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Vol 4 Issue 2

Benin’s Yayi Boni is African Union’s New Chairman

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Afrikan Post

February 2012

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Kwame Nkrumah’s Statue Unveiled In Addis Ababa

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 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 po r a. Yo u ma y a ls o vis it o u r web s ite www. af r ika n p os t.com f o r d a ily n ews u pd a tes f o r 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 or s a n d do n o t n eces s ar ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik an Pos t . All co mmen ts a n d s u g ges tion s ar e welco me.

short walking stick in the left hand, with the head raised and looking into the heavens.

Underneath the statue is the inscription: “Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto God, Africa must unite,” a statement on the founding of the predecessor of the AU, the Organisation of African Unity in May 1963.

George Bright-Abu Publisher and Editor

Shedding tears of joy, Prof Nkrumah told the Ghana News Agency that the unveiling of the statue was a significant honour to the memory of his father and his family.

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He described the moment as historic, and said the (Left to Right) Pres. Rawlings, Samia Nkrumah, Pres. Mills, family was very proud of the recognition given to Prof. Nkrumah, Hon. Muhammad Mumuni their father, and proud of being a Ghanaian.

D E PA R T M E N T S Vol. 4 Issue 2

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

MarriageActresses Favoured in 2012 Pg. 36

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS:

Records and Stats Pg. 35

HEALTH

History of Herbal Medicine Pg. 13

HER PAGE

Awaken Your Inner David Pg. 20

SPORTS

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Pg. 38 & 39

UPDATE Ghanaian Statesman,Nduom, Speaks About Democracy & U.S. – Ghana Relations Pg. 34

President John Evans Atta Mills at the weekend unveiled the statue of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President at the forecourt of the new African Union (AU) building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He was assisted by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, out-going Chairman of the AU, and Dr Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union Commission, moments after the building was inaugurated.

The building stands at the former site of Ethiopia’s maximum security prisons.

President Mills was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony, which was performed in the presence of a number of African leaders attending the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU.

The ceremony was also attended by Professor Francis Nkrumah, a medical biologist and Madam Samia Nkrumah, Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), children of Dr Nkrumah, who were invited by President Mills to the ceremony.

Also in attendance were former President Jerry John Rawlings, Mr Allan Kyerematen of the largest minority New Patriotic Party , Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse, former Special Advisor to former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Dr Don Arthur of the Office of the President, and Mr Kwesi Quartey, Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia.

The unveiling of the statue was in recognition of the leaders of the 54-nation continental body of the leading role of Dr Nkrumah in the African liberation struggle.

Dr Nkrumah was also founding member of the Organisation of African Unity, now the AU, as well as the Pan Africanist Movement.

The brain behind the statue was Dr Don Arthur, who is also an architect and a sculptor. Work was done on it by Mamphey Developers in Accra, when the Government of Ghana insisted to the AU for the statue to be done in Ghana.

Cast in bronze, the 3.5 metre statue of Dr Nkrumah who was overthrown in a coup in 1966 depicts the late leader wearing a short sleeve shirt in an African design with a pair of trousers and shoes to match.

The first president of Ghana had raised his right hand with a

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Samia, who said the representation of the family at the ceremony was fair, expressed happiness about the event, describing it as a restoration of the previous recognition given to Dr Nkrumah.

She however called for Africa’s emancipation to go beyond politics to the economic, stressing more intra African trade from the current 10 per cent.

Mr Kyerematen, described the event as historical and very symbolic and called for the review of the notes by people who do not acknowledge Nkrumah as a great African.

He said Nkrumah inspires vision and hope for Ghana and called for more commitment to the national cause as a people with one destiny.

Mrs Chinery -Hesse said the statue of Nkrumah was a symbolic continuation of the journey to free Africa.

She said the lesson that could be learned was for hard work, which would be recognised at the right time. Dr Don Arthur said the greatness of Nkrumah has led to the celebration, not only for himself, but also to Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world.

African leaders, had in 2009, accepted the proposal of President Mills to declare September 21, the birthday of Nkrumah as Founders Day. Source:peaceonline.com

February 2012

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February 2012

THE ROAD MAP TO COLLEGE WORKSHOP (A WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS)

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As the clock struck eleven on Saturday, January 7th 2012, an influx of high school students, parents, college aspirants, and other members of the community poured into the third floor computer lab in the South County Public Building. All in attendance came with inquisitions regarding a variety of collegiate endeavors ranging from which courses to enroll in, how to apply for financial aid, and how to organize a resume. Founder, Dennis Bioh and the members of the African Community Resource Center (ACRC) hosted their first College Workshop Day to provide this community with some answers to their inquiries, and insight into the best approach towards embarking on a journey toward higher learning. This event was also orchestrated to shed some light onto the mission of ACRC and what the organization seeks to accomplish in the African community.

To accommodate all comers, the event was divided into four parts: College Search and Application Process, Financial Aid and Advice, Application Letters, and Resume Building. Guiding the Journey Partners of ACRC did a presentation of the ten main things for prospective college students. Ms. Erica Danquah did a phenomenal job at educating the audience about the preliminary measures that must be taken, or at least considered during the “College Search and Application Process” portion of the workshop. Ms. Danquah also discussed a variety of personal factors that prospective college students need to be aware of in order to determine which institution is most compatible and suitable for their scholastic and overall future goals. Business partners, Mr. Leon Mensah and Mr. William Bruno took charge of the Financial Aid/Advice segment of the college workshop. Both Mr. Bruno and Mr. Mensah initially spoke to a general body of guests, but also hosted more condensed sessions to specially answer any personal questions that they may have had. Mr. Mensah and Mr. Bruno also shared some alternatives to attaining a college degree outside of the traditional four year term at a university. Next, Ms. Rita Kusi lectured on the subject of constructing an Application Letter for admittance to a college and for employment. Ms. Kusi’s presentation primarily hovered around the purpose of an application letter, and how it should be structured to most effectively convey its purpose to its readers. The Résumé portion of the ACRC College Workshop was hosted by Mr. Yaw Yeboah-Kankam. Mr. Yeboah-Kankam’s presentation explained the purpose and potential power of a well structured résumé. Mr. Yeboah-Kankam also explained that, “…a résumé is a tool that all college students must equip them with if they intend on entering the professional realm."

“It's never too early to start preparing for college. That is why students, parents, mentors and volunteers are encouraged to participate in the ACRC’s "Road Map to College Workshop."

Education is the only means through which we can achieve success and can be an effective member of society. However, we need the guidance and mentoring in order to achieve that goal. I am impressed with the conviction that the African Community Resource Center will be the nerve center to promote education and progress for stable posterity, as well as will allow us to raise a generation of young people that are prepared to assume leadership of the future,” said Dennis Bioh, President of The African Community Resource Center.

The ACRC’s partners include Guiding the Journey, West African Collaborative, The Skill Source Center, and Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. The overwhelming support of the program and feedback of the participants will help steer the direction of the program.The date is set for the follow up on February 25th- “the workshop will have a specific focus, but in the workshop phase individuals will have time to work on their particular projects," Dennis said. Students and parents can bring whatever they're working on related to the college preparation process and mentors will be on hand to provide feedback

and assistance.

"We welcome anyone with the knowledge about writing a college application, the financial aid process, etc., to share their expertise. Ideally, we'd like to have a mentor or a facilitator to help every participant who attends," he said.

Participants at the workshop

Dennis Bioh and the members of the African Community Resource Center (ACRC)

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Woman Arrested for the 2009 Killing of Ghanaian Couple "Politician of the People, by the People, and for the People".

Frindo Soccer Board Game Officially Launched in VA

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 Page 6

The "Terrorist" who participated in the murders of Seth Aidoo and his pregnant wife, Eunice Baah inside their home in an upscale neighborhood near Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced to two life terms in prison without parole. The murderer, Delford M. Barnes, was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Melanie M. Shaw Geter to serve the sentences consecutively, according to a 2010 Washington Post story.

Judge Shaw Geter added another 20 years to the murderer, for firearms violation, to be served consecutively as well. In September of 2010, a Circuit Court jury convicted Barnes of two counts of first-degree murder and other offenses in the Jan. 12, 2009, killings of Seth Aidoo, 40, and his girlfriend, Eunice Baah, 36.

The two Ghanaians were killed inside their home in the gated community of Oak Creek. Eunice Baah was shot in the head, and Seth Aidoo was beaten and stabbed more than 40 times. "This was a horrendous Police in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA, crime," Judge Shaw Geter, reportedly said to the convicted murderer, have at long last, arrested and charged Barnes as she imposed the sentence. "It was horrendous because of the Sheila Aidoo, the woman who masterminded manners the victims were killed. It was particularly horrendous because the brutal and "savagery" killing of it occurred in their home". "We think of our homes as a safe place".

Ghanaian Couple, Seth Aidoo, and Ms. The evidence against Barnes, which prosecutors presented during the Eunice Baah, inside their Upper Marlboro trial, included video footage showing the convicted murderer, Barnes home, according to online Uhuru Times and a co-conspirator in the neighborhood on the day of the killings; tesstory. timony from Barnes's brother, and Barnes's DNA, which was found under Aidoo's fingernails. According to Prosecutors, the DNA got there Authorities believe Sheila Aidoo, and her when Aidoo struggled for his life. Barnes's accomplice, Samuel Culley accomplices, Barnes and Culley hoped to Jr., 54, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and testified benefit from (insurance policies) Aidoo had. for the state against his accomplice, Barnes. Barnes and Culley were both connected, directly or indirectly, to Seth Aidoo. Culley is the "God Bless America, and God Bless Mother brother of Sheila Aidoo --- Seth Aidoo's estranged wife. Seth and Ghana, that at long last, the "Terrorist Sheila Aidoo were seeking for divorce, at the time of the killings.

Leader and Murderer", Sheila Aidoo, has Barnes was Sheila Aidoo's boyfriend. been captured for master-minding the savagery murders of Seth Aidoo, and Eunice The Ghanaian Beauty Queen, Ms. Eunice Baah, a native of Bamang, Baah" said former Ghanaian-American Los near the Kente-weaving Town of Bonwire in Kumasi, Ashanti Region Angeles Mayoral Candidate, "Osagyefo Dr" of Ghana, attended Konongo-Odumasi Secondary School, ("Great Kwame Appiah Boateng, popularly known Koss") --- the same High School that former Ghanaian-American Los

by Ghanaians around the World as "Kwame Angeles Mayoral Candidate, "Osagyefo Dr" Kwame Appiah Boateng, Mayor" --- a relative of the late Ghanaian ("Kwame Mayor"), attended.

Beauty Queen, Ms. Eunice Baah.

"Ms. Eunice Baah was an Ideal Woman" "Now the whole World knows the truth, and nothing but the truth, that the Satanic "She was beautiful both inside and outside. She had a pleasant personMurderers Sheila, Barnes and Culley, killed ality and carried herself with dignity", said "Osagyefo Dr" Kwame Ms. Eunice Baah and Mr. Seth Aidoo, to Mayor. benefit from insurance", said the Ghanaianborn "America's Mandela".

"Ghana has lost a Daughter, and the entire Continent of Africa has lost a Beauty Queen", said "Osagyefo Dr" Kwame Mayor --- Great "God Almighty is Great all the time, for vin- Grandson of Kumasi Adonteng Puduo Royals from Bamang, near the dicating the good names of Eunice Baah, famouse Kente weaving Town of Bonwire in the Ashanti Region of and Seth Aidoo", said the Fair-Minded Ghana, whose biological ancestors, the historical occupants of Politician.

Adontenghene Chieftaincy Stool in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, bravery led Ashanti wars to defeat Colonialism and Imperialism, perpetuat"The enemies of Seith Aidoo, and Eunice ed in Africa by "Our British White Brothers and Sisters".

Baah committed dangerous Character Defamation when they spread false, mali"Let us not forget that the late Ms. Eunice Baah left Children behind in cious, and un-substantiated rumours against this Cold World", the Human Rights and Civil Rights Activist publicly them, but the Powers of God Almighty are reminded God-fearing People around the World. always Superior to Satanic Cowardice", said the Charismatic Politician who asked God "Ms. Eunice left behind her Children, and Humanitarian Organizations Almighty to (curse) the Terrorist Murderers'. should help their Educational Fund", said the Politician, as he shed uncontrollable tears that flowed like the Niagara Falls.

"Mysterious River Antoa Nsuo Nyamaa, located in Antoa, and another Mysterious "May the Souls of Ms. Eunice Baah and Mr. Seth Aidoo Rest In Perfect River Oda, located in Bamang, near the Peace", said the Humanitarian Politician.

Kente-weaving Town of Bonwire in Ashanti To read more about the "Assassinated" Ghanaian Beauty Queen, click Region of Ghana, have already cursed the EuniceBaah.Com, on Yahoo.

Satanic and Terrorist Murderers who murdered the Ghanaian Couple", said the Source: Uhuru Times Seth Aidoo and Eunice Baah

Nana Adu-Gyamfi(left) and Mr. John Frimpong-the inventor of the Frindo game

The Frindo Soccer Board game, designed by a Ghanaian from Agogo Ashanti Akim was officially launched on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at the Ghana Community Catholic Church in Falls Church VA. U.S.A. The inventor of the game, Mr. John Frimpong, is also the father of Hiplife star, MadFish.

The Priest in charge, Rev. Father Augustine, launched the Board Game and its accessories including Frindo T- Shirts, Frindo Jerseys, Frindo Cap, Frindo Towels, and a Frindo Plaque. He entreated the youth to take up the challenge and develop their God given talent. Nana Adu-Gyamfi, past President of the Church, together with Mr. Matthew Oduro Sarpong , co-chaired the function.

According to the Inventor, a big launching will be held in Ghana in March FRINDO SOCCER® is a board game that depicts the actual game of soccer on a board- it is played with a Ludu dice and can be played in groups and singles. It can also be used to organize any soccer competition be it gala, knockout and league. Nana Bonti-Marfo commented on Facebook that, “This is great and a dream come through. Also, it is a success story.”

Mr. Frimpong- the inventor with Nana and Mrs. Obuor Gyau

Friends and fans pose with Mr. Frimpong

KNUST DMV 3rd Annual Dinner Dance & Fund Raising February

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) - DC Chapter whose members reside in the DC/VA/MD area and are former students, faculty and associates of KNUST held their 3rd annual dinner dance and fundraising at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Greenbelt,MD on January 7th, 2012. The special guest of honor was Ambassador Ohene Agyekum, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America.

The association seeks to raise funds to support various projects at the University. Their main mission is to remain connected to their alma mater and improve on the networking of their members. The event was Chaired

by Dr. Osei Dankwah , a KNUST Alumni and Chief From left: Kofi Afful (COGA) , Ambassador Daniel Ohene-Agyekum , Executive of Hawknad Industries in Alexandria, Dr. and Mrs. Osei Dankwah Virginia. Mr. Kofi Afful, also an Alumni and Chairman of the Council of Ghanaian Associations (COGA), also attended.

Special awards were given to members who have excelled in various areas of responsibility.

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Kwaku Boateng (Rapsay ) President of the KNUST DMV chapter

Mr. Kofi Afful, KNUST Alumni and Chairman of the Council of Ghanaian Associations (COGA)

A.K Brobbey receiving an award from Dr. Osei Dankwah

Okyeame Collins-The MC of the night

Kwaku Boateng presenting an award to Sally Sarpong

Ms. Ivy Quaguraine receiving an award from Ambassador Daniel Ohene-Agyekum

Alumni Executives: Mr. Jenkins, Steven Asante Ansong , Bernard Laryea and Anim Sarpong

Dora Cudjoe introducing the special guest of honor

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Sierra Leone gets $24 M World Bank budget support

By: Pasco Gerald Temple - USA on January 30, 2012.

Responding, H.E Ambassador Bockari Kortu Stevens thanked the World Bank for its confidence The President Ernest Bai Koroma’s Government has in the Government of President Ernest Bai Koroma. received another boost in the form of budgetary support He said the Government is “very transparent and from the World Bank’s International Development development oriented”.

Association (IDA).

“Every time I have an occasion to sign instruments of this nature, I feel re-assured because it implies a The World Bank Directors approved the sum of Twenty vote of confidence on the economic development Four Million United States Dollars ($24Million) as fifth and fiscal policies of the government of President Governance Reform and Growth Credit (GRGC) for Sierra Ernest Bai Koroma”, said Ambassador Bockari Leone.

Kortu Stevens.” Adding, “that is why Sierra Leoneans are proud of the respect and confidence The money is a one–tranche budget support disbursement generated from the Breton Wood institutions for the meant to support the Government of Sierra Leone’s overall Government. reform program towards growth and structural reformsl-r :HE Ambassador Bockari Kortu Stevens and Mr Jan Walliser, Acting Vice supported by World Bank’s Multi – Donor Budget Support Other witnesses to the impressive signing ceremony President, Africa region, exchanging documents for countersigning (MDBS) arrangement. were Cyprus P. Talati World Bank’s Senior Economist (Africa Region) Sheku Bangura, Senior On Friday January 27, 2012, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Advisor to the Executive Director Africa Group 1 the United States of America H.E Bockari Kortu Stevens and other members of the Sierra Leone. who is also accredited to Canada, Brazil, Guyana, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tabago, the World Bank & the IMF Source : SierraExpressMedia,com signed the financing agreement on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC: while Mr. Jan Walliser Acting Vice President, Africa Region, signed the Financing Agreement on behalf of the International Development Association.

Mr. Jan Walliser said “the World Bank is proud to be on the side of Sierra Leone”. He described this year (2012) as “Auspicious for the Country, because it has seen an increase in the number of investors.” He also said the end of year scheduled elections will brighten the prospect for HE Ambassador Stevens signing the World Bank document for the $24 million the Country’s economy”. budgetary support

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AMIPNEWS PAGE

U.S. Presidential Delegation Attends Inauguration of Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf majority in either chamber. Incumbent retention was low; only two of the fourteen incumbent senators seeking to retain their seats won reelection, while only twenty-five of the fifty-nine House incumbents running were reelected.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has concluded an official visit to Liberia during which she attended the inauguration of President Johnson Sirleaf’s second term and inaugurated a new U.S. Embassy Chancery in Monrovia the capital city. On January 13, 2012, President Barack Obama announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Monrovia, Liberia to attend the inauguration of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, on January 16, 2012. The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, led the delegation.

Members of the delegation included:

- The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia - The Honorable Christopher A. Coons, Senator (D-DE), U.S. Senate - The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State - The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State - The Honorable Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development - The Honorable Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Deputy Director, Peace Corps - General Carter F. Ham, Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), U.S. Army - Mr. Grant T. Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council

The 2011 Liberian general election was held on 11 October 2011, with a presidential runoff election held on 8 November 2011.

The presidency, as well as all seats in the House of Representatives and half of the seats in the Senate, were up for election. The election was overseen by the National Elections Commission (NEC).

The results of the legislative elections and first-round presidential election were released on 25 October 2011. In the legislative elections, the Unity Party maintained its plurality in both the House and the Senate, but as in the previous election, no party secured a

of tradition and renewal through lively images of agriculture, education, music, African American history and culture, and a love of homeland.

The new embassy incorporates numerous sustainable features, most notably, a In the first round of the presidential rainwater collection system with a election, incumbent President Ellen 264,000 gallon tank to handle the Johnson Sirleaf of the Unity Party led majority of potable and irrigation water the presidential field with 43.9% of the needs, a photovoltaic system located on vote, followed by Congress for the parking canopy structure, high-effiDemocratic Change candidate Winston ciency mechanical chillers, and a buildTubman with 32.7%. As no candidate ing automation system. The facility is received an absolute majority, Sirleaf and registered with the Green Building Tubman stood in a run-off election held Certification Institute and is entering on 8 November 2011. Tubman alleged the formal review process with enough that the first round had been rigged in credits to earn a LEED Gold rating.

Sirleaf’s favor and called on his support- B.L. Harbert International of ers to boycott the run-off, resulting in a Birmingham, Alabama constructed the turnout of 38% as compared to the project, which was designed by Page 71.8% turnout in the first round. The Southerland Page of Arlington, NEC declared Sirleaf the winner of the Virginia. The $164 million project genrun-off on 15 November 2011 with erated jobs in both the United States 90.7% of the vote. and the Republic of Liberia.

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Dedication of New U.S. Embassy Chancery in Monrovia

In an important symbol of America’s commitment to an enduring friendship with the people of Liberia, as well as the importance of our bilateral relationship with the Liberian Government, the United States dedicated its new embassy in Monrovia today. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in connection with her visit to attend the inauguration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, presided at an in-house dedication ceremony yesterday. U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Linda Thomas-Greenfield attended the public ceremony today, joined by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Toga Gayewea McIntosh; Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Senator Gbezongar Milton Findley; and Managing Director for the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’ (OBO) Office of Construction, Facility, and Security Management, Rodney Evans.

Occupying a 12-acre site in Mamba Point, the multi-building complex creates a secure, sustainable, and pleasant workplace for approximately 400 employees.

The Embassy’s permanent art collection features artworks by 51 celebrated American and Monrovian artists, curated

by OBO’s Office of Art in Embassies.

These artworks focus around the themes

Since the 1999 enactment of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act, the Department has moved more than 26,000 people into safer facilities. OBO has completed 88 diplomatic facilities and has an additional 41 projects in design or construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide.

These facilities represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

Source: www.amipnewsonline.org

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U.S. State Department Announces Winners In APPS4AFRICA Contest

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The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce the East Africa winners of the Apps4Africa: Climate Challenge, a regional competition to address local climate change challenges through the development of web-based and mobile applications. All three East Africa winners support “climatesmart” agriculture in the region. Appfrica International, a private sector partner, announced the winners on January 14 at the Villages in Action Conference in Kikuube Village, Masindi District, Uganda.

First place was awarded to The Grainy Bunch, an application developed in Tanzania. The Grainy Bunch features a national grain supply chain management system that monitors the purchase, storage, distribution, and consumption of grain across the entire nation, designed to ensure both food and economic security. Second place was awarded to Mkulima Calculator, a Kenyan application that will help farmers decide when to plant crops and how to select the best crops for a given location using climate and weather data. Third place was awarded to Agro Universe, a mobile and web-based app from Uganda that creates a regional marketplace, helping communities prepare for pest- and drought-induced food shortages by linking these communities to farmers with available produce.

This competition demonstrates that the United States is working with partners to bring together practitioners, policy-makers, and African technology innovators through programs such as the global Adaptation Partnership and Apps4Africa in order to highlight country-driven solutions to climate change adaptation in East Africa.

Apps4Africa: Climate Challenge consists of three African regional competitions. Winners from the West and Central Africa contest were announced in December, and winners from the Southern Africa competition will be announced in April. These contests build on the outcomes of regional climate change adaptation workshops organized by the Adaptation Partnership, which includes the United States and more than 20 other countries.

Winners will receive cash prizes. Private partners, including TED and Indigo Trust, are contributing follow-on support.

For more information please visit http://apps4africa.org or contact Marissa Rollens, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs, at 202-663-0531 or RollensMK@state.gov.

Visit amipnewsonline.org for news updates on U.S - Africa relations

African

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History of Herbal Medicine H E A LT H

Introduction Herbal Medicine, sometimes referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medicinal value. An herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, aromatic or savory qualities. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical substances that act upon the body.

Herbalists use the leaves, flowers, stems, berries, and roots of plants to prevent, relieve, and treat illness. From a "scientific" perspective, many herbal treatments are considered experimental. The reality is, however, that herbal medicine has a long and respected history. Many familiar medications of the twentieth century were developed from ancient healing traditions that treated health problems with specific plants. Today, science has isolated the medicinal properties of a large number of botanicals, and their healing components have been extracted and analyzed. Many plant components are now synthesized in large laboratories for use in pharmaceutical preparations. For example, vincristine (an antitumor drug), digitalis (a heart regulator), and ephedrine (a bronchodilator used to decrease respiratory congestion) were all originally discovered through research on plants.

History of Herbal Medicine Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures throughout history. It was an integral part of the development of modern civilization.

Primitive man observed and appreciated the great diversity of plants available to him. The plants provided food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.

Much of the medicinal use of plants seems to have been developed through observations of wild animals, and by trial and error. As time went on, each tribe added the medicinal power of herbs in their area to its knowledgebase. They methodically collected information on herbs and developed welldefined herbal pharmacopoeias. Indeed, well into the 20th century much of the pharmacopoeia of scientific medicine was derived from the herbal lore of native peoples. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin. Indeed, about 25% of the prescription drugs dispensed in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material. Some are made from plant extracts; others are synthesized to mimic a natural plant compound.

Undisputedly, the history of herbology is inextricably intertwined with that of modern medicine.

Many drugs listed as conventional medications were originally derived from plants. Salicylic acid, a precursor of aspirin, was originally derived from white willow bark and the meadowsweet plant.

Cinchona bark is the source of malaria-fighting quinine. Vincristine, used to treat certain types of

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cancer, comes from periwinkle. The opium poppy yields morphine, codeine, and paregoric, a treatment for diarrhea Laudanum, a tincture of the opium poppy, was the favored tranquilizer in Victorian times. Even today, morphine-the most important alkaloid of the opium poppy-remains the standard against which new synthetic pain relieves is measured.

Prior to the discovery and subsequent synthesis of antibiotics, the herb echinacea (which comes from the plant commonly known as purple coneflower) was one of the most widely prescribed medicines in the United States. For centuries, herbalists prescribed echinacea to fight infection. Today, research confirms that the herb boosts the immune system by stimulating the production of diseasefighting white blood cells.

The use of plants as medicine is older than recorded history. As mute witness to this fact marshmallow root, hyacinth, and yarrow have been found carefully tucked around the bones of a Stone Age man in Iraq. These three medicinal herbs continue to be used today. Marshmallow root is a demulcent herb, soothing to inflamed or irritated mucous membranes, such as a sore throat or irritated digestive tract. Hyacinth is a diuretic that encourages tissues to give up excess water. Yarrow is a timehonored cold and fever remedy that may once have been used much as aspirin is today.

In 2735 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nong wrote an authoritative treatise on herbs that is still in use today. Shen Nong recommended the use of Ma Huang (known as ephedra in the Western world), for example, against respiratory distress.

Ephedrine, extracted from ephedra, is widely used as a decongestant. You'll find it in its synthetic form, pseudoephedrine, in many allergy, sinus, and cold-relief medications produced by large pharmaceutical companies.

The records of King Hammurabi of Babylon (c.

1800 B.C.) include instructions for using medicinal plants. Hammurabi prescribed the use of mint for digestive disorders. Modern research has confirmed that peppermint does indeed relieve nausea and vomiting by mildly anesthetizing the lining of the stomach.

The entire Middle East has a rich history of herbal healing. There are texts surviving from the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India that describe and illustrate the use of many medicinal plant products, including castor oil, linseed oil, and white poppies. In the scriptural book of Ezekiel, which dates from the sixth century B.C., we find this admonition regarding plant life: "..and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and leaf thereof for medicine." Egyptian hieroglyphs show physicians of the first and second centuries A.D. treating constipation with senna pods, and using caraway and peppermint to relieve digestive upsets.

Throughout the Middle Ages, home-grown botanicals were the only medicines readily available, and for centuries, no self-respecting household would be without a carefully tended and extensively used herb garden. For the most part, herbal healing lore was passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. Mother taught daughter; the village herbalist taught a promising apprentice.

By the seventeenth century, the knowledge of herbal medicine was widely disseminated throughout Europe. In 1649, Nicholas Culpeper wrote A Physical Directory, and a few years later produced

February 2012

The English Physician. This respected herbal pharmacopeia was one of the first manuals that the layperson could use for health care, and it is still widely referred to and quoted today. Culpeper had studied at Cambridge University and was meant to become a great doctor, in the academic sense of the word. Instead, he chose to apprentice to an apothecary and eventually set up his own shop. He served the poor people of London and became known as their neighborhood doctor. The herbal he created was meant for the layperson.

The first U.S. Pharmacopeia was published in 1820. This volume included an authoritative listing of herbal drugs, with descriptions of their properties, uses, dosages, and tests of purity. It was periodically revised and became the legal standard for medical compounds in 1906. But as Western medicine evolved from an art to a science in the nineteenth century, information that had at one time been widely available became the domain of comparatively few. Once scientific methods were developed to extract and synthesize the active ingredients in plants, pharmaceutical laboratories took over from providers of medicinal herbs as the producers of drugs. The use of herbs, which for most of history had been mainstream medical practice, began to be considered unscientific, or at least unconventional, and to fall into relative obscurity.

Herbal Medicine Today The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, 80% of the world population, presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Herbal medicine is a major component in all indigenous peoples’ traditional medicine and a common element in Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional oriental, and Native American Indian medicine.

WHO notes that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74% are used in modern medicine in ways that correlated directly with their traditional uses as plant medicines by native cultures. Major pharmaceutical companies are currently conducting extensive research on plant materials gathered from the rain forests and other places for their potential medicinal value.

Today, the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, with its reliance on herbal compounds, has been all but forgotten.

Most modern physicians rely on the Physician's Desk Reference, an extensive listing of chemically manufactured drugs. It is important to note that each entry in this enormous volume, in addition to specifying the chemical compound and actions of a particular drug, also includes an extensive list of contraindications and possible side effects.

Rather than using a whole plant, pharmacologists identify, isolate, extract, and synthesize individual components, thus capturing the active properties.

This can create problems, however. In addition to active ingredients, plants contain minerals, vitamins, volatile oils, glycosides, alkaloids, bioflavanoids, and other substances that are important in supporting a particular herb's medicinal properties.

These elements also provide an important natural safeguard Isolated or synthesized active compounds can become toxic in relatively small doses; it usually takes a much greater amount of a whole herb, with all of its components, to reach a toxic level. Herbs are medicines, however, and they can have powerful effects. They should not

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be taken lightly. The suggestions for herbal treatments in this book are not intended to substitute for consultation with a qualified health care practitioner, but rather to support and assist you in understanding and working with your physician's advice.

Substances derived from the plants remain the basis for a large proportion of the commercial medications used today for the treatment of heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, asthma, and other problems. For example, ephedra is an herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than two thousand years to treat asthma and other respiratory problems. Ephedrine, the active ingredient in ephedra, is used in the commercial pharmaceutical preparations for the relief of asthma symptoms and other respiratory problems. It helps the patient to breathe more easily.

Another example of the use of an herbal preparation in modern medicine is the foxglove plant. This herb had been in use since 1775. At present, the powdered leaf of this plant is known as the cardiac stimulant digitalis to the millions of heart patients it keeps alive worldwide.

There are over 750,000 plants on earth.

Relatively speaking, only a very few of the healing herbs have been studied scientifically. And because modern pharmacology looks for one active ingredient and seeks to isolate it to the exclusion of all the others, most of the research that is done on plants continues to focus on identifying and isolating active ingredients, rather than studying the medicinal properties of whole plants. Herbalists, however, consider that the power of a plant lies in the interaction of all its ingredients. Plants used as medicines offer synergistic interactions between ingredients both known and unknown.

The efficacy of many medicinal plants has been validated by scientists abroad, from Europe to the Orient. Thanks to modern technology, science can now identify some of the specific properties and interactions of botanical constituents. With this scientific documentation, we now know why certain herbs are effective against certain conditions.

However, almost all of the current research validating herbal medicine has been done in Germany, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Russia. And for the most part, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for licensing all new drugs (or any substances for which medicinal properties are claimed) for use in the United States, does not recognize or accept findings from across the sea.

To be Continued

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South Africa Launches Non-stop Beijing Flights

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BANKRUPTCY South African Airways launched nonstop flights to Beijing on Tuesday, January 31,2012, a move it said would cement ties with China which has become South Africa's largest trade partner.

The state-owned airline said it will make three round-trips a week on the Johannesburg-Beijing route, a roughly 15-hour flight, operating an Airbus A340-600.

SAA said the new route would also boost ties between the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

"We believe that the route will play a strategic role in the growing economic relationships and dependencies between the continents," said Mzimela.

"Commercially, SAA is able to deliver seamless travel from Sao Paolo via Johannesburg to Beijing, servicing all three continents.”

The new link will boost trade and tourism within the 15-nation Southern African Development Community, SAA chief Siza Mzimela said in a Source: yahoonewsafrica statement.

China became South Africa's top trade partner in 2009. The Asian giant imported goods worth 78.4 billion rand ($10.1 billion, 7.6 billion euros) from South Africa last year and exported 94.2 billion rand worth there.

Latest African Ambassadors to the U.S. Present Credentials at the White House

Wednesday January 18, 2012 The White House, Washington, D.C

The African Ambassadors are:

- Ambassador Eliachim Molapi Sebatane, Kingdom of Lesotho President Obama today received cre- Ambassador Maman Sambo Sidikou, dentials from fourteen Ambassadors, Republic of Niger including four from Africa during a - Ambassador Mohamed Rachad Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Bouhlal, Kingdom of Morocco Office. The presentation of credentials Ambassador Al Maamoun Baba is a traditional ceremony that marks Lamine Keita, Republic of Mali the formal beginning of an Ambassador’s service in Washington.

Source: www.amipnewsonline.org D.C.

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U.S. Department of State Honors Burundian Entrepreneur, Consolata Ndayishimye

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Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s New Chairman February

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from the underprivileged Batwa ethnic group to produce and sell handicrafts in support of their own sustainable employment.

The U.S. Department of State selected Consolata Ndayishimye, an alumna of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), as State Alumni Member of the Month. Mrs. Ndayishimye’s 2006 participation in IVLP on the topic of women and entrepreneurship inspired her to seek the presidency of the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi. Today, she promotes women’s entrepreneurship for the entire region, through her 2011 selection as president of the East Africa Business Council.

Mrs. Ndayishimye is a dynamic and energetic promoter of women’s entrepreneurship. In March 2007, she organized trips for Burundian business women to travel to Rwanda in search of projects and to learn best practices. As a result, she organized three regional workshops allowing 150 Burundian and 20 Rwandan women to share business experiences. Subsequently, six projects were launched in the two countries including a microfinance group, the enhancement of a local restaurant and the Agaseke Project, which provides opportunities for women

Mrs. Ndayishimye is also instrumental in working with Burundi’s exchange alumni community. At the recent launch of the reconstituted Burundi Alumni Association, she encouraged fellow alumni to join the global alumni network and combine their talents and dreams to make Burundi a better place.

The IVLP alumna shares her business expertise and contacts with Burundian alumni. She facilitates connections between local journalists and bankers and alumni representatives from neighboring countries. Furthermore, she participates in embassy-sponsored events such as a recent economic roundtable with the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa and other members of the Burundian business community.

Throughout January, her leadership and dedication to African women’s entrepreneurship will be recognized on the State Alumni website (https://alumni.state.gov), ECA’s official website for the more than one million Department-sponsored exchange alumni worldwide. Each month, the Bureau’s Office of Alumni Affairs, which supports alumni as they build on their exchange experiences, confers the award on an outstanding alumnus or alumna.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ website at http://exchanges.state.gov/alumni/alumnus.html.

Media Contact: Carla Coolman: CoolmanCH@state.gov – phone (202) 632-3356. ###

www.amiponlinenews.org

Students Study Beyonce For A Diploma The course, 'Politicizing Beyonce', will allow students to explore the singer's alter ego Sasha Fierce, and debate the extent of control she has over her own image.

They will also debate whether her persona is an outlet of female sexual empowerment or merely complying with western gender stereotypes.

In charge of the course is Rutgers PhD candidate Kevin Allred, who explained the importance of the course on the university's website.

A U.S university is offering students the chance to study for a diploma on pop star Beyonce.

Rutgers University, in New Jersey, says the course will explore the social and cultural significance of the Destiny's Child singer.

Her husband, rapper Jay-Z, has already been honoured with a Georgetown University sociology course named after him.

"This isn't a course about Beyonce's political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama's inauguration weekend," he said.

"She certainly pushes boundaries. While other artists are simply releasing music, she's creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona."

Students will also discuss other iconic female singers including Lady Gaga, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com

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Addis Ababa, 29th January 2012 –It was during a closed session of the 18th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the Heads of Government and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) , where President Thomas Yayi Boni of the Republic of Benin was elected Chairperson of the African Union by his peers.

The newly elected Chairperson of the continental organization, will manage the affairs of the Union and represent the AU for a one year mandate. According to the rotation principle, the Chairmanship of the Union for the year 2012 was to be given to a West African country.

Therefore, the Heads of State and Government of the AU endorsed the ECOWAS decision for Benin to take the turn at the helm of the Union.

The newly elected Bureau of the Assembly is as follows:

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Uganda, 1st Vice-president (Eastern Region)

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Tunisia, 2nd Vice-president (Northern Region)

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Equatorial Guinea, Rapporteur (Central Region)

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South Africa 3rd Vice-president (Southern Region)

Benin is taking over the presidency from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea whose mandate for the year 2011 has come to an end.

In his acceptance speech, President Yayi Boni underlined priorities of his mandate which includes peace, stability and security so that 2012 will “be for Africa a year of blessings, peace and prosperity”, he noted. He commended the resilience of the continent,more specifically, the overall proceedings of the auto determination referendum which lead to the creation of Southern Sudan, the 54th AU Member State; and the ongoing peace and reconciliation process in Côte d’Ivoire. Regarding the theme of the Summit, “Boosting Intra-African Trade”, the newly elected AU Chairperson said the solution to the challenges Africa is facing rely upon the Africans themselves. He urged his peers to strive for more stability and security, reinforce continental integration, and promote infrastructure development in order fight efficiently against poverty. President Yayi Boni concluded his speech thanking the Heads of State and Government for the confidence bestowed on him by choosing him to manage the affairs of the Union for the year 2012. He called for a united Africa to help overcome the challenges of the time.

On a different note, the election of the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, and Commissioners of the African Union Commission took place on 30 January 2012.

Nigerian Quadruplets Graduate Same Day From Warwick University With Masters Degrees

Graduating from university is normally an occasion for a family get-together.

And this was certainly a big celebration for the Ogunsanya quadruplets who were handed their welldeserved degrees from the same university on the same day.

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The 23-year-old quads, identical sisters and the oldest by four minutes, Toks and Temi Ogunsanya, and identical brothers, Tobi and Tolu, graduated from Warwick University with Master Degrees. And there was not a jot of sibling rivalry as all four have landed jobs in the City already.

Toks graduated with anMEng in manufacturing and engineering and Temi, Tobi and Tolu all gained an MSC in management from Warwick Business School.

“The fact we all chose to study at the University of Warwick was a natural decision,” says Tobi, who thinks a bit of sibling rivalry is essential for success.

“We are a close-knit family and were all attracted by the strength of the courses on offer.”

Tolu, Toks, Temi and Tobi

“We all gravitated to similar courses because we've always been interested in business and management and our father is a successful businessman in Nigeria.”

The quads, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, have been living in the UK since the age of seven when they began boarding schools. Since leaving university they have all landed top city jobs.

Toks is due to start working for RBS in London later this year, Temi, who interned at Santander over the summer, has been offered a permanent position with the bank, and Tolu is due to start working for one of the 'Big 4' accountancy firms in the City.

“Our parents are four times as proud of us,” added Tobi, who is mulling over two offers from two major City firms.

“They've supported us financially and have encouraged us all the way - without their help we wouldn't be here today.”

Source: dailymail.co.uk Quite brilliant quads: The foursome, originally from Nigeria, all went to boarding school before heading to Warwick University

Social networking site, Facebook has for some time now become an addictive site in the world with millions constantly hooking up and chatting with friends there.

The Facebook brand has become huge with many trying, in one way or the other, to associate their brands to it. Notable among them are mobile phones specially designed for the networking site called “Facebook” phones.

Guess what? A school in Nigeria has been named after the social networking site. The school located at 27 Otunba Street, Ojodu Lagos has decided to call itself Facebook Nursery and Primary School.

Another school in Obuasi, Ghana, is also called Defeat Corruption International School.

Source: peaceonline.com

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Sierra Leoneans in USA pray for Sierra Leone Post

Different heads of Christian Churches and Muslim Jamaats in the United States of America who heeded to President Ernest Bai Koroma’s call of one dedicated week of prayer to invoke the Power of the Almighty God/Allah to transform Sierra Leone has ended. (Photo: A cross section of Sierra Leonean Muslim faithful fervently praying for their country)

The week of prayer that officially began on January 16th and ended on Sunday, January 22nd in Sierra Leone, was also extended to January 29, 2012 to enable him (God/Allah) to continue to show his Infinite Mercy on Sierra Leone and shower his blessings in the form of Peace, Progress and Prosperity in the West African Nation.

The men of God also prayed for the Power of the Holy Spirit to transform the lives of Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad for the better.

They also prayed that Almighty God/Allah impede Satan and deprive his evil forces from making any headway that are oppose to virtues of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans.

During the closing prayer at the “Christ is Lord Ministry” on Jefferson Davis Highway, Woodbridge Virginia, the Senior Pastor in charge, Reverend Gibrilla Bangura prayed against over ambitiousness and usurpation of functions in offices.

Quoting “11 Chronicles 26:5, Reverend Bangura said (Uzziah) continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.

“11 Chronicles 26: 16: but when he became strong, his heart was so strong that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar.

And when he (Uzziah) refused heeding to advice and warnings of eighty Priests to desist, because he was not a priest: the man of God said Uzziah was punished by God.

But when the President decided to obey the will of God by seeking him first, it is imperative that we all change our minds, because the Kingdom of God has arrived: all other things will follow.

At the “Episcopal Church of Our Savior”, a Congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Anglican Communion on Powder Mill Road, Silver Spring, Maryland, Pastor in Charge: Reverend Robert W. Harvey

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As Aziz Bouallouchen walks into the foyer of a plush cinema in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, he is given not a pair of 3D glasses that one can expect to find in many cinemas around the world, but a pair of headphones.

Mr Bouallouchen, in his 20s, is no ordinary cinema-goer and this is no ordinary cinema. Aziz Bouallouchen, who lost his sight seven years ago, now feels part of the world of cinema.

Every seat is equipped with special devices to enhance the enjoyment of blind According to the Man of God, a good number of the and partially-sighted film-lovers.

People of Nineveh were evil with very bad ways.

The film being shown is Lalla Hoby, a popular Moroccan comedy about a man who crosses the Straits of Gibraltar in order to look for his wife who has left him Stubborn though they were, Jonah did not relent until he for another man and gone to live in Belgium. fulfilled God’s Mandate by transforming them. “When Released in 1996, it is the only North African film to have been adapted to carry God saw what the people of Nineveh did, and how they audio description. turned from their evil ways, he (God) relented and did Leading the way not bring destruction he had threatened.

Wearing headphones plugged into small receivers in the seats' arms, Mr Bouallouchen listens to a voice explaining the action sequences, body language, He said the call by Mr. President on his people to worthe scenery - the "in-between" moments without which a film's meaning is lost. ship God, has brought Peace and transformation to "It's a brilliant idea," Mr Bouallouchen says. "I haven't been able to 'see' a film Sierra Leone in Jesus’ name. since I suffered a disease that robbed me of my eyes."

"But now I can feel part of the world of cinema," he says.

The first lesson was read by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador Special headsets enhance the cinema-going experience of blind and partiallysighted people to the United States of America, H.E Bockari Stevens.

Mr Bouallouchen lost his sight in 2005 after a rare disease called Behcet's syndrome attacked his optic nerve.

In Philadelphia, members of the “Door Christian Seven years on, he is sitting next to sighted people, "watching" a film.

Fellowship” sang several songs of praises and thanksgiving to the Almighty God, for spearing our lives to see And, thanks to the audio description, everyone laughs at the same time at the antics of the hero of Lalla Hoby as he falls out of a small boat crossing the Straits this day, which he hath made. of Gibraltar.

Morocco is leading the way in Africa with the use of this new technology.

cited Jonah 3:1-10 and likened the role of President Ernest Bai Koroma to Prophet Jonah who was sent by the Almighty God to transform Nineveh. Go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim to it, the message I give you”

By: Pasco Gerald Temple - USA on January 31, 2012.

Cinema opens up for Morocco's blind February 2012

Earlier at the Ebileh Cultural Organization Maryland County Chapter, during Juma Prayers, Chief Imam Allie Sesay cited several Quran verses which categorically condemn lies, hypocrisy, tribalism, deceit and violence.

Nadia El Hansali Marrakesh International Film Festival Foundation A voice talks "alongside" the film's action and provides a more inclusive cinema experience for visually-impaired people.

"We are the only country in Africa and the Arab world that offers this opportunity He used the medium to condemn jealousy, covetousness to the blind," says Nadia el-Hansali of the Marrakesh International Film Festival and violence, and prayed for peace progress and develFoundation. opment to be the main characteristics of Sierra Leone.

The foundation - which hosts the annual influential film festival, where audiodescribed films have been screened for the past two years - is funding the adapA Quran recital led by the Chief Imam Allie Sesay and tion of the mainstream films for blind people.

Acting Chief Naieb Salaam Jabbi which saw the reading Eight films now carry audio description, including L'Atlante (1934), The African of suratil “Yaa-sin” forty One times formed the highlight Queen (1951) and East of Eden (1955).

Over the next 18 months another six will be adapted. of the Juma Prayers.

Ms el-Hansali writes the scripts for artists to voice over alongside the film's actions.

Source: Sierraexpressmedia.com It is very precise, with the audio fitting exactly into the spaces between the actors' dialogue.

"We have worked out how much to say and what is really necessary to understand the film fully," Ms el-Hansali says.

"I avoid giving too much information that would only confuse those who can't see the screen."

It is much more enjoyable to watch a movie in the company of a big audience after all, that is what the cinema is all about” The aim is to move away from the days of volunteer narrators, standing up in the cinema, doing their best to describe what is happening on the silver screen - but often talking over the crucial dialogue.

Mohamed Doukkali is a white-haired philosophy lecturer at the University of Rabat in Morocco's capital.

He is a fan of technology and already uses a specially-adapted computer in his daily work.

"One of the advantages of new technology is that it removes some of the obstacles in our way," Mr Doukkali says.

He describes himself as a "real cinephile", but says he usually only watches DVDs at home with someone telling him what is going on.

He is thrilled to have finally had a real cinema outing.

"Thanks to a voice that describes what is happening on the screen we are able to grasp films in a way we could not before," he says.

Source: BBC

February 2012

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Awaken Your Inner David Her Page

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Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

ithin the first hour of January the first, while you are still standing on church premises, the enemy very subtly sows a seed. At the moment, you may have been just having a conversation with a sister or a brother in Christ. Some things were said which, at the moment, you think nothing about until you all depart from the house of God, enter your vehicles and head on home.

The seed begins to germinate in your mind, for after all, that is where it begins and it continues to do so as you nurture it with second thoughts, considerations, the unconscious squints you make with your left eye as you are thinking, worrying, meditating about the two

or more words that were said. You begin to wonder “what was meant by that?” You begin to think “was that an attempt to take a jab at me? To insult me? To hurt me? To warn me?” Then you feel your temperature slowly but certainly rising.

You are driving home early this January morning and you are not even focusing on the path you are traveling. Parts of the seemingly “friendly” exchange you had at church have entirely occupied your mind, that before you reach home, you want to make a phone call to tell another what is troubling you so. You want to know what they think of it. If the person whose words are the source of these questions has said anything, done anything hurtful or suspicious to them before. But you are driving and your phone is somewhere unreachable in your purse and as much as you try to reach it, you cannot, unless you become so careless as to risk an accident. Though you are intent on making this call and getting to the bottom of what is bothering you, you realize the attempt at the phone is futile.

Your eyes flash at the back seat and see your children peacefully sleeping and as the reality of your pending actions and the dangers that could result hit you, you decide to forget the phone call—for the moment. You will make the call when you reach home, but still, you continue to concentrate on the words then recall the look on the person’s face and body gestures when they spoke with you.

Miraculously, before you know it, you arrive home safely without an incident although your mind was too far gone the entire time you unconsciously maneuvered your vehicle home. The Lord was with you, but by this time, the devil has found a way

into your heart, for within those minutes you were tossing those words in your mind, you meditated on them enough that they made their way into your heart. Now, you have more than a seed in your heart, for it has surpassed its process of germination. It has roots taking serious hold within your core – it has a strong stem now and it begins to grow into a potentially mighty oak tree. No wonder you began to feel heavy within your heart. There is a tree quickly growing.

What are you going to do about it? Are you going to continue to nurture it in the same way you did for 30 minutes when it was merely a seed in your mind? Or are you going to shake yourself out of this negative meditation, worrying and ever-growing bitterness, resentment and just plain outrage that has developed within you so early in this New Year?

The growing oak tree is greater later in the morning when you wake up. Even as you still attempt to do your quiet time, there is a palpable heaviness that is weighing you down and it feels as if you are struggling through murky waters just to get to a point where you usually have no problems arriving. This developing oak tree has every intention of remaining only to become a hindrance to your spiritual development and your blessings, not to mention a toll on your emotions and eventually your body. For the book of Proverbs tells us “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (17:22). The presence of the burdening oak is surely to impact you physically. Again, what do you do?

In the book of I Samuel, we learn about a young shepherd named David. This young boy who was disregarded by his own family as a big mouth and possible trouble maker came to hear about an oak tree of a man, Goliath. Goliath had been taunting the Israelites for forty days. He had been threatening them with his physical might and strength. Goliath was a warrior and knew of the harm he could inflict on others. Not only was he confident in his might, but so were his people, the Philistines. They knew that as long as Goliath was with them, they were sure to be the victors. So also, the enemy knows that as long as he is able to secure this tree in you, he will be the victor in your life as he will be able to intercept all the good things God has meant for you.

Unfortunately for the Israelites, they also had confidence in Goliath. Their confidence in this Philistine was expressed by their fear of him. When they scanned his entire body with their eyes, all they saw told them he could not be defeated. They had no one.

Not one of them possessed bravery in their

souls and believed they could at least challenge him. But this young boy David who happened to hear the taunts and threats to his people was certain that he could defeat the oak. But the shepherd boy, not relying on a warrior’s armor, but focused only on the promise and belief in his Yahweh God, bravely faces the oak and with all things, a sling shot, yes, a sling shot, is able to direct a stone to an unprotected area on Goliath’s head—and fell the great oak.

Whether the January first scenario rings true for you or not, I am sure that you have experienced and will experience such realities. There are countless times that a situation such as that will attempt to throw you off the course you are on. Sometimes, it might be emotional or even physical assault, but it will be an assault nevertheless. Other times, the issue might be in a more serious form as job loss or loss of wealth, illness and so on. The point here is that any troublesome situation that comes to disturb your life and imposes a burden on you is a challenge that must be dealt with.

It has the potential of becoming an oak tree, a threatening Goliath. I was inspired to write on this topic after hearing a particular song. The song states that any problem that threatens you is a Goliath. It goes on to state that Goliath will go today, because our David has arrived. Who is our David?

David is the fighter within, greater than Goliath. David is that voice of faith that proclaims “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

David is what you might physically feel like, a little boy or girl who might very well cower against a giant like Goliath, against the case troubling you, but what you feel and the power you wield within are completely different. David is the conviction that you can move and topple mountains and trees. For scripture tells us that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we could say to a mountain, be removed, and it will be removed (Matt.

17:20). David is the Christ within, that man of Galilee, that Lion of the tribe of Judah that cannot only roar, but can tear apart to shreds any enemy He faces. So awaken the David in you. Topple the tree and claim your liberation from threats to your joy, peace and blessings.

How do you topple that tree and uproot it completely? First, in order to demolish the tree, you have to discern that the enemy is at work. You have to be careful and be in tune with your spiritual self in order to sense when a seed is being sown and a potential tree growing within. You have to listen to the voice within that will undoubt-

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)

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edly caution you that the enemy is at work and that you must respond appropriately to him, otherwise, he will claim a foothold in your life with the planting of that hindering tree. You see, the tree is a hindrance because it is a burden representing a property of the enemy. This property is a device he uses against us. For example, in the scenario, the conversation in which you innocently engaged and the words which came to be a source of disturbance and eventually resentment, anger and outrage are all devices of the enemy to intercept your rightful gifts from God by posing as a stumbling block.

Your response of anger, resentment etc. to the words and therefore the person who uttered them are the responses the enemy desires from you. He wants you to become angry, resentful and worse at the offending individual so that those negative and combative feelings block God’s access to you and your access to God. In other words, the only thing that can stand in the way between God and His child is sin. If any sin, even that of resentment and possible hatefulness, abides or is found in a child of God, it separates the Christian from God. And if there is a separation between man and God, how can we reach God and how can God reach us?

Furthermore, if the issue is that of the loss of work or illness, how we respond to it will also determine if we allow a separation to come between us and our God and grant an opportunity for the enemy to make inroads in our lives. Are we going to respond to our challenge as weak, defeated and defenseless beings? Or are we going to awaken the David within us and stand up to it, speaking in prayer against the circumstance? We owe it to ourselves to respond like David and challenge the issue, standing on our faith in God and His word. We owe it to ourselves to use the scriptures appropriate to the matter bothering us, coupling it with prayer and perhaps fasting when needed to face the problem once and for all.

Like David, we can declare to any situation that attempts to threaten us that we come in the name of the Lord Almighty, in the name of Jehovah, our God of all creation and condemn what the enemy has dared to throw our way any part of the year, whether it is in the wee hours of January first or any other time. Like David, we will not entertain it and give it an opportunity to grow to hinder and/or to weaken us. We will trust in the Lord as we confront it and uproot it from our lives. We want to maintain our joy, we want to preserve our peace, we want to be open and receive all the blessings that the Lord has in store for our lives, so we can’t afford to permit anything and any force to get in the way of that. We must topple the tree.

Millennium Challenge Corporation Approves $66.2 Million Compact With Cape Verde

Washington, D.C. – At its quarterly meeting today, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) approved a $66.2 million compact with Cape Verde. The Board of Directors selected Benin and El Salvador as eligible to develop proposals for new compacts and Nepal and Honduras as eligible to develop Threshold Programs. “Cape Verde has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to building a self-sustaining, high-growth economy through policy and institutional reforms, private sector engagement and infrastructure development,” said MCC Chief Executive Officer Daniel W. Yohannes. “MCC is proud to partner again with this stable democracy—a model for all of Africa—to improve the quality of life for Cape Verdeans in positive and sustainable ways.”

The Government of Cape Verde recognizes that to alleviate poverty it must continue its positive track record of improved policy performance and government reform. This compact provides a unique opportunity to reduce poverty and address critical constraints to economic growth in Cape Verde through projects focused on reforming the water, sanitation and land management sectors.

Benin and El Salvador were considered eligible to develop proposals for new compacts.

These second compacts are contingent on successful completion of first compacts, continued good policy performance, development of proposals that have significant potential to promote economic growth and reduce poverty, and availability of funding.

“Traveling over the last year, I saw firsthand the positive impact that MCC’s compacts are having in both Benin and El Salvador,” said Yohannes. “These countries not only demonstrate the sound policy performance that is required of an MCC partner country, but looking at what they have accomplished in implementation makes me enthusiastic about developing a second compact with them.”

The Board also selected Nepal and Honduras as eligible for new Threshold Programs, and agreed that Zambia, Georgia and Ghana are eligible to continue the process of developing compacts in Fiscal Year 2012. The meeting was held at the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s headquarters on December 16, 2011

despite what the country’s name suggests (verde is Portuguese for “green”). The name of the country stems instead from the nearby Cap Vert, on the Senegalese coast, which in its turn was originally named “Cabo Verde” when it was sighted by Portuguese explorers in 1444, a few years before the islands were discovered.

The country has an estimated population (most of creole of ethnicity) of about 500,000, with its capital city Praia accounting for a quarter of its citizens. Nearly 38% of the population lives in rural areas according to the 2010 Cape Verdean census; about 20% lives below the poverty threshold, and the literacy rate is around 85%. Politically, the country is a very stable democracy, with notable economic growth and improvements of living conditions despite its lack of natural resources, and has garnered international recognition by other countries and international organizations, which often provide development aid. Since 2007, Cape Verde has been classified as a developing nation.

United States & Cape Verde The relationship is cordial and has strong historical roots. In the early 18th century, U.S. whaling ships appear to have begun recruiting crews from Brava and Fogo to hunt whales that were abundant in the waters surrounding Cape Verde. Ties between the American colonies and Cape Verde are documented as early as the 1740s, when American ships routinely anchored in Cape Verdean ports to trade for salt or buy slaves. The tradition of emigration to the United States began at that time and continues today.

The first U.S. consulate in sub-Saharan Africa was established in Cape Verde in 1818. U.S. consular representation continued throughout the 19th century.

The United States recognized Cape Verde on its independence day and supported its admission to the United Nations. Cape Verde assigned one of its first ambassadors to the United States, and a resident U.S. ambassador was posted to Cape Verde in 1983. Prime Minister Jose Neves visited Cape Verdean communities in New England during an official trip to the United States in 2002, and President Pires visited the United States in April 2005. (Prime Minister Neves also visited the U.S. in September 2007.)

The United States provided emergency humanitarian aid and economic assistance to Cape Verde in the period immediately following Cape Verde’s independence, as well as after natural disasters, including a hurricane that struck the island of Brava in 1982, and after a severe volcanic eruption on Fogo in 1995.

About Cape Verde Cape Verde also is eligible for trade benefits under the The Republic of Cape Verde is an island coun- African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and try, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands has signed an Open Skies agreement to facilitate air located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilo- travel safety and expansion. On July 4, 2005, Cape metres off the coast of Western Africa. The Verde became the third country to sign a compact islands, covering a combined area of slightly with the U.S. Government-funded Millennium over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are Challenge Corporation (MCC); the five-year assisof volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal, tance package is worth over $110 million in addressBoa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and ing rural economic expansion, infrastructure developdry, the remaining ones are generally rockier ment, and development of the credit sector. and have more vegetation. However, because of the infrequent occurrence of rainfall the Source: AMIP News Staff Writer overall landscape is not particularly green,

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Opens New Office in Queens, New York NEW YORK—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated the official opening of its newest immigration field office in Queens, N.Y. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas and USCIS’s New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo were joined by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (14th District, N.Y.), U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (7thDistrict, N.Y.) and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Opening the Queens office furthers our effort to become a part of the community and provide services where our customers live,” Director Mayorkas said. “We are confident that this new office will improve customer service and accessibility, and create new opportunities for the Queens community to engage with our agency.”

The new office, located at 27-35 Jackson Ave., consists of waiting rooms, an Application Support Center (which offers fingerprinting and photographic services as part of the application process), a naturalization ceremony room, and interview and file rooms. The building was formerly a warehouse and has been renovated to create a modern and efficient office space. The Queens office is expected to serve about 500 people each business day.

The office’s hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

A portion of the new office in Queens was dedicated by USCIS employees to one of their own: former Field Office Director Gwynne K. MacPherson-Williams, who passed away in March 2011 after 38 years of distinguished public service in New York City. A plaque will be placed in the new naturalization ceremony room in her memory.

The Aviation High School Honor Guard participated in today’s ceremony by presenting the national colors and leading guests in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approximately 100 employees transferred to the Queens office from the now-closed Garden City, Long Island, office. USCIS recently opened an additional office in Holtsville, Long Island.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov Source: www.uscis.gov

Van Vicker To Receive Creative Award In California

Separated at Birth, Indonesian Twins Meet in Sweden February 2012

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Actor, Director, and Producer, Van Vicker is a maverick in the world of African Movies. He is, by far, the hottest actor in Nollywood and Ghallywood.

Born to a Liberian-Ghanian mother and a Dutch father, this dashingly handsome young actor uses his charm and adoring smile to connect with his audience.

Having worked as a radio personality and a soap opera star, Van is no stranger to the limelight. His acting is uplifting and his personality is infectious. To date, The Pan African Film Festival, the most presVan has starred in over 100 plus movies tigious international film festival in the US, including DIVINE LOVE, KEEPING will honor award-winning African movie THE PROMISE, LOSING YOU, RAJ, actor Van Vicker with the Africa Channel’s MINDGAMES, PAPARAZZI EYE IN Creative Achievement Award.

THE DARK, just to name a few.

The aforementioned award will be presented during the Night of Tribute on Friday, February 10, 2012 at 8:00 PM in Los Angeles, California.

The Night of Tribute honors world-renowned actors, filmmakers, community leaders, and artists for their contributions in the film and entertainment industry.

This star-studded event is highly attended by the who’s who in Black Hollywood and is by far the biggest extravaganza during the film festival. The award ceremony kicks off with red-carpet festivities and is followed by a reception. The ceremony is recorded and televised by the Africa Channel and its affiliates, and is aired internationally throughout the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Traditionally, the Night of Tribute honorees have been Hollywood stars, a few South Africans, Kenyans, etc. This is the first time that a Nollywood/Ghallywood actor will receive this prestigious honor.

We are elated that Van Vicker, a young man who has made tremendous contributions to the African Movie Industry, has been selected to receive this award alongside Hollywood greats such as Loretta Divine, Meagan Good, and the like.

To his credit, he has received numerous nominations and awards for his sensational acting in both Nollywood and Ghallywood movies. He is also the UNCHR Goodwill Ambassador to Ghana, a Globacom Ambassador, and an icon for Belaqua in Ghana. This young, intelligent, and daringly handsome prince is an asset to the African movie industry and has contributed tremendously to African films.

His fan base spreads across cultures, continents, and countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Jamaica, US Virgin Islands, just to name a few. He has directed and produced two of his own films and is looking forward to getting into the Hollywood Movie Industry.

For more information about Van Vicker, our dynamic recipient, please visit his excellent website at www.vanvickerworld.com or for information about the Pan African Film Festival, Paparazzi Eye in the Dark screening, the Night of Tribute, and other honorees, please visit www.paff.org.

World's Tiniest Woman Makes It Big In Politics

The world's smallest woman is making a big impression in politics. Jyoti Amge is campaigning for the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party ahead of the upcoming civic election in Mumbai, India.

And the 18-year-old, who stands at just 2ft 6in tall, is certainly pulling in the crowds.

Jyoti was lifted high above a group of MNS supporters during a rally in the West Indian city. The teen, who was held aloft by a 7ft 1in tall lookalike of the WWE wrestler Great Khali, beamed as she waved a flag and drew cheers from her fellow campaigners.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's policies include anti-migrant plans in the city.

Jyoti was officially recognised as the world's smallest woman by Guinness World Records on her 18th birthday in December 2011.

Source: thesun.co.uk

Twins born in Indonesia and put up separately for adoption, have been reunited after finding each other living just 40 kilometres (25 miles) apart, in southern Sweden, three decades later.

Non-identical twins Emilie Falk and Lin Backman -strangers until last year -- were separated nearly 29 years ago.

thinking about family and my adoption, and when I asked my mother she told me this story again, and I decided to look for Lin," Falk said.

She had a name and began searching through a network for Indonesian children adopted by Swedish families, and found her on Facebook.

"I am born on March 18, 1983 in Semarang and According to a DNA test the pair had done two my biological mother's name is Maryati Rajiman," months after reuniting in January last year, and which Falk said she wrote, and quickly received the reply: they shared with AFP, there is a 99.98 percent chance "Wow, that's my mother's name as well! And that's of them being sisters. my birthday!"

A complex string of events led up to that revelation.

Both were adopted from an orphanage in Semarang in northern Indonesia by Swedish couples, but there was no mention in either of their documents of the fact that they had a twin.

When Backman's parents left the orphanage with her all those years ago, the taxi driver had turned around and asked them: "What about the other one, the sister?" and they jotted the girls' Indonesian names down on a piece of paper.

The name helped Backman's parents track down the Falks back in Sweden, and the two families got together a few times when the girls were babies to compare notes.

"They went through the adoption papers, but they didn't think we were very similar and there was a lot in the papers that didn't add up ... And there were no DNA tests back then," Falk said.

Among the discrepancies were different names for the girls' fathers. And although the records showed they had the same mother, the families eventually decided that this too was an error.

The two couples in the end wrote off the idea and eventually lost touch.

Although their parents had told them the story as children, both Falk and Backman later forgot about it. Growing up, neither was interested in information about their biological background, so they never asked.

"But when I got married two years ago I started

They found they had a lot in common.

They lived only 40 kilometres apart in the very south of Sweden, they are both teachers, they got married on the same day only one year apart and even danced to the same wedding song: "You and Me" by Lifehouse.

"It was really strange," Falk said.

"When Lin called me (with the DNA test results), I remember I was sitting in the car and when she told me I started laughing, because it just felt so strange," she said, adding: "I suddenly started thinking that we shared a womb. It was really strange, but really cool too."

Since then the two have kept in close touch, and have talked about going to Indonesia to search for their biological parents.

There are a number of details, some contradictory, in the adoption papers, including a reference to their father as a taxi driver.

"We are very curious if he is THE taxi driver," Falk said.

Asked if she wished she had found out about her twin earlier, Falk insisted "there's no use in being sad about something I didn't know about. I am only happy to have found her."

Source: yahoonews.com

Oprah Winfrey Girls Leadership Academy in African Teachers South Africa Celebrates 1st Graduation Participate In This Year’s Int. Leaders In Education Program (ILEP) February 2012

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the academy. A pioneer and leader on women’s issues in her own right, Machel, who has a post graduate scholarship for African women named in her honour to train women in areas of health and education, emphasized the importance of women’s leadership in ensuring Africa’s prosperity.

Also among the guests at the ceremony was South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Ms. Angie Motsekga.

Photo Credit, Benny Gool/ Harpo

January 18, 2012 Washington, DC – U.S. Department of State Welcomes Teachers in International Leaders in Education Program for Study in Alabama, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomes 63 secondary school teachers from 15 countries to the United States for the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) that began on January 9, 2012. Experienced teachers from Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda are studying in groups for the next four months in specialized programs at Clemson University, South Carolina; James Madison University, Virginia; Kent State University, Ohio; and the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

Launched in 2007 by the Department of State with 65 countries, ILEP has provided over 300 secondary school teachers of English, math, science, and social studies from around the world with professional development at U.S. graduate schools of education. The teachers also participate in U.S. cultural programs, community service, and volunteer projects along with approximately 90 hours of field experience in local secondary schools. The program is administered by the cooperating agency the International Research and Exchange Board.

The participating teachers help U.S. host school communities expand their understanding of the world by developing and delivering joint lessons with U.S. partner teachers, making presentations about their home countries to students, teachers, and members of the host communities, and creating new friendships. At the same time, the international teachers gain first-hand knowledge of the United States to share with students and fellow teachers in their home countries around the world.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional and sports exchange programs.

These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise of over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 current or former heads of state and government.

Source: amipnewsonline.org

Saturday 14 January 2012, Henley-on-Klip, South Africa — Television icon and business leader Oprah Winfrey celebrated the first graduating class of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa today. One hundred percent of the graduates have been accepted to college or university, including top schools in the United States and South Africa. More than a dozen have received full scholarships.

Winfrey arrived in South Africa early in the week for the graduation ceremony at the school in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, to create what she described as a “final lasting moment” for the 72 girls who achieved a 100% pass rate in last year’s Senior National Certificate examinations and produced 188 matriculation distinctions between them.

“The pride that I feel today is overpowering,” Winfrey told her guests, who included the students, their parents and relatives. “I have been on a mission my whole life to be able to give back what I have been given. Today I am fulfilling that mission. This class will prove that when you invest in the leadership of girls, you invest in a nation.”

Winfrey also used the opportunity to thank Nelson Mandela, who served as an inspiration in establishing the academy. “I want to thank Nelson Mandela for his leadership and support to help make this school a reality. Although he is not present with us today, I know he shares with us the same sense of pride and accomplishment,” said Winfrey.

Two of the girls were honored with special awards.

Bongeka Zuma, from Nkwezela in Kwa Zulu Natal, achieved six distinctions. She is considering studying political sciences at Spelman University in the United States of America and received the Dux award for academic excellence. The award is determined by the scores of the four compulsory subjects (English, First Additional Language, Mathematics, and Life Orientation), and then adding the scores of the three remaining subjects.

Between grades 9 and 11, Zuma received academic honours and has been a top achiever in mathematics and IsiZulu. She notes one of her proudest achievements as growing from being a shy girl in Grade 8 to being elected deputy chair in Grade 12.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Award, voted for by peers and teachers, was given to Marwiya James.

James scored distinctions in Afrikaans, Accounting, Life Orientation, Business Studies, and Visual Arts.

She now plans to return to her native province of the Western Cape, where she hails from Mitchell’s Plain, to study at the University of Cape Town to become a chartered accountant.

James, who describes her entrepreneur and community worker father as a role model, has been a recipient of service and leadership awards and was President of the Learner Representative Council during her time at the academy.

Source: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Winfrey concluded by noting how she has been enhanced as a person Log on to http://www.owla.co.za/ for more informathrough her time spent with the girls. “They have grown. We have grown as a school. Today we offer the world new scholars, girls who tion on the school. now can face any challenge as they move on to the next chapter in their academic and life journey. The future leaders of South Africa.

Source:www.amipnewsonline.org The future leaders of the world.”

Present at the ceremony was Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, who gave the keynote address and serves on the board of directors of

Afrikan

African Political Leaders

Post

Nigeria

Ghana

Heads of State Governors-General Charles Arden-Clarke William Francis Hare

President of the Republic Kofi Kwame Nkrumah CPP

6 Mar 1957 - 24 Jun 1957 (+1962) 24 Jun 1957 - 1 Jul 1960 (+1997) 1 Jul 1960 - 24 Feb 1966 (+1972)

Chairmen of the National Liberation Council Joseph Arthur Ankrah 24 Feb 1966 - 2 Apr 1969 military Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa 2 Apr 1969 - 3 Sep 1969 military

Presidential Commission Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa (chairman) 1979) military John Willie Kofi Harlley Albert Kwesi Ocran 3 Sep 1969 - 7 Aug 1970 military

Presidents of the Republic Nii Amaa Ollennu 7 Aug 1970 - 31 Aug 1970 (Died) 1986) (acting) Edward Akufo-Addo 31 Aug 1970 - 13 Jan 1972 (Died 1979)

Chairman of the National Redemption Council Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 13 Jan 1972 - 9 Oct 1975 (Died 1979) military

Chairmen of the Supreme Military Council Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 9 Oct 1975 - 5 Jul 1978 (Died 1979) military Frederick Kwasi Akuffo 5 Jul 1978 - 4 Jun 1979 (Died 1979) military

Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council Jerry John Rawlings 4 Jun 1979 - 24 Sep 1979 military

President of the Republic Hilla Limann 24 Sep 1979 - 31 Dec 1981 (Died)1998) PNP

Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council Jerry John Rawlings 31 Dec 1981 - 7 Jan 1999 military

Presidents of the Republic Jerry John Rawlings 7 Jan 1993 - 7 Jan 2001 NDC John Agyekum Kufuor 7 Jan 2001 - 7 Jan 2009 NPP John Evans Atta Mills 7 Jan 2009 NDC

---------------------------------------------------------------------------Prime ministers Kwame Nkrumah 6 Mar 1957 - 1 Jul 1960 (Died 1972) CPP Kofi Abrefa Busia 3 Sep 1969 - 13 Jan 1972 (Died 1978) PP

Heads of State Governors-General James Wilson Robertson 15 Jun 1955 - 16 Nov 1960 (+1983) n/p Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe 1 Oct 1960 - 1 Oct 1963 (+1996) NCNC

President of the Republic Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe 1 Oct 1963 - 16 Jan 1966 (+1996) NCNC

Heads of the Military Government Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi 16 Jan 1966 - 29 Jul 1966 (+) military Yakubu Gowon 1 Aug 1966 - 29 Jul 1975 military Murtala Ramat Mohammed 29 Jul 1975 - 13 Feb 1976 (+) military Olusegun Obasanjo 14 Feb 1976 - 1 Oct 1979 military President of the Republic Shehu Shagari 1 Oct 1979 - 31 Dec 1983

NPN

Head of the Federal Military Government Muhammadu Buhari 31 Dec 1983 - 27 Aug 1985 military

Chairman of the Armed Forces Ruling Council Ibrahim Babangida 27 Aug 1985 - 4 Jan 1993 military

Chairman of the National Defence and Security Council Ibrahim Babangida 4 Jan 1993 - 26 Aug 1993 military

Head of the Interim National Government Ernest Shonekan 26 Aug 1993 - 17 Nov 1993

Chairmen of the Provisional Ruling Council Sani Abacha 17 Nov 1993 - 8 Jun 1998 (+) military Abdulsalam Abubakar 9 Jun 1998 - 29 May 1999 military

President of the Republic Olusegun Obasanjo 29 May 1999 - 29 May 2007 PDP Umaru Musa Yar'Adua 29 May 2007 - 5 May 2010 (+) PDP Goodluck Jonathan 5 May 2010 PDP (acting to 6 May, for Yar'Adua from 9 Feb 2010)

----------------------------------------------------------------------Heads of Government Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa 30 Aug 1957 - 15 Jan 1966 (+)a NPC Head of the Transitional Council Ernest Shonekan 4 Jan 1993 - 26 Aug 1993

Head of the Interim National Government Ernest Shonekan 26 Aug 1993 - 17 Nov 1993

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2012

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Liberia

Presidents of the Republic William V. S. Tubman 3 Jan 1944 - 23 Jul 1971 William Richard Tolbert 23 Jul 1971 - 12 Apr 1980

Chairman of the People's Redemption Council Samuel Kanyon Doe 12 Apr 1980 - 25 Jul 1984 (+1990)-military

President of the Republic Samuel Kanyon Doe 25 Jul 1984 - 9 Sep 1990 (+) NDPL (acting to 6 Jan 1986) * vacant * (1)

9 Sep 1990 - 22 Nov 1990

President of the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) Amos Claudius Sawyer 22 Nov 1990 - 7 Mar 1994 LPP Chairmen of the Council of State of the Liberian National Transitional Governments (LNTG) David Donald Kpormakpor 7 Mar 1994 - 1 Sep 1995 Wilton G. S. Sankawulo 1 Sep 1995 - 3 Sep 1996 Ruth Sando Perry 3 Sep 1996 - 2 Aug 1997 Presidents of the Republic Ghankay Charles Taylor 2 Aug 1997 - 11 Aug 2003 Moses Zeh Blah 11 Aug 2003 - 14 Oct 2003

NPP NPP

President of the Republic Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 16 Jan 2006 -

UP

Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) Charles Gyude Bryant 14 Oct 2003 - 16 Jan 2006 LAP

Kenya

From the independence on 12 Dec 1963 to the proclamation of the Republic on 12 Dec 1964 the head of State was the Brirish monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General.

Parties: KANU: Kenya African National Union NARC: National Rainbow Coalition DP: Democratic Party (part of NARC) PNU: Party of National Unity (Kenya) ODM: Orange Democratic Movement Party of Kenya

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Heads of State Governor-General Malcolm John MacDonald 12 Dec 1963 - 12 Dec 1964 (+1981)

Presidents of the Republic Jomo Kenyatta 12 Dec 1964 - 22 Aug 1978 (+) KANU Daniel arap Moi 22 Aug 1978 - 30 Dec 2002 KANU (acting to 14 Oct 1978) Mwai Kibaki 30 Dec 2002 NARC/DP, PNU ----------------------------------------------------------------Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta 1 Jun 1963 - 12 Dec 1964 (+1978) KANU Raila Amolo Odinga 17 Apr 2008 ODM

Source: http://www.terra.es

Afrikan

African Political Leaders

Post

Sierra-Leone

Heads of Government Prime Ministers Milton Augustus Margai 27 Apr 1961 - 30 Apr 1964 (+) SLPP Albert Michael Margai 30 Apr 1964 - 17 Mar 1967 (+1980) SLPP Siaka Probyn Stevens 17 Mar 1967 - 21 Mar 1967 (+1988) APC David Lansana 21 Mar 1967 - 24 Mar 1967 (+1975) military Chairmen of the National Reform Council Ambrose Patrick Genda 24 Mar 1967 - 27 Mar 1967 military Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith 27 Mar 1967 - 19 Apr 1968 (+1970)e military

Prime Ministers Patrick Conteh 19 Apr 1968 - 20 Apr 1968 (acting) Siaka Probyn Stevens 26 Apr 1968 - 21 Apr 1971 (+1988) APC Sorie Ibrahim Koroma 21 Apr 1971 - 8 Jul 1975 APC Christian Kamara-Taylor 8 Jul 1975 - 15 Jun 1978 (+1985) APC ------------------------------------------------------------------Heads of State Governors-General Maurice Henry Dorman 27 Apr 1961 - 27 Apr 1962 (+1993) Henry Lightfoot Boston 27 Apr 1962 - Apr 1967 (+1969) Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith Apr 1967 - 18 Apr 1968 (+1970)e (acting) John Amadu Bangura 18 Apr 1968 - 22 Apr 1968 (+1971) (acting) Banja Tejan-Sie 22 Apr 1968 - 31 Mar 1971 (+2000) Christopher Okoro Cole 31 Mar 1971 - 19 Apr 1971 (interim)

Presidents of the Republic Christopher Okoro Cole 19 Apr 1971 - 21 Apr 1971 Siaka Probyn Stevens 21 Apr 1971 - 28 Nov 1985 (+1988) APC Joseph Saidu Momoh 28 Nov 1985 - 29 Apr 1992 (+2003) APC

Chairmen of the National Provisional Defence Council Yahya Kanu 30 Apr 1992 - 1 May 1992 military Valentine Esegragbo Strasser 1 May 1992 - Jul 1992 military (1)

Chairmen of the Supreme Council of State Valentine Esegragbo Strasser Jul 1992 - 17 Jan 1996 military Julius Maada Bio 17 Jan 1996 - 29 Mar 1996 military (2)

President of the Republic Ahmad Tejan Kabbah SLPP

29 Mar 1996 - 25 May 1997

Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council Johnny Paul Koroma 26 May 1997 - 12 Feb 1998 (+2003)? military (3)

Presidents of the Republic Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 10 Mar 1998 - 17 Sep 2007 SLPP Ernest Bai Koroma 17 Sep 2007 APC

(1) Also styled Head of State since 6 May 1992.

(2) Also styled head of State.

2012

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Cameroon

Ethiopia

Heads of State Emperor (Negus) Haile Selassie I

February

3 Apr 1930 - 12 Sep 1974 (+1975)

Chairmen of the Provisional Military Administration Council Aman Mikael Andom 12 Sep 1974 - 17 Nov 1974 (+)s [picture] military (2) Mengistu Haile Mariam 17 Nov 1974 - 28 Nov 1974 military (2) Tafari Benti 28 Nov 1974 - 3 Feb 1977 (+)a military (2) Mengistu Haile Mariam 11 Feb 1977 - 10 Sep 1987 military/EWP Presidents of the Republic Mengistu Haile Mariam 10 Sep 1987 - 21 May 1991 EWP Tesfaye Gebre Kidan 21 May 1991 - 27 May 1991 (+2004) EWP (acting) President of the Provisional Government Meles Zenawi 27 May 1991 - 22 Aug 1995 TPLF/EPRDF (interim) (3)

Presidents of the Republic Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo 1 Jan 1960 - 6 Nov 1982 (+1989) UC, UNC (1) Paul Biya 6 Nov 1982 UNC, RDPC

(1) Styled head of State to 5 May 1960.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prime Ministers Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo 1 Jan 1960 - 14 May 1960 (+1989) UC Charles Assalé 14 May 1960 - 1 Oct 1961 (+1999) UC Paul Biya 30 Jun 1975 - 6 Nov 1982 UNC Bello Bouba Maigari 6 Nov 1982 - 22 Aug 1983 UNC Luc Ayang 22 Aug 1983 - 25 Jan 1984 UNC Sadou Hayatou 26 Apr 1991 - 9 Apr 1992 RDPC Simon Achidi Achu 9 Apr 1992 - 19 Sep 1996 RDPC Peter Musonge Mafany 19 Sep 1996 - 8 Dec 2004 RDPC Ephraïm Inoni 8 Dec 2004 - 30 Jun 2009 RDPC Philemon Yang 30 Jun 2009 RDPC -----------------------------------------------------------Chairmen of UN / UNC/ RDPC (2) Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo 1958-1983 (+1989) Paul Biya 1983-

(2) The UC (French Cameroon-based) merged with the Kamerun National Democratic Party (KNDP, British Cameroon-based) to form the UNC, which was renamed to RDPC in 1985.

-----------------------------------------------------------Premiers of West Cameroon (3) John Ngu Foncha 1961-1965 (+1999) KNDP (4) 1965-1968 (+1977) KNDP/UNC (1) In exile during the Italian occupation, from May 1936 to Augustine Ngom Jua Salomon Tandeng Muna 1968-1972 (+2002) UNC 18 Jan 1941.

(2) Nominally heads of State for King Asfa Wossen Haile (3) From 1 Oct 1961 to 2 Jun 1972 Cameroon was a federal Selassie (son of the Negus, crowned in 1989 in exile as Amha Selassie I and dead in 1997), who did not assume this state.

(4) John Ngu Foncha was premier of the late British (South) office from his father overthrown, on 12 Sep 1974, to the Cameroon 1959-1961. (List courtesy of Bob Hilkens) abolition of the monarchy, on 21 Mar 1975.

--------------------------------------------------------------(3) Prime minister acting as interim president. To 23 Jul Premiers of East Cameroon 1991 only chairman of the Supreme Council of the Charles Assalé 1961-1965 (+1999) UC Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front Vincent de Paul Ahanda 1965 UC (EPRDF, guerrilla).

------------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon Pierre Tchoungui 1965-1972 (+1977) UC/UNC Prime Ministers Makonnen Endelkacew 1942 - 1 Nov 1957 (+1963) Abebe Aragai 27 Nov 1957 - 15 Dec 1960 Presidents of the Republic (+1960) Léopold Sédar Senghor 5 Sep 1960 - 31 Dec 1980 (+2001) Teshafi Aklilu Abte-Wold 17 Apr 1961 - 1 Mar 1974 UPS/PSS (+1974)e Abdou Diouf 1 Jan 1981 - 1 Apr 2000 PSS (*) Endelkacew Makonnen 1 Mar 1974 - 22 Jul 1974 Me Abdoulaye Wade 1 Apr 2000 PDS (+1974)e Mikael Imru 3 Aug 1974 - 12 Sep 1974 (*) President of the Confederation with Gambia (Senegambia) Fikre Selassie Wogderess 10 Sep 1987 - 8 Nov 1989 from 1 Feb 1982 to 30 Sep 1989.

EWP ---------------------------------------------------Haile Yimenu 8 Nov 1989 - 26 Apr 1991 Prime Ministers (+1991)s EWP (acting) Mamadou Dia 18 May 1957 - 18 Dec 1962 (+2009) UPS Tesfaye Dinka 26 Apr 1991 - 6 Jun 1991 Abdou Diouf 26 Feb 1970 - 31 Dec 1980 UPS/PSS EWP (acting) Habib Thiam 1 Jan 1981 - 3 Apr 1983 PSS Tamirat Laynie 6 Jun 1991 - 22 Aug 1995 Moustapha Niasse 3 Apr 1983 - 29 Apr 1983 PSS EPDM (acting) (interim) Meles Zenawi 22 Aug 1995 Habib Thiam 8 Apr 1991 - 3 Jul 1998 PSS Mamadou Lamine Loum 3 Jul 1998 - 2 Apr 2000 PSS Moustapha Niasse 2 Apr 2000 - 3 Mar 2001 AFP Mame Madior Boye 3 Mar 2001 - 4 Nov 2002 PDS Idrissa Seck 4 Nov 2002 - 21 Apr 2004 PDS Macky Sall 21 Apr 2004 - 19 Jun 2007 PDS Hadjibou Soumaré 19 Jun 2007 - 30 Apr 2009 http://www.terra.es Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye 30 Apr 2009 PDS President of the Republic Negaso Gidada 22 Aug 1995 - 8 Oct 2001 OPDO Girma Wolde-Giyorgis Lucha 8 Oct 2001 EPRDF

Senegal

Redemptionews

THE GIFT OF THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: A PROMISE FOR ALL BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS – Part 2

Afrikan

Post

Rev. George Annan

Browsing through the book of Acts we underscored in the part 1 of this article how that 20 years after Pentecost disciples of Jesus were still being baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Chapter 8 (8 years after Pentecost), chapter 10 (10 years after Pentecost) and chapter 19 (20years after Pentecost) of the book of Acts all confirms prophesy that the promise of the person of the holy spirit is for all flesh; as many as the Lord our God shall call, all born again believers.

Paul’s converson When Ananias was sent by God in a vision to Saul who had gotten blind after an encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, Ananias put his hands on Saul and prayed for him to receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit Acts 9:1- 17. There is no record that Paul immediately spoke in tongues but when he was addressing a misconception and the misuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Corinthian Church he boasted to speak in tongues more than all the rest of the children of God but was still able to bring his spirit under subjection because; and he goes on to give the hint that the spirit of the prophet are subject to them. He concluded with an admonishing that believers should not forbid to speak in tongues 1 Corinthians 14:18.

Paul’s experience will definitely not be deferent from how it happened on the Pentecost day.

Indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at the time of conversion but the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a matter of choice Throughout the book of Acts which contains significant events occurring in the early church, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was always evidenced by the speaking of tongues. The variation is seen in the time of baptism and the mode which from the scriptures noted above shows of less significance.

In Acts chapter 8 the new converts got the chance to be introduced to the Holy Ghost baptism after they were baptized in water Acts 8:12.

Even though they had been baptized in water verse 15-16 of Acts chapter 8 says the Holy Spirit had fallen on none of them. They then received the baptism through the laying on of hands.

Cornelius and his household in Acts 10:44 had the Holy Spirit fall upon them whiles Peter was still expounding the scriptures. Peter being convinced that God is no respecter of persons instructed them to be baptized in water Acts 10:47.

In Acts chapter 20:1-7 the believers in Ephesus were baptized in water after they believed the gospel but had not heard of the Holy Spirit.

Here also they receive the Holy Spirit after Paul had taught them on who the Holy Spirit is and laid hands on them.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at the time of conversion but being filled with the spirit is a matter of choice Ephesian 5:18 How to receive the Holy Spirit Baptism In the three scenarios we studied in the book of Acts all of them had believe in the Lord Jesus and have repented of their sins and had become believers or new creatures in Christ. There in one condition: Peter gave this condition to the souls who asked him what they have to do to be saved in Acts chapter 2:37-39. With the heart you believe unto repentance and forgiveness of sins. Water baptism is just an outward symbolism of what has taken place in a person’s heart and also a public declaration of once believe and identifying with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to walk in newness of life. At this point the Holy Spirit indwells the Christian. You are now qualified to receive the baptism of Holy Spirit Acts 1:4-5.

If you truly fulfill the condition of repentance and you believe you are part of the all flesh or as many as have believe in the gospel and have made Jesus Christ your Lord and personal savior then the promise is yours. All you need to do is just ASK knowing: That the Holy Spirit is a GIFT so do not beg God God will always honor His word so do not doubt Whatever language you find yourself speaking you will not understand so do not doubt. Once you have already repented and your sins have been forgiven the Holy Spirit indwells you so what comes out of you cannot be of the devil except you have not truly repented (of course demons speak in tongues so it’s imperative that you have true repentance.)

To hear more on the subject or need assistance do not hesitate to contact us through

Source: www.redemptionnews.org

YOUR FAVOURITE ENEMY

February 2012 Page 26

wishes to see you fail will never work. Now, the question becomes, “ How do I know who is good and who not to hang out with”? Like the Bible connotes in Jeremiah 17:7, put your trust in the Lord and just trust HIM…TRUST NO MAN….it’s a curse

The third class of people are somewhat annoying and very weird. We are not friends with them , they might not even be your acquaintance …They see us and frown, whatever you say or do gets on their nerves, and your presence changes their mood… NO, they might not be your enemy. They see progress in your life and they hate it and wish you were in trouble, they just don’t understand why you always look cheerful. They wish they were better off… Beloved, I am not here to scare you but to caution you to know how to deal with such people. Be studious about the person next to you, they might not be your In life, there are four classes of people. The first enemies, they are just evil. class of people are just waiting for your downfall , NO they are not your enemies, they are And now the fourth class, we can put all the blame just waiting to see you weep or be in trouble so on them. They know our secrets and they tell the they can prove to you how much they love you world, they know the way to the sea but they wait .They are not necessarily interested in the trou- until it rains. NO they are not our enemies; they just ble, but they just want to prove their love for want the best in everything. They think they are you. If you lose a loved one they will weep with always right. They least accept mistakes, they hate to you; if you become poor they will give you learn, and they are picky. They are judgmental and money. In times of trouble, they will come and yet they love to be around the first class of people, comfort you with the words Zechariah told but they keep blaming others and never want to toil.

Ishmael or what Ruth said to Paul. Beloved, They want to be served and never want to serve. don’t be such a hypocrite, love is care, care is They do not hate us. They want the best for us. NO, help, and help is giving. As you pray for liberty, they are neither our parents nor our enemies; the as you soak yourself in the blood of Jesus, as fourth class is YOU… Until YOU decide to accept, you seek spiritual intercession and growth, do correct, and expect, you might remain undefeated but the same for the person next to you. Pray for to no glory… that loved one, share the message of God with them, encourage your Christian brethren to hold WHEN AN OBJECT IS PLACED AT A CORNER, on to their faith, be a soul winner, be a blessing, PEOPLE SEE THE SAME OBJECT DIFFERENTyes beloved you are being blessed even as you LY FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE POINTS OF have decided to be a vessel for God…Get busy VIEW OR ANGLES.SUCH IS LIFE, PEOPLE for the Lord.

MIGHT JUDGE YOU WRONGLY,T HEY MIGHT CALLL YOU NAMES,THEY MIGHT THINK YOU There is a second class of people who pose as ARE UNFRIENDLY ,THEY WILL SAY ALL loved ones-they advise and share secrets with MANNERS OF EVIL ABOUT YOU BASED ON you, they nod their heads on your positive agen- HOW THEY SEE YOU..BELOVED, JUST MAKE das, and they call to check on your progress, but SURE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT YOU deep within them, they wish they were doing IS FALSE..YOU DONT HAVE TO PROVE ANYbetter than you. They wish there was something THING TO THEM, THEIR JUDGEMENTS DON’T behind your progress that one day you could be REALLY COUNT…GOD IS THE ONLY exposed, they just don’t understand…NO, they JUDGE,HE MUST ENJOY HIS LORDSHIP. are not your enemies, they just want to excel in life. They just don’t want to see you do better Ernest Boateng than them, but beloved, that same Merciful Divine Word Ministry Father above reigns. The Bible says “Our thoughts are not His thoughts” -their plots and

Divine Care International on a Mission to Feed the Homeless

Divine Care International, a non profit organization under the umbrella of the Divine Word Ministries, is on a mission in 2012 to not only feed the homeless but to also take care of the various shelters in the community and extend it beyond to other parts of the United States.

On February 24, 2012 , the leader of the Divine Word International Ministries, Apostle Kofi Adonteng Boateng, will lead the entire members of his ministry to the Baileys Cross Roads Community Shelter to feed the homeless, clean, and minister to the residents. Divine Care International will be organizing the event once every month at various shelter homes across the United States.

To join this effort, please call 703- 910- 6646

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Afrikan

By Oral Ofori

Post

February 2012

The Burning Desire Of A Young African To Effect Positive Change On The Continent.

Recently, I've been talking to Michael Agbortoko in a bid to find out more about him and his passion for Africa’s development, I find him an intriguing young fellow with great dreams and ambitions that I strongly felt I needed to share with you. Michael is a graduate of Southbridge High School in Southbridge, Massachusetts who is currently pursuing an entrepreneurship degree at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts.

He tells me he was very lucky to find out what he is passionate about at a very tender age--business innovating and a heart to help others.

Growing up in Bomaka, Cameroon, Michael was privileged to have a father who worked in the USA and traveled back home on a regular basis (thus twice a year) to his family in Cameroon.

When Mike’s father realized the opportunities that were available in the States, he decided to take his entire family to the USA where he felt they would receive a better education since opportunities in Africa are very limited. It was while in the States that young Mike started realizing how vast an opportunity his life in the USA presented to him as an individual. This made him strongly want to make the friends and family he left behind in Cameroon have a feel of this opportunity as well.

This great desire coupled with inspiration from people like Mother Teresa and Dr Martin Luther King Jr fueled him to believe that it doesn't matter where you come from, be you rich, poor, homeless or whatever class you find yourself at in life, almost all of us want to be of help especially to those we love and care about. Mike says Dr King Jr taught him that when you have a dream or a goal, you have to be the leader and you have to strive to make a difference because no one else will achieve your goals for you. Based on this, Michael, who is very fortunate to have been given lots of opportunities, strongly feels he must not take these opportunities for granted because he's inspired by people from his past as their words have guided him into his present, which is why he is working tirelessly to create a better future not just for his friends and family in Cameroon, but for the less fortunate in Africa and all over the world.

To innovating entrepreneurs, money is the biggest brick wall to any great idea, and this young Cameroonian has learned that he is not immune to this problem and has learned to quickly realize that, as long as you stay focused and determined, nothing is impossible. Though he doesn't

have the money now, Michael has taken a bold initiative to establish DuAfrica- a humanitarian organization with the objective to be selfdependent rather than relying on governments whose standards they’ll have to meet or implement. DuAfrica is also aiming to help bring his dreams of a much less dependent Africa into fruition. Mike tells me that if you don't have money, it is best to focus on your goals while building a strong network, and with almost two thousand friends on the Facebook page of DuAfrica, he seems to be doing exactly that.

Michael Agbortoko says ever since he was young, he has always loved the art of business and when he looks around him today, he comes to the conclusion that everything has a business touch to it with the major difference being that there's good business and there's bad business in our world today. His focus is therefore on those good businesses which help to generate income to stabilize communities, states, countries or simply individuals. Greed is the major cause of bad business as it encourages people to crave benefits for themselves rather than to help others. As I listen to Mike speak with passion on his ideas and dreams for DuAfrica, I find myself being sucked into this great dream and wanting to be a part of it simply because it serves a greater good for the African continent.

At present, Mike plays soccer at Assumption College Division 2, is a model and also plays a movie extra besides his responsibilities as the founder of DuAfrica. When fully off the ground and functional, DuAfrica will be a global platform that provides African music, fashion, art, talent, and other respective forms of African self-expressions to the rest of the world and individuals who have emigrated from Africa to other countries around the globe. It will strive to help people remember and embrace their roots while helping the rest of the world to become more familiar with these creations and characteristics of the African culture.

Most of these will be achieved basically by providing a website where viewers can listen and educate themselves by exploring the many works, creations, and qualities of African culture at no cost. DuAfrica as an entity and its website will not only serve as a gallery of African culture, talent, and information, but also as a means of enabling people to purchase items and ideas of direct or indirect African lineage or origins that they find interesting either on the website or programs and events organized by the organization. Those who choose to become users of the web-page will also have the opportunity to purchase discounted calling cards, the ability to ship and receive goods and services to and from Africa at lower rates, and the ability to book affordable flights to their desired destinations on the continent.

DuAfrica will also embark on efforts to enhance the communication gap for individuals with family members or friends overseas who join the site by giving them means to video chat or text one another at relatively affordable prices on its platform. Keeping with the values of DuAfrica, each product sold is purchased at fair trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

We (remember I'm not only writing about this, but working on the ground as well to help

make Mike’s dream a reality) will also strive to further support the native villagers and their loving, hardworking communities of Africa.

One of the ways we intend to do that will be by donating %5 of every amount accrued from any sale or service through our platform towards the foundations that we choose to support. This will allow us to give back to the native African people and their communities. Our mission is simple: To promote the pride held in the countless and ever-emerging creations and achievements of the African culture to the rest of the world, while helping native Africans overseas keep in touch and admire the lifestyles they have come to recognize as their own. Mike is not one to be easily deterred. He doesn't think people can ever reach their full potential because there is always room to learn or teach something new and with the advancement of technology and the way society is constantly changing, we must not only settle for little, we must leave room for improvement he tells me.

The best way to encourage improvement is to have a tolerant mindset and to treat all people equally, irrespective of class or creed, Mr. Abgortoko thinks everything you do and everyone you meet impacts you in some way. Although we have minds of our own, it is up to us to determine what we learn and see because those are the basic things that shape our personalities.

Family is also one great place of influence in a person's life, for this young Cameroonian friend of mine, family doesn't only have to be blood relations (which is also actually the case for most Africans) because growing up back home in Bomaka, he had very limited resources and even for those who weren't as poor as other families still did have to deal with the struggles of sharing the scant resources.

Mothers across the continent of Africa always made sure the children they were raising never took things for granted. Mike speaks fondly of his mother and family with a gleam of pride in his eyes. He says his family and the people around the setting in which he was raised have contributed a lot to what he is today, something which he is extremely thankful for.

One of his greatest responsibility is to strive on his mission to achieve, so he can someday give back to others.

DuAfrica is one of the mediums through which the strife for success will be driven, when I asked what the inspiration behind DuAfrica is, Mike told me it started when his sister sent him a CD of a collection of African music from countries across the continent iin 2010 during his freshman year in College. While listening to the collection his sister sent him, it not only made him feel good, but it also dawned on him that he has been in the USA for a decade… This dawning brought home fond memories of those glorious years he had spent in the past with family and friends back in Cameroon. This made him also realize that he was starting to lose a little bit of touch with his roots not because he disliked his past. The reason for this subtle disconnect in Michael's opinion is because when you leave a 3rd world country and travel to a country like the USA or wherever opportunities abound, life moves on a faster lane because people are going to school or working many hours trying to provide for their new lifestyle or trying to support families back in their countries of origin that they barely realize time fly past them.

Africans living in the USA, Europe, Asia and other places outside the continent have gotten so sucked into the fast-paced lives of their new environments and thus have little time to keep touch with their roots back home except for resorting to phone calls and social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and others to inquire about continent. Michael starting pondering on what it will be like if Africans in the

Page 28

diaspora and back home also had an African based social networking site like Facebook or YouTube, where they share authentic materials relevant to the continent and not relying on people outside of Africa telling the African story from a non-African perspective.

Armed with this strong desire to let the African tell his own story from his own setting and his own way is what brought the whole DuAfrica idea to birth. Michael set out to dedicate himself to create a platform that will help connect individuals who have immigrated from Africa, a place where people around the world could educate themselves on the many different cultures and countries located in Africa and also something which could help people residing in Africa promote their talents and ideas to the world. He talked to me about it and I'm like wow, I've also been dreaming up this so I decided to put all my efforts into helping Michael on his quest and since I am a journalist, what better way to do this than writing about it so people out there can read and share in Mike’s dream and ultimately join in his noble cause!

How will DuAfrica be used to positively impact the African continent and the people on and off it? As Mike tells, by educating the world and showing the many great things happening in Africa today because people have misconceptions about Africa. Through this, it is hoped that opportunities will be brought back to Africa because it is becoming tiring to hear people speak and think negatively of Africa This is what we can all do to make Africa better. DuAfrica will serve as a voice for the many people with hope. If we can change one person's life, through our efforts, then that will be a great achievement towards working harder to effecting a more greater positive change in many more people.

I personally believe the African mind has the capacity to effect change positively and we've got all it takes to rub shoulders with the very countries we seek green pastures from because grass is greener at our feet already. What we really need is the desire and the will power to work on that desire and dedicating our individual selves to staying the cause, irrespective of the harsh circumstances and oppositions we might encounter because it is only when we endure to the end, shall we see the light we so dream of at the end of the tunnel. We must do this not just for ourselves, but above all for our children, especially the unborn ones because they are the real owners of the future, they've just allowed us to borrow today so we can build them a better tomorrow…

We must therefore not disappoint the children.

If Michael Abgortoko can think of projects like the creation of better water sources, building better facilities such as facilities where the elderly and children can go to learn, stay active and become self reliant, and his passion can have so much force on my way of thinking enough to make me want to share his brain with you, then all we need is for you to get out there and start thinking of ways to make the country you are originally from better than you left it, let's do this for mama Africa. Watch out for DuAfrica and remember where you first heard about it.

ORAL OFORI, +12027021220, oralofori@gmail.com, Freelance Writer, Broadcaster, Retail Specialist, Music Promoter, Artiste. http://about.me/oralofori/

Praise Chapel International

February 2012

Page

Watch Out For Virginia, Richmond Highway Branch. Starting On The 19th Of Feb. 2012 at the Woodlawn Elementary Shool in Alexandria Apostle Seth Baah has a prophetic ministry. He is a renowned musician and a great Preacher.

Pastors and leaders in Maryland

Praise Chapel Members in Maryland

Apostle Seth Baah

Pastor Ricky Cleaver, Host Pastor -Maryland

29

Afrikan Post

News Update Tributes For Late Ihezie, Stephanie Okereke Burial Arrangement Yet To Wed In France To Be Announced

Nigeria’s movie stars have continued to pay tribute to late veteran actor, David Ihezie, 70, who died on Thursday night after a protracted battle with illness. The Enugu based thespian was one of the most respected elders in the motion picture industry, and he would be missed, not just for his acting prowess, but for the fatherly role he played among actors during his life time.

National President of AGN, Segun Arinze described Ihezie’s death as an unfortunate one, “but his legacies will live on. His works can never die. We will miss him greatly.”

Apostle Seth Baah Gets Married

Nollywod star actress and producer Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke is ready to get married to her fiance Linus Idahosa who is the managing director of Del York International,a media and communication company.

Several sources disclosed that the wedding ceremony A condolence register will be at the Actors Guild of Nigeria will be hekd in Paris ,France in February and it is (AGN) secretariat in Surulere, Lagos from today so that colleagues planned to be an elaborate ceremony. and fans of the deceased can give him their last respect.

Stephanie was recently given a national honour by President Goodluck. Her marriage with Linus is going Meanwhile, actors are already paying tribute to the late Ihezie. to be her second as she was formerly married to Most of them described him as a professional, easy going and Nigerian footballer Chikelue Ileoanusi . down to earth person that doesn’t compromise.

Sultry actress, Stella Damasus said “I had met him on one or two occasions, and honestly, he was a pleasant person to be with.

Though he was based in Enugu, he has a big followership here in Lagos and other parts of the country.”

February 2 0 1 2 Page 30

Source: http://nigerian-movies.net/blog/

'Soul Train' host Don Cornelius dead of suicide

Popular actress, Halima Abubakar, who also paid tribute to the late thespian, said it is quite unfortunate that Nollywood is starting the New Year on such note. She therefore called on her colleagues to move closer to God.

NollywoodReel gathered that the Chairman of AGN, Enugu State chapter, Ofia Mbak, had a meeting with the deceased family on Saturday, but they are yet to announce the burial arrangements.

The national executives of AGN have also expressed their intention to give the late Ihezie a befitting burial, and described his death as a big loss to the industry.

Mbak confirmed to NollywoodReel that he had a meeting with the Don Cornelius, who with the creation of Soul Train deceased family, but said “as soon as they conclude on the burial helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, groovy dance steps arrangements, we will announce it officially.” and cutting edge style, died early Wednesday, Feb 1, 2012 of an apparent suicide. He was 75 years old.

Source: http://nigerian-movies.net/blog/ Source:USA Today Picture by Getty Images

Apostle Seth Baah, the renowned musician, Prophet, Apostle and producer of the “Weapon” music series tied the knot with his lovely bride Priscilla Andoh in Maryland on February 1st, 2012.

Apostle Seth Baah is the founder of Praise Chapel International which has recently started services in Gaithersburg, Maryland. On February 19, he is opening a new branch in Alexandria , Virginia which will hold services at the Woodlawn Elementary School.

Congratulations to the man of God.

There is a rumour that another famous Apostle Prophet in the community will also be picking his bride this year. Afrikan Post wishes him well and hopes he makes a good catch.

Afrikan Post

Paparazzi -Eye in the Dark Premiere in Ghana

February 2012

Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark is a 2011 romantic mystery film directed by Bayo Akinfemi and starring Van Vicker, Koby Maxwell, Tchidi Chikere, Syr Law, JJ Bunny and Chet Anekwe. The film depicts the adventures of an aspiring photographer whose accidental picture exposes an infamous murder mystery. The film was initially slated for a direct-tovideo release but is currently making a multiple city limited theatrical release. Budgeted with a low six-figure budget and filmed over the course of 19 days, the film has been known in the Nollywood USA market as the film that has changed the look and sound of Nollywood by introducing a more western approach to production quality. The director also employed the experience of the notable American Filmmaker, Tim "Black Magic Tim" Wilson, to serve as Cinematographer and Editor.

Director: Bayo Akinfemi

Writer: Kojo Edu Ansah

Stars: Bayo Akinfemi, Chet Anekwe and JJ Bunny, Van Vicker, Syr Law, Chidi Chikere, Charles Nimo Ntiamoah Mensah (Mr. CNN), and Koby Maxwell Music: The soundtrack contains numerous tracks from Nigerian, Ghanaian, and American artists. Koby Maxwell introduces his song "Do It" as well as "Facebook Girl". Paul G has several tracks as well which include "Let It Flow" and "These Girls". Paul G has notably released a music video with recording artist Akon called "Bang It All". New artist Irina also debuts her tracks "So Free" and "Cega".

Nominations: 2011 WMIFF: Best Cinematography in a Feature Film 2011 WMIFF: Best Cinematography DMV 2011 WMIFF: Best Screenplay in a Feature Film 2011 WMIFF: Best Original Sound 2011 WMIFF: Best Actor in a Feature Film 2011 WMIFF: Best Actress in a Feature Film 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Film in the Diaspora[23] 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Film 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Soundtrack 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Drama in the Diaspora 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Director in the Diaspora 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role 2011 NAFC Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2011 GHANA MOVIE Awards: Best Visual Effects 2011 GHANA MOVIE Awards: Best Sound Editing and Mixing 2011 GHANA MOVIE Awards: Best Original Music Awards 2011 WMIFF: Best Cinematography 2011 NAFCA: Best Film in the Diaspora 2011 NAFCA: Best Director in the Diaspora 2011 NAFCA: Best Cinematography in the Diaspora 2011 NAFCA: Best Actress in Leading Role 2011 NAFCA: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Koby Maxwell, Becca, and Agya Koo

Nana Ama McBrown and Koby Maxwell

Page 31

Afrikan

Post

Akufo-Addo Joins Obama in Washington for National Prayer Breakfast

February 2012

Ghanaian Statesman,Nduom, Speaks About Democracy & U.S. – Ghana Relations

From: Source: NPP Communications Directorate

By Frederick Nnoma-Addison www.amipnewsonline.org

The 2012 presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, arrived in Washington DC for the 60th National Prayer Breakfast of the United States on January 31, 2012.

The trip was at the invitation of the United States Congressional Committee to the leader of Ghana’s main opposition party, Nana Akufo-Addo to join the President of the US, Barack Obama, Members of the U.S. Congress, and other leaders across the world for the annual breakfast.

This year’s event was held on Thursday, 2nd February, at the Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.

Annually, members of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. President and U.S. government officials join with others, including friends of the Unites States, to share in the spirit of friendship through prayer and thanksgiving.

The National Prayer Breakfast also offers the opportunity to set aside differences and seek to build and strengthen relationships through the love of God and care for one another.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s visit to the U.S. comes on the heels of the January 2011, interdenominational prayer session held by the NPP at the Essipong Stadium in the Western Region.

Christian leaders joined party leaders, thousands of members and sympathisers across the country to pray for peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.

Whilst in town, the members of the NPP USA held a dinner reception for him at the Ghana Community Center in Alexandria.

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Washington, DC – Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom has raised the bar for democracy in Ghana by challenging Ghanaians to “aspire for an American or European standard of democracy instead of an African standard.” Speaking from his Washington, DC office, the influential statesman, politician & entrepreneur who has a very competitive resume from the United States said that he expects more from Ghanaians and will not settle for mediocrity even as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections in December this year. “This year’s elections will be keenly contested; it will set new standards, test our democratic resolve and be another defining moment in our history, and I urge all Ghanaians to demand high standards from government officials and each other.”

As the 2006 Minister of State and primary technical expert who helped Ghana secure and appropriate a $547 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the United States, he stressed the importance of Ghana-U.S. relations and said that both Ghana and the United States need to review their bilateral relations and determine the direction of the new phase, in view of new players like China. “Our formal, intergovernmental relationship needs greater understanding. I think that America must redefine its friendship with Ghana since Ghana is of strategic importance to the United States. On an individual basis U.S.-Ghana relations is thriving, Ghanaians are as much a part of American society as are Americans. The relations that individuals have in either country must end up opening doors for individuals and communities both in America and Ghana, like it did for me personally when I first came to the United States on an American Field Service (AFS) year-long scholarship in the 70’s, prior to my secondary school education in Ghana.”

Papa Kwesi Nduom was born in Elmina, Central Region of Ghana. He attended St. Augustine’s College (secondary school) in Ghana and returned to the United States for a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Economics (1975), a Master’s degree in Management (1977) and a Ph.D (Service Delivery Systems) in 1982, all from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He started work as a life insurance underwriter with the North Western Mutual Life Insurance Company between 1975 and 1978. The following year he worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin. In 1979, he joined the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District as a Budget and Management Analyst and then joined Deloitte and Touche as an associate consultant in 1981, rising to become a partner in the Milwaukee office of the firm by 1986 before being transferred to Washington, DC. Nduom eventually returned to Ghana via a consulting assignment with the Ashanti Gold Company. In 1992, he helped establish Deloitte & Touche, Ghana and consequently in West Africa and retired as the board chairman for the Africa region.

During President Kufuor’s administration (2001-2009) Dr. Nduom served as Energy and Public Sector Reform minister between 2001 and 2007 and oversaw Ghana’s contract with Kosmos Energy, a U.S. oil and gas exploration firm at the helm of oil drilling in Ghana. In 2008, he was nominated to become the Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) nominee for the presidential election. Asked why he continues to pursue political ambitions when he got an insignificant percentage of votes during the 2008 presidential elections, he explained that public service still remains one of the best platforms to make a positive impact in the lives of millions of people.

“I don’t have to organize a political party at this time but I chose to do so because it has merits for Ghana and our democratic process. Despite my commitments to my expansive business enterprises I will still devote time and resources to help promote our multi party democracy and our nation.”

Today, through a consortium of private business enterprises, he provides gainful employment for at least 2000 Ghanaians among several other opportunities and continues to be an advocate for a prosperous and developing Ghana, worth living in. “My ultimate goal is to help establish an entrepreneurial culture in Ghana and my companies in all 10 regions of the country is the evidence.”

After failing to clinch the CPP flag bearership at the beginning of this year, Dr. Nduom broke away from the party he had significantly contributed to and help establish, and founded the newest political party in Ghana, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) to continue making an impact politically. Nduom is married to Mrs. Yvonne Nduom, a management specialist and graduate of the Cape Coast University in Ghana and the University of Wisconsin. Together they have four children.

Afrikan

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The Second Work of Grace

GRACE FRONTIER

killed by God. Phinehas, third in succession to the High Priesthood, was not afraid to take a stand.

The bible is replete with righteous young men who refused to accept status quo; Levi did not allow the guy who had raped his sister, Diana, to go scot free. His father, Jacob hated him for that, but God chose his descendants to be the priestly family. In Gen 39:9 Joseph made up his mind not to sin against God. He went to prison for his stand.

However, God sent him from prison to the premiership of Egypt. In Hebrews 11:24-28, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and went into exile, but Rev. Kwabby Adom-Fosu God empowered him to lead the Hebrews to freedom. In Dan.1:8, Daniel refused to defile Tel: 703-498-5133 himself with the king’s food. God favored “And he went after the man of Israel into the him to be president of the presidents – call tent, and thrust both of them through, the him a Prime Minister if you wish - in man of Israel, and the woman through her Babylon. belly. So the plague was stayed from the You can never change what you tolerate.Do children of Israel.” - Num. 25:8 not be afraid to take a stand. Live by princiOn September, 11 2001, terrorists caught the ples and convictions. intelligence community pants down, such that President George Bush and Vice Young people listen to the timely advice President Dick Cheney had to be in two dif- from David; “Wherewithal shall a young ferent locations to forestall any eventualities man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto creeping on the presidency. Innocent people according to thy word. With my whole heart were slaughtered for no apparent reason. have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I Similarly, Moses and the elders of Israel hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against had gathered before the Tabernacle pouring thee”. (Ps.119:9-11) Why? Promotion comes their heart to God for mercy. People were only from God (Ps. 75:5-7) dying front, back and center. The shrill sound of wailing women could be heard far David was the young guy who was promotand near. And God spoke saying Israel has ed from herding a few sheep at the backside sinned; for my anger to abate kill everyone of the wilderness to be the king of Israel. who has married a Midianite. This was a Like Joseph and unlike Moses and Daniel, tough call, but God meant what He said and David did not have any formal education yet said what He meant. he had exceptional wisdom, because of his Israel, the first Church, was birthed in the fear of the Lord. David is the most celebratfurnace of Egypt for 430 years, just as the ed king of Israel. Modern Israel still has the second Church was birthed by the furnace of Star of David in their flag. Wisdom is divine. the Spirit in the Upper Room. God took It comes from God. (Isa. 11:2) Joseph, anothIsrael out of Egypt by His mighty right Hand er goat herder, was teaching the Senators of and tentatively asked them to be different Egypt wisdom. (Ps. 105:22) Wow! Egypt from the Canaanites. If they lived for Him, was a superpower so like the United States; no man of straw was in the Senate. Ivy He would bless them, but if they lived like League guys, men of substance populate the the ungodly nations around them He would US Senate, As a result, for a man like Joseph punish them. Hence the command to kill the who in today’s parlance would be classified Israelites married to the Midianites. Moses as an alien and probably with heavy accent had no option but to instruct the Judges – the to be teaching Senators wisdom? It must be clan heads - to hang the culprits. The death God. Wisdom is divine. It manifests best in a had to stop. Right before their very eyes an sanctified life; a man who has set the fear of Israelite named Zimri walked into a tent with God before him. (Prov. 9:10) a Midianite woman called Cozbi.

This was defiance at its worst!

Consequently, if you are a young guy who sees leadership in your future, do not live With righteous indignation a young pastor, carelessly. Like Daniel, pursue excellence.

Phinehas, passionate of his convictions took Unless of cause you just want to get by, then a spear and pierced the coupling duo through accept the status quo. If you are a Christian, the belly. With his poetic justice, the epidem- you have the indwelling Holy Spirit to ic stopped. Twenty four thousand lives had enable you to live a righteous life, if you so been wasted. And he massively won God’s desire. approval for his enterprise. He established an everlasting priesthood for his blood line; Sanctification - being consecrated and set God needed more of his daring DNA in the apart unto God - is the second work of priesthood. Phinehas knew about the misad- grace. Just as you consciously asked the venture of his uncles Nadab and Abihu who Spirit of God to come and live in you. By an burned unholy fire in the Sanctuary and got act of your own will, you again decide to

nurture the indwelling Holy Spirit to rule your life. Why? In Romans 12:1-2, the Spirit intones “ present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” In the days when they offered sacrifices, the animal on the altar was not in charge once it was offered. Similarly, when you become a Christian you surrender the right to be your own boss to Jesus. Even more, defective sacrifices were not acceptable which is why the Spirit enjoins us to offer a holy body to God. How? You put on the new man; your re-born spirit man. (Eph. 4:24; Rom. 13:14) By not conforming to the standard of this world, you make up your mind not to live like your unbelieving friends. How do you do that?

By changing the way you think. Whether you became a Christian at age 17 or 77 you need a 180 degrees attitudinal change. You de-program your spirit of anything not in sync with the word of God. This is achieved by spending more time taking the word of God into your spirit man.

You do that by identifying with a Word based Church; a Church that teaches and preaches the Word, unadulterated. Have faith-talking friends around you and then read the Word yourself.

It has been said you are preaching perfection, yes perfection in Christ, not in the world.

Colossians 1:28 says, “Christ we proclaim teaching everyman and warning everyman in all wisdom, that we may present everyman perfect in Christ.” We become imitators of Christ. (I Cor. 11:1) Though it does not take away the individual getting the truth himself, to a considerable extent, perfecting the saints is the work of a minister. (Eph. 4:11-13)

The people come and attentively listen as he takes the water of the Word to wash and sanctify them.(Eph 5:26) Jesus prayed in John 17:17 for God to sanctify believers with the Truth, which is the Word. This is the main reason why it is imperative for a minister to be an avid student of the Word. Jeremiah 3:15 says, he feeds the flock with wisdom and knowledge. He enlarges the Decrees of Life to them. Malachi 2:6-7 says people should seek the Word from the mouth of a priest; pastor as a messenger of God. 2 Chronicles 15:3 says Israel fell into sin because for a longtime Israel was without a teaching priest.

The greatest agent of sanctification is the Word.

The Word helps you set yourself apart unto God. You control what gets into you. Then the fruit of the Spirit begins to spring up on the tree of your life. Self control is just one of the fruit (Gal 5:22-23). According to Bible Expositor Joyce Meyer, a Christian without self control is like a building with no doors and windows; it is open to all the elements. Sanctification is the second work of grace, enabled by the Holy Spirit.

Set yourself apart to God. So that on the day of visitation they may see you good works and glorify God. Will you?

TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES February 2012

Page

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33

Afrikan

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Culture and Arts - Profiles

Nollywood Veteran Actor - Olu Jacobs interested in acting. Meanwhile, my own company was doing stage plays and documentaries.

Gradually, series on television started properly before we entered the home movies. It was stressful then.”

First role The Ogun state-born actor would not say how much he was paid for his first role but said it was very low and not encouraging at all.

“The first movie I did was produced by AA production and it was called Vigilante. We were paid very little for it and starred RMD and Mama D.

We had problems then looking for locations because people were not used to giving out their homes to people. They were very suspicious and we had to write letters to the Association of Veteran actor, Olu Jacobs, says once he makes him Landlords telling them what we were doing, mind about something, nothing changes his vision. where and when we would do it, for them to be That, as he explained to Saturday Sun recently, aware. was exactly why he went to London to study Drama – even against his parents’ wishes.

Respect Jacobs also disclosed how his friends tried to disJacob is no stranger to Nigerian movies. His courage him from acting because they believed charisma and manner of delivery of lines are legacting was not a profession and should only be endary – drawing him admiration from fans. taken as a hobby. “People enjoyed it then but did not respect it. They enjoyed it, yes, but you have His infectious baritone and interpretation of roles to get another job, they would tell you it’s not a are a director’s delight. Having been in the indus- job. But all my life, I’ve done nothing else except try for over 37 years, he is now a bridge between acting and productions. It is a profession, that is the old and the new, a motivator to the youths. what I want people to understand. I had a friend who actually wanted me to help run a company, Third Eye then. I asked him if he wanted me to be happy and Jacobs attended a drama school in England called he said, yes.

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. “After I finished, I worked with various repertoire theatres in I told him to invest in a company for us to do proBritain and I’m a member of National Theatre of ductions. But, unfortunately, the company did not Great Britain. I worked with some of the television see the light of the day. I also had few friends that stations in London and at a stage, I decided to believed in me and gradually the society started come back home because I felt I have reached a catching up with the fact that it is an honorable certain level in my field and that my country had profession and not for dropouts. But when I want the potential of being so great too. So, I came back to do something, nobody stops me and that was to Nigeria in early 80s and we started Third Eye”. why I went to England to learn how to do it properly and help my country.

My father said no Like many of his colleagues, his family was not Relationship with wife happy with young Jacobs when he chose to study One topic Jacobs likes discussing is his relationDramatic Arts. But even at the age when actors ship with his beautiful wife, actress, Joke. Ask were seen as never do wells of the society, he him how they are able to stick together in such a knew what he wanted and stuck to it. “ I left demanding profession and you will be surprised at Nigeria in 1964. Then, there was nobody in the transformation on his face. His eyes shone as Nigeria to look up to, all the people I looked at he went down memory lane with a smile. “ I met were people outside the country. my wife in 1981, I was having a meeting about a production in National Theatre when the door The entertainment profession was not professional opened and this beautiful lady walked in. as such in Nigeria then and the only professional Immediately, I said ladies and gentlemen, this is company we had was Ogunde and he inspired me a the lady I am going to marry. lot. Before then, my brothers used to take me to cinemas and I used to enjoy myself a lot. I was She just looked at me and left, after that we also taking part in school plays and drama. But became friends and five years later got married. when I said I was going to study drama, my parOur marriage is built on trust, friendship, love, ents did not like it and my dad said, ‘no’. When I respect and understanding. When you trust somegot to England I wrote him a lengthy letter and body, you won’t have reasons to doubt her when said, sorry, I was going to study Drama. she tells you she is doing this or that. If you respect her, you would not be wondering what she And because I had already started, he gave in. is doing. Presently, my wife is in London and I am when I came back, there was no home movies in in Nigeria, I trust her in whatever she is doing. the country, it was stressful and the fees of artist was very low. NTA was only beginning to increase If we are on set together, I see her as a character the fees of artists and people were only getting and the relationship between us is that of the char-

acters we are playing at that particular moment. But when we finish, I would call her and say, my dear come and we go back to being husband and wife. If my wife sees me kissing a younger girl in movies, she understands and when she kisses, don’t I understand? It’s a job and does not go beyond the job”, he said, laughing.

My kids understand “I have two sons, aged five and 16, they understand what we are doing and that we have to travel from time to time. We have relations that take care of them if we have to travel together and we call them always from where we are. Things have a way of working out once there is interest, love and you bring your children up explaining to them.

They are quite happy, they know what we do and that because of our job we have to travel from time to time. If my five-year-old son saw me kissing a lady on movie, he would say, ‘mmh, Dad you are kissing’. I would tell him she is my friend in the play. Now, what I want to do is give them sound education to be able to choose what they want. Then if they want to fellow my footsteps, fine.”

February 2012

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Morgan Freeman to marry his step-granddaughter

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By Joanna Douglas, Senior Fashion and Beauty Editor

A few weeks ago, a disturbing story broke that Morgan Freeman was maintaining a 10-year relationship with his step-granddaughter with whom he had a Ambition Jacobs has one ambition – just before he drops questionable sexual encounter when she was young. Yes, they are not related the cap. “ My ambition is to get a good studio through blood, but Freeman is 72 and and to continue to develop and expand the E'Dena Hines is now 27, which means market. And to see every good film that is she would have been 17 when they first... made go into the market and at least attract um... got together. Once Freeman's wife over five million customers. I look forward to found out about their secret affair she when I would do a film and it would sell five filed for divorce, and now the Enquirer is million copies because we have the market for claiming that once proceedings go it”. through, he and Hines are set to wed.

Fans Fondly called Uncle Olu by all his fans, he treats everyone as a father and listens to whoever needs help. “ They call me at different hours of the day just to say hello. We are the ones providing them with avenue in which to express themselves and any help they need from us we must try and help, understand and guide them”, h e said – just as one of his numerous fans approached him for help.

Source:Nigeriamoviestars.net

"Morgan has led her to believe that he wants to marry her," says a family insider. Another source says, "Becoming Mrs. Morgan Freeman has been E'Dena's goal."

Ethiopia’s 6th Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ Day Marked At Embassy In Washington, DC

Afrikan

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Ambassador Mulie, the New Diaspora Policy is imbued with propitious conditions that enhance Diaspora participation in a meaningful manner by providing solid opportunities in investment, trade, education, health services and other areas of interest.

By: Tsehaye Debalkew, Washington DC, Ethiopia which has registered an December 10, 2011 impressive economic growth sustainably was only able to do so as a result The 6th Nations, Nationalities and of the enabling condition that has Peoples’ Day of Ethiopia/Constitution sprouted emanating from the constituDay/ was colorfully marked at the audi- tion. torium of the Chancery of the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to-day.

In this relation he referenced quite amply the 4% economic growth during The celebration was attended by hunthe era of the monarchy and a mere dreds of Diaspora Ethiopians, average growth of slightly over 1% in Community Representatives and famithe entire reign of the military junta. lies. Ambassador Girma Birru, Ambassador Extra-ordinary and On the realm of political rights, Plenipotentiary of the FDRE to the US Ambassador Girma noted that gone are reminisced the significance of the occa- the days when disgruntled elements and sion which marked the endorsement of groups had to resort to unlawful acts or the constitution that guaranteed and pro- violence in quest of remedy for their tected the rights of the various nations, demands, by reiterating that the present and nationalities by declaring their Ethiopian Constitution is embedded equality and fair and just representation with avenues of legal and peaceful in the political milieu, as enshrined in address and resolution of any thorny the noble document. issues.

In his closing statement Ambassador Ambassador Girma further elucidated Girma made a clarion call on the the importance of the Nations, Diaspora Ethiopians to positively Nationalities/ Constitution Day/ as a engage themselves in the overall land mark event, which enabled the cre- Growth and Transformation leap that ation of an auspicious climate for the Ethiopians of all walks of life have realization of the sovereignty and ultianchored themselves on, by lending mate power of the people who were their cherished knowledge, expertise, accorded due recognition for the first networking and revenue capacities in a time in the countrys polity which manner that boosts the national drive spawned for millennia on end. forward and also calibrating themselves to be active beneficiaries from the The Ethiopian Ambassador to the US in enterprise. his remark enumerated the salient features that define the true character of the He also underlined that they should Ethiopian Constitution by amply refer- make good of the propitious environring to the democratic process undertak- ment they currently find themselves in, en in writing the document and the ways by making all effort at positively buildand means of its final ratification as ing the image of the nation. telling elements of its democratic nature.

Ambassador Mulie Tarekegn , Deputy The Ambassador also cited the enabling Head of Mission at the Ethiopian conducive environment that has created Embassy and Chief of Diaspora Affairs the continued unity among the different on his part made a power-point presennations, nationalities and peoples of tation pertaining to the Draft Diaspora Ethiopia who for the first time in their Policy. The main points in the new history have enjoyed the right for a fair Draft policy were highlighted during the play, equal representation and are briefing session. accorded constitutionally based legal recognition.

According to the briefings offered by

In the course of the briefing, the Deputy Head of Mission said that the Policy is enriched with instruments that facilitate pertinent and conducive environment that encourages members of the Diaspora communities to directly partake in all levels of decision making through mechanisms that enhance their participation.

Councils to be established by the Diaspora will enable them to put their imprint on decisions that impact their participation and interest, he added.

Special focus of the Policy he stated, were the steps taken to bring the knowledge, experience, skill and financial resources of the Diaspora to the country in an organized fashion that could entail dual benefits to the nation and at the same time empower the Diaspora communities.

In the course of the briefing session, members of the Diaspora communities raised pertinent questions that enriched the discourse and were given appropriate responses from the podium. At last, before the congregation sang the Ethiopian national Anthem in unison, community members of the Ethiopian Diaspora on their part made a solemn gesture to contribute their share to the nation-wide momentum that has ushered in to nip poverty in the bud.

Source:amipnewsonline.org

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS: Records and stats February 2012

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Most titles won: 7 by Egypt in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 Most tournament appearances: 22 by Egypt

1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010.

Most appearances in a final: 8 by Ghana and Egypt Ghana: 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1982, 1992, 2010 Egypt: 1957, 1959, 1962, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010

Most goals in a single tournament: 54 in Egypt 1974, under the old eight-team system 99 in Ghana 2008, under the 16-team system Longest penalty session: Ivory Coast v Cameroon 12-11 (1-1) in 2006

Highest attendance during a game: 120 000 spectators were in Cairo stadium to watch Egypt v Cameroon in 1986 Highest attendance in a tournament: 735000 spectators in 1980 (avg.

46000 spectators per game) Most matches played in the finals: 90 by Egypt Most wins: 54 by Egypt Most goals scored: 154 by Egypt Most goals scored in one match: Egypt 6-3 Nigeria in 1963 Highest winning margin: Ivory Coast 6-1 Ethiopia in 1970 Longest unbeaten run: 19 matches for Egypt since their 2-1 defeat against Algeria in 2004 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

All time scorer: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) 18 goals

Most goals scored in a final: 4 by Mohamed Attar “El-Diba” (Egypt) against Ethiopia in 1957

Most goals scored in a single tournament: 9 by Mulumba N’Daye (Zaire) in 1974

Most goals scored in one match: 5 by Laurent Pokou in Ivory Coast win against Ethiopia 6-1 in 1970.

Fastest goal: Ayman Mansour (Egypt) after 23 seconds against Mozambique in 1994

Most Tournament Appearances: 8 by Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) and Rigobert Song (Cameroon)

Most matches Played by a player: 33 by Rigobert Song (Cameroon)

Most appearances in the final: 4 by Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Youngest ever player: Chiva Star Nzighou (Gabon), 16 years, 2 months, 30 days in 2000 Oldest Scorer in African Cup History: Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 39 years, 5 months, 24 days against DR Congo in 2006 Title Winner as player and coach: Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt in 1959 and 1998

Most titles won by a players: 4 titles for Ahmed Hassan and Essam ElHadary (Egypt) Only Player to participate in 2 Tournaments 20 years apart: Hossam Hassan (Egypt) in 1986 and 2006 Only Player to Win 2 Titles 20 years apart: Hossam Hassan (Egypt) in 1986 and 2006 Most Titles won by a coach: 3 by Hassan Shehata (Egypt) in 2006, 2008 and 2010 and Charles Gyamfi (Ghana) in 1963, 1965 and 1982

Afrikan Post

Marriage: Actresses Favoured In 2012

They are forces to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. though rich, they are not married like their counterparts in the industry.

NAOMI ADAMU takes a look at some of these angels who are highly favoured to be married in 2012.

Genevieve Nnaji

February 2012

that for her. It’s very certain that anytime news get to the public that this well over 30 years old light skinned actress is getting married, it would make headlines of many papers and bloggers.

Fans only hope 2012 doesn’t just pass by without a ring on the fourth finger of her left hand

Funke Akindele

Ikechukwu in 2011. What her fans would be happy about is seeing their role model finally geting someone to say ‘I Do’ to in 2012.

For this Kanekalon and LG brands ambassador, getting tied to a man is not on her mind as we were hinted by a close source. After crashing out in her former marriage, she is taking her time to get into being a man’s wife. She is also enjoying the fun her jara job is giving her. She has been linked to some men in the past, especially with some in the presidency, which pitched her against another bigwig in the business. This Imo State 2002 runner-up of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria has since 2007 after three years of marriage, when she officially dissolved her marriage to former fringed Super Eagles player, Chikelue Iloenuosi, been without a steady man as a husband. Will 2012 change her status?

Queen Nwokoye

Funke Akindele has been in the game for a long time now, but was thrown into limelight around late first decade of the new millennium through her blockbusting flick, Jenifa. She has since then moved into the A-list category of her section of Genny, as she is fondly called, is one of the princesses of the movie industry in Nigeria that the profession. Jenifa, as she is fondly called by fans, is in her late 30s and is still very much sinmany fans would be happy to see finally margle.

Her love life is mostly not of the Romeo and ried this year. She has severally been romantiJuliet type as we reliably learnt that she loves cally linked with many men within and outside the industry. The list of reported romance with enjoying herself thoroughly. Before now, she has been reportedly linked with seeing the married top guys in Nollywood is almost endless. The Femi Adebayo (Jelili) to the extent of almost height of it was when she was reported to be breaking up his marriage. She is one of those lubricating then with the sitting number two For Queen, her innocent look is really workactresses fans would be happy to see get married ing for her in the industry. When the bad man of the country during the reign of Baba in 2012. Will the bell toll?

Iyabo. What is keeping this 32- year-old and girls of the industry are called, she is surely mother of one, screen goddess waiting is still a not going to be among the number for now. mystery to her fans. Will 2012 be the lucky year Uche Jombo She recently won Scandal Free Actress of for Genny? All fingers are crossed. the Year, after staying in the industry since 2004 without any scandal attributed to her.

Rita Dominic But what is surprising to the fans of this Sociology and Anthropology graduate of Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka is the fact that she is till not married. When recently asked about her boyfriend, she said she was single but not searching. Some of her fans have wondered when this gentle and good girl of Nollywood would get married. When would the right time, as they always say, come? 2012?

For Rita Dominic, not much of her being romantically linked with colleagues has been reported except for the Nigerian fine Nollywood actor that loves to Americanise his talks. This high-heel shoe lover is really happy with her present status. When she was recently asked by a reporter on when she would be getting married, she simply told the reporter to do

One of the actresses that would be expected by fans to walk down the aisle is surely going to be Uche Jombo. Her 10 years romance with Super Eagles player, Ikechukwu Uche, who she has denied of ever having any romantic feelings for or ties to, was recently reported to have hit the rocks. Though no reason has been given for its failure, feelers however, have it that that event made it impossible for Uche to tie the knot with

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Annie

Macaulay

Annie Macaulay, the push away of Nigerian Africa’s songster, Innocent Idibia, who is well known as 2 Face, has, since her failed romantic relationship with Tu Baba, as 2 Face is also called, been without a man in her life. Her romance with 2 Face produced Isabella. What is still making Annie’s friends and fans wonder is the fact that Annie fights any woman wond that dares come close to 2 Face. Some have asked if Annie still thinks she has a future with Tu Baba, after having five children with three different women. Some close associates of Annie said that what is baffling them is the fact that Annie doesn’t want to open the security tight and locked the door of her heart to any other man except the father of her daughter, three years old Isabella.

The prayer of her friends and fans is for them to see 2012 change for this actress by be coming a wife.

Source: http://nigerian-movies.net/blog/?p=5687

February 2012

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African Post

Group A Equatorial Guinea:

Goalkeepers: Danilo Emanuel (America, Brazil), Felipe Ovono (Sony de Ela Nguema), Achil Pensi Muokembe (The Panthers)

Defenders: Lawrence Sokota Doe (Al Shabab, Oman), Jose Bokung (Deportivo de Mongomo), Rui Fernando da Gracia Gomes (Logrones, Spain), David Álvarez (Langreo, Spain), Armando Sipoto Buale (Badajoz, Spain), Raúl Ivan Fabiani Bosio (C. D. Alcoyano, Spain)

Midfielders: Ben Esono Konate (The Panthers), Daniel Vazquez Evuy (Villaviciosa, Spain), Rolan de la Cruz Biyogo (Fortaleza, Colombia), Juvenal Edjogo Owono (Sabadell, Spain), Narcisse Ekanga Amia (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Raúl Juan Máximo Eyama (Deportivo de Mongomo), Jose Javier Balboa Osa (SC Beira-Mar, Portugal), Fousseiny Kamissoko (Al Shabab, Oman)

2012 Africa Cup of Nations

France), Armand Traoré (QPR, England), Omar Daf (Brest, France)

France), Adama Sawadogo (Missile, Gabon)

Defenders: Ibrahim Gnanou (Alania Vladikavkaz, Midfielders: Rémi Gomis (Valenciennes, France) , Russia), Bakary Kone (Olympique Lyon, France), Paul Koulibaly (Charleroi, Belgium), Saidou Mouhamed Diamé ( Wigan, England), Guirane Mady Panandetiguiri (Valletta, Malta), Mamadou N’Daw (Birmingham City, England), Ndiaye Tall (Persepolis, Iran) Dème Ndiaye (Arles-Avignon, France)

Forward: Issiar Dia ( Fenerbahce, Turkey), Moussa Sow (Lille, France), Papiss Demba Cissé (Newcastle United, England), Souleymane Camara (Montpelier, France), Mamadou Niang (Al Sadd, Qatar), Demba Ba (Newcastle United, England), Dame N’Doye (FC Copenhagen, Denmark).

Zambia:

Midfielders: Wilfried Balima (Sheriff Tiraspol, Moldova), Charles Kabore (Olympique Marseille, France), Mahamadou Kere (Konyaspor, Turkey), Mohamed Koffi (Petrojet, Egypt), Djakaridja Kone (Dynamo Bucharest, Romania), Jonathan Pitroipa (Stades Rennes, France), Florent Rouamba (Sheriff Tiraspol. Moldova), Bertrand Traore (unkown)

Forwards: Aristide Bance (Samsunspor, Turkey), Goalkeepers: Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, Moumouni Dagano (Al Khor, Qatar), Prejuce South Africa), Kalililo Kakonje (TP Mazembe, DR Nakoulma (Gornik Zabrze, Poland), Issiaka Congo), Joshua Titima (Power Dynamos) Ouedraogo (FC Admira Wacker Modling, Austria), Abdou Razak Traore (Lechia Gdansk, Defenders: Francis Kasonde, Hichani Himonde, Poland), Alain Traore (AJ Auxerre, France), Stopilla Sunzu (all TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Narcisse Yameogo (AD Camacha, Portugal) Nyambe Mulenga (Zesco United), Davies Nkausu (SuperSport United, South Africa), Joseph Côte d’Ivoire: Musonda (Golden Arrows, South Africa), Forwards: Ellong Douwala Viera (Sony de Ela Kampamba Chintu (BidVests Wits, South Africa) Nguema), Rodolfo Bodipo (Deportivo de A Goalkeepers: Barry Boubacar (Lokeren, Belgium), Coruna, Spain), Ivan Bolado Palacios Gerrard Gnanahouan (Avranches, France), Daniel Midfielders: Nathan Sinkala (Green Buffaloes), (Cartagena, Spain), Iban ‘Randy’ Iyanga Rainford Kalaba (TP Mazembe DR Congo), Noah Yeboah (Dijon, France) (Union Deportiva Las Palmas, Spain), Thierry Chivuta (Free State Stars, South Africa), Isaac Fidjeu (Konyaspor, Turkey), Daniel-Bladimir Defenders: Siaka Tiene (Paris St Germain, Chansa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Clifford Ekedo (San Roque de Lepe, Spain) France), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart, Germany), Mulenga (Bloemfontein Celtics, South Africa), Libya: Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes, France), Chisamba Lungu (Ural Oblast, Russia), Jonas Igor Lolo (FC Kuban Krasnodar, Russia), Didier Sakuwaha (El Merreikh, Sudan), Felix Katongo Goalkeepers: Samir Aboud (Al Ittihad), Joumaa Zokora (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Emmanuel Eboue (Green Buffaloes), Christopher Katongo (Henan Gtit (Al Ahly), Mohamed Nachnouch (Al (Galatasaray, Turkey), Kolo Toure (Manchester Jienye, China) Ittihad) City, England), Souleymane Bamba (Leicester City, England) Strikers: Evans Kangwa (Nkana), Collins Defenders: Mohamed Al Moghrabi (Olympique Mbesuma (Golden Arrows, South Africa), Khourigba, Morocco), Mohamed Mounir (FK Midfielders: Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice, France), Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys, Switzerland) Jagodina, Serbia), Younes Al Chibani Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Orduspor, Turkey), and James Chamanga (Dalian Shide, China) (Olympique Khourigba, Morocco), Ali Salama Didier Ya Konan (Hannover, Germany), Cheick (Olympique Beja, Tunisia), Oussama Achtiba Tiote (Newcastle United, England), Max Gradel GROUP B (Al Najma, Lebanon), Ahmed Al Alwani (Al (St Etienne, France), Yaya Toure (Manchester Madina), Rabii Al Lafi (Club Africain, Angola: City, England) Tunisia), Abdelaziz Belrich (Al Ittihad)

Midfielders: Jamal Abdallah (FC Braga, Portugal), Mohamed Al Snani (US Monastir, Tunisia), Marwan Al Mabrouk (Al Ittihad), Aboubakr Al Abidi (Al Nasr), Moataz Ben Amer (Al Ahly Benghazi), Walid Al Khatrouchi (Al Ittihad), Abdallah Al Cherif (Al Madina), Oussama Abdelsalam (Al Akhdhar), Faicel Al Badri (Al Hilal)

Forwards: Ahmed Saad (Club Africain, Tunisia), Ahmed Al Zwei (CA Bizertin, Tunisia), Ihab Al Boussifi (Al Ittihad) Senegal:

Goalkeepers: Carlos (unattached), Hugo (Kabuscorp), Wilson (Primeiro Agosto)

Defenders: Amaro (Primeiro Agosto), Dani Massunguna (Primeiro Agosto), Kali (Primeiro Agosto), Marco Airosa (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Mingo Bille (Primeiro Agosto), Zuela (Atromitos, Greece)

Midfielders: Andre Makanga (Al Jahra, Kuwait), Dede (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Gilberto (Lierse, Belgium), Mabina, Miguel (both Petro Atletico), Osorio (Recreativo Caala), Xara (Petro Atletico)

Forwards: Djalma (FC Porto, Portugal), Flavio Goalkeepers: Khadim Ndiaye (ASC Linguere), (Lierse, Belgium), Jose Pierre Vunguidica Bouna Coundoul (New York Red Bulls, USA), (Preussen Munster, Germany), Love (Petro Pape Latyr Ndiaye (Ouakam) Atletico), Manucho (Real Valladolid, Spain), Mateus Galiano (Nacional, Portugal), Nando Defenders: Kader Mangane (Rennes, France), Rafael (FC Augsburg, Germany).

Souleymane Diawara (Marseille, France), Burkina Faso: Lamine Sané (Bordeaux, France), Jacques Faty (Sivasspor, Turkey), Moustapha Bayal Sall (St Goalkeepers: Daouda Diakite (KV Turnhout, Etienne, France), Pape Malickou Diakhaté Belgium), Moussa Germain Sanou (St Etienne, (Granada, Spain), Cheikh Mbengue (Toulouse,

February 2012

Page 38

Forwards: Ramadan Alagab (Al Mourada), Mohammed Sheikh Eldin (Al Hasahesa), Mudathir El Tahir (Al Hilal), Abdulrahman Hassan (Al Merreikh)

GROUP C

Gabon:

Goalkeepers: Yann Bidonga (Mangasport), Stephane Bitseki Moto (US Bitam), Didier Ovono (Le Mans, France) Defenders: Georges Ambourouet (Missile FC), Moise Brou Apanga (Brest, France), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Lorient, France), Remy Ebanega (US Bitam), Edmond Mouele (Mangasport), Rodrigue Moundounga (Olympique Beja, Tunisia), Charly Moussonou (Missile FC), Henri Ndong (US Bitam)

Midfielders: Andre Biyogo Poko (Bordeaux, France), Cedric Boussougou (Mangasport), Levy Madinda (Celta Vigo, Spain), Bruno Mbanangoye Zita (Dinamo Minsk, Ukraine), Cedric Moubamba (US Bitam), Lloyd Palun (Nice, France)

Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (St Etienne, France), Daniel Cousin (FC Sapins), Fabrice Do Marcolino (Laval), Roguy Meye (Zalaegerszeg, Hungary), Eric Mouloungui (Nice, France), Stephane Nguema (US Bitam).

Morocco:

Goalkeepers: Nadir Lamyaghri (Wydad Casablanca), Issam Badda (FUS Rabat), Mohamed Amsif (Augsburg, Germany)

Defenders: Jamal Allioui (Al Kharytiyath, Qatar), Michael Chretien (Bursaspor, Turkey), Badr El Kaddouri (Celtic, Scotland), Abdelhamid El Kaoutari (Montpellier,France), Mehdi Benatia Forwards: Gervinho (Arsenal, England), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Didier Drogba (Udinese, Italy), Abdelfattah Boukhriss (FUS Rabat), Mustapha Mrani (MAS), (Chelsea, England), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea, Ahmed Kantari (Brest, France) England), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands), Abdul Kader Keita (Al Sadd, Qatar) Midfielders: Houcine Kharja (Fiorentina, Sudan: Italy), Adil Hermach (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Karim Ahmadi (Feyenoord, Goalkeepers: Mahjoub El Moez (Al Hilal), Netherlands), Younes Belhanda Bhaldien Mohammed (Al Merreikh), Akram Al (Montpellier, France), Mbark Boussoufa Hadi (Al Merreikh) (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia), Youssouf Hadji (Rennes, France), Mehdi Carcela Defenders: Musab Omar (Al Merreikh), (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia) Ngemaldien Abdullah (Al Merreikh), Ahmed Al Basha (Al Merreikh), Bala Jaber (Al Merreikh), Forwards: Noureddine Amrabat Mowaia Bashir (Ittihad Madani), Seifaldien Ali (Kayserispor, Turkey), Oussama Assaidi (Al Hilal), Khalifa Ahmed (Al Hilal) (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Youssef El Arabi (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), Adel Midfielders: Haitham Mustafa (Al Hilal), Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers, England), Baderaldien Aldoud (Al Merreikh), Faisal Musa (Al Merreikh), Amier Kamal (Al Merreikh), Nazer Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal, England) Hamed (Al Hilal), Mohamed Al Tahir (Al Hilal) Alaadine Yousif (Al Hilal), Mohammed Ahmed Niger: Bashir (Al Hilal), Mohammed Moussi (Al Nsoor)

P

2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Goalkeepers: Daouda Kassaly (Coton Sport, Cameroon), Rabo Saminou (Sahel SC), Lossény Doumbia (DC Motema Pembe, DR Congo)

Defenders: Koffi Dan Kowa (ES Zarzis, Tunisia), Kader Amadou Dodo (Olympic FC), Mohamed Chikoto (Platinium Stars, South Africa), Mohamed Soumaïla (Olympic FC), Djibrilla Moussa (AS Garde Nationale), Souleymane Mazadou (Union Sportive Marignanaise, France), Jimmy Bulus (Hussein Dey, Algeria), Issiaka Koudize (AS Garde Nationale)

Midfielders: Idrissa Laouali (AS FAN), AbdoulKarim Lancina (Coton Sport, Cameroon), William Tonji Ngounou (IF Limhamn, Sweden), Olivier Harouna Bonnes (Lille, France), Yacouba Ali (Africa Sports, Ivory Coast), Idrissa Saïdou (Coton Sport, Cameroon), Boubacar Talatou (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Moutari Amadou (Akokana FC), Issoufou Boubacar (FC Phuket, Thailand)

Attackers: Moussa Maazou (Zulte Waregem, Belgium), Issoufou Alhassane Dante (Raja Casablanca, Morocco), Kamilou Daouda (CS Sfaxien, Tunisia)

Tunisia:

Goalkeepers: Rami Jeridi (Stade Tunisien), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile du Sahel), Moez Ben Cherifia (Esperance)

Defenders: Khalil Chammam (Esperance), Anis Boussaidi (Rostov, Russia), Aymen Abdennour (Toulouse, France), Bilel Iffa (Club Africain), Karim Haggui (Hannover, Germany), Ammar Jemal (FC Cologne, Germany)

Midfielders: Adel Chedli (Etoile du Sahel), Oussama Darragui (Esperance), Mejdi Traoui (Esperance), Khaled Korbi (Esperance), Wissem Ben Yahia (Mersin, Turkey), Yassine Chikhaoui (FC Zurich, Switzerland), Hocine Ragued (Karabukspor, Turkey), Jamel Saihi (Montpellier, France)

Forwards: Issam Jemaa (Auxerre, France), Zouhaier Dhaouadi (Club Africain), Youssef Msakni (Esperance), Saber Khelifa (Evian, France), Amine Chermiti (FC Zurich, Switzerland), Sami Allagui (Mainz, Germany)

GROUP D

Botswana:

Goalkeepers: Modiri Marumo (Bay United, South Africa), Noah Maposa (Gaborone United), Kabelo Dambe (Rollers)

Defenders: Mompathi Thuma (BDF XI), Ndiyapo Letsholathebe (Police XI), Musa Ohilwe (Gaborone United), Mosimanegape Ramohibidu (BMC), Monametsi Kelebale (NICO), Tshepo Motlhabankwe (Mochudi Centre Chiefs)

Midfielders: Mogogi Gabonamong (SuperSport United, South Africa), Joel Mogorosi, Pontsho Moloi, Othusitse Pilane (all Mochudi Centre

Chiefs), Boitumelo Mafoko (Cape Town Santos, South Africa) Ofentse Nato (Gaborone United), Phenyo Mongala (Bloemfontein Celtic, South Africa), Patrick Motsepe, Tshireletso (BDF XI), Mogakolodi Ngele (Rollers)

Strikers: Jerome Ramatlhakwane (Unattached), Diphetogo Selolwane (SuperSport, South Africa), Onalethata Tshekiso (Rollers), Moemedi Moatlhaping (Bay United, South Africa)

Ghana:

Goalkeepers: Adam Kwarasey (Stromsgodset, Norway), Daniel Adjei (Liberty Professionals, Ghana), Ernest Sowah (Berekum Chelsea, Ghana)

Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Dnipro, Ukraine), John Paintsil (Leicester City, England), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege, Belgium), Masawudu Alhassan (Genoa, Italy), Lee Addy (Dalian Aerbim, China), John Boye (Rennes, France), John Mensah (Lyon, France), Jonathan Mensah (Evian, France), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim, Germany)

Midfielders: Charles Takyi (St Pauli, Germany), Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese ,Italy), Derek Boateng (Dnipro, Ukraine), Anthony Annan (Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands), Mohammed Abu (Stromsgodset, Norway), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese, Italy), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan, Italy), Andre Ayew (Marseille, France)

Forwards: Prince Tagoe (Bursaspor, Turkey), Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, UAE), Jordan Ayew (Marseille, France)

Guinea:

Goalkeepers: Aboubacar Camara (Alcoyano, Spain), Abdoul Aziz Keita (AS Kaloum), Naby Yattara (Arles-Avignon, France)

Defenders: Thierno Bah (Lausanne, Switzerland), Dianbodo ‘Bobo’ Balde (ArlesAvignon, France), Ibrahima Sory Bangoura (Djoliba, Mali), Lanfia Camara (WS Woluwe, Belgium), Morlaye Cisse (EGS Gafsa, Tunisia), Ibrahima Diallo (Waasland Beveren, Belgium), Kamil Zayatte (Buyuksehir, Turkey), Oumar Kalabane (Al Dhafra, United Arab Emirates)

Midfielders: Mamadou Dioulde Bah (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), Habib Jean Balde (Universitatea Cluj, Romania), Sadio Diallo (Bastia, France), Pascal Feindouno (Sion, Switzerland), Naby Soumah (CS Sfaxien, Tunisia)

Forwards: Alhassane Bangoura (Rayo Vallecano, Spain), Ismael Bangoura (Al Nasr, United Arab Emirates), Ousmane Barry (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia), Abdoul Camara (Sochaux, France), Ibrahima Conte (Ghent, Belgium),

Ibrahim Traore (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), Ibrahima Yattara (Al Shabab, Saudi Arabia).

Mali:

Goalkeepers: Oumar Sissoko (Metz, France), Soumbeyla Diakite (Stade Malien), Alimamy Sogoba (As Réal).

Defenders: Ousmane Coulibaly (Brest, France), Idrissa Coulibaly (Esperance Tunis, Tunisia), Drissa Diakite (Nice, France), Cedric Kante (Panathinaikos, Greece), Mohamed Fofana (Toulouse, France), Adama Tamboura (Metz, France ), Mouhamadou N’Diaye (Vitoria Guimarães, Portugal), Abdoulaye Maiga (USM Alger, Algeria).

Midfielders: Seydou Keita (Barcelona, Spain), Kalilou Traoré (OB Odense, Denmark), Bakay Traore (Nancy, France), Abdou Traore (Bordeaux, France), Samba Diakite (Nancy, France), Mahamane Traore (Metz , France), Sidi Koné (Lyon, France), Samba Sow (Lens, France).

Forwards: Modibo Maiga (Sochaux, France), Garra Dembele (Freiburg, Germany), Cheick Diabate (Bordeaux, France), Mustapha Yatabare (Guingamp, France).

February 2012

Afrikan Post

Page 39

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