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From the Editor
O u r G r ea tes t G lor y is n o t in n ever f a llin g b u t in r is in g ever y time we f a ll . We a r e co mmittted to br in gin g th e co mmu n ity th e bes t in N ews f r om Af r ica a n d th e D ia s po r a . Yo u ma y als o vis it o u r web s ite a t www.af r ik an pos t.co m f or d a ily n ews u p da tes on Af r ica. D is claimer : Th e op in ion s ex pr es s ed in ar ticles an d s to r ies in th is N ews pa per ar e th os e o f th e a u th or s a n d do n o t n eces s a r ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik a n Pos t . All co mmen ts a n d s u g ges tion s ar e welco me.
How Senegal Came To Have Its Name
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George Kwasi Bright Publisher and Editor
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Call 703- 725- 6968 or
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D E PA R T M E N T S Vol 12 Issue 7
CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
AFGHAM explains ISRC system to help musicians claim royalties from songs Pg.6
Heroes of COVID-19: Gospel Singer Lady E
becomes force of change Pg. 12
Nii Sackey: Ghanaian man who worked as Uber driver to earn master's graduates with 3.72 GPA Page 29 Epidural Stimulation Spinal Cord Surgery Pg. 6
From A Drug Dealer To A Doctor: Read The Inspiring Story Of Anton House Pg. 36
US Ambassador to eSwatini calls
for constitutional reform to check king’s ostentatious
lifestyle Pg. 31
Senegal lies on the west coast of Africa, bordered on the north by Mauritania, on the east by Mali and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau on southeast and southwest respectively.
About 20 ethnic groups have been identified in Senegal, however, the Wolof are the country’s biggest. Almost one out of two Senegalese is a member of the Wolof ethnic group. The Wolof are a transnational ethnic group who are present in Gambia and Mauritania as well. Their origins are not very well documented, but archaeological findings point to Wolof presence in the area we now refer to as Senegambia from about the 8th century. From the beginning of the 11th century, the Wolof began to accept Islam, a consequence of trade, and maintaining a relationship with Islamic dynasties to the north of the continent. But from the 15th century, the Wolof would open their villages to other strangers, the Portuguese.
Around this time, historians believe the Wolof had already established an empire, conquering smaller peoples who lived in the areas of Senegambia and present-day Mauritania. The Portuguese developed a relationship with the Wolof no different than they had started in other parts on the west coast of Africa – trade in commodities, included enslaved Africans.
From about 1673, France, which had entered fray at the beginning of the 16th century, annexed the area on the mouth of the most important river in present Senegal.
The river had been referred to as Senega by Alvise Cadamosto, the Portuguese explorer who led navigation efforts in the part of the world around the 1460. Cadamosto named the river after the Zenaga, a Berber people who live in Mauritania and northern Senegal.
While some believe that this is how Senegal got its name, others subscribe to another theory. In 1850, David Boilat, a French author, theorized that ‘Senegal’ was a European corruption of a Wolof phrase, sunu gaal, which means “our canoe”.
It has to be said, however, that one is more likely to find Senegalese who subscribe to the latter theory.
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Kojo Asamoa-Caesar For United States Congress
July 2020
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ice organization on campus, a resident assistant, a summer orientation counselor, an intramural sports champion, and I led a bible study group on campus every week. Before graduation, I received news that I had been accepted into the nation’s oldest law school, William & Mary. After graduating from law school, rather than entering a career in law, I chose to become a kindergarten teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to help close the opportunity gap and make the American Dream more attainable for kids from underserved communities. My students saw significant growth in their reading scores, and I was ultimately named Teacher of the Year at my school site after my second year of teaching. I then spent some time studying education policy as a Fellow with the Urban Leaders Fellowship, and after that was asked to serve as the founding principal of Greenwood Leadership Academy, an elementary school in North Tulsa.
My name is Kojo Asamoa-Caesar. My story starts with a person, a place and an idea.
The person is my mom. The place is Ghana. And the idea is America. My mom, Felicia Agyarko, was born in Ghana in the fall of 1960, just three years after Ghana had become the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain its independence from colonial rule. About a month after my mom was born, John F. Kennedy would be elected President of the United States. But my mom came of age in the era of Ronald Reagan, in a time when America had come to fully define itself as the “shining city on a hill.”
My mom was enticed by that city of dreams and wanted to come here. Her dream was to become a doctor, and in her mind, if she could make it to that land of opportunity, flowing with milk and honey, then nothing would be impossible for her to achieve. To her pleasant surprise, at the age of 23, she won a visa lottery that would grant her a green card to go to America and make her dreams come true. She left behind family, friends and familiar settings and traveled 5,000 miles across the Atlantic in hopes of building a better life for herself, her family and her future children.
In 1983, she arrived in Alexandria, Virginia, just 15 minutes outside of Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital. She met my dad, Kojo Asamoa-Caesar, Sr., through mutual friends in the Ghanaian American community that already existed and that had embraced them upon their arrival.
They came to discover that the shining city on a hill was not as easy to navigate as previously thought. My mom’s 6th form education credits were not acceptable in American educational institutions, so she had to start over. My dad was only able to find menial jobs and so became a taxi driver. They would soon split up. I arrived in the summer of 1986. I didn’t get a chance to meet my dad upon my arrival. He had gotten involved in the drug trafficking game and was arrested carrying drugs onto an airplane at JFK International Airport. It became increasingly difficult for my mom to go to school, hold a job, and care for me by herself. And so she made the gut-wrenching decision to send me to Ghana, at the age of two, to live with my auntie, Comfort Asamoah. We lived in Accra and I became a part of her family of seven. I grew up speaking Twi, playing soccer with my friends, and eating jollof rice, red red with fried plantains, and fufu with peanut butter soup. I learned timeless values like “respect your elders,” “be grateful for what you have, even if it’s not a lot,” and “be kind to others.” At age 10, I returned to northern Virginia to rejoin my mom. Just four years later, at the age of 39, she suffered a debilitating stroke that left one side of her body paralyzed. She spent a few months in the hospital and incurred expensive medical bills. The family decided it would be best for her to return to Ghana to recover and be cared for by loved ones. I moved in with my uncle, Kwabena Boateng, who was also a taxi driver, and his family, and they supported me through my high school years.
When it came time for college, I packed up all my belongings into two trash bags and my uncle made the 4-hour drive down to Norfolk to drop me off at Old Dominion University. There, I determined to work hard to manifest my full potential and make my family proud. By the time I was a senior, I was student body president, founder of the largest community serv-
I announced my candidacy for US Congress to represent the 1st District of Oklahoma on November 5, 2019. On June 30, 2020, I won the Democratic primary election by garnering 34,830 votes or 63% of the total votes cast. With this victory, I became the first Black nominee from the district, the youngest ever Democratic nominee from the district, and the first Ghanaian American nominee for Congress. I now go on to face the freshman Republican incumbent in the general election on November 3, 2020. This journey is more meaningful because I get to traverse it with my wife, Onikah, our newborn baby girl Hadassah, and our two rescue dogs, Simba and Zazu. My parents may not have been able to realize their American Dream, but their dreams live on through me and my journey. I hope to make them proud and be an inspiration to a new generation of leaders to know that they are worthy of the dreams they hold and that they have what it takes to make those dreams come true.
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AFGHAM explains ISRC system to help musicians claim royalties from songs
The Alliance for Change in Ghana Music (AFGHAM), a group of Ghanaian musicians who have come together to help fellow musicians enjoy their copyrights in royalties recently shed light on the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) in a tweet by its interim Chairman — Mark Darlington Osae.
The July 2020 tweet which forms part of AFGHAM’s ‘Music Minds Campaign‘ also contains a video breakdown of the ISRC system that is aimed at making musicians uniquely identify their sound recordings and music videos globally and anywhere online and on radio etc.
The coding system which operates like the science of fingerprint system gives the music uploaded a unique code that is solely for the creator of the content. “This is your personal musical DNA code which no one can take away from you as a creator,” AFGHAM interim explained to TheAfricanDream.net in an interview.
Read also: Marley family to ‘reimagine’ Bob Marley’s One Love in support of UNICEF
The digital fingerprint contains four parts which must be carefully entered by the creator to avoid the mistake of giving a wrong identity. These parts are the Country code, First registrants code, Year of reference, and Track designation code. A successful generation of the code becomes synonymous with the DNA of the song which uniquely identifies the creator whom all revenues accrued from streaming and sales go to.
“A mistake however in this arrangement might end up getting the copyright to another person who will get to reap all the benefits from it,” cautioned award-winning Ghanaian musician Trigmatic who is also an AFGHAM member in a chat with
TheAfricanDream.net where he also said that “We started ‘Music Minds Campaign’ as part of our initiative to help explain and educate musicians, creators and the public about some of the nuances of the music industry and how digitization is modernizing it“ The ISRC is independent of any particular music streaming platform. It is generated uniquely after which songs can be uploaded on any music streaming platform.
AFGHAM is encouraging Ghanaian and African musicians worldwide to pay keen attention not only to the creative aspect of their art but be business savvy too as it will help a lot in securing a financially successful future when they reach retirement or unfortunate occurrences like the COVID-19 pandemic stops them from going out for shows.
For more information and news from AFGHAM visit their official website at afcghana.org. Source: TheAfricanDream.net Written by Oral Ofori
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Epidural Stimulation Spinal Cord Surgery
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John Oduro (Baffour) was involved in a horrific car crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has been confined to a wheelchair for 13 years with no hope of ever walking again. John Oduro needs our help to raise ($150,000) to undergo a life-changing Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation surgery so he can have the ability to WALK AGAIN after being in a wheelchair for 13 years now.Your contribution will go towards helping our beloved get the Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation Surgery.
Any little helps! Please follow the secured Gofundme link to donate and please share https://gf.me/u/x9cvds or use these other payment options: Zelle (rbawuah78@yahoo.com) Cash App 571-2908639 ($JohnOduro) GhanaMTN MoMo 0553005945
We appreciate your continued support.
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Meet Ofodile Anulika, the Designer of Nigeria’s First Indigenous Military-Grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Nigeria’s first indigenously produced military grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was designed by a woman – Lieutenant Nkemdilim Anulika Ofodile.
This vehicle, known as the Tsaigumi Tactical UAV, was produced in 2018 in collaboration with UAVision of Portugal, with the intention to be used for ISR operations in land and sea domains. The 31-year-old lieutenant who holds a PhD in Control Engineering from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, is currently an aerospace engineer in the Nigerian Air Force.
She is well-known for also being the chief avionic specialist on the “Amebo UAV”, a drone built by NAF Engineers to train drone pilots. As one woman part of the league of women in the Nigeria Airforce making history with a number of firsts, she hopes that “young ladies out there will never take no for an answer and do what is in their heart”
Let’s celebrate Lieutenant Nkemdilim Anulika Ofodile. https://howafrica.com/
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Ethiopia Unveils First LocallyAssembled Electric Car
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Ethiopia on Monday launched the first locally-assembled electric car in yet another green economy initiative by the East African nation.
The vehicle was presented to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed by former Olympic champion and 10,000m runner Haile Gebrselassie. The car was assembled by the Marathon Motor Engineering company, a joint venture between Ethiopia’s legendary former Olympic champion and 10,000m runner Haile Gebrselassie and South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai.
Reports suggest that the vehicle can go for more than 250 kilometres once fully charged. The vehicle can be charged anywhere and does not need charging at terminal, in addition to it not giving out emissions. Prime Minister Abiy hailed the development as part of his administration’s efforts to transform greening and climate resilient aspirations into tangible results.
“As we transform Ethiopia’s greening & climate resilient aspirations into concrete actions through the #GreenLegacy initiative, this morning I received the first electric car fully assembled in Ethiopia. No emission cars can help reduce pollution,” Abiy tweeted.
Marathon Motor Engineering, whose plant was commissioned in March this year, has the capability of producing about 10,000 cars annually, according to local media reports. https://howafrica.com/
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Ivory Coast Vice-President Daniel Kablan resigns
Ivory Coast's Vice-President Daniel Kablan Duncan has resigned.
took place on Tuesday 7 July, 2020, the president of the republic took note of his resignation and proceeded to sign the decree terminating Daniel Kablan Duncan," Mr Achi said in a statement.
His resignation follows the sudden death of the Prime Mr Kablan was appointed as vice-president in Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly last week. 2017, the first to occupy the new position created by a new constitution the previous year The secretary-general of the Ivory Coast presidency, following a referendum. Patrick Achi, said that Kablan Duncan, was leaving "for personal reasons." He had previously served as prime minister. The vice-president had put in his resignation letter to President Alassane Ouattara in February, Mr Achi noted. "After several communications, the last of which
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I Will Run In 2020 Election – Ivory Coast Ex-president Bedie Says Page
Ivory Coast’s octogenarian former President Henri Konan Bedie will run for office again in presidential elections in October, he said in a statement on Saturday.
Bedie’s candidacy is the latest twist in a turbulent build-up to a vote that is wide open after current President Alassane Ouattara said he would not run again after ten years in power.
“I am both surprised and happy with the content of your messages asking me to be a candidate in the election,” Bedie told members of his PDCI-RDA coalition. “I feel honoured.” Bedie, 86, was president from 1993-1996. The coalition between his PDCI party and that of Ouattara’s RDR, forged in 2005, was meant to dominate for generations and help heal the political rifts that led to civil war three years earlier.
The pact propelled Ouattara to presidential election victories in 2010 and 2015 but collapsed in September 2018 when the parties bickered over whose candidate should be in pole position in 2020.
The race will be hard to call, say political analysts. Guillaume Soro, the former rebel leader and presidential candidate, was convicted in absentia of embezzlement and sentenced to 20 years in prison in April, a verdict likely to exclude him from the election.
Ouattara said last year that he would run for a third term if his predecessors Bedie and Laurent Gbagbo decided to run, raising concerns of a constitutional crisis given that Ivory Coast has a two-term mandate limit.
He backed down in March saying he wanted to hand over power to a new generation.
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Nigeria’s First Female Combat Helicopter Pilot, Dies at 23
Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in Nigeria, is dead. She was barely 23 years of age.
Arotile died as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Kaduna. Her death came barely a year after she was winged as a combat helicopter pilot in the Air Force following the completion of her course in South Africa.
Confirming the accident, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said until her death, Flying Officer Arotile, who was commis-
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sioned into the NAF in September 2017 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, was the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the service.
on behalf officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, commiserates with the family of late Flying Officer Arotile over this irreparable loss. We pray that the Almighty God grant her soul eternal rest.”
He said: “During her short but impactful stay in the service, late Arotile, who hails from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central States of armed bandits and other criminal elements by flying several https://howafrica.com/ combat missions under Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State.
“The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
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Heroes of COVID-19: Gospel Singer Lady E becomes force of change
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Africa. This is because one of the known problems Africans face through the years is despite a wealth of natural resources, they are typically poor. These poverty-stricken populations live in densely populated neighborhoods in overpopulated homes where isolation and social distancing could be a challenge or even access to clean water or hand sanitizers — a sitiation that gets serious should a member of the household catch COVID 19. Families due to poverty have a tough choice to make between being killed by the virus and hunger because they cannot take a day off due to low incomes, lack of opportunities to earn more, and simply no bank savings.
The COVID 19 pandemic that has plagued the world today has not only brought about economic stagnation it has demoralized the citizens of many countries. Medical practitioners and their front line staff are playing a pivotal role with passion in taking care of the sick, Men of God are on their knees praying for a God-given relief, and many others are using their talents to provide relief for hose they can reach and touch.
This makes Lady E a candidate for our Heroes of COVID-19 series here at TheAfricanDream.net after her actions proved how she can relate to what was happening around her even as she found was in which she could be of assistance by helping the underprivileged as they stay home and and in the process stop the spread in Africa. Lady E’s strategy is to use her platform to spread the love of Christ through Music, and empower the less privileged to stand up and lead by encouraging others in solving bigger systemic and humanitarian problems to improve their health and way of life. She says it’s been her vision is to feed the poor and heal the world through her efforts and example.
Above all, this Ghanaian gospel singer aims to instill in everyone that life is bigger than us, which is why she advises everyone to live a responsible life to minimize harm on society by being positive examples especially in these trying times. She shares her insight into the pandemic: “Poor and hungry lives are at risk of COVID-19 because they cannot stay at home or work from home like those whose professions allow them such opportunities.” In her view, coming out to help those who fall outside the privilege of working and earning from home was important, esoecialling in
This issue falls right in line with one of Lady E’s advocacies for the “the haves and the have-nots”. Lady E in collaboration with WACE plans to solicit help from Africans living abroad and all others who can afford to help bridge this gap between the haves and the have-nots. The plan is to raise money through virtual concerts and Church performances in support of low-income earners who cannot afford to take time off to the social distance to slow the spread of coronavirus in Africa. Lady E will look for sponsorship opportunities to support the massive media communication efforts needed to garner donations and distribution of supplies, to inform people about this humane endeavor there will be a consolidated communication campaign on the internet to solicit for help and a massive national-wide media (TV, radio, internet) campaign in African countries to provide this help to those who need it through volunteer hubs set up by Lady E in Africa. Thank you to our partners at AfrikanPost.com for bringing to our attention the work and efforts of Lady E, who you can find and connect with online at ladyefoundation.org and watch her introduce her project below. https://www.theafricandream.net/
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Ghana’s Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh Becomes IBM’s First African and Female Regional Head for Africa
Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. She has been named one of Africa’s most influential women by Avance Media. Her awards include the US African Women Forum’s Global Impact Leadership Award and the prestigious African Achievers Award for Excellence in Business. IBM’s Investments in the Future of Africa With decades of investments across industries, relevant and relentless focus on technology innovation, mobile evolution and more recent trends across cloud and Internet of Things, the IBM brand is clearly a leading global technology brand. It is duly recognised as the most patented company in the industry.
IBM’s patent results represent a diverse range of inventions as well as a strong and growing focus on cognitive solutions and the cloud platform as the company positions itself for leadership in a new era of computing.
The company’s corporate mission is to lead in the creation, development and manufacture of the industry’s most advanced information technologies, translating these advanced technologies into value for customers through professional solutions, services and consulting business worldwide.
Africa as a continent has benefited greatly from the company’s investment in worldwide technological advances.
The multinational technology company, IBM has announced Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh as its first African and female Regional Head for North, East and West Africa.
Prior to this appointment, Angela has served as the Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President in charge of Global Markets and Sales in IBM’s corporate headquarters in New York. She was also the first female Country Director in Africa, leading the company’s operations in Ghana.
Angela takes up this position with a wealth of experience from 20 years of extensive working in the financial services and technology industries in Africa and Europe. She has worked in various top positions in banking including UBS Investment Bank, ABM AMRO in London and GTBank Ghana.
As the first woman and African to be appointed Regional Head in Africa, Angela poses as an inspiration to other African women.
This is indeed an inspiring story for our continent to have a woman lead this very important region and we look forward to her making great strides in this role. – Halima Aliko Dangote, Executive Director of Dangote Industries
According to the Company’s Statement, “Across Africa, IBM is working with our clients and partners to put in place the systems, infrastructures and processes to underpin the continent’s economic and social transformation.
“Africa-grown innovation is key to the continent’s future development and is dependent on close collaboration between local experts and global innovation leaders like IBM.”
Several years ago IBM decided to create the IBM Central Africa team, to help drive and expand IBM business within the region. Africa is certainly attracting global attention as the last big emerging market of the current economic era and IBM is making a long-term, strategic investment in the future of Africa..
https://howafrica.com/
Through long-standing commercial partnerships as well as new ventures, IBM is assisting African businesses in key industries including telecommunications, banking, healthcare and government with their digital transformation, and their shift to cloud in the cognitive era – Craig Holmes, Vice President, IBM Cognitive Solutions, Middle East & Africa.
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HRM King Adamtey I: The Academician bent on leading Africa into Modern unity
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Given the customs in which royalty is steeped in Africa, it is very rare to find an African King that also allows their faith and modernity to fully accompany their traditional kingship status. And yet that is what defines His Royal Majesty King Adamtey I.
TheAfricanDream.net in a candid interview Drolor Bosso Adamtey’s ultimate vision is to unify the Se (Shai) People, both home and those in the Diaspora, and to provide the kind of leadership that promotes peace, progress and sustainable development.
On August 10, 1999, he was coronated in the Se (Shai) State. That same year, he was appointed the Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Born to lead, yet humble enough to let God direct HRM King Adamtey is a thought leader, social scientist, life therapist, global advisor, humanitarian, and educator. He genuinely cares for people, is able to bring together diverse groups, and moreover, is skilled in helping resolve conflicts. He is a wise King, very intellectual and his messages are profound. Yet, when he speaks even a child can understand.
As though this combo was not intriguing enough, HRM King Adamtey has three doctorates and is the first chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) in Ghana.
“I’ve always been passionate about Africa and the power of her people to provide leadership to the world in the areas of global understanding, unity and prosperity, but we first must unite the continent by embracing our differences as our strength,” the King told TheAfricanDream.net in a chat.
Read also: Drolor Bosso Adamtey I opens up to
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Despite his many accolades, the King tells TheAfricanDream.net that “I still believe I am merely a servant of God. A servant who has been called in these times to lead God’s people as they traverse modern times hardships to arrive at the true place of light. A place where humanity sees One of the many ways in which he empowers the younger itself as one people working together in peace generation is through the Drolor Centre for Strategic and progress, because diversity works best with Leadership – a Centre of Excellence which aims to explore inclusion and equity irrespective of race and genleadership in a globally modernized context. der.”
When spending time with His Royal Majesty, you will quickly detect that he is one of a kind, a natural born leader, yet very humble and depends solely upon God’s direction.
It is also worth mentioning that His Royal Majesty Drolor Bosso Adamtey is the best-selling author of insightful books like When Kings Pray and Fast, Prayer and Fasting, I Have Seen the Kingdom, A Place Called There, The Power and Influence of A Woman, and Who Says You Can’t. Visit his official website kingadamtey.com for more information. Source: TheAfricanDream.net
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‘I’d love to partner NETFLIX & Cartoon Network’ — Cecil Jones Abban of Ghana
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him what were the challenges precluding his progress, to which he did mention unavailability of distribution outlets and inadequate funding for animation. No pay deflates the dream, but passion to become a global brand keeps it alive
In Cecil’s own words: “After numerous efforts to secure funding and distribution outlets for my works failed, I felt a strong urge to give up. It got to the point where I could no longer self-finance because I had to adjust to my newly married life with kids. I had to resort to making animated TV commercials to raise my own funds but that too proved challenging as most clients were not willing to pay for the creativity.“
The animator continued: “It was deflating to see my works on air but never getting paid for its real worth. Eventually, I decided to seek solace in the fact that even though I was not getting paid well, I was helping to make a difference in the lives of my young audience and corporate client, believing that one day fortune may smile my way.” Talking to TheAfricanDream.net about his dreams, Cecil said “I would love to have a working relationship with NETFLIX and Cartoon Network, seeing how demand for genuine African content is rapidly rising in the creative sphere globally, but eventually I’d love to become a global brand and to also see Africa establish her own creative media repository behemoth.“
In these times of a pandemic that has kept us all mostly indoors, it would have been the best time in Africa for parents and grandparents to tell folklores to the kids. However, with the introduction of technology in our family settings, hardly do we spend time together sharing stories and their moral imports. These days, both parents and children have eyes constantly glued to screens. Thereby eroding the high essence of traditional African knowledge in the modern family system.
A sure way of remedying this rather worsening situation is by digitizing our stories. In light of this, TheAfricanDream.net looks at the life of a Ghanaian animator who digitizes and catalogs centuries-old African fables, he is Cecil Jones Abban.
Cecil who derived his birth and infant nurture from Accra, the capital city of Ghana, had his basic education there too, at Soul Clinic International. He attended Labone Secondary School also in Accra before proceeding to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he read a BSc in Pharmacy.
In an interview with Oral Ofori of TheAfricanDream.net Cecil was asked how he ended up as a professional animator, and he said after working for Pills & Tabs as a pharmacist for eight years, he decided to follow his passion for animation which was propelled by practical assistance from Alex Bannerman and Samuel Quartey of Ghana’s National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI). Transitioning from selling pills to animation skills
our legendary ‘Kweku Ananse’ [of Ghanaian folklore] to make the character relevant again for our kids and also preserve rich history through cartoons and animation.“
For this part-time pharmacist it was fun selling prescribed drugs, but harder doing it when your mind is filled with inspired works by greats in the animation world like Marvel and Asterix comics that was later added on by “my animation mentor, Alex Bannerman, and my own brother, Jeffrey Abban all of which made me decide that becoming an animator was what was going to free my soul and positively impact lives while having fun.“
TheAfricanDream.net acknowledges there is a deficiency of locally-made TV shows for children in Ghana, therefore we asked Cecil what the animation industry is doing to better the situation. His response was that his Parables Animation Studio as a firm has been producing animated contents and live shows for the Ghanaian child and audience to help plug this gap. “We help create characters and storylines reflecting the Ghanaian culture that also promote good morals. With a heavy focus on Kwaku Ananse, we are helping to digitalize and catalog centuries-old fables and also resurrect their unflinching and not decaying relevance to Ghana and Africa,” Cecil explained. Read also: Using animation to change the African narrative — the ‘Modin Comics’ story
“My reasons for creating animations is to tell the Cecil and his Parables Animation Studio are producAfrican story the African way from an African perspec- ing great contents but very little is seen on television tive and to create fascinating superheroes and rebrand channels in Ghana, so TheAfricanDream.net asked
Cecil first got recognized in the animation industry for his maiden work titled ‘Ananse must die’, Ghana’s first animated feature film in 2007. It was followed by 28th the Crossroads in 2008. Cecil tells us that this year with his brother’s collaboration they have embarked on a number of projects including the remaking of 28th the Crossroads, a film recounting events that served as a catalyst to Ghana’s independence, the Mighty Joo episodes, video tutorials on their YouTube channel, and digitizing more Ananse storybooks for kids. Aside from producing animated content for Ghana TV, Cecil has had the opportunity to be the lead character designer for WakaWaka Moo Tv show in Namibia. The characters have become mascots for roadshows. He also directed and produced the animated content for that show. Find Parables on Facebook by searching Parables Animation studios. They are on Instagram as parables_gh and YouTube as parables studios, Ananse Tales. Enjoy a video sample of Cecil’s work in this link https://youtu.be/Le159oVxC20.
Source: TheAfricanDream.net
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Nigerian Artist, Vincent Kolo Wins $50,000 Nefertiti Prize For African Creativity
Afrikan Post
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Nigerian Lady, Favour Olum, Converts Car Tyres To Beautiful Centre Tables 2020
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A creative and hardworking young Nigerian woman has gone viral on social media after she used her creativity to up-cycle spoilt tyres to beautiful centre tables.
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The lady identified as Favour Olum is a student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, she could be seen in the production process of the table in one of the pictures she shared on Twitter.
Vincent Kolo, a Nigerian, has won the $50,000 Nefertiti grand prize for creativity at the maiden edition of Africa Integration Day.
In a statement by organisers of the event, Kolo won the prize with his artwork ‘The Cords of Yesterday’.
“The grand prize was awarded for work that passionately highlights the contemporary quest for Africa to learn from its past, take charge of its present and build its own unique vision of a united, prosperous, future,” the statement read.
“It has been wonderful seeing government and the private sector come together from across the continent for the first Boma of Africa Festival to celebrate integration and the passion and creativity that will bring it to us.”
Albert Muchanga, AU’s trade and industry commissioner, said the first-ever Africa Integration Day was made possible through collaborative efforts.
Other categories won by participants at the event include $15,000 prize for social justice, $10,000 prize for African renaissance and $5,000 prize for literary excellence.
Former Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo presented the cash award to the winner at a virtual ceremony that held on Tuesday to mark the The Africa Integration Day was initiated in end of the inaugural edition of Boma of Africa 2019 during AU’s summit on African Festival. Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) “to popularise economic integration across the The event was jointly organised by the African continent as a lever of inclusive sustainable Union Commission and the AfroChampions development.” Initiative, while the grand prize was sponsored by Afreximbank and Commercial International Bank. https://howafrica.com/ Edem Adzogenu, chairman of AfroChampions executive committee, commended winners in major categories of the event.
“We would like to sincerely congratulate all the winners on their fantastic achievements, and for creating artworks that speak to Africa’s unity and future,” Adzogenu said.
“My name is Favour Oluma
A student of federal university of technology minna
I upcyle used tyres to household furniture I reside in gwagwalada, Abuja Nigeria
And I make nation wide delivery
THIS IS MY HUSTLE “
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Ambassador Edusei Pays Tribute To Sir John July 2 0 2 0
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Late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John
Ambassador Edusei With Sir John’s untimely death, we have lost not only a great soul in Ghana but a thoroughbred Asante as well. Late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John’s final visit to the village is still a shock to me and all our dear friends. It will take a long time to handle this grief and we will forever miss him.
We entered universities in the same year, he went to the University of Ghana and I went to the University of Science and Technology, now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Our parts intertwined when Late Mr Amo Kwabena (Osei Prempeh), Mr F. F. Antoh, Dr Richard Anane and myself formed Asante Students Union (ASU) in 1979 in KNUST, to organize, inspire and develop students of Asante origin. We subsequently went to Legon to develop an ASU branch there and naturally connected with Sir John and the network of Mr Dua Adonteng, Prof. Konadu, Mr Osei Akuoko, Mr Victor Owusu, among others. The bound was formed there and then and I know it will never be broken even after death.
Sir John was such a sacrificial human being. He was willing and capable of doing any assignment without complaint. His great works in the corporate boardrooms, high governmental negotiations, to all manner of political intricacies, and all the way to working with different kinds of down-trodden people so efficiently and with terrific humour was legendary. No wonder he sometimes called himself ‘Mr Utility Man’ and we all called him so in agreement.
Sir John was principled and blunt with the truth. He had very logical arguments and held on to his core believes of Adventist Christian doctrine, pure Asante traditional values and unyielding democratic principles to the last letter. Nevertheless, he respected varying opinions and interfaced with all kinds of people with ease. Sir John not only survived in every environment, but he thrived in all manner of challenges. Sir John was loyal to a fault and helped a great many people.
Few years before the 2016 elections it became clear that he needed to attend to his ailing knee and yet he tried hard to postpone his medical care ostensibly till after the elections. I was charged to convince him to come abroad for medical attention. When I called one evening he told me: ‘Kwame If even I have to sit in a wheelchair to campaign for Akuffo Addo I will do so, as I am needed in Ghana’. I had to use all my wit to convince him that we can use high tech medical means to help him to recover and return on time to help with the campaign. Finally, he agreed, got the medical attention and quickly rushed back to Ghana to help us win the 2016 elections. Such was the man Sir John that I loved and respected and will always do. So humble and committed was he that when he did not get the post he anticipated in the new government, he made light of it and stated he was afraid of the sea and is a forest man so he was going back to his roots as CEO of Forestry Commission. That was a sacrifice for the love of party and country.
himself in all manner of media antics to keep our message crisp with the people. He used his natural jovial manner and impeccable use of Twi proverbs and jokes to effectively sell our noble message to all. He had to over-perform to compensate for NPP challenges. We have really lost a major political guru and people’s person.
Late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie came from humble beginnings and rose-up high but he never forgot his roots. He was proud of his rural upbringing and living. His love for people shone, even more, when they faced challenges.
Kwadwo, you did your bit and played your part appreciably and We pray God Almighty to keep you save and give you eternal rest. We will never forget you even in death, we are part of your family and will remain so till we meet again. Kwadwo, Damerifa Due! ASU, ASUA and ADI da wo ase!
Ambassador Kwame Edusei, MD (Former Ghana's Ambassador to the When he noticed that our political fraternity was not USA) good with Media relationships especially when it comes to propaganda, Sir John juxta positioned himself to coordinate and aggressively involved
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Finally the first Black-owned stock exchange in U.S. history opens
Historically, the stock market has delivered generous returns to investors over time and a former lawyer has conceived the idea to bridge the racial gap by creating an avenue for the black community to invest and create generational wealth. He has created the first Black and minority-owned stock exchange in U.S history. Former attorney Joe Cecala in partnership with Cadiz Capital Holding L.L.C., a minority-owned private equity firm founded “The Dream Exchange”, a stock exchange company that focuses on small business capital formation and diversity using the power of the American investing public.
The platform aims to provide a space to match small and emerging businesses at an early stage with investors to generate more wealth creation for underserved communities. The historymaking founder Cecala said his legal career afforded him the opportunity to learn more about investing thus leading to the creation of his company. In an interview with Black Enterprise, he revealed that early in his legal career, he learned how stock exchanges ‘hunt’ for liquidity because he was the lawyer for the founders of Archipelago, one of the first and the biggest electronic stock exchanges in the world.
According to him, Archipelago grew into what the world has come to know today as the New York Stock Exchange. “Because of my experience in understanding the formation of the world’s greatest electronic stock exchange, I learned how a stock exchange creates and controls liquidity in the markets.”
the largest transactions with celebrity companies. “My research showed that, prior to Archipelago, the overwhelming majority of IPO’s were $50.0 million and under! By 2004, small capital IPO’s had all but disappeared. After years of working with minority businesses, I realized as well that minority businesses were nearly absent from all IPO and public company listings.” Cecala believes that the importance of a Blackowned stock exchange cannot be understated. Research from the SEC’s IPO task force shows that 92% of all jobs are created after a company goes public, he said.
“In the 230-year history of stock exchanges in America only one Black-owned firm has made it to the New York Stock Exchange and there has never been a Black-owned stock exchange. Without access to public markets, any sector of society absent will most certainly suffer economically. This is the importance of having a channel for access to the public markets in America.” By launching the Dream Exchange, Cecala hopes that he is creating a space that will allow more people of color to get into investing while promoting black and minority-owned businesses to investors. THEODORA AIDOO
After years of research, he’d discovered that the structure of the Source: https://face2faceafrica.com/ US capital markets and the current stock exchanges favour only
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The Zambian government in conjunction with China’s Jilin University has set up nine farms for village chicken rearing projects in Luanshya, a mining district in the Copperbelt province of Zambia. Patrick Maipambe, Luanshya District Commissioner, when addressing farmers in the district Thursday, said “this village chicken rearing project is spearheaded by Technology Serve Organization and the University of Zambia in conjunction with the Jilin University of the People’s Republic of China.”
Maipambe said the government of Zambia was committed to diversifying the nation’s economy by putting up deliberate policies that would allow other stakeholders especially Chinese nationals to improve the production of livestock such as village chicken rearing as well as fish farming.
“The promotion and implementation of the project in Luanshya will be done through the ministry of livestock and fisheries,” he said.
Maipambe said that chicken processing plants would be put up in some farms under the village chicken rearing project. He advised farmers to take the project seriously saying that this would help create more jobs for the locals. “Government of Zambia will continue working with stakeholders who mean well in improving the lives of Zambians socially and economically,” he said.
https://howafrica.com/
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FIFA Announces Match Schedule For 2022 World Cup In Qatar July 2 0 2 0
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Football’s world governing body, FIFA, on Wednesday released the match schedule for the 2022 World Cup which will be hosted by Qatar.
The tournament will begin November 21 at Al Bayt Stadium in the northern city of Al Khor with the hosts Qatar in action while the final will be played on December 18 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
“Exactly two years after that historic occasion on 15 July 2018, the unveiling of the match schedule for the next edition invites the football world to dream of a new beginning – one that, now, has a precise time and place to start,” FIFA said in a statement on its website.
The group stage will be spread over the course of 12 days and will fea-
ture four matches a day to give all teams “optimal rest” between their matches and promise fans a “full and exciting schedule,” according to FIFA.
FIFA said that the local kick-off times (GMT +3) for group matches had been set for 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm. Meanwhile, the concurrent kick-offs for the final round of group games and knockout-stage timings will be 6pm and 10pm. Group stage games for each matchday will only be assigned to a stadium and kick-off time after the final draw, which will be held after the March 2022 international match calendar qualifying window.
“Once the pairings are known, the possibility will be discussed of providing a more beneficial kick-off time for audiences at home, or indeed for fans in Qatar with regard to the stadium allocation,” FIFA said.
According to FIFA, due to the location of all of Qatar’s stadiums within a 40-mile radius, fans might be able to attend more than one match a day during the group stage. Source: www.aipsmedia.com
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Meet the pioneer of African Personality who first challenged racist scientific theories Afrikan
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Blyden encouraged the emigration of African Americans into Liberia, Sierra Leone and elsewhere in West Africa to help develop the continent and even advocated for the establishment of a West African University to train West Africans for self-government.
Blyden believed that the underdevelopment of Africa in the ninetieth century was due to historical factors such as slavery and slave trade rather than race. To Blyden, if equal opportunities were provided for both races, not even the average African could be outsmarted by the White man.
Blyden gained prominence in Liberia where he married into a prominent family and had three children with his wife, Americo-Liberian Sarah Yates. They had three children together and he also had five children with Anna Erskine, an African-American woman from Louisiana whom he had a long-term relationship with while living in Freetown Sierra Leone.
Before his death on 7 February 1912 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he was buried, Blyden had worked as a journalist, a professor, college president and diplomat serving as an ambassador for Liberia to Britain and France. Edward Blyden
The phrase “African Personality” was first introduced by Edward Blyden in a lecture titled Study and Race, delivered in Sierra Leone, Freetown on 19th May, 1893. African Personality was mainly informed by Blyden’s personal experiences of slavery and racism and also an attempt to challenge racist scientific theories.
Edward Wilmot Blyden was born on 3rd August, 1832 in the West Indies (St. Thomas of the Virgin Island) to free parents at a time when slavery had not been abolished. In a quest to gain higher education, Blyden attempted to enroll in Rutgers Theological College, where he was refused admission and in two other theological Colleges, both of which proved futile because he was Black. For this reason, Blyden embraced many of the ideas of the American Colonization Society that promoted the repatriation of free African Americans to Liberia in West Africa. It was members of the New York Colonization Society who paid for Blyden’s passage to West Africa. He first arrived in Liberia in January 1851 at the age of eighteen. Arriving in Liberia, Blyden attended Alexander High School in Monrovia where he studied theology, geography, mathematics and the classics. He excelled brilliantly and forged on to become a professor of Classic Languages at Liberia College, the first secular English speaking institution of higher learning in tropical Africa in 1862.
At the prime of his age, Pseudo-Scientific theories about Black race inferiority abound and of particular interest was the anthropological society of London in 1863 that placed the Negro on the lowest rank of the racial ladder. They argued that the Negro who allowed himself to be enslaved was mentally inferior. It was partly in response to these theories and the racial discrimination experienced that Blyden developed his own
concept of race.
African Personality, according to Blyden is characterized by cheerfulness, love of nature and willingness to serve, by simple and cordial manliness and sympathy with every interest of actual life and every effort for freedom. One of the essential characteristic of the African was the spirit of service – the supple, yielding, conciliatory, obedient, gentle, patient, musical spirit that is not full of offensive resistance.
Being of the notion that all races are equal but distinct, he reckoned that each race was endowed with peculiar talents and had a different destiny. Each race had its own personality and mission likewise African customs and institutions which represented a significant aspect of the African Personality.
Credit: Twitter He differentiated between Africans and Europeans from geographical and climatic factors. The natural environment made it vital for Africans to be communalistic and cooperative. Social organisations such as the polygamous family, the rural community and the principle of mutual aid were part of African culture. The European was, however, seen to be individualistic and egoistic which led Blyden to draw the conclusion that “the African is an African and the European is a European and will remain so forever and ever”.
Edward Blyden called for cultural nationalism which meant for Africans to be proud and uphold the cultural practices and institutions that gave them the identity of an African personality.
He also advocated for spiritual colonization which urged Africans to shake off the spiritual bondage to which the assimilation of European culture had doomed them particularly in the case of educated Africans who admired the achievement of alien Western civilization.
//https://face2faceafrica.com/
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Debunking 15 Common Myths and Misconceptions About Africa
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The African continent boasts several of the world's fastest growing economies. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and several African countries as “shithole” countries in a meeting with politicians, the Washington Post reported. The president had been discussing immigration policy with the lawmakers and suggested that the US focus on bringing in people from countries like Norway over those from African countries. “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump reportedly said, comments which the UN condemned as racist on Friday. This is not the first time the president has allegedly made such comments. In a meeting with cabinet members and administration aides last year, Trump reportedly advocated against more open immigration policies, saying that all Haitians have AIDS and that people from Nigeria would refuse to go back to their “huts” if allowed into the US, according to the New York Times. But the idea that the entire continent of Africa is a disease-ridden land of “huts” is a myth, and a dangerous one at that.
Here are 15 other debunked myths about African countries.
countries in terms of sustainable energy use. Both the UK and the US source only 11% of their energy from renewable sources, less than Kenya sources from geothermal activities alone (13% of Kenya’s energy consumption). Meanwhile, a staggering 50% of Kenya’s energy comes from hydroelectricity. In terms of long-term sustainability, shouldn’t we be looking to Kenya for some answers?
6. There’s no arts industry in Africa Nigerian actress Taiwo Ajayi-Lycette gets makeup applied before performing a scene. 1. Africa is poor, and always will be. Every year, more films are made in Nigeria’s Nollywood Yes, 47% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $1.25 a than in the US’s Hollywood. FACT. day, and this is a scandal. However, this number is falling, and things are getting better. One in three Africans are defined as ‘mid7.Africans do nothing to help themselves dle class’, and whilst many Western economies are in crisis, Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters. Together they have Africa’s economy continues to grow. Did you know that 6 of the helped over 90,000 women & children in Somalia. Photo 10 fastest growing economies in the world are African? from the Dr Hawa Abdi Foundation.
2. Africa is all savannah and wild animals. Image credit: BBC In 2014, Delta airline, a major US carrier, made a huge mistake on social media. Whilst congratulating the US World Cup team on a victory over Ghana, they used a photo of a giraffe to represent the African nation. Unfortunately for Delta there are in fact no wild giraffes in Ghana, and the Twitter community was quick to alert them to this. Slammed by accusations of racism and stereotyping, Delta have since apologised for the image used. However, this highlights how widely such stereotypes are still accepted and perpetuated in Western media. Yes, there are a whole host of exciting wild animals, and gorgeous savannahs, in some regions of Africa. However, there are also huge cities, rolling beaches, historic ancient monuments and more. One region of Africa is not identical to another, and we shouldn’t stereotype a whole continent in this way. 3. It’s hot, dry and sunny all the time Photo credit: Kyle Taylor (Flickr) Band Aid may be a classic festive hit, but next time you find yourself singing ‘there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time’ remember that Africa is a diverse continent with a huge variety of landscapes and temperatures. Take a look, for example, at this stunning snowy landscape on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania!
4. Africans have no access to modern technology. Technology in Africa is actually an incredibly fast growing market, with many global technology giants making big investments in the continent. Did you know that people in Kenya are 4 times more likely to own a mobile phone than to have access to a toilet or latrine? As of 2013, 80% of African people had access to a mobile.
Mobile technology is also being used in very innovative and exciting ways to help end extreme poverty across Africa. Check out this story of mobile insurance creating financial stability for people in Ghana!
5. In order to develop, Africa should become like the West Tana River, in Kenya, is one source of the country’s hydroelectric power. Image credit: Bedford Biofuels There are so many arguments against this presumption. Let me focus on one - many African countries are far ahead of Western
men, dispelling myths about themselves. Pretty cool, huh?
11.Everyone in Africa has AIDS At the end of 2013, Justine Sacco, a PR director from InterActiveCorp, posted this tweet just before boarding a flight to South Africa. Understandably, the world’s reaction escalated quickly from disbelief... ...to strong accusations of racism.
Oh. Hell. No. Did this Justine Sacco person just say that? Did she really fix her keyboard to type that mess? Whyyyyyyyy? You racist bitch!
— Amish Donut (@Lilikins8) December 21, 2013 After a worldwide twitter storm hit Justine, she did apologise for her remark. However, this appallingly insensitive tweet represents a terrible stereotype that is all too common. Not everybody in Africa is sick. Furthermore, we should treat those who do suffer from HIV, or any other illness, the way we would want to be The stereotype of African people as helpless and dependent treated - with dignity and respect. on Western help is one that has been built by decades of well meaning but arguably dangerous charity advertise12. All governance in Africa is bad. ments in the West. Bombarded by images of sad, dirty chil- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speaking at the opening of Libera’s first dren with eyes that call you to urgently donate money, it’s tuition-free girls’ school, the More Than Me Academy. Photo no surprise that this is a common belief. The debate around from More Than Me. how development charities should advertise is a complex Let me dispel this myth with an example of one leader who is one, but these photos often ignore the fact that African peo- making incredible progress for her country. The current President ple can and do help themselves. of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is an inspirational woman who is leading Liberia out of the devastating damage caused by civil In 2010, Africans who lived outside the continent sent war, and kicking ass at it. President Sirleaf was awarded the 2011 $51.8 billion back to Africa. Meanwhile, $43 billion was Nobel Peace Prize for her “non-violent struggle for the safety of sent in aid from Western countries, known as Official women and for women’s rights”, and listed by Time as one of the Development Assistance (ODA). Yes, you read that right - top 10 female leaders in the world. African people who now live outside the continent send more money back to their families than the whole Western 13. Everyone in Africa lives in a mud house in the middle of world sends in aid. nowhere. Embed from Getty Images There are also countless examples of grassroot projects Where would you guess this city is? The US? Europe? Asia? established by African people, for African people. One is Nope - this is Lagos, in Nigeria, and it has a population of 21 milHawa Abdi, an incredible Somalian woman who establion - more than double that of urban London! In 2008, 39% of lished a health clinic in the 1980s. It’s now grown to the African population lived in urban areas, and this is rapidly encompass a school, refugee camp and hospital for over increasing. 90,000 women and children made homeless in the war. 14.There’s no partying in Africa Incredible, huh? Before I first visited the continent, I never thought about Africa 8. ‘African’ is a language (and African people don’t speak having parties, bars or clubs. I presumed they just didn’t exist, but boy was I wrong! Having spent nine years of my life working English) with Nakuru Children's Project in Kenya, let me tell you that most A student at Cambridge University challenges African stereotypes. Photo from Tumblr (We Too Are Cambridge) of my Kenyan friends know how to party hard. And by partying I don’t just mean pubs and clubs - I mean finding a reason to sing, dance and celebrate at any time of day! There are over 2000 languages spoken across the African continent, and ‘African’ is not one of them. This is the 15. It’s all doom and gloom equivalent of presuming that people who live in Europe speak ‘European’. English is also an official language in 24 This satirical meme reminds us of the common humanity that we African nations and taught to a high level in schools across all share, no matter where we’re born. Every 60 seconds bad things happen all over the world, not just in Africa. But an awful the continent. lot of good things happen too! 9.Africa’s not that big https://www.globalcitizen.org/ This is the real size of Africa. Pretty big, right? 10. African men always carry machine guns This brilliant video by Mama Hope is made by African
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Meet Nigerian Olaoluwa who is one of the youngest PhD holders
Hallowed Olalouwa, is a Nigerian genius who got his first degree at the age of 14, making him one of the world's celebrated in the academia - The 30-year-old man, after he had bagged masters in both mathematics and physics at 19, came back to Unilag in 2011 to study for his PhD - Within the space of three years, he was able to get his doctorate degree, making him the youngest in Africa with such feat Hallowed Olaoluwa, a 30-year-old Nigerian, is one of Africa’s youngest doctor of mathematics and a professor. According to a LinkedIn post by Adebayo Ilupeju, he got his bachelor degree at the age of 14, double bachelor's degree at 17, before he went ahead to get his masters in mathematics and physics at 19. It should be noted that he got two masters as a teenager, making his a very special case in the Central African Republic. He was born on September 27, 1989. He came back to his birth country, Nigeria, in 2011 and got his PhD at the University of Lagos in mathematics within the space of three years. That made him the youngest student with a doctorate degree in Africa in the field at the age of 24.
A collage of Olaoluwa at different phases of his academic pursuit. Photo source: Next Einstein Forum Source: UGC Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Austin Chibuike Ikpeama is another Nigerian making waves internationally in the academia. According to his brother, Ikpeama O Tochuckwu, Chibuike got his PhD at the young age of 24 after finishing strongly from the University of Sciences, Philadelphia. An Imo-Indigene, he got a doctorate degree in physical therapy. He is from Chokoneze community in Ezinigittee Mbaise local government. He was born and raised in the US. Another Nigerian with the name Seye Oduyale has achieved great success as he graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The Nigerian's achievement came after he had sent out applications to eight different medical schools and got admitted into Johns Hopkins. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news Seye’s mum gave the push he needed to succeed as she urged him to apply to the top American school. In a Twitter
post Wednesday, May 20, the young Nigerian spoke about how his mum encouraged him to achieve his dream. During his application process, Seye quoted his mum as saying: "Send one to Johns Hopkins. You never know what God is capable of.
A collage of Olaoluwa at different phases of his academic pursuit. Photo source: Next Einstein Forum Source: UGC Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Austin Chibuike Ikpeama is another Nigerian making waves internationally in the academia. According to his brother, Ikpeama O Tochuckwu, Chibuike got his PhD at the young age of 24 after finishing strongly from the University of Sciences, Philadelphia. An Imo-Indigene, he got a doctorate degree in physical therapy. He is from Chokoneze community in Ezinigittee Mbaise local government. He was born and raised in the US. Another Nigerian with the name Seye Oduyale has achieved great success as he graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The Nigerian's achievement came after he had sent out applications to eight different medical schools and got admitted into Johns Hopkins. eye’s mum gave the push he needed to succeed as she urged him to apply to the top American school. In a Twitter post Wednesday, May 20, the young Nigerian spoke about how his mum encouraged him to achieve his dream. During his application process, Seye quoted his mum as saying: "Send one to Johns Hopkins. You never know what God is capable of." Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1348349-meet-nigerian-olaoluwayoungest-phd-
He also hinted at the cost of the degree being the sum of $300,000 (N116,409,000). Seye thanked his mum and everybody who have made sacrifices for him along the way. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1348349-meet-nigerian-olaoluwayoungest-phdhttps://www.legit.ng/
Nigerian man Otto Orondaam builds virtual class for 948 kids in Africa July 2020
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Otto Orondaam has announced the launch of a virtual learning classroom that would help kids during the present coronavirus period - The initiative will be able to help 948 kids learn from home, an idea that will go a long in helping them access education - Otto said that his organisation, Slum2School, will not be resting on its oars as they plan to build capacity for 10,000 kids.
The founder of Slum2School, Otto Orondaam, has proffered a very big solution to the problem of learning in this period when children are forced out of school by the coronavirus. He announced his organisation has made it possible for 948 kids to learn remotely with their first Virtual Learning Classroom in Africa. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1347435-nigerian-man-otton-builds-virtual-class948-kids-
A collage of Otto Orondaam in the virtual classroom. Photos sources: Twitter/Instagram/Otto Orondaam Source: Twitter Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that secondary schools under the control of the federal government will not be reopening for the forthcoming WAEC examinations, the minister of education, Adamu Adamu, announced. Top presidential aide Tolu Ogunlesi made this known via a thread of tweets on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening, July 8. The minister also called on the management of WAEC to suspend the exams just as he urged state governments to toe the federal government's line. The tweets partly read: "There’s an EDUCATION UPDATE: Minister of Education has just announced that schools under control of the Federal Govt will NOT be reopening for the forthcoming WAEC Exams. Says WAEC should suspend exams, and urges State Govts to toe the FG line." In other news, Evangelist Adekunbi Akin-Taylor, the owner of Charlie Marie Group of Schools, Likosi in Sagamu, Ogun state, has lightened the burden of many parents. The proprietor gave out palliatives to 27 of her workers and 100 parents whose children are her students, she told the media. She said that some of her students come to school really hungry and giving out the relief materials was her own way of contributing to their parents' welfare in this trying time.
It should be noted that each package contained rice, beans, indomie, oil, salt, biscuit, sweet, and garri. She said she paid her workers full salary in March and 60% and 70% in April and May respectively. Olajumoke Amos, a parent, thanked the proprietor for taking care of their needs, saying that despite the fact the woman is not in the country, she still extended her love to them. Akin-Taylor has not been able to take her school’s learning online because she said parents cannot afford it. COVID-19: Parents speak on allowing their children return to school Read more:
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Shakira ‘stole’ Cameroonian song ‘Zangalewa’ for World Cup anthem. Here’s what happened after
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Two Nigerians in Jamaica charged with lottery scam
Two Nigerians in Jamaica have been arrested and charged with lottery scam. According to local news platform, The Gleaner, the suspects, Folashade Bakare, 34, and Yusuf Abiodun Bakare, 32, who are originally from Lagos and were residing at Bogue Heights in St James, were arrested at the Sangster International Airport on Wednesday.
When Colombian pop star Shakira attempted to pass the 2010 official World Cup anthem off as hers, saying she was inspired on a return from a barn to her home, many people online found the claim to be curious.
Curious because in 1986, the Golden Sounds, a group made of Cameroon’s President guards formed in 1984, recorded a tune called Zangalewa. The song became an instant hit across Africa and beyond prompting the group to rename itself Zangalewa.
The song supposedly was made for African soldiers who fought to liberate Europe from being colonized by the German force in 1945 (Cameroonian riflemen who took part in the Second World War). It was also directed towards African soldiers who seized power and oppressed their people in the interest of colonial forces on the continent. Released shortly after television found its way in the country, viewers took interest in the song for its danceable rhythm and also for the dance moves and costume of the singers. They would often wear military clothes, stuffing clothes so their stomachs and appear ridiculously big from riding trains or eating too much, African Brew explained.
When Shakira released a rendition of the song in 2010 – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – without permission from Zangalewa, it led to, according to reports, an online campaign for the African group to be duly compensated over issues of copyright and plagiarism.
The beat and the melody, particularly the chorus, heard in Shakira’s Waka Waka are all very similar to the original version Zangalewa. The online pressure yielded fruit in May 2010 when Sony, Shakira’s management and members of the group,
Zangalewa, reached an out-of-court settlement.
The music video for Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) directed by Marcus Raboy remains popular on YouTube, receiving 2.5 billion views as of May 2020.
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) featuring Zolani Mahola of the South African group Freshlyground peaked at number one on record charts of fifteen countries worldwide. In the United States, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million units in the country. It was the biggest song of 2010 in seven countries.Zangalewa, the Makossa group from Cameroon (Jean Paul Zé Bella, Dooh Belley, Luc Eyebe and Emile Kojidie) released four albums – the one that included the song in question was awarded ‘record of the year’ in Cameroon.
The song was also popular in Colombia where it was known as The Military, brought to the country by West African DJs where Shakira, a native, likely heard the tune.
The suspects were rounded up at the cargo section of the airport after customs officers found bank cards in packages they were reportedly picking up after conducting a search. The police were later called in after they could not adequately account for the items.
Investigations subsequently carried out uncovered identity information belonging to other people. Additional devices containing identity information of people residing overseas were also reportedly found at their home after a search. The suspects have been charged with breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act and the Immigration Act and will appear at the St James Parish Court on Wednesday to answer to the charges, according to local reports.
The most popular Advance-fee fraud in the Caribbean nation, lottery scam rakes in an estimated $300 million annually in funds swindled from unsuspecting individuals, typically old and vulnerable foreigners. The scheme involves scammers calling victims to convince them they’ve won a lottery, but need to make an upfront payment of fees or taxes in order to be able to receive the cash or prizes.
The scam is very prevalent in Montego Bay, the capital of Saint James Parish and the island nation’s tourism capital, popularly referred as the country’s “friendliest city.” Young locals from some of the deprived and violent communities in the city – which has been under a state of emergency since 2018 to curb the surge in violent crime – are usually recruited to join the scheme.
Locals and police blame the violence in the city on gang conflict culminating from reprisal shootings and the lottery scam, Miami Herald reports. https://face2faceafrica.com/
FRANCIS AKHALBEY
https://face2faceafrica.com/
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Ghana To Produce Electricity From Cocoa
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The Ghana Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), producers of the world famous Golden Tree Chocolate, has announced an agreement with Captive Energy to produce 4 Megawatts to power its Tema plant using cocoa husks and bean shells as biomass fuel feed stock. The project is estimated to take 16 months to complete. The CPC Boss Nana Agyenim Boateng made this revelation during an appearance on Diaspora Weekly, a DNT program that features members of the African diaspora who are providing significant contributions to the development of Africa either at home or from abroad.
The project will generate guaranteed output of 3.5MW of electricity on a 24-hour basis, a minimum of 12 tons of steam per hour, Hot Water, and Chiller (cold water including ice cubes) with the byproducts being fertilizer and charcoal.
Horus Energia will use a CHP system, commonly referred to as cogeneration or Poly-generation, which consists of a gas generation set equipped with a heat recovery system to use the heat that is usually lost.
The technology to be deployed will produce syngas to power generators for the generation of electricity, and the heat rejection from the power generators will be channeled to a heat recovery generator to generate additional steam of 3 tons per hour.
Captive Energy as the Independent Power Producer (IPP) shall lead the collaboration of both Horus Energia of Poland and GP Green Energy of Austria to design, construct, install, and commission the project as required within 16 months as prescribed under the 72-month BOT arrangement.
Captive Energy shall also procure acceptable financial instruments to meet the payment requirements of both Horus Energia and Green Energy of their scope.
Nana Agyenim Boateng further stated that the project would not impact production levels of their current cocoa products because the actual cocoa beans would not be a part of the ingredients to be used as biomass fuel feed stock. “The possibilities are exciting when you consider that Ghana produces roughly 800,000 metric tonnes of cocoa,” Nana Agyenim Boateng said.
“This 4MW project will have raw materials of cocoa pod husk
and cocoa bean shells. The cocoa pod husk of this project accounts for only Eastern Region’s cocoa production. In addition to this will be the cocoa shells which form an average of 11% of the cocoa bean and that is what will be added to the cocoa pod husk and used as raw materials to generate the 4MW and all these byproducts,” he added.
Indeed with Ghana and neighboring Ivory Coast producing 60% of the world’s cocoa, the electricity generation potential of the least used portions of the cocoa product presents some exciting prospects for power generation in the two countries.
DNT News, Tema.
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Nii Sackey: Ghanaian man who worked as Uber driver to earn master's graduates with 3.72 GPA
Nii Djormor Sackey is a young Ghanaian man who recently graduated with his master's degree with a GPA of 3.72. - The young Ghanaian genius earned his postgraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in the US - YEN.com.gh throws the spotlight on his journey, struggles, and success story Our manifesto: Determination coupled with resilience triumphs over even the toughest obstacles and young Ghanaian creative, Nii Djormor Sackey, embodies these traits. Sackey has beat major odds and is finally living a thriving life with his dreams in sight. While growing up, he received his early education as a teenager at Accra Academy where he studied Visual Arts. Nii Djormor Sacke Photo credit: Instagram Source: Instagram He later moved to China to pursue a degree programme in Petroleum Engineering Oil and Gas at Liaoning Shihua University where he graduated with a GPA of 3.54. After successfully earning his undergraduate degree at the prestigious university in China, Sackey returned to Ghana for six months to work as a master of ceremonies (MC), hosting events with A-list event MCs such as Fifi Folson and Dela of TV3. Sackey later travelled to the United States to pursue his postgraduate degree at the University of Central Oklahoma where he attained his MBA in Energy Systems and graduated with a GPA of 3.72. While pursuing his master's, the resilient young man worked as a teaching assistant in the Math and Science department. Sackey taught general physics and physical chemistry at the university. He also worked at Walmart as a truck unloader in the afternoon and attended classes in the evening. He com-
bined that with his Uber driving work and post-mates after classes. In spite of the challenges that came with combining several jobs and his studies, Sackey overcame the odds and successfully earned his postgraduate degree. Sackey typifies Black excellence and is an exemplary persona whose story has inspired many.
In another story, a female body repair and spraying technician named Madam Esther has won the hearts of many on social media with her rare skills in a male-dominated field. The highlyskilled woman, who works as an auto body repair and spraying technician at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region, has been videoed carrying out her daily routine at a workshop. YEN.com.gh gathers that Madam Esther has been working as a spraying technician and serving drivers in the Nkawkaw area with her rare expertise for over a decade. https://yen.com.gh/
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Reigning from the age of 1, meet the Swaziland king who had 70 wives, 210 children and 1000 grandchildren
Afrikan
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Sobhuza II, Paramount Chief of Swaziland via Wikimedia Commons
King Sobhuza II of Swaziland (now eSwatini) is a man well-known for his eccentric life and times. His reign is said to be the longest for any recorded modern African ruler – 82 years and 254 days.
Sobhuza married 70 wives, who bore him 210 children between 1920 and 1970. At his death in 1982, he had more than 1000 grandchildren. A paramount chief of the Swazi people from 1921 and king of Swaziland from 1967, his rule saw Swaziland gain independence from Britain. Sobhuza’s father, King Ngwane V, died in February 1899, at the age of 23, dancing during the yearly incwala (First Fruit) ceremony. Sobhuza was born on July 22, 1899, and was named as heir on September 10, 1899, under the regency of his grandmother, Labotsibeni Gwamile Mdluli.
However, the outbreak of World War II saw him being declared the ‘native authority’ within Swaziland, giving him an unprecedented level of power in a British colony. In 1967, in the final run-up to independence, Sobhuza II was recognized by the British as a constitutional monarch. When independence was finally achieved on September 6, 1968, Sobhuza II was king and Prince Makhosini Dlamini was the country’s first Prime Minister.
“From the beginning, Sobhuza II meddled in the governance of the country, insisting oversight on all aspects of the legislature and judiciary. In April 1973, he abrogated the constitution and disbanded parliament, becoming an absolute monarch of the kingdom. In 1977 Sobhuza II set In 1903, Swaziland became a British protectorate, and up a traditional tribal advisory panel — the Supreme Council of State, or Liqoqo. The Liqoqo in 1906 administration was transferred to a British was made up from members of the extended High Commissioner, who took responsibility for royal family, the Dlamini, who were previously Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland. Sobhuza will fight for the return of the lands which European members of the Swaziland National Council. He settlers now lay claim to thanks to the 1907 Partitions also set up a new tribal community system, the tiNkhulda, which provided ‘elected’ representaProclamation. Sobhuza II was installed to the throne, as paramount tives to a House of Assembly,” writes chief of the Swazi (the British did not consider him a ThoughtCo. king at that time) on December 22, 1921. He failed in “Sobhuza II oversaw traditional festivities and rituals, and practiced traditional medicine. He his bid to have the Brits see reason as overseas dismaintained a tight control on Swaziland politics putes could not be adjudicated in English courts.
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by marrying into notable Swazi families. He was a strong proponent of polygamy. Records are unclear, but it is believed that he took more than 70 wives and had somewhere between 67 and 210 children. (It is estimated that at his death, Sobhuza II had around 1000 grandchildren). His own clan, the Dlamini, accounts for almost one quarter of the population of Swaziland.” Throughout his reign, he worked to reclaim lands granted to white settlers by his predecessors. Under Sobhuza II’s leadership, Swaziland developed its natural resources, creating the largest man-made commercial forest in Africa, and expanding iron and asbestos mining to become a leading exporter in the 70s. King Sobhuza II of Swaziland died on August 21, 1982 aged 83. Mswati III is Sobhuza II’s son and eventual successor.
MICHAEL ELI DOKOSI
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US Ambassador to eSwatini calls for constitutional reform to check king’s ostentatious lifestyle leadership example currently coming out of the palace” in a speech during an entrepreneur graduation ceremony in 2019. “While government has continued using its existing vehicle fleet, the palace sees fit to acquire more than a dozen Rolls Royce vehicles with a minimum price tag of 52.5 million emalangeni. To accompany this royal fleet, there is now an even larger fleet of official escort vehicles, purchased with public funds,” she said.
“We are supposed to take comfort in the fact that the Rolls Royces either came from His Majesty’s personal funds, or they were a gift and are the King’s personal business. However, should the people of Eswatini really be comfortable with such disregard for the perilous fiscal state of the country, particularly with so many of His Majesty’s subjects living below the international poverty line? Should people really believe that a possible multi-million dollar gift came without any strings attached?”
Lisa Peterson (left) wants constitutional reform to check the lavish spending of King Mswati III (right) -- Left Photo: sz.usembassy.gov | Right Photo: GovernmentZA on Flickr
The US Ambassador to eSwatini, Lisa Peterson, has called for a constitutional reform in the small, landlocked kingdom to check the lavish spending of King Mswati III. A known public critic of the king’s extravagant lifestyle, Peterson made her recent comments during a Facebook Live discussion with newspaper and magazine editors on July 23, Swazi Media Commentary reports.
they felt abandoned.”
“I thought it was a golden opportunity for people to mobilise to get something out of this moment of collective anger / anguish, pick your word, and nothing really happened,” she said, Swazi Media Commentary reports.
Peterson also cast a projection, saying: “I think you’re Last year, King Mswati III – who currently has 15 wives and going to see another kind of gift or purchase that’s going to raise ire again.” 23 children – incensed critics following his acquisition of over a dozen Rolls-Royce vehicles estimated to have cost The vehicle purchases in 2019 came at a time the kingaround $4 million. That was followed by another purchase of a fleet of BMWs which were to be reportedly used by the dom – formerly known as Swaziland – was facing civil unrest over plummeting economic conditions and kingdom’s army and police for royal escort duties. heightening poverty. The king also owns two private jets, with the second purchase, an Airbus A340 he took delivery of during his 50th The ambassador called for a reform that would place a birthday celebrations in 2018, estimated to have cost as cap on gifts the monarch and government officials are much as $30 million after VIP upgrades, according to Swazi entitled to receive. Section 9 (ii) of the kingdom’s conMedia Commentary. stitution stipulates emoluments given to the king from Peterson, who said she has personally had a discussion with the country’s budget cannot be reduced, according to the king about his spending, said she had a “concern about Swazi Media Commentary. Royal Family trips to Disneyworld in the middle of the drought [and] the number of royal children who for some “[The] gift law should specify that it will apply to everyreason go to the UN General Assembly.” one,” she said, adding that King Mswati III, who is immune from prosecution, should be held accountable The ambassador revealed the kingdom had received more by his fellow Swazis. than $500 million in financial aid from the United States over the past 15 years. Peterson encouraged Swazis to demand changes to that section of the constitution, saying: “That section of the “It does reach a point where you ask yourself why are we constitution fundamentally takes away any power parliaputting this money in,” she said. “Why are my taxpayer’s ment has over the purse and at a minimum people dollars going to this, my children’s tax dollars, heaven forshould be engaged on [saying] we think he has enough bid, my grandchildren’s tax dollars go to pay for healthcare already, we should place a cap on this. Change section in this country when someone [the King] clearly has a lot of nine of the constitution so actually there’s some room to money and doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with it move it down if necessary when you are in times of dire all.” fiscal need.” Touching on the Rolls-Royce purchases, she said: “I’m still An open critic of the king’s ostentatious lifestyle, not completely convinced they were a purchase,” adding: “There was anger, there was disappointment, one person said Peterson openly registered her displeasure with “the
She also added: “It is exceedingly difficult for development partners to continue to advocate for assistance to Eswatini when such profligate spending, or suspicious giving, is taking place. Would King Sobhuza [Mswati III’s father] have made such lavish purchases? We know from his own words that he saw such “attachment to luxury” as the pitfall for empires. More recently, a very eloquent liSwati related that such ostentatious acquisition felt like a spit in the face of this country’s people. As someone whose government has partnered with Eswatini to respond to the needs of His Majesty’s subjects, I can say that we feel this sting as well.” King Mswati III ascended the throne at the age of 18 after his father’s demise and he rules eSwatini with absolute political and military authority.
He changed the name of the country Swaziland to eSwatini during the double celebration of his 50th birthday and an early version of the kingdom’s 50th independence anniversary in 2018. Source: https://face2faceafrica.com/
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Statue of Italian journalist who bought and married 12-year-old Eritrean is the next target of activists
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Johnson is yet to state whether he still stands by the comments he made in the piece as pressure mounts on him to come clear on his views.
“Boris Johnson is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The history of the UK, Windrush, empire, colonialism should be told with sobering accuracy,” Labour MP Dawn Butler told The Independent.
“In order to make sustainable progress we need the current PM who has power and privilege to reflect on what he has said and written.
Boris Johnson enjoys a presentation of traditional Gambian wrestling on his first visit to Africa. Pic credit: Marika Tsolakis
The statue of one of Italy’s most revered journalists, who bought a 12year-old Eritrean girl to be his wife during Italy’s colonial occupation in the 1930s, is being targeted by protesters – for the second time. In 2019, on International Women’s Day, protesters splashed Indro Montanelli’s statue with pink paint and over the weekend, it was painted red and sprayed with the words “racist” and “rapist,” with a petition calling for its removal.
Montanelli, who died in 2001 at age 92, was a noted foreign and war correspondent who, according to the AP, “chronicled contemporary Italy from its colonial era through fascism, Italy’s postwar reconstruction and the anti-corruption scandals that overturned Italy’s political class in the 1990s.”
His legacy is, however, being called to question as he acknowledged buying the Eritrean girl to be his wife when he was 24 and leading a battalion of Eritreans during the Fascist regime’s colonial rule.
Montanelli, who worked for many years at Corriere della Sera, before becoming the founding editor of Silvio Berlusconi’s Il Giornale, said during a 1969 interview that he didn’t find anything wrong with his relationship with the girl named Desta.
“I think I chose well. She was a beautiful girl of 12 years,” Montanelli said during the interview, adding with a smile: “Excuse me. But in Africa it was another thing.”
When Eritrean-born journalist Elvira Banotti, who was in the audience during the interview, accused him of rape and violent colonialist behavior, Montanelli argued that there was no rape because girls in Eritrea married at the age of 12.
He said marrying the girl was part of the region’s tradition and this was common among Eritrean soldiers, even though it would have been seen as rape in Europe.
Today, in the wake of global anti-racism protests that have targeted monuments connected to slavery and colonialism, there is a petition to have Montanelli’s statue removed from a city park near where he was once attacked by the far-left Red Brigades. https://face2faceafrica.com/
Opposition MPs in the UK are not happy with Boris Johnson over comments supporting Britain’s colonial activities in Africa. While a Tory MP, Johnson wrote in a 2002 article that colonialism in Africa should never have ended, arguing that Africans would not have grown the right crops for export if Britain had not directed them.
“The continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience,” he wrote while editor of The Spectator magazine. “The problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more.” In the wake of global anti-racism protests that have targeted monuments connected to slavery and colonialism, the British prime minister argued this week that such colonial-era figures should not be toppled because they “teach us about our past with all its faults”. However, his 2002 article shows that Johnson has held the belief that British colonialism wasn’t a disaster while dismissing Britain’s role in slavery.
“Consider Uganda, pearl of Africa, as an example of the British record. Are we guilty of slavery? Pshaw. It was one of the first duties of Frederick Lugard, who colonised Buganda in the 1890s, to take on and defeat the Arab slavers,” the former journalist and columnist says in the article cited by the Independent.
“And don’t swallow any of that nonsense about how we planted the ‘wrong crops’. Uganda teems, sprouts, bursts with vegetation. You will find fruits rare and strange, like the jackfruit, hanging bigger than your head and covered with green tetrahedral nodules. Though delicately perfumed, it is, alas, more or less disgusting, and not even Waitrose is pretentious enough to stock it.”
“So the British planted coffee and cotton and tobacco, and they were broadly right. It is true that coffee prices are currently low; but that is the fault of the Vietnamese, who are shamelessly undercutting the market, and not of the planters of 100 years ago. “If left to their own devices, the natives would rely on nothing but the instant carbohydrate gratification of the plantain … the colonists correctly saw that the export market was limited.”
The loud and controversial former London Mayor and UK foreign secretary further writes: “The best fate for Africa would be if the old colonial powers, or their citizens, scrambled once again in her direction; on the understanding that this time they will not be asked to feel guilty.”
“I urge the PM to review his previous articles, books and statements and to re-examine them through the brutal lynching that he watched of George Floyd and say whether he regrets anything of what he has said, done or written in the past.”
In July 2019 when Johnson emerged as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom after a leadership contest, there was controversy surrounding his premiership due to some racist, homophobic and sexist statements he has made in the past.
Touted by some as ‘the British Trump’, Johnson has many times made infamous comments about Africa that denigrated the continent.
In 2002, before the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird.”
His comments were condemned as racist and Johnson was compelled to apologize when he ran for mayor of London six years later.
Writing on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visits around the world, Johnson used the term “piccaninnies,” a racist term used to describe black children.
He wrote in the Daily Telegraph in 2002: “What a relief it must be for Blair to get out of England. It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies; and one can imagine that Blair, twice victor abroad but enmired at home, is similarly seduced by foreign politeness.”
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U.S Drone Builder is a Nigerian, an African Giant With 6 Masters Degree, 3 PhD
July 2020
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He was a facilitator for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – sponsored Ohio Leadership for Integrating Technology Initiative (OLIT). He trained elementary, He has four graduate degrees, a Doctorate degree in middle, high school principals and assistant principals to curriculum and instruction from the University of facilitate the integration of technology into teaching and Cincinnati. He got his 5th and 6th Master’s degree in learning process workshops and seminars, coached robotsoftware engineering at Regis University and ics and served as software engineering mentors to robotics Information Systems at the Keller Graduate School teams. He was selected in 2008 to present at the world of Management and started his 7th master degree in robotics championships. January, 2017. He has been an integral member of the American armed He served as the Administrator of the Columbus City forces, building drones for the United States Army. These School System from 1992 to 2011, where he coordi- drones are used for surveillance to gather important infornated staff and student recruitment. He taught for mation, as well as take out terrorist camps. He is currently five years (1987- 1992) in the aforementioned school working on a military game and collision avoidance softdistrict. ware for drones. He keeps a low profile.
This home is newly built, carefully planned with appealing spaces. Upon entering this cozy home., you are greeted by an open plan lounge and dining room where your family and friends relax and socialize. The house has a separate visitor’s bathroom/toilet and a fully fitted and functional kitchen with a stress-free space to enjoy. Ready to leave in with electricity and water on a 100 x 50 ft plot of land situated on the main road to Millennium City, Kasoa, Built to last with original features in a quite desirable area.The home offers 4 bedrooms each with en-suite bathroom that has a shower, basin and toilet. Original plan was for an Airbnb.Main features are as follows:A beautiful kitchen, dining room and lounge.4 large bedrooms and four large bathroomsTank for water and hot water, molded ceiling3 biodegradable manholesBig purposely build underground water tank linked with water harvest pipesParking space for 3 cars, airElectric fence/fire & smoke alarm, air conditions, fansAntique and modern lights from London all in boxes ready to be fixedSmall landscaped garden (still growing)All finishing/fittings are from UK: other fittings still in import boxes.Contact Nana Kwasi on:703-725-6968 or Phyllis on WhatsApp 0447440225799 for further information.
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TYPES OF FINANCING OPTIONS AVAILABLE
Afrikan
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I am always honored and excited to have the privilege to share my expertise with readers of this platform. To many of us, it seems that the year is almost coming to an end and it feels like so many dreams, goals, vision that were on your heart have not materialized. Do not take worry to that, for to everything there is a season. If you were unable to accomplish your dreams this year, it is not the end of the world, the New Year is just right around the corner and the goal/dream is still within reach only if you are determined to work hard and connect to the right people to get it done. Here are some of the things I think would be helpful if you are planning on buying a real estate property in the year ahead. These don’ts will definitely set you on the right path to achieve your goals. Follow these instructions, believe in yourself, have faith and believe that you can do it. 1. Don’t apply for new credit: It may seem natural to apply for a credit card at a home improvement store or a furniture store when you are about to become a homeowner, but applying for credit can lower your credit score. Not only will you lose a few points because of a credit inquiry, but if you are approved for new credit, a lender may worry that you will spend up to your new credit limit and then default on your loan. 2. Don’t close any credit accounts: You may be feeling that this is a good time to get your financial house in order by closing unused credit accounts or transferring your debt to a new credit card with a zero-interest balance transfer offer. While that’s a smart move financially, it’s a bad one for your credit score because you lose points when you have a higher usage of debt compared to your limit on one credit card and to your overall credit availability. Wait until your closing is complete before you make these changes. 3. Don’t move your money around without a paper trail:
Your lender will need the most recent bank statements before you go to settlement, so if you have any unusual deposits you will need to provide complete documentation of where the money came from. If possible, it’s best to move the cash you will need for your home purchase into one account before you apply for a mortgage. If not, make sure you have complete and accurate records readily available. 4. Don’t increase your debts: In addition to your credit score, your debt-to-income ratio is extremely important to a loan approval. If you take on more debt you could be in danger of going above the maximum acceptable debt-to-income ratio. 5. Don’t skip a payment or make a late payment: One of the most important elements of your credit score is your histories of on-time, in-full payments, so don’t get so caught up in your move that you forget to keep up with paying basic bills. 6. Don’t buy a car: You may be feeling that a new car would be a nice addition to the driveway of your new home. Resist that feeling. Even if you can easily afford a new car, the depletion of your savings or the addition of a new car loan could derail your mortgage application. Wait until after you have moved to switch to a new car. 7. Don’t change jobs if you can help it: While a job change could mean a raise or a path to a better future, it could also delay your settlement. Your lender needs to verify employment and will need paystubs to prove your new income before your loan can go to settlement. 8. Don’t spend your savings: You’ll need cash on hand at the settlement for your down payment and closing costs and your lender may even verify your cash reserves one more time, so make sure the funds stay in place. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and it has provided helpful information in making your decision to home ownership a smooth one.
For more information about your real estate needs (buying, selling, leasing/renting a house) call me at 571-229-6694 or email at borderlessrealestate@gmail.com and I will help you get started. Thank you.
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Former Kotoko and Hearts ace Emmanuel Osei Kuffour marries in US
A former Kumasi Asante Kotoko ace, Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor on Saturday, August 1, 2020, got married to his fiancé in the United States of America.
The player who became a household name in the Ghana Premier League during his playing days bowed out as a celebrated icon having also featured for giants Accra Hearts of Oak.
Yesterday, he finally joined the table of men when he tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Gloria Fokuo in a ceremony held in Columbus, Ohio.
On the occasion, Kumasi Asante Kotoko legend, Stephen Oduro played the best man role for Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor.
The pair played together in the past and are very good friends. Other past Kotoko teammates who graced the occasion include Nana Arhin Duah, Aziz Ansah, and Samad Oppong.
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour enjoyed the most success during his time with Hearts of Oak where he lifted continental trophies such as the CAF Champions League, the CAF Super Cup, and the CAF Confederation Cup.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/
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1635 Woodside Drive Woodbridge VA 22191
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From A Drug Dealer To A Doctor: Read The South Africa Produces Its Inspiring Story Of Anton House First Ventilators July 2020
Anton House is a doctor of United States history, earning his to receive his high school equivalency diploma while in prison, and found motivation and accountability in the doctorate from Howard University, a historically black uniCommunity Re-entry Program once he got out, Journal versity in Washington, after serving time in prison for drug Times reported. He then entered the University of peddling. Wisconsin-Parkside in 2007 as a full-time student after As a teenager in the 1990s, he was caught in the gangster life being rejected from jobs with no work experience and two associated with every black community in the United States. felonies on his record, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in history. House sold drugs. According to the Journal Times, House’s mother supplied him with “real drugs” to sell so that he House moved to Washington and gained a master’s degree wouldn’t be killed for selling “licked off Lemonheads from Howard, followed by his doctorate in 2019. His discrushed to look like crack.” sertation was titled “Toward a Black Economy: William “If you’re going to do it, do it. Don’t play because people Washington Browne and His Vision of Black Self Reliance, will kill you,” House recalled his mother telling him. 1881- 1897.”
For fear of being killed, the 13-year-old got himself a gun. He wore bulletproof almost all the time as a protective measure. Growing up as a kid, House saw drug dealers in his Racine neighborhood living a life of affluence and he wanted some. They flaunt gold chains and so many other aesthetic materials.
“Seeing this, every kid wanted (that lifestyle),” House told Journal Times. “We identified what represented wealth.”
At the age of 15, House would be at a juvenile detention center, dropping out of High School at the age of 16. When he was 18 he went to prison for the first time. That was in 1998 for cocaine possession. And in 2001 he went back again.
“I was able to utilize my mind to take me someplace, and that’s what I try to impress on a lot of the boys and girls who come from, not only from Racine but some of the lower socioeconomic communities that I work in,” he said. “Your mind can take you as far as you fill it.”
The former drug dealer hopes to serve as an example for young black boys and girls from Racine and across the United States. His paternal ancestors were to have come to Virginia in 1790 as slaves. They were part of the largest mass migration in the history of the nation, the Trail of Sorrow when Africans and African American slaves were forced to walk from the Upper South to the Deep South.
House’s grandfather was said to have been born in Mississippi in 1921 and moved to Wisconsin in 1951 to take advantage of the industrial labor jobs in southeast Wisconsin.
It was in prison and after reading The Destruction of Black Civilization by Chancellor Williams that House’s evolution to a scholar began. Before his first encounter with the law, House said he was so negative and was a bad influence on “In finding my family’s history, I found my place in the his friends, getting them drunk and in effect luring to destruction. “I’d try to corrupt them because I was so miser- world,” House said. able myself,” he said. House set forth to take charge of his life and destiny, rewrite the story of the African Americans who have since the millennia being discriminated against. House began to ferociously seek enlightenment in books – book on black history, https://howafrica.com/ philosophy, and anything he could lay his hands on.
That determination to retell the black story as well as assume responsibility of his destiny proved critical in him being able
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South Africa has completed the first batch of ventilators which would be used to fight the COVID- 19, said the country’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel during a COVID-19 conference .
“Today, the first batch of completed ventilators are coming off the assembly line, part of an initial order of 10,000 units which have been engineered by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,” he said, adding that a second manufacturer is also producing a further few thousand.
South Africa now has the world’s fifth highest infection burden of around 480,000 confirmed cases. It launched a 250 million rand (14.7 million U.S. dollars) project in April to design and produce ventilators in the country.
Twenty thousand units in all will be produced.
Patel pointed out that the shortage of live prolonging ventilators should be a wake-up call to African countries to capacitate their manufacturing base.
“But today as we speak, South African-designed and manufactured ventilators are rolling off the production line. Over the next month, we expect many thousands of non-invasive ventilators to be delivered to hospitals and medical facilities across the country, brought together through South African ingenuity and by South African hands,” he said. https://howafrica.com/
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Using animation to change the African narrative -- the 'Modin Comics' story
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Jeffrey Abban shares revealed to TheAfricanDream.net that he was inspired by the late coming’s legend Stan Lee of Marvel fame and Jack Kirby to take this path, saying further that given the opportunity, “I will love to work with Roye Okupe and Jid Martin. This is because Roye and Jid, both stalwarts in the comic industry are driven by the same vision I hold of telling a new African story that is true.“
“My first important work is my collaborative work with my brother on the Kickstarter for Mighty Joo in an animated short titled ‘Galamsyed’ which tackled the issues of harmful mining practices of Galamsey (Small-scale mining) in Ghana,” Jeffrey reminisced. The projection of Jeffrey for Modin Comics this year is to come out with original stories for three of their characters; a debut novel unveiling Africa’s greatest superhero group, the African Defenders and another collaborative work with his brother’s Parable Studios that will feature the comic characters Mighty Joo and Asantewaa.
In concluding this inspiring and revealing interview, Jeffrey left TheAfricanDream.net with these words; “I would like to say, I am passionate about Africa and the opportunities present for us to change the unsavory narrative told on our behalf. The onus is on us to tell our story our way; the African way.”
In what has become stereotypical about Africa with wars, poverty, and others that demean the continent, many have put it upon themselves to in their own way help change that narrative, one of such many is Modin comics.
Jeffrey and Modin Comics are spread across various social media platforms. On Instagram, find them as modincomics_gh, they are move-in comics on Facebook and are on YouTube as Parables Animation Studio.
With the inspiration to challenge what they saw as unfair and untruthful stories peddled about Africa, Modin Comics is using graphic novels and animations to tell the world a whole newer and truer story about Africa.
Written by Oral Ofori
Modin Comics is a Ghana-UK based graphics agency owned by Jeffrey Abban who tells TheAfricanDreamw.net that ‘Modin‘ in the Ga language of Ghana means ‘black person‘.
Born and raised in Ghana, Jeffrey Abban, attended Soul Clinic International School for his basic education and Junior High School before pursuing High School education at Labone Secondary School in Ghana. At Labone he also studied for his sixth form education by majoring in geography, economics, and art.
Read also: How inspiration of Brandon Mkhululi Muchenje creates jaw-dropping pieces
From there, he went to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), then University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, where he studied what he describes as “passion” graphic design.
While in his second year at KNUST, he was poached by a graphic design firm in Accra called Legends after he was spotted on a field trip there. That was the beginning of a new working relationship with Legends that lasted for three years well after his graduation. He worked as a graphic designer and an illustrator for them. Before graduating KNUST however, Jeffrey told TheAfricanDream.net that together with his brother, they started producing a comic book series titled Mighty Joo. This project however did not see the light of day back then due to financial limitations and had to be shelved.
Inspired by the African proverb “until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter,” nurtured his Mighty Joo ambitions, and saw a moment to publish it when an opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) became a reality. “The UK wasn’t a bed of roses as I had imagined it, but it brought out my spirit of resilience that fed a burning desire to change the narrative about the African,” a feeling he shared with his brother.
It was their strongest desire to rise above all limitations that led to Jeffrey birthing Modin Comics in the UK whiles his brother, Jones Abban founded Parables studio back in Ghana. Both firms had the sole aim to “create a new breed of African superheroes indigenous in origin” with a strong belief that superheroes and their mind-blowing acts are in no way limited to skin color, race, or gender.
Read also: Meet Thomas Alicoe Appiah, one of Ghana’s avant-garde artists
They also want to use this means not just to change the African narrative but as well empower the young African, preserve history, and make culture fun to study and discover.
https://https://allafrica.com/
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Heroes of COVID-19: GoldCoast Literacy Program gifting children smiles
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TheAfricanDream.net shouts a loud kudos to the GCLP for drawing these men of prominence and women of determination into a common circle to ensure the success of the Immune Your Mind event under the theme #WashedHandsOnDeck to highlight the need for adhering to government protocols of social distancing. A burst of fresh air for kids, then on to the next one, hopefully sooner My heroes of COVID-19 include the entire team from GCLP including those who helped from the sidelines and the rest that couldn’t attend, everyone else that took time out of their busy schedules to show up in person in support of this event, and the children whose priceless smiles betrayed how much fun they had despite the difficulties, yearned for a return to school and above all, normalcy.
Daisy Mina Antwi is our COVID-19 hero at TheAfricanDream.net for June 2020. Daisy is Founder at the GoldCoast Literacy Program (GCLP) in Ghana, a nonprofit organization that focuses on enhancing and increasing child literacy and children literature in Ghana. The global pandemic did not steal the desire of GCLP to see every child enjoy and have fun reading in Ghana, so they ensured that that happened on June 14, 2020.
Daisy and I have been friends on LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals since late 2018, what drew us together was our mutual interest in communication. So when I got the opportunity to visit Ghana this past March it was only obvious that we made plans to meet face-to-face and explore ways in which we can connect in the interest of GCLP.
Our meeting went great, it was at a mall in Ghana’s capital Accra. Daisy informed me of the desire of her organization to launch its maiden program under the theme ‘Immune Your Mind‘ to benefit children, mostly underprivileged ones, in the bustling suburb of Nima, inside Accra. The event she said: “…will deal with the dwindling habit of reading among children today, I want to help change that and help encourage the culture of reading.“ How COVID-19 threatened a worthy cause We shared all these exciting ideas and visions for the program, only for the trip to be cut short by COVID-19, forcing me to fly out for the United States on the night Ghana’s President announced the closure of the borders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
All the above happened in early-March when TheAfricanDream.net visited Ghana on a business trip, I felt bad that this great idea for a beautiful program by GCLP wouldn’t go according to plan because of the pandemic. But life had other plans and for Daisy it was a moment to keep planning, to stay positive, and keep getting ready for a window of opportunity whenever one opened. She went on preparing for her event as though nothing was preventing it from happening, flooding my inbox with emails to update me on developments and using the power of social media by way of WhatsApp and Facebook to hold
virtual meetings with her amazing team to fine-tune plans for their Immune Your Mind event. Two months down the line in the early month of May, borders still shut and lockdown now loosening a bit for Ghanaians.
Read also: Heroes of COVID-19: South Africa’s Don Dada and daughter fight pandemic
By the last week of last month, it was not just a matter of how, but where the event was going to happen. Daisy had convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt that she and her team were just ready. Alas, it came, June 14, 2020, and the following day I received a WhatsApp message in which Daisy said, “the event was a massive success! It won great accolades from dignitaries and the kids loved it as we could tell from the smiles on their faces,” yes she sent photos to back this claim.
The charity outreach project started in the morning at exactly 8:00AM Ghana time, kids had lots of fun reading and receiving books and talking about themselves while engaging in activities like spelling craze, aerobics, debate, dance competition, musical chairs, educational talks, and many more.
Triumphed at last, despite this pandemic Gracing the occasion were dignitaries like the Chief Imam of the community in the person of Mallam Mohammed, the Assemblyman of the Ayawaso East electoral area Abdul Ganiyu Ibrahim aka Mallam Fari, Zongo community chief Sheik Yussifu Iddrisu Kamagate and so many children who were taken through fun exercising routines by Eric Adjei Marpe of Marpe Fitness Club, Ghana.
Captivating stories were later read to the children by the GCLP founder who later asked them questions to ascertain whether they were paying attention — those cute creatures sure were.
Hilda Hunte of Hunte’s Wigs and Cosmetics volunteered to enlighten the young girls on menstrual hygiene. Daisy relayed that “Hilda taught the young teenage girls how to keep themselves clean during monthlies. She encouraged them to cultivate the habit of changing sanitary pads regularly, adding that these and other measures will in the long run promote their reproductive health.“
The mere opportunity this event gave them to step out and mingle with friends while learning about cultivating the art of reading and walking away with materials and experiences to encourage it. This is simply epic if you ask me, considering that it was a maiden event for this newly minted nonprofit organization. GCLP told TheAfricanDream.net that all attendees were encouraged not to stigmatize survivors of the Corona Virus disease. Samuel Quaye, a volunteer at the event particularly told all to desist marginalizing COVID patients but rather accept them back into the community after they’ve been declared fully recovered. What a fantastic event, it only took less than 100 days to put together.
I think you should check our heroes and heroines of the GCLP out on Facebook by searching GoldCoast Literacy Program or www.facebook.com/GCLprogram233/ and extend a helping hand towards their worthy causes. The world could use a little hope, however little it might seem, because who knows, you help could make their next event happen in less than a 100 days.
Written by Oral Ofori
Written by Oral Ofori
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