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This Zambian peacekeeper has just been awarded UN Woman Police Officer of the Year

From the Editor

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D E PA R T M E N T S Vol 12 Issue 11

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Bisa Kdei’s song featured in Netflix’s Jingle Jangle Pg.9

Charismatic Former President Of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, Dies At 73 Pg. 5

Winter Olympian Akwasi Frimpong joins Russia for Beijing 2022 with Ghana in mind Page 9

These two Liberians who fled civil war in the 1990s have been elected in U.S. elections Pg. 23

Prempeh College wins 2020 International Robotics Championship for Ghana Pg. 34

Oye Owolewa Becomes First Nigerian-American Elected To US Congress Pg. 21

A Zambian policewoman currently serving in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been announced as the United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year. Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo of Zambia was announced the winner of the award established in 2011 by the UN Department for Peace Operations.

The UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, at a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, praised Malambo for her “exceptional commitment to gender equality, in particular to advancing the rights of women and girls, by empowering them to claim their rights and to enhance their full participation in social, political, and economic life.”

domestic violence, according to a release by the UN. Her national experience spans 24 years with the Zambia Police Service.

She is credited with working in partnership with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to establish the Stand Up for Rights of Women and Girls initiative that has helped to reduce and prevent sexual and gender-based crime in South Sudan.

As part of this project, Malambo “created a network of groups led by male local police officers to engage other men in the community to disseminate information and promote the protection and advancement of the rights of women and girls.” https://face2faceafrica.com/

In her acceptance speech, she said she is motivated by the fact that she is making a difference by working to empower women and promote their active inclusion and participation in society. “Women’s empowerment is the key to increasing the visibility of interests, concerns, needs and contributions of women as we advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda,” she said.

He said Malambo has worked tirelessly with her colleagues inside and outside UNMISS to enhance the protection of civilians and encourage and empower both She dedicated the award to women in UN police miswomen and men to be advocates for the protection and advancement of the rights of women and girls. “Malambo sions and girls in South Sudan. “The world is full of represents the very best of UN peacekeeping,” he added. opportunities, and I would encourage all the women and girls to dream. I dreamed that one day I would get “Congratulations to Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo of this award. It has come. It has become a reality. And dreams come true if you work hard for it.” Zambia on being awarded the United Nations [@UN] Woman Police Officer of the Year! I’m grateful for her The award was established to recognize the exceptioncontributions to our UN Peacekeeping [@UNPeacekeeping] mission in South Sudan, where she al contributions of women police officers to UN peace operations and to promote the empowerment of leads efforts to help reduce & prevent sexual & genderwomen. About 11,000 UN police, 1,300 of whom are based crime,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres women, are deployed in 16 United Nations peace said in a tweet. operations today to enhance international peace and security by supporting host countries in conflict, postMalambo was first deployed to UNMISS in 2016 as a conflict and other crises, the UN release said. joint integrated police trainer. She returned to UNMISS for the second time in 2019. Currently, she serves as a The UN’S goal is to deploy 30% women among indiGender Adviser in Juba, South Sudan. vidual police officers and 20% among formed police Her previous UN experience includes deployment with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) from 2008 to 2009, units by 2028. where she assisted the Liberia National Police to prevent https://face2faceafrica.com/news and investigate sexual and gender-based violence and

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Charismatic Former President Of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, Dies At 73

Ghana’s longest-serving head of state, Jerry John Rawlings, has died at the age of 73, according to reports by multiple sources in the country including state-owned newspaper Daily Graphic.

The death was confirmed on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at noon local Ghanaian time. It is unclear what may have caused the death of the former president although it is reported Rawlings had been on hospital admission since Sunday. Rawlings was Ghana’s military’s leader for a brief period in 1979. From 1981 to 1992 he presided over a second military government and then led the country into its current democratic dispensation from January 1993. Rawlings, until his death, remained a controversial statesman and politician. He fell out with the leadership of the party he founded, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2009 and surprisingly struck a friendship with current president, Nana Akufo-Addo who belongs to rival party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The former president is survived by four children, one of whom is a lawmaker in Ghana’s parliament. His widowed wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, is a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections in Ghana in December.

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November 2020

’28th The Crossroads’ — An epic Ghanaian animation hits the big screens

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media during the commemoration of the 71st anniversary of the incident.

“We must tell our own stories most genuinely and with all the tools we have at our disposal. For me, rekindling this particular story is a way of empowering and helping people of African descent to realize their self-worth and significance in global history. A people without accurate knowledge of their past are physically and spiritually lost, and so I hope in my small way and through this story, we can shine a light onto the path of hope and rediscovery” — Cycil Jones Abban.

It is on this backdrop that this animation was produced in 2008 as an original 45mins-film and given the eponymous title: 28th the Crossroads — to reference the significant landmark in Ghana where the three veterans were gunned down and a number of their comrades got injured in their fight for quality and value of life — the then Christiansborg Castle crossroads where Imray opened fire on the unarmed men, now known as 28th the Crossroads.

28th The Crossroads’ is an animation film that is set in the Gold Coast in February 1948. The film recreates the events leading to the Crossroad shooting of 2nd world war veterans in Osu in Accra in the Gold Coast, which is what Ghana was called by its British colonial overlords before independence.

Intricately woven around the lives of 3 World War veterans at the time — Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey, whose expectation of coming home to a life of honor and respect for having fought for the British Empire in the war is dashed when they walked into a life of failed promises and despair.

Tired of bottling up their frustration and disappointment, these 3 war veterans and dozens of their colleagues finally decided to make known their frustrations to the government of the day in a planned peaceful demonstration.

According to history, the men planned to present a petition to the British Governor of the time and Commander-InChief of the Gold Coast Regiment, Sir Gerald Creasy, over their unpaid gratuities after the Second World War.

In the end, what transpired redefined the political history of the Gold Coast when the men arrived at the crossroads of the Christiansborg Castle; the seat of government at the time.

The reason behind the animation movie The film brings to life the veterans’ frustrations, desperation, and their spirited determination to claim what was rightfully theirs — respect and recognition. The veterans rally round Sergeant Adjetey with the expectation of restoring hope. A peaceful march on February 28, 1948, was however going to change their lives.

Events turned violent as six shots, fired by the British Police Superintendent Imray, ended up killing the three veterans, leaving sixty others wounded and many others angered and betrayed. This shooting became the catalyst that ensured the Gold Coast was to never be the same again.

In 2009, out of a burning desire to preserve, repackage and retell African history from an African perspective, Cycil Jones Abban, CEO of Parables Animation Studios of Ghana, decided that it was time someone gave a more accurate account of the immense contributions of African soldiers in the 2nd world war as opposed to the rather Eurocentric versions that have been fed to us over the years.

Mr. Abban told TheAfricanDream.net that “For the most part, Europeans and Americans have been projected as the real heroes of these world wars, relegating the heroic efforts of over 90,000 African soldiers conscripted by their colonial rulers across respective African countries to fight the Axis countries to the background. But we must be responsible for telling and preserving our historical truths for posterity, especially when there is incontrovertible evidence to back them.“

Aside from the sad fact that these great African soldiers were deprived of any recognition, their colonial rulers added salt to injury by failing to pay war royalties to the surviving veterans. This led to a life of solitude for the war heroes, forcing them into a life of abject poverty.

We must tell our own stories most genuinely… Because Mr. Abban wanted to tell the story of these gallant soldiers by highlighting their bravery and prowess during the war, he decided to give credence to the saying ‘charity begins at home‘ by delving to the root of the matter to unearth a genuine story.

“I privately set myself to examining the impoverished lifestyles, struggles, hopes and aspirations of some surviving world war veterans in Ghana,” he told TheAfricanDream.net in an interview, “I spoke with some members of their families who gave first account reports and valuable details that painted vivid pictures in my imagination.”

“Armed with fresh human interest information and visits to places in Ghana where some of these veterans resided, and with the help of my crew and partners, the time became rife to bring to life the story of these three war veterans from the Gold Coast (now Ghana) regiment through the art of digital animation,” a deeply excited Cycil shared who said he was also moved to see some of these war veterans in the Ghanaian

Why a reboot became necessary but with more collaborators this time Even though it only enjoyed moderate success at the time of the original short-animation release in 2008, the film caught the attention of certain schools in Ghana’s capital city of Accra where it was adopted as educational material for some children.

Then in 2020, given the fact that most Africans are becoming more thirsty for their real history following events of the George Floyd shooting and others preceding it that was captured on social media, it was only perfect timing to retell this story.

Cycil decided the time was ripe for a remake of the film to reach an even wider audience. He decided collaboration was a good idea in the industry and so he teamed up with some of Ghana’s foremost animators with decades of experience like Samuel Quartey of Animation Africa, and Alex Bannerman, to retell the 28th Crossroads story this time in a 60-minute animation film epic.

The all Ghanaian production team is made up of seasoned talents including accomplished actor Adjetey Anang who lent his rich voice to Sergeant Adjetey the lead character. Supporting him in the voice booth were Eldad Wontumi as Corporal Attipoe, Godson Quarcoo as Private Lamptey, Tendai Okraku as Superintendent Imray, and Pamela Karikari as Sergeant Adjetey’s wife.

At the helm of the directorial role is Cycil Jones Abban, with Alex Bannerman as the animation supervisor, and Samuel Quartey as the project’s executive producer. The story/screenplay is done by Jeffrey Abban of Modin Comics, the art director was Nana Asihene, with music produced by Kofi Owusu Dua Anto of KODA Studios. “This project is just one of many to come from the collaborating studios, we have a host of many other exciting titles that have been lined up to follow. The team expects to premiere the film in March 2021 in Ghana with planned international premieres in collaboration with TheAfricanDream.net starting in the United States late March next year,” Jeffrey Abban disclosed.

Animation in Ghana will never be the same again, ever!

Written by Oral Ofori

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Bisa Kdei’s song featured in Netflix’s Jingle Jangle

A remix of one of Bisa Kdei’s songs has been used as a soundtrack in Netflix’s 2020 Christmas movie Jingle Jangle.

The song written specifically for the movie is a remix of his 2018 hit ‘Asew‘.

Unlike the original which talks about a young man addressing his in-law, ‘Asew Jingle Jangle’ focuses on a grandchild who is speaking to her grandfather.

This milestone comes barely days after he tagged himself the King of Highlife when some social media users began comparing him to other artistes.

Many fans have taken to Twitter to share snippets of the scene and their excitement to see a Ghanaian artiste’s song in an international movie. Jingle Jangle is about a toymaker whose apprentice betrays him after stealing all his work.

The once joyful toymaker finds new hope when his bright young granddaughter appears on his doorstep.

The movie released on November 12 features Academy Award (Oscar) winning actor Forest Whitaker, Emmy nominated actress Phylicia Rashād, Emmy Award winner actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key and Madalen Mills. https://www.myjoyonline.com

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Winter Olympian Akwasi Frimpong joins Russia for Beijing 2022 with Ghana in mind

“It’s a global village and COVID-19 has taught us all to think harder and smarter and has also given us more ways to appreciate our humanity, so when the opportunity presented itself for me to go with Russia on my journey to get to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to once again represent Ghana — I took it.“

The first African male skeleton athlete from Ghana — Akwasi Frimpong — will not let anything stop his efforts at proving a point for Africa and the black race in his quest to leave a mark on the Winter Olympics, even if it means joining team Russia for training in Sochi. “Beijing will be my second appearance at the Winter Olympics,” said the Ghanaian who finished 30th in Pyeongchang 2018 where he first represented Ghana, “I’ve been to Russia before in November of 2019, the facilities and experience there was great for me, the weather there also prepares me mentally and physically for 2022. This is why I’m happy to be back in Russia to train with and learn from their great team,” Frimpong said to TheAfricanDream.net in a phone interview from Russia. Akwasi Frimpong photo (in Russia) courtesy himself Frimpong also told TheAfricanDream.net that he is thankful to Elena Anikina, who is

President of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation for the opportunity to train with team-Russia when he said: “I met Elena last year, she has such a sweet spirit that is full of encouragement. Thanks to her and everyone in Russia for believing in me. My big thanks also go out to Ghanaians all over for supporting my journey — we are doing this for Africa.“ Alpine skier Kwame NkrumahAcheampong from Ghana was the first Ghanaian winter olympian in 2010 when he represented Ghana at the Vancouver games in Canada. Following in his tracks, Frimpong became only the second Ghanaian athlete to participate at the Winter Olympics 8yrs down the line and first to participate in skeleton sport. Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled known as a skeleton bobsled (or sleigh) down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first in a race against time. “The race always involves a single rider, and when I lay on a sled, I think of two things, beating time and giving a billion people on the continent of Africa hope,” Frimpong told TheAfricanDream.net.

“…I feel this way not just for Africans, but for every black person in the diaspora as well as anyone anywhere watching me, that I am their hope, and they can use my life

as an example to defy their odds. In a way also, these people are my hope too. I do it for them, so we are in this together anyway. 2018 was to get first-hand experience, every day since then to now has been about building my mindset, body, and strength to get experience and be resilient. Marching on to 2022 will be about placing Africa on the medal table.” — Akwasi Frimpong.

Before relocating to Russia this year, the Ghanaian olympian based and trained in Utah in the United States (US). “Because I needed a different location to diversify my experience in the sport after all these years in the US, I was super excited when the Russians said YES to me. This was after I wrote their Bobsleigh Federation a letter the last quarter of this year, formally requesting to train with them,” he said. While training in Russia, Frimpong will receive logistical, technical, and organizational assistance. He will also be part of team-Russia as its national team prepares for Beijing 2022. According to information available to TheAfricanDream.net, Frimpong will compete at the Russian Cup from October 25-30. Written by Oral Ofori

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Shepherd Bushiri: Preacher flees South Africa ahead of fraud trial November 2 0 2 0

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in Africa.

He says he has cured people of HIV, made the blind see, changed the fortunes of the impoverished and, on at least one occasion, appeared to walk on air. He grew up in Mzuzu, a city in northern Malawi and moved to Pretoria in South Africa where he leads his church - the Enlightened Christian Gathering.

He is so popular that he has been known to fill sports stadiums with followers. But he has also been accused of preying on poor people, desperate to improve their lives, by selling merchandise including "miracle oil".

The authorities in Botswana shut down his church after it claimed that money could be summoned out of nothing, which contravened financial regulations.

Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary were granted bail at the beginning of November

A well-known Christian preacher has skipped bail in South Africa and fled the country. Shepherd Bushiri, who had previously said he wanted to clear his name, has now returned to his home country, Malawi, with his wife Mary.

Earlier this month they were released on bail after being charged with fraud and money laundering.

He said there had been attempts on his life and he accused the South African authorities of not offering protection.

Mr Bushiri described his decision to skip bail as "a tactical withdrawal meant to preserve lives" while speaking to supporters on social media on Saturday.

Observers fear the issue could cause a diplomatic spat between Malawi and South Africa - as questions are being asked about how Mr Bushiri and his wife managed to leave.

There had been allegations that Mr Bushiri fled on Malawi's presidential jet with President Lazarus Chakwera - something that has been denied by both Mr Chakwera's office and the South African authorities.

There are also questions over whether the two countries will co-operate over bringing the couple back to South Africa.

The South African government announced on Sunday that they have started the process to bring the couple back from Malawi "to ensure that the two fugitives face justice".

The statement made a point to mention that Malawi and South Africa have already promised each other to send back fugitives, as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol on extradition.

But when Malawi's Foreign Affairs minister Eisenhower Mkaka was asked previously, he wouldn't be drawn on the issue.

He grew up in Mzuzu, a city in northern Malawi and moved to Pretoria in South Africa where he leads his church - the Enlightened Christian Gathering.

The authorities in Botswana shut down his church after it claimed that money could be summoned out of nothing, which contravened financial regulations. What is he accused of? Mr Bushiri is accused of money laundering and fraud along with his wife and two others.

Crime investigators say the case involves 102 million South Africa rand ($6.6m; ÂŁ5m).

How far along is his trial? He appeared at Pretoria's Magistrates Court on 21 October to hear the charges and was granted bail on 4 November.

He told the BBC's Nomsa Maseko that it is the duty of The trial is expected to start in May. the government to protect all Malawians but added that President Chakwera is a staunch advocate of the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa rule of law and that all diplomatic channels will remain open. Who is Shepherd Bushiri? Controversial millionaire preacher Mr Bushiri has been referred to as one of the richest religious leaders

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Get to know the Black candidates who have made history in the 2020 U.S. Ge Election In some nations, there is a body or electoral commission that supervises elections, but that is not the situation in the United States. With each state having its own systems and laws for counting votes, vote-counting is still ongoing with people on the edge of their seats hoping to have a clear winner soon.

Joe Biden has said he is on course to win the election while Donald Trump has threatened to fight the outcome. And though at this point we still do not know who the clear winner is, what we do know is that a record number of Black candidates have already clinched victories in some of the races that have been mentioned.From Missouri’s first Black congresswoman to the first openly gay Black men to be elected to Congress, here are some of the notable Black winners who have made history:

Michele Rayner-Goolsby and Shevrin Jones. Photos: Twitter/Florida Politics Michele Rayner-Goolsby and Shevrin Jones

Florida has made history by electing two Black queer politicians, Michele Rayner-Goolsby and Shevrin Jones to serve in the state legislature. Rayner-Goolsby becomes the first out LGBTQ Black woman elected to Florida’s House of Representatives. Rayner-Goolsby, who describes herself as an “unapologetic Black woman,” won in Florida’s District 70. She did not face an opponent in the general election after winning the Democratic primary. The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Photo: AP Rev. Raphael Warnock

Georgia’s Senate race is heading to a run-off and the top two finishers, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face off against each other in the January 5 runoff for the seat. If Rev. Warnock takes the seat, he will become the first Black senator to represent Georgia.

Jones is also now the first out LGBT+ person ever elected to the state senate, winning the Florida Senate District 35. The district covers parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties including Miramar, West Park and Miami Gardens.

Strickland will become the first Black woman to represent Washington State at the federal level. Photo: stricklandforwashington.com Marilyn Strickland

The former Mayor of Tacoma, Wash., won the open 10th U.S. House District seat in Washington, defeating state Rep. Beth Doglio. Strickland will become the first Black woman to represent Washington State at the federal level and the first Korean-American woman ever elected to Congress. She will serve Mason, Pierce, and Thurston counties for two years.

Chris Then to be Distr

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.S. Get to know the Black candidates who have made history in the 2020 U.S. Election

Democrat Mauree Turner, 27, on Tuesday won her race for Oklahoma state House for District 88, becoming the first nonbinary state legislator in US history and first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma. Courtesy MaureeTurner.com

Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones. Photos: AP/Human Rights Campaign Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones

The two Democrats are now the first openly gay Black men to be elected to Congress. Torres becomes the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress after being elected to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District. Torres, 32, defeated Republican Patrick Delices in the district and will now replace Representative José Serrano. Jones, 33, was elected as the representative to New York’s 17th congressional district, including areas of Rockland and Westchester Counties.

Cori Bush

Nurse and Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush was on Tuesday elected to Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, making her the first Black Congresswoman in the history of Missouri. Democrat Bush defeated Republican candidate Anthony Rogers by a 79% to 19% margin in the race, according to data provided by CNN. Missouri’s 1st congressional district covers St. Louis and parts of St. Louis County.

Christopher Benjamin. Photo: Miami Herald Then there is Christopher Benjamin, who is now the first Muslim American to be elected to any state office in the Sunshine State, representing the 107th District in the House of Representatives.

Madinah Wilson-Anton via 6abc Philadelphia In Delaware, Democrat Madinah Wilson-Anton became the first practicing Muslim elected to the general assembly, winning 71 percent of the vote. She’s also the first Muslim woman elected to office in Delaware’s history.

Madison Alder Samba Baldeh. Photo: Wisconsin Muslim Journal In Wisconsin, Madison Alder Samba Baldeh will be the first Muslim elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature and the first Black man from Dane County. The IT project engineer at American Family Insurance is currently in his third term on the Madison Common Council representing Madison’s 17th District.

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Meghan Markle makes history as first known modern royal to vote in a US Presidential election

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Meghan Markle reportedly made history as the first known royal to have voted -- Photo via @sussexroyal on Instagram Leading up to the presidential election in the United States, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was very active in leading voter-registration drives as well as encouraging people to vote.

The 39-year-old further re-emphasized how crucial and indispensable the 2020 election is when she reportedly exercised her franchise on Tuesday. According to Express, a source close to Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, confirmed the American cast her vote on Tuesday, making her the first known person in the Royal Family to have ever voted.

Though members of the British Royal Family are not prevented from voting at the local or general level, the Queen as well as other members of her family, typically abstain from casting the ballot so as to remain neutral.

Prior to the elections, Meghan embarked on a series of

campaigns, including appearing as a guest speaker on Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote virtual event in August that was dubbed “When All Women Vote”, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, ET reports.

“When I think about voting and why this is so exceptionally important for all of us, I would frame it as: We vote to honor those who came before us and to protect those who will come after us,” she said at the event. “Because that is what community is all about and that’s specifically what this election is all about. We’re only 75 days away from Election Day and that is so very close, and yet there is so much work to be done in that amount of time.” She continued: “If we aren’t part of the solution, we are part of the problem. If you’re complacent, you’re complicit. In the fraught moment that we find our nation, exercising your right to vote isn’t simply being part of a solution, it’s being part of a legacy.” In a November interview with People, the Black Bishop who presided over the wedding of the Sussexes in 2018, Michael Curry, spoke highly of Meghan’s efforts and activism in encouraging her compatriots to vote.

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“I say, ‘Go for it,’” Bishop Curry said. “We need people to lift up other people. There’s enough negativity and enough putting people down, there’s enough hurt. We don’t need any more hurt.” He added: “We need help. We need healing. She does that. She’s lifting up women and we need somebody to lift up women, lift up people. Lift up people of all colors. The truth is, a rising tide raises all ships.”

Trump, however, isn’t a fan of Meghan, and he did not hide his feelings when he spoke about her during an interview in November.

“I’m not a fan of hers… and she probably has heard that,” he said. “I wish a lot of luck to Harry ’cause he’s gonna need it.” FRANCIS AKHALBEY https://face2faceafrica.com

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How Mali came to have its name Post

How Sierra Leone came to have its name November 2020

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Sierra Leone has the unique history of being the only former British colony in Africa that was actually founded in tune with the British settling emancipated Blacks in the UK and the nascent United States.

But against the tradition of recounting history according to Western imperialism, the geographical area we call Sierra Leone was not discovered by Europeans. Archaeological findings point to settled life in that area as far back as 2,500 years ago. states.

The Djenne mosque in Mali, a symbol of the country's historic significance in Africa, was first completed in about the 13th century and rebuilt in 1907. Photo Credit: Tripadvisor.com

As a result of the glorious place the ancient ples of the Sahel. empire occupies in our understanding of the history of the continent, the name Mali is as unforget- Around the 13th century, a Mande people who table as it is revered. spoke Mandinka, grew prosperous enough to put together a formidable kingdom. One of the reaThe tales of yore, one involving the man believed sons for their unimpeded growth was that anothto be the richest in the Middle Ages, Mansa Musa, er mighty kingdom, Ghana, founded in modern have been a source of pride for people of African Burkina Faso in the 10th century, had begun to descent for so long. The ancient Mali empire collapse. allows a case to be made for an unbreaking civilization of African peoples which is usually start- The Mandinka-speaking people grew into an ed from the time of the ancient Egyptians. empire, which they called Mali. The meaning of the name of this empire has been settled, howevModern Mali is an area that was one of the territo- er, the motivation for calling the area Mali has ries of the ancient empire. According to archaeol- proved daunting for researchers for nearly a cenogists, that region, south of the Sahel, has been tury. However, certain theories have been proinhabited since 5000 BC. By the third century in pounded. our common era, settlements with large populations had already been founded in the area. Historian Philip Wolny believes that Mali comes Since the areas south of the Sahel were more agri- from a Mandinka phrase meaning “where the culture-friendly lands, population booms were king lives”. This purports to show that Mali was almost certainly guaranteed. The towns that a small town that synecdochically became the sprang up around the 3rd century could count on a name of the empire because of the importance stable supply of food and were also more secured the town later took on. as a result of not having to deal with the harshness of the Sahara desert. Today, Mali refers to a proudly independent west African nation that holds promise even in the Stability and population growth came in handy face of economic and political instabilities. when the Trans-Saharan trade, a commercial relationship that traveled from west Africa to the Middle East, started at the end of the 6th century. The trade in such commodities as ivory, gold and Source:NII NTREH | Associate Editor slaves, proved to be very profitable for the peohttps://face2faceafrica.com/

Another point to note is that the umbrella group of peoples we call the Mande, among whom are the Mende and Temne ethnic groups of Sierra Leone, were natives of that part of West Africa when the first Portuguese exploratory ship docked in 1642. When Pedro de Sintra, the lead explorer of that ship in 1642 docked where we now refer to as Freetown Harbor, he named the hilly areas overlooking the shore Serra da Leoa. What became corrupted as Sierra Leone actually means Lioness Mountains in Portuguese.

For about 150 years, ships of the Dutch, French and the English too, went by Sierra Leone carrying among other commodities, enslaved Africans. Other times, the slave traders bought their enslaved Africans in this part of West Africa.

In 1767, Granville Town was founded in Sierra Leone and it became the world’s first settlement for freed slaves in Africa and in the world. Granville was named after Granville Sharp, a wealthy English abolitionist who would later help in the establishment of Freetown in 1792. Freetown was incidentally named as such because it was conceived as home for freed Black people. Sharp was one of the first abolitionists in the UK who had set up an organization to support the struggling black community. The organization was called the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor focused on providing financial relief to the many stranded free Black people.

But in between 1790, Emmanuel Kline, a wealthy and educated Christianized Hausa man, bought the Granville and established what could only be referred to as a business vicinity. The town thrived and became known as Cline Town and still exists in modern Sierra Leone.

In 1961, the people in the area the British had demarcated as Sierra Leone, gained independence. https://face2faceafrica.com/ NII NTREH | Associate Editor

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Afrikan Post

New music alert: “A CRY FROM AFRICA”

November 2020 Page

Vicky Sampson: Based in South Africa, legendary actor and artist best known from the track ‘Afrikan Dream’ one of the most recognisable songs in South Africa.

The delivery of ‘A Cry From Africa’ is a phenomenal physical interpretation of the power of Africans uniting to deliver a common purpose. Breaking through COVID-19 barriers, to achieve the outcome this project was coordinated by producer and artists digitally cross countries.

Gustav Smythe a seasoned producer and musician based in Zimbabwe, deeply moved by events leading to highly publicized loss of black lives in the USA and now Nigeria Special Anti-Robbery Squad [SARS] with no recourse felt a compelling need to stand in solidarity with the affected African brothers and sisters across the globe in the fight against racism and police brutality, declaring that human dignity is a basic human right rather than an aspiration.

Determined to reach strategic decision makers globally and put an end to racism, police brutality, the violence and hold perpetrators accountable while providing support, soothing and spiritual healing Gustav Smthye laid down the track and added a simple chorus highlighting the issue then approached 5 artists who he knew shared his sentiments saying “We need to come together as one letting the world understand that we may be scattered and separated by borders but we are united. ‘A Cry From Africa’ a soulful track with heart wrenching lyrics is meant to pierce the conscious of leaders, bring comfort to the victim families, acknowledge those affected by these tragic events while calling for change, peace and reconciliation, unity and harmony and love to change the narrative and path of the current events that affect our beloved people. NO to murder of Black People.”

Coordinated digitally by Gustav Smythe, the artists united and delivered a powerful heart wrenching track crying out to world leaders to stop the killing at home and abroad as our people were taken out of Africa by force, not choice when they hurt, we hurt why do we have to fight for our lives, we just want to live, we just want to breath. Nigeria Special Anti-Robbery Squad [SARS] #StopTheKilling This world needs peace, happiness and joy which is attainable Quote from #BlackLIVESMatter front runner Jesse Williams: “A system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand …………. if we do”

The artistes that Gustav cherry picked who delivered this powerful rendition covering #BlackLivesMatter: Albert Nyathi: Based in Zimbabwe, a university graduate, a multiple award, honours and prize winning Imbongi, poet, artist, author and philanthropist with a remarkable track record that includes sitting as chairman on several boards. Albert has performed across the world and for Heads of State and numerous dignitary events.

He championed AIDS awareness programmes, gender awareness, Environmental and Climate Change programmes, Voluntary male circumcision, fund-raising projects and music productions on behalf of many organizations

2016 stage, Mandela Century100 2018 stage, In South Africa Johannesburg Counsel for the relaunch of the Moral Regeneration Movement. Works with Saeed Foundation on feeding schemes and Abused Woman and children. Don Dada felt compelled to add his voice joining forces with the likes of Burner Boy, Davido, Wizkid in Nigeria and US Black Lives matter front runner Jesse Williams stating that as influencers they have to be the face, voice and messengers of social issues that rob us of young lives.

It was used as the theme song for the 1996 African Cup of Nations; a tournament in which Sampson performed at the opening and closing ceremonies. Bafana Bafana (the South African national men’s soccer team) would go on to win the tournament. This only increased the demand for Afrikan Dream, with the song being ubiquitous on radio stations across the country. Another consequence of the popularity of the song was the high number of corpoHe added a plea to other social influencers rate functions which Sampson was asked to perform “The word that reaches the furthest the fastest at over the next few years. comes from social influencers so I encourage Africans at home and abroad to use your voice The album, ‘Zai’, won 4 SAMAs in 1996, namely: and platforms to encourage others to come best pop album, best video, best female artist, and together as one to build that better and probest director. Vicky has continued to bag awards gressive WORLD #LetAfricaLead” at home and grow as a robust South African brand. In 2018, and abroad Don Dada’s staccato style of rap Sampson started work discovering and developing with a no nonsense straight to the point lyrics young talent in South Africa, as co-director of a telling how the more we breathe, the more company named Mzanzi Cultural Industries (MCI). they kneel on us with cellphone footage showMCI took on 46 young people in order to develop ing our pain and experience and calling for and nurture them into exposed and earning artists by love, unity and peace. #BLACKLIVESMATpassing on the experience that Sampson has gained TER #ENDSARS #ENDSARSNOW #NIGEover her career. RIA The single will be available on all digital services worldwide distributed by Beatroot MCI’s long term goal is an academy for young Africa. artists. Pauline Gundidza: Based in Zimbabwe, 35year-old ZIMA award winner, vocalist and mbira Contact: Layla Gibbons +27832126426 artist Pauline is also known for championing the rights and welfare of women through sharing her RuFF CuTT Studio CC – Johannesburg, South own life experiences and supporting global camAfrica paigns that stand for the same cause. She advocates for gender equality, health, community development Email: layla.gibbons@dondadamusic.com and human rights. Tonderai Comfort Mwanyisa: Based in Zimbabwe, 38-year old an accomplished artist who has worked with a lot of Zimbabwean musicians as well as South African musicians as a backing vocalist for live shows. Zim artists he worked with are Kudzai Sevenzo, Patiance Musa, Kelly Rusike (Jazz Invitation), Celebration Choir just to mention a few. South African artists he worked with include Ringo, Ernie J Smith. In his own words “I am part of the song because I have family and friends that have left the continent to look for greener pastures so they can help family back home. I can only imagine what they go through when they walk out of the safety of their home. Imagine walking out of your house and you don’t know if you going to make it back home. I was not created black so I could be used for target practice.” PAN AFRIKAN Menelik Nesta Gibbons aka DON DADA: Based in South Africa, RuFF CuTT Studio owner, Humanitarian, Radio Host and recording Multi-platinum selling Reggae / Hip-Hop artiste Menelik Nesta Gibbons aka DON DADA. Accolades include 3 Official Mandela tracks, performances of prestige platforms that include Bob Marley 2019 tribute concert stage, Mandela Day

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Oye Owolewa Becomes First Nigerian-American Elected To US Congress

Nigerian-American, Oye Owolewa, has been elected as a shadow member of the United States House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.

According to election results on the website of the District of Columbia Board of Elections on Wednesday morning, Owolewa polled 81.59% of the votes, which represents 164,026 votes against Joyce Robinson-Paul, who scored 18,600 votes, and Sohaer Syed with 15,372 votes. Owolewa, whose father is from Kwara State and mother is from Oyo, was elected on the platform of the Democratic Party in the election. Congressional elections held Tuesday with all the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate up for grabs. The PhD holder in Pharmacy from the Northeastern University, Boston, is one of the nine Nigerian-Americans on the ballot in Tuesday’s general elections in the United States.

The campaign website of the 30-year-old reads, “In 2018, he was elected commissioner of his neighbourhood in SouthEast DC. Lastly, Oye has been an advocate for DC statehood, leading to his run to be your next representative.

go to the federal government. Oye believes our money belongs here for DC priorities instead of going to a government that fails to recognise us.” In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Owolewa wrote, “Good morning. Looks like we did it! “I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents.

“Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian-American congressman.

“In this role, I’m going to fight for DC statehood and bring our values to the lawmaking process. While today is the day for some celebration, the hard work also follows.

“Again, thanks so much for everything. I wouldn’t be here without yall.”

Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, congratulated Owolewa in a statement on Wednesday.

“This goes to show that with dedication, hard work, resilience and prayer, one can achieve just about anything,” DabiriErewa said.

“He launched TaxFreeDC as a movement to combat DC’s taxation without representation. TaxFreeDC declares that until DC statehood is achieved, DC’s tax revenue shall no longer https://howafrica.com

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Nigeria is the highest importer of used vehicles in Africa, third globally Nigeria is the highest importer of used cars in Africa and the third-highest destination for used cars globally, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has shown.

According to the report, the United Arab Emirates is the highest importing country with 389,302 cars, followed by Mexico with 281,545 and Nigeria coming in third with 203,136 cars. The report shows that between 2015 and 2018, 14 million light-duty vehicles (cars, SUVs and minibuses) were exported to low and middle-income countries, with more than half going to Africa. The report titled, Used Vehicles and the Environment – A Global Overview of Used Light Duty Vehicles: Flow, Scale and Regulation, said the European Union was the largest exporter of used vehicles during this period, accounting for 54% of the total, followed by Japan with 27% and the United States with 18%. The study, which is the first of its kind, said the major destinations for used vehicles from the EU are West and North Africa; Japan exports mainly to Asia and East and Southern Africa while the USA market is mainly the Middle East and Central America. It found that African countries imported the largest number of used vehicles (40 per cent) in the period studied, followed by countries in Eastern Europe (24 per cent), Asia-Pacific (15 per cent), the Middle East (12 per cent) and Latin America (nine per cent).

The report shows that in Africa, more than 60 percent of vehicles added annually is through the importation of used vehicles although it varies to some extent, from zero in South Africa which has a total ban on imports to 97 percent in Kenya.

The report called for action to fill the current policy vacuum with the adoption of harmonized minimum quality standards that will ensure used vehicles contribute to cleaner, safer fleets in importing countries.

Globally, the transport sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Vehicle emissions are a significant source of the fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides that are major causes of urban air pollution, according to the report.

Cleaning up the global vehicle fleet is a priority to meet global and local air quality and climate targets”, said Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director. “Over the years, developed countries have increasingly exported their used vehicles to developing countries; because this largely happens unregulated, this has become the export of polluting vehicles.” The report, based on an in-depth analysis of some 146 countries, found that two-thirds have “weak” or “very weak” policies to regulate the import of vehicles past their prime.

Poor quality second-hand autos also lead to more road accidents. Countries such as Malawi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Burundi, which have “weak” or very weak” used vehicle regulations, have very high road traffic death rates, according to UNEP. However, countries that implement age and emissions standards, or other such measures, receive highquality used vehicles including hybrid and electric cars, and at an affordable rate. They also have fewer accidents on the road, the UNEP report said.

Ms Andersen said the lack of effective standards and regulation means that old, polluting and unsafe vehicles are effectively being dumped.

“Developed countries must stop exporting vehicles that fail environment and safety inspections and are no longer considered roadworthy in their own countries while importing countries should introduce stronger quality standards”, she charged.

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Rocky Dawuni Releases ‘Voice of Bunbon Vol. 1’ — A Cultural EP in October 2020

vocalist for social consciousness. He described it himself when he told TheAfricanDream.net that “in a time of uncertainty, we need songs and hymns that can touch our emotional nerves and remind us that love and hope are an indestructible aspect of the human experience…“

At this point, all I and I fi say is Jah light and blessings shines pon Rocky. Yes, from the very first time I heard Rocky Dawuni’s voice on radio in Ghana in 1996 when he dropped his first album titled The Movement, to when I first interviewed him in 2012, all his musical works have sought to energize a sense of eternal hope in humanity. ‘Voice of Bunbon‘ tells my story, but it will tell your story too in ways you didn’t imagine because there’s a message there for almost everyone, irrespective of where they are from. Check out an audio snippet from the track Difference in this link: https://twitter.com/oralofori/status/1322206641228554242?s=19

Get your own copy, find out for yourself what makes this EP so appealing, and please don’t hesitate to reach Rocky’s manager Cary Sullivan at afrofunke@yahoo.com for media/bookings. Do watch out for a series of eclectic music videos for tracks on the EP by following Rocky on social media and by visiting his website at rockydawuni.com. Written by Oral Ofori

Rocky Dawuni with guitar in photo courtesy of Cary Sulivan The EP which is available NOW on all music platforms could be accessed at this link https://tinyurl.com/yy7xo2nf. It contains eight songs; “Difference”, “My Baby,” “Woara”, “Ghost Town”, “Gonna Take it Easy”, “Beautiful People”, “Born to Win”, and “Hustlers“, all of which are indeed voicing out the cultural fibers that define the existence of the people there. Having had the singular pleasure of listening to the EP in its entirety I can say for a fact that not only does it paint a vivid picture of life in Bunbon, but also of the heart of Rocky in Ghana from where he envisions for Africa a future that encapsulates the world of positive possibilities in oneness.

album “Beats of Zion” (2019) which gained enormous plaudits around the globe and featured five incredible music videos filmed in Ghana, India, the US, and beyond.

Speaking to TheAfricanDream.net, Rocky explained that “these new songs were born out of my desire to present and project music that is rooted in the deep cultural traditions of Ghana yet presented in a way that it can relate to the modern world… My musical career has always been firmly inspired by my upbringing in the royal family of Bunbon and being educated in its indigenous ways. This exposure to cultural appreciation has served as an important part of my world view and music. My vision for Read also — Heroes of COVID-19: new this EP is to present a globalized version of Rocky Dawuni ‘Champion Arise’ video is pos- African culture…“ itivity This EP is also a representation of Rocky’s The EP was born out of Rocky’s full-length maturation over the years as a voice and

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Former Malian President Amadou Touré dead in Instanbul

These two Liberians who fled civil war in the 1990s have been elected in U.S. elections November 2 0 2 0

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The former president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, popularly known as ATT has died today, November 10, in istanbul in Turkey at the 72 following a stroke according to sources close to his family. Touré served as President of Mali from 2002 to 2012 and left a mark on Malian politics.

Touré was head of President Moussa Traoré’s personal guard (and parachute regiment) when a popular revolution overthrew the regime in March 1991 and Colonel Touré arrested the President and led the revolution.

He presided over a year-long military-civilian transition process that produced a new Constitution and multiparty elections; Touré handed power to Mali’s first democratically elected president, Alpha Oumar Konaré, on 6 June 1992. Konaré promoted Touré to the rank of General.

Ten years later, after retiring from the army, he entered politics as a civilian and won the 2002 presidential elections with a broad coalition of support.

He was easily re-elected in 2007 to a second and final term. On 22 March 2012, shortly before his scheduled departure from office, disgruntled soldiers initiated a coup d’état that forced him into hiding.

As part of the agreement to restore constitutional order to Mali, Touré resigned from the presidency on 8 April, and eleven days later he went into exile.

Julius Ouya, DNT News, Abidjan

Naquetta Ricks (Left) won a seat in Colorado’s House of Representatives, while high school principal Nathan Biah won a state seat in Rhode Island. Photos: Nacquetta Ricks/Twitter Liberians are jumping for joy at the fact that two of their countrymen have clinched victories in the elections in the United States. Naquetta Ricks and Nathan Biah have won seats in the House of Representatives in Colorado and Rhode Island, respectively.

Ricks, who fled Liberia during a civil war and gained refuge in the United States of America as an immigrant, was elected Representative of District 40 Colorado. Ricks, following her election, posted on her Facebook page, saying “I want to thank you for your continued support. I wouldn’t be here without you and it has been such an honor to run for your State Representative. Thank you for standing with me until the end.” “We would like to thank the entire team and community that support us through the campaign and of course COVID-19. Most importantly thank God for this wonderful opportunity!”

Ricks, a Democrat, had said she was contesting the seat to ensure that every Coloradan, whether a new immigrant or a fifth-generation Coloradan, gets an equal opportunity to succeed.

“This means fighting at the State House for policies that expand quality of life for our residents,” she stated on her website. “We must expand apprenticeships, vocational training and continued access to education.

“One of my primary focuses must be affordable and attainable housing. Transparency and accountability in legislation and politics is critical to restoring faith in our government, and those elected to serve the people,” she said.

“As an accountant, cutting inefficiency and abuses will be at the fore-

front of my work,” said Ricks, who holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration from Metro and CU respectively. Ricks, who is also a mother of a 24-year-old daughter, runs a small mortgage brokerage business.

Nathan Biah

Biah, a Liberian Civil War refugee who resettled in Rhode Island in the U.S., is now a representative-elect for Rhode Island District 3. Biah walked 90 miles from Monrovia to Bong Mines to escape the violence in his country which erupted the same year he graduated high school. He first landed in a refugee camp in Ivory Coast before later reuniting with his family in Rhode Island.

Biah, who would work as a math teacher and earn his Master’s Degree from URI, has said that he is ready to serve the people of Providence’s District 3 and will not fail them.

“Oftentimes, we forget we are serving, as politicians, as educators,” he said. “I’m an educator. I’m a servant. I serve my community. I serve my students. I serve my students’ families, parents.

“My main concern is the people of District 3,” said the educator. https://face2faceafrica.com

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Meet Siza Mzimela, The First Black Woman In History To Own An Airline Afrikan

Post

regional network by adding eight additional routes in one year.

Incoming Biden administration to resettle 125,000 refugees in the US November 2020

Siza, who started her career with SAA in 1997 as a market analyst, has also been appointed as the first female to join the International Air Transport Association’s board of directors in 67 years. Holding a bachelor of arts degree in economics and statistics from the University of Swaziland, Siza serves as a board member of the South African Tourism Board, as well as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

The United States prides itself on being a land of opportunities, and in many ways it is. We look at countries like South Africa, which not long ago was segregated through the laws of Apartheid, and we are glad that we are so much further along than the land of the great Nelson Mandela.

Mzimela had the vision of giving customers what they truly want in airline travel, which she realized was more than just low fares, but reliability and consistency.

Theunis Potgieter‚ the company COO, noted that customers want consistency, frequency, professionalism, and reliability‚ as well as softer touch-points which include complimentary quality meals.” One of the ideas Mzimela had to accomplish this was However, every now and then we need to stop and ask our- to stick to one type of aircraft, a 50-seat Embraer selves just how far along we really are, and we have to won- Regional Jet 145 (ERJ). By using just one aircraft type with the same configuration, the crews will be der if many of the once oppressed countries we helped free are not passing us up in the area of civil rights and opportu- able to use interchangeable parts, the same tools, and so forth. nity.

Siza Mzimela, CEO.

For example, one thing that South Africa now has that America does not is a black female owner of an airline. According to Timeslive, the country’s newest airline, Fly Blue Crane, was started by the company’s CEO, Siza Mzimela, a Black woman who saw a niche market and decided to capitalize on it. “We aim to make our mark serving the increasingly commercially significant provincial and regional capitals. Our aim in the coming years is to make air travel an altogether better and more rewarding experience in Southern Africa‚” she said.

After years of working in the aviation field, South African businesswoman Sizakele Petunia Mzimela is making history as the first black woman to launch her own airline.

In November, the power woman, who is widely referred to as Siza, kicked off operations for Fly Blue Craneat the O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa. The airline currently has two 50-seat ERJ 145s and offers low-cost domestic flights within the South African region.

Jerome Simelane, the airline’s Commercial General Manager said, “By using what we have learned over the years about international airline best practice‚ we have also created a cost structure which allows us to offer competitive fares without cutting any corners on quality‚ safety and reliability.”

During the initial phase of the airline, the flights will originate from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and fly to other cities in South Africa – Bloemfontein, Kimberley, and Nelspruit. According to the airline’s details, flights will go to Bloemfontein five times a day during the week‚ twice on Saturdays, and three times on Sundays. Kimberley will be served three times a day during the week, once on Saturdays, and twice on Sundays. Flights to Nelspruit will leave twice daily Monday to Friday‚ with one flight on Saturday and one on Sunday.

However, Siza makes it clear that she hopes to expand desti- https://howafrica.com/ nations to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the near future. In addition to her new airline, Siza is also the founder and executive chairperson of Blue Crane Aviation, which is an aviation services company that focuses on African airlines and provides them with airline consulting, aviation legal services, and aircraft management services in an effort to give them access to the global market. Prior to launching Fly Blue Crane airlines, Siza served as the first female CEO of South African Airways from April 1, 2010 to Oct. 8 2012. Under her leadership, for the first time in SAA history, the company introduced direct flights to New York and Beijing, China. The airline also grew its

In a radical departure from what his soon-to-be predecessor ordered, Joe Biden will be reviving a refugee resettlement program that will see some 125,00 refuge seekers relocate to live in the United States.

The president-elect’s proposal will see him surpass Barack Obama‘s approval ceiling of 110,000 refugees in 2016. Biden reaffirmed the promise he made prior to the presidential election speaking a video message on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Jesuit Refugee Service. “The U.S. has long stood as a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and oppressed, a leader in resettling refugees, in our humanitarian response. I promise as president I’ll reclaim that proud legacy for our country,” the former vice-president said. When he became president in 2017, Donald Trump oversaw cuts to America’s ability to take in refugees from all over the world. As part of his strict immigration policy, Trump entered into agreements with some countries in Central America to take in refuge seekers who were fleeing from other countries in the same region.

This was part of an overall plan to limit as many people as the administration believed want to enter the United States under false pretenses. Critics have called it racist.

In related news last month, Cameroonian asylum seekers facing deportation back to their country said they were forced by U.S. immigration to sign their deportation papers, amid complaints by Human rights advocates that deportations have increased in recent weeks.

The men, eight in all, outlined their experiences in a complaint filed by immigrant advocate groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

A man identified in the complaint as C.A., who is terrified to go back to Cameroon in the midst of reports of human rights abuses, said U.S. immigration officers grabbed him, forced him on the ground, and peppersprayed his eyes. “They handcuffed me,” he added.

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Adjoa B. Asamoah, the National Advisor for Black Engagement for the Joe Biden campaign

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south, and went through the ills of segregation and racism.

Asamoah, by nine years old, had been to the birthplace of both parents, and having witnessed the struggles of Black people in “two different countries on two different continents”, she declared that she would dedicate her life to “moving Black people forward,” she said. Asamoah kickstarted this move during her high school years at Hopkins where she taught African Studies to elementary school students in Summerbridge, testified at the state capital for the first time, and led what she calls her first issue campaign — refusing to refer to the school leader as headmaster, she said.

Political analysts had been saying since 2017 that Black voters will decide the 2020 presidential election in the U.S. And right from Joe Biden’s Democratic primary where Black voters in South Carolina helped him win to the presidential election where Black people lifted his bid to the presidency, Black voters have definitely been the backbone of his support, especially in key states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Exit poll data show that Black voters supported Biden by a margin of 87% to Donald Trump’s 12%. Clearly, when Black voters show up, they impact elections. And they did show up largely thanks to the efforts of Black women, particularly Ghanaian-American political strategist and racial equality advocate Adjoa B. Asamoah.

Asamoah was the National Advisor for Black Engagement for the Biden campaign, and through her efforts in that top leadership role to boost voter turnout, Biden and Kamala Harris — the first woman to become vice president — got elected. “As the National Advisor for Black Engagement, I work on multiple fronts to meaningfully engage the Black community, ranging from the African Diaspora to the Panhel family,” Asamoah explained her role in an interview with Watch The Yard ahead of the presidential elections.

“Standing up the TEAM UNITY initiative and the Divine Nine GOTV rally that tens of thousands of D9 members attended (featuring Senator Kamala Harris, with DJ D-Nice and others) are just two examples of the kind of work I do,” she said.

Born to a Ghanaian father and Black American mother, Asamoah is a Delta Sigma Theta who travels the country mobilizing Black people for collective political action. In 2019, she grabbed headlines when she rallied support to get California to ban natural hair discrimination through the creation of the landmark CROWN Act.

“I understand the power of people and coalition building,” Asamoah said last June when she introduced the groundbreaking anti-hair discrimination bill. “I have leveraged both to get legislation passed in the national’s capital. It’s always amazing to witness that power, as was the case during the committee hearing for this bill. The organizations that I worked to garner support from are powerful. When I tapped my personal network and reached out to the leaders of entities like Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The National Council of Negro Women, The U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, and even, NOBEL Women, they all agreed to support my advocacy and this bill.”

Such is the expertise of Asamoah who has over the years been leveraging expertise in political psychology to help candidates who focus on the Black community win. Her website says she is a “trusted advisor to federal, state, and local officials, and she’s highly sought after to develop both high-profile and grassroots stakeholder coalitions.”

The democratic operative attributes her career choices to the experiences of her parents who would both be civically engaged. She told Watch The Yard that her father was born under colonization in the Gold Coast, what is now Ghana and retired as an Africana Studies and Political Science professor while her mother was born in the Jim Crow

Wanting to fully comprehend Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah’s approach to liberation, Asamoah, while in college, chose to come back to Ghana as an international student one semester to study African history. Asamoah, who completed undergraduate and graduate studies at Temple University, earning degrees in Psychology, African American Studies, and Educational Psychology, holds a post-master’s certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from St. Joseph’s University.

She also holds multiple licenses including one as a behavior specialist. Asamoah earned her three degrees in psychology, prioritizing human behavior because she wanted to understand how Black people survived enslavement while living under oppression, “and even thrive in some cases on multiple fronts”, she explained.

And while at Temple, she challenged the university on plans to gentrify the community, served as (EΔ) chapter president, VP of the NAACP, and Treasurer of the African Student Union, she told Watch The Yard. All these factors and more would get Asamoah, a doctoral candidate in Leadership (Administration and Policy) at The George Washington University, an appointment as a senior policy advisor in the District of Columbia’s Executive Office of the Mayor, where she later began mobilizing Black people around many issues externally.

Her senior policy advisor role was followed by an appointment to the Commission on African American Affairs, where she served as the highest-ranking elected member. The practicing therapist has to date served on several commissions, boards, and advisory councils for

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organizations including the NAACP, National Urban League, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s National Social Action Commission.

When politicians saw her amazing ability to galvanize people around policies and to raise money, they began asking her to consult for them. Since then, Asamoah has been creating winning campaigns for them, with her recent victory being Biden’s.

As the National Adviser for Black Engagement, Asamoah explained what a typical workday was like for her and the team. “We’re all hands on deck, mobilizing the base, engaging with voters, connecting with stakeholders, speaking at (virtual) events, strategizing and executing,” said Asamoah, whose several objectives included the need to remind Black people of their electoral power and the need to vote.

With California Senator Harris set to become the first woman and woman of color to be vice president of the U.S., women, particularly Black women, are elated and so is Asamoah.

“Progress is not a spectator sport, and as a strategist who mobilizes leaders and communities for social change and political action, it was important for me to help fight this battle,” she told POPSUGAR. “But I remained faithful, and I paired sentiment with action to shift the tide. Now, we’re about to have the first woman and person of color as vice president.”

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November 2020

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The Kumerica evolution and ensuing Akataboyz revolution in Ghana

titled Kumerica also shining bright the Kumerican light globally. For Yeezy, the whole phenomenon is not only about copying American culture, but channeling it to share the history of Ashanti culture in particular and Africanness in general. He believes “…as the originators of Kumerica, we feel responsible for ensuring that the positivity of this online sensation goes a long way to empower the black man, whether on the African continent or anywhere in the Diaspora.“

“America happens to be a place where most people aspire to be, but we want to create our own America right here in Ghana, West Africa, so people all over can look within themselves and their immediate environments to work at their dreams by working together as a team and believing in their sacrifice,” he added.

Some original members of AKATABOYZ of Kumerica To get to the source of this craze, we did some investigations that took us to the doorsteps of Blaq Foreigner, and Armani Sosa, both of whom started pursuing music professionally in 2016. The two recorded their eponymous first single titled Akataboyz in January 2020 which started underground and spread to online music stores, it eventually broke the Internet in mid-2020 when it went viral. The Genesis of Akataboyz, their blow up, Kumerica, and Asakaa By June of 2020 Akataboyz had raked over 50,000 streams on their Audiomack page which is now verified with a total stream of over 113k since then. They have over 17k following on Instagram.

came out with singles like Akataboyz, Kumerica Yaba (audio released June and video November, all this year), and Guy Guy. The audio and respective videos for some of these tracks streamed over 65k times in under a month and almost 75k and above on respective YouTube channels,” Jeezy said.

Jeezy also told TheAfricanDream.net that the group to carve a niche for itself associated with the newly invented musical genre Asakaa which is from the word Saka — a language spoken by youths in Kumasi that is a mixture of English and Twi but different from the popular West African Pidgin English.

“We are excited to see Asakaa take shape and grow,” said Jeezy who credited the originators of the genre by acknowledging that, “our brothers at Life living Record started the Asakaa, and we That is when the crew realized that they were on got involved with the exposure we had with to something bigger. “Starting with nothing but them on many occasions.” merely a strong passion and love for music and a burning desire for originality, we gave it all our The quest for originality amidst cultural mergers hearts,” the two told TheAfricanDream.net from These Kumericans started as Trap musicians because they thought it wasn’t common in their Tanoso Kumasi base. “We looked up to Ghana at the time, thus they saw opportunities American acts like the late Pop Smoke who is there too according to Jeezy, himself a young considered as the face of New York (NY) Brooklyn Drill music in the United States (US).” entrepreneur with a passion for creative arts. “Seeing my brothers doing music, gave me the green light to manage their career with my expeOther US-based rappers that inspired the Ghanaian duo include Compton California-born rience from living outside the country and learnRoddy Ricch and rapper-activist Meek Mill. The ing from different cultures and people.”

Akataboyz founders disclosed that their team now managed by Jeezy has grown into over a dozen members.

Kumerica has broken the internet more than once in Ghana, become globally recognized with JayZ’s Roc Nation label signee Vic Mensa (of “Together they shot into the spotlight when they Ghanaian-American lineage) giving it props online, and the single by Strongman and Ypee

The shoutouts and what’s coming next The Akataboyz in-house producer Cmobb, also happens to be part of the team’s vocalists and is the owner of Cmobb Records. He told TheAfricanDream.net that the crew is currently working to release their EP on Christmas day of 2020. “I want to say big ups to Brabenk, Carty of Bantama, Yaw Tog, Kawabanga, and Ryan The Kid plus all spreading the Kumerica and Asakaa love. We’re also sending an early invite to all our fans and supporters to our EP drop this December 25th,” said Cmobb.

There are no female members in the group, but the door is open to, and welcomes women that want to work with or join them. Akataboyz in their spare time embark on local trips to propagate the Kumerican culture, they also enjoy shooting pool and are working on increasing their 5 singles on online music stores.

"We have completed work on the Guy Guy music video (https://youtu.be/0YuT8OuRMSk) with MC Polo which goes live late in Ghana at 11PM on November 5, which is early morning on the US east coast November 6 at 2AM," said Jeezy. Find the Akataboyz officially on Instagram as akata_boyz, Twitter as AKATABOYZ1, and on Audiomack as Akataboyz.

Written by Oral Ofori

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What Biden’s win means for Africa

November 2020

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the strategic direction and resources they need. A lot of these policies had the right idea – they just weren’t executed to full potential,” he said.

Virág Fórizs, Africa Economist at Capital Economics, says the outcome of the US elections is unlikely to be a game-changer for Africa.

“A return to multilateralism under a Biden presidency could translate into stronger US-backing for the African Continental Free Trade Area, rather than the Trump administration’s approach of pursuing bilateral deals (with Kenya for example).”

The result of the vote will have a profound impact on US foreign policy in Africa, the EU’s Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) says.

During his tenure Trump proposed a large-scale pull-back of US forces abroad, including in West Africa, marking a strategic shift from the ‘war on terror’ to countering China’s growing influence in Africa through other means, says Giovanni Faleg, a senior analyst at the Paris-based EU agency. “As competition mainly revolves around the predatory economic practices (of China) the first pillar of Trump’s strategy is advancing US trade and commercial ties with the region,” Faleg says.

This included the Trump administration’s ‘Prosper Africa’ initiative whose objective is to streamline bureaucracy, expand the role of the private sector and remove logistical trade barriers.

During his tenure Trump has only received the presidents of Kenya and Nigeria, while he imposed visa bans on Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania in January.

While Trump has pushed for significant cuts to foreign aid into the continent, these have been largely vetoed by Congress, meaning the US remained a leading donor in Africa, Faleg says. In recent months, since the onset of Covid19, Trump has communicated more with African leaders as China ramped up its pandemic support on the continent. “In late April Trump proactively phoned the leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa and his administration stepped up assistance and donations to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the continent, after passively watching China take the lead in international support,” Faleg notes.

From a commercial perspective, Trump’s policies lay the groundwork for unlocking greater US private sector investment on the “Trump has never personally considered Africa a priority region or travelled continent, but lacked the technical backing to sub-Saharan countries,” Faleg says, to be effective, says Ronak Gopaldas, director at risk advisory firm Signal Risk. while “his rhetoric towards Africa in public speeches could not be more “The incoming administration should look to controversial.” build on a lot of Trump’s initiatives. He [Biden] could build on these and give them

President Biden would also be more likely to support the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beyond 2025, Forizs says.

Data from the 2019 International Trade Administration showed that US companies have invested over $50bn in Africa since Trump took office in 2017.

Biden’s election may also lead to a partial cooling of trade tensions with China, which could have a positive impact on African markets which trade extensively with Beijing.

A model for democracy? Africans took to Twitter to denounce Trump’s response to the election result, saying he is undermining America’s role as a paragon of western democracy.

Trump has mounted lawsuits in five states, while administration officials and Republican party figures have refused to acknowledge the president-elect’s win.

As Biden edges closer to victory, President Donald Trump has filed lawsuits for a recount in Wisconsin, and separate suits to stop vote counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“The US election will surely open up a floodgate of election manipulation across emerging democracies (most especially) in West Africa. The excuse will be simple; “even in the US, it isn’t a perfect process”, said Nigerian Egbe Omorodion.

https://africanbusinessmagazine.com/

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November 2020

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Laugh House speed-dating to possibly let you I’m not bothered anymore laugh or meet someone — or both by Ebony comparisoniOna Reine

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With the novelty COVID-19 pandemic restructuring what we have known as normal-life, we mostly see fingers sanitizing than scouting dating apps for matches. The pandemic has forced us to be in lockdown for months. But Laugh House wants to help ease the difficulty associated with the pandemic for you in their cute way.

COVID-19 has affected the love life of many people, and to a greater extent discouraged many others from engaging in dating because it is no longer convenient enough to step out from your home to meet up with matches.

This is where Laugh House steps in from their conveniently located edifice in Prince George’s county in Maryland, in the United States by offering folks in the US a chance to date safely. Laugh House believes laughing and loving are both integral parts of our being humans. That it is in the DNA of Humans to connect, to love, is beyond denial.

Laughter is good for the soul, so is love Research reveals that those who live longer are those who laughed the most and those who lived the longest are those who laughed while loving. It is for these reasons that Laugh House has designed this comic-dating event to give you a great chance to find your dating match, something that excited TheAfricanDream.net too, so we’re here to share the scoop.

FILE — event promo image So, the event would seat one man across a woman in a private breakout room. They would both engage in conversations about themselves for a short period of 7 minutes. Just like traditional speed dating, at the end of the event, you will be able to let the organizers know who you were interested in.

You will know your mutual matches (those you picked that picked you back). Then you are given 20 minutes from the end of the event to inform Laugh House who you are interested in.

Results will be disclosed on the same night of the next or the very next morning. A few or the winners will be profiled on TheAfricanDream.net about their experience, with their permission of course.

Here’s how can you participate and get tickets There would be a minimum of five persons from either sex available to speed date with. However, if for any reason there were less than 5 members of the opposite sex in attendance, a ticket buyer would get credit for a future virtual event. After you purchase your ticket, you will have login credentials to the special virtual room on zoom Laugh House disclosed to TheAfricanDream.net in a chat.

Participating women must be between the ages of 43 and 56 years and men from 45 to 56 are encouraged to check it out. Purchase tickets online via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/online-comedy-speed-datingblack-singles-40s-50s-tickets-123210623291 and learn more about Laugh House from their website dmvlaughhouse.com.

Go on, have some fun while loving each other and laugh about it, let’s feel free to live a long and fulfilled life and not let COVID-19 stop us from being who we are. The event kicks off this October 17 at 7:30 PM Washington DC time.

Source: TheAfricanDream.net/Laugh House

Fast rising Ghanaian female singer, iOna Reine, who has been accused of copying fallen singer Ebony over and over again has categorically stated that she is not the least worried about those criticism and is solely focused on growing her brand.

Making an appearance on ”Ayeeko”, an entertainment lifestyle program on US based Sankofa Radio, she admitted that in the past, she felt offended when compared to Ebony Reigns but has now embraced the criticism in her quest to strategize and commercialize her talent for the international market.

The artiste, who doubles as a midwife, stated “no matter what I do, they will compare me to her so why should it bother me? She quizzed.

The singer who is currently promoting her latest single “Obra” off her EP advised Ghanaians to pay attention to her creativity rather than labelling her as Ebony look alike. Obra talks about the challenges of life and not giving up on life in spite of the challenges because God reigns. The video has garnered over 108,000 views on YouTube since it’s release on October 24, 2020

Source Sankofa Radio

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Kenya Beats South Africa To Be Named Africa’s Leading Tourist Destination

Kenya is Africa's leading tourist destination. Photo Credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Kenya’s tourism sector has been showing massive growth in the last decade. The tourism sector has risen to become the second-largest foreign exchange earner for the country despite recent terrorism threats and other incidents of insecurity. Also, the tourism and travel sector contributed 3.7% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016 and around 6% in 2017.

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It is therefore not surprising that the East African nation has been ranked as the leading tourist destination in Africa ahead of South Africa by the World Travel Awards (WTA). Nairobi was also named as Africa’s Leading Business Travel Destination and Kenyatta International Convention Centre ranked as Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre. Kenya emerged top for its tantalizing cocktail of epic savannah landscapes, immense herds of wildlife and palm-fringed beaches. Also, Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Samburu National Reserve, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Sweet Waters Game Reserve, and Tsavo National Park were named among the country’s top safari destinations. Meanwhile, Cape Town was declared Africa’s Leading Festival & Event Destination and its majestic Table Mountain picked Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction. The fascinating South African city of Durban was voted Africa’s Leading City Destination.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands. Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner. In the Aviation sector, Ethiopian Airlines lifted ‘Africa’s Leading Airline’, whilst ‘Africa’s Leading Airport’ went to Cape Town International Airport. Kenya Airways picked up both ‘Africa’s Leading Airline –

Business Class’ and ‘Africa’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’.

In the hospitality sector, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club’s unique comforts in the shadow of the mighty Mount Kenya helped it to the title of ‘Africa’s Leading Hotel’, whilst Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, South Africa picked up ‘Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel’. Aberdare Country Club, Kenya was voted ‘Africa’s Leading Green Hotel’.

Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, says: “Our winners represent the very best of Africa’s travel and tourism sector and my congratulations to each of them. They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.” He adds: “The World Travel Awards 2020 programme received a record number of votes cast by the public. This shows that the appetite for travel and tourism has never been stronger and bodes well for the industry’s future as the global recovery begins.”

Other winners include: Serengeti National Park (‘Africa’s Leading National Park’).

Thanda Island, Tanzania (‘Africa’s Leading Luxury Island’). Shambala Private Game Reserve, South Africa (‘Africa’s Leading Private Game Reserve’). The Oberoi, Marrakech (‘Morocco’s Leading Hotel Suite’). https://face2faceafrica.com/

November 2020

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African leaders congratulate Biden after election win The 77-year old’s projected victory in his birth state of Pennsylvania allowed the Democrat to pass the 270 electoral college votes required for victory. Kamala Harris, his running mate, will be the first woman of colour to hold the office of vice-president in American history. Following the announcement of Biden’s victory, African leaders were quick to send their congratulations to the president-elect. “My congratulations to US PresidentElect @JoeBiden and Vice PresidentElect @KamalaHarris on your historic #Election2020 win. #Ethiopia looks forward to working closely with you,” tweeted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

“We congratulate President-Elect @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris and the American people on your election. We look forward to working with you and deepening our bonds of friendship and cooperation,” tweeted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Biden’s victory may be a relief for African leaders after four years of Trump’s norm-shattering presidency. Trump did not visit the continent during his unconvential presidency, and rattled Africans with intemperate comments about African countries in 2018. His administration robustly challenged Chinese influence in African states and promised to prioritise US trade and commercial ties with limited success. In a statement following his election, Biden said that he would seek to unite the nation after a bitter contest.

“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.” But in a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump continued to insist that he had won the election “by a lot”, having earlier alleged a dark conspiracy of “historic election interference from big media, big money, and big tech” without providing

evidence. Trump said that he will continue with legal challenges, but a number of lawsuits have already been thrown out by states and conservative media outlets that have long backed the president appear to be resisting his claims of fraud. Trump declared victory as early as Wednesday morning after securing the Republican heartlands of Texas and Florida, but Biden ate into his lead as mail-in votes were counted.

Africa watches The contested election in the world’s most powerful economy has been eagerly watched in Africa. Since assuming the presidency, Trump’s administration has seen the continent as a battleground in its contest with China and has repeatedly lashed out at Beijing’s political and commercial influence in African states.

In December 2018, Trump’s then national security advisor John Bolton articulated the administration’s Africa strategy, which he said would “put the interests of the American people first, at home and abroad” by boosting US trade and commercial ties on the continent, reprioritising aid, and thwarting the African ambitions of a “predatory” China. That reset followed a US travel ban in 2017 which targeted several Muslim-majority African countries, including Libya, Somalia and Sudan, on security grounds. In recent weeks, the Trump administration delisted Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list, but only after Khartoum agreed to normalise relations with US ally Israel. But the administration has since frayed ties with Africa by blocking the election of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the first African directorgeneral of the World Trade Organization. “Congratulations to the next US president @JoeBiden and vice president @KamalaHarris on their historic victory. This milestone serves as a powerful affirmation that women and women of color can and should belong in every level of government. Amujae! We are going up!” tweeted Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

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Malawi to become the first African country in Edusei Foundation decades to open an embassy in Jerusalem Supports Sanitation Drive November

2020

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As part of its corporate social responsibility the Edusei Foundation has donated a number of dustbins to the University of Education, Winneba Kumasi – Campus now Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development on the occasion of their attainment of autonomous status.

Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi. Photo Credit: Amos Gumulira/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian Malawi says it will open an embassy in Jerusalem, the controversial capital of Israel, in the summer of 2021. This was made known by the country’s foreign minister, Eisenhower Mkaka, who is on a three-day trip to the Jewish state.

“Mkaka reiterated the intent of the Republic of Malawi to open a fully-fledged Embassy in Jerusalem,” according to an official joint statement signed by the visiting Malawian minister and his counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi. In return, the statement added, Israel agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, investment technology, education and trade. Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera first announced his intention to open an embassy in Jerusalem in November. The move, if seen through, will make Malawi the first African country to currently have a diplomatic mission in the new Jewish capital. A number of African countries, including Kenya, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, once had embassies in Jerusalem, but they were closed following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Chakwera, an Evangelical, said his country was undertaking several diplomatic reforms, including the upgrading of the country’s Foreign Ministries and its embassies worldwide.

“The reforms will also include a review of our diplomatic presence, including our resolve to have new diplomatic missions in Lagos, Nigeria and Jerusalem, Israel,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “I will be sharing more details about this in the near future.”

“Any step taken to establish a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem constitutes a violation of relevant United Nations resolutions,” the special envoy, Hanan Jarrar said. According to him, the UN Security Council Resolution 476 (1980) recently reaffirmed by Resolution 2334 (2016) does not recognize any action that seeks to alter the character and status of Jerusalem.

“Under international law, East Jerusalem [including the Old City and its holy sites] are not legally part of Israel,” he said, adding that: “Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the US and the international community have refused to recognize the sovereignty of any country to any part of Jerusalem in the absence of a permanent Arab-Israeli peace agreement.”

Also, the country’s opposition MPs have criticized the move but Chakwera insists establishing diplomatic ties with Israel was nothing new in Malawi. Currently, the 21million majority Christian nation has no diplomatic mission in Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Malawi is resident in Nairobi, Kenya.

Another African country that has given a hint of opening an embassy in Jerusalem is Uganda. In February, President Yoweri Museveni told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would look into the possibility of opening an embassy in Jerusalem.

This was after Netanyahu suggested that Israel would open an embassy in Kampala if Uganda were to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Chakwera’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem has incurred the wrath of the Palestinian authorities. Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Wednesday sent a letter of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 became the first protest through a special envoy to the Malawian leader over world leader to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel the embassy move, according to Anadolu Agency. and relocated the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv there. Since then, Israel has taken steps to normalize relations with Palestinians want East Jerusalem, seized in a 1967 Middle Muslim nations across the world. East war, as part of a future state while Israel considers the Holy City its eternal capital.

Dr. Kwame Bawuah Edusei the founder of the Edusei foundation a medical practitioner by profession has always been an advocate of a clean and healthy society.

The donation to the University is in line with the Edusei foundations goal of promoting healthy living by supporting the campaign to curb public littering and ultimately make Ghana clean.

Mr Yaw Akoto Baffour Osei, the estate manager received the dustbins on behalf of the University presented by Mr. Kwasi Konadu of the Edusei foundation .

Mr. Baffour Osei expressed appreciation to the Edusei Foundation for the noble gesture and support for the University.

Dr. Kwame Bawuah Edusei, a former diplomat with a family history of philanthropy dating back to the early 1920s through his family foundation has built a clinic for the Kumasi children’s home, a clinic at Tamale in the Northern Region and engaged in several philanthropic activities in Ghana from his own resources.

He supported the fundraising for COVID 19 relief intervention in Ghana with a donation of $10,000.

Afrikan Post November 2020_June 2011.qxd 11/18/2020 11:43 AM Page 31

Did You Know? The Great Walls of Benin in Nigeria Is Longer Than Walls of China; Here’s How The British Destroyed It in 1897 November

2020

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between mathematics and culture) Ron Eglash has discussed the planned layout of the city, commenting that “When Europeans first came to Africa, they considered the architecture disorganised and thus primitive. It never occurred to them that the Africans might have been using a form of mathematics that they hadn’t even discovered yet.”

“When Europeans first came to Africa, they considered the architecture disorganised and thus primitive. It never occurred to them that the Africans might have been using a form of mathematics they hadn’t even discovered yet.” – Ron Eglash

A lost city

The Benin Kingdom, dating back to the 11th century, was one of the oldest and most advanced states in western Africa. Benin’s walls with their surroundings have been described as ‘the biggest earthworks in the world before the mechanical age,’ a man-made wondrous feature.

In 1897, during the Punitive Expedition, the Walls of Benin, one of Africa’s ancient architectural wonders, were burned.

This shocking act has destroyed the history of Benin for more than a thousand years and the earlier proof of rich African civilizations.

The incredible city was a collection of earthworks made up of banks and ditches in the area around present-day Benin City, named “Iya” in the Edo language. They are located in Iya city 15 kilometers away and the rural area around Benin is approximately 16 000 kilometres. For more than 400 years, the walls protected the people of the kingdom and the traditions and civilization of the people of Edo. In the science magazine New Scientist, Fred Pearce wrote the following about the city: “In all, they are four times longer than China’s Great Wall and have absorbed a hundred times more content than the Great Cheops Pyramid. It took an estimated 150 million hours of digging to create and is possibly the planet’s largest single archaeological phenomenon. The Guinness Book of Records (1974 edition) described Benin City’s walls and its surrounding kingdom as “the largest earthworks in the world carried out before the mechanical age.”

It was one of the first towns to be founded and put around the city with a semblance of street lighting with massive metal lamps, several feet high.

In 1691, captain of the Portuguese ship, Lourenco Pinto, observed: “Great Benin, where the king resides, is greater than Lisbon. The highways are all going straight for as far as the eye can see.

The great city of Benin is lost to history after starting its decline in the 15th century. This decline was sparked by internal conflicts at the borders of the Benin Empire, linked to the increasing European intrusion and slavery trade. In the British Punitive Expedition in the 1890s, when the city was plundered, blown up and destroyed to the ground by British troops, it was then completely ruined.

In addition, the remaining ruins were neither maintained nor restored. The only remaining vestige is a house in Obasagbon that consists of a courtyard known as the house of Chief Enogie Aikoriogie. The house has features that fit the horizontally fluted walls, columns, central impluvium, and carved decorations seen in ancient Benin architecture. However, it is rumored that a part of the great city wall, one of the world’s largest man-made monuments ever, could lie abandoned in the Nigerian bush and be forgotten.

The houses are huge, especially the king’s, which is richly decorated and has beautiful columns. The town is rich and industrious. It is so well regulated that crime is unknown, and the people are living in such safety that they have no doors to their homes.

In his personal account, 17th-century Dutch visitor Olfert Dapper wrote, “Houses are built alongside the streets in good order, the one close to the other. Adorned with gables and steps … they are usually broad with long galleries inside, especially so in the case of the houses of the nobility, and divided into many rooms which are separated by walls made of red clay, very well erected.”

“[The walls are] as shiny and smooth by washing and rubbing as any wall in Holland can be made with chalk, and they are like mirrors. The upper storeys are made of the same sort of clay. Moreover, every house is provided with a well for the supply of fresh water,” he continued. Benin City’s planning and design was done according to careful rules of symmetry, proportionality and repetition now known as “fractal design”.

Ethnomathematician (the study of the relationship

https://howafrica.com/

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November 2020

African Women: 10 Unsung Heroines Of Africa

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In 2016, the BBC ran a series about inspiring women across Africa, and followers of BBC Africa’s Facebook and Twitter pages nominated their local heroines.

Here is a selection of 10 nominees:

Child marriage terminator

Image copyrightUN Women Brenda Iyoha nominated Inkosi Kachindamoto, who is a chief in the district of Dedza in Malawi. She annulled 330 child marriages last year, sending the children back to school.

“This is a bold step and a statement of intent in the fight to end child marriages,” said Ms Iyoha.

Sanitary Pad Campaigner

Image copyrightMarie-Claire Nabila Kuja Chi Yvonne nominated Marie-Claire Nabila Kuja, saying the Cameroonian campaigner “is on an unquenchable quest to ignite change in the lives of women and youths in Africa and beyond”. “Her KujaPads initiative has gone a long way to improve the menstrual hygiene of thousands of girls in Cameroon.”

According to Ms Kuja, more than 80% of female students in the North West region of Cameroon have limited access to sanitary pads.

Inspiring media boss

Anti-FGM activist

Image copyrightLouise Vale Larry Swatuk nominated Louise Vale, executive director of the Association of Independent Publishers in South Africa, because she is a “lifelong rescuer of NGOs and communities in crisis”.

Image copyrightChesang Domtila Imani Amrani nominated Chesang Domtila, because she “worked wonders at the End FGM Academy – she made it happen and was an inspiration to all”.

As an English teacher in the 1970s and 1980s, Ms Vale campaigned against the apartheid regime. She later helped open up access to education for disadvantaged youths and adults through various governmental and non-governmental organisations, and last year was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to the board of the Media Development and Diversity Agency.

Life-saving community nurse

Image copyrightMai Charity Salima Udk Kalimalwanyo nominated Charity Salima, a community nurse in Malawi, because she “has volunteered for years to help women in maternal health through her community clinic Achikondi in Area 23, Lilongwe.

“She is my unsung hero.”

Ms Salima founded her clinic in the impoverished district in 2008, offering affordable pre- and post-natal care, and has since delivered thousands of babies.

A Kenyan anti-FGM activist, Ms Domtila was born into a community that practises female genital mutilation but managed to escape.

“I have campaigned since I was 13 – I am now 26 – and I can say together with my team and other Kenyan activists, we have achieved a lot. I helped found an anti-FGM community-based organisation and currently work with the Guardian Global Media Campaign against FGM,” she told the BBC.

Sanitary Pad Campaigner

“Her KujaPads initiative has gone a long way to improve the menstrual hygiene of thousands of girls in Cameroon.”

According to Ms Kuja, more than 80% of female students in the North West region of Cameroon have limited access to sanitary pads.

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African Women: 10 Unsung Heroines Of Africa

Mother for orphans

Image copyrightFerdi Schrooten Brenda Iyoha nominated Mary Mangwiza for “tirelessly supporting orphans of HIV/Aids in Malawi”.

“With very few resources, she offers love and the chance of a meal and early education for children who would otherwise not get any,” she says.

Mother Mary’s Children Centre looks after more than 900 orphans and other vulnerable children, particularly in the districts of Zomba and Chikwawa.

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November 2020

Police inspector turned UN peacekeeper

Image copyrightUN Women Image copyrightCourtesy Etisah Foundation US-based charity Etisah Foundation nominated Josephine Ngale, a retired police inspector from Limbe in Cameroon, who in 2007 set up the Save The Children Alliance Orphanage in the same area, which currently supports around 50 children.

Ms Ngale is also a UN peacekeeper who focuses on genderbased violence. Previously stationed in Sudan’s Darfur region, she is currently based in the main Ivorian city of Abidjan.

Commenting on her nomination, she told the BBC: “Thank you for nominating me, it makes me proud to be a strong African woman.”.

River blindness fighter

Image copyrightSightsavers International charity Sightsavers nominated one of their own volunteers in Cameroon, Evodia Njah, who delivers treatment for those at risk of river blindness.

A widow with five children, she takes a census of her village between June and August and the information is used to allocate treatments. She then begins the job of overcoming people’s suspicions, convincing them take medicine to stop itchiness and eye problems.

“I get up very early in the morning and distribute between 6am12pm, then from 6-8pm – this way you can make sure people are at home. I distribute every day for two weeks, to 20 households in my village. If people are not in, I go to other households, then I keep going back until I find them.”

Peace-loving marathon runner

Image copyrightUN Women

Image copyrightAFP Josiah Mugo Mosby nominated Tegla Loroupe because she “won marathons for Kenya, now she runs for peace in her Pokot community”, where cattle rustling and revenge killings are common.

A three-time world half-marathon champion and two-time world marathon champion, Ms Loroupe established the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in 2003 to bring peace and unification through sports.

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Fairtrade gold miner

Image copyrightJames Robinson/Fairtrade Foundation Sarah Carpin nominated Josephine Agutu, a gold miner from Uganda, for “empowering women through Fairtrade gold” – an ethical jewellery certification system to get fairer wages for alluvial miners.

Ms Agutu began working in mines at the age of 12 and now, as part of the Tiira Small-Scale Miners Association, she participates in a pilot Fairtrade project to prevent child labour and warn women about the dangers of using mercury to extract gold.

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THE JOY OF HOMEOWNERSHIP

It is a known fact that the best single investment one can make is owning your own home. Homeownership promotes a sense of achievement, positive self esteem and pride. It creates a sense of accomplishment and freedom! The Biggest Benefit of Homeownership Homeownership makes good sense because there are tax privileges when tax time rolls around: • You get the benefit of deducting the interest paid on the mortgage throughout the year. • You deduct any points paid, either discount or origination fees paid on loan. • You can deduct a room in your home if it is solely dedicated for home business use. • The biggest advantage, though, is the fact that the principle you pay on the mortgage is like putting money in the bank, in the form of equity. Other Advantages of Homeownship • Owning your home gives you an individualized approach concerning landscaping, decorating, and curb appeal, which in the process can add value to the home. You do what you please when you please to your home which renting does not provide. • If you have children, they will find stability in knowing that they aren't going to have to change schools, which can be traumatic for

younger children. They won't have to make new friends, and a sense of place becomes very real to them. Disadvantages of Renting • When you rent, you do not have the flexibility to make aesthetic or cosmetic changes to the place as you please. You may be able to paint a room, but need to repaint back to the original color scheme when you move. • You cannot make major structural changes or ground changes such as adding flower beds or even rock gardens and waterfalls to reflect your taste. • You put up with an obstinate landlord that refuses to repair things in the apartment, or just "doesn't have time." This can build frustration and stress. • You help the Landlord build equity on their property and gain tax write off while you are left with nothing at the end of your lease term I hope you enjoyed reading this article and it has provided helpful information in making your decision to home ownership a smooth one. For more information about your real estate needs (buying, selling, leasing/renting a house) call me at 571-229-6694 and I will help you get started. Thank you.

Anita A. Bediako- REALTOR® Samson Properties

Licensed Real Estate Agent in Virginia and Maryland

Licensed Life and Health Insurance CONTACT 571-229-6694

Email: borderlessrealestate@gmail.com Website: borderlessrealestate.com

Prempeh College wins 2020 International Robotics Championship for Ghana November 2020

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Ghana is establishing its dominance in the crucial field of robotics, with a second consecutive win at the high profile Robofest World Championship.

This year’s competition which was held online due to COVID-19 related challenges witnessed the fruition of the formal collaboration between Christian Service University College (CSUC) and Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation (GRAF)

The winning team from Prempeh College in Kumasi, defeated competitors from Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea and the US among others, with training and mentorship from GRAF, under whose guidance, Ghana also won the 2019 competition in Michigan, US. The participating teams were required to design, construct, and program their robots to act independently and compete for trophies in a variety of tasks. Following a request from GRAF on 12 July 2020 to host the competition, CSUC provided suitable space from where Ghana’s participation was beamed live to global audiences. A combined team from CSUC and GRAF had identified three suitable halls from where the teams would compete. These halls were also made available to the teams to set up their equipment for rehearsals, five consecutive days ahead of the competition. The relationship between these two institutions was an initiative of the Centre for Research and ..Read Morehttps://www.csuc.edu.gh/2020/11/09/ghana-wins2020-international-robotics-championship-with-csuc-grafcollaboration/

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1635 Woodside Drive Woodbridge VA 22191

November 2 0 2 0

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Heroes of COVID-19: How two vital persons led to the birth of Fumni Gbadamosi’s WACWDI in Nigeria November 2020

recommended to TheAfricanDream.net to be considered as a hero of COVID-19, we started gathering information about this great woman. We discovered she is a retired trained Secretary who worked with the National Library of Nigeria. She did some online courses on care-giving to advance her knowledge about her passion for caring for people in general, advocating for the visually impaired, women, and the physically challenged.

For the second time, TheAfricanDream.net in its Heroes of COVID-19 series looked to Nigeria to celebrate individuals and organizations who are performing their duties or contributing their effort to preserve humanity while the world fights against the novel coronavirus. After careful consideration, we are shining some light on Mrs. Funmi Olagunju Gbadamosi.

of WACWDI WACWDI was created over a decade ago in 2010 as a response to the need to protect women and children with disabilities from any form of abuse, empowers them, promotes and respects the standard set out by the 1989 convention on the rights of the child. Mrs. Funmi envisions a world where women and children with disabilities will attain full potential and contribute to societal growth.

US-based civil rights attorney endorses WACWDI TheAfricanDream.net decided to celebrate Funmi as our October Hero of COVID-19 because we became fascinated by how she is taking care of blind children and people with other forms of disabilities during a pandemic. She admitted that Covid-19 has indeed made her already herculean task more difficult. One can imagine how hard it will be to advise blind children to adhere to precautions and protocols laid down by the World Health Organization against COVID-19.

It is already difficult to instruct children, in general, to wear their masks, observe social distancing, wash their hands with soap under running water among other things, now add And for this month of October in 2020, our hero of COVID-19 is Mrs. Gbadamosi, a Mrs. Gbadamosi told TheAfricanDream.net being visually or physically challenged to the fraction and you will begin to appreciate Nigerian Disability Advocate. that inspiration comes from God. "Early in my marriage", she narrates that besides her how amazing a job Funmi is doing, especial“My late husband grew up in a dysfunctional husband, her nonprofit also started after: "I ly in a continent that is only now beginning home. When I met him he was alone with no came across a blind girl who was being stig- to accept the plight of the disabled. one to care for him, his siblings didn’t want to matized by her own biological mother. She Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII who is a profesidentify with him despite the fact that he had was introduced to me and my late husband four of them” Funmi lamented. by her father who cared so much about her, sional history as an attorney with the and before I knew it, I became fond of her. I Education Department of the United States made an arrangement with her Aunt to drop and is also a non-profit leader and strategic partnership consultant first mentioned Funmi “When he told them that a lady had agreed to her off at our place every day and pick her and her work to us here at marry him they thought he was joking. Thank up later in the day" Funmi said. TheAfricanDream.net in the US. God for these women who decided to care for him, especially Mrs. Oluwasanmi and Mrs Funmi in middle (wearing glasses) with a Ollie who also happens to be a nationally Adewuyi. You know growing up in such a child leaning on her / photo courtesy recognized speaker and advocate for the family definitely affected his future. His case WACWDI visually impaired in the US. As a leader of was actually what birth WACWDI,” said Funmi to TheAfricanDream.net in an inter“I started teaching her mobility, making her change within the civil rights arena for more view. do things by herself, helping her boost self- than 20 years in the non-profit and governmental world, Ollie had a lot of praise and confidence, and to cut the long story short, support for the work being done by Mrs. Funmi’s late husband is a visually impaired one morning the Aunt came and when I Gbadamosi, so it was only natural that we Nigerian man whose life inspired her to found asked after her niece, she told me the bad delve deeper into it. Women and Children with Disability Initiative news and that left me devastated.“ (WACWDI), a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization set up to ensure that children The narration above was what drove Funmi with disabilities from dysfunctional or disad- to bring children who have been written off Funmi said the pandemic has had a critical blow on the world’s finance and WACWDI vantaged homes have access to quality educa- in life to her home and make them become has really felt it as an NGO which heavily tion early in life. who God has destined them to be. She relies on donor agencies and support from added that being married to a blind person WACWDI also supports women to acquire and witnessing how people with disabilities benevolent individuals and organizations to pursue its agenda. Mrs. Gbadamosi said the skills that will make them contribute to the are stigmatized was enough motivation for most pressing demands are funding and growth of society while providing for themher to begin her cause. accommodation. “You’d be amazed at how selves. these children have come to realize and appreciate the effects of COVID-19 and are The other inspiration behind Fumni's founding When the name of Mrs. Gbadamosi was working on becoming adaptive to this ‘new

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normal,‘” she said.

These kids have had a lot taken away from their lives — but they too are fighting COVID-19 But it was also good to hear her say “I have never thought of giving up because I believe the God who called me to this assignment would always make provisions for us.” Said the woman who sometimes digs into her own pocket to finance this work. She told us another story about how on one “particular day when I woke up in the morning and realized there was nothing for the children to eat, I began to think of what I could sell in the house to buy food for my special children.” “I eventually sold my gas cooker at a ridiculous price for those people that buy scraps, it’s a day I will never forget. The following day, somebody blessed us with a new gas cooker. God indeed makes provision,” Funmi reiterated.” “The Nigerian strong woman was full of praises for the children, as she painted a picture of how hard it is when a thing like the sense of touch has been taken away from the visually impaired owing to COVID-19 safety protocols, and yet “my babies are still adapting, still smiling, and still believing in life,” she says during the interview. “What more can I ask for besides this,” Funmi said rhetorically. But oh well, on behalf of TheAfricanDream.net we will love to congratulate Mrs. Funmi Gbadamosi for being our October 2020 COVID-19 hero.

We also appeal to all that WACWDI still needs your support as an organization to build a permanent resident where the children can call their own. “The present place they are using is a rented apartment and is too small. We could do much more if we are not limited by space,” the advocate appealed.

You can follow the organization on Facebook: WOMEN AND CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY INITIATIVE, or visit their website at wacwdi.org for more information. Written by Oral Ofori

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Ghana to build ‘Wakanda City’ to serve as a pilgrimage for people of African descent

November 2020

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4 BEDRROM HOUSE FOR SALE $110,000

House for sale $110,000

The city of Cape Coast in Ghana’s Central Region is widely known as the nation’s tourism hub and the ‘Makah’ for African Americans. Every year, hundreds of Black people across the world visit the city and other historic slave sites to learn about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The region was the hotbed of the slave trade that saw millions of Africans uprooted to the New World. The coastal region has a number of castles and dungeons that were used to keep enslaved men and women for days before they were transported to the Americas to work on various plantations.

Since the end of slavery with Ghana (formerly Gold Coast) attaining nationhood, Cape Coast has seen the return of many African Americans and Caribbeans to have firsthand information about the inhumane treatment their ancestors endured.

popular Hollywood movie, “Black Panther.”

The project seeks to leverage the heritage and cultural tourist assets in Ghana. The partners want to create a place of pilgrimage for the people of African descent to learn about their history, culture, the civilization of Africa, and its role in the creation of the new world economy.

The project, which is a private sector-led initiative, will develop the coastline and new areas in Cape Coast by creating a heritage experience with the provision of 5-Star hotels, retreat/ health resort, conference centers, and an ultra-modern continental corporate headquarters for ADDI. The organizers say the timing of the project is apt since the country is still benefitting from the “Year of Return” and the “Beyond the Return” initiative organized by the government.

The project is expected to create about three thouIn 2019, Ghana organized ‘the Year of Return’ to commemorate the landing of slaves from Africa in sand (3,000) jobs in Cape Coast. America. The event was highly patronized by members of the diaspora. Beyond the Year of Return, there has been an effort to consolidate the gains made.

In this regard, the city of Cape Coast has signed a ABU MUBARIK https://face2faceafrica.com/ memorandum of understanding with the Africa Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) and two local companies to create an ultramodern city. The city will be called the “Wakanda City of Return.” The proposed name of the city is inspired by the

This home is newly built, carefully planned with appealing spaces. Upon entering this cozy home., you are greeted by an open plan lounge and dining room where your family and friends relax and socialize. The house has a separate visitor’s bathroom/toilet and a fully fitted and functional kitchen with a stress-free space to enjoy. Ready to leave in with electricity and water on a 100 x 50 ft plot of land situated on the main road to Millennium City, Kasoa,

Built to last with original features in a quite desirable area.The home offers 4 bedrooms each with en-suite bathroom that has a shower, basin and toilet. Original plan was for an Airbnb.Main features are as follows:A beautiful kitchen, dining room and lounge.4 large bedrooms and four large bathroomsTank for water and hot water, molded ceiling3 biodegradable manholesBig purposely build underground water tank linked with water harvest pipesParking space for 3 cars, airElectric fence/fire & smoke alarm, air conditions, fansAntique and modern lights from London all in boxes ready to be fixedSmall landscaped garden (still growing) All finishing/fittings are from UK: other fittings still in import boxes.

Contact Nana Kwasi on:703-725-6968 or Phyllis on WhatsApp 0447440225799 for further information.

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November 2020

Anike Agbaje Williams, the First Nigerian Woman to Become a Broadcaster

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But no one seemed to be concerned if I was married or expectant.

The men all laughed and thought that was a loose end on my part because for them there was no way an expectant mother would be given the job. But as God would have it, I was selected for the training but still unknown to them that I was pregnant.

When we started the training which was taking place from morning to evening every day for a month, it was stressful for me. After a training session one day, someone came up to me and shook hands with me and said they liked my performance and they would like me to be the first face on television as they were starting television very soon.

While he saying so I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. I was in the hospital for a number of days. After I recovered I started my job and the first job that was given to me was to sign on the station, which I did and handed over. And that was how I became the face of television in Africa. Mrs. Anike Agbaje Williams is Africa’s first woman broadcaster, she started out with Western Nigeria Television, the first television station in Africa in 1959 and worked as a newscaster, producer, presenter and administrator before she retired 35 years later.

Popularly known as Africa’s First Lady of the Tube, Mrs. Anike is said to have worked hard to educate, inform, entertain and sustain the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who established the WNTV as a ‘‘surrogate teacher’’. Mrs. Anike celebrated her 80th birthday last year and the occasion had dignitaries including the presidency in attendance.

In an interview with Amina Alhassan for Daily Trust, the woman described as one of the pioneer African television broadcasters, shared how she became the first face of television in Africa.

She said,

It’s a very interesting story. I was sitting in my house with my husband when a permanent secretary in the ministry of

information called me and said they wanted to start a new television station in Africa and he wanted me to go for the interview. I was reluctant and he insisted that I go for the interview. In fact, he said he was ordering me to go and I had no option than to go for the interview. The day of the interview there were so many people that were being interviewed but I was the only woman amongst all. The others were all men, I was called in for the interview and at the end of the interview the panel that interviewed me rose to shake hands with me and congratulated me. I was surprised and they said that I should not be, that I did very well and were amazed by my responses to the questions asked.

They then told me that they wanted to start training as soon as possible. They then asked when I would like to start the job and I told them in a week’s time and it was a deal.

When I got out all the men in the waiting room were anxious to know what happened and I told them. I then told them that I was surprised that they did not ask me one question and I felt I shouldn’t tell them anything because they did not ask. Then I was married and expecting a baby, I was four months pregnant.

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November 2020

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