Circulated all over the United States
www.afrikanpost.com
Vol 4 Issue 12
African Community News
Sierrra-Leone
President Ernest Bai-Koroma
Ghana
President John Mahama
Democracy: African Success Stories
Ghana and Sierra -Leone Presidents Re-Elected
Pg.5
www.apple68fm.com
Afrikan Post
December 2012
From the Editor
Page 2
The Whitaker Group Named Company Of The Year By African Diaspora Association
O u r G r ea tes t G lor y is n o t in n ever f a llin g b u t in r is in g ever y time we f a ll . We ar e committted to b r in gin g th e commu n ity th e bes t in N ews f r om Af r ica a n d th e D ia s po r a. Yo u ma y a ls o vis it o u r web s ite a t www.a f r ik a n po s t.com f or d a ily n ews u p da tes on Af r ica . D is cla imer : Th e o p in ion s ex pr es s ed in ar ticles a n d s to r ies in th is N ews pa per ar e th os e o f th e a u th or s a n d do n o t n eces s ar ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik an Pos t . All co mmen ts a n d s u g ges tion s ar e welco me.
Africa. With offices in Washington, DC, and Accra, Ghana, the Whitaker Group has brought more than $2 billion in investments and capital flows to the African continent and is the consultancy of choice for Fortune 500 companies operating in the region.
George Bright-Abu Publisher and Editor
To Advertise Your Business or contribute
Call 703- 725- 6968 or
Mr. Anthony Annan, Executive Vice President of the Whitaker Group, received the award on behalf of the company at the African Diaspora Awards ceremony on Saturday.
E-mail: editor@afrikanpost.com Address: Bright House Productions 6236 Oscar Court Woodbridge VA 22193
D E PA R T M E N T S Vol. 4 Issue 12
CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
Popular Nigerian Actor Dies In Indian Hospital Pg. 34
Richest Countries in Africa Pg. 7
HEALTH
Two of the World’s Richest Men Join Forces to Fight Against Polio in Nigeria Pg. 13
HER PAGE It Is Personal Pg. 20
SPORTS Orange African Cup of Nations 2013 Draw Pg. 39
UPDATE President Sirleaf Gets France's Highest Award Pg. 23
The Whitaker Group was named “Company of the Year” by the African Diaspora Association at Applause Africa’s Second Annual African Diaspora Awards ceremony in New York City on Saturday, December 8th 2012.
In receiving the “Company of the Year” award, Mr. Annan closed with a word of inspiration: “We must remember that as Africa’s rises, it rises with a purpose, with a reason: to uplift but also to uphold. Our growth must be on our own terms. It is up to this audience: the future entrepreneurs, scholars and activists to make that a reality.”
With deep expertise and a demonstrated record of success delivering bottom-line results for clients, TWG knows that successful Africa strategies do not stop at formulation, but require a capacity for deep implementation. TWG goes beyond delivering situational analyses and intelligence to working at the ground level, changing the policies and paradigms that impact business operations.
Positioned at the nexus of USAfrica business and policymaking, TWG is also the ideal partner for facilitating opportunities and building US partnerships for African multinationals and governments. The bottom line is: TWG doesn’t just add value to clients, it creates value.
TWG primarily works in subSaharan Africa, but recommends The Barnett Group for those interThe African Diaspora Awards cereested in North Africa and the mony is sponsored by Applause Middle East. Begun by Ms. Judith Africa, a quarterly lifestyle magazine Barnett, former Deputy Assistant publication that focuses on the peoSecretary of Commerce for Africa ple, cultures, and successes of and the Near East under the The objective of the African Diaspora Africa’s Diaspora. Clinton Administration, The Awards is to identify and celebrate Article written by TWG Director Mr. Barnett Group is the one stop notable and exemplary individuals of Eliot Pence on “Navigating Africa” shop for U.S. companies interestAfrican descent who have contributed ed in creating or expanding trade to the advancement of Africans in the TWG is the consultancy of choice and investment in North Africa Diaspora and Africa as a whole. for Fortune 500 companies operating and the Middle East. For more in Africa. With offices in information, see www.thebarThe Whitaker Group (TWG), founded Washington, DC, and Accra, Ghana, nettgroup.biz by former Assistant U.S. Trade TWG’s value-added, business-led Representative Rosa Whitaker, is a approach has brought more than $2 Source:www.thewhitakergroup.com global consulting firm advancing trade, billion in investments and capital investment and enterprise solutions in flows to the continent. The awards were hosted by Nigerian Actress Ebbe Bassey and South African radio personality Sduduzo KaMbili, and included a keynote address by Amini Kajunju, President and CEO of the Africa-America Institute.
DREAM Act: Questions about President Obama’s Immigration order for Undocumented children ?
Call Attorney Nana Nketiah Mensah Tel : 206 850 1137 or Email :mensaah@comcast.net
Afrikan Post Call : 703-725-6968 Email : editor@afrikanpost.com
December 2012
* Auto Body Works * Rim Painting
* Car and Truck Detailing * Tire Sale, Balancing and Mounting
We offer:
Free pick-up Free drop-off Free estimates
Towing Service Available
Come in and get body work and your car detailed all at the same time. If you bring your car for detailing or body work, you will receive a free gift card for gas or wal-mart.
9061 Jerry Circle, Manassas VA 20110
Page
*Auto Repairs *Oil Change and Service
Office hours are: Mon-Sat 9am to 7pm
Please contact us at
Office: 703-330-4660 Cell: 703-270-8171 Detailing: 703-330-3990 Fax: 703-330-3990
3
Afrikan
Post
December 2012
or order Online
Page
We Have Mobile Phones You can Use in Ghana
4
President Ernest Bai Koroma Secures Second Term In Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is now a peaceful, democratic nation and the economy is growing fast even if it remains one of the poorest nations in Africa, with a large proportion of the population of about six million living on less than $1.25 (80p) a day.
December 2012
John Mahama Elected President of Ghana
Page
The army - once an undisciplined force containing a large number of rebels - has been rebuilt with considerable military aid from the UK and now sends peacekeeping soldiers to serve in UN missions around the world.
Sierra Leone's incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma has won the presidential election, the election commission has said.
He received almost 59% of votes cast, meaning there is no need for a run-off as he won more than 55%.
His main challenger, ex-military ruler Julius Maada Bio, took 38% of the ballots in the peaceful poll.
It was the third election since the 1991-2002 civil war, which killed more than 50,000 people.
International observers have already declared the election to be peaceful and transparent.
The average national turnout was 87.3%, the election commission said. 'Growing fast'
Mr Koroma, who faced eight candidates, took 1,314,881 votes - 58.7% of the total. Koroma supporter celebrates the elections results in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 23/11/12 Supporters of President Koroma took to the streets of Freetown to celebrate his win
It will be his second and final term in office.
His supporters flooded the streets of the capital as news of his comfortable win became known - they danced, sang and banged pots and pans, the BBC's Mark Doyle reports from Freetown.
Parliamentary and local council election results are yet to be declared.
Saturday's vote was the first post-war election Sierra Leone had organised itself - the other two held since the war ended in 2001 were run by the United Nations.
Although many people around the world might still associate Sierra Leone with the Hollywood movie Blood Diamond - a place of war and atrocities - that image today could not be further from the truth, our correspondent says.
Election figures
Ernest Bai Koroma, APC, 1,314 881 votes, 58.7% Julius Maada Bio, SLPP, 837,517 votes, 37.4% Turnout 87.3% 4.7% of votes invalid
As citizens of the country rejoice and celebrate the reinstatement of the All People’s Congress (APC) party presidential aspirant for a second term as leader of the country, HE President Ernest Bai Koroma at his swearing-in ceremony, made a point of inviting the leadership of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and other political parties to join him in making Mama Salone a better place.
In conducting interviews with people from the celebrating masses around Freetown, the general consensus appears to be the wish for all political parties and politicians to democratically work together in delivering the president’s Agenda for Prosperity, the continuing development of the country, (healthcare, infrastructure, education, employment), and a prosperous future for all to enjoy.
President Koroma on Saturday 24th November toured the whole of the western urban area to thank citizens for their vote of confidence, and in the upcoming days he will be touring other unspecified areas.
Source:www.allafrica.com
President John Mahama with (5,574,761 votes = 50.70%) has been declared winner of the 2012 presidential race over Nana Akuffo-Addo (5,248,898 votes = 47.74%), by the electoral commission of Ghana.
Ghana’s President-elect John Dramani Mahama has asked all political leaders in the country to respect the verdict of the people.
Mr. Mahama expressed his gratitude to the people of Ghana for the confidence reposed in him. President Mahama, a northern Christian, ascended to the presidency in extraordinary circumstances; he was sworn-in as president following the death of President John Atta Mills in July 2012 in accordance with Ghana's constitution.
His governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), quickly proclaimed him its presidential candidate for the elections which were only months away. In order not alienate the people of the home region of his predecessor and political mentor Atta Mills, Central Region, which is also a swing region, Mr. Mahama appointed then Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as Vice-President. A total of 28 women were also elected as Members of Parliament in the partliamentary elections which the National Democratic party got 126 seats as against 109 by the main opposition party New patriotic party (NPP) with 3 independents and one seat for the Peoples National Convention party (PNC)
The President Elect will be sworn into Office in January 2013
PERCENTAGE OF VOTES BASED ON 275 CONSTITUENCIES
PARTIES
CPP DFP DPP IND NDC NPP PPP GCPP UFP PNC GCPP UFP GRAND TOTAL
VALID VOTES CAST 0.19% 0.00% 0.00% 0.13% 50.70% 47.74% 0.59% 0.36% 0.09% 0.22% 0.36% 0.09% 100.00%
TOTAL VALID VOTES CAST 10,995,262
VOTER TURNOUT BASED ON 275 CONSTITUENCIES 79.43%
5
1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7.
8.
9.
10. 11.
12. 13. 14. 15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. 21
22.
23.
24. 25.
26.
27.
Countries with the Most Billionaires Least Happy Countries United States 422 China 66 Russia 65 Germany 57 India 52 United Kingdom 30 Turkey 28 Canada 24 Japan 22 Brazil 18 Italy 13 Spain 13 Australia 12 France 12 Sweden 11 Switzerland 11 Israel 10 Saudi Arabia 10 Malaysia 9 Mexico 9 .Indonesia 7 Ireland 7 Kazakhstan 5 Netherlands 5 Poland 5 Ukraine 5 Austria 4
28. 29.
30.
31. 32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50. 51.
52. 53.
Chile 4 Egypt 4 Lebanon 4 Norway 4 Romania 4 Singapore 4 Thailand 4 United Arab Emirates 4 Czech Republic 3 New Zealand 3 South Africa 3 Venezuela 3 Belgium 2 Colombia 2 Denmark 2 Greece 2 Philippines 2 Portugal 2 Argentina 1 Belize 1 Cyprus 1 Finland 1 Kuwait 1 Monaco 1 Nigeria 1 Pakistan 1
1 2 3
Country Russia Armenia Romania
Source: BBC
Population 143,782,338 2,991,360 22,355,551
Happiest countries in the world 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Costa Rica Vietnam Colombia Belize El Salvador Jamaica Panama Nicaragua Venezuela Guatemala
http://www.nowpublic.com
List of Cleanest Countries â–˛ Country Environmental Sustainability Index (2005) 1. Finland 75.1 2. Norway 73.4 3. Sweden 71.7 4. Iceland 70.8 5. Canada 64.4
Most Dangerous Cities in the World 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
City Country Baghdad Iraq Swat valley Pakistan Kabul Afghanistan Mogadishu Somalia Washington DC United States Rio de Janeiro Brazil Caracas Venezuela Medellin Colombia Guatemala City Guatemala Johannseburg South Africa
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2 Page 6
Best Cities for Quality of Life
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
City Country Zurich Switzerland Geneva Switzerland Vancouver Canada Vienna Austria Auckland New Zealand Bern Switzerland Copenhagen Denmark Frankfurt Germany Sydney Australia Amsterdam Netherlands Munich Germany
Most Expensive Cities
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
City Country Tokyo Japan Osaka Japan Oslo Norway Hong Kong China Libreville Gabon Zurich Switzerland London United Kingdom Geneva Switzerland
Top 5 Most Educated Countries
Country Percentage of population aged 25-64 that have attained a tertiary level of education (OECD Countries) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Canada 44.0 United States 38.4 Japan 37.4 Sweden 33.4 Finland 33.3
Source:www. Aneki.com
Richest Countries in The World
Richest Countries in Africa
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52.
Country
Equatorial Guinea Gabon Botswana Mauritius Libya South Africa Tunisia Namibia Algeria Egypt Angola Swaziland Morocco Congo, Republic of the Cape Verde Ghana Sudan Djibouti Nigeria Cameroon Sao Tome and Principe Mauritania Gambia, Lesotho Chad Senegal Kenya Cote d'Ivoire Zambia Benin Burkina Faso Tanzania Rwanda Uganda Comoros Guinea-Bissau Ethiopia Guinea Mali Mozambique Madagascar Malawi Sierra Leone Togo Central African Republic Niger Eritrea Burundi Somalia Liberia Zimbabwe Congo, Democratic Republic
GDP per capita $19,600 $16,400 $16,200 $15,100 $14,100 $11,100 $9,600 $7,500 $7,400 $6,600 $6,000 $5,400 $5,100 $4,600 $4,000 $3,100 $2,800 $2,700 $2,600 $2,300 $2,300 $2,200 $2,000 $2,000 $1,900 $1,900 $1,800 $1,600 $1,600 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,400 $1,300 $1,200 $1,200 $1,100 $1,100 $1,100 $1,100 $900 $900 $900 $900 $800 $800 $700 $600 $600 $500 $500 $400
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Country United States China India Japan Germany Russia Brazil United Kingdom France Italy
GDP per capita $15,290,000,000,000 $11,440,000,000,000 $4,515,000,000,000 $4,497,000,000,000 $3,139,000,000,000 $2,414,000,000,000 $2,324,000,000,000 $2,290,000,000,000 $2,246,000,000,000 $1,871,000,000,000
TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES
December 2012
Page 7
Individual Income Tax Returns Corporate & Partnership Returns Small Business Tax Returns IRS Transcript & Audit Service Payroll & Bookkeeping Service W-2s, 1099s, 940s & 941s Amended Tax Return
Source: CIA World Factbook
Poorest Countries In The World 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Country GDP per capita Congo, Democratic Republic $400 Liberia $500 Zimbabwe $500 Burundi $600 Somalia $600 Eritrea $700 Central African Republic $800 Niger $800 Madagascar $900 Malawi $900
Most Generous Countries
Country 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Donor Aid per capita
Luxembourg Denmark Norway Netherlands Sweden United Kingdom Finland Ireland Switzerland Belgium
490.59 389.53 302.51 241.39 188.24 176.06 162.36 147.72 145.61 103.15
Get the maximum refund you’re entitled to We figure to save you money with legitimate deductions Accelerated Direct Deposit/Check of Refund Plus, we’ll find you every allowable deduction or tax credit for your situation Free Electronic Filing $$$ Please Call: Emmanuel Manu, CPA (703) 943-8746 or emmanueltax@gmail.com (SAVE 25% on tax preparation fee)
December 2012
Thoronka Law Offices
U.S. Immigration Law Practice
Naturalization
Green Card
Removal and Deportation
Citizenship
Employment Visa (H1B) Divorce
Work Authorization Personal Injury/ Criminal Licensed in Maryland and Massachusette
Virginia Office Kamah Gueh-Thoronka 13198 Centerpoint Way Suite 101 Woodbridge, VA 22193 voice(571) 285-5497 or (571)285-5242 Fax: 703-910-4674 kthoronka@thoronkalawoffices.com
Massachusetts Thoronka Law Offices 225 Stedman Street Lowell, MA, 01852 (978) 275-9889
U.S. Dedicates New Embassy Chancery In Libreville, Gabon The Embassy’s permanent art collection features works by celebrated Anglo-American, African-American, and Gabonese artists, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies. The artworks are organized around a theme relating to creatures of the forest – a formative force in Gabonese life. The collection also includes a commemorative portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the namesake of the road in front of the new embassy.
The new facility incorporates numerous sustainable features, most notably energy efficient building systems, lowflow water fixtures, and recycled materials. The facility has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification.
In an important symbol of America’s commitment to an enduring friendship with the Gabonese Republic, U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, Eric Benjaminson, dedicated the new U.S. Embassy in Libreville today. Gabon Prime Minister, Léon M’ba; Assistant Secretary for Administration, Joyce Barr; and Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) Managing Director, Rodney Evans, participated in the ribbon-cutting and official opening ceremonies.
Occupying a ten-acre site in the Sabliere neighborhood, the $107 million multi-building complex provides a centralized location for the mission, as well as a state of the art, environmentally sustainable workplace for embassy personnel.
Sorg Architects of Washington, DC, is the architect of record and B.L. Harbert International, LLC of Birmingham, Alabama constructed the project.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 95 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 40 projects in design or construction.
OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and support our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution. Source:www.allafrica.com
Page
8
December 2012
Page
9
December 2012
Hawknad Manufacturing Industries, Inc Alexandria Virginia, 22312 Tel : 703-941-0444
Call Now : 301-270-2045 or 301-270-2046
Page 10
0
December 2012
West African Wisdom: Adinkra Symbols & Meanings ADINKRAHENE
"chief of adinkra symbols" greatness, charisma, leadership
AKOBEN
"war horn" vigilance, wariness
"AKOFENA sword of war"
courage, valor
AKOKONAN
"the leg of a hen" mercy, nurturing
AKOMA
"the heart" patience & tolerance
AKOMA NTOSO "linked hearts" understanding, agreement
ANANSE NTONTAN "spider's web"
ASASE YE DURU
"the Earth has weight" divinity of Mother Earth
AYA
"fern" endurance, resourcefulness
"fence" love, safety, security
EPA
"handcuffs" law, justice, slavery
"the teeth and the tongue" friendship, interdependence
FAWOHODIE
"independence" independence, freedom, emancipation
KINTINKANTAN
KWATAKYE ATIKO
"hairstyle of Kwatakye, a war hero bravery, valor
FIHANKRA
house/compound" security, safety
"what I hear, I keep" wisdom, knowledge, prudence
BI NKA BI
FOFO
ME WARE WO
"no one should bite the other" peace, harmony
"a yellow-flowered plant" jealousy, envy
BOA ME NA ME MMOA WO
FUNTUNFUNEFU DENKYEMFUNEFU "siamese
"help me and let me help you" cooperation, interdependence
DAME-DAME
name of a board game intelligence, ingenuity
DENKYEM
"crocodile" adaptability
crocodiles" democracy, unity in diversity
GYE NYAME
"except for God"
HWEMUDUA
"measuring stick" examination, quality control
HYE WONHYE
DUAFE
"that which cannot be burnt" imperishability, endurance
DWENNIMMEN
KETE PA
"wooden comb" beauty, hygiene, feminine qualities
"ram's horns" humility and strength
"good bed" good marriage
11
"puffed up extravagance" arrogance, extravagance
BESE SAKA
"sack of cola nuts" affluence, abundance, unity
wisdom, creativity
EBAN
ESE NE TEKREMA
Page
MATE MASIE
"I shall marry you" commitment, perseverance
SANKOFA
"return and get it" learn from the past
TAMFO BEBRE
"the enemy will stew in his own juice" jealousy
WAWA ABA
"seed of the wawa tree" hardiness, toughness, perseverance
WOFORO DUA PA A "when you climb a good tree" support, cooperation
WO NSA DA MU A
"if your hands are in the dish" democracy, pluralism
AfriKan
Post
December 2012
Page
Charcoal Chicken,African Bistros, Jolof Rice, Fried Plantain, Curry goat, etc..
12
Debate On Female Circumcision In Africa Takes Center Stage At American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting In San Francisco H E A LT H
“How can Western public health officials, global health institutions and feminist organizations maintain a straight face in condemning African female genital surgeries as FGM and yet turn a blind eye, even issue guidelines for the performance of very similar and sometimes more invasive female genital surgeries on Western women under the guise of cosmetic surgery?”
This argument was highlighted on Wednesday by Sierra Leonean medical and symbolic anthropologist Fuambai S. Ahmadu, PhD at the commencement of the 111th Annual Meeting of The American Anthropological Association (AAA) held at the San Francisco Hilton (Union Square) in San Francisco, California.
This year’s program which runs from November 14 – 18, 2012 features 717 sessions, 34 workshops, 13 innovative events and 183 special events.
NEWS
Page
13
The United Nations and its agency the World Health Organization (WHO) describe the practice as procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons or provide any health benefits for girls and women and can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth increased risk of newborn deaths
According to WHO, FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women they say the practice which is “nearly always carried out on minors” is not only a violation of the rights of children but also “violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.”
As part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996.17, the United States Congress on September 30, 1996 Dr Ahmadu, who is also a senior research fellow and public health advisor at the Office of the Vice enacted a provision criminalizing the practice of FGM. The law provides that “whoever knowPresident in The Republic of Sierra Leone and a staunch advocate of female circumcision organized ingly circumcises, excises, or infibulates the a special session yesterday titled THE PRACTICE whole or any part of the labia majora or labia THAT CAN’T BE NAMED: A PUBLIC HEALTH minora or clitoris of another person under the age of 18 years shall be fined or imprisoned for POLICY ADVISORY ON FEMALE GENITAL 5 years.” SURGERIES IN AFRICA.
Meanwhile, at her closing statement Dr. Ahmad During her presentation: Free to Choose? Unraveling Gender, Power and Sexuality in Global challenged public health researchers or practitioners to disseminate information based on eviPolicies Concerning African Female Genital dence and accuracy “that reflect real risks and Mutilation Versus Western Female Genital, Dr benefits; and, for heaven’s sake, we need to stop Ahmadu maintained “the question of choice, our freedom to choose what to do with our own bodies judging, demonizing and criminalizing African women for upholding their culture while rewardhas become all the more poignant in the last few years, given the sudden rise in demand for genital ing Western predominantly male doctors who appropriate, rebrand and gain financially from modifications by Western women that, at least in terms of final appearance and psychosexual moti- African women’s ancestral traditions and at the vations, are very similar to the procedures labeled expense of Western women’s own sexual insecurities.” by WHO as Female Genital Mutilation and declared as a human rights violation.” WHO estimates about 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the The 111th Annual Meeting of the AAA comconsequences of FGM, approximately 92 million menced a day after the Hastings Center Public girls 10 years old and above have undergone cirPolicy Advisory Network on FSG in Africa – an informal group of anthropologists, feminists, geo- cumcision in Africa. graphical legal scholars, medical researchers, and physicians with expert knowledge about female genital surgeries in Africa who claim that they are concerned about the accuracy, objectivity, fairness, and balance of current media representations of the By Dennis Kabatto practice released a policy statement “Western media coverage of female genital surgeries in Africa called ‘hyperbolic’ and one sided.”
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as it is widely called by its opponents is a very contentious issue.
Two of the World’s Richest Men Join Forces to Fight Against Polio in Nigeria December 2012
Picture and story courtesy of face2faceafrica.com Story by Edna Owusu-Ansah
Two of the world’s wealthiest men, one rated the richest man in Africa by Forbes and the other, the wealthiest man in the United States joined forces last week in the battle against polio, a disease that has surged in Nigeria despite eradication efforts.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aliko Dangote’s Foundation announced an alliance during a ceremony in the Nigerian city of Kano. Nigeria is one of only three countries still considered to have endemic polio, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan. Why this is so is an enigma.
The two foundations have signed a four year alliance to provide funding, equipment and technical support to the Kano state government to strengthen polio immunization.
Eradicating polio “will be Kano’s gift to Nigeria and Nigeria’s gift to the world,” Jeff Raikes, the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said at the ceremony.
Dangote, whose company specializes in cement, flour, and real estate said “myself and Bill Gates met in New York and agreed to partner and intervene in polio eradication. There is no reason for any one of us not to assist in keeping our people healthy,” said Dangote, who is from Kano.
Recently, Forbes labeled Dangote Africa’s richest man, while the magazine says Gates is the richest man from the United States — as well as “the planet’s most generous person.”
The amounts the two foundations intend to commit in the partnership were not disclosed. But sources say it is a fairly huge amount.
Since 2003, Kano has been especially hard hit by the transmission of the polio virus in Nigeria following the state government’s suspension of immunizations for 13 months. The suspension followed allegations by some Muslim clerics that the vaccine was laced with substances that could render girls infertile as part of US-led Western plot to depopulate Africa.
Despite the recommencement of polio immunizations, Kano has continued to record polio cases as many parents still reject the vaccine. According to the most recent World Health Organization weekly report on polio, Nigeria accounts for 104 of the 193 cases so far recorded worldwide this year, with Kano having 22 cases.
In 2011, Nigeria recorded 62 polio cases, including 17 in Kano. The WHO said earlier this year that an Islamist insurgency in the country’s northeast was harming efforts to eradicate polio due to insecurity.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and its largest oil producer, has pledged to stop polio virus transmission by the end of 2013, although it has failed to meet previous deadlines to stamp out the crippling disease. Lets keep our hopes high. We hope to see a major progress and impact with this collaboration.
America School of Nursing & Allied Health
Afrikan
December 2012
Post
Begin Your Nursing Education Today
Classes Offered
Nurse Aide Training Medication Aide Training Home Health Aide Phlebotomy Training Pharmacy Technician Coming Soon: LPN, RN
Morning, Evening, Weekend Classes Available
Call 703-490-8402 or Visit us at www.asnahonline.com 14910 Jefferson Davis Highway Woodbridge, Virginia 22191 Fax: (703) 490-8403
Page 14
Afrikan
Post
Ghanaian Student In London Honoured By Queen Elizabeth II
My parents were very proud – I’m certainly the first person in my family to get a letter from The Queen!”
Anthony, an international student, came to London from his native Ghana to study in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing at London Met. And, with the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place, he found himself living in London during a very exciting time.
“I enjoy writing and being in London for the first time in such an amazing year for the city was something I just had to record,” he said.
When MSc Pharmaceutical Science student Anthony Boateng wrote an article in praise of this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the last thing he expected was a letter from Her Majesty The Queen herself.
Yet that’s precisely what happened after the London Met student took to the internet to share his views on the summer festivities.
Anthony is thrilled to be studying in London, and says he chose London Met because of its vibrancy and academic rigour.
“London is an incredible multi-cultural city, and this is reflected at London Met,” he said. “I wanted to study somewhere which combines this blend of cultures with a quality education, and I’ve found it here.
“The facilities are really good, parAnthony’s article, entitled: ‘Her ticularly the 'Super Lab'. As a pharMajesty’s Diamond Jubilee: A Diamond maceutical sciences student, having in the Hearts of Many’, was published such a place to work in is very speon the Yahoo!Voices website in July and cial.” praised his adopted city of London and the magic of the royal celebrations. Anthony is a keen author and writes
He then received a letter from Her Majesty, with the message: “I send you my greatest thanks for the words of loyalty and support which you have so kindly sent on the occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary of my Accession to the Throne.”
For Anthony, hearing from The Queen was “like winning the lottery.”
“I couldn’t believe it, I felt very excited,” he said. “It was a fantastic surprise.
on a wide range of topics, from business to faith. More of his work can be found here. If you’d like to pursue a science degree in the surrounds of the Science Centre, the largest teaching laboratory in Europe, why not find out more about the Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing at London Met?
Source: : londonmet.ac.uk
December 2012
LAW OFFICES JOSHUA MOSES LLC
Page
PERSONAL INJURY
AUTO ACCIDENT
CIVIL LITIGATION
DIVORCE
BANKRUPTCY
IMMIGRATION COUNSELING & SERVICES Immigration representation all over the United States Consular processing outside the United States
PERMANENT RESIDENCY (GREEN CARD) FAMILY PETITIONS ASYLUM LABOR CERTIFICATION PROFESSIONAL WORKERS
Silver Spring
F-1 R 7 H VISAS CITIZENSHIP DEPORTATION DEFENSE IMMIGRATION APPEALS WORK PERMIT ALL OTHER IMMIGRATION MATTERS
8605 Cameron Street Suite 316 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel:(301) 589-9488 Fax:(301) 589-9277
Baltimore
3400 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD 21224 Tel:(410) 583-4800 Fax:(301) 589-9277
The Law Office of Gina Takemori
U.S. Immigration Law Practice
Have questions about U.S. immigration?
I have your answers!
Evening and weekend appointments available
C o n ta c t G i n a a t 2 4 0 . 6 4 4 . 2 6 3 7 12008 Leatherbark Way Germantown, Maryland 20874 www.usgetlegal.com M e m b e r : N e w Yo r k Sta t e B a r A s s o c i a t i o n • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
15
TB Joshua Sponsors A Nigerian Student to Oxford University to get a PhD
Afrikan
Post
Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua, well known for his expansive philanthropic endeavours, shocked congregants at his church, The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) on Sunday 18th November 2012 when it was revealed he has sponsored a Nigerian student to study a PhD in the University of Oxford to the tune of £100,000, approximately N26 million. Miss Yinka Oduwole, who introduced herself as one of the youth who was brought up in The SCOAN and worked there extensively, testified how she had gained admission to study a PhD in Engineering Science in Oxford University, UK after a successful Master’s Programme in University College London (UCL). Yinka, who was equally sponsored in her Master’s Degree in Broadband Communication in UCL in which she came out with a distinction, said Prophet T.B. Joshua and Emmanuel TV Partners had paid the sum of £100,000 to enable her to study for a PhD in the prestigious Oxford University. “My advice to youth all over the world is that they should pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on them,” Yinka, also a First-Class graduate from the University of Lagos, told the congregation and viewers worldwide on Emmanuel TV, equally counselling the youth to find a job in the church and actively engage in godly activities.
TB Joshua also revealed in the service how footballer Ogenyi Onazi, the SS Lazio starlet who was recently promoted to the Super Eagles of Nigeria and scored on his debut against Venezuela, was brought up in the church and worked there as well before attaining his current sporting success. Joshua revealed how he had sponsored Onazi and his colleague Sani Emmanuel to trial in clubs around the world including Premier League giants Chelsea and Tottenham, before arriving in SS Lazio, where he is currently playing for the senior team. Joshua revealed that close to $1m was spent in this process, to ensure the duo went to the right club to reach the heights of their potential.
According to Joshua, the reward for raising up such young people to become leaders of tomorrow in every field of expertise is immeasurable in monetary or material terms. “What you make happens for others, God makes happen for you. You are raised to raise others,” Joshua exhorted the crowd, counselling them to consider the future of their own children and what they were doing with their lives. Forbes estimated that Joshua has spent up to $20m in charitable activities alone in the last three years. Thousands of less privileged students are currently studying in universities across Nigeria and around the world courtesy of SCOAN’s scholarship program. Source:www.onlinenigeria.com
NATIVE DOCTOR December 2012
Page
16
Anyone in need of Spiritual help. Visit the Great Powerful Native Doctor for all Spiritual Problems, Social sicknesses, Barrenness, Oro Anokye Erectile Dysfunction, Ibrahim Piles, Kooko, Problems in 51 Calvert Street Woodbridge VA 22191 Relationship http://www.facebook.com/oro.anokyeibrahim
Call 571-229-6817
Snake On Plane Forces Landing In Egypt An Egyptian cobra escaped from a carry-on bag on an Egypt Air flight from Cairo to Kuwait.
Ninety passengers aboard an Egypt Air flight from Cairo to Kuwait could have used actor Samuel L. Jackson after a snake reportedly bit a Jordanian man who smuggled the reptile onboard. Jackson's character in the movie "Snakes on a Plane" tries to figure out how to save the aircraft after crates of hyped-up serpents started killing the cast.
There wasn't quite that kind of drama on Monday, but the incident forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in the Egyptian resort town of Al Ghardaqa on the Red Sea, according to The Jordan Times.
An Egypt Air official told the paper an investigation revealed that the 48-year-old passenger, who owns a reptile shop in Kuwait, had hidden the Egyptian cobra in a carry-on bag. The passenger was trying to control the snake after it bit his hand and started slithering under the seats.
The Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm reported that the man refused medical treatment, claiming his wound was only superficial. The plane resumed its flight to Kuwait after local authorities confiscated the snake.
Doctors told the passenger he should spend 24 hours in a hospital for observation, but the man refused, the Egyptian Air official said, according to The Jordan Times. Egyptian cobras are commonly found across North Africa. According to wildlife experts, the cobra's venom is so deadly it can kill a full-grown elephant in three hours or a person in about 15 minutes. The venom destroys nerve tissue and causes paralysis and death because of respiratory failure.
Legend has it that in ancient times, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra used an Egyptian cobra - also known as an asp - to commit suicide.
Source:www.allafrica.com
President Sirleaf Gets France's Highest Award December 2012
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivers her acceptance speech after being decorated by French President Francois Hollande.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on November 7 receive from the President of the French Republic, H.E. François Hollande, France’s highest award and public distinction, the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur.
President Sirleaf departed Liberia on Tuesday, November 6th, to receive the award at a ceremony at the Elysée Palace, in Paris. She was honored for her support of women’s rights and for her actions in favor of peace in her country and for promoting stability and development in the Mano River Union.
The Légion d'Honneur, created by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, is awarded to those who have served France or the ideals it upholds. As the highest decoration in France, it is divided into five degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).
No woman, not even a Head of State, had been decorated before the middle of the 19th century. That has all changed. With this decoration she received, President Sirleaf becomes the seventh woman living in the class of Grand Cross. Among those who have been decorated with the Grand Cross are: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and the late Lord Mountbatten.
Recent recipients of various awards include: Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar pro-democracy leader and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize); Singer-songwriter Sir Paul McCartney (for his contribution to the arts); Author Toni Morrison; Author J.K. Rowling, of the Harry Potter books; American film director Steven Spielberg; and more. Among Heads of State have been: Festus Mogae of Botswana; Shimon Peres of Israel; and Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the President departed the country on a five-day visit to three European countries – France, Belgium and the Netherlands – where she received honors, met with government and intergovernmental officials, and held talks with representatives of businesses and potential investors in Liberia.
While in Paris, President Sirleaf also met with CEOs of several French companies and with African Ambassadors in France. In Brussels on Thursday, November 8th, President Sirleaf met with and address edthe Belgium Senate on the post-2015 global development framework, in her capacity as one of three co-Chairs of the UN High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons established to craft a
Sirleaf Inspects the Guard of Honor in Paris. development agenda after the Millennium Development Goals expire in 2015. The President held a similar discussion during her meeting with the Committee of Ambassadors at the headquarters of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States Secretariat. A breakfast meeting with the Heads of the Association of Liberians in Belgium & Friends of Liberia is also planned. |
Also during her day-long visit to Brussels, the Liberian President held a meeting with the Parliament of the European Union to discuss the Commission’s support for Liberia.
The Liberian President then travels to Tilburg University, situated in the south of the Netherlands. There, as the guest of honor, she joined in the celebration of the university’s 85th anniversary, or Dies; delivered a lecture on “International Social Responsibility,” as the university observed the 100th anniversary of the birth of the first female Minister of the Netherlands, Marga Klompé.
Along with two academicians, President Sirleaf was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor Honoris Causa, being recognized for leadership and for her interest in education and social responsibility. A reception and dinner will follow. President Sirleaf also took time from her busy schedule for press interviews.
On Saturday, November 10th, President Sirleaf held a series of meetings with officials of several Dutch companies, including Philip Global, Royal Haskoning, Vlisco and APM Terminals. She will also meet with members of the Liberian community in the Netherlands.
The members of her delegation, at the several capitals, include: the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Edward B. McClain, Jr.; Deputy Foreign Minister Sylvester Grigsby; the
17
African Ambassadors to France look on as President Sirleaf delivers her speech.
Ambassador of Liberia to France, D. McKinley Thomas; the Ambassador of Liberia to Belgium and to the Netherlands, Francis Karpeh; University of Liberia President, Dr. Emmet A. Dennis; Ambassador Nathaniel Barnes, Chairman of the Board of the National Port Authority; Ms. Matilda Parker, Managing Director of the National Port Authority; and the Deputy Information Minister for Public Affairs, Isaac Jackson.
While President Sirleaf is away from the country, the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Christiana Tah, chaired the Cabinet in consultation with Vice President Joseph N. Boakai.
Next, President Sirleaf traveled to The Hague, where shel paid a courtesy call on Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and dined with Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima, who also serves as the Source: www.allafrica.com UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, and visited Liberia in June 2010.
In the Netherlands, President Sirleaf held bilateral talks with Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and a discussion with Members of Parliament of both Houses on support for Liberia’s development.
Page
Afrikan
Post
1.Gari Fotor
Africa Food Recipes
Ingredients: Gari, Water, Palm Oil, pepper, salt, cooked minced meat, Directions i) Mix the gari with water into a sandy texture. 5 minutes ii) Spice it with salt and pepper. 2 minutes iii) Mix with cooked minced meat. 3 minutes iv) Mix it with oil. 3 minutes
2) Aprapransa
Ingredients: 2 cups roasted corn flour, 3 medium-size onions, Fish, 200ml palm oil, 3-½ cup of water, 2 cups cooked beans for garnishing, salt and pepper to taste Method: a) Heat palm oil. B) Cut the onion and breaks the fish, add to the stew, and add the pepper and salt, c) Add cooked beans. d) Add water and boil, e) Add roasted corn flour gradually and stirring until it is mixed
3) Kelewele
Ingredients: ripe plantain, ginger, pepper, hwentiaa, esoro wisa, salt, oil Method a) gather and wash ginger, pepper, hwentiaa, and wisa to remove sand and dirt particles b) grind them with a substantial amount of water using mill c) put salt in the solution to taste d) unskin the ride plantain and cut them into tiny pieces e) mix the tiny pieces of ripe plantain with a reasonable amount of solution f) put them in a previously heated oil and stir it regularly until it turns reddish-brown g) serve with roasted groundnut
4) Ampesie (yam)
water Directions a) wash and set meat on fire b) Crush onion, ginger, tomatoes to do the steaming (NB. Wash and add tomatoes to the steamed goat meat c) grind the boiled ingredients and add it to the steam goat meat d) Add about 3-4 cups full of water to the substance on fire e) After about 20minutes collect the tomatoes, grind and add to the soup NB salt is added at the steam stage f) soup is ready after another 20 minutes g) Serve with Emotuo, banku, and fufu.
6) Ethiopian Injera
Ingredients: • 1/4 cup teff flour • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour • 1 cup water • a pinch of salt • peanut or vegetable oil
a mixing bowl • a nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet What Do I Do? 1. Put the teff flour in the bottom of a mixing bowl, and sift in the all-purpose flour.
2. Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps.
3. Put the batter aside for a day or more (up to three days) to allow it to ferment. In this time, your injera batter will start to bubble and acquire the slight tanginess for which it’s known. Note: If you find that your injera batter does not ferment on its own, try adding a teaspoon of yeast. 4. Stir in the salt.
5. Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast-iron skillet until a water drop dances on the surface. Make sure the surface of the pan is smooth: Otherwise, your injera might fall apart when you try to remove it.
6. Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter. Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake. It will rise slightly when it heats.
Ingredients: Yam, salt, water Method a) Peel yam and cut them into preferred sizes b) Add water and salt to taste c) Boil for 20-30minutes d) Serve with soup or any kind of stew
7. Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread. Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.
Ingredients: goat meat, garden eggs, pepper, tomatoes, salt, onion, ginger
250g 8oz fresh beef chucks 500g / llb bushmeat 500g / lib stockfish (pre-soaked) 500g / lib smoked dry fish 250g / 8oz oxtail 250g / 8oz cleaned tripe 2pt stock or water
5) Aponkye nkrakra soup (Goat soup)
7.) Egusi Soup
EGUSI SOUP serves 4-6 This humble melon seed soup is quite popular all over Nigeria. Although cooking techniques and the kind of vegetables used might differ from region to region it is still absolutely delicious when properly cooked.
December 2012
Page
300g /100z ground egusi 500g lib fresh tomatoes 250g / 8oz fresh peppers 2 large onion teaspoons iru 4 tablespoon ground crayfish 500g.llb fresh bitter leaf (washed to remove excessive bitterness) salt to taste
Wash thoroughly the beef oxtail bushmeat and tripe. Place a large pot with sliced onions season with salt add a drop of water or stock and cook for 30 minutes or until tender.
Add the washed dry fish and stockfish and cook for another 10 minutes. When cooked mm into a large clean bowl. Wipe out the pot and place back on heat. Pour the oil into the pot when hot add the ground tomatoes onions and peppers and fry for 10 minutes. Add the ground egusi and iru stirring thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes. Finally add cooked meats washed bitter leaf Crayfish and the stock. Allow to boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with any of the stiff puddings. VARIATIONS Others green leaf vegetables such as fresh waterleaf Soko Tete. Igbo ugwu and Uzouza leaves can also be used on their own or as a combination m the above recipe using the same methods. Courtesy of Laura Edet
8)Attiéké
You can get precooked Attieke in some African food stores and all you ll need to do is to microwave it.
But if you are using dry gari, here are the steps: Step one: Dampen the flour (gari) with water and evenly share the water on the flour. Step two: Use a steamer to steam the dampen flour, steam each side for 10 min. Step three: When the gari is tender and ready remove from the steamer and transfer in a bowl. Add salt to your taste and one tbsp of vegetable oil (peanut oil preferably) . Step four:Cut the fresh onion fresh tomato and cucumber. Then salt and add few drop of lemon. Reserve. Step five: When the grilled chicken and onion sauce is ready. Serve the Attieke with the onion sauce, grilled chicken and the tomato salad, add some chili sauce to your
9) HOW TO PREPARE KENKEY.
Corn is washed and soaked for one or two days ,ground and made into dough and stay another day or two. The dough is divided into two parts. One part is cooked and combined with the uncooked part. This mixture is divided into balls of half a kilogram each, which are dried in cornhusks or plantain leaves before steaming about two hours until it’s ready to eat. Sometimes boiling dough, then stirring and shaping but not wrapping it makes a similar product called Banku. By Alex Afriyie Alexandira, VA
18
December 2012
Page
19
It Is Personal Her Page
E
Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah
ver wonder why some things happen to you? Do you search and find no clear answers to questions about your personal adversities? There is an answer. It is because of who you are. It is because as a child of God, you are special; you are “the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8); you have been made a “peculiar person” (1st Peter 2:9) and as a result, someone, something, desires that very special thing in and about you. And they will come in their full strength to separate you from it and even usurp your place. Are you going to cower in the fetal position somewhere in a corner and relinquish your rights, joy and peace for that someone or are you going to stand to assert yourself and strength knowing who you are in the Lord? It is obvious that all people will experience adversities and challenges. That is a clear and undeniable truth of life confirmed time after time. Perhaps for an entire year, your nation’s rainy season will be so overwhelming that it will begin too early, rain too much and end well after its usual time, leaving your crops in ruins, unsalvageable. Or perhaps, the dry season also will come too early, stay well after its welcome and leave your land parched and unquenchable. The world’s economy could fall drastically and we will all feel the pinch in job loss and inflation. Such things happen not only to you, but to everyone and we will all suffer along with each other. Then there are those times when something will happen only to you. Sometimes, such occurrences are simply the natural order of life, but then at certain times, they are directed at you and you alone. All we know is that moments before, we were walking on solid ground and then in the next moment, we have fallen into a pit, desperately looking up, frantically calling for help. The adversity could be financial, where all was well and now as a result of job loss you become virtually homeless. It can be an unhappy and unstable home life, serious health problems, or even the sudden death of a loved one. The fact is that once upon a time, you were happily serving and worshiping your God, obeying His word and enjoying the blessings, but in the next moment, everything changed as if the ground you were walking on was quaking, threatening to come apart and swallow you. Don’t fret. It is personal. According to God’s word, our personal trials and tribulations and even eventual
demise can be warranted by our own disobedience as in the case of Jonah, who intentionally disobeying God’s directions, was swallowed by a whale that God Himself had assigned to swallow him. Jonah remained in the whale for three days repenting and praying until God released him. Let’s also recall Samson, who after disobeying by mingling with people God had forbidden the Israelites to consort with, yielded to the seductress power of Jezebel and found himself without his hair and strength. Samson met his demise with his enemies because he had sinned by doing his own thing. If you are undergoing adversities, search to see if you have erred in some way and quickly make amends with God and whomever else, to bring an end to your affliction. However, many times in our Christian journey the attacks in our lives are not warranted. We have done absolutely nothing to deserve those severe hardships. In fact, we have rather been faithful in our roles as children of God. This is when we should discern that it is a personal attack brought by our enemies to undermine and even cause our demise. At such times, we should recall that because we have clearly and consciously chosen to serve God, though we have been promised righteousness, peace and joy (Romans 14:17) and all that God has to offer to us here and beyond, we have nevertheless enlisted ourselves in an army, and there are ongoing battles and wars in which we partake on the spiritual level which can obviously result in injuries and casualties. We must acknowledge and accept this, for it is a spiritual truth from which we cannot escape. Take for instance the story of Queen Esther. In The Book of Esther, the queen’s cousin Mordecai was personally being pursued by his enemy Haman, because the proud Haman was angry that Mordecai wouldn’t bow down to him as did everyone. Mordecai understood that he was only to bow to God and not to any man or idol. As a result, Haman hated him, and conceived in his heart a means to kill not only him but all the Jews of the kingdom as well. The plot was personally designed against Mordecai, but he knew what to do. He enlisted the help of Esther and although Esther knew that standing up for Mordecai and the Hebrew people could mean certain death to her, she took up the challenge and proclaimed a three-day fast for her people. In the end, it was neither Mordecai nor the Hebrew people who were killed, but the gallows that Haman had fashioned intending to trap Mordecai were the very gallows that sealed his fate; Haman was executed! When you are a faithful child of God, your enemies in the spiritual and even the natural realm will become jealous and hateful wanting to see you disgraced and destroyed. But your response to the trials they precipitate and your unwavering belief and faithfulness to God in this time of pain and anguish will ensure that they will be the ones to be made ashamed. What they had wished on you will rather befall them. Let’s confirm the above with another incident in Daniel chapter six which has the
same end. Daniel, a Hebrew leader in Persia was hated and envied. Daniel was hated because not only did he excel at his work and was favored by King Darius, but also because he faithfully prayed to and worshiped his God and not the gods of the land. As a result, venom filled the hearts of the other leaders so much so that they plotted to compromise him where he would eventually be killed. His enemies connived to have an irreversible edict written and approved by the king that for 30 days, only the king should be prayed to and that anyone found praying to any god or man should be put to death. See, the fact is that your enemies watch and study you. They come to learn about you so that they can place obstacles in your way to cause you to trip and fall. Their constant intention is to see you knocked off your pedestal, the very pedestal with which God has so graciously endowed you. The schemers in this case knew that Daniel was faithful to his God and that despite the decree, he would pray and thus, their innermost desire would be realized when Daniel is put to death. Daniel wasn’t fooled. It was personal, but he knew in whom he had believed. He also knew that come what may, he would rather obey his God than men. So unafraid and unashamed, Daniel continued to pray three times a day by his open windows. He was seized and thrown into the lions’ den to be demolished. But when morning came, Daniel was still alive as God had shut the lions’ mouths so that they could not devour Daniel. Rather, those who conspired and developed the decree solely to entrap Daniel were the ones who, along with their wives and children, were thrown into the lions’ den and destroyed. It is personal when an entire edict has been established simply because of one person. It is personal when your enemies search and plot to determine how they might bring about pain and misery to your life. Would they be successful with their gossiping, backbiting and shunning? Will that be the way they will cause you to become discouraged and stop doing what you have been doing for God? Are you going to stop leading the praise and worship team or quit the choir? Are you going to step down from that post to which you were elected or appointed on your job or at church? Are you going to stop attending church service or quit the church altogether? What is going to be your response to the attacks and machinations made against you? Are you going to accuse the Lord of being unfaithful to you because the loss of a good job and good health are now your woes or are you going to stand firm and fight these battles knowing who you are in God and acknowledging the manipulations of the enemy? Finally, let’s consider another individual who was perfect in every way even according to God Himself, but was faced with unbelievable tragedy, simply because of another’s resentment. In the Book of Job, Job of Uz, the greatest man of the East in those times, was blessed beyond measure, because he was upright and faithful to God. But of course, Satan himself could not leave that alone. He was jealous, because while he was homeless roaming back and forth on Earth, Job had real estate properties, innumerable livestock and blessed with ten children. Job also had the
December 2012
Page
20
respect of his community. Consequently, Satan challenges God that Job is only faithful because of the blessings that God has granted him, not because he loves God. God allows Satan, Job’s enemy, to have his way with his wealth and all his blessings. He does and Job loses everything, even his children in one day. But Job only prostrated himself and worshiped God, accepting God’s supremacy. Dissatisfied with Job’s response, Satan goes back to God and asks to attack Job’s health. God grants the permission, trusting that Job will never cease to love and worship Him. Job’s body is attacked with painful boils from his head to the soles of his feet, but he remained faithful in his worship and never cursed God. In the end, the Lord rewarded Job for his faithfulness by not only healing his body, but by also blessing him with twice as much as he had before. Additionally, God blessed him with ten more children, the very number of children he had previously, and lastly, he was blessed with long life, where he lived until 140yrs. Was the attack on Job personal? No doubt. Was it intended to undermine and discredit him? Absolutely. Did Job stop worshiping God and did he curse Him? No. While Job was not privy to what had transpired between God and Satan, Job knew his God and understood that both blessings and curses can come from His hands. Believing that he had been faithful to God, that he had not brought those curses unto himself, he stayed true to his Lord. What is your response when such things happen to you? What challenge or trial are you facing? Have you determined its roots? Was it brought about by your disobedience to God or can you identify it as a personal attack to test you? What are you doing about it? What will you do about it? Are you going to fight by praying and fasting as Esther, Mordecai and the Hebrews did in order to claim your victory over the situation? Are you going to obey your God and continue to pray and call upon his name as did Daniel? Or are you going to continue to worship and continue your faithful relationship with Him as did Job, knowing that your God is faithful and supreme and that despite your afflictions, He is worthy to be worshiped and praised? When such attacks come, know that they are personal, but know even more that this is when it is time to fight and shame your enemies and claim what is yours. Don’t allow the jealous ones to triumph over you. Don’t let Satan and his demonic and human agents to harass and have their way with you. There is something special about you that they desire. There is something wonderful about you that they want to destroy. Are you going to let them? Fight them all the way until it is over, knowing that God fights alongside you.
Husband Leaves Wife Of 19 Years After Discovering She Was A Man
December 2012
Page
World's Oldest Person Dies At Age 116
21
By Steve Almasy, CNN
A Belgian husband has spoken of his 'horror' after learning his wife of 19 years used to be a man.
The duped 64-year-old - named only as Jan - said he had 'no clue' his bride had been born a boy.
The shocking revelation only emerged after almost two decades of marriage when a cousin from his wife's native Indonesia finally exposed the truth.
Jan told how he met 'Monica' in 1993 when she arrived in his home town of Antwerp as an au-pair to his sister's children.
He described as her 'very beautiful and feminine' - but said he now understood why she was 'no good at ironing'.
Jan told Belgium's Nieuwsblad daily paper: 'My second marriage was on the rocks at the time and we quickly fell in love.
'I thought she was an attractive woman, and she was all woman - she had no male traits.
'She was 27 years old at the time, so I asked her if she wanted children.
'I was glad when she said she didn't as I was 44 and already had two of my own.
'Over the years she said she was taking the pill, and even during sex I never noticed anything, though now I understand why she always used a lubricant, which is apparently normal among transexuals.
'She was always a good mother to my children, and also a fantastic cook, though we wasn't that great at cleaning and ironing - and now I know why!'
But Jan said the relationship had begun to suffer over the past two years as she insisted on staying out late on her own wearing 'very revealing outfits'.
He added: 'She would wear tiny tops that revealed a lot of flesh and had more than 100 pairs of shoes.
'I also caught her ogling pictures of young men on the Internet.
'But I didn't suspect a thing until a cousin of hers came to visit and let something slip.
'I mentioned it to my son and he said he'd heard a rumour too that Monica used to be a man.
'One evening I confronted her and she finally confessed she had been born a boy and had a sex change operation.
'My world collapsed in a few seconds. I was horrified. I feel like have been violated for almost 20 years.'
The couple are still living under the same roof after a judge refused to grant Jan an order to evict her.
But he added: 'We live in separate rooms and rarely speak. What Monica has done to me and my family is unforgivable. I just want her out of my life.'
Source: www. Dailymail.co.uk
CNN) -- Before women gained the right to vote in 1920, Besse Cooper joined the suffrage movement.
Then 24, the Georgia school teacher registered women to vote and spoke to others about the importance of having a voice in politics.
Cooper voted in every election after the 19th Amendment was passed, save for two.
She died at age 116, only one of eight people recognized by the Guinness World Records to have lived that long.
Her son Sidney said his mother had her hair done Tuesday morning by a stylist at the assisted-living center where she had lived for the past 11 years but began to have trouble breathing.
She died later in her room, peacefully, he said.
When asked for her secret to a long life, Cooper told the Guinness website earlier this year: "I mind my own business. And I don't eat junk food."
Sidney Cooper, 77, said his mother was a strong, determined woman who, like the school teacher she was, could be a disciplinarian.
She was fair and honest, he said, but "when she said something needed to be done, you'd better do it."
were when she was in her 80s.
He will always remember her with her straw hat on, working in the flower garden, scratching weeds away with her hoe. She always had fresh-cut flowers in her home, and in her later years, her family would bring some to her room.
She also loved to watch the news on television, her son said.
"She was very intelligent," Sidney Cooper said. "She loved to read."
Her eyesight had deteriorated, though, and she no longer read the Bible or any of the great works of fiction.
Aside from a few heart issues, she was in "amazing" health, her son said, adding that she never complained of pain even in her final days.
Besse Cooper gained the distinction of being oldest living human from Guinness World Records in January 2011.
She briefly moved to second on the list when the record keepers found a woman in Brazil who was 48 days older, but Maria Gomes Valentim died in June 2011, just weeks before her 115th birthday.
Besse Cooper was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, on August 26, 1896. She began to go to school at age 5 -- yes, she walked from a log cabin -- to make sure one of her broth- The oldest person to have ever lived, according to Guinness World Records, was Jeanne Louise Calment. ers attended. She grew to love going to class and eventually She died in southern France in 1997 at the age of 122. went to East Tennessee Normal School (now East Tennessee State University) in Johnson City to study education. As for her voting record, Besse Cooper didn't vote this year. Neither she nor her husband voted in 1948. They When she graduated, she got a job earning $35 a month. thought Thomas Dewey was a shoo-in. When she heard from a friend she could make more in
Georgia, she got a job in Monroe making twice as much.
Besse Cooper is survived by four children, 11 grandShe married Luther Cooper in 1924, and he died in 1963. She children, 13 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. never remarried.
Sidney Cooper said his mother always said her best years
Source:www.cnn.com
December 2012
Page 22
Pay The Money Here At Obeng International U.S.A. And Your Relatives Will Collect The Food In Ghana Free
WE SAVE YOU MONEY, TIME AND INCONVENIENCE IN JUST THREE EASY STEPS NO MORE FREIGHT, DUTY, SHIPPING AND CUSTOM HASSLES FOR YOU!
1.
ORDER THE FOOD ITEMS
2. PAY AT ANY OBENG INT. LOCATION
BUY FOOD AT WHOLESALE PRICES
3. RELATIVE WILL PICK UP IN GHANA Titus Sardine Corned beef Geisha Salad oil
Olive Oil 50lb Jasmine Rice Ideal Milk 25lb Jasmine Rice Peak Milk Tropiway Fufu 100lb Long GrainRice Mashed Potato
Goya Malt 40 pk/24pk Big Nido Big Peak Milk Big Ovaltine
Tomato Paste 12x8oz Tomato Sauce 12x6oz Big Tomato Paste 1lb Big Tomato Sauce 1lb
GHANA PICK UP LOCATION: Abeka Lapaz Tro tro station DC LOCATION 300 Morse St Washington D.C 20002 VIRGINIA LOCATION 13592 Jefferson Davis Hwy Woodbridge
25lbs/50lbs Black Eyed Peas Potato Starch 50lbs Tissue 24pk 10lb/25lb Sugar
Tel : 0244-814692 Tel: (202) 544-8255 Tel :703-493-8904
The Richest Woman In The World: Folorunsho Alakija
December 2012
Page
23
Ellinah Wamukoya Becomes Africa's First Anglican Woman Bishop
said in a statement: "The thunder is rumbling as I write: We have witnessed a great occasion, and now it does indeed seem that the heavens are about to fall upon us - the falling of rain, which this country and its people so desperately need.
David Dinkebogile led Saturday's ceremony and stressed that the gathering was to consecrate a bishop "not a black woman, not an African, not a Swazi woman".
Ellinah Wamukoya said she would "represent the mother attribute of God
Oprah Winfrey has lost her long-held title as the richest black woman in the world to a Nigerian oil tycoon, according to a report by an African business magazine.
sidiary of Texaco -- to act as a technical adviser for her business.
In 2000, Star Deep Petroleum determined that Alakija's land contained an excess of one billion barrels of oil. When this was discovered, the Nigerian government tried to re-acquire half of the oil-rich block it had sold to Alakija.
Edging out Oprah is Folorunsho Alakija, a 61-year-old woman from Nigeria who is reportedly worth at least $3.2 billion, or roughly $500 million more than Oprah's $2.7 The Nigerian government was successful billion net worth, Ventures Africa reported. and Alakija lost control of all but 10 percent of her oil company until 2012, when Alakija is the founder and owner of Famfa Nigeria's highest court reversed the govOil, which owns a 60 per cent interest in ernment's actions. OML 127, an offshore oil field that produces
roughly 200,000 barrels of oil per day and is worth an estimated $6.44 billion.
Also a fashion designer and philanthropist, Alakija is married and has four grown sons, as well as one grandchild. She owns at least $100 million in real estate and $46 million private jet, Ventures Africa reported.
Born into a wealthy Nigerian family, Alakija started out as a secretary in the mid 1970s at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria.
With Alakija now back in control of 60 percent of the oil company, her net worth has shot up to $3.2 billion, an estimate that Ventures Africa calls extremely conservative.
"She was to be pastor to all, to men and women, to black and white, to Swazis and all others in her diocese," he said.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has consecrated its first woman bishop in Africa.
Bishop Wamukoya is a former mayor of Swaziland's economic capital, Manzini, reports the AFP news agency.
Her consecration comes as the Church of England is due to vote on whether to allow women to become bishops.
"A mother is a caring person but at the same time, a mother can be firm in doing whatever she is doing," she said.
Ellinah Wamukoya, 61, will serve as the church's bishop in the small, conservative king- "I am going to try to represent the mother attribute of God," she told the AP news agency. dom of Swaziland.
"We have taken this step, and we wish the Church of England 'God speed' as they deliberate this week," Cape Town's Anglican archbish- Source: www.allafrica.com op said.
Nigerian Bishop Consecrated By Pope
The Most Revd Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town
Others are the Minister of State for FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide and the Chaplain of the Presidential Villa Chapel, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba.
Alakija's sons now run Famfa Oil and her husband, Modupe Alakija, is the chairman of the company.
Onaiyekan's elevation to the College of Cardinals was announced by the Vatican on October 24.
She recently purchased a $102 million property at One Hyde Park in London, as well as a Bombardier Global Express 6000 jet, which she bought earlier this year for Several years later, she quit her job and $46 million. moved to London, where she studied fashion design. She later returned to Nigeria and launched her fashion line, Supreme Stitches, Her charity, Rose of Sharon Foundation, which caters to upscale, high-society women. gives out small grants to widows and orphans.
While she was building her name as a fashion designer, Alakija in 1993 applied for an Oil Prospecting License -- an expensive permit that allows for oil exploration in a specified area.
The Nigerian government granted her request and allocated a 617,000-acre block of land to Alakija for oil exploration -- but she knew nothing about finding and extracting oil.
So in September of 1996, she appointed Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited -- a sub-
Source:www.businessday.com
According to the statement, Jonathan has also asked members of the delegation to stop over in Hanover, Germany on their way back to visit Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba, who is being treated there following injuries he sustained in a recent plane crash. Archbishop John Onaiyekan was consecrated cardinal . The ceremony was performed by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Source: www.allafrica.com
Senate President David Mark led federal government's delegation to the ceremony.
A statement issued by the Senior Adviser to the President on Media, Dr Reuben Abati, said other delegates include: the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe and the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.
Afrikan
Post
Man Dies And Wakes Up In Mortuary 7 Days Later
He was murdered. After about seven days of inquiry into his ‘death’, his relatives went to the mortuary with a coffin to take his body but were shocked to find him alive.Lazarus Oluwafemi Agbolahan Makinde, now an evangelist shares his story. To hear him, especially through the telephone receiver, you must be determined and very patient. The first time this reporter called him, the impression that initially came through as the voice was barely audible, was that he must have been tired out or had some ailment. It was indeed difficult deciphering the near whisper.
On meeting him, he came through as a very happy man, and the way he carried himself made that obvious. However, speaking with him explained the cause of the piteous voice quality… His throat was slashed; his head smashed and his Cores were severed in a bizarre murder act. But he is alive to tell the story! And to work on the astonishing story he told in Egba variant-tinted Yoruba language made it even more engaging, considering the fact that he had no western education. Evangelist Makinde’s joy at being alive and able to bear children came through as he struggled to be heard and understood. And this explains his eagerness to tell his story over and over again. Excerpts: What Happened? On the fateful day, two of my journey-men came to me and said they would like to go to my house with me and would sleep in my house. I asked them why and they both said their brothers had visitors. I told them I would not be driving home as I had intended to preach in the bus I would board… I was rounding off a three-day fast. Nevertheless, we went home together. When we got home, I made three cups of tea and I went out to buy bread so we could eat from the stew my wife had prepared before she travelled. They said they were okay but I insisted. On my way, a neighbour, who is also a member of our church, and my landlord’s wife saw them and asked who my visitors were and I told them they were my co-workers who had come to pass the night in my house. While I was away, they had added something to my tea and without knowing this I blessed the tea and drank. I passed out. In that state of unconsciousness, they slit my throat with a knife and removed my Adam’s apple, smashed my head so much that my brain could be seen and also cut my Cores. They took my money, locked me in the room and went away, leaving me for dead. And to think that they were my employees I was paying. One of them was Lukman Osunbiyi of Arigbajo near Ifo in Ogun State. After some days, a foul smell had enveloped our yard and our neighbour’s. A neighbour known as Baba Isaac was the one that raised the issue of what was smelling because my room was adjacent to his. People were searching their rooms to find it. My room is on the way to the conveniences of our compound and our landlord was the one that found out that the smell was coming from my room. He called his wife, Mummy Moji, and asked what could be smelling in my room, ‘has he got dogs?’ The woman said she knew I had no dog. The man said they should send for my relations but they called our church members. When the church members arrived at the scene, they said they could not break the door. So, they went and fetched my brother who was at Itire-Ijesha, known as Brother Kunle. He was the one that drove to Area G police station at Ogba. The police came, demanded for the duplicate key to my room from the landlord and he told them he could not lay his hands on the spare key. The police broke the door and they found my body in a pool of blood in the room… After four days. This was late in the night of the fourth day. They took me to Idi Araba (Lagos University Teaching Hospital) and they were told to go and bury me. They went to Island Hospital, I was rejected; they went to Igbobi and they also rejected me there. I was eventually deposited at the Ikeja General Hospital mortuary. On the seventh day after the incident, members of our family went to Ikeja to retrieve my body. They went with a coffin, but the Almighty God had some point to prove. I was stacked with other dead bodies and when they got to me, they saw that I had raised my left hand and
D e c e m b e r 2012
by Michael Prempeh in Inside Africa
was waving it. There was shouting and commotion at the mortuary. They took me into the hospital for treatment. I noticed that the doctors were confused as to where to start from or what to do. They had cut my throat and severed the oesophagus, my head was wide open while my manhood was dangling. But God raised one of the doctors, a white man named Daniel, through whom my rehabilitation commenced at the Ikeja General Hospital. He was the one who began some repairs of my throat and head. But it was difficult because the throat was gone, it is a cartilage and could hardly be sewn; while my head could sustain nothing and was gushing. But somehow, he managed to cut an opening though the base of my neck and created a duct through which I was fed and given medicines. Breathing was a huge task, given the wound and the pain. And remember, my Cores were severed and suture was also nearly impossible. There were lots of plastic holds and bandages on my neck and others… it was a sight to behold. I was later transferred to the ward. It will interest you to know that while I was there in the ward, God appeared to me on two different occasions and said: “I am the Lord, your God. I have a task which you must accomplish.” After four days in the ward, all the pipes on me were removed by God knows who. Yes, my eyes were open but I could not see. It is needless to say that I could not talk. How and when the pipes were removed, I did not know. I kept hearing a voice telling me: “Am I not your God?” Amid that voice, the plastic and other things on my head were removed. When the nurses and others saw what had happened, there was commotion. They were asking who removed the things. They thought I had died and were confused. When Dr Daniel arrived, he saw what had happened and exclaimed that he had never seen such a thing before. Eventually, they took me back to the theatre. He tried to replace the pipes and so on.
So, were there arrests after you came back to life? When the news spread that I had resurrected, one of the persons that killed me committed suicide. The man’s was known as Olumide Timilehin. Lukman Osunbiyi ran away. I was told I could not procreate because my Cores had been severed. Secondly, the doctors also said that my brain was gone and that I would just be kept in a place and be fed and that I would not speak. I was passed as vegetable. It was such a difficult period. But God had some other plans. One day, as our pastor was walking towards me and I just called out his name… I mean Pastor Oke, who was our pastor then at Christ Freedom Evangelical Ministry. That was the day I regained my voice and began to talk again. It was a great day of joy. In fact, when my mother heard what had happened, she walked to Ikeja, almost Unclad, to see for herself. Even after that incident, I still remained rooted to a spot, immobile. While there, I kept hearing the police and the people talk about Lukman. The police asked me if I knew where he lived and I said I knew the place in Mushin. They asked if I could see and I said yes, just put me in the vehicle. When we got to Lukman’s residence at Mushin, we were directed to where he was at play. When we arrived at the place, they crosschecked his face with that in the photograph they had and saw that it was him truly. He attempted to jump over the fence but he was arrested by the policemen and my family members. They accused him of murder and the matter was taken to court. It was during the hearings in court that Lukman revealed how they came about committing the murder. He spilled the beans, and revealed those who paid them to kill me. He said it was my halfbrothers that paid him and Olumide to kill me in my room. There also, one of my brothers admitted that they agreed among themselves, and with Lukman, to just waste me.
Was Lukman jailed or what? Towards the end of the matter, pointers were that Lukman and others could be sentenced to death as that was the submission of
Page
24
the state which was prosecuting the case. On one of the hearing days, I raised my hand and requested to speak. When I was given the opportunity, I asked that the matter be left for God to judge. I said I wouldn’t want to see them killed by the cause of this case. At some point in the matter, members of the family of Lukman came to my family and offered me N2million then, begging me to forgive their son and spare his life. They came through my relations and expressed disappointment in their son and brother. They were sorry and wanted to compensate me, but I said I did not need the money. I told them that it was God that brought me back to life and I therefore leave everything to Him. What is your advice to people?
Anyone that has Christ has it all… Anyone that has Christ and believes in Him, and does the will of God. He says we are the temple of God and that He would fight for us. He is that one that fought for me because we are more than conquerors because of He who loves us. That is my story. I didn’t even tell you about my tongue that I bit so hard when I was struggling with death… I almost bit my tongue into two in the struggle for life. The address is Abeokuta Street at Oke Odo, in Pleasure area. There is a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in front of the place. The people there would tell more than I have because they saw it all. Source: Nigerian Tribune
New Record For World's Oldest Man Jiroemon Kimura
Afrikan
Post
the last known man to live across three centuries.
If he lives until 27 December 2012, he will become the oldest man ever documented.
The current holder of the title, DanishAmerican Christian Mortensen, lived to the age of 115 years 252 days.
Source:www.allafrica.com
December 2012
Prime Minister of Mali Resigns After Arrest
The 60-year-old astrophysicist is to step down immediately, according to reports. It is believed that he has been forced to do so by the military coup leaders responsible for the coup in March 2012.
His resignation come hours after his arrest by military men, led by the March coup leader Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo, RFI reported. According to close associates of the prime minister, he was taken to the Kati military barracks on the outskirts of the capital Bamako.
Translated from the French by Michael Tantoh.
Jiroemon Kimura, who was born in April 1897, is
Boy Sentenced To Church For 10 Years
25
Cape Town — Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra has resigned, with all the members of his cabinet.
The military is accusing the prime minister of inciting violence.
A Japanese man has been named the world's oldest for the second year in a row by Guinness World Records.
Page
Source:www.allafrica.com
Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra, Malian interim President Diouncounda Traore appointed a new PM, less than 24 hours after his predecessor was forced to resign by the military.
Django Sissoko, an official in the presidency, has been named to succeed Cheick Modibo Diarra, who has been under arrest since his resignation.
The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is bordered by Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and CĂ´te d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west.
Blind Musician Regains Sight
to the terms of the sentence, with Dunn's sister telling the judge that there was no sense in ruining two lives by sending Alred to prison.
Judge Norman said that he had used the church requirement as a sentence condition before, especially in child support cases, reported Huffington Post.
He had, however, never used it before for a manslaughter charge and believed his sentence would not pass a legal challenge. He said he believed neither side would appeal.
A US JUDGE'S decision to sentence a teen to 10 years of church attendance over a fatal car crash has been branded "unconstitutional".
Tyler Alred, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for the crash that led to his 16year-old friend John Dunn's death in December last year, reported Tulsa World.
Muskogee County Judge Mike Norman in Oklahoma gave Alred a 10-year deferred sentence for DUI manslaughter.
The conditions included 10 years of church attendance, finishing high school and completing a welding course. He also must take drug, alcohol and nicotine tests for a year, wear a drug and alcohol bracelet and be part of victim's impact panels.
Alred's barrister and the victim's family agreed
"Both families were satisfied with the decision," Norman said in an interview. Source: news.com.au
An Alexandria based Ghanaian high school student who has been blind from the age of 11 has regained his sight and shared his testimony with the Afrikan Post on Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Rexford Agyare Boateng was born on October 3rd 1991 to Master Joseph Agyare Boateng {Seth] and Ms Victoria Konadu in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Due to his partial sight from birth leading to vision deterioration, it began jeopardizing his academic performance. He then went through his elementary school years up until the 6th grade in a regular Ghanaian private school from September 1998 via 2004 , but was later enrolled in a standard middle School under special education at the School for the Blind in the Eastern region of Ghana from September 2004 through April 2009. After graduating, he gained admission four months later to Wenchi Senior High school in 2009 and only spent about 8 months there. Rexford Boateng , courtesy of his father, was privileged to continue life in the U.S. where he anticipated with God’s help to get his sight back. Within his entire first year stay, he consulted a few eye Specialists , which were unfruitful. He finally consulted an optometrist at Johns Hopkins Eye Center in Baltimore, Maryland where two eye operations were performed. Less results came out of the first operation. The second one, on the other hand, was successful, and that is what we are currently celebrating. Boateng is currently studying at James W. Robinson High School in Fairfax, VA, with aspirations of becoming a full-time teacher and obtaining a degree in music, together with other contemplating aspirations that are yet to be considered.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE PERSECUTION FACTOR
Afrikan
Post
Herod is still resisting the preaching of the gospel!!
Pastor George Annan The birth of Jesus Christ in the year 4BC was not welcome with celebration and feasting. His birth met with resistance, hatred and brutal genocide all calculated to exterminate the messiah and abort
Gods plan for the salvation of mankind. Herod had to kill all babes who were potential carriers of the mantle and ministry of Jesus. As we remember the birth of Jesus Christ during this Christmas seasons I admonish Christians to remember that Satan is still resisting millions of souls from responding to the salvation message of Jesus. This is not the time to celebrate when Herod (Satan) is still killing the conscience of millions to deny the truth of the birth of the messiah. Nor is it the time to feast when many Christians are still being persecuted around the world www.persecution.tv Its a season among other issues to also reflect on the 10/40 window (many nations) that are closed to the preaching of the gospel. Of course God will build His church but He uses instruments of persons. Are you going to avail yourself? If a man shall purge himself he will be a vessel of honor fit for the master’s use says apostle Paul; 2 Tim 2:21. The field is white and few are the laborers. Pray for the persecuted church and avail yourself to be used.
www.redemptionnews.org
1. How many books are in the Bible? The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments. 2. How many books are in the Old Testament? There are 39 books in the Old Testament.
3. How many books are in the New Testament? There are 27 books in the New Testament.
4. What does "testament" mean? Testament means "covenant" or "contract."
5. Who wrote the Bible? The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.
6. Which single author contributed the most books to the Old Testament? Moses. He wrote the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the Pentateuch; the foundation of the Bible.
7. Which single author contributed the most books to the New Testament? The Apostle Paul, who wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament.
8. When was the Bible written? It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
Duncan-Williams Gets Doctorate Degree Religion
December 2012 Page 26
The Doctor of Practical Ministry award was conferred on him for his immense contribution in Christian ministry, his dedication to his calling and the huge impact he has made in the lives of people in the country and the world at large.
Speaking after receiving the award, Dr Duncan-Williams expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the University of America for such an honour and thanked all who supported him in diverse ways in his ministry to chalk this achievement.
“I don’t deserve the award but I have got it. It is just by the grace of God,” he said, adding that plans were far advanced for Dominion University College to partner the University of America in exchange programmes.
The University of America has conferred an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Practical Ministry on Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, founder and general overseer of Action Chapel International in Accra.
Bible Facts
9. What is the oldest book in the Old Testament? Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite about 1500 B.C. Others hold that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books in the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.
10. What is the youngest book in the Old Testament? The book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C.
11. What is the oldest book of the New Testament? Probably the book of James, written as early as A.D. 45.
12. What is the youngest book in the New Testament? The Book of Revelation is the youngest book of the New Testament, written about 95 A.D.
13. What languages was the Bible written in? The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. 14. When was the Bible canonized? The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.
This, he said, would put Dominion University College on the world map, making it an internationally recognized university. Source: Daily Guide
The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.
18. What is the oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence? The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however-- the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Rayland's Library in Manchester, England). 19. What is the longest book in the Bible? The book of Psalms. 20. What is the shortest book in the Bible? 2 John. 21. What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 119 22. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 117 23. What is the longest verse in the Bible? Esther 8:9 24. What is the shortest verse in the Bible? John 11:35 25. Which book in the Bible does not mention the word "God?" The book of Esther.
26. Who were the two men in the Bible who never died but were caught up to heaven? Enoch, who walked with God and was no more (Genesis 5:22-28). Elijah, who was caught up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11). 27. Who does the Bible say was the meekest man in the Bible (not including Jesus)? Moses (Numbers 12:3).
15. What does "canon" mean? "Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible "canonized" meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian 28. How many languages has the Bible been translated into? church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countall Christians throughout the ages live and worship. less more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages). (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, 16. When was the first translation of the Bible made into Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English? English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.) 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.
17. When was the Bible printed?
Source: http://ministerbook.com
Afrikan
Post
t
December 2012
Page
27
Afrikan
Post
Nigeria Holds Record Of African Country With Highest Private Jet Ownership
The recent media report that Nigeria is now holding the enviable record of a country with the highest private jet ownership in Africa is unarguably rankling.
This untoward development has brought into sharper focus the paradox of a nation that is endowed with huge oil resources but where only a few privileged individuals are wealthy.
In a country where the average citizen or over 70 percent of the population lives on less than $1 per day, it is astonishing that there is a super rich class of business moguls, bankers, preachers, politicians and oil magnates whose private ownership of jets is more than that of any other country in the continent.
The report has it that ownership of state-of-the-art jets in Nigeria has increased to over 200 in 2012 from 50 in 2008.
It also indicates that N1.30 trillion may have been spent by Nigerians in the last seven years to acquire jets. The cost of a jet ranges between N2.4 billion and N9 billion.
Though successive Nigerian administrations have generously dubbed the country as the “Giant of Africa,” the reality on ground indicates that Nigeria does not deserve to be so called.
Ours is a system riddled with systemic corruption and officially-sanctioned profligacy. Over the years, we have not fared better in any index of development by any African and global ranking bodies.
While it is the prerogative of individuals to decide what to do with their money, we think that the rush by wealthy Nigerians to acquire private jets is fast becoming an obsession that should be curbed.
Page 28
Nigerian Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor's Church Members Gives Him A Private Jet As His Birthday Gift
tion are still begging for attention that acquisition of jets cannot be a top priority.
The recent havoc caused by flood in many parts of the country shows the enormity of environmental problems facing most of the states. Besides, every state in the country is bedevilled by the blight of unemployment and poverty. The country is still battling with general insecurity occasioned by armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and other social ills.
The President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has now joined the elite league of Nigerian clergies, who own Moreover, the nation’s education and health sectors are in a private jet. This was affirmed on Saturday [Nov. 10] as members of The a shamble, yet we parade the highest number of jet owners Word of Life Bible Church, in Ajamimogha, Warri, Delta state, presented in Africa. We decry the new craze to acquire jets among the Pastor with a private jet as his birthday gift. Nigerians, especially the public office holders. In fact, public office holders should seriously face governance and The leader of Christian community in Nigeria, who is fondly called Papa other developmental issues and do away with the tendency Ayo, was celebrating his birthday and his 40th anniversary on the pulpit, to buy jets. when he was presented the gift.
Apart from being an avoidable drain on the state’s resources, there is no need and justification for such egotripping. This overt and stupendous consumerism culture epitomizes poverty of ideas and misplacement of priorities. It should be stopped forthwith.
While there is nothing basically wrong with private individuals owning jets, we should not bring the Nigerian factor to bear on it so that it does not become nauseating.
We urge Nigerians to moderate their taste for ostentation and curb the new craze. We appeal to state governors to channel those resources to the enhancement of democracy deliverables to the people. Let them compete on developmental issues and not on jets. Above all, government should regulate the acquisition of luxury goods including jets by increasing taxation on them. Efforts should be geared towards improving the nation’s aviation industry.
Perhaps, the mad rush to acquire private jets can be lessThe new craze among public office holders is unnecessary ened if the aviation sector is working. People resort to show of power, prestige and personal ego. Acquiring a pri- acquiring jets to possibly overcome the shortcomings of vate jet has now become a status symbol for a few privithe ailing aviation sector. A situation where only two or leged nouveau riche Nigerians including members of the three private airlines service the nation’s domestic flight political elite. needs is not good enough. Floating a functional national carrier in addition to having a few more functional and Given that some oil-rich states of the Niger Delta region effective private operators can largely address the probcan afford the luxury of a private jet for their chief execu- lem. tives, the same can hardly be said of other states of the federation where basic necessities of life are still a campaign issue. Source: www.onlinenigeria.com
Even among the oil-rich states, some environmental challenges occasioned by years of oil exploration and exploita-
December 2012
Present amongst the congregation to felicitate with the Pastor was President Goodluck Jonathan.
The ceremony kicked off immediately with the entrance of the President with the singing of the national anthem. The president gave a brief address on the celebrant and wished him many more years ahead.
Responding to all the good wishes, Pastor Oritsejafor thanked the President, the Delta state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, the Speaker, Delta state House of Assembly, Engr. Victor Ochie and all other dignitaries at the occasion.
The high point of the ceremony was the presentation of a private jet as birthday gift by members of the church.
A brief sermon was given by an international preacher, Dr Mike Murdock on seven laws of success. He urged all Nigerians to build their faith and work with God.
Source:www.onlinenigeria.com
December 2012
Are You Ready To Purchase?
Independence Realty sales professionals will put you in a new or resale home as soon as possible . You know it is profitable to own Than to rent . Interest Rates at its lowest
Page
Join our Team
offering you the opportunity to be part of the innovative Team of real estate professionals . The tools of the trade are at your fingertips at independence, so it is time to work smart and act quickly.
DON’T WAIT FOR TOMORROW
CALL MICHAEL @ 703 401-1231, JOHNNY 571-277-0416, PHILLIP 571-332-9880 Office Tel:703-799-0390 Fax:703 799-0392 OR VISIT US AT OUR NEW LOCATION 8605 C Engleside Office Park, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22309
Michael Gyamfi Managing Broker Email:mcgyamfi@mris.com
29
Afrikan Post
December 2 0 1 2 Page 30
The Divine Wedding Bishop Adonteng Boateng’s Wedding and Thanksgiving Service
The Couple exchanging vows before Rev. Jesse Booth
The Church Choir
Sword Bearers of the ministry making a presentation to the couple
Eric Agyeman (formerly of Kokroko band ) entertaining the guests
Bishop Kofi Adonteng Boateng and wife , Elsie
The Couple and a group of St Louise Past Students Association (SLOPSA)
Visiting Ministers and invited Guests
Congregation
Bishop and Mrs. Adonteng Boateng
The Couple Cutting their wedding cake
Relatives of the couple. Mother of the bride (Middle)
December 2 0 1 2
Page 31
Afrikan
Post
iRAP Tv Strives To Become The Face Of African Entertainment In The USA By Oral Ofori
NYC is studying Media Technology at the Bronx Community College in New York, he and his production tem use a lot of newmedia in the production and hosting of the show. The show airs in The Bronx and Brooklyn areas of NYC. Viewers in the Bronx can catch it on Cablevision (channel 69) or Verizon FiOS (channel 35). Brooklyn customers can watch the show on Cable (channel 67), Time Warner Cable (channel 34), Verizon FiOS (channel 42) and RCN (channel 82). Anyone can also enjoy the show anywhere on the globe via its YouTube Channel.
Producers of the show say their primary target audience is literally everyone living in the United States of America and any youth on the face of the earth. This is evident from the personalities that have appeared on iRAP TV in the short while that it has been around. The show has had people from all types of backgrounds who are very much open to each other's cultures ranging from Africans, Jamaicans, Americans, Europeans and basically anyone out there who might be interested in hearing or watching music videos from third world countries.
Nana Yaw Boateng 'By Oral Ofori
There is a television show on the airwaves of the East Coast of the USA that is gathering momentum among Ghanaians and Africans in the State of New York where it all begun. The name of this TV show is iRAP TV, which stands for International Rhymes and Poetry Television. Nana Yaw Boateng, a Ghanaian resident in New York City (NYC) is one of the brainchild behind iRAP TV which has been on the air since March 2012 on respective TV Channels in New York, USA.
Nana Yaw Boateng who prefers to be called Nana NYC in the world of showbiz is the producer and host of iRAP TV, his executive producer is Joseph Appianing and Bismark Osei is the chief editor. The other individuals who help put the show together are Hashim Haruna; the program manager and Collins Owusu; the Assistant Producer. iRAP TV is very dynamic and spontaneous owing to its highly exuberant youthful production crew and guests. The show does not follow conventional lines, which makes it even more appealing to the youthful audience it has. One unique thing about iRAP TV is that it is not recorded or shot in a studio setting, it rather has an onthe-spot feel to it which gives birth to spontaneous interviews depending on where the production crew and the host may be at. So far all of the their interviews have been done outside studios and on location in places like Ghana, Canada, New York, and other places.
iRAP TV airs as a 30 minute show for now and the production crew is on the lookout for more potential hosts all over the globe who have the vibrancy and exuberance which defines it. The current host, Nana
Recent statistics conducted by iRAP TV revealed that youth and adults between the age range of 16 to 45 years have been tuning into the show in the New York ares of the USA. Measures are being put into place to increase traffic among the global audience via their YouTube Channel. There are a lot of African Businesses such as African Restaurants and African Markets that favor this show because as they work and provide their goods and services to people, they also get to tune in and watch interviews and music videos from various artist across the African continent or with connections to the continent. What the makers of the show want to achieve is to allow the creation of an opportunity to shed light on the independent entertainment industries around the world, especially those of the African industry be they on the continent or outside of it. The host of the show, Nana Yaw Boateng, is personally working to make this long term goal a reality through his own independent company called AFANFRI'S M1Y UNLIMITED. The company is presently promoting BOOGIE DOWN NIMA PRODUCTIONS, a company based in New York. Their purpose is to bring popular Ghanaian/African artists to the United States for independent tours, something which will provide a lot of content for the iRAP TV management and production team as the show grows.
Nana NYC is himself an artiste who ventured out with the help of his team to put this television show together because they came to realize that there are a lot of Americans and foreigners from other places in the world who love to come to African concerts owing to their love for the continent's music and entertainment industry. The purpose here is therefore to expose more of these talented musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, spoken word poets and other kinds of entertainers and personalities to the American audience to create familiarity and in the process bring more of such persones to a wider audience through live shows and spontaneous interviews. 'We are doing this because channels like BET, VH1 and MTV do not have television shows that exclusively caters to Africans' says the iRAP TV crew.
American music television giant--MTV has been observing iRAP TV's momentum and is making attempts to tap into the show as they see the potential. As at November 2012, some personnel of MTV have been in talks with the show after Nana NYC featured and interviewed acclaimed artistes and personalities like ace Ghanaian Highlife musician Amakye Dede and Ofori Amponsah, K-Switch and Flava N'abania of Nigeria, IWAYNE and Young Joc of Jamaica and the USA respectively, Ghanaian Presidential hopeful Nana Akuffo Addo, Hiplife group VIP of Ghana and a whole host of others.
December 2012
Page 32
Most of the positive feedback for the show comes mainly from Americans, especially African Americans who express their love and appreciation for the show. These people are really in love with the African beats and rhythms and are occasionally relating to the subject matters of the music videos and how well the directing and editing is sometimes done.
Every good thing has its difficult and struggling sides and for iRAP TV, one major headache faced as pioneers in their fields is the difficulty associated with getting the word about the show out there to a much larger and more global audience and arousing interests in potential hosts all over the world to contribute by way of video blogging where they will be offered the opportunity to talk about things relating directly to them in their own cultures. The iRAP TV team is very small and everyone on the team is preoccupied with school, work and their own dreams and aspirations. The crew has been managing to keep the show on air with funding out of their own pockets. Holding such a team together can sometimes be very daunting and difficult, yet the burning desire to keep Africa on the map is what inspires iRAP TV. People and businesses out there who may be interested in supporting the iRAP TV dream by way of sponsorship, partnership, etc are encouraged to drop my blog a line. I will personally pass your messages on to the producers and directors of the show. I personally believe this is a great African dream that must not be allowed to die, which is why I am bringing some much needed exposure by way of my blog. You or someone you know has the capacity to be of some form of help, so spread the word and we will all do our parts in making this seed blossom into a tree where generations can take shed under and enjoy the fruits of success.
KABASH TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Afrikan
Post
December 2012
Expert in both Federal & .......State Tax Returns
Electronic Filing
Quick Refund Low Fees
Francis Kodua Basoah, CPA Authorized Electronic Filer (ERO) & Notary Public
Page
33
8152 BIANCA PL (off Buckman Rd) ALEXANDRIA, VA 22309 571-224-6969 / 703-360-5489 Email: kabashay@yahoo.com
OKYEMAN KUO OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA INVITATION TO END OF YEAR PARTY DATE : SATURDAY DECEMBER 29, 2012 TIME: 10:00AM TO 2AM VENUE: SILKY SMOOTH DANCE STUDIOS 13676 JEFFERSON DAVIES HIGHWAY RSVP GORDON AGYEKUM 571-471-1201 FRED BOAKYE 703-981-4608 KWASI FOSU 571-575-5691 FELIX YEBOAH 571-575-9409 SYLVESTER ADU 571-221-0517 NANA WIREDU AMPOFO II 571-594-1815
Afrikan
Veteran Nollywood Actor Pete Eneh Is Dead
Culture and Arts - Profiles
Post
after he had an injury on his leg.
December 2012
Actor Mac Jordan Amartey Loses Leg
a chronic form of diabetes which affected his leg, prompting doctors to cut it off.
His case got worse when he couldn't get proper medical attention. The actor was said to have been amputated to stop the infection from spreading to other parts of his body.
News from a reliable source close to veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Eneh confirms that the actor has passed on.
According to the source, Pete Eneh died on November 15 at Park Lane hospital in Enugu. Pete died few days Source:www.vanguard.com after he had one of his legs amputated due to infection. The infection, according to reports, started last year,
34
Mac Jordan is well noted for the use of ‘big’ English words in his movies and known also for his tiff with another actress Grace Nortey in almost all the movies the two starred in.
Eneh was a visible member of Nollywood. He featured in hit Nollywood movies such as "Lonely Life", "Divided Kingdom", "Prince of Ignorance", "Heavy Rain", "Naomi ", "Not Your Wealth"among other movies. May He rest in Peace
Page
He has been in the industry for so many years, appearing in the all-time favourite ‘Idikoko’ series, TV Theatre productions and numerous Ghanaian films. Reports reaching ‘Razz’ has it that legSource: www.ghanaweb.com -Razz endary actor, Mac Jordan Amartey is seriously ill and has had one of his legs amputated.
Popular Nigerian Actor Dies In Indian Hospital The ace actor is said to be suffering from
given to enable me concentrate on production. I have been part of so many productions and I may not be able to remember all now .” He featured in other major films including Bisi Daughter of the River by Jab Adu and Eddie Ugboma’s Oyenusi. Enebeli has been in the home movie industry since 1994. “ I didn’t start acting because I wanted fame, I have had my rough and good times in life, I remembered so many things but I can’t recall any spectacular day as such in the movie industry. But one of the greatest things that has happened to me since I came into this industry was that God saved my life from a very near fatal accident. I was driving to Ijebu Igbo and on getting close to Ogun State University, Ago Iwoye, my car somersaulted and eventually hit a big barrier; I lost control and the car eventually hung on the bridge. A greater part of the car was almost down there and I was rescued by some policemen who came and stood behind the car, pressed it down and rescued me and three other people who were with me in the Nollywood veteran actor, Enebeli Elebuwa is dead. The car. I didn’t know how it all happened- It was really a miracle that actor, died on tuesday December 4th at his Indian showed that God wanted to preserve me. Role model I wouldn’t hospital.Nollywood actor Enebeli Enebuwa died after a pro- say I have a role model as such because I went through things that tracted battle with complications of diabetes and later, even some of the people that I might describe as role models stroke. never went through. My kind of role model is a great man who Members of the Ndokwa community of Delta State who live knows how to care for the ordinary people but this quality is missin New Delhi paid actor Enebeli Elebuwa a courtesy visit to ing in our society. Everybody is working for him /herself, nobody him a few weeks ago. . Enebeli, who is from that communi- cares for the other person. One of the people that I admired as a ty, was receiving treatment in India thanks to the Delta young man then was the late Tai Solarin. He was doing things for State Government. the society; he trained children who ordinarily would not have been educated. He was someone I could call a role model if I am Enebeli Elebuwa is a Nigerian prolific actor who has over asked to choose one. The other person is Mother Theresa of India one hundred and thirty movies to his credit. the Delta State who left her home to help the needy. I also love Wole Soyinka, a indigene who was born on the 14th of February is one of the great Nigerian who has achieved a lot through hard work. He was most recognizable and respected faces in the ever growing enlightened in time and he took advantage of it and used it reaNigerian entertainment industry and on the African continent sonably well to bring fame to himself and to his nation. Most popas a whole. ular work What brought me into limelight was Andrew. Andrew was done about 21 years ago in a jingle on television where the Enebeli Elebuwa hails from Upkane in Otagunu local govman said he was checking out of Nigeria: a place where there is ernment area of Delta State. He was a retired civil servant no electricity, no good road and where one could not even find a and has been in the acting profession for the past 30 years. bottle of beer. Philosophy If I had the time to think, maybe I will He started by going to auditions and somebody one day just bring out other things but my most important legacy in life is live said he wanted to use him for a perfomance and that was and let live, which we hardly do in our land. Secondly, I always how it all started. TV Soaps The first soap he featured in preach that people should love their neighbours as themselves. was Mirror in the Sun. He played in the first three pilot Marriage I am married, I have four children who are in school. episodes and eventually he was worked as an assistant proMy children are not into what I am doing and I cannot force them ducer/director in the soap. “ I had to leave the role I was because my father did not force me into the arts. I will give them
a chance if they are interested but I won’t go out of my way to force them into unnecessary publicity. Relaxation When I am not acting, I sleep or play music. I play a lot of Urobo music, I do not understand the language but the music touches me a lot. I also listen to the Jazz music of Joe Williams and other modern artistes. Sometimes, I go to niteclubs or shows and listen to good artist perform. At times I perform myself I vamp with the guitar and I sing. Advice to up-coming artistes My advice has always been that upcoming artistes should work hard. A lot of people think that only dropouts can become actors/actresses but it is not so. You have to be intelligent if you want to become artiste because there are lots of intellectual work involved. Dr. Femi Shaka of the University of Port Harcourt has promised me that whoever comes to him through me from any part of Nigeria, he would train for a certificate course. This is basically for those who are in a hurry and who would not want to wait for four years in a university to train as an artiste. Young artistes should work hard because nothing will be waiting for them. In our time, before we started acting, we had to go to the theatre to dance, sing, and act through the night just to keep us going. When given a script, an artiste needs to rehearse it, go to the mirror and see if he/she can convince the audience of the role. Becoming a producer I was a producer/director in NTA and I have not given up the hope of returning to production. So, when the kind of big budget I am looking for comes, I too will like to produce movies. Hollywood If an invitation comes, I guess I will honour it but I have not acted in Hollywood. It is the dream of every actor to act there because Hollywood pays well but then I am not going to worry myself because they too have their own pioneers who never got well paid like us.
Source:www.onlinenigeria.com May He rest in Peace
Afrikan
Post
December 2012
Page
35
Kingslight Chapel International Holds ZAMAR CELEBRATION 2012 A Night Of Music And Worship December 2 0 1 2
Afrikan Post
Page 36
Springs of Melody Choir led by Lawyer Kamah Thoronka
Jenne Leading the Choir in one of their selections
Pastor Harry Agyeman entertaining the guests with some humor
Rev. Dr. and Mrs Ahia -Armah-Host Pastors
Christian
Spanish Speaking Sister Church ministering a song
Some award winners receiving their prizes after a raffle draw
Minister Clarence Roberts
Ike Albert
December 2012
Afrikan Post
EXODUS 33:1
Pastor Gabriel Boateng - General Overseer Pastor Success Gnigou 571-575-5428
For Counseling Call 571-501-1183 Fridays 10am-5pm
Page
37
African Post
Akua & The Taxi Driver
Trivia
Inspirational And Touching Stories
A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be Akua tries to get to the other side of the road hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.” using the zebra crossing. Taxi driver ignores “Is the man of the house home?”, they asked. “No”, she said. “He’s out.” “Then we cannot road traffic regulations & nearly hits her. come in”, they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. “Go tell Akua gets terrified so out of extreme anger them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited the men in. “We do screams, "Can't you see it's a zebra crossnot go into a House together,” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know. ing?"" One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go Taxi driver pushes his head out of the window in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.” and shouts, "Madam, why ? are you a zebra?" The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!!”, he said. “Since tha t is the case,let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!” His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was lisSource: Lisa Boat tening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home willthen be filled with love!” “Let us heed our daughter-in-law ’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.” The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, “Which one of you is Love?Please come in and be our guest.” the house.The other 2 also got up and followed him. During lunch at work last week, I ate 3 plates of Love got up and started walking toward Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, Why are you coming beans (which I know I shouldnt). When I got home, my husband seemed excited in?” The old men replied together: to see me and exclaimed delightedly: Darling I have a surprise for dinner “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, Wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also tonight. He then blindfolded me and led me to Wealth and Success!!!!!!” my chair at the dinner table. I took a seat and just as he was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone rang. He made me Source:facebook.com promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned and went to answer the call. The beans I had consumed were still affecting me and the pressure was becoming unbearable, so while my husband was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to one leg and let one go.
Mistake at the Dinner Table
It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a garbage dump! I took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously. Then, shifting to the other leg, I ripped off three more. The stink was worse than cooked cabbage. Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the conversation in the other room, I went on releasing atomic bombs like this for another few minutes.The pleasure was indescribable! Eventually the telephone farewells signaled the end of my freedom, so I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my lap and folded my hands back on it feeling very relieved and pleased with myself. My face must have been the picture of innocence when my husband returned, apologizing for taking so long. He asked me if I had peeked through the blindfold, and I assured him I had not.
At this point, he removed the blindfold, and twelve dinner guests seated around the table, with their hands to their noses If you were the lady what would you do after seeing the guest? Source:www.jokecenter.com
Only in Africa
A White Lady And A Nigerian Courtesy:www.peacefmonline.com
A white lady and a Nigerian guy were having drinks at the bar. Later that night the lady whispered to the Guy “LET’S GO TO MY PLACE” - so they left.
At the lady’s place they started kissing and undressing each other. Then the lady whispered in her sexy voice… TIE ME ON THE BED AND DO WHAT YOU NIGERIANS DO BEST.
The Guy tied her on the bed and ran away with her laptop.
Source: Lisa Boat www.peacefmonline.com
December 2012
Page 38
Family Wahala
No be small Wahala oooooooooooo
Two men met at a bus stop and struck up a conversation. One of them kept complaining of family problems. Finally, the other man said: "You think you have family problems? Listen to my situation. A few years ago I met a young widow with a grown-up daughter and we got married. "Later my father married my step daughter. That made my stepdaughter my stepmother and my father became my stepson. Also,my wife became mother in-law of her father-in-law.
Then the daughter of my wife, my stepmother, had a son. This boy was my half-brother because he was my father's son, but he was also the son of my wife's daughter which made him my wife's grand-son.That made me the grandfather of my half-brother.
"This was nothing until my wife and I had a son. Now the half-sister of my son, my stepmother, is also the grandmother. "This makes my father the brother-in-law of my child, whose stepsister is my father's wife, I'm my stepmother's brother-inlaw, my wife is her own child's aunt, my son is my father's nephew and I'm My own son's grandfather! And you think you have family wahala
God Is Missing
There were two little boys, 8 and 10 years old, very mischievous and naughty. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their city, their sons were probably involved.
They boy's mother heard that a clergyman in city had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning and 10-year-old in the afternoon to see the clergyman . The clergyman, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?".
They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"
The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"
The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!
Source: http://jokesafrica.blogspot.com
P
Orange African Cup of Nations 2013 Draw Result Group A: South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Angola. Group B: Ghana, DR Congo, Niger, Mali.
Group C: Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria.
Group D: Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Togo.
Africa Cup of Nations Winners
By Stewart Coggin,
A look at the past Africa Cup of Nations winners.
Past Finals 2012 Zambia 0-0 Ivory Coast (Zambia won 8-7 on penalties) 2010 Egypt 1-0 Ghana 2008 Egypt 1-0 Cameroon 2006 Egypt 0-0 Ivory Coast (Egypt won 4-2 on penalties) 2004 Tunisia 2-1 Morocco 2002 Cameroon 0-0 Senegal (Cameroon won 3-2 on penalties) 2000 Cameroon 2-2 Nigeria (Cameroon won 4-3 on penalties) 1998 Egypt 2-0 South Africa 1996 South Africa 2-0 Tunisia 1994 Nigeria 2-1 Zambia 1992 Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (Ivory Coast won 11-10 on penalties) 1990 Algeria 1-0 Nigeria 1988 Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria 1986 Egypt 0-0 Cameroon (Egypt won 5-4 on penalties) 1984 Cameroon 3-1 Nigeria 1982 Ghana 1-1 Libya (Ghana won 7-6 on penalties) 1980 Nigeria 3-0 Algeria 1978 Ghana 2-0 Uganda 1976 Morocco 1974 Zaire 2-2 Zambia (Zaire won replay 2-0) 1972 Congo 3-2 Mali 1970 Sudan 3-2 Ghana 1968 Congo DR 1-0 Ghana 1965 Ghana 3-2 Tunisia (aet) 1963 Ghana 3-0 Sudan 1962 Ethiopia 4-2 United Arab Republic (aet) 1959 United Arab Republic 1957 Egypt 4-0 Ethiopia
Cups Won
7 Egypt 4 Ghana 4 Cameroon 2 Nigeria 2 Congo DR 1 Tunisia 1 Sudan 1 Ivory Coast 1 Algeria 1 Morocco 1 Ethiopia 1 South Africa 1 Congo 1 Zambia
2013 African Cup Of Nation’s Calendar
The secret ballot of the 29 th edition of the African Cup of Nations 2013 took place in Durban, South Africa on Wednesdays night, where a complete schedule of the competition has been announced by the African Football Confederation.
The opening match of the competition between Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde, has been schedule on January 19 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, while the final which will be taking place on February 10.
- The composition of the various groups: Group A: South Africa, Angola, Morocco, Cape Verde. Group B: Ghana, Mali, Niger, DR Congo.
Group C: Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia.
Group D: Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo. *
The 29th edition of the African Cup of Nations will take place as from January 19 to February 10, 2013. - The complete program of the Cup:
First day of the group stage
- January 19 in Johannesburg South Africa - Cape Verde Angola – Morocco
- January 20 in Port Elizabeth Ghana - DR Congo Mali – Niger - January 21 in Nelspruit
Zambia – Ethiopia Nigeria - Burkina Faso
- 22 January in Rustenburg
Côte d’Ivoire – Togo Tunisia – Algeria 2nd day of the group stage
- January 23 in Durban South Africa – Angola Morocco - Cape Verde
- January 24 in Port Elizabeth Ghana – Mali Niger – Congo - January 25 in Nelspruit Zambia – Nigeria Burkina Faso – Ethiopia - January 26 at Rustenburg Côte d’Ivoire – Tunisia Algeria – Togo 3rd day of the group stage - January 27, Durban and Port Elizabeth Morocco - South Africa Cape Verde – Angola
- January 28 in Port Elizabeth and Durban Niger – Ghana DR Congo – Mali
- January 29, Nelspruit and Rustenburg Burkina Faso – Zambia Ethiopia – Nigeria
- January 30, Rustenburg and Nelspruit Algeria - Ivory Coast Togo – Tunisia Quarterfinals
- February 2 Winner Group A - 2nd Group B (Q1) in Durban Winner Group B - 2nd Group A (Q2), Port Elizabeth - February 3 Winner Group C - Group D second (Q3) in Nelspruit Winner Group D - 2nd group C (Q4) in Rustenburg Semifinals
December 2012
Afrikan Post
Page 39
6236 Oscar Court Woodbridge VA 22193
Tel : (703)725-6968 E-mail:
editor@afrikanpost.com
Pu b lis h ed By Brigh t Ho u s e Prod u ct io n s Man agin g Ed it or G eorge Br ight- A bu Email:editor @af r ikanpos t.com A gn es Ow u s u - Brigh t CEO
Amy AnsongA s s ociate Editor
C h arles N t iam oah N im o- Men s ah ( M r. CN N ) Co- P ublis her
Correspondents Ohio
Cincinnati - Frank Adjei-Mensah Columbus- Big Ben Photos
Georgia - Frank Amponsah Maryland - Fred Nnoma -Addison Florida - Samuel Kissiedu Worcester- Patricia Sagoe New York - Kwaku Kyei/ Francis Boanoh New Jersey-Juliana Asante Delaware-Edmund Kwakye Accra- Eric Bright-Abu Kumasi- Gloria Bright UK-Regina Bright-Abu
Affiliates-Kumasimail Newspaper www.kumasimail.com
www.ghanaianpost.com www.amipnewsonline.org
C o n t rib u t in g C o lu m n is t s M ir iam G yimah, P H D S amuel K is s eadu F r ed N noma- A ddis on ( A mipnew s .org) O r al O f or i A my A ns ong Rev. G eorge A nnan
Ed it orial C on s u lt an t s F r ed N noma- A ddis on S amuel K is s eadu
Next to Blaze N Cuts and Aburi Gardens Restaurant -Opposite Checkers
Spanish Fly
Seawort Balsam Pear Capsule
ODIMAFO POWERFUL TABLET
Who are these Suitable for ?
Chao Jimengnan Super BOTANICAL SLIMMING Balsam Pear Fat Loss Powerful Man Tablet PILLS
People with fatigue Sexual weakness Back and waist pain Joint pain Men and women with all kinds Fruta Planta of problems Women who want to have a shape in their body
G Female Oral Tablets
Germany Niubian
BREAST ENHANCEMENT GOODMAN CAPSULES CAPSULES
GOGOBIG CAPSULES
JAPAN HOKKAIDO SLIMMING PILLS
FRENCH LADIES
Maximum Powerful