FI RST ANNUAL AV DIRECTORS’ MEETING

I NFORMATION | C OMMUNICATION | C OLLABORATION F RAMEWORK

A FRICAN VIEWS JUNE 19, 2011, ANNUAL ISSUE 1

FIRST ANNUAL AV DIRECTORS’ MEETING

AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE INSTITUTE During the meeting on Wednesday, African Views unveiled its cultural exchange program, which includes sustainable agriculture as part of the African Cultural Exchange Institute project in Gweru. The idea for the institute is tailored to Zimbabwe. And in this case, the facade of the institute is modeled after Great Zimbabwe. Free Form + Deform is just the perfect agent for the task, and we are grateful that they have agreed to partner with AV on this project.

Freeform + Deform is a creative collective that engages in a broad spectrum of architecture, design and visual media. Anaele Owunwane and Efraim Perez presented the plan to turn the 2200 acres of land into a new beacon of hope at the AV meeting.

Picture: (Left) Efraim Perez, (right) Anaele Owunwane Architects: FreeForm + Deform.

S PECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST : 

African Cultural Exchange Institute.

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Sustainable Agriculture Project.

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African Diaspora Federal Credit Union.

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Donating computers to bridge the digital divide in rural Africa.

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Collaborative Opportunities

I NSIDE THIS ISSUE : T HANK YOU N OTE

S USTAINABLE AGRICULTURE P ROJECT Dr. Albert Ayeni, Department of Plant Biology & Pathology at Rutgers University, also reiterated the importance of Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. He knows too well the challenges that are facing African farmers and the cultural barrier between African and Western methods of farming. Last April 2011, Dr. Ayeni conducted a seminar titled “Role of Culture and Tradition in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa” at Rutgers University. We are very grateful to Dr. Ayeni for his support of the ACE Institute Agriculture program. Partnership with the academia is crucial to the success of this project.

We take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Ayeni on the success of his application for the 2011-2012 Global Initiative Grant on the theme: Technologies without Borders: Technologies Across Borders. The successful appliPicture: Dr. Albert Ayeni, Department of Plant Biology & cation was a follow-up to the panel discussion Pathology at Rutgers University. in April, which AV was part of.

A CE INSTITUTE AGRICULTURE

C REDIT UNION P EACE BUILDING D IGITAL DIVIDE W ORK WITH US

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A FRICAN VIEWS

A FRICAN D IASPORA F EDERAL C REDIT U NION We also unveiled a new African Diaspora Federal Credit Union. This initiative is perhaps one of the most important steps necessary for the economic empowerment of African communities at large. The idea came from Sheik Moussa Drammeh (center in picture), an educator and host of the African Union dialogues TV. We are very proud that African Views is also a partner along with several community leaders on this project. For us, it translates to the fact that we are delivering on promise to provide valuable logistics to the growth and health of African communities. The creation of the African Diaspora Federal Credit Union will be a great asset to many African communities. We look forward to your support.

Picture: Sheik Moussa Drammeh (center in picture), an Educator, and Host of the African Union dialogues TV.

DONATING COMPUTERS TO RURAL AFRICA G LOBALIZATION

AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN WAYS THAT WERE UNIMAGINABLE EVEN 20 YEARS AGO .

Y ET

MANY PEOPLE FEEL THREATENED , EVEN CONFUSED , IN THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT .

African Views is also brokering a collaborative effort between Austrian–Nigerian Initiative (A-NI), Center For Media and Peace Initiative (CMPI), Amandlha News paper, and AV in the promotion of technology transfer to bridge the digital divide in rural Africa.

AUSTRIAN - NIGERIAN INITIAVE (A-NI) has been working on economical, educational, and cultural development projects between Austria and Nigeria with a broader view towards the European Union and Africa for several years (www.ani.org). By collaborating with CMPI, Amandlha and AV, the A-NI organization’s services Mag. Kunle Banwo Dr. Uchenna Ekwo Mr. Ernest Opong and programs are hereby extended to the Americas. In this joint effort, the coalition plans to provide used laptops to much needed entities in rural Africa. Dr. Uchenna of CMPI plans to empower press organizations in Nigeria by supplying them with the laptops, while Kwabena Opong, publisher of Amandlha Newspaper plans to set up Internet Cafes in rural areas of Ghana. African Views (AV) is very happy to facilitate these relationships, and we extend this collaborative opportunities to other organizations with similar interests and agendas. The computers are collected as part of recycling programs and are donated to various institutions in African communities. The coalition provides or facilitates installation and maintenance services.

JUNE 19, 2011, ANNUAL ISSUE 1

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RAPPROCHEMENT OF CULTURES THROUGH INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION It is clear that AV is involved in many projects. Our core capability continues to develop with the help of our partners, country directors, and our student chapters. To help make sense of why we reach out to the most unlikely places, Mrs. Agnieszka Grzybowska, AV’s Outreach Director to Poland made a poignant presentation about the importance of being objective in this era of globalization and in reaching out to countries around the world such as Poland.

She went on to explain the more than a century long established relationship between Poland and Africa and the Polish people’s interest to support sustainable African development.

Mrs. Agnieszka Grzybowska, AV’s Outreach Director to Poland (Internship)

T HANKS

TO THE FOLLOWING GUESTS FOR ATTENDING

Mr. Siddique Wai, Dr. Mohammed Nuhussein, Dr. Steve Coupeau, Mr. Mel Brown, Madam Philemon Ama Nimley, Madam Shirley Wallace, Dr. Susanna Dodson, Dr Nkechi Madonna Agwu, Dr. Albert Ayeni, Efraim Perez, Dr. Ify Isiekwe, Sheik Moussa Drammeh, Mr. Nekpen Osuan, Madam Mary, Dr. Balde, Mr. Lansana Koroma, Mr. William Verdone, Mr. Charles Cooper, Mr. Famod Konneh, Mr. Folusho Obe, Ms. Adesuwa P. Enabulele, Mr. Alex Maxwell, Mr. Jack Nutugah, Ms. Nikki Johnson: Director of AV Student Affairs and others.

A great many thanks to the presenters: Wale Ajibade (AV Director of research and Strategy), Anaele Owunwane ( FreeForm + Deform), Dr Uchenna Ekwo (Executive Director, Center For Media and Peace Initiatives) , Agnieszka Grzybowska, (AV Outreach director to Poland) and Mr. Kwabena Opong (publisher of Amandlha newspaper). I am confident that good things will come from our joint efforts.

Please see the following link for a detail press release about the event written and published by Center For Media and Peace Initiative: http://library.constantcontact.com/ download/get/file/1104220830686-91/African+Views.pdf

Video and pictures of the event can be found on the following sites: www.africanviews.org/ www.youtube.com/africanviews www.facebook.com/africanviews

A BOUT US African Views (AV) is foremost a concept for raising awareness about African consciousness on its needs and efficacy. African Views is registered in the United States as an independent (non-affiliated) non-profit Organization.

The organization operates a worldwide African cultural exchange framework and collaborative network with the objective of drawing and combining intelligence and wisdom from various indigenous cultures, professional disciplines, and scholastic departments worldwide.

AFRICAN VIEWS 223 Park Avenue Garden Floor Hoboken, NJ 07030

The goals of our organization include generating and facilitating new ideas to overcome immediate and future challenges facing African and African Diaspora communities. To meet these goals, the organization strives to have each country well represented in its framework based on a set of well established value indicators and through the help of country directors who provide information and access for each country.

Phone: 646-226-0262 Fax: 888-737-9853 E-mail: av@africanviews.org

The organization plans to map out community needs and strengths through the help of student chapters. African Views also provides information and logistics to other organizations working on African issues, as well as works in partnership with other organizations to execute programs and projects.

WORK WITH US. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US ON THE WEB!

WWW.AFRICANVIEWS.ORG

INFORMATION| COMMUNICATION| COLLABORATION FRAMEWORK

S PECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES We are very pleased that we could share these great developments on our first year anniversary. We will keep you posted on our progress and hope you join our effort in various capacities. We need all hands on deck.

We also urge you to visit the African Views framework and to help create as well as utilize the information, communication, and collaborative opportunities we provide. We have also created new tutorial to help your experience on the framework much more pleasant. Here is the first of many more tutorials to come: http:// www.youtube.com/africanviews#p/ a/u/0/7G2oM6jQK-o Also visit http://www.africanvi ews.org/african-views-tv or tutorial page.

We are also pleased to announce the debut of AVTV (African Views Television). This is now accessible on the AV Framework as well as on www.youtube.com/africanviews

We have also revamped AV radio to include features that allows our audience to upload community news, oral history, spiritual audio, audio books, and unique music directly to the framework.

We continue to provide forums for intelligent dialogues about existing issues including sustenance and effective implementation of plans for actions for positive change. Our activities are documented on the AV websites, and on our Facebook page from our ACE Children’s, African Community program involvements, event organization and our student chapters programs.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

You can participate: 

As partner (associate)

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As volunteer

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As intern

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As sponsor

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As contributor

Mr. William Verdone and Mr. Wale Ajibade working together to build the AV board of directors. We look forward to your recommendations.

African Views welcomes agents of change and talent that will continue to bring the new ideas, concepts and innovation. We invite scholars, knowledge seekers, travelers, entrepreneurs, investors and marketers to work with us as contributing partners or as volunteers.

Please contact us directly to discuss your interest or talk directly to any of our associates.

Thank you!