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Vol 8 Issue 12

African Community News

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D e c e m b e r 2016

Vote Now! Antoinette Delali Kemavor For Miss World 2016

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 ar e committted to b r in gin g th e commu n ity th e bes t in N ews f r om Af r ica a n d th e D ia s p or a . Yo u may als o vis it o u r webs ite a t www.af r ik an po s t.com f or d a ily n ews u p da tes o n Af r ica .

D is cla imer : Th e o p in ion s ex pr es s ed in ar ticles a n d s to r ies in th is N ews pa per ar e th os e o f th e a u th o r s a n d d o n o t n eces s ar ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik an Po s t . All co mmen ts a n d s u g g es tio n s a r e welcome.

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D E PA R T M E N T S Vol 8 Issue 12

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT Australian Government Crowns Little Nigerian Comedian Emmanuella “Princess of Comedy”

Pg. 7

Gambian President Elect Pg. 4

Angola Wins Maiden Miss Africa Beauty Contest Pg. 7

No Pedestals Please!

Pg. 11 Okyeame Kwame Honoured by the Mayor of Cincinnati Pg.5

UPDATE

Dennis Bioh Envisions 'Last Tear' For African Immigrants In The US Pg. 35

The 66th edition of the Miss World pageant will take place on 18th December 2016 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, United States, Washington, D.C. Mireia Lalaguna Royo of Spain the regning Miss World will crown her successor.

Vote for your favorite Contestant before December 18, 2016 at 12:00 AM, so hurry and make your favourite win this poll.

One of our very own beautiful, gorgeous and talented Delali Kemevor from Ghana is contesting for the upcoming 2016 Miss World beauty pageant in Maryland

To vote for your favourite contestant, download the Miss World app, which is available on both iOS as well as Google Play Store. Once you download the app, you will get an option "Your Top 3" that help you to select your favourite top three contestants of this year.

For Further Information contact GTCradio (571) 338-3789

MIss Ghana is asking for your support through Miss Ghana Tourism USA

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Okyeame Kwame Honoured by the Mayor of Cincinnati

Ghanaian recording artiste, Okyeame Kwame was presented with the keys to Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America by its Mayor John Cranley yesterday.

The event was organized by the Black Nurses Association of Cincinnati in partnership with the Cincinnati Ghanaian community.

The ceremonial scroll and a key to the city is a symbol of Kwame’s unlimited welcome to the city. The honor lets him organize events, run cultural exchange programs among others in a capacity as an International Cultural Ambassador.

He also performed at a benefit concert to raise awareness and resources to aid the OK Foundation in its global effort to stem Hepatitis. His free Hepatitis B Campaign is intended to be extended to hit the West African region in 2017 after making remarkably successful strides in Ghana in the past 7 years.

As founder of the Non-Profit Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to the eradication of the dreaded Hepatitis B virus from Ghana, Okyeame Kwame has over the years organized mobile clinics to screen over 7,000 people – vaccinating over 1,500 across the country.

Mayor John Cranley declared the 17th November of each year an ‘Okyeame Kwame Day’; to solemnise his status as International Cultural Ambassador to the city.

Now, therefore, I John Cranley Mayor of the great city of Cincinnati do hereby proclaim November 17th 2016 as your day!”

“And we want to make sure you always come back to Cincinnati and we have an open door for you. So we’re also giving you a key to the city”, he added.

The presentation of the key to the city signifies the beginning of a new day where the African is given recognition for their positive contributions to development. It represents a freedom of expression for the thousands of the residing Ghanaians. It is a symbol of trade, and cultural unity between Ghana (through the Ashanti empire) and Cincinnati of Ohio State.

The 17th of November of the ensuing years will see a collaboration between the artiste and various departments on culture and health agencies to inspire people through his music.

Earlier this year, Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and award-winning actor, Abraham Attah had been given given the keys to Massachusetts in recognition of their respective accomplishments.

The “Key to the City” is an honor bestowed by a city upon esteemed residents and visitors.

Okyeame Kwame joins a list of other celebrities; Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian and several others.

Source:http://trase57.com

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Zambian Leader Lungu Cuts Salary By Half

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has reportedly asked that his salary be cut by half, as part of the governmentled austerity measures.

According to Xinhua.net, this was revealed by Deputy President Inonge Wina.

Wina told parliament that Lungu would reduce his monthly salary which was currently pegged at $45 000 a month by at least 50%.

She said that the Lungu led government was serious about reviving the struggling southern African country's economy.

"This government is committed to enforcing austerity measures and the president is the first national of the country to declare that even his salary be cut in half so that the country can observe that we have to make sacrifices as leaders," Wina was quoted as saying.

This came at a when the southern African country's economy was under performing due to the fall of the its main source of income, copper.

Bloomberg reported that the country's economy was expanding at the slowest pace in 17 years and was reining in a ballooning budget shortfall.

Meanwhile, according to Lusuka Times, Wina faced a tough time when an opposition lawmaker wanted to know about the government's alleged purchasing of at least 45 GX vehicles for newly appointed ministers.

Wina reportedly said that these were "unfounded" allegations.

"On the issue of buying new vehicles Mr Speaker, this is news to me. I am hearing about this for the first time because even Cabinet has never considered such a proposal," she was quoted as saying.

President's Salary Cut 'Delusional', Opposition Says Zambia's opposition, the Green Party, has criticised President Edgar Lungu's move to have his salary cut by half,

Zambia, depended on copper for more than 70% of its export earnings, and was among a number of African countries that were currently struggling after commodity prices plunged, leading to weakened currencies and gap- Source: News24Wire.com. ing budget shortfalls.

Economic expansion slowed to 3.2% last year from 5% in 2014.

How Do People Celebrate Christmas In Africa?

Along with Islam, Christianity is one of the two most widely practiced religions on the African continent. In 2000, there were an estimated 380 million Christians in Africa, and that figure is estimated to almost double by 2025. As a result, Christmas is celebrated throughout the African continent by Christian communities large and small.

On Christmas Day carols are sung from Ghana to South Africa. Meats are roasted, gifts are exchanged and family visits made. The Coptic Christians in Ethiopia and Egypt celebrate Christmas on December 25th according to the Julian Calendar, which falls on or near January 7th on the Gregorian calendar. Kwanzaa, the festive season celebration of African heritage observed in the United States, is not celebrated in Africa. And unless you're in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, there's little chance of anyone enjoying a white Christmas.

Even in some of Africa's predominantly Muslim countries, Christmas is still marked for celebration.

In the West African nation of Senegal, Islam is the main religion, and yet Christmas is a national holiday. This Mail & Guardian article shows how Senegalese Muslims and Christians have chosen to unofficially celebrate each other's holidays, laying the foundation for the country's enviable atmosphere of religious tolerance.

Gift Giving

Those who can afford it will generally give gifts at Christmas but the holiday is not nearly as commercial as it is in Europe or North America. The emphasis is more on the religious aspect of celebrating the birth of Jesus and singing in church than it is on gift giving. The most common gift bought at Christmas is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. In rural Africa, few people can afford frivolous gifts or toys, and in any case, there are very few places to buy them. Therefore, If gifts are exchanged in poorer communities they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and other practical goods.

Christmas Dinner

As in most Christian cultures, celebrating Christmas dinner with friends and family tops the list after attending church. In most countries, Christmas is a public holiday and people make the most of the opportunity to visit friends and family.

In East Africa, goats are purchased at the local market for roasting on Christmas day. In South Africa, families typically barbecue (or braai, as it is known locally), or salute their colonial British heritage with a traditional Christmas dinner complete with paper hats, mince pies and turkey or gammon. In Ghana, Christmas dinner is not complete without fufu and okra soup; and in Liberia rice, beef and biscuits are the order of the day.

Church Services and Caroling

The history of Christianity in Africa dates back to the 1st Century. What every missionary has found since that time is that Africans are very spiritual people.

Going to church is generally the main focus of Christmas celebrations in Africa.

Nativity scenes are played out, carols are sung, and in some cases dances are performed.

In Malawi, groups of young children go door-to-door to perform dances and Christmas songs dressed in skirts made of leaves and using homemade instruments. They receive a small gift of money in return, in much the same way that Western children do when carolling. In many countries, the processions after the Christmas Eve church service are a joyous occasion of music and dance. In The Gambia for example, people parade with large intricately-made lanterns called fanals in the shape of boats or houses. Every country has their own unique celebrations no matter how small their Christian population.

Christmas Decorations

Decorating shop fronts, mango trees, churches, and homes is common throughout African Christian communities. You may see fake snow decorating store fronts in Nairobi, palm trees laden with candles in Ghana, or oil palms loaded with bells in Liberia.

Source: http://goafrica.about.com/

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How Did Fake Us Embassy Operate In Ghana For A Decade?

News has travelled the world that an organised gang based in Ghana ran a fake embassy selling real US visas for $6,000 (ÂŁ4,700) for "about a decade". How did they get away with it for so long?

The US State Department says Ghanaian and Turkish organised crime rings were running the fake embassy complete with a US flag and a portrait of President Barack Obama "unhindered... for about a decade".

The faded building couldn't have looked more different to the real embassy.

But, as journalist Sammy Darko in Accra explained on Focus on Africa, the customers have most probably never been to an embassy before so didn't know what to expect.

"They also find white people there and they assume that it is the US embassy," he added.

The State Department's description of the operation gave more insight into how people were deceived.

"The fake embassy did not accept walk-in visa appointments; instead, they drove to the most remote parts of West Africa to find customers. They would shuttle the customers to Accra, and rent them a room at a hotel nearby. The Ghanaian organized crime ring would shuttle the victims to and from the fake embassies."

The State Department also said the criminals running the operation were able to pay off corrupt officials "to look the other way".

Have there been any arrests?

Several. That's as much as we know.

The State Department is vague about this, simply saying "when the task force conducted raids, they arrested several suspects".

They said that back on 2 November, and added that "several suspects remain at large".

They added that Ghanaian police have warrants for their arrest and plan to pursue them.

They also said an investigation and search for the Turkish organised crime group was "ongoing".

The BBC understands, over a month later, that this investigation is still continuing.

It appears to have been a big operation, as the State Department says the sham embassy advertised its services across Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo.

At the raid, officials found 150 passports from 10 countries.

Why are we talking about this now?

According to the time stamp, the State Department published the news of the arrests on 2 November.

The BBC's Thomas Naadi in Ghana's capital, Accra, says the arrests took place a few months earlier than this, in June.

The State Department said an informant tipped off investigators about both the fake US embassy and a fake Dutch embassy at the same time, although it isn't clear when this was.

It is a bit of a mystery why it was not picked up by media until 2 December. But when it was, it was widely shared on social media.

Three days later, and the media is getting more creative with their headlines.

The Washington Post has gone with "Mobsters ran a fake US embassy in Ghana for 10 years, flying the flag and issuing visas for $6,000".

Were the visas genuine?

The State Department said the embassy provided some customers "fraudulently obtained, legitimate US visas" as well as counterfeit visas, false identification documents (including bank records, education records, birth certificates, and others).

It says the operation paid corrupt officials to obtain legitimate blank documents to be doctored.

Did the customers care if the embassy was fake?

We don't know for sure whether the customers knew if the embassy was fake.

But if they did, they had strong motivations to proceed regardless.

Travelling to the US is a big thing for many Ghanaians who are desperate to reach the US as they are convinced it is an opportunity for them to better their lives, explains the BBC's Adelaide Arthur.

Also, being refused a visa can be very disheartening for prospective travellers and this often makes them vulnerable to scammers who promise them a visa, she adds.

How many people used this service?

The State Department has not commented on this.

We also don't know what kind of visas people were buying.

We may never know how many people are living in the US with visas issued from the fake embassy.

It is not clear if the US authorities will try and take any action against them.

How does it compare to the official procedure?

The official application has many stages.

When the BBC's Adelaide Arthur, who is Ghanaian, went through the procedure herself, the first stage was to pay a visa fee at the bank.

After paying the fee, she was given a code which would allow her to submit a form which she filled in on the US embassy's website. The type of form you fill in depends on your purpose of visit. Her visit was for media, so she applied for a visa Class I. But people applying to visit the US usually choose visa B1/B2.

After filling in the form, she uploaded a passport-sized photograph which had to conform to specific dimensions.

She was then allowed to set her interview appointment date which was within two weeks of submitting her application form online.

On the interview day, she arrived at the visa section of the embassy in the upmarket suburb of Cantonments in Accra.

"The imposing building that houses the US embassy is hard to miss when travelling around that area, where a number of missions are also located, including the South African, Italian and South Korean embassies," she said.

She attended the interview with her application submission confirmation, appointment confirmation, passport, visa fee receipt, as well as other supporting documents, including proof of employment and financial support.

Her fingerprints were taken before her interview with a consular officer.

In the genuine US visa application procedure you give your fingerprint Usually, the applicant is made aware of the decision after the interview with a consular officer.

In her first attempt, she was refused the visa immediately after the interview and was given back her documents.

Two subsequent applications were however, successful and she was told to come back two days later for her visa. http://www.bbc.com/

Australian Government Crowns Little Nigerian Comedian Emmanuella “Princess of Comedy”

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Angola Wins Maiden Miss Africa Beauty Contest

By Anietie Akpan and Tina Todo

Angolan beauty, Neurite Mendes, has emerged winner of the maiden edition of Miss Africa 2016, taking home a cash reward of $25,000 and a new Ford Escape car.

Little Emmanuella has just been crowned the Princess of Comedy by the Australian Government also Uncle Mark Angel himself was also Honoured with a leadership Award.

Fast rising comedienne became the youngest recipients of the Afro -Australia Music & Movie Awards (AAMMA).

The youngster was crowned in Sydney, Australia, She won 2 awards – Best new comedienne & Princess of Comedy.

The AAMMA AWARDS was established by Scrim Entertainment (owned by Daniel Okoduwa) to celebrate Artists of African origin irrespective of borders or National identities.

Other recipients in the past includes Hollywood icon Vivica A Fox, Ramsey Nouah , Anne Kansiime , Desmond Elliot, Pascal Atuma , TUFACE Idibia , John Dumelo , Mercy Johnson , Monalisa Chinda, Awilo Longomba , Emerson Bockarie, Jimmy B, Ejike Asiegbu and many others . The organisers described the talent of Emmanuella as simply phenomenal

Mark Angel Comedy Won Best Subsaharan Channel In The Just Conclude Youtube Awards.

by Bello Olusayo

Emmanuella is 6yrs Old,she was born on July 6 , 2010,Her real name is Emanuella Samuel. Young Emmanuella has won many awards including the G Influence Niger Delta- Special Talent Award in 2015.

Young Emmanuella is in Primary 1(Basic One),She attends Perfect International School, Port-Harcourt.

Basket Mouth & Kelvin Hart are her role models.. Bonus Her Favourite colour: Yellow, Red & Purple Her Favourite Food: Stewed Rice & Chicken A.

With her victory at the Calabar International Conference Centre on Saturday night, Mendes became the first Miss Africa Climate Change Ambassador in a ceremony hosted by the Cross River State government, themed: Green Economy, a Tool for Sustainable Development.

Governor Ben Ayade, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, and chairman of Davandy Group, Chief Asuquo Ekpenyong, were in attendance. Nollywood stars, Kate Henshaw, Juliet Ibrahim and Uti Nwachukwu, acted as judges in the contest, which featured 30 beauty queens from 30 African countries including Nigeria.

Miss South Africa, Refilwe Mthimunwe, and Miss Cameroon, Jencey Anwifoge, were first and second runners-up, carting away $15,000 and $10, 000.

"The journey towards a formidable climate change has started, hence all must join in this noble cause to create a new path of virility in Africa. Though there maybe temporal challenges but when you put your soul above your problems, your body will follow," said Ayade at the ceremony.

http://allafrica.com/

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Nigeria Beat Cameroon To Win The 2016 Women's Africa Cup Of Nations

Nigeria won the women's Africa Cup of Nations for an eighth time after a 1-0 win over hosts Cameroon in front of a capacity 40,000 crowd in Yaounde.

A late goal from Desire Oparanozie was enough for Nigeria to retain the trophy they won in Namibia two years ago.

The Super Falcons have dominated this competition, winning all but two of the ten editions played so far.

In a repeat of the 2014 final, Cameroon finished as runners-up again despite enjoying massive home support.

In front of Cameroon president Paul Biya, the hosts had the best of the first half, with a number of chances for Aboudi Onguene, but the Indomitable Lionesses failed to make the most of their opportunities.

In the second half, Oparanozie, who also scored Nigeria's winner against South Africa in their semi-final, hit the decisive goal again when she broke the deadlock seven minutes from time.

She followed through on a pass from the tournament's leading scorer Asisat Oshoala to give her team the trophy.

The winning goal from Nigeria was a huge blow for the hosts and the thousands of fans who filled the 40,000 capacity Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium more than five hours before kick-off.

Security in the stadium was stepped up for the final because of the presence of President Paul Biya and roads were blocked for several kilometres around the stadium since early morning.

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Thousands more supporters were locked outside after tickets were given out free as "invites".

There were three fan parks around Yaounde set up for people to see the game.

Ghana finished as bronze medallists after a 1-0 win over South Africa on Friday.

Source:bbcnews.com

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USAID Awards $4million To 8 Startups Providing Solar Power Across Africa

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a total of $4 million to eight startups that are revolutionizing household solar power across Africa through the Scaling Off-Grid Energy: Grand Challenge for Development.

Orb Energy (Kenya) is establishing partnerships with banks and microfinance institutions to finance consumer solar system purchases.

VITALITE (Zambia) is distributing pay-as-yougo solar home systems, televisions, solar lamps, and appliances for rural, off-grid communities.

PEG Africa (Ghana) is testing new digital payThe announcement was made by Power Africa ment tools that will help rural customers more Coordinator Andrew M. Herscowitz at the 22nd ses- easily pay for their solar home systems using sion of the UN Climate conference (COP 22) mobile money.

Shinbone Labs (Benin, Ghana) is directly selling “The Grand Challenge for Development is designed pre-packaged, expandable, low-cost solar kits that to support innovators like these eight companies can be remotely activated, monitored and, in the who are scaling up their inventions,” said future, paid by mobile phones.

Herscowitz. “The options for powering your home Village Energy (Uganda) is building a last-mile and business are changing, and these types of innosolar distribution and servicing network in rural vations will create opportunities to transform the Uganda by training young men and women to power sector in homes across the planet,” he said. become technicians and retail shop managers in their communities.

The Scaling Off-Grid Energy Enterprise Awards pro- USAID’s U.S Global Development Lab issued vide seed funding to solar start-ups to support geothe awards as part of a competitive process graphic expansion throughout Africa, test new busi- through the Development Innovation Ventures ness models and tap into private and public financprogram. Applications were evaluated based on ing. three criteria: cost effectiveness relative to traditional alternatives, the plan for collecting rigorous It is expected that The Enterprise Awards will create evidence of success, and proposed pathways to up to 120,000 additional connections in off-grid scale if proven effective. communities.

The Scaling Off-Grid Energy Grand Challenge is a $36 million initiative launched by Power Africa, The new awards will enable recipients to expand USAID, the United Kingdom’s Department for home solar power solutions to existing and new International Development (DFID), and the indeAfrican markets, improve payment and distribution pendent charity, Shell Foundation. The goal is to processes, and bring down costs for customers: empower entrepreneurs and investors in achieving 20 million connections so households in subSaharan Africa have access to clean, modern and Greenlight Planet (Nigeria,Uganda) is expanding affordable electricity by 2030. sales of low-cost solar home solutions through state of the art pay-as-you-go technology and deep distribution networks. d.light (Kenya) is developing and expanding on software, training materials, and a call center to support a direct distribution model.

Fenix (Zambia) is expanding energy access through its expandable solar solutions kits that include options to power phones, lights, radios, televisions, and other appliances.

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First Ever Black Female Doctor to Receive a Patent For a Medical Invention

Dr. Patricia Bath is the first African-American female doctor in U.S. history to receive a patent for a medical invention, In 1986, she invented the Laserphaco Probe which helps treat patients with cataracts in their eyes.

Her invention is a device that uses laser technology to create a less painful and more precise treatment of cataracts. It helps to restore the sight of individuals who have been blind for up to 30 years. The device actually has 4 patents altogether – all owned by her!

Other firsts

Before inventing the Laserphaco Probe, in 1973, Dr. Bath became the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology. According to Biography.com, she moved to California the following year to work as an assistant professor of surgery at both Charles R. Drew University and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1975, she became the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute.

In 1976, Dr. Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, which established that “eyesight is a basic human right.” By 1983, Bath had helped create the Ophthalmology Residency Training program at UCLA-Drew, which she also chaired – becoming, in addition to her other firsts, the first woman in the nation to hold such a position.

Her background

Patricia Bath was born in 1942 in Harlem, NYC. She was raised there her entire life by her parents, Rupert Bath, an immigrant from Trinidad, and Gladys Bath, who was half-African and half Cherokee Native American. Both her parents and her teachers saw early on how gifted Patricia was, and encouraged her to excel academically.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Manhattan’s Hunter College in 1964. She relocated to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University College of Medicine, from which she received her doctoral degree in 1968. During her time at Howard, she was president of the Student National Medical Association and received fellowships from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health.

What is she working on now?

Well, now Dr. Patricia Bath is 74 years old. She retired in 1993 from her position at the UCLA Medical Center and became an honorary member of its medical staff. That same year, she was named a “Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine.”

But she is still well-remembered for her contributions in the world of science and medicine!

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Launching of Believers Destiny Network

D e c e m b e r 2016

The Believer’s Destiny Network is a network of like minded ministers of God with noble aims and objectives to cover the earth with the Unstoppable Revival of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

These include:

Uniting Pastors and their churches Empowering pastors and Christian leaders to stay focused on the original vision of Jesus Christ Train and equip Pastors and Christian leaders to effectively reach their community and the world with gospel of Jesus Christ Standing up against the errors in our churches today by preaching Lordship of Jesus Christ Provide a nurturing environment for Christian leaders, ministers and churches to maximize their potential To provide Godly covering for ministers and ministries Establish chapters across the globe to effectively reach every corner of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To promote interaction and relationship to enrich the lives of ministers To provide a conducive atmosphere for unaffiliated ministers to experience a fulfilling relationship To encourage, strengthen and empower all member churches, ministries and ministers for numerical and spiritual growth To bring to order all member churches, ministries and ministers who are out of order.

To intervene and mediate ministry and church related problems where necessary To be involved in discipline of Fellowship members where necessary.

To sponsor Believer’s Destiny Conference globally and other gatherings to meet the challenges of our time.

To train the local church’s ministry of evangelism, education,missions, church planting To create father son relationship for mutual benefit in ministry To provide ordination for recommended and qualified ministers Believer’s Destiny Network is a fellowship of ministers and churches with a difference; for the people whose light has come to arise and shine for the world to see the glory and majesty of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.( Isaiah 60: 1-2). At a time when the spiritual landscape is littered with side issues and distractions from the main issue- the life and death and resurrection and Lordship of Jesus over all- the Holy Spirit is raising up a peculiar people who will embrace the Lordship of Jesus Christ and present Him alive to every person with signs and wonders and miracles.

The destiny of every believer is linked with the Lordship of Jesus Christ, to submit to His Lordship and to present His Lordship to every person for every knee to bow to Him and for every tongue to confess Him as Lord to the Glory of the Father( Philippians 2: 5-11).

It is the vision of Believer’s Destiny Network to gather believers from around the globe to empower and equip them to take Jesus to their Community and to positively impact their community. Jesus is the urgent need of our time. Our Family needs Him. Our neighbors need Him. Our nations need Him. And those who have Him must take Him to those who need Him. The Church that has Him must take Him to those who need Him. We are fully persuaded that through Believer’s Destiny Network, the Unstoppable Revival of the Lordship of Jesus Christ will break out in every nation with signs, wonders and miracles to crown Jesus Christ Lord over every life and Lord over every nation.

On Saturday November26, the Belivers Destiny Network was officially launched in Woodbridge , Virginia with over 25 ministers from the Washington Metro Area in attendance.

Modalities of their April 26-29th, 2017 Conference to be held in Woodbridge Virginia ware discussed. . For further information about the network call (703-628-6993, 571-278-1216) or send email to bdestinynetwork@gmail.com

Some Members of the Believers Destiny Network

Rev. Dr. Eric Clarke, the President of Believers Destiny Network

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No Pedestals Please!

T

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

here are lessons to be learned everyday and I, for one, think that we have to be willing to learn such lessons so that our eyes will become more open, our minds more advanced and our characters more mature.

As I was contemplating my topic for this month, I realized that I had two in mind. Having two topics to choose from is in itself an unusual occurrence, because I usually have to ponder for a while before I even get one.

However, a third topic intruded itself upon my decision making. Something within me said, “why don’t you write on the issue that you just experienced; it might help someone as much as it helped you.” I was quite reluctant, because although I relate first person experiences in the column, I don’t allow the personal experiences to determine the topic.

Rather, the topic comes and I somehow find experiences that can relate to them. But this month, the subject was motivated by a personal experience. So here it is and if it benefits you as much as it has me, then we can only thank God. Recently, I came to be a beneficiary of an experience that although unpleasant, I decided to take it as a hard lesson learned and to use it to caution myself and the course of my life. The fact is, it wasn’t so much that I made a deliberate and clever decision to embrace this experience as a teaching moment, but it was the only way I knew to perceive it. In retrospect, I think if I didn’t look at it that way and accept it as God teaching me something valuable, I believe I would have rather become angry, bitter and distressed. But somehow, that is not the way it turned out. Surprising myself a little, I did not become angry, bitter or distressed and even now, for me, I still view it as a teaching moment for a lifetime.

As human beings, one of our major flaws and sometimes, a cause of pain and even our downfall, is the trust we invest in people. I am not suggesting that we should not cultivate and invest trust in our fellow humans, but sometimes, we find ourselves trusting certain people so-wholeheartedly that we become sold to them emotionally and/or spiritually and as a result, we fail to see that they are fallible.

I don’t mean to imply that we go about daily believing people are perfect and without shortcomings. Common sense tells us this is not so, but what we sometimes do not realize is that somehow, somewhere in the depth of our minds and hidden parts of our hearts, we come to believe and accept that some individuals cannot, or at least, will not err. We come to hold this belief so strongly that we don’t realize that we have sold ourselves to those whom we are trusting. By so doing, we have unconsciously or even consciously allowed ourselves to be bought for the short or long term. Yes, giving a great deal of trust to another and holding them so high as if to say “as for so and so, she is so righteous or so honorable that she could never let us down”, demonstrates that we have allowed our blind belief in another cause us to be bought. Consequently, what we have done is set that person on a pedestal.

First of all, to do such a thing, that is, to elevate another

by setting them on a pedestal is not only unfair to ourselves, but it is also a disservice to the object of our respect. When we set those we admire on this artificially heightened post we assisted in creating for them and/or help them maintain, we sanction them as some heavenly beings, all because we are impressed with their talents, reputation and/or accomplishments. We are often in awe of them and so our image of them is magnified.

Although we have to accept our part in this error, we are not solely at fault. The truth is that we are drawn to them, because these persons present themselves enticingly. They portray themselves in an image that they have fashioned and they move about purposely to cultivate and reinforce that image.

These persons are ministers, “prophets”, leaders or average members of churches and the community. They are doctors, lawyers, singers, politicians etc. They are represented in all kinds of professions and part of their motive or purpose is to fashion an image of themselves so that they will win the confidence of others. When they are able to win that confidence, it empowers them and in essence, they begin to exercise their granted power by the trust invested in them. They begin to make statements and take actions which are not just bold, but questionable and sometimes dangerous.

What’s more dangerous is that they beget a following. The very fact that one has a number of people honoring them and sometimes to the extreme of idolizing them empowers them.

It further validates them on their pedestal. Instead of becoming humbled for such a favor and blessing to be bestowed upon them, pride and self-centeredness take hold and manipulation of ideas, truths, situations and even people become a constant part of their activities.

I said earlier that we are not solely at fault for falling victim to these personalities. Nevertheless, if we attempt to maintain our defense that we are rather victims of gullibility and power, we can be even more truthful and further acknowledge that it is our failure to await God’s wisdom on how to respond to and deal with such people which led us to our misstep. Furthermore, what we have also permitted to happen here is that we have put forth an image before God. For while we too often take the commandments “thou shalt have no other gods before me” and “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:3&4) literally, we do not realize that by granting such people statuses worthy of heavenly beings, we accept what they say as the word of truth with all our minds and hearts without consulting God. What we fail to understand even as we invest so much belief in another is what the word of God says. We don’t understand that accepting and trusting that image is tantamount to idol worshiping. Yes, we have idolized these individuals because of where we have them in our minds and hearts. What’s more, because we did not go to God first to inquire about them for the discernment we so much needed, we have put them before God. Furthermore, the Bible does not tell us not to trust our fellow man, but it tells us to be as wise as a serpent. We have also been instructed by the good book that we should beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Now, the wolves who portray themselves as sheep are those who have deliberately determined to influence, deceive and ultimately destroy. Not all those we come to trust blindly are necessarily in that category.

Nevertheless, we must count them in addition to the would- be-wolves the Bible warns us about. The word of God tells us in Proverbs 3:5 to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”

Interestingly, I always associated the scripture with trials and tribulations or making difficult decisions. My understanding of it was that we should always trust and believe in God even when we are undergoing something challenging or life-threatening and He will bring us out of it. My limited understanding of this scripture forced me to continue pushing it out of my mind each time it came to me during the composition of this article. While I was looking for a particular scripture I

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had in mind to support my argument, this scripture kept coming to me in a song. I kept dismissing it, shaking my head that it isn’t the one I needed for the article.

However, the more I searched for the other scripture, the more this one came to me. I pushed it away at least four times before I finally relented and paused to consider why it kept intruding itself upon me. Of course, with God behind that intruding scripture, it all made sense.

What the scripture adds to the topic is that instead of putting our trust in human beings, we should rather put it all in God. We should not lean to our own understanding of how we perceive people, how people have represented themselves to us, the good or bad or by the things they say or do. We should not depend on our understanding of things, for our understanding becomes our beliefs.

We understand one plus one equals two so we believe it.

We understand so and so is always giving others prophetic messages which appear to come true and so we come to believe that that person is definitely working for God. We could be wrong about that equation so we should never lean on to our own understanding but to trust in Him and Him alone.

That is not to say that we should be distrustful or worse, become overly suspicious of prophets or influential people, but that even as we see them seemingly doing the things of God, we should still ask God for discernment, for it is God who can tell us what is real and what is not. It is He who can truly reveal to us who is of Him and who isn’t. It is only God who can assure us who is for his own self-promotion and interest and who is truly a selfless and true servant wanting to do good for the benefit of others. God knows ahead of time those desiring the coveted pedestals.

In the end, to ask God for discernment is to ask Him for wisdom. We need wisdom to know the right people to embrace and allow into our homes and hearts. Again, it is God who we should trust and Him alone. Don’t look at the other person and make a call of whether or not that person has good intentions, whether or not that person is a sheep or a wolf. Rather, look to God for discernment.

Ask Him for it. Be wise as a serpent and know that your own understanding is beneath that of God, for after all, you are merely flesh and blood and as much as we might not perceive it, we can be deceived easily, for we are more vulnerable than we think we are. At least that is the truth that I, even I, as much as I am reserved with my trust, as conservative and careful as I am about embracing people, can falter significantly because I leaned on my own understanding of what I thought another person was, her intentions and her motivations.

For our own spiritual and psychological health, Let us not assume that because someone is sitting next to us on the same pew, that person is united with us concerning the things of God. We might be greatly mistaken, for where the wheat grows, so also do the tares. Hence, for your spiritual health, “trust in the Lord and lean not to your own understanding. In everything acknowledge Him and He will lead your paths” of knowledge and understanding.

Minnesota Elects First SomaliAmerican Female Legislator

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US Based My-Star Radio Strikes Partnership With Citi-FM Ghana

The company also runs the popular My-Star TV which airs quality TV programming for Africans in the United States. Plans are in the works to churn out two other brands: My-Star Gospel; a 24-hour gospel channel, and an online classifieds company.

“For me, this is my country, this is for my future, for my children’s future and for my grandchildren’s future"

Citi 97.3 FM is an English-speaking radio station that operates from Adabraka in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on 97.3 megahertz and online via www.citifmonline.com

Although the U.S. did not elect its first female president, one woman still made history.

Former refugee Ilhan Omar, who proudly wears the hijab, became America’s first Somali-American Muslim woman legislator after she claimed a strong victory in the Minnesota House race.

The 34-year-old moved to the U.S. at the age of 12, after four years living in a Kenyan refugee camp following her escape from the Somali civil war, the Star Tribune reports.

As well as her political duties, she is director of policy at Women Organizing Women Network—a group that aims to empower all women, particularly first and second generation immigrants, to become engaged citizens and community leaders.

House Minority Leader Paul Thissen told the Tribune that Omar’s victory “says something important about the future of Minnesota, and what it means to be a Minnesotan.”

Speaking to The Guardian earlier this year, Omar said she believed her representation could change how people see the political process. “For me, this is my country, this is for my future, for my children’s future and for my grandchildren’s future to make our democracy more vibrant, more inclusive, more accessible and transparent which is going to be useful for all of us,” she said.

Source:Time.com Kate Samuelson

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Kofi Jacquaye

My-Star Radio, an African Radio station which operates out of the Delaware Valley in the US finalized arrangements in November 2016 to formally begin broadcasting LIVE News segment from one of the biggest media companies in Ghana – Citi FM.

This present arrangement means My-Star Radio will be able to pick up the feed for LIVE News Bulletins for broadcast to their American audience with a particular interest in Africans in diaspora.

My-Star Radio is one of the brands under the umbrella of the successful KOJAC Media Inc., started in 2014 by the entrepreneurial Ghanaian Mr. Kofi Jacquaye. The company has since grown to embrace several professionals in the media industry.

They have a very diverse team ranging from award winning TV and radio program producers, researchers, and marketeers, who are serving a diverse African and non-African audience both in the diaspora and across Africa. Some of their team members are CNN-Award-winning journalist Anny Osabutey, veteran Ghanaian journalist and producer Ekow Acheampong affectionately known as Ekow Fisho and US diversity-award-winning storyteller Oral Ofori of #TheAfricanDreamLLC and Nana Sapongmaa; head of events and promotions at My-Star Radio.

Citi 97.3 FM radio as a brand is refreshingly different in that it combines a comprehensive and credible news function backed by innovative listener-driven on air programs.

Exciting promotions with vibrant audience participation are a few of the things that put Citi ahead of the curve.

The station has become known as a strong advocate for consumer issues, including road safety, sanitation, education, good health care and security among others. They also organize events like the Citi Business Olympics, the Money Fair, and the MOGO Festival.

The focus of My-Star Radio is educating and informing listeners by airing the best of Entertainment, Sports and News Updates from all over Africa. To tune in and find out more about them, visit www.mystarradioonline.com

Source: My-Star Radio release

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Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah Launches New Books If a reader wants to learn more about how God is still performing miracles and impacting the lives of people today, they will find it in this book. I think one of the strong points of the book is that everyone one will be able to connect to many of the articles and identify with the issues discussed in it.

AP: Could you give us an example of an issue dealt with in book?

The Afrikan Post is proud to interview new author, Dr. Miriam Comfort Gyimah, on her impressive accomplishment of simultaneously publishing two new books. The first of which is Godly Life Lessons for Encouragement and the second, her novel, Ekua: A Year in the Life of a Girl. Dr. Gyimah has been a columnist for the Afrikan Post since its inception and we at the Post share in the joy of her achievement. We sat down with her to learn more about her books, her newly established publishing company, New Epistles Press, and her future plans.

AP: Many of our readers know you only as the “Her Page” columnist.

Could you share more about yourself?

MCG: I was born and raised in Ghana and came to the U.S. at a very young age and completed my elementary and secondary school education. I then entered college to earn my bachelors and masters in English Literature and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. I became a professor of English and African Literature at the University of Maryland .

Eastern Shore where I taught for nearly five years. I began a family which took me away from teaching for a time and for about six years worked as a senior policy analyst for the federal government all the while writing the monthly column and my book projects. These are the first two.

MCG: Sure. The book is organized in five chapters. One of which is “A Matter of Faith and Trust.” This chapter deals with issues of believing in God and trusting Him even when it appears He has failed you. People go through many trials and tests throughout their lives, be it career problems, devastating health issues, conflictual relationships and even premature death. These situations often bring them to a point where they begin to question whether or not there is a God and why a good God would allow them to suffer or not answer their prayers. The question of faith in God is a constant not only in the lives of Christians but in everyone’s life and this is only one topic that the book grapples with. This first chapter has five different articles relating to the topic of faith and trust, so everyone should be able to get something out of them.

AP: Your degrees are in English and Literature, so how did you come about to write on faith?

MCG: Hmm, that is an interesting question. Actually, writing on faith took me by surprise also. Although I have been a practicing Christian since childhood and very active in my church as a Sunday school teacher and youth advisor, I was focused on academic and creative writing and that is the sort of writing I believed I would be using my training to do. My first article for the column was AP: So, Dr. Gyimah, most writers publish one book at a time. How is it actually about appropriate dressing; it was from a that you are publishing two? workshop I had done for a young women’s group. But MCG: Well, the fact is that I had been writing them both for a long time. after that piece, I felt led to write on Christian life and the I first started Ekua years before I started Godly Life Lessons. It was issues plaguing the everyday Christian. So month after difficult writing and completing Ekua because I was very busy teaching a month, I would pray and the Lord would give me a topic very full load at the university and beginning a family. I left it untouched to write on. I gradually came to understand that God for years at a time and would go back to it only occasionally when I wanted to use my voice could steal a moment or two. Godly Life Lessons, on the other hand, and experience to speak to others. So that is how it all developed gradually as a book years after I began writing my column. began with the column which has eventually led to this Because of the positive feedback I always received from readers, I book. thought it would be great to compile some of them in a book so that people could always go back to read and to refresh themselves with AP: Can we look forward to more books like Godly Life affirming thoughts.

Lessons?

AP: Let’s talk first about Godly Life Lessons. What is it all about and what can readers expect from it?

MCG: Funny you would ask that. While completing the book, there was a moment where I came to realize that this will actually serve as the first volume of others to come.

So I am glad about that, because I clearly see God wants to use me in this area and it is a great thing to know that God sees something in you that can be useful to others and His kingdom. It is truly an honor for which I am grateful.

AP: Now, let’s talk about your first novel, Ekua: A year in the Life of a Girl. You said it took many years to write it.

Tell us what the book is about and why you wrote it.

MCG: Godly Life Lessons for Encouragement is a collection of articles that uplift, empower and sometimes instruct. These articles are grounded on biblical scripture, story or experience to speak to individuals about their Christian faith and their very real everyday challenges. While the pieces are clearly based on Christian faith and principles, they lend themselves to anyone who wants to grow and be empowered spiritually.

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MCG: Ekua is a coming of age story about an eight-yearold girl and it is set in the late 1970’s in Ghana, a politically unstable time. Eight years old is very young for a child to come of age, but the circumstances surrounding her life forces her to deal with some serious issues and hardships that children should not have to suffer. At the beginning of the book, we learn that Ekua’s parents have gone to the U.S. and left her with a guardian. Ekua’s guardian is physically and verbally abusive. She is sent to a boarding school where although she finds friends, she is yet faced with intimidation and abuse by senior sisters. So we are given a close look of her life as she tries to survive this year of new challenges and other unforeseen traumatic experiences that threaten her on various levels including emotional and sexual abuse.

You asked why I wrote Ekua. I wrote it because I believe it is one of the many stories that are yet to be told about children, particularly African children and even those who are left behind when their parents go abroad in search of a better life. What happens to those children in the absence of their parents? What do they think about? How are they treated? How do they feel? How do their experiences shape them and so on.? I think it is important to explore such questions so that we pay more attention to children and young people and the conditions and situations we create for them.

AP: The articles in Godly Life Lessons are in first person and you often give your personal experiences as examples in them. Is Ekua an autobiography of some sort?

MCG: Well, I do have some things in common with Ekua. The first of which is that my parents left my siblings and me in Ghana to live with others while they came to the U.S. But I am not Ekua. As a writer, you must write what you know, so what I do with the novel is that I take some of my experiences, that of others and also add a lot of realistic drama to tell an honest story of a child who very well could have been me or another, male or female.

AP: It sounds like a serious novel.

MCG: It is serious, but it is also funny, and that is just how life is. We laugh and cry every day. While Ekua is the main character, the book exposes you to children, teens and adults who are all going through personal issues, so it is a journey worth taking to get to know these characters, whom I am sure will prove very familiar to readers.

AP: I can see that Godly Life Lessons can be easily targeted to church groups and adults interested in self-help and encouragement, but who are your main targeted audience for Ekua?

MCG: Everyone. It is open to all audiences; but I would suggest age 10 and up. The book can be categorized as adolescent literature because of the age of its main character, but it lends itself to all people because the subject matter is very relevant to adults. It is a novel that can be read and taught in grade school as well as in college. While the

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah Launches New Books

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book takes us into the life of Ekua and her mates, it simultaneously introduces us to the lives of the grown-ups who are responsible for the children and exposes their own problems, strengths and weaknesses. Keep in mind that having Ghana, an African country, as the setting also highlights the cultural and political climate of the people and era. The novel grapples with themes worth reading, thinking about and discussing.

AP: Where can the books be purchased?

MCG: They can be purchased easily on Amazon.com or Newepistlespress.com

AP: Now let’s talk about your publishing company, New Epistles Press and why you established it.

MCG: New Epistles Press is a publishing firm I recently established. For many years, as I wrote the column and worked on my writing, the thought of becoming a publisher occasionally came to me and I would always dismiss it. I didn’t want to become a publisher. I just wanted to write and teach literature. I had no interest in publishing because I felt it would take me away from focusing on my own writing and I was also not interested in running a business. But in recent years, the thought intruded itself more and more so I had to pause and take time out to pray and fast about this to be sure if it were something that I should be doing. After praying and waiting on the Lord, He gave me the name of the company and its direction. So here we are.

AP: So, what is the direction or purpose of the company?

MCG: New Epistles Press is a full-service publishing press that publishes books with Christian themes. Aspiring writers can publish nonfiction and fictional works with the company, this includes novels, short stories, poetry or self-help books that affirm and promote godly virtues. We look towards helping writers publish their works and encouraging their voices and talents.

Additionally, the press offers consultation to profit and nonprofit establishments with the development and construction of policies, directives, business manuals, editing, proofreading services etc.

Interested parties can go to our website newepistlespress.com for more information and contact.

AP: Dr. Gyimah, we congratulate you on your new books and the publishing company. We wish you all the best.

MCG: Thank you.

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

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See What Man Caught On South Africa Pastor Sprays Members Camera Doing After SA Pastor With Pesticide Used Insecticide To Perform Miracle

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After images of a South African Pastor spraying insecticide into the faces of his congregants -circulated on social media few an "over-enthusiastic" man followed suit by using the same brand of insecticide for various MIRACULOUS reasons such as withdrawing money from an ATM, to fuel his car and also to pay in a shopping mall.

Boy Sheds Tears After Realizing Lady He Went To Beg Money From, Carries Oxygen To Survive

Source: http://www.onlinenigeria.com

A South Africa pastor who sprays his congregation with insecticide has been widely condemned.

In a Facebook post, self-proclaimed prophet Lethebo Rabalago claims a pesticide called Doom can heal people.

The company that produces Doom warned of the risks of spraying the substance, while a government commission urged anyone effected to lodge complaints.

But the pastor has defended his actions, telling the BBC he is using unconventional methods to heal people.

The country has seen a wave of practices where church members have been subjected to unorthodox rituals to receive healing.

In photos circulating on Facebook and Twitter, Mr Rabalago, who runs the Mountzion General Assembly in the Limpopo province, is seen spraying the insecticide directly into the eyes and various body parts of his congregants.

He told the BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Johannesburg that he had sprayed the face of one woman because she had an eye infection and claimed the woman was "just fine because she believed in the power of God".

He also claims the spray can heal cancer and HIV.

"Doom is just a name, but when you speak to it to become a healing product, it does. People get healed and delivered through doom," a post on

Source: http://www.peacefmonline.com/

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the church's Facebook account reads.

Testimonies of people who have supposedly been healed by Doom have also been posted on the Facebook page.

'Alarming practice'

In another interview, posted on the eNCA website, the pastor is heard saying: "The truth is, Doom can heal people in the right way."

But Tiger Brands, the company that makes the product, says it finds the practice "alarming".

"[We] want to make very clear that it is unsafe to spray Doom or any aerosol onto people's faces," the company said in a statement.

"Doom has been formulated to kill specific insects which are detailed on the cans, and the packaging has very clear warnings which must be adhered to," the statement added.

The company said it was trying to contact the pastor to ask him to stop the practice.

Our correspondent reports that the government has set up a commission to investigate motives behind these practices.

South Africa's Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities has also condemned the practice, which it says is "detrimental" to the well-being of people.

Source>bbcnews.com

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Nigeria Corruption Cash 'took 10 Days To Count

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Forbes Africa ‘Person of the Year 2016’ is South Africa’s Thuli Madonsela

A bank manager has told how two aeroplanes full of banknotes were used in a cash exchange being investigated in a major Nigerian corruption case.

The quantity of cash, totalling 1.2bn naira ($3.8m; £3m), was so great that it took 10 days to count it, Sunday Oluseye told the court in Abuja.

His testimony forms part of a case linked to a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal.

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to tackle corruption.

"I got worried when I saw the huge amount of money conveyed by the aircrafts that day," Mr Oluseye told the court, in comments reported by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a government anti-corruption body.

He told the court that most of the money was in 500 and 1,000 naira notes.

The evidence was given as part of a money-laundering case brought by the EFCC against Abiodun Agbele, whom the body names as a close ally of the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

The EFCC says the case is linked to a wider investigation into Nigeria's former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki, who has been charged for an alleged multi-million dollar fraud in which government funds earmarked to fight Boko Haram were stolen.

Mr Dasuki and Mr Agbele both deny the charges.

Corruption is endemic in Nigeria and so far the EFCC has only managed to secure a handful of convictions.

Source:bbcnews.com

The Forbes Africa Person of the Year (POY) Award is fast gaining popularity and prestige for honouring excellence in Africa. The fifth recipient of the accolade was announced in Kenya .

The prestigious accolade, honours excellence in Africa and celebrates “the individual who has had the most influence on events of the year gone by”.

It went to Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s former anti-corruption public protector.

Forbes wrote about Madonsela during the nomination, noting how she “faced death threats in her quest to bring inconsistencies to the fore.”

She beat two African presidents, a fellow South African and a country to emerge the winner for this year.

Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli – known as the bulldozer, Ameenah Gurib, Mauritian president, South African businessman, Michiel le Roux, founder of Capitec Bank, and the people of Rwanda were nominated along with Madonsela.

Previous winners include:

2011 winner – Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (the then Central Bank of Nigeria governor) now Muhammadu Sanusi II (Emir of Kano) 2012 winner – James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank, Kenya

2013 winner – Akinwumi Adesina, the then Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, now head of the African Development Bank.

2014 – Aliko Dangote, Chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group, Nigeria.

2015 – Mohammed Dewji, CEO of MeTL Group, Tanzania

2016 – Thuli Madonsela, former Public protector of the Republic of South Africa

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Saturday, January 14

Africa Cup of Nations 2017 Schedule

Gabon vs Guinea-Bissau 11:00 AM

Burkina Faso vs Cameroon 2:00 PM

Sunday, January 15

Algeria vs Zimbabwe 11:00 AM

Tunisia vs Senegal 2:00 PM

Monday, January 16 Ivory Coast vs Togo 11:00 AM

DR Congo vs Morocco 2:00 PM

Tuesday, January 17 Ghana vs Uganda 11:00 AM

Mali vs Egypt 2:00 PM

Wednesday, January 18 Gabon vs Burkina Faso 11:00 AM

Cameroon vs Guinea-Bissau 2:00 PM

Thursday, January 19

Algeria vs Tunisia 11:00 AM

Senegal vs Zimbabwe 2:00 PM

Friday, January 20 Ivory Coast vs, DR Congo 11:00 AM Morocco vs, Togo 2:00 PM

Saturday, January 21 Ghana vs, Mali 11:00 AM

Egypt vs, Uganda 2:00 PM

Sunday, January 22 Cameroon vs Gabon 2:00 PM

Guinea-Bissau vs Burkina Faso 2:00 PM

Monday, January 23 Zimbabwe vs Tunisia 2:00 PM Senegal vs Algeria 2:00 PM

Tuesday, January 24 Togo vs DR Congo 2:00 PM

Morocco vs Ivory Coast 2:00 PM

Wednesday, January 25 Egypt vs. Ghana 2:00 PM Uganda vs Mali 2:00 PM

Saturday, January 28 Quarter-final 11:00 AM 2:00 PM

Sunday, January 29

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CAN 2017 Groups

Africa’s flagship football tournament the African Cup of Nations takes place in Gabon next January.

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Total Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon 2017 (also referred to as AFCON 2017 or CAN 2017) is scheduled to be the 31st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The tournament was scheduled to be hosted by Libya until CAF rescinded its hosting rights in August 2014 due to ongoing war in the country. The tournament will instead be hosted by Gabon.

The 2017 African champion will qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. This event is also part of the Africa Cup of Nations 60th Anniversary. https://en.wikipedia.org

GROUP A – Libreville

Gabon Burkina Faso Cameroon Guinea Bissau

GROUP B – Franceville

Algeria Tunisia Senegal Zimbabwe

GROUP C – Oyem

2:00 PM

Ivory Coast DR Congo Morocco Togo

Semi-final

GROUP D: Port Gentil

TBD 11:00 AM

Wednesday, February 1 2:00 PM

Thursday, February 2 2:00 PM

Saturday, February 4 2:00 PM

Sunday, February 5 2:00 PM

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Giving Back to Our Community. Please Support the Construction of

Eno Mary Hospital Mpatuam Bontefufuom Amansie West District

Gofundme Account https://www.gofundme.com/49c8dbtd

My name is Armstrong Amos. Toe and I created this GoFundme account to recieve donations for a hospital that I am in the beginning stages of building in a small village in Ghana.

One thing I have noticed since living here in America is that Americans have always given back to their community, to those who are in need. I want to give back to my community, I have lived here in America for 30 years plus, I retired from the U.S Postal Service in Virginia, I have been married for 30 years plus, I have 5 children, I want to give back I repeat!

Not only do I want to give back to my village, but the surrounding villages. I have bought the land now, we have cleared the land, and we have the architectural layout drawn out.

The plan is now to build the hospital, a place where mothers will be able to safely give birth to their babies and instead of loved ones having to have to keep their deceased loved ones in their home until a proper funeral they will be able to keep the remains in the mortuary.

I have learned and seen a lot from the people here in America. It truly is a blessing to give back and help those without and that is precisely what I am trying and going to do, give back.

Please help me!

Donate and give back!

*All donations go directly to the expenses of Enomary hospital.

https://www.gofundme.com/49c8dbtd

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Gambia's Yahya Jammeh: The Rise And Fall Of An African Strongman

Gambia's Yahya Jammeh, who once said he would rule the country for "one billion years", has lost the presidential election to property magnate Adama Barrow.

Yahya Jammeh, longtime ruler of The Gambia, has lost the presidential election to the opposition leader, according to the electoral commission.

Adama Barrow's victory in the West African country may bring to an end Jammeh's 22-year rule.

Jammeh, who came to power in 1994 as a 29-year-old army officer following a military coup, had won four previous polls.

Barrow received 263,515 votes while Jammeh won 212,099, Alieu Momarr Njai, the electoral commission head, said in the capital Banjul on Friday.

"Having received 263,515 votes of the total votes cast in the election, I hereby declare Adama Barrow duly elected to serve as president of the Republic of Gambia," Njai said.

Barrow, a former businessman, told Reuters news agency by telephone on Friday he was expecting a phone call from Jammeh conceding defeat.

Many Gambians stayed up all night listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency.

News of Barrow's victory prompted thousands to take to the streets of Banjul in celebration some on foot while others rode in cars and trucks and on motorbikes - as confused soldiers looked on.

"There will be celebrations, there will be disappointment, but we all know we are all Gambia," Njai said, calling for peace, tolerance and calm to be respected as it was during campaigning.

Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque, reporting from Fatick in neighbouring Senegal due to Gambian restrictions, said there was jubilation on the streets following Barrow's victory.

"For many Gambians, this is the first time that they have voted," he said. "They have only seen for the last 22 years one ruler. A lot of young people want to see change and a new ruler.

"Adama Barrow represents change; he represents hope for a lot of young Gambians."

Marbles for ballots

Gambians voted on Thursday by placing marbles into drums marked for each candidate.

Eight opposition parties united behind Barrow and the election campaign period featured large opposition rallies and unprecedented expressions of frustration with Jammeh's rule.

Still, Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God and predicting "the biggest landslide in the history of the country" after he voted on Thursday.

Defeat and concession from Jammeh would be momentous.

Source: Al Jazeera News and Agencies

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Gambia’s President-Elect Adama Barrow

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Adama Barrow, a successful property developer who has never held public office, has defied the odds to score a shock victory in The Gambia's elections.

His victory in the small West African nation's presidential poll is arguably an even bigger shock than that of fellow property mogul in the US, Donald Trump.

Mr Barrow's opponent Yahya Jammeh, had ruled the country for more than two decades, but said if God willed it, his presidency could go on for "a billion years".

Before the 51-year-old was chosen in September as the candidate to represent seven Gambian opposition parties at the election, he had spent 10 years working in property, having started his own estate agency in 2006.

In the early 2000s, he lived in the UK for several years, where he reportedly worked as a security guard at the Argos catalogue store in north London, while studying for his real estate qualifications.

British media have even reported that while guarding the shop on Holloway Road, he made a citizen's arrest on a shoplifter, which resulted in a six-month jail term.

It was also during that period that Mr Barrow is thought to have followed in the footsteps of millions of other African football fans, choosing to support Arsenal FC, at that time his local club.

Adama Barrow, a successful property developer who has never held public office, has defied the odds to score a shock victory in The Gambia's elections.

His victory in the small West African nation's presidential poll is arguably an even bigger shock than that of fellow property mogul in the US, Donald Trump.

Mr Barrow's opponent Yahya Jammeh, had ruled the country for more than two decades, but said if God willed it, his presidency could go on for "a billion years".

Before the 51-year-old was chosen in September as the candidate to represent seven Gambian opposition parties at the election, he had spent 10 years working in property, having started his own estate agency in 2006.

In the early 2000s, he lived in the UK for several years, where he reportedly worked as a security guard at the Argos catalogue store in north London, while studying for his real estate qualifications.

British media have even reported that while guarding the shop on Holloway Road, he made a citizen's arrest on a shoplifter, which resulted in a six-month jail term.

It was also during that period that Mr Barrow is thought to have followed in the footsteps of millions of other African football fans, choosing to support Arsenal FC, at that time his local club.

Member of the Fula ethnic group, born in 1965, the year of Gambian independence Reportedly worked as a security guard at Argos in the early 2000s while studying in UK Returned home in 2006 to set up property business Supports English Premier League football team Arsenal Nominated as the candidate for coalition of seven opposition parties, promising greater respect for human rights A devout Muslim who is reportedly married with two wives and five children He described his opponent as a "soulless dictator" and promised to undo some of Mr Jammeh's more controversial moves.

"We will take the country back to the Commonwealth and the International Criminal Court (ICC)," he told the Anadolu Agency.

A devout Muslim, he also criticised the lack of a two-term limit on the presidency and condemned the jailing of political opposition figures.

Speaking to the BBC three days before the election, Mr Barrow said that Gambians "had been suffering for 22 years" and were ready for change.

He scorned the achievements of his opponent, who boasted of having brought The Gambia out of the stone age with his education and health programmes.

Source:bbcnews.com

Osabarima Asante Frempong Manso ll Outdoored as Chief of Akyem Apedwa D e c e m b e r 2016

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(Eastern Region of Ghana)

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How to Say Happy Christmas

In Akan (Ghana) Afishapa In Zimbabwe Merry Kisimusi In Afrikaans (South Africa) GeseĂŤnde Kersfees

In Zulu (South Africa) Sinifisela Ukhisimusi Omuhle

In Swazi (Swaziland) Sinifisela Khisimusi Lomuhle

In Sotho (Lesthoto) Matswalo a Morena a Mabotse

In Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya) Kuwa na Krismasi njema In Amharic (Ethiopia) Melkam Yelidet Beaal

In Egyptian (Egypt) Colo sana wintom tiebeen In Yoruba (Nigeria) E ku odun, e hu iye' dun!

Trivia

1.Efo comes back from work. As he enters the sitting room, his wife asked:Wife: Darling! Why are you looking so sad?Efo: Sweetheart, I have a problem at my office.Wife: Don’t say you have a problem. You should say we have a problem because we are now married. Your problem is also my problem.Efo: OK, we have a problem in our office.Wife: And what is the problem, darling?Efo: Our secretary is pregnant for us.Wife: Whaaat...!!! The wife fainted.

KPOS STUDIES THE BIBLE WITH JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES JW: What bible character built the ark?Akpos: Noah!JW: Correct! According to the bible how many humans survived the great flood?Akpos: 9 peopleJW: U did well! But look attentively at the image below the paragraph. How many humans are there?Akpos: 8 peopleJW: Correct! So how many people survived the flood then?Akpos: 9 peopleJW: OK! let's recount please! Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives. In total that makes how many people?Akpos: 8 peopleJW: So that gives us how many people that survived the flood? Akpos: 9 peopleJW: please why do you keep saying 9 people when on the image it's clear that they were 8 people?Akpos: Bros abeg no vex ooo...!

The photographer wey snap them photo na animal?

A beer company was hiring a taster, someone to taste the beersbefore selling out. So they placed adverts and one afternoon, a dirty, rough looking man walked into the manager's office asking to be employed.The manager tried to figure out how he could drive this man away but couldn't come up with an idea, so he decided to give the man a trial.

He ordered his secretary to give the man a glass of wine.

He took a sip and said, "It's red wine, a muscat, three years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers.""That's correct!" The manager exclaimed, "Well give him another one let's see." So he was given. He took a sip again and said, "It's burukutu, a combination of herbs and apeteshi distilled at Akokoaso near New Abirem in Eastern Region of Ghana 3 years ago" "Incredible!" said the manager.Now the manager went closer to the secretary and whispered to her saying, "Go get some of your urine in a cup let's see if he will get that." So the man was given the cup of urine. He took a sip, turned to the manager and said, "Female urine, 26 years old, 2 weeks pregnant and if I'm not given this job, sir, I will tell your wife who is responsible for the pregnancy!" both the man and the secretary fainted..

3 thieves were taken to court, and were found guilty.

The 1st man stole 1 sardine. The judge said 3yrs in prison bcos there are 3 fish inside 1 sardine. The 2nd man stole a tray of egg. He got 30yrs in prison bcos a tray of egg contains 30 eggs. And the 3rd guy collapsed. Do u know why? He stole a bag of rice.

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Man Dies In Coffin After Abuja Pastor Makes Money Out Of Pastor Paid Him N500k For Members Of His Congregation, By Miracle Scam Selling What He Termed ‘Anointed Cucumbers’ To Them

An Abuja pastor that offered a trader 500,000 for the trader to be used as a miracle scam.

The Trader was to pretend that he was a dead man and the Pastor will then raise him from the death, unfortunately the trader died in coffin before they could make it to the stadium where the pastor was holding his crusade in Abuja.

The wife of the deceased trader got police involved the fake Pastor was arrested by the police.

However ,the pastor has been released through the help of his influential friends in Abuja and he has gone back to the business performing strange miracle in his church in Nyanya Abuja

The name of the pastor is Bishop Emmanuel Esezobor and his ministry is Firehouse Church, located beside Niger-Delta Gardens and Hotels Checking Point Nyanya.

The so called Bishop Emmanuel Esezobor pastors the church with his wife and they have huge number of people to come to their church for miracle and solution to their problems’ KEN WRIGHT Source: http://www.onlinenigeria.com/

Due to the growing quest for miracles, signs and wonders, in churches mostly across Africa, some pastors have taken it upon themselves to do things that may be called ‘scandalous’, just to distinguish themselves from the norm. We recently saw a pastor who sprays insecticides on members of his church, saying that was the medium God wanted to show his anointing through. Now we have seen a pastor selling ‘anointed cucumbers’ to his congregation Source: https://www.naij.com

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Trump Appoints Nigerian Ogunlesi Member Of His Economic Team

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Pen To Paper Ghana Increasing Literacy Power Of Children D e c e m b e r 2016

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an independent director of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

“President-elect Donald J. Trump thas announced that he is establishing the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum,” said the press release from Blackstone.

“The Forum, which is composed of some of America’s most highly respected and successful business leaders, will be called upon to meet with the president frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the president implements his plan to bring back jobs and Make America Great Again,” Blackstone said in the release published by Business Insider. The members of the forum are:

Stephen Schwarzman (forum chairman), chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Blackstone Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners, former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Barra, chairwoman and CEO, General Motors Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock Bob Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company Rich Lesser, president and CEO, Boston Consulting Group Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Jim McNerney, former chairman, president, and CEO of Boeing Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi, chairman and managing partner, Global Infrastructure Partners Ginni Rometty, chairwoman, president, and CEO of IBM Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in economics at the Hoover Institute, former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Mark Weinberger, global chairman and CEO, EY Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO, General Electric Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winner, vice chairman of IHS Markit

For Ogunlesi, the Trump advisory appointment may be a distraction as he has his hands full.

Ogunlesi on 15 October was named as

Apart from being managing partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, he also serves on the boards of Callaway Golf Co. and Kosmos Energy Ltd. At the same time he’s the chairman of Africa Finance Corp. and serves on the boards of various not-for-profits ranging from New York Presbyterian Hospital to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Ogunlesi, whose father came from Makun, Sagamu in Ogun state was born in 1953. His father, Theophilus Ogunlesi was Nigeria’s first professor of medicine.

After attending Kings College, Lagos for his secondary education , he received his B.A. with first class honours in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, from Oxford University.

He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979 and later got an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ogunlesi had a banking career with Credit Suisse First Boston from 1983 and rose to become its executive vice chairman.

Before joining Credit Suisse, Ogunlesi was an attorney in the corporate practice group of the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. From 1980-81 he served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court. He was a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the Yale School of Organization and Management, where he taught a course on transnational investment projects in emerging countries, according to Wikipedia

He is married to an optometrist, Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi. His company Global Infrastructure Partners manages Gatwick Airport in the UK.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com

Pen To Paper Ghana is a Ghanaian NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) with the objective of improving education and educational facilities for the young Ghanaian. The NGO works in partnership with the Ghana Education Service to prepare youths for a future of success.

One way Pen To Paper Ghana sets out to achieve their agenda is by assessing pupils to ascertain their reading ability, a basis on which they provide free after-school classes to help those struggling with their literacy.

How Pen To Paper Ghana works

Richard Manu, the Country Director of Pen To Paper Ghana tells TheAfricandream.net that their assessment is a three-pronged approach involving: phonics — pupils are asked to give the letter sound instead of the letter name; word recognition — these are words that are easily recognizable because they are often used such as THE, IT, and AM and; word blending — these test the child’s capability of decoding random words such as PRAM, RACK, or TUB.

“Children are taught on a daily basis through synthetic phonics to understand how to break down words (decoding) to enable them to read them. Besides providing free classes, we improve school infrastructure and give scholarships to students who are academically bright but face financial struggles” Richard says to TheAfricanDream.net

A 12% global reduction in poverty potentially mean over 131 million people being lifted out of poverty. Higher literacy and numeracy rates among Ghanaian children will have a good effect on the economy, agriculture, and environment as a whole.

Mr. Manu further reveals that in Ghana, some students who have finished their Junior High School education (equivalent to GCSE in the UK) that don’t how to read but attained good grades in their final exams by guessing answers in the multiple choice sections. The Country Director of the NGO feels this is negatively affecting the education system as the basic foundations of understanding is not being addressed.t

“Memorization has been at the root of learning how to read which has led to some children with good memories being rated the best in their classes, a rather unfortunate scenario” —Richard Manu.

The way forward

Katie Emerson, a graduate of The Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK and also a Co-Founder of Pen To Paper Ghana says the NGO believes pupils should be taught how to think and not what to think.

“They should be able to explain things in their own words and be able to teach their peers. As with the core of mathematics, reading should be taught as a formula, which we call phonics, the sound of letters” Katie says.

Despite being one of the Founders of Pen to Paper Ghana now, Richard Manu’s education was ironically once hampered due to financial constraints. He was only able to Though beneficiaries of scholarships return to complete Junior High School and whilst there, he had to help their peers in the program as school menlearn to read by rote. He was passionate about developing tors, the NGO is appealing for more help from his English speaking abilities which lead him to improve people who have a passion see positive changes his reading and writing skills. in the Ghanaian educational system and its infrastructure.

“I now want to help as many as I can to at least know how to read as I don’t want to see children in the position I The Passion behind the work of Pen To Paper found myself many years ago”, Richard tells Ghana TheAfricanDream.net He also encourages readers to support Pen To Paper Ghana to help improve the lives of “Here at Pen To Paper Ghana, we believe that future generations by checking out their website at reading is a fundamental right for every child. www.pentopaperghana.com The ability of a child to know how to read and

write has a great effect on the growth of a country. We put so much effort into what we do here because ‘Save the Orphan Foundation’ estimates that if every child leaving Junior High School can read and write it would help reduce poverty by 12% globally.” says Richard Manu.

Source: Oral Ofori

Oral Ofori; Founder of TheAfricanDream LLC -- an Information and Communication Consultancy on African Affairs

African Diaspora Give Back to Boost Universities on Continent the programme, said Dr Zeleza.

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Cameroonian Lady Who Shakes US Congress

At Rongo State University in Kenya, communications professor Fredrick Ogenga hosted Abu Bah, associate professor of sociology at Northern Illinois University, as a fellow for “curriculum review, programme mentoring and collaborative research”.

What mechanisms are available for academics born in Africa and based in North America to “give something back” to their home continent?

In 2011-12, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, vice-chancellor of the United States International University-Africa in Kenya, was commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation to carry out research on the approximately 25,000 “African-born academics in the United States and Canada and how African institutions perceive the diaspora”. This led to a 2013 report and plans to set up a pan-African programme whose details he began to draw up with the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York.

This became the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, funded by Carnegie with logistical support from the IIE. An advisory council of prominent academics and administrators in both North America and Africa, chaired by Dr Zeleza, offers strategic direction, while his university provides the secretariat.

The fellowships operate as follows. Institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda put in requests for projects they hope to develop, sometimes naming a scholar they wish to work with. The IIE also has a list of North American scholars from which they can suggest someone with suitable qualifications to spend 14 to 90 days in Africa as a visiting fellow.

The programme has already had four rounds of awards, with more than 240 fellows in all. African institutions, as Dr Zeleza explains, get “access to highly trained North American academics” and a chance to build capacity through “curriculum codevelopment, collaborative research and engaging in international networks through the diaspora”. There have been examples of curriculum development across a wide range of disciplines: “digital media, engineering, health sciences, dentistry, even Swahili”.

In most cases, according to Dr Zeleza, the initial visits have led to deeper collaborations: “90 per cent of the fellows have established ongoing relations with the institutions they went to and gone back with their own institutional resources. Over 80 per cent have got their institutions in North America to establish formal relationships with the African universities.”

This year’s fellowship programme has already enabled African-born North American academics to develop research in geo-environmental engineering in Kenya, design an HIV/Aids curriculum in Nigeria, and establish a laboratory for vascular biology in South Africa.

Both hosts and fellows have benefited greatly from

Professor Ogenga said: “We have achieved a lot together. We developed a master’s curriculum in media, democracy, peace and security and founded the Center for Media, Democracy, Peace and Security.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding for a study abroad faculty and student exchange programme, have also jointly presented papers in universities locally and internationally, and are currently co-editing a book titled Postconflict Institutional Designs and Peacebuilding in Divided Societies.”

Josephine Dawuni, assistant professor of political science at Howard University in Washington DC, graduated in law from the University of Ghana in 1999. This summer she returned to her alma mater as a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow, where she “helped redesign a course on gender and the law, which hadn’t been taught for a very long time. The idea was to revamp it and make it speak to present needs,” she said.

She has already co-authored a book called Gender and the Judiciary in Africa: From Obscurity to Parity? and was able to continue her research for a forthcoming coedited follow-up volume, African Women Judges on International Courts: Untold Stories.

Looking back on her own experiences in Ghana as a young graduate, Professor Dawuni reflected that “if I had had mentoring, my experiences might have been better or I might have progressed at a faster rate, because I had to do everything blindly – no one told me about how to apply for grad school or what to do once I got there”.

During her fellowship, therefore, she offered postgraduate mentoring to a new generation, encouraging them to “broaden their horizons” beyond thinking only of becoming lawyers, and instead “to look far and wide” at options for further study online, across Africa and further afield.

She also offered practical guidance on research and writing skills and applying to graduate schools.

By Matthew Reisz Twitter: @MatthewReiszTHE

Cameroonians are doing well abroad. The majority of them love their country and they want to see it emerge. Despite the lack of political will from the Government to turn things around, some Cameroonians are moving ahead to contribute their own quota to statehood no matter where they are either directly or indirectly or through diplomatic moves. BaretaNews wants you to meet Sylvie Bello.

Sylvie Bello, is a Cameroonian based in the USA. She is the dynamic Founder/CEO of the Cameroon American Council, America’s leading African Immigrant Advocacy Organization.

She shapes CAC’s mission, which is to build capacity, build relevance and build visibility in African communities in America. Sylvie leads the Cameroon American Council into crafting culturally sensitive and language appropriate messages and in initiating partnerships with government entities such as The White House, DoL, USDA, HHS, HUD and national institutions such as NAACP, NCNW, SCLC, NAN etc. In 2011 shy of her 30th birthday, African Immigrant Magazine selected Sylvie as part of ‘The 100 Africans Making in Difference in America’, that same year she was a Community Leader awardee from the Cameroon Student Association-USA CAMSAUSA.

In 2013, NW Fon’s Council-USA awarded her an immigration advocacy prize. Sylvie started her nonprofit career as an Accounting Intern in New Jersey, where she graduated from Kean University with a major in Finance. Prior to starting CAC, she was the Finance and Operations Manager for the Nonprofit Roundtable. She is an Arts and Theatre buff, and seats on the Advisory Panel of the Baltimore Museum of Arts. In her spare time, she volunteers at an usher at the Ford’s Theatre and the Shakespeare’s Theatre. She is a political reporter at New York’s Sahara TV.

Sylvie finest work is on partnering with those on the ground to transform infrastructure via innovation, technology, and Diaspora engagement. Sylvie will be transforming to the Cameroons where she intends building a strong network between US congressmen and women with Cameroon authorities to foster sustainable partnerships that touch mostly the transport, aviation and health sectors in the Cameroons.

What is CAC?

The Cameroon American Council (CAC) is a Washington, DC-based leading African Immigrant Advocacy Organization. Its mission is to build capacity, relevance, and visibility within African communities in the US. The Cameroon American Council carries out its mission through innovative health policy and outreach, arts advocacy and audience development and capacity building of African Leaders and African institutions/businesses. Its multidisciplinary approach to advocacy has being hailed by The Washington Post as the “First Program of Its Kind”. CAC’s national network reaches over 300,000 African immigrants, including first and second generations, across the United States.

BaretaNews salutes Sylvie and honours her for carrying the image of the Country to higher heights. These are our own heroine we should talk about and celebrate. Sylvie is so passionate about democratic change in the Cameroons. As we celebrate her today, Baretanews calls on God’s blessing on her and her organization to continue impacting the world.

Contacts

www.cameroonamericancouncil.org Facebook: Cameroon American Council Twitter: @CamAmerCouncil

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Upgrading, Downgrading or Simply Just SELLING YOUR HOME?

Dear Reader, Once again, it is such a pleasure to have this opportunity to share some ideas with you on how you can improve your home condition if you thinking of downgrading or upgrading your home. This is an opportunity to insure you get things done the right way from the very onset.

Here are some tips to consider if you are planning on selling your home. These tips are unexhaustive, but below are some of the items you can consider. Some require your time and others require a little monetary investment. It is very imperative to have a clean and fresh home for a potential home buyer to walk into. Here are items to consider: Here we go!

Check the curb appeal. The exterior/outside of the house speaks high volume when a potential buyer pulls up on to the driveway.

Therefore, it is vital you mow the lawn, trim bushes, clear sidewalks, paint faded windows, proper landscaping in place etc…

Decluttering the home is very necessary.

This means you need to clean out the refrigerator, closets, remove bulky furnitures, dusting areas of the house etc…

Cleaning the windows, cabinets and dusty areas present a fresh and clean look for the house.

Lightening. It is important the house has plenty of light and feels welcoming. Make sure lights are turn on, windows/curtains are open or not blocking any light or sunlight or sunshine. A bright and cheery house attractive buyer.

Depersonalize or de-associate yourself from the house. This means you need to remove personal photos and family heirlooms. You

want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."

Make Minor Repairs. Patching and painting over minor drywall work, replacing dead light bulbs, fixing leaking faucets, repairing broken doors or windows will help improve the quality of your home.

Consult a Professional Real Estate Agent. It is also important that you consult with a professional realtor who can guide you and provide feedback on what necessary home improvement should be done to keep the value of the house and increase traffic so you maximize on your selling capacity.

I hope this piece has helped shape your view on how to get your home ready to sell.

For more information about your real estate needs (buying, selling, and leasing/renting a house) call me at 571229-6694 and I will help you get started. Blessings in full portion!

Anita A. Bediako- REALTOR® –Licensed in the Common Wealth of Virginia Prince William County-Local Expert

SLAMM TECHNOLOGIES December

2016

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Dennis Bioh Envisions 'Last Tear' For African Immigrants In The US

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Dennis Bioh

Two years after it was launched, and more than four years after the idea for an African community Resource Center devoted to the African migrants and African Americans, the organization unveiled a center unlike any of its others on November 5th 2016.

It offers a state-of-the-art center experience, full of displays, spectacularly over scaled of African history, and numerus of educational resource.

The African Community Resource Center (ACRC) “Last Tear” is to bring a new world of Entertainment, History, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development to the state of Virginia and the changing world. The project aims to mitigate the concerns the need to explore a new vision of Africans in American communities which is more inclusive, open to challenges, and able to compete in the new environment that is undergoing the cultural transition, fighting for black liberation and surviving in its societies. The related architectural form exhibits the shape of a tear. The last that the African community will have to shed to achieve the national ethos of America and to increase their integration and cultural progress.

The "Last tear" is the architectural plan for a multifunctional center, consist of a light, soft, teardrop-shaped, double skin enveloping the entire structure. The building is spread over three levels and is characterized by soft, flowing curves, transparencies and lighting effects. The facade is formed by a large glass front two entrances, creating dynamism between the internal and external space. The main entrance is marked by a grand staircase in the shape of a helix that runs through the entire structure from sky to earth. The inspiration for the design comes from an idea of using part of the genetic sequence of human DNA, symbolizing the beginning and the development of life. On the ground floor there are the Reception Services, a Conference room, a Bookshop / Market and two cuboid glass volumes protruding from the building: in the first, which intersects with a sloping glass wall, there is a Bar / Restaurant to host

D e c e m b e r r 2016

weddings and events, and in the second, which extends up to the second level, a Theatre / Auditorium with 300 seats. Its characteristic is to create a play of light and movement between opaque and transparent surfaces, which can be accessed either from the basement (stalls), through a staircase located near the bar, or from the ground floor to the gallery above. At the center of the structure is the services block which is replicated on all floors, two lifts provide access around the facility and to the roof. Sustainability and education to respect the environment is expressed by the placement of a forest that grows vertically through the entire structure and with which people can interact on all levels. On the first floor there is the Gym with changing rooms and, a Game room, a Library and the office cubicles. On the third level there is an area with the cubicle offices, two Classrooms for 25 students each, a Tech lab, an innovative, technological laboratory and a Museum for temporary exhibitions, installations and video projections.

The two staircases and two lifts take people to the roof, partially covered by the casing, the skin that surrounds and protects the structure and shelters it from the sun. A parking area is planned outside surrounded by greenery.

To accommodate for possible fire emergencies, a pool extends beside the theatre, in addition to better integrating the architecture, it may be used as a water reserve in case of fire.

The Last Tear is set to be an architectural icon and a symbolic of Blacks and Africans fight for liberation globally. It will command the community, this country and the world giving it a family appeal, and a cultural oriented.

If you’re interested in American notions of freedom, if you’re interested in the broadening of fairness, opportunity and citizenship, the wellbeing the next generation or regardless of whom you are, this is your center, too.

The Black Tie Benefit welcomed guests who enjoyed artistic performances and presentations from the architect of the proposed ACRC building. There was also a small fundraise to commemorate the start of the organization.

Among the many special guests of honors was the Director of African Affairs to DC Mayor’s office Mr. Momadou Samba who stated in his address the importance of the organization: “The organization could serve as the long-term voice that has been missing [the chance to advocate] for all Africans, addressing some of the issues that our families, our youth are facing.

During his Keynote Address, the ACRC president Mr. Dennis Bioh stated that our time demands us to come together. “There is a high demand of a togetherness of community and business leaders, pastors, and the civil society of Africans working collectively as a force for good. We need to come together as a people, collectively because we cannot be divided. Now, it is about looking ahead of what needs to be done for the next generation by educating our kids and getting them ready for the work force and the real life ahead. We must consider creating opportunities for the elderly that they will be able to go back home and influence the continent of Africa.

The challenges that we face are real and no one can help us but ourselves. Let us build together lets invest in the next generation.”

We are calling on all African to join are efforts to make this a reality. The Organization will like to humbly thank every participant in the Black Tie Benefit and those who have supported the vision along the way. There is much to be done we are sure action will occur as awareness spread to the rest of the community.

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Mamadou Samba- Washington DC Mayor's Office Director of of African Affairs (MOAA)

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African Billionaire Launches $100 Nigerian Nobel Prize Winner Soyinka Million Dollar Program for Black Destroys U.S. Green Card After Entrepreneurs Trump Win

The Black And Minority Business Blog

Tony Elumelu, a Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist, has designed an entrepreneurship program that will disburse $100 million dollars in financial assistance to African and African-American entrepreneurs throughout the U.S and Africa.

Who is this guy?

You may have never heard of him, but he’s the founder and chairman of Heirs Holdings, UBA Group Plc, Seadrill Nigeria Ltd and Transcorp Plc – Nigeria’s largest listed conglomerate. The company manages investments in financial services, power generation, oil, gas, agribusiness, real estate and hospitality.

Back in 2014, Elumelu co-hosted a summit in Washington DC that consisted of nearly 100 African and African-American business leaders. The common theme of the platform was to see to the improvement in the economic stance of Africans, as well as AfricanAmericans, and to create advancement opportunities for all who interacted.

The ultimate vision

Via his foundation, the Tony Elumelu foundation, 53-year old Elumelu says his vision is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs create 10,000 startups within the next 10 years that generate significant employment and wealth. And what he has is mind is more than simple aid; but will also create a solid partnership between Africa and the U.S.

He comments, “I set up the foundation to tackle some of the problems African entrepreneurs face, as entrepreneurship is my passion. I would also like to encourage more of Africa’s high-net-worth individuals to give and support their passions in an institutional manner. It is my belief that home-grown African philanthropy should be setting the agenda for the continent’s development.”

The foundation has three goals:

#1 – Identify 10,000 African startups and African entrepreneurs with ideas that have the potential to succeed

#2 – Grow the businesses through business skills training, mentoring, access to seed capital funding, information and membership in our Africa-wide alumni network

3 – Create businesses that can generate at least 1,000,000 new jobs and contribute at least $10 billion in revenues across Africa over 10 years.

For more details about the Tony Elumelu Foundation, visit www.tonyelumelufoundation.org

The foundation’s documentary on YouTube has already garned more than 1 million views

Photo: Bookslive Wole Soyinka.

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has held true to his promise to leave the United States if Donald Trump won the presidency, announcing Thursday that he has "disengaged" from the U.S. and thrown away his green card.

Soyinka, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature , was born in Nigeria but has resided in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He's held teaching jobs at Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Cornell and Yale, but most recently worked as a

scholar in residence at New York University.

Returns to Nigeria

Before the U.S. election took place November 8, Soyinka vowed to start cutting up his green card "the moment they announce [Trump’s] victory."

Now that Trump has been declared the victor, Soyinka says he is upholding that promise.

Source:allafrica.com

Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: Akinwándé Oluwo̩lé Babátúndé S̩óyinká, pronounced [wɔlé ʃójĩŋká]; born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian playwright and poet. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature,the first African to be honored in that category.

Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta. After studying in Nigeria and the UK, he worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London. He went on to write plays that were produced in both countries, in theatres and on radio. He took an active role in Nigeria's political history and its struggle for independence from Great Britain. In 1965, he seized the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio and broadcast a demand for the cancellation of the Western Nigeria Regional Elections. In 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War, he was arrested by the federal government of General Yakubu Gowon and put in solitary confinement for two years.

Soyinka has been a strong critic of successive Nigerian governments, especially the country's many military dictators, as well as other political tyrannies, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.

Much of his writing has been concerned with "the oppressive boot and the irrelevance of the colour of the foot that wears it".During the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993–98), Soyinka escaped from Nigeria on a motorcycle via the "NADECO Route." Abacha later proclaimed a death sentence against him "in absentia."With civilian rule restored to Nigeria in 1999, Soyinka returned to his nation.

In Nigeria, Soyinka was a Professor of Comparative Literature (1975 to 1999) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, then called the University of Ife.With civilian rule restored to Nigeria in 1999, he was made professor emeritus. While in the United States, he first taught at Cornell University and then at Emory University where in 1996 he was appointed Robert W. Woodruff Professor of the Arts.

Soyinka has been a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and has served as scholar-in-residence at NYU’s Institute of African American Affairs and at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, US.He has also taught at the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Yale.

Source: Wikepedia profile

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