AFRICAN WHISTLE (2nd Edition)

Editor’s Note

It is our commitment to continue to provide the latest and most substantive content to our readers. So, follow us on thisjourneytoanexplorationof the rich arts, history, fashion, food, and Festivals from the African continent. Alighting to bring you exciting trends in sports, culture, fashion, health and wellness as well as spotlighting prominent African people doing great things and impactinglives.Also,checkout our ethnic column featuring "Shata in Hausa language. Hop onandenjoytheride!

Dr. Hadiza Osuji

Editor-in-Chief

African Whistle Magazine

SulemanMaharaja ManjaddaImah AdamAlli ContentEditor Co-Editor Co-Editor MichelleOnayinka

C O N T E N T S

NYC MIGRANT CRISIS: A NATIONAL PROBLEM DESERVING OF A NATIONAL RESPONSE

3-5 6-8 9-11

WELCOMING AFRICAN MIGRANTS & ASYLUM SEEKERS: VOICE FROM THE FIELD

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN NIGERIA & IT'S INTRIGUES

CBDC, AFRICA'S FUTURE

TRIBUTE TO A GREAT GHANIAN FOOTBALLER

BLESS AFRICA GLOBAL FOUNDATION INC.

ARGUNGU CULTURAL FISHING FESTIVAL

CALABAR CARNIVAL

SISTERS FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL

NASHAB GROUP FAMILY DAYCARE INC

INTERVIEW WITH ATTORNEY LOLA OGUNTADE WATERMAN - CANDIDATE FOR CIVIL COURT JUDGE

YORUBA TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

AARE KURUNMI OF IJAIYE - THE YORUBA WARRIOR WHO LOST FIVE SONS IN ONE DAY

FINTERVIEW WITH WINNIE MASONDA: WINNIE MASONDA HOPE FOUNDATION

AICC COMMUNITY OUTREACH POGRAMS

YOU ARE INVITED: REIMAGINE THE CROSS BRONX

DIABETES: A PRACTICAL/LIFESTYLE APPROACH - MY JOURNEY SO FAR

FAVOURED WOMEN GLOBAL/MAG TAX ACCOUNTING SERVICES

GHANA"S FAVORITE; KENKEY

FURA DA NONO

GALORE AFRICAN KITCHEN CUISIN (TASTE OF AFRICAN CUISINE)

THE GREAT IGBO LANDING

WAZOBIA UNIFIED PROGRESS: MAMMAN SHATA

NIGERIAN SENSATION TEMS WINS GRAMMY

AARE KURUNMI OF IJAIYE - THE YORUBA WARRIOR WHO LOST FIVE SONS IN ONE DAY

POETRY & ENTERTAINMENT

NYC Migrant Crisis: A National Problem Deserving of a National Response

As we watch daily the migrant crisis unfolding in New York City during recent months, the plight of these migrants and asylum seekers was highlighted at a recent press conference held by the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams. The press conference was intended to also rally for federal support to help serve these migrants and asylum seekers

In the press conference, Mayor Adams commended local community-based organizations, houses of worship and everyday New Yorkers who have stepped up and responded to this urgent migrant crisis that has gripped New York City He described the migrant crisis as an opportunity to show leadership, not only for elected officials but also for those who are running nonprofits, the CEOs of corporations, those who live on a block where there's a shelter and for those who see their brothers and sisters who are migrant, who don't have a coat, or a jacket or a pair of socks If you are a pastor, Rabbi, Imam, or a Sikh leader, this is a leadership moment for all of us, a human moment and it's time for us to step up to this moment ” Mayor Adams added that the reason we are seeing such an outpouring of support is that New York City is made up of immigrants “It doesn't matter if it was the Mayflower, or it was the Greyhound, or it was in the belly of a slave ship, we came from somewhere and we all identified with those who are pursuing the American Dream,” he reiterated

Speaking at the same event is the Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs at the Mayor’s office, Commissioner Manuel Castro Commissioner Castro praised the efforts of the city employees and community partners who were present at the press conference for providing assistance to the more than 40,000 asylum seekers who arrived New York City in just the last eight months. He also spoke about his own background growing up as an undocumented immigrant and now reaching greater heights

“I crossed the U S -Mexico border myself with my mother, grew up in New York City undocumented, and now serving as the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs I cannot tell you how incredibly proud I am to be a New Yorker and to serve in the City of New York in this moment.” Further, he introduced the community partners who were there to share their experiences and their testimony about the work they have been doing. He also acknowledged the presence of migrants who were at the press conference for giving back by volunteering to assist other newly arrived fellow migrants

so speaking at the press conference is the Consul General of Senegal, Mr Elhadji Ndao who acknowledged the support that has been extended by the city to the new migrants, particularly those of African origin He said, “it's a difficult crisis that our communities have been going through and we are grateful to have seen not only the city as an administration, but also New Yorkers, as people stand by these newcomers ”

Al Mr. Ndao singled out Imam Omar Nias from the Senegalese Center in the Bronx for his compassionate efforts in providing accommodation to fellow Africans and thus allowing them to live in dignity. Also present at the press conference was the consul general of Nigeria, Ambassador Lot Peter Egopija, Grace Choi of the Coalition of AAPI Churches, Executive Director of La Colmena, Yesenia Mata, Dr. Ramon Tallaj from SOMOS Community Care, Jo-Ann Yoo from the Asian American Federation, Umair Ahmed of Janazah Community Center, Reverend Terry Troia from Project Hospitality, Commissioner Mermelstein, Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, Marita Landaveri, the Consul General of Peru, N York Assembly Members Al Taylor Jenifer Rajkumar.

In closing the press conference, Ma Adams stressed the importance of inclusive response to the migrant crisis which he described as a national prob deserving a national response.

Welcoming African Migrants & Asylum Seekers: Voice From The Field

ama,lovelytoseeyou

kyousomuch.It'sanhonortobehere.

eusabriefbackgroundaboutyourself

goodquestion,andIthinkittookalongtimetorealizethat AndI hoIamistoknowmyhistory I'moriginallyfromGuinea,Conakry ametotheUnitedStatesattheagewhenIwastwoyearsold That didn'tknowIwasundocumentedtillIwas16whenIwasarrested eFBIandImmigration AndthenthatjourneytookmetowhoIam an to become an advocate and advocate for people who are usetheylooklikeme.Sothat'salittlebitaboutwhoIam.

wYorkCityisknownasthesanctuarycityandwehavewitnessed urgeofnewmigrantsandasylumseekersthathavebeenarriving es.Youhavebeenworkingtirelesslyandincollaborationwithother officials,CBOsasfarasIknowtoreallywelcomethenewmigrants providerelieftothem Whatdrivesyoutomaketheseefforts?

know, the simple answer is, I knew I had to be on the ground aformerasylumseekermyself Andallthetime,thebestpeopleto re the ones that have been impacted the same way So, at some omeone greeting me the way I'm greeting them. At some point, I ervicesthattheyreceivedandnowIabout it So, yrolehereonthegroundistohelpthemnavigatethesystem

that'snotcreatedforthem So,whatwe'redoingrightnowiswe'recreatinghistory,andit'snotmethat'screatinghistory,it’sus The reality of it is, this is not going to be the last time they come. Migrants have been coming through the Mexican border for years It'sjusttheynevercameinthisnumberallatonce That'stheonlydifference Andnowwegettocreateasystemforthem sothatwhenthenextgenerationcomesherebybusorplaneorbyboat,weknowhowtowelcomethem Weknowhowtomake themfeellikethey'reAmericansortheyAreNewYorkers?

DR.OSUJI:Whathastheexperiencebeenlikeforyou?

ADAMA:Mixedemotions,whenthebussesarrivehere,andyougetonthatbusandseetheirfacesandyoutellthemwelcometo NewYork Theyclap,andyouseetearsandIfeelprideandhopefulbecauseIknowthesepeoplehavegonethroughahorrific journey Whenreleasedfromthedetentioncenter,guesswhothey'recomingtosee?Me I'mthefirstpersontheyseeatthatbus I'minNewYorkCity.So,whentheygethere,thatjoy,feelingofpride,ofwelcomeisthere.Butthenwhentheygetoffthebusses andyouseetheswollenfeet,the pregnantwomenwhoaretired,whodon'tgetanymedicaltreatment You seethechildrenwhoaremalnourished,themenwhoarestilltiredand hungry.Thenitbreaksyourheart.Youseethatthey'recomingoffthese busseswithflipflops,sometimesjustsocks,noshoes thatbreaksmyheart

Therearebabieswhodon'thavediapersorhaddiapersthatwereworn forthreedays,fourdays,andthebabieshavediaperrashes.So,yougeta frustrationandanger Somanydifferenttypesofemotionsthatyoufeelat thatmoment Buttheonlythingyoudoistoputasmileonyourface,and youletthemknowandinthelanguagesthattheyspeak Youmadeit I'm alsoanimmigrant.Imadeitandyouwillmakeit.

DR. OSUJI: Inspiring. So, the migrants that you have come in contact with, where are they from originally?

ADAMA: So, one of the biggest misconceptions is that we ' re only getting people from South America I have met migrants literally from all over the world I have Eritreans, I have Europeans, I have Chinese. I have all of Latin America, all of Africa, you name it, and I promise you, I have greeted them and have seen them. You have the South Asians, the East Asians, Arabs, you name it they are all coming in And the only thing is that all we can do is create this system for them and make sure that they're included in the conversation because they're not included in the conversations I call them the forgotten migrants And the reason why I say that is because the whole city and the country prepared for Hispanic migrants So, all the resources and the services have been catered to them Well, what about the Afghanis? What about the black migrants? What about the Hindus that are coming and fleeing for safety? Where is their language access? Where are their cultural needs met with the Europeans that are coming, who never integrated into a community that is so diverse? How do we support them? So, these are all spaces that I'm in right now, and all I can do is tap into all the people that I've worked with over the years and say, I need your help. And it's been a blessing. It's an honor to have everyone who trusted me and supported me throughout this process

DR. OSUJI: And what would you say have been your successes and your challenges so far?

ADAMA: To be honest, one of my challenges is that I'm not part of the policy makers My voice is not really heard, although I have been impacted by the system myself That's the biggest challenge we have. We are constantly reinventing the wheel of how to support migrants But again, migrants have been coming for years. I've been through the asylum system, so I know how to help them, not because of me or my experience but also, because I listen to them If you take fifteen minutes and listen to anybody, you will know their whole life story and how to help them because they tell you how to help them. Often, the migrants that are arriving ask us, what we think and I educate them on the resources and the options that they have so they can make informed decisions That's the biggest challenge that I've had and the success that I honestly have is just not doing it alone You're going to get burnt out when you do this work alone. So, you have to be able to say, listen, I need you to come help me This is what I need and I think it's a blessing that I'm going to keep talking about that, because we can never do this work

alone. There are people out there that have the same passion as I do, the same shared experience as I do. And if we all come together and help each other, trust me, we make an impact.

DR. OSUJI: Absolutely. And I see the results already based on the collaborations that have been going on in the community. Even just the support group, that is coming together via WhatsApp and which I am also a part I see the collective efforts and it's really going a long way So, I agree with you Now, what was the issues they shared that made them to migrate or seek asylum in America?

ADAMA: Sometimes it's such tough topic because you have to be so honest and there's no other simple way All these countries that all these people are coming from, they didn't just wake up and say, let me come to America. All the countries that I know these migrants are coming from, at some point policy, poverty, war, these are all the things that impacted them, and they had to flee for safety. We have a young man from Eritrea, he had to leave because he supported another government. We have a woman from Iran, she was an activist because of that, she was supposed to be sentenced to death and she escaped So, these are all different stories and all different names and all different faces and all different reasons of why they come They come for safety They come because we have sold them our dream and we have told them America is beautiful. America is this, America is that And this is why they came here.

DR. OSUJI: Which really highlights the important work that you and all collaborators on ground are doing in terms of really welcoming them and trying to support and provide the relief needed. So You wrote a book titled, Accused: My Story of Injustice (I, Witness). I think that is an important part of why you are doing what you do (talking about lived experience). Why did you write the book?

ADAMA: Oh, my gosh! I think, wow, I remember all the feelings that I had writing the book So, it was offered to me way back to write a book and at that time I wasn't in the right place. And then the opportunity came back again, and I said yes And I literally had to sit there and remember details that I wasn't ready to listen to or

remember It was during a pandemic, and everything was shut down, which made it worse So, I had to face emotions that I wasn't ready to And it was crazy because I remember as I was writing details by details, I remember the agent's shirt color I remember the smell of the room and all these emotions were coming back But this was important to write. Often times in history, our stories are told by others And it was a chance for me to tell my story.

I didn't know I was undocumented till I was 16 when I was arrested by NYPD at the FBI and Immigration. They tried to paint me as this horrible person And it was very important for me to say, I'm not that person. This is my story They told this story and now it's my turn to tell my story. And then at the end, you can decide who's right or who is wrong When we come to that table, we change the system of what is right and what is wrong

DR. OSUJI: For anyone who would read this book what do you hope their take home message should be?

ADAMA: So, when the migrants come, they think we don't understand what they're going through. And I feel migrants do actually know my story because they said, we heard your story. Wow. I can't believe you ' ve been through all that And I want them to understand that I was once in their situation and often tell them with Google Translator or translated by me that it is going to be very hard in the beginning But I promise you, you ' re going to make many great memories in this country You're going meet and have so many friends and families to lean on and you going to be okay So, the message I shared to them and the importance of them to have this book is to understand, for me, is that I understand them in some ways what you ' ve gone through I've gone through something similar, and this is how we can heal and this is how we can move on.

DR. OSUJI: Thank you for sharing that. Before we wrap up, do you think the cultural needs of these new Americans are being met currently?

ADAMA: No, it's not being met It requires a lot of work, even with me for instance, I don't speak Spanish It requires my brain cells to think and remember words in Spanish. And I think that we don't understand these cultures We don't understand a lot about them I'll give

you a great example, some of the migrants that are coming speak Wolof or Polgar. These are not common languages in the United States, but in Africa, when they speak, you can say oh, okay, these people are from Senegal When they speak Polgar you can say oh they must be from Ivory Coast, or they might be from Guinea, you automatically know But for average Americans, they don't know. They don't know our culture, they don't know our history, they don't know our languages. So, to us, we are indigenous. So now they're learning about us, and they don't know how to learn about us. So, they're going to Google instead of asking the African sister in the room here with me about us.

So, I think it requires a lot of work and we haven't really done that I think when you look at the news and you are saying ah! we provide food for them, they're just being difficult That's not the reality of it, these children are coming with medical papers saying that they're malnourished from city doctors They're coming from city hospitals; these are funded by the city Nobody's going to make up paperwork like that You have people who are getting sick because of the food, because they're not used to that type of food So how do we meet them where their cultural needs are? Where it doesn’t affect their health or their mental health? And the only way we can do that is by just listening and being part of the conversation, including them in the conversation It doesn't have to be me You can ask the migrant themselves.

DR. OSUJI: Like mommy, advocates in the making, we need that So, Adama, any final thoughts or comments you would like to share?

ADAMA: I want to thank you for having me I think that one of the reasons why my story is known and why people know me is because they share that platform with me So, I thank you for sharing your platform, for me to tell not only my stories but also about the newly arrived migrants and how we can support them So, thank you

THEPRESIDENTIALELECTIONIN NIGERIA&IT'SINTRIGUES

The most populous black nation on the face of the earth, Nigeria, had its presidential election on 25th February 2023. The election has come and gone. A President Elect declared. But the dust from the keenly contested race is yet to settle as its reverberations continue to raise more questions than answers.

As the President Elect and his supporters celebrate, the contenders have shoved their disappointment aside as they prepare for the legal battle of their lives, that may make or mar their political history.

For the uninitiated, Nigeria models its democracy after the US brand of democracy. A multiparty system in which political office holders change batons every four years.

The positions at stake during this election held on February 25th 2023, were that of the president and vice president, and that of the national assembly.

The positions of state governors and that of the state assemblies is scheduled for Saturday, March 18, 2023, which was not held before this article.

The Nigerian senate has 109 members altogether. Three members representing each of the 36 states, and one member from Abuja, the federal capital.

The house of representatives on the other hand has 360 members, based on the number of constituencies in each state.

Just like in the US there are usually two or three major political parties, even though there are other parties.

This election had 18 political parties vying for the presidency.

The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) had been the dominant political party in Nigeria since 1999, when Obasanjo won the presidential election under the PDP.

Obasanjo’s gain in the political process was seen as some sort of atonement for the annulment of a previous election in 1993, won by his kinsman, a Yoruba business mogul, Moshood Abiola, who later died in confinement in July 7, 1998, as he tried unsuccessfully to reclaim his victory at the polls.

The PDP was to hold on to power for the next 16 years via elections, until 2015 when a former army general, Muhammadu Buhari, won the presidential election.

VOLUME II

Obi Atiku Tinubu

Analysts are quick to point out that, aside the alliances Buhari made to gain a foothold all over the country, the reason power changed hands was due to the introduction of the card reader technology for the first time in elections in Nigeria, which helped to authenticate the number of voters, but most importantly, the incumbent president at the time, Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, conceded defeat and famously stated that his ambition was not worth anyone’s blood,

So, for the first time in Nigeria’s political history, there was a peaceful handover of power by an incumbent to an elected opposition leader. History was made in 2015.

Since then, the major political parties have remained the PDP and the APC, until the latest election of 2023, when, suddenly, Peter Obi, a former two term governor of the south eastern state of Anambra, and the former vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, moved over to the labor party as its presidential candidate.

Against all odds, the labor party and Peter Obi turned out to be a formidable force, with the unflinching support of the youth and other faithful sympathizers, especially those of the south eastern extraction.

The 2023 presidential election thus became a three pronged race involving Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who had served as a vice president to Obasanjo for two terms under PDP and the supposedly new kid on the block, Peter Obi of labour party.

The campaigns were a spectacle – loud, competitive, fierce and forceful, and occasionally mired by violence.

A carnival of sorts, better experienced than imagined. And what was a political campaign in Nigeria without the usual appeal to parochial sentiments, with religious and ethnic bigotry thrown in for good measure, and the crass display of prebendalism.

The stakes were high and all the candidates knew this, and no one was willing to give a quarter,

After the campaigns, came the day of reckoning, and over twenty-four million Nigerians, out of the ninety three million registered voters, came out to vote.

In order to protect the sanctity of the votes, INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission) had introduced the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) The machine authenticates voters through facial recognition and thumbprint identification in order to ascertain the exact number of voters.

There was also the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV) were all results, after being signed by agents of all the political parties, representing the true figures at the polling unit, would be uploaded.

At the end of voting INEC announced the result for the top three candidates as follows:

Bola Tinubu of APC = 8,794,726 votes

Abubakar Atiku of PDP = 6,984,520 votes

Peter Obi of labor party = 6,101,533 votes

The declaration of the president elect did not sit down the other top two candidates, who vowed to challenge result and the process in court.

We can only conclude by saying that in any election anywhere in the world there is a significant chance that some would take place, because in the struggle for power usually no room for qualms.

But the big question the court will have to determine whether the rigging was so significant as to influence outcome of the elections.

ARTICLE BY MANJADDA IMAH

Regardless of one’s view, one thing is certain, politicians can no longer take victory for granted.

For instance, Peter Obi defeated Tinubu in his home state of Lagos, while Atiku got the most votes in Katsina, the home state of Muhammadu Buhari.

Peter Obi, who is from the south east of the country, a new kid on the block also made significant inroads into the north, especially the north central states of Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa, etc, and the capital city, Abuja.

Anyone who follows and understands Nigeria’s political climate would understand why this election was a political earthquake.

BVAS machine

For decades now governments across Africa, especially Nigeria, have aspired to run what they call a cashless society, a euphemism for DIGITAL CURRENCY. Their aspiration is grounded in the knowledge that the world is rapidly moving towards a complete digitalization of all aspects of human life.

As recently as 2015, a former prime minister of Britain, Gordon Brown, at the Abu Dhabi summit, had stated unequivocally that another industrial revolution was at hand, and that it would impact every thing and everyone across the board – affecting all services, all products, and all the people. This transformation would be driven by digital technology. It is in this context that one can fully understand the inevitability or the drive towards the central bank digital currency (CBDC). Further to this, the covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the drive towards the digitalization of currencies globally, as it clearly showed how vulnerable humanity could be if a pandemic forced people to stay at home. Zoom and other such platforms became the avenue for human interactions, and access to goods and services was through the internet. However, one cannot help but wonder, when the CBDC does come to fruition, how is this going to affect African economies and its people? This question is paramount in the light of the state of existing electronic financial networks, the relatively limited number of citizens using electronic banking, and the potential for it to be used as a tool for control and subjugation of citizens by unscrupulous governments or their agents.

CBDC, AFRICA'S FUTURE ?

But what is CBDC?

What we currently have as a means of exchange for goods and services globally is called the fiat currency, which is in paper form or coins, and issued by governments of each country. Fiat money has been in use for centuries, but the emergence of the present system can be traced back to 1971 when President Richard Nixon decided to “suspend US dollar convertibility to gold.”

Over time, with improved technologies, monetary transfers and payments for goods and services steadily increased the dependence on online banking systems. And for cross border transactions the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) was developed. The Chinese version of this was later developed, and more recently, the Russian version was developed.

Therefore, the CBDC is merely the digital form of a country’s fiat currency. They are digital tokens comparable to cryptocurrency or stable coins. They are issued by the central bank and pegged to the value of a country’s fiat currency. Unlike crypto, the CBDC is issued and regulated by the central bank. Also, crypto uses cryptography which ensures anonymity or a hidden identity, and hides the transactions made on Bitcoins or Ethereum, for instance. The value of the crypto is dictated by the vagaries of investors’ emotions and rampant speculative trade, which is different from the transparency, stability, and safety provided by the CBDC which is backed by government.

"

What we currently have as a means of exchange for goods and services globally is called the fiat currency, which is in paper form or coins, and issued by governments of each country " .....

ADVANTAGES OF THE CBDC

The CBDC can broadly be classified into two: Retail functions, involving daily monetary transactions, and can be lent to citizens and businesses. Wholesale functions, which is used by the central banks for international financial settlements.

Speeds up transactions through DLT.

*Cutting back costs of monetary transactions tremendously.

*Eliminates the physical storage and safekeeping of cash in homes and banks.

*Simplifies accounting/record keeping.

*Eliminates intermediaries like banks and other financial institutions responsible for distributing national currencies.

*The unbanked can still participate in the online wallet/digital wallet monetary system.

*Artificial printing of money by some central banks and counterfeiting would be eliminated.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE CBDC

*Some of the operators or internet providers may increase charges/fees.

*Transactions are easily traceable.

*Programmability – there are fears that the system may be programmed in such a way as to dictate how users spend their money. For instance, protesters against some policies of government may have their wallets frozen indiscriminately to bring them to heel. Some critics give the example of the Chinese credit system in which obedience or compliance to government policies is sine qua non to access to certain facilities.

*The arrangement may have negative consequences on generational wealth.

*Susceptible to hacking. The US for instance, lost about $6.9b in 2022 to hacking involving data breaches, identity thefts, as shown in the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report released by the FBI.

*In June 2020, Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi, grabbed global headlines when he was arrested in Dubai over an extensive cyber fraud scheme, valued at about $24m. His tentacles spread across the globe as he scammed victims in the USA, United Kingdom, Qatar, etc. He was extradited to the US where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of bank fraud in September 2021. He was jailed for eleven years, and asked to pay $1.8 million in restitution.

As recently as November 2022, the FTX cryptocurrency platform, founded by Sam Bankman-Fried collapsed, and more than $8b of customers funds were lost. He was charged to court in the US where he faced charges of wire fraud.

" Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi, grabbed global headlines when he was arrested in Dubai over an extensive cyber fraud scheme, valued at about $24m "

DISADVANTAGES THAT ARE LARGELY PECULIAR TO AFRICA

*Apart from the general disadvantages already discussed, financial analysts have posited that Africa may face some peculiar challenges in the implementation of the CBDC.

*Most prominent is the fact that these technologies and the digital currency platforms are out of the control of the African governments or the citizens. Some of the major internet carriers/providers are AT&T, Verizon, Xfinity, Google fiber, and Spectrum. The corporations, naturally, owe allegiance only to their shareholders and governments. This has national security implications. And even with taxation, a lot of money is still taken out of Africa.

*Africa is largely a low-income continent with a high percentage of the poor. The ability for citizens to sustain data with which to transact everyday business in every facet of life, including the purchase of groceries, for instance, may be a daunting if not an impossible task.

*Another growing concern, perhaps the most worrying, is the growing multitude of computer savvy youth who see cybercrime as a way of life. They proudly call themselves “yahoo yahoo boys” in Nigeria. They can hack into any computer, and proudly show off their crime proceeds. Thankfully, some of them have turned their computer knowledge in trading in cryptocurrency, which is a legitimate endeavor. However, if they ever target the CBDC, many lives could be ruined.

*The internet reach is quite poor in some parts of Africa, especially for the population in the villages. This will certainly pose a challenge.

*The low literacy rate in most parts of Africa may also be an obstacle in the drive towards implementing the CBDC. *The CBDC may also disrupt the tradition of giving small amounts of physical cash to children and the poor.

*Africans in the diaspora may be constrained in the amounts they can send to relatives as digital currencies are easily monitored, and there may also be restrictions on what is permissible. This will have adverse consequences on families and the economy.

*The companies that provide internet services in Africa must make it a priority to upgrade these facilities in order to forestall the frequent disruptions that regularly frustrate customers and business owners alike.

*Similarly, the governments must upgrade their security forces and their military hardware, in order to tackle the increasing terrorist attacks that destroy telecommunication equipment.

The future of digital currency depends on the resilience of the global internet. Glitches at national or platform levels may create problems of usability, and cause monumental monetary and trading chaos. While taking note of this, Africa must hasten to prepare its citizens for the inevitable, as the digital currency will impact every sphere of life, and potentially change life as we know it.

It is estimated that only about 9% of countries have launched a digital currency program to date, including Nigeria, which is the first African country to do so in October 2021, however, according to the IMF, more than 110 countries are exploring the possibility of introducing digital money in the near future. Africa must not be caught napping.

TRIBUTE TO A GREAT GHANIAN FOOTBALLER

ARTICLE BY ADAM ALLI

This is a tribute to a great Ghanian football, who was found dead on Saturday February 18th 2023, under rubble of a luxury 12-story building where he had been living in the hard-hit city of Antakya, Hatay province, following a devastating earthquake in that rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6th, 2023, killing more than 43,000 people in both countries.

Christian Atsu, 31, has enjoyed a successful career with Ghana's national team, having made 65 appearances since his debut in 2012.

Atsu had joined the Turkish Super Lig club in September 2022 after spending one season at Saudi club Al-Raed. The winger had previously played for the Premier League clubs Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle.

He was named player of the tournament at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored two goals as Ghana reached the final, where they lost on penalties to Ivory Coast.

There were initial reports he had been rescued and taken to hospital a day after the quake, but the report later turned out to be false.

His manager in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, on Saturday, February 18th 2023, confirmed that his body was found beneath the rubble.

The Midfielder Atsu had spent four seasons at Chelsea before a permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2017.

He signed last September for Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor.

Chelsea issued a statement on their social media platform declaring, “It is with enormous sadness that Chelsea Football Club receives the news that Christian Atsu is confirmed as one of the many victims of the dreadful earthquake in Turkey and Syria.”

Newcastle also paid hommage to “a talented player and a special person”. The club added, “He will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters.

Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of our former player, Christian Atsu.

The entire members of African Whistle Magazine Team hereby use this opportunity to extend our sincerest condolences to the family.

May his soul rest in peace.

The entire African Whistle Magazine Team & AICC Members hereby extend our sincerest condolences to all the fans, the family members of Christian Atsu and the country of Ghana. May his soul rest in peace.

Dr. Samuel

Mbazor President, Bless Africa Global Foundation

We share God's love by helping others!.

Africa is no doubt the festival continent. Throughout the year, in towns, villages and across the continent, colorful events, and cultural festivals are always held.

WHERE IS ARGUNGU?

Argungu is a city in Kebbi State, North - Western Nigeria, with Hausa as the indigenous language. A rich traditional Emirate with an Emir of Argungu. The people are very warm and receptive.

Over the years, it's become extremely popular with tourists both from Nigeria and other parts of the world to witness this great event. As of 2007 Argungu had an estimated population of 50,000 people.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Argungu Fishing Festival or locally called Fashin Ruwa, which literally means Breaking Water in Hausa, is no doubt the biggest fishing festival in Africa

The festival has been held since 1934, and has continued since then as a way of preserving the local tradition and promotes conservation. It is an annual four-day of fishing & cultural festivities which usually runs between late February & March, after all agricultural farm work is finished, marking the end of the growing season, and opening the fishing season with a bang.

THE PURPOSE OFTHE FESTIVAL

The Fishing Festival has many purposeswhichinclude: FishingCompetition,PromotingUnity among neighboring communities by enjoying shared cultural practices, FunFair,andculturalEntertainment Butthemainhighlightsofthefestival istheFishingCompetition

ARTICLE BY ADAM ALLI

HOW ARGUNGU FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATED

The four-day festival features kabanci, a series of water competitions including hand fishing, canoe racing, wild duck catching, as well as other traditional practices, such as the local style of wrestling and boxing. Dancing and singing add to the festivities as well.

There's a heavy focus on celebrating traditional skills from the Kebbi region, and one of the most iconic competitions that takes place during the festival is a one-hour race to catch the largest fish using traditional fishing tools; participants use their bare hands and local nets to catch fish.

To begin the fishing season, the custodian of the water, Sarkin Ruwa, (literally meaning, King of Water) and Homa (Chief of Argungu Fishermen) confirms the quality of the river water and fish stocks. And thereafter before this onehour competition starts, the river’s custodian, Sarkin Ruwa, ensures the river’s safety by gaining permission to fish from the River Oracles.

The fishing competition starts with a bang sound of gun, thousands of fishermen race to splash into the MATAN FADA RIVER, about 50 meters wide & about 50 meters deep, scouring the water for the largest freshwater fish.

Once the race has begun, drumming and dancing accompany the competitors and entertain the onlookers. the local drummers would beat their drums, filling the air with authentic traditional rhythm and dancing. This is another moment of excitement and entertainment.

More modern fishing tools are banned, in order to focus on skill and to help keep the festival sustainable. Some of the fish caught are truly enormous. For example In 2005, the winning fish weighed 75 kg, and needed four men to hoist it onto the scales!

There are no restrictions to who can participants, the luckiest fisherman to have caught the largest fish within an hour becomes the winner and is rewarded accordingly.

y, and features participants from over 25 different countries and showcases the rich and diverse cultureofthepeopleofCalabarandNigeriaasa whole.

The yearly carnival begins on December 1st and endsDecember31st.Consequently,forthemonth December, the city hosts numerous carniva events , a whole month of buzzing, celebratio andextravaganza.

Since inception, the program is divided into fou parts:

December1st-10th:MillenniumWeek

1December12th-17th:SportsWeek

December19th–24th:TheTINAPAFamilyFestival

December25th-31st:CarnivalWeek

The Parade is only a slither of Calabar Carnival’ attraction. The carnival begins with a ver spectacularTreeLightningceremony,followedb three weeks of musical performances, foo competitions,solidaritymarch,fashionshows,ar shows, sporting events, traditional dances masqueeventsandnon-stopstreetparties

carnival

Calabar Carnival

Youdon'thavetogoanywheretocelebratea festivalinDecember,justheadtoAfrica’s BiggestandlongestStreetParty,aspecial culturalfestivalthatdisplaysAfricanculture andheritagebymeansofmusic,dressing, drama,andotherculturalcreativities.

CARNIVALWEEK

December 25th - 31st

CarnivalweekisthefinalweekofCalabarCarnivalwhenmostofthehighlightstakeplace Itis theweekthatdrawsthemosttourists.

BIKERSSHOW

The Bikers' show is a display of professional bikers from all over the world They parade with several stunt performances, jawdropping and risky moves. The Biker’s festival is an economic move as it always attract lots of foreignbikersandbikeloversintoCalabarCity

When bikers gather for any event, they put on a great show

December is already a festive season, the mood gives Calabar Carnival that extra magicalfeelingthatyouonlyfeelonceayearduringChristmas.

CHRISTMASFESTIVITIES STREETPARADE

The street parade takes place over a 12km parade route and it is quite spectacular. It is filled with color, sparkle, live musicians, steel bands, and incredible costumes. Thousands parade and the musical performances, and the

SPORTINGEVENTS

The Carnival wouldn’t be complete without adding sports to it! There's a soccer tournament, competing for the Carni-Cal Cup A golf tournament, a boat regatta and othervarioussportingevents.

THEFOODSHOW

You don't want to miss the Calabar Carnival African Food Expo! This is one of the highlight of the carnival! You will be able to try some amazing meals that you have most likely never had before! The air is filled with so many intoxicating aromas.

BANDOFYEAR COMPETITION

There are six bands, five bands competing and the 6th one is the Governor’s band which includes celebrities, actors, musicians and other notable people.

HOTELS& ACCOMMODATION

Plenty hotels in Calabar. Prices range from $3 to $90US a night. We recommend booking early because two million people attend this carnival.

ATTRACTIONS IN CALABAR

ARTICLE BY ADAM ALLI

There are amazing attractions in Calabar, If you find yourself in the carnival then you must visit some of these places.

• Kwa Falls: A tropical paradise, this waterfall is located in a narrow steep gorge on the Kwa River. Although this waterfall is spectacular, even more inviting is the gorgeous beach at the edge of the pool which it flows into

• Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort; This is the first integrated leisure and business resort in Nigeria Created with the aim of giving tourists a dream experience in one visit. Located by the Calabar River it is a world-class facility where visitors take advantage of retail wholesale and recreational activities.

• Cross River National Park: A top eco-tourism destination One of the most preserved tropical rainforests in West Africa. Here you can see rare birds and animals in their natural tropical rainforest habitat

• Obudu Mountain Resort: Located in the highlands of Cross River State, a gorgeous place to visit With miles of rolling mountain, this serene and picturesque environment is worth the visit

• Agbokim Waterfalls: This fall consists of seven streams and each cascades over a steep cliff

• National Museum Calabar: This building was formerly the Government House during Colonial rule and was built in Britain and shipped in parts to Calabar in the late 1800s. This museum is filled with old relics, documents, furnishings and artifacts and is a great place to learn about Efik history

• Chief Ekpo Bassey’s House: This ancient house in Calabar stands out for its history and the affluence of Chief Ekpo Bassey, who was the Kingmaker of the Eflik tribe and a politician during the colonial era

• Slave Museum: This museum contains very rich information on slave trade activities that were popular in the 15th

Calabar Carnival is just another wonderful festival to visit in December 2023

Sister's Fellowship International is a ministry of Love and Appreciation. A fellowship where women pray together and build each other. You are welcome to fellowship with us and you are free to contact us @ (718) 637-9857

INTERVIEWWITHATTORNEY LOLAOGUNTADEWATERMANCANDIDATEFORCIVILCOURT JUDGE(DEMOCRATICPARTY)

Meet Lola!

In this interview you will get to meet Attorney at law, Lola Oguntade Waterman, candidate for civil court judge in the democratic party primary scheduled for Tuesday, June 27th, 2023

Lola was "born in East Lansing, Michigan, and schooled in her parents' native country, Nigeria " A harrowing experience in her teenage years set her on a path to becoming an attorney so that she could seek redress or justice for the deserving. A graduate of marketing from Arizona state University, with an excellent track record in the field, she's also a graduate of law from the New York law school, with more than 15 years’ experience as an Attorney She's married with

children and loves to volunteer for several courses Her motivating force is empathy for people and service to the community and possess varied and extensive experience in both the private and public sector.

The host for this interview is Len Ejiogu who serves as Coordinator of the New York City African Council The interview is conducted by Dr. Hadiza Osuji, the editor in chief of the African Whistle Magazine, and the President and Executive Director of the African International Collaborative Center (AICC)

DR.

OSUJI: Tell

us

a little bit of background about yourself

LOLA: First of all, thank you to both of you - Mr Ejiogu and Dr Osuji - for allowing me to be on this platform tonight This is a dream come true. I was born here, but unlike most people I relocated back to Nigeria at the age of four and half I believe and my developmental years were spent in Nigeria I went to elementary and high school there. When I turned 17, I had the unfortunate experience of losing my father He was a professor of food and science technology at the University of Ibadan and was on sabbatical in Lagos state. So he would commute to Lagos at the beginning of the week and back to Ibadan at the end of the week It was while he was out there that he was unfortunately, accosted and shot. He suffered from his gunshot injuries and ended up dying a few days later So, that's how I lost my father. At that point my mother decided that she was going to send me back to the United States since I

was a US citizen So, I came back here and my sister followed suit a couple of years later Then I had to file for my mom and my other two siblings who came thirteen or fourteen years later We are all here now When I first got here, I relocated to Arizona, as Arizona was where one of my aunts lived. I attended college there and went to Atlanta after graduation So when people ask me what made me decide to be a lawyer, one of the pivotal moments was when I lost my father and there was no investigation I recall growing up and just being angered with the justice system So for me, that was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to law school ast forward to when I moved here, living in Arizona, I was volunteering for a shelter One thing my parents instilled in me is service I remember in Nigeria my father was in the Lions club for as long as I could remember, probably since I was born, until he passed

away. And I really saw how he gave back to the The same thing for my mom. My mom worked (Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State), and her way up, all the way to being the General reporting directly to the governor. So, I have my parents in public service. I have seen them to the public, and that's what is in me. And so when to volunteer in the shelter, it was a shelter for had been domestically abused. I talked to the the attorneys, went to court with them so, that me to go to law school.

I applied to New York state. I didn't know anyone was blessed enough to find this African family that invited me to their home. I had two luggage and $500 time and was sleeping on an air mattress for the of the first semester of law school. I survived it. I was able to get my student loans, my apartment, and the rest is history.

I was in marketing when I first graduated from wanted to do something that I felt passionate started my own practice on immigration law because was what I knew, and I had been a beneficiary immigration system here. Then I added some planning because a lot of us don't plan for the future. was what I did until an opportunity presented itself to go into the court system where I am at currently. work for a judge right now in the supreme Court, Kings County, Brooklyn, and I'm basically the right the judge. I'm the judge's legal counsel. So I conference cases when the parties come in before they go the judge.

I serve in many bar associations here in New have been a lawyer now for almost 15 years. The step for me, in terms of service and giving back, is to run for judge. Hence me being in front of you today.

DR. OSUJI: I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. So, Lola, visiting your website, the first thing that grabs your attention, are the highlighted words, EMPATHY, EXPERIENCE and COMMUNITY Why does this matter to you?

LOLA: Exactly. Thank you for that question. My life story as I have already laid out to you right now is what really drives me. I believe that in order to sit on the bench and represent the state or the law that you have to have the qualification hat it takes to be there. So, I believe I have that qualification. Most people may not know the qualification to to run for a judge in New York state, you need to have ten years in practice, which I already have I have more than the ten years. I was in private practice for nine and half years, and during that time I had represented clients in federal courts, state courts, immigration, landlord/tenant matters,

VOLUME II

matrimonial matters, in state planning, surrogate So, I have a very diverse portfolio of work that I will be bringing to the bench with me As most people know, you are sitting on the bench and you are faced with a variety of cases, and the only way to be able to make a holistic decision on those cases is to know a little bit about everything. That way, you can make a decision that is both fair and equitable to the people you have in front of you As I also mentioned, I served on various bar associationsso with the the metropolitan black bar association, I am the chair for community service and pro bono services. From the Brooklyn bar association, I am the chair of access to justice task force I served under the Nigerian lawyer’s association And so, all of this I will be bringing to the bench, and I believe this makes me a highly qualified candidate for Judicial seat.

And when it comes to empathy, empathy is my whole life experience - losing my father, being homeless when I first moved here, knowing the struggle and what it takes to bring immigrant families here, and how not to take it for granted. I found out when I was in private practice I represented clients in immigration that had some kind of interaction with criminal courts Unfortunately, in criminal courts they don't tell them that when you plead guilty to certain things it affects your immigration status here And so, as a judge who would seat on the bench, even though I'm running for civil court, God willing I'm elected, it doesn't mean I would be assigned to civil court. I could be assigned to a criminal court or to a family court, right? We all know as immigrants that we appear in all those courts. Immigrants don't only appear in immigration courts, we have criminal courts, we have family courts, we have civil courts So I feel like, for me, being on any of those courts I'm able to empathize with people that appear in front of me because of what I have been through, and last but not east, my long standing commitment to the community, and the risk of repeating myself, everything that I have done in service to my community I think is important, but as a justice on the bench one has to be a reflection of the community they are serving, and secondly, they have to be grounded and know what the needs of their community are. And so those things matter a lot to me. It is important that those three qualities are embedded in every judge, and that is what I am offering to the people of Brooklyn.

DR. OSUJI: What do you think about the dispropor representation of Africans in the Judicial system i of being unfairly represented or fairly represented?

LOLA: Well, that's why I'm in this game That's why because there are, one or two, maybe three African that I know, but weren't elected, and so this has challenge for me you know This is my second time r I didn’t mention that I ran before, in 2021. And who maybe, that had an impact on the results It wa close, but I didn't make it And for me this is a cha know, I have heard in the street about me being but I'm not going to allow that deter me I'm going t and that's why I'm really grateful for the support been getting from the African community, becau important, I get their support to get to the bench A we don't have adequate representation on the ben that's why I'm here. I want little African boys and gir able to look at me and be motivated to do the sam Because the sky is the limit you know, and with God and with God's grace, we too can be ade represented on the bench

DR. OSUJI: So how will your interest to become a civil court judge be impactful to the African diaspora community? And that includes not just Africans, but also other immigrants?

LOLA: So, like I said before, we can be assigned to civil court, criminal court, or family court I feel that my experience as an African, and not just by name or paper, but actually having lived experiences. I used to pluck mangoes from the mango trees during summer time And so, bringing that experience, taking it to the bench with me also allows me to be more understanding, more culturally in tune with the Africans that would present, or immigrants that would present themselves to me I know the different cultural nuances that come with it. Sometimes the gender bias that comes with it So, I feel these are all the things that would enable me to hear cases fairly, and to adjudicate fairly in all cases that present themselves before me

DR. OSUJI: So, what are your social media handles to get more information about you?

LOLA: Absolutely. So, Instagram is, lola4judge. Facebook is lolawaterman4civilcourtjudge I believe my twitter is, Lola4judge also I am running in a specific district in Brooklyn. And that district covers Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, If I don't have an opponent, I will not be on the ballot in June, I will be on the ballot in November

DR. OSUJI: Being a mother, wife of a pastor and your role sitting on the bench, how do you balance these responsibilities?

LOLA: I would say the religious answer is, God. But you know I have been blessed, my mom shuttles between my younger sister and I and helping everyone out. Thankfully, I have a husband who is very involved. He is picking the children from school right now So, between my husband and the village, because everyone has to have a village, you know, women from the church who help me babysit when mom is not around

DR. OSUJI: How does Lola relax?

LOLA: What's that? Laughter My oldest is nine, and I have been promising myself a solo vacation since she was born It never happened but I am hoping that maybe after the election I can go somewhere and relax For me right now, I like to just relax with my daughters I have three girls who spend the majority of their time in school, and, running for office, I'm usually busy in the evenings So, whenever I have that time, I want to relax with them Get to know them a little better Get to serve as their mentor That's my job as their mom And just see what's going on in their lives So that's what I really do in my spare time

DR. OSUJI: Attorney Lola Oguntade Waterman , thank you It's been a pleasure meeting you and getting to know you better

DISCLAIMER

AICC, the publisher of AW magazine is a nonprofit 501C3 organization. We do not endorse or oppose political candidates.

YORUBATRADITIONALCLOTHING

ARTICLE BY MICHELLE ONAYINKA

Nigeria

a country in West Africa commonly referred to as “The Giant of Africa,” has hundreds of different tribes, traditions, and cultures. With 21% of the population, the Yoruba tribe is one of the most prominent tribes in Nigeria It is renowned for its style and distinctive clothing patterns. Traditional clothing is still widely used in Nigeria It has been for hundreds of years, despite fashion fads coming and going This garment is made from a handwoven fabric known as "Aso-oke," which means "clothes from the country" in English This fabric is mainly used to make clothing worn at important events like weddings, funerals, and festivals. The main components of a traditional Yoruba outfit for women are the Iro, Buba, and the Gele On the other hand, the traditional dress for men is the Agbada, mainly consisting of the Buba, Dashiki, and Agbada.

Iro&Buba

The Buba is a voluminous blouse, while The Iro is a vast fabric/wrapper wrapped around the waist The traditional Yoruba attire would be lacking without the Iro and Buba, which are its essential components It's unclear how Buba and Iro started, as many different opinions exist According to one version, because ladies were accustomed to tying the Iro, the top part of their bodies were covered by the Buba throughout the 19th century A different narrative states that the transSaharan trade influenced the Buba clothing. The missionaries created the style by shortening the Buba to fit into the Yoruba tradition of wrapping it in a wrapper The Iro and Buba have now been modified to fit the contemporary culture Until the style died out and became "old," it was widely adopted between the 1960s and the 1990s Up until a large number of Nigerian designers reinvented it Now, the style is a must-wear for every occasion

TheGele

Many people wear the traditional headdress known as the Gele. It is constructed from rigid fabric that can be shaped into various designs It has been a significant aspect of Yoruba culture even before the advent of slavery. Although it has Nubian and Egyptian roots, it has been adapted into Yoruba culture. The gele has traditionally served as a sign of social standing, prominence, and riches. Those who could afford Gele donned distinctive designs and patterns Even the manner a woman wore her Gele may reveal whether or not she was married. She was single if the end leaned to the left. She was married if it leaned to the right Now that the Gele has been updated, like much of Yoruba culture It is now worn as an iconic fashion statement and has even been a staple for everyday clothing.

Agbada

The name agbada, which means "voluminous clothing," is derived from the outer robe and refers to the entire ensemble. It is a long, baggy robe that ends at the ankle. The capacious Agbada was invented by an Arab merchant who popularized the "Riga" variation of the clothing The elite, chiefs, the wealthy, and others copied and adapted this design using their varied luxurious native textiles. It is thought that this clothing dates back to the 12th or 13th centuries and then started to spread throughout West Africa in the 16th century. Men typically wear this outfit; however, women have recently begun to wear it Like the Gele, the Agbada used to show a person's wealth and was exclusively worn by people with high social rank. The Agbada has been updated and is now sewn with various materials, including silk, lace, guinea, and Ankara's

ARTICLE BY MICHELLE ONAYINKA

TheDashiki

The loose-fitting pullover known as a Dashiki first appeared in West Africa on males as practical labor attire Males frequently wear this attire over their Agbada. Similar clothing has been discovered in revered Dogon burial caves from the 12th and 13th centuries in Southern Mali Different emotions and occasions are symbolized by different Dashiki hues. For instance, grooms typically wore white dashikis on their wedding day Since purple is the color of African royalty, some couples choose to wear it on their wedding day instead. Because blue is associated with love, peace, and harmony, blue dashikis are occasionally worn at weddings as well In the 1960s, as a form of protest against white society, the dashiki entered the American social scene. Although the initial excitement has subsided, it is still an essential part of Yoruba and West African culture

ARTICLE BY MANJADDA IMAH

Whenhubrisistakentoofaritusuallyconsumesus,aswouldbeamplydisplayedinthisstory. Life itself is the very manifestation of the struggle between the status quo and change The struggle between sustaining a particular way of life or letting go. In this titanic struggle over the ages, change has always prevailed Itmaybeevolutionary,itmayberevolutionary,butittriumphsattheendoftheday Whenchangeis imposed through brute force, the protagonist or the antagonist must suffer a crushing blow This story (by Adeyemi Olajide), representing a historical event, is a peripeteia of sorts, where the protagonist loses everything, everything But the reader is faced with a dilemma – is holding on to what you believe in worth dying for? When does one’s principles become stale? I guess, these are the questions that mankind would struggletoresolve.

ThestoryofKurunmiisonethatdrawstearsfromthe eyesofpeoplewhofeelpityforamanwhostoodfirm forhistradition.

TherewasatimeinthehistoryoftheYoruba,whoare mostlyfoundinthesouthwesternpartofpresentday Nigeria, when the heir to the throne was killed whenever the king died This tradition persisted because princes tended to hasten the death of their fathers in order to ascend the throne It was believed that if the heir apparent understood that they were going to be killed when their father died, kings would staylongeronthethrone

AtthetimethatAlaafinAtibabecametheparamount rulerofOyoempire,heappointedKurunmi,thesonof Esiele,astheAareOnaKakanfo(thegeneralissimoof thewholeYorubawarriors).

As it was with tradition, a king and an Aare Ona Kankafowerenotallowedtostayinthesametownas they both wielded immense powers So Kurunmi was assignedtoIjaiyeastheoverlord.

One day, Alaafin Atiba summoned the kings and chiefs of the neighboring towns to inform them that hewishedtochangetradition.Presentatthemeeting were kings like the Timi of Ede, Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan,Kurunmihimself.

When they were seated, Atiba came down from his throne wielding the sword of Ogun (the Yoruba god of iron) in his right hand, and in his left hand, the bolt of Sango (the Yoruba god of lightening and thunder) He charged the royalties present to swear by the sword and the bolt that after his death, his son and heir apparent, Aremu Adelu, would be made king Kurunmi disagreed immediately, and he reminded the Alaafin that tradition dictated unequivocally that the moment he dies, his son, Adelu, must die along with him.

The other royalties tried to persuade Kurunmi, but he was adamant. When it became obvious to him that he could not convince the others, he walked out on them in anger and headed for Ijaiye. The other kings left to inform their people of the outcome of the meeting. When Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan informed his chiefs about what had happened, Basorun Ogunmola immediately suggested that they wage a war against Kurunmi.

While Kurunmi was making his preparations for war, the Ibadan warriors, led by Ogunmola, went to meet the people of Egba, reputed for their powerful charms The Egba then prepared a potent charm called Eedi (a charm that causes someone or a group of people to ignore warnings, or dare someone or something that will harm them) The Eedi curse was placed on River Ose so that the Ijaiye warriors would be tempted to cross the river

When the war started, Kurunmi sent five of his sons to fight alongside his troops During the face-off the Ijaiye warriors roundly defeated the Ibadan troops. What was left of the Ibadan troops fled across the river Unfortunately for Kurunmi, his warriors fell under the spell of the potent charm, Eedi, and pursued the fleeing troops across River Ose, intent on maintaining their momentum.

True to the prediction made by the oracle, as soon as they crossed the river their charms failed them, and thousands of them were slaughtered by the Ibadan troops who had set a trap for them Kurunmi suffered huge losses, including the death of his five sons

Basorun Ogunmola mocked him, sending a message to him that he was coming for his head This, along with the news of the loss of his men, and the death of his daughter, was the last straw. Kurunmi became despondent and suicidal While he grieved he held on to his belief that tradition was tradition, and he did not regret standing firm in the face of such glaring corruption.

Kurunmi “committed suicide by taking poison, and he was thrown into the River Ose according to his wishes so that Basorun Ogunmola won’t have the luxury of cutting his head

STORY BY ADEYEMI OLAJIDE

Interview with Winnie Misonda

Founder & CEO

Winnie Misonda Hope Foundation

DR. OSUJI: I have heard wonderful things about the work you have been doing, impacting the lives of adolescent children and women who have been infected with or affected by HIV in Zambia, doing just awesome work. Thank you for coming.

WINNIE: No, thank you so much. Thank you for giving me this moment.

DR. OSUJI: So, tell us about Winnie.

WINNIE: I have a big heart, I love people. I knew this at an early age because my dad used to be a pastor and an elder in the church and I was always helping out in church. I was one of those children who would go to church with my dad. My father once had a friend visiting from Nigeria. He came to our home and he found out that I did not eat chicken out of my own free will, which to most people was weird. He said I was strong minded and would be an evangelist like him. But deep inside, I said, “an Evangelist?!! Me?!! What are you talking about? I'm a young girl full of life. I love life. What do you mean?”. But still, maybe he was right because I knew I had that fire inside of me. I am a happy person and I welcome everybody. So, to summarize, I am a child of God who's happy and lives one day at a time. And I'm grateful for the little that I have.

DR. OSUJI: You're originally from Zambia, yes?

WINNIE: Yes, I'm from Zambia, born and raised in Zambia but now based in the US in New Jersey.

DR. OSUJI: So, what is the Winnie Musonda Hope Foundation all about?

WINNIE: We are a nonprofit organization that is working with kids born with HIV, AIDS and orphans, as well as women who are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Also, we walk to empower women. I started the nonprofit organization after I lost my my sister to HIV/AIDS. At the time, she was I think 25 years old, had just finished college, got married, and had just had a baby and the couple didn't know they were both infected. By that time,

there was very little sensitization about the disease. So she was sick for a little while and then passed on, and back home we live in a world of stigma. It was very hard for both my parents and people to understand what was going on. I remember at a young age, all I knew was that she was sick from Tuberculosis (TB) and in those days, when people heard somebody had TB, they had no clear information other than you cannot stay next to them. This was just pressing on my mind because back home as Africans, we don't talk about stuff like that. We couldn’t even ask our parents so when I came here to the US, at the age of 19, I found people in the diaspora, and we could talk openly. I started asking my mom questions and decided I was going to do something because I hated to see my sister die. How could we do better? So, while in the process of trying to set up a nonprofit organization in 2014, I lost my older brother to HIV/AIDS. He did not know at first and was informed in front of of my mom about his HIV status. Again, the stigma was bad. He suffered from severe headaches and other complications. His doctors performed a lumbar puncture procedure but because he was already weak, he passed away. A month later, my younger brother fell sick, he was coughing a lot and was put on TB

medication. He also took a HIV test and in those days it took two months to get back the results He died on the same day that the results came back He had a critically low CD4 count (A CD4 count is a blood test that measures the number of CD4 white blood cells in a sample of blood) The TB medication that he had been given was strong and prescribed wrongly. So, within two months, I lost two brothers And by then, I had already lost my sister This gets to me every time, no matter how I am smiling. And the bad part is that I couldn't go home for both my brothers’ funerals as I had just had a baby It was very, very tough and I always ask God why this had to happen to me and my family. So, I took a deep breath.

I knew I needed to do something. What could I do to just change this? My late siblings left children behind My niece has gone to college and graduated She's now a doctor and my nephew is now a teacher. So, while looking after my nephew and niece, I told my mom that the HIV/AIDS stigma was too much, I needed to figure out how to help. I started thinking about other children who did not have aunties and uncles So, I went to a clinic close to where my mother lives and the cemetery where my siblings were buried. I spoke with the director, and then they said they do have a database of children who are orphans and living with HIV AIDS Then they said we could work together and see how we can help these kids. So, some of the kids, I met them when they were like six years old and they're

now in college

To cut the story short, we went ahead and launched the AIDS Walk in Zambia to bring more HIV/AIDS awareness and reduce the stigma. The first time we walked in 2015, maybe 500 people came We do the Walk in August when I go home and now, we get between 1000 to 1500 people We have our own T-shirts that we wear, my team and I. I have a co-founder, a communication director and an accountant, we thought about what to do with the children after they finish primary school because they need to further their education We decided to fund their college because we believe if we educate them, they will be able to educate their peers. That's the reason I formed the nonprofit to make a difference I want to be able to help somebody I might not have a lot, but if we put our heads together, do the fundraising, get grants, we can help the kids who need help And that's what Winnie Musonda Hope Foundation has been doing Every December, we have a fundraising gala where we raise money so we can help send more kids to school and for the past five years, it has been very successful

Last year, we put four children into college and this year we already have two and we are hoping to take at least ten to college We also help them start small businesses so they can to sustain themselves. I think about how we can end HIV/AIDS Like now there's a solution for COVID but there's no end in sight for HIV

I have a young man in my organization. He recalls that when his mom and dad died, he was staying with his uncle. He was made to use the same spoon, same plate every day and he thought this is how it's supposed to be not knowing that he was using the same utensils daily because he was infected, and the family did not want him to touch other dishes. So, it’s very hard when you hear these stories, and we have many. We hope and pray that we can help more kids go to school and can create more awareness and end the stigma associated with the disease.

We have started fundraising for a food pantry and a community center for the children. They meet at a gazebo outside the hospital where they get food and counseling, but I don’t want them to meet at the hospital. They need to have a space they can call their own, a child friendly space, because the hospital is not always a happy place and can be very depressing. A friendly space like the Boys and Girls club that we have over here or something like that, where we can have computers and other activities. My own children are older, so now I have more time for charity work.

DR. OSUJI: If somebody wants to support your work, how do they go about it?

WINNIE: They can donate at www.wmhopefoundation.org and via Zelle, PayPal at winniemusaonda@gmail.com and Cashapp. We are a 501c3 registered over here in the US and back home. They can also contact us, and we can let them know how best to help us..

DR. OSUJI: There may be organizations that are interested in collaborative opportunities with WM Hope Foundation, how can this happen?

WINNIE: Seeing is believing I say. Please visit our Facebook page, WM Hope Foundation and see our success stories. You will be inspired to join us.

DR. OSUJI: I am sure a lot of people would want to jump on board. Now talking about your foundation, your family, your show on YouTube, how do you juggle all of these?

WINNIE: I always go back to when my father's friend told me I was going to be an evangelist. I have 100 kids in the nonprofit organization. Maybe he didn’t mean I had to be an evangelist in a church, but he prepared me for this work. I am a Christian and I have a faith. At the beginning of the year, I regroup and go through 21 days of fasting and I pray for more strength and sanity. I shut down my Facebook, I shut down everything. I feel like God has blessed me with more because I am giving him what belongs to him. We are his vessels and I'm happy to let him use me as much as he can.

DR. OSUJI: You are blessed and you will continue to be blessed because anybody who gives and tries to solicit help for those in need, is surely going to be blessed. So what are your plans for the future for WM Hope Foundation?

WINNIE: We are building a community center so that our kids can have a space. We have a farm that is about 15 acres, so we're trying to build a hospital and a school so we can be able to help people on the outskirts of the city.

DR. OSUJI: Wonderful. Again, I want to thank you for coming. It's been a pleasure talking to you. And I must say, please continue to do what you're doing because it is so very much needed. I believe God will continue to strengthen you and bless you.

AICC TALES BY ZOOMLIGHT IS A WEEKLY AFRICAN STORYTELLING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO EDUCATE CHILDREN ON GOOD MORALS.

AICC INTRODUCED THE WEEKLY SERIES OF TALES BY ZOOMLIGHT BECAUSE AFRICAN STORYTELLING PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INSTILLING CHARACTER AND VALUES, SUCH AS INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND COURAGE IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE THE ELDERS WERE USUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR NARRATING STORIES THAT CARRIED A VERY GOOD MORAL LESSON

TRADITIONALLY, AFRICAN STORYTELLING WAS COMMUNAL THEREFORE, INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN, WOULD GATHER AROUND A FIREPLACE DURING THE NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE MOON. THIS KIND OF STORYTELLING PRACTICE WAS REFERRED TO AS TALES BY MOONLIGHT

TALES TALES

BY BY ZOOMLIGHT

ZOOMLIGHT

AICC Community Outreach Project

The African International Collaborative Center (AICC) was formed for the charitable purpose of building stronger and healthier African immigrant families and communities AICC continues to work tireless to implement and be a part of programming that advances that mission as follows::

ThePeople’sMoney:Community ParticipatoryBudgeting

In the area of community-based programming, AICC is partnering with the NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) on a program called “The People’s Money” This is NYC’s first Citywide Participatory Budgeting (PB) process in which all New Yorkers ages 11 and up, regardless of citizenship status, are invited to directly decide how $5 million of mayoral expense funding is used The process results in borough ballots and local neighborhood ballots AICC led work in the Williamsbridge and Wakefield areas, in which residents were gathered to brainstorm project ideas and to learn more about the program and the city’s budget Then convened members of the neighborhood coalition to help narrow down the ideas that make it onto the borough’s ballot The community-based organizations that AICC worked with in the coalition included representatives from the Bronx Community Board 12, Allerton Library, Northeast Bronx YMCA, Parkside Senior Center, House of Good Shepherd Ministry, High School of ComputerandTechnology,Holy Trinity Churchand the Gun Hill Houses Residents Association Voting will begininMay of 2023.Getready!

The People's Money: Neighborhood Coalition Members

The African International Collaborative Center (AICC) Executive Director, Dr. Hadiza Osuji has applauded the efforts of the representatives of the Bronx community-based organizations who were recently part of the neighborhood coalition tasked with ensuring that the top five project ideas that were adopted as part of Phase 2 of the New York City borough-based Participatory Budgeting (PB) are a true representation of the needs of the community. Speaking at the close of the final session of the idea vetting phase, Dr. Osuji commended the participants for going above the call of their mandate “The coalition members took their responsibility seriously and were dedicated and fully engaged throughout the process and we greatly appreciate their input”, she said. Also, Dr. Osuji was especially grateful for the Northeast Bronx YMCA for being the host site for all the PB vetting meetings and also took time to commend AICC staff who facilitated idea vetting meetings Ms Angela Paulino and Ms Mwamba Okoro, for making the process smooth and successful.

The coalition members were thankful and excited to be part of such an important process and commended the endless networking opportunities that the meeting had created among the members as they all had the common goal of working to eliminate the social and economic disparities that continue to plague the communities that they represent

COVID-19 Outreach

AICC has worked tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower African communities in New York city For instance, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, AICC was in the forefront of organizing events that sensitized communities about disease, distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), COVID-19 testing kits, Thermometers, Hand sanitizers and also successfully hosted community conversations and vaccine education events

Relief Outreach for Migrants and Asylu Seekers

As part of AICC social responsibility, AICC is work constantly in fostering collaborations with commun institutions, and policy makers to build stronger and health African immigrant families and communities

February 25th 2023 was another Day of Action where AI in response to the migrant crises collaborated with the Bro Borough President’s office, and other notable organizatio to conduct a resource fair in one of Bronx homeless shelt The resource fair was aimed at supporting the newly arriv migrants and asylum seekers as well as the commun members in the shelter by providing basic but import

AICC Community Outreach Project

HandsOnPhotographyforYouth

AICCisalsofocusedonservingasaknowledge basewherecommunitymemberscanlearnto developpracticalskillsthroughprogramssuchas theHands-On-Photographyworkshopstargeted towardsyouth Theprogramspecificallytapped intothepopularityandaccessibilityof photographybyteachingBronxbasedyouths aged14-21years,thetechnicalinsandoutsof photographywiththegoalofnotonly encouragingacademicgrowth,butalsocreative growth.Thisprogramprovidestheyouthswitha challengingenvironmentinwhichtheyarefully engagedandwillcontinuetogrowasartiststhat areabletousethenewlyacquiredskillsasa sourceofincomeinfuture.

REAMAP 2023 CAMPAIGN NYIC Regrant

REMAP (Register, Educate, Mobilize, Advocate, a Protect) funded by the New York Immigration Coalition is a civic engagement program to con non-partisan civic and voter engagement activ leading up to the General Election. AICC condu Voter registration drives, voter education,, door door canvassing, text banking, and phone bank

FOOD SECURITY

Through partnership, donations and grant funding AICC distributed culturally responsive foodstuffs to alleviate the “food insecurity impacting a growing number of families in the community we serve. The demography of the community served include Black, African American, and Hispanic residing in the Bronx (specifically District 12). Although AICC specifically serves African immigrants, other minority groups in the district including African Americans, Bangalees and Hispanic were welcomed and served.

AICC fully recognizes and acknowledges the important role that healthcare workers played on the front lines of the COVID-19 and therefore championed the creation of an online support group geared towards strengthening promoting the mental health outcomes of Black nurses and healthcare workers including immigrants of African descent and strengthening their families The group was formed with the goal of helping participants connect with their peers and through their shared experiences find ways to reduce stress, be open to help seeking, learn about effective coping strategies and improve family functioning

African Immigrant Healthcare Workers Support Groups for Sessions

Thanks to RTWF Charity Foundation for funding this project.

DIABETES:APRACTICAL/LIFESTYLE APPROACH-MYJOURNEYSOFAR

The following is the true life experience of a former diabetic from Gusau, Nigeria. Fascinating read. Part 1.

BACKGROUND

On one of my sojourns to Gusau three or four years ago, I got information that our classmate, Yahaya Musa Bilbis was on admission at the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau He was admitted due to diabetes related complications, and that one of his legs was, in fact amputated.

Naturally, I went to visit him at the hospital, and what I beheld on an emergency hospital bed was a shadow of our once vibrant and lively friend and classmate, the late Yahaya Musa B True enough, he had one leg amputated, from just above the knee, and was obviously in excruciating pain, despite the heavy sedation

After greetings, and prayers by my humble self for his quick recovery, he informed me that a date had in fact, been fixed for the amputation of the other leg. "Innaa Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilaihi Raajiuun", I exclaimed in mortal shock! He displayed the soon to be amputated second leg which had rotted and turned jet black, with missing toes and a motley of putrefying sores here and there I cried. I cried at the terrible sight, and had to be consoled and escorted back to my car

Above is my brief eyewitness account of how diabetes can ravage a human body That was not all I later learnt that, it can in fact, make a person to lose his eyesight, make wounds to fester, damage the liver, and a host of other health complications Mercifully, mercifully, the day the second leg was to be amputated, Allah ordained for our friend, an end to these earthly sufferings

Yahaya Musa died on the day fixed for the amputation of the second leg Allaahu Akbar May Allah Forgive his shortcomings

Innaa Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilaihi Raajiuun.

Meanwhile, I myself was diagnosed with the dreaded disease back in 2012. You can imagine my agitation consequent to what I just witnessed of the devastating effects of complications arising from diabetes! I resolved to read and understand all I can about the disease! From my humble search on the subject, and out of so many, sometimes conflicting information (majorly on the internet), I was able to garner the following facts (in brief):

The Mechanism

Diabetes is a so-called lifestyle disease I understand this means that the disease ensues from what we choose to eat, how much of that we consume, the frequency with which we consume, sedentary (lack of exercise) life, etc To cut a long story short, from what I could gather, the foods that are complicit in the development of Diabetes Type 2 are carbohydrates and sugars In any and all forms. Any time we eat carbs and sugars, our pancreas releases a hormone called insulin which breaks down these carbs and sugars into glucose necessary for providing the energy we need for our everyday activities The excess glucose that's not used up as energy remains in the blood in the form of triglycerides. When we have too much of the glucose in our system, and after a long enough period of say 20 to 30 years we develop what is called Insulin Resistance (IR) Arising from this insulin resistance, we develop a condition known as pre-diabetes, which progresses to full-blown diabetes if we do not take action to reverse the condition

Insulin resistance occurs when over time, our pancreas is unable to produce adequate enough insulin to break down and transfer the glucose into our body cells At this stage, common sense should dictate that we give the pancreas a break by desisting from eating the foods that led us to insulin resistance in the first place! Giving the pancreas a break by desisting from eating sugars means that our body now becomes Insulin Sensitive (IS), leading to a reversal of our insulin resistance! That is exactly what ensues when we stop (or at least drastically reduce) our intake of carbs and sugars, thereby giving our body a chance to regain the insulin sensitivity status

Unfortunately, this is the stage at which orthodox medicine will prescribe drugs, ostensibly to drive down your sugar levels (which the drugs in fact, do), but in reality, you are still in the state of insulin resistance, even though your glucometer shows otherwise! With time, you are not cured of your diabetes status, and you are, in fact, advised to take higher doses of the drugs prescribed

When you take medications (say Glucophage, also known as Metformin or even Insulin Injections), what happens is that these medications act as insulin to drive down your blood glucose into the body cells, thereby driving down your blood sugar readings However, with time, your cells become inundated and saturated with glucose Consequently, you will need higher and higher doses of the medications (just like in the case of intoxicants where with time you need higher amounts to get intoxicated) Ultimately, the cells can no longer take any more and so the glucose remains in the blood causing all kinds of complications The medications are thus not curative, but merely make blood glucose readings to plummet, even though the sugars are still present in the body One is thus only postponing the evil day!

Caveat/Disclaimer

I am not a medical doctor! Or indeed any kind of doctor! Neither am I a nutritionist I am merely adumbrating what worked for me, as gleaned from all I have read on the Internet and watched on YouTube channels dedicated to the challenges of Diabetes T2

Primarily, I used information in books and YouTube clips uploaded by Dr Jason Fung, Dr Sten Eckberg, Dr Eric Berg, and Dr Robert Bernstein

Mr Dennis Pollock’s Beat Diabetes YouTube channel has tons of practical and practicable information on the matter, particularly for laymen, as he himself is a layman in the field of medicine Incidentally, Mr Dennis Pollock is an American Pastor and has a Nigerian wife

Reversing Diabetes T2

Having stated all this, let me just dive into what to avoid in order to reverse your insulin resistance status, and I’m happy to say, for me and countless other people, without the need for any drugs. In just one sentence, simply avoid all sugars, in whatever form and drastically cut all carbohydrate intakes!

Having laid out my non-professional qualification in this field, let me first of all echo Dr. Sarah Hallberg when she opined in a Tedtalk show (again on YouTube) that the first thing to do in order to reverse Diabetes T2 is to ignore the conventional view about the disease: that it is a chronic incurable disease that you have to live with for the rest of your life! Nothing can be further from the truth, according to Dr Hallberg! Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have reversed their Diabetes T2 status as measured by the universally accepted amount of glucose in the blood.

According to Mayo Clinic, “fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5 6 mmol/L) is normal A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5 6 to 6 9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes” (mayorclinic org 7 Dec 2022)

I was diagnosed with a blood glucose reading of 317 mgDL in September 2012 - almost three times what is considered "diabetes T2" Incidentally I keep emphasizing Diabetes T2 (inadequate insulin production by the pancreas), to distinguish it from Diabetes T1 (which is complete absence of the body's ability to produce insulin at all!!)

ARTICLE BY SHEHU GUSAU

This reversal of Diabetes T2 status was done, NOT through the prescription and administration of any drugs, but through simple lifestyle changes that any person can do, with a little bit of discipline. It works on the premise that once you desist from consuming what led to the status in the first place, then automatically the body begins to respond accordingly and ultimately becomes insulin sensitive, thereby reversing your blood glucose levels!

KENKEY

Ghana's favourite !!

Is a fermented white cornmeal dumpling typically shaped into large balls and then stemmed. It is popular all over Ghana as it one of the main foods of Ghana cuisine and known to have several nutritional and health benefits for the consumers. There are two types of Kenkey known as Fante Kenkey which is produced mostly in central and western regions of Ghana and Ga Kenkey produced by the people of Ewe and Akan, commonly found in the Greater Accra Region. Both the Fante Kenkey and Ga Kenkey are basically kneaded corn dough cooked in plantain leaves and served with sauces, peppers, onions, meat, fish or shrimps. There is also the Kenkey drink known as iced kenkey which is made from cut pieces of kenkey, yoghurt, chilled water, milk and sugar or to make it a healthier drink, sweeteners such as dates or honey could be used insteadof sugar.Thisisservedwithpeanutsifneeded.

The amount per serving based on a 2000 calorie diet is 760 calories. Your caloric intake maybe higher or lower depending on yourcalorie needs.

The cornmeal can be stored in a fridge for up to four weeks and is still good to eat by simply boiling it with water on low heat untilsoft. ifmicrowave isused, itiseasiertocut theball in half then sprinklewateron it, coverandheatuntilitis warm.

Kenkey is made up of complex carbohydrates considered ‘good carbs’ because they take longer time to digest and do not spike your blood sugar, your body converts the carbs into glucose to give you energy. This cornmeal has low protein, low fat and high fiber content. It's high level of fiber aids in digestion and so protects you from constipation and hemorrhoids. Kenkey is rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, and B vitamins and in minerals such as selenium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. Research suggests that the use of calcium, magnesium, and zinc may improve severalaspectsofyour health,suchas bonestrength, mood, good immunity form illness, regulate blood sugar or lower blood sugar and giveyou sound sleep.

Furthermore, Kenkey has antioxidants, the substance that protects cells from damage. These antioxidants in turn help reduce the risk of heart disease, delay decline in brain function that occurs with age, protect from premature aging and also providehealthy eyes.

in addition, blood cholesterol levels caused by fat deposits in the body are reduced by eating Kenkey. Another benefit of Kenkey is that when eaten in moderation, a serving helps you to feel full long after eating. This is helpful in maintaining your weight orif you wanttolosesomeweight.

Although the meal takes quite some time to prepare and be ready for eating, Kenkey might be said to contribute beneficially to your overallhealth.

ARTICLE BY RAKIYA IDRIS

FURA DA NONO

In northern part of Nigeria, Fura da Nono is one of the many popular local drinks Fura da Nono simply means a combination of fermented fresh cow milk with ground millet and in some instances with addition of spices depending on the demand It is a local gruel made from millet balls (fura) and Nono (fresh cow milk) It is mostly sold on the streets by Fulani women in calabashes covered with decorative mat and scopes made from wood or metal to knead the mixture to a smooth paste for drinking It is a common street drink with a sweet taste, but dates or honey can be added to make it sweeter if you so desired The main ingredients for making fura are Millet, cloves, ginger and dried chili pepper Millet serves as an excellent source of probiotics which means it supports the good bacteria in the digestive system In addition, it contains essential nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin B3, phosphorus, dietary fiber, B vitamins and antioxidants Nono is also rich as it is loaded with high quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, potassium, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids among others and so provides all the essential protein that our body needs. Fura da Nono can be said to be a healthy drink because it involves no processing It contains 221kcals per 100g. So, enjoy your healthy breakfast by eating a hot bowl of millet gruel topped with low fat milk and add your favorite dried nuts and fruits if you so wish!

ARTICLE BY RAKIYA IDRIS

NOW LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FURA DA NONO

Reduces Cholesterol Levels - Vitamin B3 present in Fura helps in lowering cholesterol levels in the body. It also detoxifies the kidney and liver.

Keeps Bones Strong - Fura da Nono is rich in calcium, which is important for maintaining strong bones and teeth. It also contains phosphorus and vitamin D, which are needed for maintaining bone density and preventing bones from becoming weak and brittle.

Lowers the Risk of Heart Attacks -Another health benefit is that it contains magnesium which has been found to lower blood pressure reducing the risk of heart attack. Vitamin B3 also reduces cholesterol levels, further lowering the chance of heart attack. The reason why millet is considered a heart healthy food.

Aids Digestion and Prevents Constipation- Fura da Nono is rich in fibre which aids digestion. It does this by easing bowel movement and allowing the food to digest properly. This also prevents constipation and irregular bowel movement. Insoluble fiber in millet is important for adding bulk to stools, which helps keep and reduces the risk of colon cancer.

Helps to breakdown Fat in the body- Phosphorus in Fura da Nono helps to breakdown fat into smaller compounds which is used to provide energy to the cells in the body. Fat is very complex to break down, but the presence of phosphorus aids the process. Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Taking Fura da Nono reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because millet is rich in magnesium which is needed in preventing and managing diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has also been observed in research studies to be caused by lack of magnesium. In this regard, taking fura da nono would help.

Boosts Brain Health - Milk is a vital food for the brain. Fura da Nono has an abundance of vitamin B, which helps in nourishing your nerves and maintaining proper sleep. Vitamin B12 is known to boost your memory power, intelligence, and perception.

Fura da Nono has no known side effect, but hygiene can be an issue during the preparation of the fura and the milking process. Therefore, the process involves good hygiene. All said and done, ENJOY YOUR REFRESHING FURA DA NONO!!!

THEGREATIGBO LANDING

ARTICLE BY ADAM ALLI

Aniewku first came across the story on a St. Simons vacation. In 2016, Aniewku was inspired to perform spiritual work at the Igbo Landing building, after a visit by Igbo descendants from Haiti, Brazil, The Bahamas, and Barbados years earlier. He and others believed the souls of the rebel Igbos were trapped in the water due to the violent deaths.

So Aniewku and other Igbo leaders had to perform a rite of passage called "ikwa ozu” at the site. Ikwa ozu means something like "celebrating the dead.”

A way of telling their souls to rest in peace. And now Bobby Aniewku believes that finally the souls of the Igbo Landing have been set free.

On this note, i will like to give credit to Njideka Agbo & GPB whose contributing articles were also very helpful & insightful.

A notable slave dealer, William Mein, in his narrative, noted that not all of the Igbos committed suicide, but that only about 10 to 12 of them actually drowned, while the rest were rescued before they drowned by bounty hunters, who got $10 per person rescued. Some of those who were recovered were eventually taken to Cannon’s Point on St. Simons Island and Sapelo Island. Regardless of the number, the deaths signaled a powerful story of resistance.

Today, Dunbar Creek looks like any other tidal creek a vacationer might drive across on the way to the beach at St. Simons Island.

The locals who stay around the island claim that the place was haunted by the spirit of the drowned Igbos.

Bobby Aniewku is an Atlanta attorney who was born in Nigeria and is an Ozo, or spiritual advisor in the Igbo tradition. He said the story of resistance and self-determination at Dunbar Creek is a story that has travelled the world. “It's called the first freedom march in the United States,” Aniewku said.

The Igbos are one of the largest single ethnic groups in Southeast Nigeria.

In 1803 something momentous, tragic, happened in a place called Dunbar Creek, on St. Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia, that has remained indelible in the minds of great historians, and that has lent credence to the indomitable spirit of the Igbo.

The historic site was called IGBO LANDING, named after the mass suicide of Igbo people captured as slaves.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

The month of May 1803 will forever be remembered in black history as one that showed the courage of the Igbo people, in the face of subjection.

During the transatlantic slave trade in Nigeria, the Igbo tribe were revered because they were industrious, proud, independent, and performed their duties with little or no supervision. And as such they were the preferred choice for slave dealers.

The historic event started when about 75 Igbos from what's now known as Nigeria were captured, bounded and put on a ship, for a three-month voyage from West Africa to Georgia in USA, where the slaves were to be sold in plantations across the Americas. Each was to be sold for rates as high as $100.

Records show how the Igbo slaves rebelled and took control of the ship, throwing all their captors into the sea.

But getting to the shores, rather than submit to the waiting hands of the enslavers who will force them onto plantations, they chose what, to them, was the path of honor, by following the directive of someone who seems to be the chief priest to turn back into the marshy waters of Dunbar creek, still in their iron shackles, singing in Igbo thus:

(Mmụọ mmiri du anyi bịa, mmụọ mmiri ga-edu anyi laa).

"The water spirit brought us here, the water spirit will take us home, and our god Chukwu will take us back to our land", they sang until they all plunged into the creek waters and drowned. They chose death over slavery in a foreign land.

WAZOBIA WAZOBIA YORUBA HAUSA

MAMMAN SHATA – MAWAƘI MAI BAN AL’AJABI

Tun ina ɗan yaro ƙarami na fara jin wasu waƙoƙi masu dadi da ke faranta mani rai ta akwatin radiyo da talabijin. Muna yara babu waka da ake sanya wa a akwatin radiyo ila waƙoƙin Indiya da na mawaƙan hausa. Irin su Mamman Shata, Haruna Uji, Dan Maraya Jos, Ɗan Anace, Ɗan Ƙwairo da dai sauran su. Ina ji ban wuce shekara tara ko goma ba da na fara la'akari da waƙokin nan, a shekara alif da ɗari tara da saba’in da uku zuwa da hudu.

Babu shiri (frogram) da nake saurare a lokacin kamar “zaben gaisuwa, (zaɓi sonka)” inda jama’a ke isar da gaisuwa ga masoya, yan’uwa, abokan azirki, da makwabta. Bayan haka sai su zabi waƙa da za a sanya wa wanda suke fatan gaisuwar su ta isa. Kusan dayawa daga cikin su waƙar Marigayi Alhaji Doctor Mamman Shata suke zaɓa a sanya masu. Da haka na zo na saba da waƙokin Dr. Mamman Shata, kamar irin su,

ALLAH YA JIKAN HABIBU FARI; SARKIN MARARRABA;

MAMMAN BELLO; LAFIYA ZAKI MAMMAN DAH; GALADIMAN

KATAGUN; MALLAM DAN MALLAM; DAN GARBA DAU; GUMI NA NAKE CI; NA TSAYA GA ANNABI MUHAMMADU; DA

MAKAMANTA SU WANDA BA ZANI IYA LISAFA WA BA.

Cikin wakokin nan, wanda su ka fi faranta mani rai, da ke sani nishadi, su ne, dan garba dau, lafiya zaki Mamman dah, gumi na nake ci, da, na tsaya ga Annabi Muhammadu.

Sai gashi wata rana ina kallon talabijin sai suka sa waƙan Shata, sai na ga wani mutum siriri, da dan gashin baki, ga hula

U'be a karkace a bisa kan sa, ga sigari (taba) a hannun damar sa yana busawa yana waƙa, yan amshi na amshi, mai kirari na kirari, masu buga kalangu sai kiɗi ake yi, kalangu kamar su fashe, ai sai na rikice ni ma. Nan take na zama ɗan amshi na waƙar na Dr. Alh. Mamman Shata. Na ji kamar na shiga cikin akwatin talabijin in cashe. A lokacin sai ina gani babu mawaki kamar Shata.

Kai, amma Allah da girma yake. Da ikon sa sai na sami makarantan sakandari ta gwamnati a Musawa a lokacin tana karkashin jihar Arewa ta Tsakiya watau jihar Kaduna daga baya, sanna ta koma jihar Katsina. Ina shekara goma sha daya, a alif da dari tara da saba’in da biyar. Lokacin ban sani ba, ashe Mamman Shata daga karamar hukumar ta Musawa ya ke. Da haka na zo na hadu da Shata ido da ido. In ya zo gaisuwan gida daga Huntua (Funtua), inda yake zaune, sai mu hadu kan titi inda muke buga ƙwalo, yana cikin wata tsohuwar Marsandi, ga taba a baki, yana murmushi kaman wanda ke tare da sabuwan amarya. Sai mu ɗaga masa hanu muna murna, muna ihu, muna masa kirari, muna tsalle-tsalle, muna cewa “ga Shata, ga Shata,”shi ko sai ya ɗaga mana hanu ya kuma danna ham (horn) na mota, sai ya taka motarsa ya sheƙa a guje Mu fa shikenan an biya mu, ga jarumi sarkin waƙa ya wuce. Sai kuma watarana in ya sake biyo wa. Allahu Akbar. Shi dai Shata an haife shi ne a shekara alif da dari tara da ishirin da uku. Baban sa bahaushe ne mai suna Ibrahim Yaro, sunar mahaifiyar sa Lariya, bafilatana. Su uku aka Haifa, da wansa wanda ake kira Yaro, da ƙanwan sa Yalwa, da shi kuma Mamman. An fara kiran sa Shata ne domin wani halin sa mai ban dariya da kuma ban mamaki. Da yake tasowa sai ya fara sayar da goro. Bayan ya sayar, in yana dawo wa gida sai ya raba wa mutanen kuɗin a hanya ya dawo gida babu ko sisi. In an tambaye shi ina kuɗi, sai ya ce, “na yi shata da su.” Domin haka sai wani dan’uwan baban (mahaifin sa), mai suna, Baba Salawu (Sallau), ya fara kiran sa, “mai Shata.”

BY MANJADDA IMAH

Baban sa bai so Shata ya zama mawaƙi mai raira yabon mutane ba, domin yana gani roƙo ko bara kenan, ya so ne ya zama dan kasuwa ko manomi. Amma ina Shata zai iya kasuwanci bayan rabar da kuɗin sana’ar yake yi?

Da haka dai ya cigaba da waƙa a dandali, wanda dama ya fara tun yana yaro. Shata bai san iyakan waƙoƙin sa ba har ya rasu, domin yana da basirar waƙa ƙwarai da gaske. Ta kan zo masa ne kawai kwatsam, sai ya dama, ya murje, ya tauna, sai ya watso mana dankareriyar waƙa. Ya yi waƙoƙi kan addini, kan siyasa, kan dabobi, kan yansada da sojoji, da masu sarauta, da kuma mutane ma su arziki da su ka taimaka masa da kuma wanda suka bata masa rai. Shata kenan, babu tsoro, ko ka so shi, ko ka ƙi shi duk ɗaya ne wurin sa. Fiye da shekara talatin waƙoƙin shata aka fi saya da sauraro, kuma aka fi bugawa a akwatin radiyo da nunawa a akwatunan talabijin a nan ƙasar Hausa. Ya kuma ziyarce kasashe da dama, kamar Saudiya, Amurka, Ingila, da Faransa. Ya sami lambar yabo masu yawa, har da darajar digirorin girmamawa wanda nasara ke kira, PhD, da kuma memba na oda ta Naija (MON) wanda gwamnati Najeriya ke ba mutane da suka yi fice kuma suka nuna hazaƙaƙa da kware wa wajen aikin su ko sana’ar su.

Allah yayi wa Alhaji Mamman Shata rasuwa ranar sha takwas ta watar Yuli alif da ɗari tara da cesa’in da tara. Ama har yau waƙoƙin sa na faranta mani rai da kuma ɗunbin mutanen Arewa. Lailai an yi rashi. Allah ya jikan magabatan mu, Allah Ya jiƙan maza. Allah ya jikan marigayi Dr. Alhaji Mamman Shata Katsina. Amin

BY ADAM ALLI

for her contribution to Future s hit single Wait For U , featuring Drake.

The 27 years old is the first female Nigerian artiste to win the prestigious Grammy award, at the 65th Grammy award at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5. 2023. This achievement deserves to be celebrated, another example of a Nigerians who has transcended what Nigerians can do with little motivation.

ABOUT TEMS

Tems was born in Lagos on the 11th Of June 1995 to the Yoruba family of Mr. and Mrs. Openiyi. Her father is BritishNigerian, while her mother is a Nigerian who hails from the South West, Nigeria. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to the United Kingdom but Tems, her brother and mum returned to Nigeria when her parents divorced. By the time Tems turned a teenager, she had already decided she wanted to pursue a music career.

In 2018, Tems launched her music career officially with the debut song, Rebel. The song helped introduce her to the Nigerian music scene. However, it was her follow up single, "Try Me" in 2019, that did the magic and won her thousands of fans. The song was a huge success on radio stations across the country.

How Tems Got To Limelight!

Tems career rose to limelight since her collaborations on WizKid‘s hit song “Essence,” The great song was later remixed to feature Justin Bieber. The remixed version with Justin Bieber, earned her a Grammy Award nomination in 2021, and also a win for Best Collaboration at the BET Awards. In 2022, Tems covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. She subsequently released her debut EP single, "Free Mind" which was featured on the hot 100 chart. Since then, she has gained numerous

accolades, including a Grammy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards.

The clock ticks inexorably Towards eternity, A black hole ingrained in my soul, Infinitesimal future wrapping its arms around me in a suffocating bearhug, As I clutch to dreams stolen by time, Dreams stymied by procrastination, Dreams butchered by Bacchus, Dreams imprisoned in the wet sinewy crevice of a vixen, Dreams entombed in the smoldering eyes of a siren. The strength of youth mistaken for Invincibility, Immortality, Entwined in the false hope that tomorrow was far away, That tomorrow would never come. It can wait, I thought, I will do it tomorrow, A tomorrow that never came.

Today, I hang on the gallows of tomorrow, Marooned in its thorny island, Its gaping mouth at the ready to swallow the unwary

A voracious monster with no pity for those who wait, Those who dither, Those who slumber.

Energy sapped on the altar of the now, On the altar of timidity, On the altar of infallibility, On the altar of hedonism

Today is tomorrow that sneaked up on me, Phantomlike, dreams melt into nothingness, as Dark empty clouds hover above

CRIESOF A BROKEN MAN

BY Manjadda Imah

Unfulfilled, Battered, On all fours, I search for salvation, Begging for atonement, A miracle, Anything to restore my pride Enveloped in a haze, I move in a daze, Head bowed, Eyes lowered, Dhak dhak dhak dhak, as palpitations hold me captive And I pine away over what might have been.

Teardrops as I write, But write, I must.

Drained,

Like the aroused phallus of youth in the early morning glow, stiff with pulsating pride, Now wilted from want, Burnt out like a flickering wick on a dying candle.

Hopelessly I wander, Trudging aimlessly, Exhausted, Afraid, Alone, A caricature, A breathing carrion barely holding on As conscienceless time wraps its tentacles around me.

Remorseless, it squeezes, Another victim ensnared Proving once again that time has no mercy for those who abuse her.

God, where is thy face ?

Because I can not Sleep

Because I can not sleep; must my dreams then become reality, what use is there in unrestrained fantasies?!

What is the substance of dreams that make them fantastic, Or fantasies romantic, Or romance itself a dreamy fantasy?!

Because I can not sleep; to whom do I owe thanks for this faceless thing that haunts me, my own mind, my imaginings?!

Is the imagination not the mind's metaphor for reality?

Because I can not sleep; I think I feel I believe in all, 'i' is an adjective; the title given to a complexion of attitudes that is me or we mentally What separates the mental from what is real if the mind perceived it to be?!

Because I can not sleep; I seek out things that capture the mind, fulfilling desires instantly like a wish from a Ginnie. It's magic!

To all those asleep, awaken!

To all those awaken, stay woke, never sleep, remember there is plenty of it in Eternity!

Because I can not sleep, these words are my sanctuary and peotry is my worship.

Celebration of African heritage