China has been pretty involved in re-development and development projects in Africa for a while now, and on a very large scale. Yesterday, Spaceflight Now reported that Nigeria and China joined on another venture - space. No, as far as I know, no Nigerians will be floating thousands of miles above our atmosphere, but Nigeria definitely will be marking itself as Africa's leader in satellite communications and definitely pave the way for China to become the global leader in the space industry.
Reading this, I couldn't help but to reminisce my younger days as a coordinator for a traveling Vacation Bible School team.
The theme for this was hot air balloons, not spacecrafts, but for some reason, this song is going through my head (probably because it is forever ingrained and I still think of a rocket ship when I hear "lift off").
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tweets From Nigeria's News Desk
In the midst of Nigeria's National Assembly passing a bill that adds strengthens anti-homosexuality laws in Africa's most populous nation, reliable news source Nigeria's Newsdesk tweeted some rather interesting news bites:
"@NigeriaNewsdesk: Anyone who discriminates against HIV/AIDS persons in Cross River State is liable to three months’ imprisonment or option of fine."
Immediately after, they tweeted this:
"@NigeriaNewsdesk: The CNPP yesterday asked President Jonathan to heed the warning by former President Obasanjo against a possible mass revolt in the country."
This brings two things to mind. First, wouldn't this state law conflict with the new federal law? And three months for discriminating against someone with HIV/AIDS (usually assumed to be homosexual in Nigeria) yet a homosexual can receive up to 14 years in prison and is denied certain rights. There's a lot of things that conflict here.
Secondly, I don't think a mass revolt would occur from the formation of this law, since a sizable lot of Nigerians are in support of this bill and a minority is actively against it. However, this brings me back to some of the things I said in my last post about the priorities of Nigeria's government. This issue was put ahead of issues that have been chronic issues in the country for the past decade: a spotty electrical grid (shameful for one of the world's largest oil producers), poverty, health care and education. These are issues that the most attention should be focused on. Businesses and homes need a reliable supply of energy so they don't have to resort to using polluting generators, a unnecessary expense when there should be more than enough electricity for everyone. Nigeria has a vast shortage of doctors and nurses and a health care system that is still being reorganized. The educational system, especially in rural areas, is in shambles. Poverty levels have barely decreased since the beginning of the last decade. Strengthening homosexuality laws is not going to solve any of these problems. Maybe focusing on these important issues can actually avoid any kind of mass revolt.
"@NigeriaNewsdesk: Anyone who discriminates against HIV/AIDS persons in Cross River State is liable to three months’ imprisonment or option of fine."
Immediately after, they tweeted this:
"@NigeriaNewsdesk: The CNPP yesterday asked President Jonathan to heed the warning by former President Obasanjo against a possible mass revolt in the country."
This brings two things to mind. First, wouldn't this state law conflict with the new federal law? And three months for discriminating against someone with HIV/AIDS (usually assumed to be homosexual in Nigeria) yet a homosexual can receive up to 14 years in prison and is denied certain rights. There's a lot of things that conflict here.
Secondly, I don't think a mass revolt would occur from the formation of this law, since a sizable lot of Nigerians are in support of this bill and a minority is actively against it. However, this brings me back to some of the things I said in my last post about the priorities of Nigeria's government. This issue was put ahead of issues that have been chronic issues in the country for the past decade: a spotty electrical grid (shameful for one of the world's largest oil producers), poverty, health care and education. These are issues that the most attention should be focused on. Businesses and homes need a reliable supply of energy so they don't have to resort to using polluting generators, a unnecessary expense when there should be more than enough electricity for everyone. Nigeria has a vast shortage of doctors and nurses and a health care system that is still being reorganized. The educational system, especially in rural areas, is in shambles. Poverty levels have barely decreased since the beginning of the last decade. Strengthening homosexuality laws is not going to solve any of these problems. Maybe focusing on these important issues can actually avoid any kind of mass revolt.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Nigeria Anti-Gay (Marriage) Bill
I've been thinking about some of the issues I have with the fight for gay rights in most of sub-Saharan Africa, mainly it's approach from the West (or should I say the former colonizers).
There's a condescending nature of the West when they tell African nations: "We'll pull aid from countries that pass anti-gay legislation." The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron said something of a similar vein not to long ago.
Before I go into it, I do believe every minority group in every country should be treated and respected as a human, regardless if you are a racial, ethnic or sexual minority. More so, whoever you sleep with is only your business, as long as you're not having sex with them in public.
The part that bothers me most about this is not even the recent legislation being passed in Nigeria or some that may be passed in other countries, but the passive aggression coming from the West. "They're all on a journey and we want to help them get there," said David Cameron. But did you ASK these nations what is their journey and WHERE they would like to be? You assume that these nations want to be like the West? Many of them want to be African. If you listen to some of the homophobic rhetoric of these leader, despite their bases for the argument, they want to make sure their country has a strong African identity. Do I believe anti-homosexuality laws define an African identity? Hell no. But I also do not believe that African nations should be told aspire to be "Westernized."When you begin to realize African cultures are not backward and they need to be TAUGHT how to think, then maybe change can happen. African countries, based on all the resources they have are more than capable of making their countries work for them. Plus, many of their economies are doing better than many Western nations at the moment. Didn't Angola just offer it's former colonizer Portugal aid?
Now that we are in a post colonial and increasingly global society, the approach of these Western nations to anti-gay policies in Africa should not be "we won't give you money" but instead understanding how to approach the issue that would be effective in an African nation and not basing it on how things are done in West.
To be quite honest, African cultures are very active cultures, especially when it comes to politics. When Africans are angry, we are angry. That's why protesting almost always turns into bloodshed and militant groups form. Do I support this violence? No, not at all because in the end the statement is made at the cost of innocent lives. However, I understand where it is coming from - the mind.
In the United States, when laws are created to protect the rights of minority groups, it doesn't change the minds of people by any means, but because the culture is passive, little is done to challenge the laws which in turn changes HOW people discriminate against minority groups (for example, "white flight" from Northern US cities from the mid 1960s onward).
In South Africa, considered the most liberal African country, who have had laws to protect the LGBT community for around a decade now, corrective rape toward lesbians is still rampant, if not worse than before, DESPITE the laws to protect women from rape combined with the laws created to protect lesbians. In many African countries, people don't passively obey a law simply because it's in place. Instead, the laws will be completely ignored unless the mindset is changed.
If the greater society of an African nations believes homosexuality is sinful, they are not going to support any legislation that protects gay rights. However, if there is dialogue between groups, a compromise can be reached and a change in the mind can begin. It will be a slow process, but in the end, Africans from both sides of the aisle can live peacefully. After that, there's a much higher possibility of this kind of legislation being supported by the majority. This does not mean the West needs to interfere, but instead support dialogue when asked.
Long story short, when the need is there, they'll ask. The West needs to stop assuming Africa needs them. What Africa needs right now are more leaders who are more interested in their populations than their bank accounts.
There's a condescending nature of the West when they tell African nations: "We'll pull aid from countries that pass anti-gay legislation." The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron said something of a similar vein not to long ago.
Before I go into it, I do believe every minority group in every country should be treated and respected as a human, regardless if you are a racial, ethnic or sexual minority. More so, whoever you sleep with is only your business, as long as you're not having sex with them in public.
The part that bothers me most about this is not even the recent legislation being passed in Nigeria or some that may be passed in other countries, but the passive aggression coming from the West. "They're all on a journey and we want to help them get there," said David Cameron. But did you ASK these nations what is their journey and WHERE they would like to be? You assume that these nations want to be like the West? Many of them want to be African. If you listen to some of the homophobic rhetoric of these leader, despite their bases for the argument, they want to make sure their country has a strong African identity. Do I believe anti-homosexuality laws define an African identity? Hell no. But I also do not believe that African nations should be told aspire to be "Westernized."When you begin to realize African cultures are not backward and they need to be TAUGHT how to think, then maybe change can happen. African countries, based on all the resources they have are more than capable of making their countries work for them. Plus, many of their economies are doing better than many Western nations at the moment. Didn't Angola just offer it's former colonizer Portugal aid?
Now that we are in a post colonial and increasingly global society, the approach of these Western nations to anti-gay policies in Africa should not be "we won't give you money" but instead understanding how to approach the issue that would be effective in an African nation and not basing it on how things are done in West.
To be quite honest, African cultures are very active cultures, especially when it comes to politics. When Africans are angry, we are angry. That's why protesting almost always turns into bloodshed and militant groups form. Do I support this violence? No, not at all because in the end the statement is made at the cost of innocent lives. However, I understand where it is coming from - the mind.
In the United States, when laws are created to protect the rights of minority groups, it doesn't change the minds of people by any means, but because the culture is passive, little is done to challenge the laws which in turn changes HOW people discriminate against minority groups (for example, "white flight" from Northern US cities from the mid 1960s onward).
In South Africa, considered the most liberal African country, who have had laws to protect the LGBT community for around a decade now, corrective rape toward lesbians is still rampant, if not worse than before, DESPITE the laws to protect women from rape combined with the laws created to protect lesbians. In many African countries, people don't passively obey a law simply because it's in place. Instead, the laws will be completely ignored unless the mindset is changed.
If the greater society of an African nations believes homosexuality is sinful, they are not going to support any legislation that protects gay rights. However, if there is dialogue between groups, a compromise can be reached and a change in the mind can begin. It will be a slow process, but in the end, Africans from both sides of the aisle can live peacefully. After that, there's a much higher possibility of this kind of legislation being supported by the majority. This does not mean the West needs to interfere, but instead support dialogue when asked.
Long story short, when the need is there, they'll ask. The West needs to stop assuming Africa needs them. What Africa needs right now are more leaders who are more interested in their populations than their bank accounts.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Training Africa's Future Leaders
I saw this and thought about the program I help run, but this is at a far greater scale and goes beyond international boundaries, but, at it's core, the same goal.
This grassroot effort to change Africa as it is already changing, for the most part, for good, might help solidify the change and continue to make necessary improvements to put the continent at it's full potential. We'll have to wait for another decade or so to see the results, but I think this is in the right direction.
This grassroot effort to change Africa as it is already changing, for the most part, for good, might help solidify the change and continue to make necessary improvements to put the continent at it's full potential. We'll have to wait for another decade or so to see the results, but I think this is in the right direction.
Monday, November 21, 2011
I'm Back...With A LOT of News
Hey all! I've been gone for a while because of all the madness associated with planning International Education Week and most recently Thanksgiving. Now that that's over, I can sit down and give some of my thoughts on recent events throughout the Black World:
Herman Cain - Oh my, where do I begin? The sole black presidential candidate for the Republican party is already in a scandal and the primaries haven't happened yet. Even though I am most likely not going to vote for him, I must say what he's in seems just another group of gold diggers trying to fill their pockets and maybe even discredit the sole black candidate for the Republican party. Overall, all the candidates so far seems like the biggest jokes. I'm surprised that the lot to choose from for this upcoming election, if you plan to vote for a Republican candidate are pretty much using those old and now laughable political tactics in hopes of gaining favor with the American public. Americans are a lot smarter than back in 2004, so I think all of these candidates need to take a seat a really become more engaged with the voters, not whose pockets they've placed their hands in.
Voting in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Many of us probably are praying that this election brings massive change to this war torn country that has been named as the rape capital of the world. But, as we noticed, change doesn't always come easy, and in the case of the DRC, it came with violence. Already, three people have been killed in voting violence - and that's just the canopy of the jungle. I simply don't get it. Why must voting have violence? If you like a certain candidate, don't for them - plain and simple. Why must you force others to not vote for them? Maybe I'm out of touch with this issue as much as the Republican candidates are with American voters...Otherwise, maybe things might be hopeful since just as powerful as the eruption in violence during the elections, volcanoes have propelled their lava into the air causing tourists from all over to stay over night to that lava glow. Sounds like an economic boost is in the DRC's near future...maybe a start to the end of bloodshed and the beginning of, well, lava-shed.
(Anti-) Same-Sex Marriage Bill in Nigeria - I was kind of annoyed to find this out this morning. Nigeria is one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in Africa, yet nearly half of it's people are living in poverty, the public schools have gone from good to bad and electrical blackouts are commonplace (despite it being one of the top ten oil producers in the world). There are so many problems that are paramount to feed it's rapidly growing economy, but the government is focusing on strengthening it's already strict anti-homosexuality laws? To me (and I think to the majority of Nigerians) the priorities are obvious - focus on the development of the economy by creating jobs, improving education, and continue to improve the infrastructure. Afterward, maybe you focus on some of the social issues that are pretty much based on fear.
Herman Cain - Oh my, where do I begin? The sole black presidential candidate for the Republican party is already in a scandal and the primaries haven't happened yet. Even though I am most likely not going to vote for him, I must say what he's in seems just another group of gold diggers trying to fill their pockets and maybe even discredit the sole black candidate for the Republican party. Overall, all the candidates so far seems like the biggest jokes. I'm surprised that the lot to choose from for this upcoming election, if you plan to vote for a Republican candidate are pretty much using those old and now laughable political tactics in hopes of gaining favor with the American public. Americans are a lot smarter than back in 2004, so I think all of these candidates need to take a seat a really become more engaged with the voters, not whose pockets they've placed their hands in.
Voting in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Many of us probably are praying that this election brings massive change to this war torn country that has been named as the rape capital of the world. But, as we noticed, change doesn't always come easy, and in the case of the DRC, it came with violence. Already, three people have been killed in voting violence - and that's just the canopy of the jungle. I simply don't get it. Why must voting have violence? If you like a certain candidate, don't for them - plain and simple. Why must you force others to not vote for them? Maybe I'm out of touch with this issue as much as the Republican candidates are with American voters...Otherwise, maybe things might be hopeful since just as powerful as the eruption in violence during the elections, volcanoes have propelled their lava into the air causing tourists from all over to stay over night to that lava glow. Sounds like an economic boost is in the DRC's near future...maybe a start to the end of bloodshed and the beginning of, well, lava-shed.
(Anti-) Same-Sex Marriage Bill in Nigeria - I was kind of annoyed to find this out this morning. Nigeria is one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in Africa, yet nearly half of it's people are living in poverty, the public schools have gone from good to bad and electrical blackouts are commonplace (despite it being one of the top ten oil producers in the world). There are so many problems that are paramount to feed it's rapidly growing economy, but the government is focusing on strengthening it's already strict anti-homosexuality laws? To me (and I think to the majority of Nigerians) the priorities are obvious - focus on the development of the economy by creating jobs, improving education, and continue to improve the infrastructure. Afterward, maybe you focus on some of the social issues that are pretty much based on fear.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Question of the Week - Part 2: "Are there rich people in Africa?"
I'm a bit late posting this question, like two weeks late. This is from someone in Korea.
Question: Are there rich people in Africa?
Answer: Yes. Plenty. I know several Western news media tend to mostly show Africans in poverty (which there's a lot of that, too), but they also forget that several African countries are leaders in production of some resources we take for granted, like gold, diamonds, oil, to name a few. Of course, where is all this money going? Mainly to the African businesses owned by Africans, of course!
The wealthiest black person on the planet is Nigerian and lives in Nigeria. His name is Akilo Dangote, founder and owner of one of Africa's largest multinational conglomerates, Dangote Group. I mentioned him before on my blog in regard to solar energy in Africa, particularly in Angola, South Africa and Nigeria.
There's a list of the wealthiest Africans on TheRichest.org, and Akilo Dangote is, of course, at the top.
What Americans Can Learn From Tunisia
Yesterday marked the completion of the first national elections in Tunisia since it's independence in 1956 and since the uprising in January that that caused the leak to burst out as Arab Spring. Now Tunisians and many around the world are waiting for the results, which could take days since the turn out was so high.
The most inspiring about this election is not the election itself, but what led to it. People got angry and threw passivity out the window and took action (well, actually it started with one man in his 20s, which caused a domino effect around the Arab world and inspired others on the African continent).
Loosely similar are these Occupy protests happening throughout the US and in many Western nations, again the youth protesting oppression. I know many of these countries are not understand the standard of a dictatorship, but many of the occupiers believe corporations and the wealthy are controlling Western governments like dictators as the average Joe becomes broke Bob.
I'm not suggesting someone should set themselves on fire to show their distaste of corporate bailouts and the wealthiest 1% complaining about the thought of only them being taxed more, but instead they should keep protesting and other should join. Maybe we don't need to go out into the streets, but we all have many talents that can be used as our form of expression. I blog about these things, in hopes to inspire change. You may draw, video, dance - whatever!
It is about time that in United States we become less passive and more active about the issues facing us. We're in a democracy and we should act as such. Tunisia was under an oppressive dictatorship for several decades; we've been in a greedy democracy for just as long and many could argue even longer. Tunisians started a radical change in hopes of improving their lives and we should be doing the same.
The experience in Tunisia tells Americans that even the worse situation could be made better by being active. We're upset with high unemployment and the jobs that are disappearing and we continue to listen to what politicians are saying the cause of it is. I think it's time to seriously educate ourselves on what the cause is so we can move forward.
The most inspiring about this election is not the election itself, but what led to it. People got angry and threw passivity out the window and took action (well, actually it started with one man in his 20s, which caused a domino effect around the Arab world and inspired others on the African continent).
Loosely similar are these Occupy protests happening throughout the US and in many Western nations, again the youth protesting oppression. I know many of these countries are not understand the standard of a dictatorship, but many of the occupiers believe corporations and the wealthy are controlling Western governments like dictators as the average Joe becomes broke Bob.
I'm not suggesting someone should set themselves on fire to show their distaste of corporate bailouts and the wealthiest 1% complaining about the thought of only them being taxed more, but instead they should keep protesting and other should join. Maybe we don't need to go out into the streets, but we all have many talents that can be used as our form of expression. I blog about these things, in hopes to inspire change. You may draw, video, dance - whatever!
It is about time that in United States we become less passive and more active about the issues facing us. We're in a democracy and we should act as such. Tunisia was under an oppressive dictatorship for several decades; we've been in a greedy democracy for just as long and many could argue even longer. Tunisians started a radical change in hopes of improving their lives and we should be doing the same.
The experience in Tunisia tells Americans that even the worse situation could be made better by being active. We're upset with high unemployment and the jobs that are disappearing and we continue to listen to what politicians are saying the cause of it is. I think it's time to seriously educate ourselves on what the cause is so we can move forward.
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