Issue # 399
INSIDE
T HE
P.2
P.4
Trump seeks to limit international student stays
A F R IC A N
NOVEMBER 2018 www.mshale.com
C OM MU N I T Y
N E W S PAP E R
Glittering African Awards Gala Honors Community
UN decries Somalia federal and state authorities stand-off
P.9
What does the bible say about cremation?
P.10
Review: Youssou N’Dour concert
The winners of the 7th Edition of the African Awards, which are organized by Mshale, were announced and honored at a glittering gala held at the Target Corporation headquarters in Minneapolis on October 13, 2018. Above (left to right): Abdulrahman Kahin, founder of Afro Deli accepts the Business of the Year Award, Hajaratu Jaafaru won the Student of the Year and Dr. Jonathan Rose was awarded the Community Leadership Award. Below (left to right) Thomspon Fadirepo accepts the Non-Profit Organziation of the Year Award on behalf of Mercy International Mission, in the middle Abdullah Kiatamba took home the Spirit of the Moran Award while Yusuf Shailta received the Artist of the Year Award. More photos on Mshale.com. Photos: Richard Ooga/Mshale
Bethel Gessesse Mshale
The African Awards, organized annually by Mshale Newspaper, held its glittering seventh African Awards Gala on Saturday, October 13 at the World Headquarters of Target Corporation in Minneapolis. This year marked the first time
that the African Awards have been held away from a hotel ballroom or convention center, a result of a major commitment at last year’s gala by Target VP for Diversity and Human Resources, Caroline Wanga to host them at Target. The company was also the main sponsor for 2018. The three-hour formal gala program was preceded by a red carpet
walk for attendees, awardees and presenters and a TV interview by WOW Africa and a heavy hors d’oeuvres that featured South African wines. The main highlight of the evening being the honoring of individuals and organizations that have exemplified excellence and distinction in serving the community while pursuing their business or
African Awards on Pg. 8
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November 2018 Issue 399
Trump administration seeks to limit international student stays By Tom Gitaa Mshale
The Trump administration on Wednesday published a proposed a new rule to be effective in fall 2019 that will establish a maximum period of authorized stay for international students. The proposed rule, published on the government website reginfo. gov says the need for such a rule is “intended to decrease the incidence of non-immigrant student overstays and improve the integrity of the non-immigrant student visa.” The proposed rule will undoubtedly unsettle US universities who are already reeling from declining numbers of international students worried that they are not welcome since president Trump took office. For years, as is still the case unless this new rule takes effect, international students have had their visas have what is called “duration of status” meaning their student visas are valid as long as they maintain their status as students, generally understood to mean they maintain
a full course load and do not work without authorization. The type of academic program they are enrolled in thus dictates how long they take to finish their degree. The Trump administration’s new rule slated for fall 2019 will replace the “duration of status” with a fixed maximum term for F-1 students and other non-immigrant visa holders. The proposed rule on reginfo.gov does not specify how long the fixed term will be but states that there will be “options for extensions, for each applicable visa category.” There is no guarantee that the new rule will see the light of day but it is the latest assault on international students by the Trump administration even though a new report early this year from the National Science Foundation indicated that the number of international students in the U.S. fell by 2.2 percent at the undergraduate level and 5.5 percent at the graduate level, from fall 2016 to 2017 based on government-held student visa data.
The Trump administration has published a proposed a new rule to be effective in fall 2019 that will establish a maximum period of authorized stay for international students. Photo: Courtesy of Defiance College
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Editorial
A lot is at stake on November 6, vote! By the time some of you read this, it will be less than five days to Election Day. Which election, we are known on this page to always claim it is the most important election ever that it has almost become cliché. However, we do not shy from making similar claims each year as there always pressing issues that endanger our interests that seem to raise the stakes with each passing year.
southern border ostensibly to stop people who are fleeing persecution from Honduras and other countries from crossing over from Mexico. The number of troops the president is sending there, 5,200 as of going to press on top of the over 2,000 National Guard troops already there will exceed the number of troops we have in an active war zone, - in Afghanistan.
These midterms are also the first one since the tragic Trump presidency took office and he too is aware that there is a lot of stake as people who might finally hold him accountable might be elected on November 6. The current Congress unfortunately abdicated its responsibility to be a check on this runaway president.
Additionally, the president has been busy trying to restrict even legal immigration by blaming it on for all manner of ills that face our country. The president, whose wife is an immigrant, fails to realize that immigrants are a boon to the American economy. They are what make America great, not his attempts to make America an all-white country again.
All signs indicate that people eager to hold this president accountable are on the verge of being elected. However, they need you to show up at the polls to get them elected. In the twenty-three years of publishing, we have never seen the mind of president we have now. In a very bad way. Bad for America and by extension bad for immigrants. The president has publicly engaged in bigotry, race baiting and very white supremacist type language that many have become numb to his utterances. Unfortunately, his words have consequences, as they are many of his supporters that have taken it to be a license to engage in hateful and deadly acts. As we prepare to go to press, a Trump supporter has just walked into a synagogue in Pittsburg and killed eleven people as worship services were going on. The president’s rhetoric emboldens such people. There is more. In this edition, you will read about the presidents’ attempts to restrict how long lawful international students can stay in this country as their visas expire, creating unnecessary anxiety even if the proposals do not become law. Additionally, the president is sending active duty troops to our
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President & Publisher: Tom Gitaa
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Columnists: Blackwell Igbanugo Law Firm
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Mshale is published on the 1st of every month. It is available for free at most African stores , African restaurants and metro area county libraries. Mailed subscriptions are $40 per year. Memberships: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC) , Pan African Business Alliance (PABA). The editor welcomes letters, opinion pieces and commentary on issues of interest to the African community in North America. Contributions must be typed and will be edited for clarity and space. Submissions can be mailed or submitted online at www.mshale.com
The president is out of control. Which means we the people need to take action to contain him, or at least keep him in check. He is the one who is a danger to our democracy. So yes, November 6 is the most important election you might ever have to vote in. For the few reasons that we have highlighted above and there are more. Donald Trump threatens the very existence of immigrants, people who are not white and our very own democracy. Vote November 6 so we can get a Congress that will do the work of being a co-equal branch of government again, and not to kneel in supplication to trump as the current Congress has done. The adage that every vote counts is true now than ever before. In 2012 Wynfred Russell running for City Council in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota fell only five votes short of winning and becoming the first African immigrant to sit on the Council. He is back to try again this year and we are hoping everyone eligible to vote in that District shows up.
Are you eligible to vote? • Are you a U.S. citizen?
• Will you be at least 18 years old on election day? • Have you lived in Minnesota for at least 20 days? • If you are a felon, have you completed all parts of your prison sentence? • Are you legally competent? If you answered yes to all of the above, you are eligible to vote in Minnesota. Not registered to vote? Minnesota allows you to register on election day by: a.) bringing your ID that has your current address or if you don’t have one, a permit, passport, school ID, military or tribal ID, student fee statements, a lease agreement valid through election day or most bills or bank statements that also list your address. If you still don’t have the preceding, bring a registered voter who will vouch for you by signing an oath that you live at the address you claim to. Polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. Find out where to vote: https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/
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November 2018 Issue 399
UN: ‘Stand-off’ between Somalia’s federal, state authorities could ‘paralyze’ progress UN News Service
Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative for Somalia and head of the Assistance Mission UNSOM, called for better collaboration: “What we’re facing is a quite serious political issue – the stand-off between the Federal Member States and the Federal Government may well paralyze our efforts to help Somalia get back on its feet.” “We’re exploring ways of bringing them together in the hope that Somalis can face down their problems together rather than going separately,” said Mr. Haysom at a joint press conference, alongside Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, President of South West State, and Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission. Mr. Haysom also flagged the need for “credible and acceptable” presidential elections next month and renewed his call for collaboration to solve the ongoing tensions. “We’re asking all of the relevant role-players to get together to find a
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan (center), the President of South West State of Somalia addresses journalists during a joint press conference in Baidoa. He is flanked by Nicholas Haysom (left), the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, and Ambassador Francisco Madeira (right), the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia. 31 October 2018. Photo: Ilyas Ahmed/UN
solution and to make the necessary compromises so that they can work collaboratively rather than against each other,” he said. Mr. Haysom told reporters they also discussed development, security and political matters, assuring Somalis that “the international community does not have a candidate” and is not backing any specific candidate in the race. “But we do want to see,” he continued, “that the elections will be conducted in a way which all parties will able to accept” adding that the
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President of South West State “has reassured me that this indeed will be the case,” he stressed. The UN and AU officials also met with Abdulkadir Shariif Shekhuna, Speaker of South West State’s Parliament, who briefed them on preparations for the 17 November presidential poll. “You’ll appreciate the elections in the South West State will be the first of the many elections to follow and in that sense will be setting the standard,” the UN envoy said, in a subsequent joint press encounter
with the Speaker and Mr. Madeira. The elections will be “hotly contested,” he predicted, explaining that this was why it was so important for participants to accept the outcome. “So we were reassured to hear from the Speaker in regard to the detailed arrangements which will govern the election and we wish South West [State] all the best in holding those elections,” he added. The UN and AU envoys echoed these comments in their later meeting with seven presidential candidates.
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November 2018 Issue 398
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MNSure, aka ‘Obamacare’, open enrollment begins on November 1, deadline is Dec. 15 Mshale Staff
apply and enroll in person, free of cost. In addition, there are enrollment events in communities around the state.
The 2019 MNsure open enrollment period begins on Thursday, November 1. Minnesotans can log on to the MNsure website at MNSure.org to enroll.
Over the phone
If you want coverage that begins on January 1, 2019, you must enroll by December 15, 2018. Open enrollment runs until January 13, 2019.
Expanded hours starting November 1:
You can compare plans from multiple insurance companies at MNsure.org and estimate out-of-pocket costs.
Online help
If you are a current enrollee, you can check to see if your 2018 plan will be available in 2019. How to get help MNSure, in a release sent to Mshale said Minnesotans have a number of options to get their questions answered. Help is available inperson, over the phone and online. In-person, free assistance including a statewide network of expert assisters who can help Minnesotans
MNsure’s Contact Center can be reached at 651-539-2099 or 855366-7873.
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
MNsure’s online help tool can be used to check the status of an enrollment or a submitted change, in addition to providing assistance with technical issues and password resets. “We recommend Minnesotans visit MNsure.org to find the right plan for them and their families,” said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. “MNsure is the only place for Minnesotans to tap into tax credits that could save them thousands.”
can also be used to find out at MNSure.org who to contact with questions and concerns, and where to get information on common topics. Over 480,000 Minnesotans have accessed coverage through MNsure during the 2018 plan year. MNsure’s customer service guide is located here. More information can be found at mnsure.org.
MNsure’s customer service guide
MNSure CEO Nate Clark
Roseville Adult Learning Center
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After-School Programs at a Minneapolis Recreation Center Near You!
Adult Basic Education Tuesday nights English Learner Classes Mornings: Monday–Friday Evenings: Tues., Wed. & Thurs.
Homework Help Assistance to ensure your child completes their homework correctly and gets help studying for a test. • Free! • Days, times and ages vary • 9 locations - Bottineau, Central Gym, Creekview, Elliot, Folwell, North Commons, Phillips, Van Cleve, and Waite Recreation Centers Drop-in Programs • Free! Computer labs, board games, bumper pool, foosball, ping pong • Check with the recreation center you plan to visit • Nite Owlz for ages 12-18 (if still in high school), Friday and/or Saturday Nights, 10 locations – Bottineau, Brian Coyle Center, Farview, Folwell, Logan, Northeast, North Commons, Phillips, Powderhorn, Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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November 2018 Issue 399
QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICARE? Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has been offering Medicare since it began in 1965. We have many Medicare plan options. Let us help you choose the one that’s right for you. Medicare enrollment ends December 7.
To see available plan options, talk to your agent or contact us: bluecrossmn.com/medicareready 1-866-812-1541 TTY 711 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time, daily
Plans available in the service area. Blue Cross offers PPO, Cost and PDP plans with Medicare contracts. Enrollment in these Blue Cross plans depends on contract renewal. H2461_090418JJ11_M CMS Accepted 09/08/2018 H5959_090418JJ12_M CMS Accepted 09/08/2018 S5743_090418KK02_M CMS Accepted 09/08/2018 Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota and Blue Plus® are nonprofit independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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Comcast honors civil rights leaders Comcast honored five Minnesota civil rights champions who have made a significant impact on racial equality in Minnesota and across the nation as part of the company’s “Voices of the Civil Rights Movement” (VOCRM) initiative. The platform, now in its fifth year, is a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative. “Voices” gathers firsthand accounts from civil rights leaders everywhere, with the goals to preserve the legacy of these icons and extend the reach of their stories. Those recognized as part of the “Voices of the Civil Rights Movement” initiative include: Harry “Spike” Moss, Freedom Fighter Dr. Josie R. Johnson, Civil Rights Activist Mahmoud El-Kati, Lecturer, Writer and Distinguished Scholar Sharon Sayles Belton, Former Mayor, Minneapolis Melvin Carter, Mayor, St. Paul “We are proud to recognize this group of exceptional individuals who have made an indelible mark on Minnesota and the nation with their work to champion the rights of all citizens,” said Ebonne Ruffins, Vice President of Local Media Development for Comcast. “It is our goal to help tell their stories loud
Participants in the evening’s ceremony included: Phyllis Rawls Goff, emcee; Harry “Spike” Moss, VOCRM honoree; Debbie Montgomery, keynote speaker; Dr. Josie R. Johnson, VOCRM honoree; former Minneapolis Mayor, Sharon Sayles Belton, VOCRM honoree; Ramsey County Commissioner, Toni Carter and Melvin Carter, Jr., parents of VOCRM honoree, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter; and, Mahmoud El-Kati, VOCRM honoree. Photo: Courtesy Comcast
and clear so that future generations may know, understand and benefit from our collective history.” A special ceremony was held at the Minnesota History Center, featuring short documentaries highlighting the work of each honoree. These stories have been added as part of the permanent collection at civrightsvoices.com, on Comcast’s
Xfinity On DemandTM, and at Voices of the Civil Rights Movement museum exhibits in Memphis, Tenn., and Washington, D.C. The profiles will also be available for viewing at the Minnesota History Center through January, 2019. Also taking part in the evening’s celebration was life-long St. Paul resident Debbie Montgomery, who
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participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and served as St. Paul’s first female police officer. Phyllis Rawls Goff, president of the governing board at the Minnesota Historical Society and former co-chair of Facing Race Advisory Committee for the Saint Paul Foundation, served as the evening’s master of ceremonies.
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African Awards from Pg. 1 scholarly objectives as defined in the criteria for their respective award categories. All finalists were nominated and voted on by their community. Before the formal gala program could begin however, local up-
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traditional African rhythms and hiphop. In honor of the African Awards, FANAKA released his latest music video, “Naka from the Block.” After a welcome from Mshale founder Tom Gitaa, who thanked Target for hosting the gala, he invited Target’s Wanga to the stage.
based in South Africa and Atlanta, the magic of the drums delivered by the group had almost everyone take out their cell phones to record the performance. “We don’t do this for money but to promote our culture as I love my people,” said Soweto’s director, Peter Ngcobo.
Wanga said, “You are here tonight because it is important for Target to tell you that you matter to us.” She went on to say that, her company cares about the African immigrant community. “The investment in this awards are a small token to tell you that we see you, that you matter, are important and that it is not because I am an African immigrant that this came through, but because you are important demographic to a company that makes money and thus we are honored to have you here tonight,” Wanga said.
Retired Minnesota judge, Lajune Lange was the keynote speaker. Before speaking, she invited Ngugi wa Thiong’o to stage to make brief remarks. Thiong’o was in town for the Twin Cities Book festival happening the same day as the
Judge Lajune Lange
Wanga went on breakdown the important demographics of the African immigrant community that are of interest to her company, including the estimated 200,000 plus African immigrants in Target’s home state of Minnesota. Caroline Wanga
and-coming rapper, FANAKA, lunged on to the stage to warm
up the crowd with a song to set the tone for the festive evening. He performed throughout the evening his energizing songs, blending
Minneapolis based R & B singer, the Lagos born and bred Carolyne Naomi, delivered a soulful acoustic set during an African dinner prepared in-house by Target. The evening gala, already elegant in all aspects, was taken to another level with the entry of Soweto Street Beat. A world music ensemble
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November 2018 Issue 399
Ngugi wa Thiong’o
African Awards and Gitaa, who hosted him the night before, invited
him to the awards as a special surprise for the guests. The author and former political prisoner added to the significance of the evening by noting the pan-Africanism that was on display. Thiong’o was warmly received and he stressed the importance of African languages, a cause he has championed all of his life, he said. Also gracing the evening was the National High School Debating champion, Halima Badri of Apple Valley High School who was invited to the stage by the MC Charles Dennis to greet the guests. Judge Lange, the founder of the
African Awards on Pg. 11
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Religion What does the Bible say about cremation? By Brandon Showalter Christian Post
n
modern America many have no objection to cremating dead bodies, but that was not always the case. Preference for cremation in the United States has risen dramatically in recent decades. According to a July 2017 National Funeral Directors Association report, a slim majority (50.2 percent) of Americans opted to be cremated whereas 43.5 percent chose to be buried. Reformed theologian John Piper noted in a 2016 Desiring God essay that in 1960 only 3.5 percent of people were cremated and in 1999 it had grown to 24.8 percent. In some states the number has risen to 75 percent, a trend he attributes to increasing secularization and economics. The former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, advises against the practice of cremation, believing that Scripture does not condone burning but burying the body.
Unlike Greek religion, Piper explained, biblical faith “does not view the body as the prison of the soul.” “So the afterlife has never been viewed as the ‘immortality of the soul’ finally liberated from its physical prison. Rather, Christianity has always viewed the body as essential to full humanity so that the life to come has primarily been seen as the resurrection of the body in glorious eternal life. [The Apostle] Paul did not consider the intermediate bodiless state, between death and resurrection, as ideal.” “The greatest thing that can be said about the human body is that the eternal Son of God was incarnate in a human body and will have one forever,” he continued. In addition to elevating the dignity of the body, Piper stressed that Jesus paid for our bodies with His blood and that the human body is described in the Bible as the “temple” of the Holy Spirit. “Christians also have seen burial as the laying to rest of the body as though it is sleeping, waiting for the waking of the resurrection,” he said.
Historically speaking, Christians opposed cremation since the body of every human being was made by God in His image and it deserved to be treated with respect. And just as Jesus Christ was buried and physically raised from the dead in His body, believers in the risen Lord considered their burial to bear witness to the coming resurrection. The first cremation in the United States took place in 1876, accompanied by readings from Charles Darwin and the Hindu scriptures, according to Timothy George, who heads Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. The Roman Catholic Church has regarded the burying of the dead as one of the seven “corporal works of mercy,” which are set forth in the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 25, along with feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, and giving alms to the poor. Yet no explicit condemnation of the practice of cremation exists in Scripture. Roger Barrier, former senior teaching pastor from Casas Church
in Tucson, Arizona, has no issue with cremation, and desires to be cremated himself. He explained in an essay for Crosswalk.com earlier this year that as far as he can tell, the Bible contains no specific instructions on proper burial procedures. Whatever the procedures used, “the results are always the same: ‘Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,’” he said. “Frankly, since the first century, most (if not all) bodies are now dust anyway. Since God is big enough to produce a world-wide resurrection, He certainly can make a spiritual body from only a speck of dust — or less,” he said.
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November 2018 Issue 399
Art & Entertainment
Youssou N’Dour shakes up Carnegie Hall
Youssou N’Dour performing at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday, October 20, 2018. The sold out concert was the season opener for Carnegie Hall’s 2018/2019 season. Photo: Tom Gitaa/Mshale
Tom Gitaa Mshale NEW YORK – “A singer with a voice so extraordinary that the history of Africa seems locked inside it” is how Rolling Stones once described Youssou N’Dour. Others just choose to describe him as the ‘Voice of Africa’ and with more than 30 albums including the Grammywinning Egypt (2005), the singer from Senegal proved on Saturday why such accolades are thrown his way with a spellbinding concert at Carnegie Hall. “Are you ready for Youssou N’Dour?” a band member asks with the audience answering loudly in the affirmative. The sign outside said the concert was sold out in the 2,800 capacity Stern auditorium, described as the most prestigious concert stage in the country. N’Dour performance was Carnegie Hall’s 2018/2019 season opener and there was no empty seat in sight. A large turnout of the New York based Senegalese community ensured this was not going to be a typical Carnegie Hall concert. Two songs onto the set an it quickly becomes clear that normal Carnegie Hall protocol will have to
be dispensed with as ushers give up asking patrons not to record the performance. Third song in and almost everyone in the main level is standing up. There are couples, young and old, from many cultures, all moving to the sound of Mbalax. There were suits and then there were Senegalese dressed to the high nines in their traditional attire. N’Dour himself wore a white Senegalese boubou with a gold pattern on the chest and arms. A young woman seated to my left who has never been to Carnegie Hall stands up after marveling at the stage. She grabs a few shots with her phone and facetimes with a friend and does a few selfies. “This is so good,” she says. “I’ve never been here before and I paid lots for it.” She says her name is Fatimah and has lived in New York for 15 years. This is her first Youssou N’Dour concert in the US. We were two rows from the stage on the main floor so she was right that she paid a fortune – about $80 if you bought them during the window Carnegie subscribers are given first dibs before the general public and more on the resale market. I tell her I don’t know a word that Youssou is singing but I am a fan. She laughs
out loud and continues to sway. “Oh my God the sound,” my wife says about the acoustics that are Carnegie Hall as we both stand to join in the festive atmosphere as N’Dour ups the ante with Set. The setlist was varied given the broad catalogue he has compiled over the years. There was the power of the drum that was commanding and present but so was the brilliant percussion that when delivered through the outrageously beautiful acoustics at Carnegie was just a thrill to take in. By the time N’Dour was playing his fifth number, the entire audience was on their feet. Some had made their way from the back to the front, creating a festive party atmosphere. Given that Mbalax music, which N’Dour sings in Wolof, fuses African, pop, jazz, Caribbean and rock it calls for a varied pace with the set. So at one time, actually most of the time, we will be treated to groovy hits like Set and Happy that kept folks standing and dancing, but along the way he will switch to serious reflective tunes like Africa and the in between like Birima. With sweat pouring down their faces, the reflective tunes gave the revelers some time to cool down.
There was also a dancer clad in a Senegalese flag that was part of the entertainment. He will move from one end of the stage to the other with energetic acrobatics that added some great flavor to the show as N’Dour sang. Him and N’Dour made sure to stay out of each other’s way. There was one instrument that N’Dour wanted to make sure was heard – the tama. As the tama player feverishly played his instrument, N’Dour went and brought hm to the front of the stage and the music titan then held the microphone to the tama to amplify it for a titillating five minutes that seemed to take the audience to another level given the enthusiastic cheering that followed. An encore performance turned into a whole show by itself. Fans who shouted for the encore were probably expecting a song or two after N’Dour and his band came back on stage after the loudest calls for an encore I have ever heard. The short break on what was supposed to be the end of the show turned out to be merely an intermission, as N’Dour and his band came back and gave another full blown second half. By the time all was said and done, Youssou N’Dour had played an almost two-hour set.
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The Glittering 7th African Awards Gala From Pg. 8 International leadership Institute, told the audience the importance of education and why America and Minnesota in particular, needs to look to Africa on how to get education right. She said when in Africa “When I walk in any school (in Africa) children aged three can read English and write in cursive and it does not matter whether their parents can read or not.” Lange also revealed to the audience Fanaka
that in the United States, Kenyans have the most PhDs awarded to loud applause. She concluded by saying, “you are part of the future plans of Africa.”
Carolyne Naomi
“Remember that song, ‘oh what night’,” Leon Rodrigues, chair of the African Awards Panel of Judges, asked the audience in reference to the spectacular evening as he took the stage and got ready along with fellow judge Miata Getaweh to announce the award winners. First, he asked to audience to join him in congratulating Dr. Getaweh for getting her doctorate recently. Rodrigues said their fellow judge Godson Sowah could not join them
at the gala this year as he was out of town. The following are the winners of this year’s African Awards. Each winner, in addition to the coveted trophy that is made by hand in Nairobi, also received a laptop computer and six months of free internet access courtesy of Comcast, which returned for the second year as a sponsor: Artist of the Year: Yusuf Shalita Student of the Year: Hajaratu Jaafaru Business of the Year: Afro Deli Spirit of the Moran: Abdullah Kiatamba
Soweto Street Beat
Community Leadership: Dr. Jonathan Rose Non-profit Organization of the Year: Mercy International Missions The next African Awards gala will be on Saturday, October 10, 2019.
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