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AfricanLoft

March 31, 2008
10:00
AFRICOM’s HQ in West Africa
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft
AFRICOM is currently testing and constructing a sea base to float offshore of West Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea. No country in Africa has welcomed an AFRICOM headquarters, with the exception of Liberia. Africa has held the line and deserves congratulations, but the danger is still there, big and growing.

Talk of a single AFRICOM headquarters has changed. For now the headquarters remain in Stuttgart Germany. Instead they talk about creating 5 regional AFRICOM commands based on the East African model CJTF-HOA, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. They are talking about setting up similar commands in North, Central, South, and West Africa. This mirrors the pattern the AU has determined. There are a number of people saying Bush and AFRICOM want to undermine and replace the AU. That is why peacekeeping money was cut just before Bush’s visit to Africa. Bush and the neocons want to set up AFRICOM as a de facto government for the entire continent. They don’t want to govern, they just want to protect US interests extracting resources. But they will happily interfere with the governments already there if they think it suits their purpose.

The West African CJTF headquarters may be under construction right now. For some time the Pentagon and the Navy in particular have been exploring the possibility of sea basing.

Back in July 2007 Nick Turse wrote in Planet Pentagon:

The Pentagon is now considering — and planning for — future “sea-basing.” No longer just a ship, a fleet, or “prepositioned material” stationed on the world’s oceans, sea-bases will be “a hybrid system-of-systems consisting of concepts of operations, ships, forces, offensive and defensive weapons, aircraft, communications and logistics.” The notion of
such bases is increasingly popular within the military due to the fact that they “will help to assure access to areas where U.S. military forces may be denied access to support [land] facilities.” After all, as a report by the Defense Science Board pointed out, “[S]eabases are sovereign [and] not subject to alliance vagaries.” Imagine a future where the people of countries at odds with U.S. policies suddenly find America’s “massive seaborne platforms” floating just outside their territorial waters.

Right now, March 17 - April 5, the US is conducting a massive exercise in sea basing off the coast of Liberia. The US Marines were cheered and welcomed in Monrovia, as they brought in $58,000 worth of medical equipment and school supplies. I am very glad to see Liberia getting assistance. It would be interesting to see a comparison of the cost of the exercise with the cost of the supplies they brought. I’m guessing the difference between the costs would be vast, the cost of the donated supplies only tiny peanuts compared to the cost of the exercise.

Liberia is friendly and welcoming to AFRICOM, and grateful for any help. What better place to practice and initiate sea basing? A floating conglomeration of ships and equipment could operate in international waters and park offshore of any country with which they want to “partner” or with which they want to interfere.

You can read about the exercise in this report: Marines, Sailors conduct landmark sea-basing exercise off the coast of Liberia:

With the help of the Navy’s Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One, 19 Marines of 4th LSB employed new concepts and equipment during theexercise designed to evaluate the progress of the seabasing model.

“This sea-basing portion is designed to take future operational concepts and execute them using today’s platforms . . . We are taking equipment that was originally designed for ship-to-shore movement and we are using it as a ship-to-ship connecter.”
. . .
“[The INLS] gives us the stable platform we need to offload vehicles and equipment from one ship to another at sea.”

. . . The capabilities provided by the INLS make it possible for the Marine Corps to operate in more flexible ways.

“The sea-basing environment gives us the opportunity to offload select equipment, materials and supplies to conduct arrival and assembly operations at sea,” Edmonds said. “This gives us multiple capabilities to execute a mission ashore, within a very limited time frame and with a very limited footprint [ashore].”

You can also read about the reception in Monrovia and see some pictures at the bottom of this article: Sea-based Marines deliver humanitarian supplies to Liberians.

With a sea base under construction in West African waters, these questions posed by Africa Action’s Gerald LeMelle take on greater urgency:
- Who does the United States intend to stabilize by introducing more military equipment and approving more arms sales into the region?
- How does the United States decide when to use force in “stabilizing” a conflict?
- If people are protesting unfair corporate practices near the grounds of an oil company, will the United States use force, or encourage the use of force by African military units, to protect these corporate assets?
- Will U.S. soldiers be accountable in any way to African governments or their citizens?
- To what degree will the United States employ mercenaries and other contractors in Africa?
- Will U.S. economic interests trump the rule of law, democracy and accountability in Africa?
Image: USS FORT MCHENRY, at sea — Marines from 4th Landing Support Battalion and Sailors from Amphibious Construction Battalion 2, position a seven-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle as it is moved from the USNS 2nd Lt. John Bobo, a maritime prepositioning ship, onto the Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) March 21. The Marines are transferring the equipment in order to evaluate the INLS at sea and to conduct a humanitarian assistance mission in Monrovia, Liberia as part of West African Training Cruise 2008.

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8:01
Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe may Block Election Results
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

The outcome of the Zimbabwean election on Saturday may take longer to be made be public. Latest report has that “Robert Mugabe on Monday was desperately trying to cling to power, despite his clear defeat in Zimbabwe’s presidential election, by blocking the electoral commission from releasing official results and threatening to treat an opposition claim of victory as a coup.”

Will this stand?

Zimbabwe was on tenterhooks Monday evening as electoral authorities continued to compile results of Saturday’s national elections at a snail’s pace amid rising frustration, skepticism and concern as to the integrity of the counting and electoral process.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change formation of presidential candidate opposition Morgan Tsvangirai asserted that it had achieved landslide victory over the ruling ZANU-PF party and its leader of 28 years, President Robert Mugabe.

Those claims were comforted late Monday when the Zimbabwe Election Support Network issued its own projections showing Tsvangirai with 49.4% of the presidential vote, Mugabe with 41.8% and independent Simba Makoni with 8.2%. An obscure fourth presidential candidate, Langton Towungana, had a 0.6% share.

ZESN Chairman Noel Kututwa explained his organization’s findings to reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe.

But the ZEC in releasing another batch of results late Monday had ZANU-PF and the Tsvangirai MDC formation more or less neck-and-neck in parliamentary standings with ZANU-PF claiming 31 seats, the Tsvangirai opposition formation taking 30 and the MDC grouping of Arthur Mutambara coming up with five house seats.

But at that point the ZEC had counted fewer than a third of the 210 house races.

The opposition and others in civil society expressed concern that the commission was dragging its feet in issuing results because the numbers would not be good news for President Mugabe and the ruling party, and that the alleged stalling would give the government and ZANU-PF time to rig the final outcome.

By late Monday, more than 48 hours after the polls closed at 7 p.m. on Saturday, the commission had released the results of house races in 66 out of 210 constituencies, showing ZANU-PF with 31 seats, Tsvangirai’s MDC formation with 30, and the rival MDC grouping led by Arthur Mutambara with 5 parliamentary seats.

At an earlier stage in the process, Correspondent Sylvia Manika of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe reported on the scene at the Harare International Conference Center where ZEC officials were tallying votes and slowly announcing results.

Tsvangirai’s opposition formation said it would reject the outcome of the elections if President Mugabe were designated the winner. Its own initial projections showed Tsvangirai with 58% compared with 37% for Mr. Mugabe and 5% for Makoni.

Concerned parties in Zimbabwe and abroad urged the electoral commission to speed up the release of results and, as a U.S. official put it, “do the right thing.”

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of Tsvangirai’s MDC grouping told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA’s Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that ZEC is being pressured to rig the ballot.

ZANU-PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira declined to address the opposition claims to have scored a major victory, or to speculate on the outcome.

In Washington, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey appealed for calm and urged the ZEC to conduct an honest and accurate count of votes.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the voices of Zimbabwean voters must be heard with no further delay. He said Prime Minister Gordon Brown would be on the phone to Southern African leaders, among others, to express British concern.

A spokesman for the European Commission said it would be “opportune” for the electoral commission to publish final election results as soon as possible to demonstrate its independence and avoid unnecessary speculation.

The German government appealed to authorities in Zimbabwe to ensure vote counting was concluded speedily, transparently and properly.

Source: VOA

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8:00
Recipe for African ‘Designer’ Stew
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

The first thing that probably comes to mind when you hear designer stew is who is the designer, Ralph Lauren or Vera Wang? Well the name designer stew came from a local restaurant in Alade Market, Lagos, Nigeria. The woman’s stew is so delicious she only needs to open shop 2 hours daily (closed on weekends) after which she is sold out… Amazing eh? Her stew is the modernized version of the local stew we get in my village of Ijebu, Nigeria. Anyway when I learnt the secret to making such mouth-watering stew I felt inclined to share it with the world.

So here goes:

INGREDIENTS
Beef (orisirishi)
Salt
Maggi Cube (I usually prefer the chicken flavor)
Garlic
Onions
4 Green Bell Pepper
2 Red Bell Pepper
Habanera pepper (I use 3 I like it really spicey..but you decide)
1 Cup of Palm Oil
White Rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the beef into small pieces and put them in a pot.
2. Rinse the beef thoroughly and season with maggi, salt, slice in onions and add water.
(Even though this is designer stew DO NOT USE any fancy season like curry powder etc)
3. While the beef is cooking, pre-heat your oven at 475 degrees.
4. Once the beef is soft, put them in a oven tray and bake for 30-45 or till they are brown.
5. Next you will blend the green pepper, red pepper, one whole onion, and the habanera. Don’t add water or TOMATO. (at this point it looks like the green pepper refuses to mix with the red—that’s ok).
6. Heat up the palm oil with sliced onion and some garlic until the onions and garlic are burnt then remove the oil from the stove and let it cool.
7. (Can you smell that traditional stew smelll…delish.) Anyway take out the burnt onions and garlic and trash it.
8. Then put the palm oil back on the stove and add the blended peppers.
9. Season the blend pepper with salt and maggie to taste and cover it up to fry.
10. You will know when the pepper is fried when you can see the palm oil on top of the heated pepper. (FYI -The quantity of the blended pepper shrinks).
11. Add the baked beef to the frying pepper and leave it to cook. You will know it is ready when you see the palm oil on top.
12. Turn off the stove and set the stew aside. A few minutes later the stew changes to a dark brown (this is when the “localness” comes out).

The stew is better served with boiled rice.

Disclaimer: The stew is intended for your pleasure only and is provided “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND THAT IT TASTES SIMILAR, ALIKE OR COMPARABLE TO THE ALADE MARKET (Lagos) DESIGNER STEW. YOU COOK IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. (Just kidding about the last part!)

Enjoy!

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7:00
First ever Mr East Africa UK to be crowned by Miss England in London
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

After two successful years running the prestigious Miss East Africa UK, Pauline Long has just launched Mr East Africa UK. The Kenyan born mother of two introduced the male contest to work with and alongside Miss East Africa UK. Mr and Miss East Africa UK beauty pageants main objectives are to fund-raise, campaign and raise awareness for the plight of underprivileged children in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. When asked why there was a need to introduce Mr East Africa UK, Pauline said, “I am giving equal opportunities to young East Africans, both male and female to spread the awareness of poverty that strikes East African children. Besides, having more voices to represent East African children is better than having one voice. It’s all about rallying up as many people as possible to get involved in the campaigns.”

The grand double crowning event with Double Olympic Dame Kelly Holmes as the guest of honour will take place in London’s Bloomsbury Theatre on 26th July and the winners of both Miss East Africa UK 2008 and the first ever Mr East Africa UK being crowned by Miss England. The competition which is fund-raising for the displaced in Kenya especially children who lost their parents or guardians in the post-election violence is already creating a huge of buzz. The show will be hosted by Comedian/TV presenter Kojo and Super model Anya James. Among the celebrity judging panel will be Kenya’s most popular community leader in the Diaspora and director of Sacoma(Sahara Community Abroad) Sam Ochieng, entertainment editor of The Voice Newspaper Janelle Oswald, Nigerian top designer Adebayo Jones and more. Many young East Africans living in the UK want to be part of a good cause helping those who were affected in Kenya. Pauline revealed, “I think people are excited of the prospect of the double crowning and this year contestants are rushing in to register to take part in the competition, and so far they all share a common reason which is to help the children displaced in Kenya. They have also been following what the current title holder Maureen Nyakaira has achieved so far.” She added, “Maureen has become a great role model and the next title holder who takes over from her will be expected to emulate her or exceed her achievements.” Miss East Africa 2007- Maureen Nyakaira who has recently been on BEN TV campaigning for the displaced in Kenya was recently in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for one month visiting orphanages and delivering goods.

When Pauline Long founded Miss East Africa UK her vision was not limited to run the pageant in the UK, it’s no wander she has introduced the first ever Mr and Miss East Africa which will cover Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi with Kenya being the first host nation. On 6th December 2008 Kenya will crown the first Miss East Africa and Mr East Africa. Both pageants will be a voice for the children in the five East African countries. “My end goal with these pageants is to lift every single East African child in need out of poverty, take them out of the streets and engage in campaigns that will help change people’s attitudes towards our children. It will be a matter of persuading the governments to turn their countries into children’s welfare states,” Pauline revealed.

For more information on how you can get involved in the good causes please visit www.misseastafrica.co.uk

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March 28, 2008
11:00
Visafone Launches $15 CDMA Phones in Nigeria
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator in Nigeria, Visafone Limited, has unveiled a new range of phones at prices between N1,600 and N1,999, about $15. Currently, most CDMA and Universal Service Access operators in the country offer their phones from N2000 and above.

Chief executive, Visafone, Mr. Ninan Thomas, said that the latest from the shelf of his company sell at a recommended retail price of N1, 600 and N1, 999.He added that Visafone introduction of this kind of phones is in line with the promise the telco made to Nigerians recently to bring the joy of communications to them. He said, ?Visafone is committed to helping Nigerians reach the world by providing affordable phones and tariffs. The introduction of these phones underlines that commitment.?

As said by him, the new Visafone phones come in two options including the version which goes for N1,600 variant which comes complete with a long talk time of up to 4 hours, over 190 hours standby time, colour screen (65k), games, calendar, memo and calculator, while the N1,999 variant equally comes complete with the same aforementioned features with added benefit of an Frequency Modulation (FM) radio.

Mr. Thomas explained that the operator?s strategy allows Visafone to act as a springboard for Nigeria?s economic growth and development. And to achieve this, he pointed out that the telco would assist in fast tracking that growth and development through the provision of cutting edge communications infrastructure as well as seamless and efficient services that will ensure excellent customer service, unequalled clarity, the widest coverage and seamless connectivity.

Written by Remmy Nweke / HANA.

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9:47
Cisco Launches African IT Training Initiative
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

CISCO Systems, a leading supplier of networking equipment and network management for the Internet has chosen South Africa as a launch pad for what is known as the Global Talent Acceleration Programme (GTAP) in emerging Africa.

This training, which was officially launched on March 13, 2008 in Johannesburg, is an investment initiative designed to support emerging African governments and organizations in addressing the information technology skills.

According to Phil Wolfenden, Senior Director of advanced services in emerging markets, finding the right talent to support the tremendous growth in the entire African region experiencing emergence in information technology (IT) is a critical challenge for governments and organizations.

“Demand for technical talent has undoubtedly exceeded supply in emerging Africa”, he said, noting that GTAP will help Cisco to provide customers with long term solutions in the form of highly skilled and well trained local work force.

The focus of this programme will be on South Africa, where Cisco aims to employ and train 16 South African-based recruits at the professional and associate levels. These students will go through a rigorous programme that combines theory, industry exposure and hands-on experience.

The GTAP facility will expand in three significant directions. First a professional track will be added that will draw in students with, typically three to five years’ experience.

Next, Cisco partners will have the opportunity to put their staff through GTAP. Finally, students will be recruited to the Johannesburg facility from a range of countries in emerging Africa, with the objective of positioning South Africa as a technology leader on the continent “GTAP”, said john Livingston, director of business development Cisco, “is a core part of Cisco strategy to be a truly global company through the creation of new business models and the acceleration of local talent networks”.

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March 27, 2008
19:18
Debate: Is Africa a Case of Bad Leadership Aided by Complacent Followership?
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft
“Nigerians should recognize that their leaders are what they make them. By accommodating unbecoming conduct just because, some ‘pittance’ is showered on some hungry souls, sacrifice for good governance is compromised, which perpetuates the ills that plague the nation. No matter the relationship, ‘bad is bad’ and ugliness stinks, and those that perform political functions with such attitude need not stay one day in office. The sooner Nigerians embark on serious soul searching for better ways to relate and rebuild the nation, the sooner they shall see the latent benefits ready to be unleashed on the nation….” - African Executive: The Political Intrigues of Obasanjo by Ejike Okpa II.

Societies are rough sculptures carved by its leaders, but it’s the people that smoothen the edges and breath life into it.

The subject of bad leadership and complacent followership is often debated across Nigeria and very much all over Africa; while both are complementary, one takes preeminence over the other.

The above excerpt speaks to the followership issue, and highlights one of the stepping stone any African nation needs to ascend from a mediocre existence to that driven by purpose and social responsibility. However, current and past experiences indicate this may be an unrealistic expectation from a society composed of hungry, uninformed, marginalized, and disenfranchised people.

On the other hand, great (political and social) leaders do not drop from heaven - they are born, but made and nurtured by the contemporary events. In the case of Nigeria, it is a fair assessment that out of the 140 million Nigerians on earth today, those men and women exist, but are hidden and latent.

The question then is is what will initiate the transformation processes? Followers need to challenge the status quo, and leaders-in-waiting need to leap from latency into potency.

The business of democracy - as it’s been conducted by its originators in western societies - relies on an informed and active electorate, without which the concept has no meanings. It’s enormous weight of responsibilities is borne on the shoulders of ‘the people’ who are made up of the leaders- the elected, and the followers - the electorate. These people man the various components that constitute collective democratic society.

As Nigeria and other regions of Africa fumble and grapple under the weight of democracy, it becomes necessary to do some soul searching, and muse on the following:
- Can the followers, on their own, find the magic to transform their collective state of complacency into that of active engagement within their societies?
- And what ‘catalytic processes’ can unveil and refine the currently hidden leadership potentials lurking within that society?
- Or is this pursuit a lost one - can the notion of good governance - one driven by the proper application of democratic principles - actively pursued and realized by the sheer desire of the masses?
These are questions for the social scientists, but are open to the general audience. Leave your comments.

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March 26, 2008
18:23
Nigerian Health Minister Sacked Over Fraud
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

The Nigerian media carried the report of two Nigerian Ministers fired on the allegation of fraud. This is a good indication that it has stopped being business as usual in Nigeria. Akin blog offers a succinctly written op-ed on the matter, excerpts:

“The names of the people involved, as academic excellence is considered a badge of honour in Nigeria, here we have a two Professors, a Dr. and all the others probably have academic letters of excellence garnered from global institutions of renown – we now know that no matter how much you have achieved academically, it does not proof in anyway that you have integrity, that you understand the responsibility of holding public office, that you are honest, that you are beyond reproach or that you can be trusted with any office …

The full force of the law should be visited upon her [Minister for Health Professor Adenike Grange, in photo] for her dereliction of duty and hopefully an example shall be made of the issue that nobody should think public office is an opportunity for self-enrichment even if it is dressed as a Christmas Bonus.”

Read the full text

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12:03
Tool: Collect Data on the Fly with “Mobile Researcher” Populi
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Thanks to some resourceful African minds, the Internet can be put to several innovative uses beyond just browsing and reading. The creative minds behind Ushahidi revealed how it is possible to tweak readily available web application into a tracking tool for election violence. Sokwanele, a Zimbabwean social advocacy group, also revealed a similar application they are using to track electoral malpractice in their country. What tops all these innovation is the “mobile researcher” - Populi, a mobile application that enables data collection- via cell phones - even in the most remote areas of Africa.

It is portable, scalable and appears extremely user-friendly. The White African blog has an extensive review of the product; I have also visited the company’s website to assess what Populi is about: It is one of the most creative mobile tools ever launched out of Africa. The best part is that it’s owned by fellow Africans – Clyral, an Internet business outfit out of South Africa.

Over the last year we have recognized the tremendous value this technology could bring to Africa. Many research organizations are battling to gather data from rural areas where this information is crucial for analyzing and improving on issues such as HIV, crime, poverty and many other problems faced by these communities. - Mark Fowles, Cryral.

Those familiar with Africa will see where tools like Populi can be put to great use. Several public agencies on the continent simply lack good data needed to guide public policies, and offer more efficient services. And this is the same experience in the private sector.

Rather than dealing with the logistical stress associated with the traditional the pen and paper survey/questionnaire, responses can be gathered more easily and quickly from the field, collated, and imported into usable formats almost in real time.

Web link: Populi - http://www.populi.net/mobileresearcher/

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8:00
Zimbabwe: Election Campaign and Technology
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Zimbabwean political parties are using innovative methods of attracting prospective voters for the March 29 presidential elections. For example, they provide the undecided with text messages about their platforms, or use slogans and jingles to assault their opponents. From Mutare, reporter Loirdham Moyo says some of texts amuse and infuriate members of the public, but sometimes fail to convince them.

Source: VOA

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March 25, 2008
20:35
Zimbabwe: Electoral Malpractice Captured on Google Map
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

‘This is Zimbabwe’ blog features another creative use of web technology in civic matters, excerpts:

Sokwanele has mapped a sample of breaches logged under our Zimbabwe Election Watch (ZEW) project using Google’s map function.

The interactive map aims to give a visual impression of the scale and many ways in which the Zimbabwean government has breached the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. Elections are a process, not an event, and the same applies to rigging: the scene has been set for unfree and unfair elections on March 29th, and the conditions on the ground have been developed through many months of non-compliance with regional electoral standards.

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17:51
SLUM-TV: Youths of a Kenyan Slum Captures their Lives on Film
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

“We look at what is good and what is bad. We see what is behind the scenes…The international media only shows the negative side.” - Kenyan SLUM-TV.

The Kenyan post-election violence brought more than Ushahidi - the web tool created to document the violence on the Internet - the uprising also brought to fore the activities of the crew of SLUM-TV, and how they captured the violence and its aftermath through the lens of their camera.

Operating from Mathare, one of the largest slums in Kenya, the SLUM-TV was created to document the lives of the people in the
slum and to ‘reevaluate’ these lives through the camera. The recordings are projected on wall, at night, for the viewing pleasure of the neighborhood.

The Austrian government-funded project was started in 2006 by Sam Hopkins, Lukas Pusch and Alexander Nikolic. Since it’s creation, the SLUM-TV has emerged as a avenue for the slum youths to express themselves and initiate dialogue within their community. This role was documented recently:

During the crisis, Kamau, Otieno and Wanjiru often followed with their camera behind crews from CNN and British Channel 4, who had money to hire bodyguards.

But as the international media trained lenses on burning cars and young men with machetes, the Slum TV crew found other stories they deemed equally important — people from different ethnic groups giving one another food and shelter, young people who refused to take up the machete, and local leaders who brokered peace between neighbors.

They recorded the landscape of destruction left behind — burned-out markets, demolished houses and tented camps of the displaced thousands that still ring the muddy edges of Mathare.

They are gathering the last footage now and will show their coverage in Mathare next month. “We want to give people this information so these things never happen again,” Kamau said. “We want to make sure young people focus on the positive — some people do not even realize their own capabilities.”

The UK Independent news portal helps up SLUM-TV’s “focus on the positive” into a clearer perspective:

While the world has zoomed in on the tribal clashes that erupted following December’s flawed presidential election, the Mathare film-makers have found stories of hope amid the gloom. Luo women hosting Kikuyu families, for example, or feeding centres run by local women in areas where aid agencies are too scared to venture, and a group of men from one tribe saving the life of a man from another.

Although the Mathare slum is reputed to be the largest in Africa, there exist several others across the continent, and perhaps their youths too can learn from the experience of their counterparts in Kenya.

Enjoy one SLUM-TV documentaries:

Image credits: SLUM-TV.

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8:04
Kenyan Entrepreneur Wilfred Saroni makes Strides in America
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Wilfred Saroni reflects the essence of success from United States, thousands of mile from his Kenyan home.

Back in 2006 - within 10 years of relocating to the U.S - Wilfred became the first Kenyan to be awarded the Ronald Reagan Republican Gold Medal in 2006 by senior members of the US Congress for his hard work and entrepreneurial resourcefulness. He was honored for establishing and managing the Holden Medical Institute [http://www.holdenhealth.org/index.html] , a nursing college that trains some 1,000 students each year.

Again, Wilfred scored another milestone within the U.S African immigrant community this week by announcing a merger between his college and Premier Educational Group.

According to news report, the Premier Group is “an empire of private sector middle-level training institutions boasting 47 colleges in states within the American eastern seaboard”. It is reported the addition of Wilfred’s Holden Institute “brings to the Premier group the much sought-after private nursing program. By joining the board of directors at the Premier Educational Group, Mr Saroni has embarked on a journey of a transition from a business owner to an investor,” according to the Kenyan news portal Daily Nation.

There is a shortage of nurses in United States, a situation health care experts have predicted “will only get worse over the years”, and this was one of the factors that propelled Wilfred into establishing the Holden Institute.

With the assistance of his wife, Sarah, ITGlobal reported in 2006, Wilfred built one of the “most promising private nursing colleges in the United States. The institution has a staff of 67 and operates on an annual budget of more than US $ 2 million (about Kenya Shillings 150,000,000.” The website reports further:
further:

In less than 10 years since entering the United States, Mr. Saroni’s self discipline and determination has allowed him to earn an MBA through online studies. Within the same period, he has also married, raised a family and founded two different successful businesses: Holden Healthcare Staffing and Holden Health Career Training Centre. The nursing college has three campuses, with two located in the state of Massachusetts and one in the state of New Hampshire, known as Bay State and Granite State respectively. Mr. Saroni’s innovation has led him to planning an expansion of the college into having university status, offering degrees in diverse fields.

Mr. Saroni, a former travel consultant in Nairobi, remembers his modest schooling at Kimana primary and secondary schools in Kenya, where he walked about 10 miles a day to and from school. He later on moved to Nairobi to start a travel consultancy firm with a friend. The firm, whose clients included the National Bank of Kenya and the Central Bank, was later to be sold by the two in the mid nineties when the Kenyan Shilling plummeted at the demands of the International Monetary Fund for accountability from the then government. The Kenyan-born entrepreneur then moved to the US to attend Regis College near the home of his Kenyan aunt. Three years after moving to America, he launched the business venture.

Image credit: PNUDiaspora.

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7:58
Blogging for Africa
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Sokari the author Black Looks blog shines more light on the state of the African blog-ring and independently web domains on MediaShift, here is the link: [www.pbs.org]

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March 24, 2008
11:00
Maryland’s Prince George’s County Opens Africa Trade Office
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

The new Africa Trade Office being funded by a $400,000-grant from the U.S government, will be housed at the Prince George’s County Economic Dev. Corp. (EDC) and will partner with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the county to help facilitate business between African companies and small businesses seeking trade opportunities.

According to Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson:

“We are part of a global economy and Prince George’s County has a strong, vibrant business community interested in expanding trade opportunities with Africa,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Senate Small Business Committee. “In securing these funds for the Africa Trade Office, I am optimistic that Prince George’s County businesses will be able to build and grow these future trade opportunities.”

The Prince George’s County Africa Trade Office will build on opportunities presented since enactment of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000. AGOA provides reforming African countries with the most liberal access to the U.S market without a Free Trade Agreement. It has been successful in increasing two-way trade with African and diversifying products to be traded. Since 2001, non-oil AGOA imports total $3.5 billion, an increase of 22 percent.

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9:34
Pro.CareersNigeria.Com – Professional Networking site for Careers in Nigeria
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Careers Nigeria is very happy to announce the launch of our professional networking site where members can create a careers profile, connect with work colleagues and business contacts, share photos and thoughts and enjoy an online professional careers community.

With pro.careersnigeria.com, you can join and invite your workmates, classmates and business associates and network with these in your quest to progress with your careers and find better jobs or establish genuine business relationships. You can also plan careers events and discuss interests etc.

Based on the emergence of web 2.0 applications in Nigeria, pro.careersnigeria.com will be a smart cross between Facebook and LinkedIn, allowing members to create professional profiles, while also maintaining a social networking lifestyle.

The site will be a one-stop portal for professional networking and since its Alpha launch, pro.careersnigeria.com is now boasting of over 1000 members, actively networking online.

The service is ideal for professionals in Nigeria and abroad that want to add some sparkle to their careers, meet friends, keep up with colleagues and enjoy an overall social and professional networking experience.

proCareersNigeria

ProCareersNigeria is a professional networking site for colleagues and contacts interested in careers in Nigeria.

http://pro.careersnigeria.com/

About Careers Nigeria

Careers Nigeria is a weblog that publishes latest jobs, employment gist and careers opportunities in Nigeria for graduates and top candidates.

http://careersnigeria.com/

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8:00
Paul Konye, Nigerian Conductor & Violinist
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

On April 17, 2008 the Spring Concert at Sienna College in New York will feature Dr. Paul Konye, Assistant Professor, as conductor of the Sienna Chamber Orchestra and violinist in the Sienna Community String Quartet. The program will consist of Franz Schubert: Rosamunde Overture and Andrew Lloyd Weber: A Concert Celebration.

Biographical Sketch
Paul Konye was born in Lagos Nigeria. He is a musicologist, conductor, composer, and violinist. His musical education spans three continents: Africa, Europe, and North America. In Nigeria, he collaborated and studied both formally and privately with many of the country’s foremost icons and composers of African art music, such as Kayode Oni, Samuel Akpabot, Akin Euba, Adam Fiberesima, and Lazarus Ekwueme.

Paul Konye was also musically associated with many musical organizations and institutions such as The International School Ibadan, The Polytechnic Ibadan, The University of Ibadan, The University of Ife, The University of Nigeria, and The University of Lagos. Of the many musical organizations that Dr. Konye was musically associated with before leaving Nigeria were, the then Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, and the Musical Society of Nigeria. These associations granted him a first-hand insight into modern African art music. Full Biographical Sketch

Link to original post:Africlassical Blog.

Also available on Africlassical is an audio sample of a Nigerian Composer, Adam Fiberesima.

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6:00
Positively Perry –Tyler Perry Retains Comfort Zone In New Flick
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

There’s a familiar thread that runs through most of Tyler Perry’s movies.

It’s not his reliance on stereotypes, his focus on familial strife or the recurring indomitable Southern matriarch Madea, but his repetitive portrayal of the strong black woman who always overcomes all odds despite discord.

“I was raised by a single mother and she took me everywhere with her and by the time I grew up I knew everything about Lane Bryant,” jokes the writer, actor and director who went from the poverty-stricken streets of News Orleans to a multimillion-dollar mansion outside Atlanta with the success of his movies.

Perry’s first feature flick in 2005 titled ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ told the story of a cheating spouse from the wife’s perspective. ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’, his follow up continued that pattern with two half-sisters battling issues of abuse and betrayal with the men in their lives.

‘Meet the Browns’, his latest release tells a similar story with Brenda (Angela Bassett), a struggling single mother in inner city Chicago whose life changes when she returns home to Georgia for the funeral of a father she never knew. There she meets her father’s fun loving Southern clan the Browns, an eclectic and eccentric bunch that includes the outrageously dressed Leroy Brown whose clothes speak even louder than he does. It’s also there, in Georgia, Brenda finds romance with Harry (Rick Fox) a former basketball professional who also develops a paternal relationship with her eldest son Michael (Lance Gross). Based on the stage production of the same name, ‘Meet the Browns’ like Perry’s previous flicks has a deep moralistic message of redemption but despite a strong dramatic performance from Bassett fails to garner gut-wrenching laughs.

“I want to show how something very positive can come of a negative situation,” says Perry. “I want my films to be relevant to people’s lives and give them hope, so it’s important to deal with subjects like single parenthood and poverty, but at the same time point the way forward through laughter, love and faith.”

Madea, the overbearing but well-intentioned woman who serves both as comic relief and the voice of conscience is also woven into the story line appearing at the end in a side splitting car chase and setting the scene for ‘Madea Goes to Jail,’ which Perry says he’s currently working on. With another upcoming project staring Alfre Woodard and Jennifer Hudson scheduled for release later this year and a script in progress about power couple Barack and Michelle Obama, Perry may have found a generic formula for success but is quick to point out the many differences in his work.

“If you look at ‘Diary’ and ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’ and this movie it’s a more of a Madea kinda of brand — a broad comedy with drama,” says Perry. “If you look at ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ and ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ and the one that I am working on right now ‘The Family That Preys’ with Alfre Woodard it’s also a different kind of brand so there are two different brands at work and both are going in different directions. I don’t work in fear and I don’t wave out what the next move is. Whatever comes to me is what I will do.”

Tyler Perry’s ‘Meet the Browns’ is playing in US theaters. Image credit: Shola Orol.

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March 22, 2008
14:49
BLACK GOLD: Film Documents how Ethiopian Coffee Growers Grapple with Globalization
» ‎ Read entry @ AfricanLoft

Coffee is a universal experience enjoyed by billions of people on a daily basis and is part of an industry worth over $80 billion a year. But the people behind the product are in crisis with millions of growers fast becoming bankrupt. Nowhere more evident is this paradox than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

The Coffee industry is dominated by multinationals, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. BLACK GOLD, directed and produced by Nick Francis and Marc Francis, tells the story behind an attempt to make globalization work for the producers of coffee.

Tadesse Meskela manages the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, representing over 74,000 coffee farmers. The union buys coffee from 101 individual co-operatives spread across southern Ethiopia. BLACK GOLD follows Meskela on his mission to save struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his union’s farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Meskela travels the world to find buyers willing to pay a fair price—a better price than the one set by the international commodities exchange.

Against the backdrop of Tadesse’s journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organization reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.

From Nick Francis and Marc Francis, the directors and producers of BLACK GOLD:

We were provoked to make a film about coffee after it was announced at the end of 2002 that Ethiopia was facing another famine. Twenty years earlier in 1984, people across the world had been motivated to respond to this crisis by giving aid. The difference this time was that coffee farmers were being caught up in this new food crisis while the global coffee industry was booming.

We wanted to urgently r

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