfopedia.com. Web.5 December, 2014

Botswana Africans Shining Jewel? 2008. BBC News.com. UK. Web. 5 December, 2014.

 Where Diamonds Come from. 2013. Gaukartifact.com. Web. 5 December 2014.

 Tati Nickle Mining Company, Botswana.2014.Proudlyafrican.info.Botswana.Web. 5 December, 2014

 

 

Link

“Do you really know Angola?”

Ebola Crisis vs. Hurricane Katrina

Blog 6: Beauty of Africa (Sudan)

Although a majority of the media’s focus on Sudan revolves around the war between the north and south, there still remains a large amount of hidden, unappreciated beauty to the country of Africa.

Amongst the northeast region of Africa, Sudan is commonly characterized as the largest country of the continent, measuring 2,505,813 sq km, 853 km of it being composed of the Red Sea. Even with the Nile river running through the country, Sudan’s deserts are destined to periodic droughts and dust storms. The mountains of the north promise enjoyable weather, getting even better by traveling south to beautiful tropical climates. Sudan has almost any type of region one may want to visit. In the north lays the desert, trailed by mountains and valleys in the center areas. Swamps and rainforests compose the south, offering any type of desire setting of terrain. Traveling to Khartoum, the National Museum takes visitors to the monumental history of ancient Egypt.

Aside from it’s natural beauty, Sudan’s oil production promised large supply, becoming a direct source of oil to a majority of bordering countries. This helps maintain a healthy economy and increasing exchange rate. Other natural resources found in Sudan consist of copper, chromium ore, petroleum, zinc, iron, silver, and gold.

Unfortunately, the amount of visitors Sudan has had in the last few decades has decreased in relation to the war between the north and south. In contrast to the conflict between the people of the north and south of Sudan to one another, the people of Sudan are very well known as being extremely warm and hospitable to any and all visitors. Residents will often invite others into their homes for food and offer plenty of food, shelter, and kindness to any visiting.

Sudan impressingly has its very own currency. The Sudanese pound replaces the pound at an exchange rate of 1 dinar for 10 pounds. Aside from the separated south, the new Sudanese pound became the official currency of the country.

Since sports isn’t a huge part of Sudanese culture, no one is aware of several successful athletes to come out of the country. Manute Bol, who in his era was the tallest basketball player in the NBA, made a huge name for himself in basketball, along Deng Gai and Luol Deng. Gai went to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, while Deng joined the Chicago Bulls.

Amongst movements, between 1960 and 1970, Sudanese woman had one of the first and most active women’s movements in Arabic and African history. The first female parliamentarian took rise in 1965, followed by the first female minister of health in 1974, the Middle East’s first female judge, cinematographer, football referee, army, and police officer.

My initial assumption about Sudan came from the very obvious knowledge that they are in war and separated from south Sudan. I constantly came across articles, current events, and history records of wars and strife from Sudan. After researching the history and facts of the country, I’ve learned how beautiful and unique the country truly is, and how much it has to offer. Although Sudan faces many negative assumptions, it is a country that still offers itself to Africa and contributes as a huge historical source for themselves.

Images (Again):

http://www.newspatrolling.com/wp-content/uploads/Sudan-Darfur2008-_piramidi-_contesto-_COSV_7.jpg

http://www.ccbnational.net/KotW/img/scenic_photos/Sudan/Sudan%20-%20towers%20of%20sudan.jpg

http://gmsudan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Tourism-in-Sudan-1.jpg

 

Blog 5: Revolutionary Figures

Although not many positive leaders have been apart of the history of Sudan, Abdullah Ibn-Mohammed, a Sudanese Ansae ruler, obtained a large following and took over a more or less powerful movement, although his motives remain questionable amongst the history of Sudan. Abdullah was always meant to be a leader and people person, being raised and practicing his reign as a preacher in his early years. He was named a chief lieutenant under the following of Mohammed Ahmed in 1880, and in charge of the Mahdist army. As a mahdist leader following the death of Mahdi in 1885, Abdullah arose as a single leader in 1891. He maintained a traditional administration, going against the courts that strongly enforced Sharia law.

As a part of his leadership, he wanted to expand any issues occurring within Sudan to Ethiopia and Egypt, refusing any attempt anyone may have made to keep peace between Abdullah and the bordering countries. With 60,000 Ansar troops at his side, his attempt to invade Ethiopia worked, killing Ethiopian emperor Yohannes IV. Abdullah spent four years making the military strategies and financial growth of Sudan grow, simultaneously attempting to put an end to the crop failures and economic issues he was facing. The Italians, French, and British forces surrounded Sudan in 1896 under Anglo-Egyptian general Herbert Kitchener, retrieving the rights of stability for Sudan. Abdullah’s army was defeated on April 8 of 1898, leading to his going MIA in the south of Sudan. An Egyptian column under Sir Reginald Wingate found and killed Abdullah in November of 1899. His army was forced to hand over responsibilities to Egyptian administrators and technicians to restore to failed attempt to unify Sudan.

The effect this had on the country, although not positive, did influence African literature in a positive way. His written literature still influences the Arabic population. His attempt to purify Islam caused people of Sudan to fight their Egyptian rulers for almost a decade, freeing Sudan from foreign rule.

(Picture upload again 🙁 )

Abdullah:

http://api.ning.com/files/0TyPLysMYmbh0nJx3b0naYAB*J7u2jf6kkT8-9q27K8Fz*yaPxy8RA0JbbNwdWF1YOF5a*VOK8gP7oySXIShbYFBuME3hZgu/TheMahdi1.jpg

Blog 4: Colonization of Sudan vs. American

The colonial history of Sudan began with the Turk-Egyptian rule. The ruling lasted from 1820 until about 1885. This began when Muhammad Ali arranged for two military expeditions, one to the south and the other into the western section of Sudan. The main motivation for invasion was an attempt to obtain black men for his army and to find gold. From the start, the government was already set up for failure. Those in charge were terrible in public communication whether it be delivering speech, or simply reaching out to potential followers. Wherever they went, no one showed interest in associating with them and ultimately just wanted the armies to leave. A rebellion against the government by religious leader Mohamed Ahmed El Mahdi took place in 1881, for both religious and political reasons. His triumph was successful, although he passed away shortly following his reign a year later.

After the Turk-Egyptian ruling, the British-Egyptian Rule took place when General Kitchener invaded Sudan from 1896 to 1898. The British are one of the original reasons for the current Southern and Northern Sudan separation, from when they began requiring a passport to travel between the two countries and setting a ban on the slave trade. From 1951-1953, the British and Egyptians finally evacuated Sudan. Unfortunately, in November of 1955, Sudan redeclared total independence from southern Sudan, initiating a Civil War between the north and south.

During the colonial time period of America, Europeans were arriving in America to become wealthier and spread their influences across the world. The Spanish arrived first among the Europeans. Colonies began to establish amongst the northeast, contracting approximately 2 million colonists by 1770. Towards the end of the colonial American era, most profit was arriving through food products, stores amongst the ships, rum, and slaves. A common misunderstanding is the origin of these slaves during the colonial period. A majority were coming from the Caribbean, not Africa.

(The post would not let me upload pictures so I will attach the websites I found the pictures off of that I would have liked to use, sorry!)

Colonial Sudan:
http://southernsudan.prm.ox.ac.uk/images/midsize/1998.204.11.20_O.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb176fDtbe1rqkjy0o2_1280.gif

Colonial America:

http://my-ecoach.com/online/resources/6767/colonists.jpg