ISSN:2588-8807
ISSN:1571-3466
Motto: Actuated towards Africa’s advancement
Volume 21. NO. 206 June 2021
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First complete African magazine published in The Netherlands since August 1999
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Contents
The Voice Magazine Volume 21. No 206 June 2021 Edition
8-11 ARTICLES Page 6- Editorial: I am African by President Thambo Mbeki Page 12 - Page for your letters (Feedback) Page 16 - Netflix Wins Seven Oscars, Biggest Haul Among All Studios This Year Page s 18 & 19 Why Nigeria/Africa Needs a Cohesive Food Policy Pages 20 & 21 – Adieu Prince Philip – 1921-2021 Pages 22 & 23 - The woman breaking the job stereotype in Malindi Page 24 - Book Review: The Other Side of Fear Pages 30 & 31 - Focus: Philip Kahindi Kadenge: A man with an hospitable heart to help communities in Kenya Pages 32 & 33 – The African promise –Building on the pillars Page 41 - Big win in Uganda – Tanzania pipeline held up as financiers withdraw Pages 46-48 - Testimony of a reformed cutter brings hope of eradicating Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya Page 49 - Marina Diboma appointed as New 2SCALE Program Director Pages 50 & 51 - Germany has agreed to return Nigeria’s looted treasures. Will other countries follow? Page 52 & 53 - I am Africa: A new initiative to strengthen Africa Youth as future leaders Page 56- HIV drugs run short in Kenya as people say lives at risk Page 57 - Dutch news in summary Pages 60 & 61 - 2023 General Election and Phoney Politicians Pages 62 & 63 - Claressa Shields fed up with sexism in boxing: ‘We’re not going to keep waiting on men to give women the opportunity’ Pages 64 & 65 - Danielle Perkins: Heavyweight champ? After life-changing accident she is becoming Tyson Fury of women’s boxing Page 68 - Ghana prodigy Kamaldeen reacts to Manchester United, Ajax interest Page 69 - Arsenal eye £7m move for Ajax keeper Onana but face wait over doping ban appeal
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The Voice magazine
THE VOICE MAGAZINE TEAM
The Voice magazine is editorially independent although we enjoys the support of our readers, subscribers, advertisers, non-governmental organizations and individuals of like minds; however the magazine publishers are in no way affiliated to any of these bodies or to any other publishing institution or political interest or group. The Voice magazine strives to foster awareness among the African audience and bridge the widening gap between Africans and the rest of the world in news gathering and dissemination. The Voice is published digitally online except on demand, we print hard copy.. If you want to receive a copy, send us your email address. On the Editorial board are Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh, Jonathan Mgbejume, Sandra Iruh-Monsels, and Henry Oduenyi READ THE VOICE ON LINE AT www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com Our Affiliate partner: www.thenigerianvoice.com Registration NO: (Kvk. Nr. 34.110.928) TAX (BTW) NO: NL806215809B01 ISSN: 1571-3466 (For Print edition) ISSN: 2588-8807 (For Digital edition)
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Editor-in-Chief Pastor Amb. Elvis Ndubuisi Iruh elvisiruh@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Founding/Contributing Editor Edward Idahosa Ogbee apexbest2000@yahoo.co.uk Managing Editor Henry D. Oduenyi (Nigeria Office) henry@thenigerianvoice.com Project Coordinator Ifeyinwa Ezeagabu i.ezeagabu@thevoicenewsmagazine. com BUREAU CHIEFS Femi Ikutiyinu (London) afpaprint2000@yahoo.com Middle East Vice- President Amb. Laila EL Aftani Rahhall CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD Barrister Eze Eluchie (Nigeria) paddingr@yahoo.com Kehinde Aig-Imoru (Nigeria) aigimoru@yahoo.com Contributors Rev. Tammy Abusi (Nigeria) tamabusi@gmail.com Elizabeth Kameo (France) Eva Nakato (Uganda) Jimmie Nicks (Kenya) Eubaldus Enahoro (Nigeria) enabadus2000@yahoo.com
Titus Seruga serugatitus@gmail.com Principal Photo Editors: Handy Tims Azeez Badris fatim_26@hotmail.com PA to Publisher Lilian Akintokun (Mrs) raven_lilian@yahoo.com Magazine Designer David Banjoko davosban@gmail.com MEDIA CONSULTANT Jonathan Mgbejume Abeka Salmin Abdallah Mildred Kleinbussink Pastor Duncan Spier Engr. Barry Igbeare You can as well contact our Office Address: Stichting Paddi Europa Inz The Voice Jeroen Boschplantsoen 82 1318 HH Almere, The Netherlands Land Line: +3136-8801341 Tel.: +31 (0)6-48519292 Mobile: +31 (0)6-84999548 E-mail: info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Websites: www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com www.thevoiceachieversaward.com www.elvisiruh.com (For the Publisher book)
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The Voice magazine is published in the Netherlands by Stichting Paddi Europa and it is p ublished online since 2016 around the world. It is registered at the Chamber of Commerce Amsterdam. The Voice aim to serve as a vital link among African readers in the Diaspora and we provide objective information and organizes opinion exchange among African people both in the continent and abroad. Thus it strives to foster and enhance complete understanding of developing c ountries problems and bring information to help address those issues. You can support this project now with as much as one euro a month to help keep publishing our digital copy for you. TV MANAGEMENT
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Volume 21 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
NO 206 June 2021
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Editorial
I am Africa ..........
“
I Am an African” was a speech made by Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the African National Congress in Cape Town on 8 May 1996, on the occasion of the passing of the new Constitution of South Africa. At the time Mbeki was the Deputy President of South Africa under the presidency of Nelson Mandela. “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. I am an African! I owe my being to the Khoi and the San whose desolate souls haunt the great expanses of the beautiful Cape, they who fell victim to the most merciless genocide our native land has ever seen, they who were the first to lose their lives in the struggle to defend our freedom and independence and they who, as a people, perished in the result. Today, as a country, we keep an audible silence about these ancestors of the generations that live, fearful to admit the horror of a former deed, seeking to obliterate from our memories a cruel occurrence which, in its remembering, should teach us not and never to be inhuman again. I am formed of the migrants who left Europe to find a new home on our native land. Whatever their own actions, they remain still, part of me. In my veins courses the blood of the Malay slaves who came from the East. Their proud dignity informs my bearing, their culture is a part of my essence. The stripes they bore on their bodies from the lash of the slave master are a reminder embossed on my consciousness of what should not be done. I am a grandchild of the warrior men and women that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, the soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom. My mind and my knowledge of myself are formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandhlwana to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert. I am the grandchild who lays fresh flowers on the Boer graves at St Helena and the Bahamas, who sees in the mind’s eye and suffers the suffering of a simple peasant folk, death, concentration camps, destroyed homesteads, a dream in ruins. I am the child of Nongqause. I am he who made it possible to trade in the world markets in diamonds, gold, in the same food for which my stomach yearns. I come of those who were transported from India and China, whose being resided in the fact, solely, that they were able to provide physical labour, who taught me that we could both be at home and be foreign, that human existence itself demanded that freedom was a necessary condition for that human existence. Being part of all these people, and in the knowledge that none dare contest that assertion, I shall claim that: I am an African. 6
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I have seen our country torn asunder as these, all of whom are my people, engaged one another in a titanic battle; the one to redress a wrong that had been caused by one to another and the other, to defend the indefensible. I have seen what happens when one person has superiority of force over another, when the stronger appropriate Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh Editor-in-Chief to themselves the prerogative even to annul the injunction that God created all men and women in His image. I know what it signifies when race and colour are used to determine who is human and who subhuman ... I have experience of the situation in which race and colour is used to enrich some and impoverish the rest... I have seen concrete expression of the denial of the dignity of a human being emanating from the conscious, systemic and systematic oppressive and repressive activities of other human beings. There the victims parade with no mask to hide the brutish reality, the beggars, the prostitutes, the street children, those who seek solace in substance abuse, those who have to lose their sanity because to be sane is to invite pain. Perhaps the worst among these, who are my people, are those who have learnt to kill for a wage ... Among us prowl the products of our immoral and amoral past, killers who have no sense of the worth of human life, rapists who have disdain for the women of our country, animals who would seek to benefit from the vulnerability of the children, the disabled and the old, the rapacious who brook no obstacle in their quest for self enrichment. All this I know and know to be true because I am an African! Because of that, I am also able to state this fundamental truth that I am born of a people who are heroes and heroines, of a people who would not tolerate oppression. I am of a nation that would not allow that fear of death; torture, imprisonment, exile or persecution should result in the perpetuation of injustice. I am an African. I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa ... The dismal shame of poverty; suffering and human degradation of my continent is a blight that we share. The blight on our happiness that derives from this and from our drift to the periphery of the ordering of human affairs leaves us in a persistent shadow of despair. Whatever the setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now! Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace! However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!” By Former President of South Africa, Thambo Mbeki He made this speech while he was deputy President under late President Nelson Mandela His words are re-echoing across the world again even as of today.
ONE EURO A MONTH SUPPORT TO THE VOICE MAGAZINE ..... Since you’re here... Support the Voice magazine so we stay publishing for your reading pleasure….. Welcome to you our readers and our followers. We have a small favour to ask. More people, like you, are reading and supporting the Voice News magazine since we stopped the hard copy print in 2016. We have continued to serve you the magazine in the same format with all production cost covered like editing, page designs, photography and digital distribution via online channels. The Voice News magazine has been an independent organization, we do not receive any form of subsidy except the support of our advertisers, readers and friends. We made the choice to keep our reporting open for all, regardless of where you live or what you can afford to pay. Our advertising drive continue to grow. You can support us through this medium by promoting us among your friends, colleagues and clients as well,. You can promote your businesses and services with us as your way of support. Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. You are free and welcome to contribute both commercial and political independent articles for our reading audience without bias. We want to continue to give a voice to those less heard, exploited or turn away. We continue to rigorously challenge those in power to do what is right and just. We hope you will consider supporting us from now on. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Voice News magazine as little as one EURO and it only takes a minute through your bank account.
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Africa has been visited by very bad politicians in the last 60 years says Prof. PLO Lumumba
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he African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been received with a wave of optimism not only in Africa but globally. It has been hailed as a beacon of hope believed to hold the potential of alleviating more than 30 million people out of poverty while employing millions people more. Vice Versa Global on behalf of The Voice magazine spoke to one of the biggest intellectuals
on the African continent, an anti-corruption crusader and a staunch Pan-Africanist, Prof. PLO Lumumba on this great milestone for the African continent. The commencement of the largest trading bloc in the world on the 1st of January has been seen as a stepping stone to an African economic community and customs union as was envisioned two decades ago under the 1991 Abuja treaty. It seeks to create a single market for goods and services in hopes of boosting trade among its nations. Historically Africa has 8
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had a low internal trade and this agreement is meant to rectify that. It will work towards a continental customs union; eliminate tariffs on 90% of intra-Africa goods; aid in the movement of capital and people between countries; facilitate external investment; and reduce non-tariff barriers like the time it takes goods to pass through customs. On paper, it has the potential to increase intra-Africa trade by over 50% according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, while the World Bank suggests that the agreement could mean an added $76 billion in income for the rest of the world. PLO Lumumba is a renowned Kenyan lawyer, staunch Pan-Africanist and anti-corruption crusader. Speech is not only unique to man but it is what makes a man unique and judging by his fluency in both thought and speech, he is a serious thinker. His rhetoric has garnered him admiration from scores of people around the globe with quotes that often leave the mind with a lot to ponder. “Some will say my skill in speech is a gift”, he says in between a smile, “but I believe that over the years, you hone your skills,
you read, and I believe that knowledge is the mother’s milk of all communication. The more knowledgeable you are the more comfortable you become.” Not only is he a great orator with a mastery of the queens language, he is also mastering martial arts and founding a new art known as Niabuntu (willing to do good). The art borrows from different arts such as Kung fu, Kenpo, Jiu-jitsu
and the Krav Maga. “Yes in fact we’re now founding our own art which is called Niabuntu. In the next two months, we’re going to have our own black and red uniform. We call it African but it will be a mix where we borrow from different traditions. The whole idea is not just the physical exercise but the mental exercise as well. The ability to realise that the
body and mind must be wedded in order for you to achieve the discipline. To make your body a weapon not for fighting but a weapon for achieving what you desire.” He shares the hope that the AfCFTA has and the potential to position Africa on the global economic arena. Synonymously, it will suppress the rate of poverty within the continent to significant levels though he is guardedly optimistic. “The AfCFTA is a good thing. Without a doubt it shall create one of the largest markets in the world, but we have to work at it. If we don’t, individual countries will stand in the way of its implementation as it has been with the already existing trading blocs in the continent”, he says. He affirms that the AfCFTA will face challenges but it promises hope if it is taken on by crusaders with an exciting zeal to make it work. As a staunch Pan-Africanist he also believes it stands to solidify Pan-Africanism. TV: What is your take on Pan-Africanism for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa? PLO Lumumba: “Just this morning I was reading The Revolutionary Path by Kwame Nkrumah. He says that Africa can only realise her potential if she works in unity and unison to make superfluous the colonial boundaries that we inherited. I believe that it’s incumbent upon us to talk and to do something about it. Unfortunately, Africa has been visited by very bad politicians in the last 60 years and that is our problem. Not all of them but the bulk of them. So that is why I keep on saying let us wake up and see what is doable, and it is doable, because I believe Africa has the intellectual, wherewithal, human and natural resources. The mind is the standard of the man and the woman”. TV: The AFCFTA is a sort of beacon of hope and there is a wave of optimism. Do you share that hope? PLO Lumumba: I do. I am guardedly optimistic but I keep reminding people that it is not new. In 1963 on the 25th of May, Kwame Nkrumah spoke in Addis Ababa and said Africa can only realise economic prosperity if we collapse the borders and trade without tariff and non-tariff barriers. He was ignored and people became very wedded to their territorial boundaries. The AFCFTA is a good thing and I think that on paper you cannot quarrel with it. It is going to create one of the largest markets in the world with nearly one billion Continued on Page 10 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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Continued from Page 9
people. If we don’t work at it then individual countries are going to stand in the way of its implementation. You must now know that Africa has a number of trade blocs that are not
doing very well because they are still quarrelling over petty things. In the next five years what must begin to happen is that we must begin to have legislations that give practical impact to it. Just look at the domestic market, the critical areas and at agriculture. Today many countries are importing fish feed and sugar from Brazil, and maize from Mexico. Ironically there is excess maize in Malawi and in Tanzania. With a market of 1.3 billion in the domestic market, within 5 years the combined African GDP would move from the now conservative 2 trillion to anything in the neighbourhood of 10 trillion. That means you pull people up from poverty. I’ve had a conversation with Wamkele Mene who is the CEO and I told him that this is not a bureaucrat’s but a crusader’s job. Moving from country to country and asking legislators to have a time limit within which legislations will be made. The area that we must first target is agriculture, if you can feed yourself then you begin to liberate yourself. Number two, allow labour to move, eliminate work permits and the market will filter labour. Eliminate visas, have free movement of people. Many countries use visas as a source of revenue but this can be replaced with permit fees which people will pay. It has great potential and will face challenges just as we have seen with NAFTA in North America and with the European Union. It promises hope but it needs, I am saying and repeating, crusaders”. TV: From a political standpoint do you think it will lead to much more Pan-Africanism? PLO Lumumba: In the long run the Pan-African agenda
must be given its pride of place. Perhaps my generation is not the generation that is going to make this happen. I tell people who sometimes feel discouraged that you only feel discouraged when you think in five years circles. If you think inter generationally then you will not be disappointed. I do not think in five years circles, I say my contribution is my contribution and the others will make their contribution. I have said this often enough, it takes a droplet to make an ocean. Be a good droplet. It takes one tree to make a forest, be a good tree. Don’t worry about the forest, worry about the tree and then the forest comes. TV: As a Pan-Africanist yourself do you believe that Pan-Africanism is also relevant to the youth of today? PLO Lumumba: Without a doubt. The only way in which we can create opportunities for young people is for them to have an opportunity to move across the continent and to deploy their knowledge continentally. The Pan-African agenda is what is going to deal with the question of unemployment. It is what will deal with the question of
peace and stability. All these Boko Haram and groups coming up is because young people don’t have opportunities. Do you know that we actually import paper from China? That can come here and it’s only through a Pan-African Agenda. Why is the United States of America great? They are fifty countries effectively in the United States of America. The ability of a young person to make a decision that I don’t want to live in Portland Oregon, I’m going to Boston Massachusetts or I am going to Salt Lake City in Utah. You just take a bus. But if today I wanted to move from Djibouti to Senegal, first of all the visa and work permit would take seven years. That indeed does undermine your ability to deploy your knowledge in an effective manner.
Pan-Africanism, and one is not saying this from a romantic standpoint. There are those who romanticise about it and about African unity, that’s not what we are doing. The units will remain but what we are talking about is that we begin to congregate at the critical areas which are the economy. The areas of agriculture, supply chain and other things. The administrative units will remain and people may have different forms of government in different units but simply for purposes of administration and implementation of the grand agenda.” TV: How can Africa leverage a position with pacts she makes? PLO Lumumba: One of the things that the African union did actually agree on is that all negotiations will be multilateral and not bilateral. Lesotho negotiating with the United States is a joke. The daily revenue of New York is more than the G.D.P of Lesotho daily. My view is Africa must identify what she needs. Look at the things that are broadly African and the things that are specific to a particular country. You can do that in basket of negotiations because at that standpoint you are stronger. Africa already has resources like the essential ingredient in a mobile telephony, rare earth, is found in abundance in eastern Congo. Why not have a factory there instead of moving it? Anything relating to copper to be located in the copper belt in Zambia. I have no problem with the Chinese factory doing it as long as there is transfer
of technology. What we want is that in 15 years you have transferred sufficient technology here so that when we come to you it’s only at a very high end. This cannot be done when you’re doing it bilaterally or when you don’t know what you want. That is the direction we should face. In my quiet moments of meditation I often think of our great statesmen and forefathers. Kwame Nkrumah, Haile Selassie I, Thomas Sankara and Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and their vision for the continent. It is my hope that the spirit of Pan-Africanism and their aspiration for a united Africa has not been buried in the African soil along with them. They fought so hard for it in a not so distant past with the hope that we, the future generations, would make it a reality and make them proud.” On the next issue of The Voice magazine for July 2021, we shall bring you the second part of this interview with Professor PLO Lumumba. He delves deeper on the role that the African youth should play to foster Pan-Africanism, its relevance to them, their potential and how to cash in on their numbers. Interview conducted by Eunice Mwaura & Marc Broere for Vice Versa and The Voice magazine www.viceversaonline.nl www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com Pictures by Jimmy Nicks
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FEEDBACK Sad story of the Nigerian family paralyzed in Belgium
Dear Editor, This story is probably one of the sadness I have read in your magazine in recent times. A woman paralyzed after childbirth on behalf of her sister-in-law whom the story also claim she would not be able to be pregnant again. What I still do not understand is that all of these took place in a Belgian hospital with all their specialists. My question is now why does the Nigerian Embassy in Belgium not assisting this family in getting them the right compensation and medical care they deserve. I can’t imagine this happening to a Belgian citizen or any other European citizen living in Belgium. And all of this is at the cost of the patient, I recommend that they seek foreign legal assistance and take this matter to the European Union Kindly keep us your readers updated on their situation. Thank you. By Princess Omoyele Lagos, Nigeria.
4Pillars Community Church Almere is based on the fundamental scripture from the book of Acts 2:42. Our vision? Connecting people, families, communities Teaching and leaving them with a legacy for the future with a message of hope and security for eternity through the infallible word of God You can visit us every day of the week, as there is a Resident Pastor available to you. We would like to welcome you to one of our services in the week. Prayer evening on Monday, Studies on Wednesday and Youth Service on Friday. Then Family Service on Sundays from 10am prompt. You are more than welcome Our strength is in our diversity and love for God, through Jesus Christ. Signed: Pastor Roel & Ida van Rooij Senior Pastors 4Pillars Community Church Almere Barbeelstraat 12, 1317 PZ Almere The Netherlands. Telephone: +31646890203; Telephone: 036-7505571 E-mail: voalmere@gmail.com Website: www.4pcca.nl 12
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Join our church service every SUNDAY in church and also online service via FACEBOOK or YOUTUBE 4Pillars Community Church Almere
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CONGRATULATIONS! Queen Maxima at 50
Congratulations to Her Majesty, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands as you celebrate 50 years on earth. TV 14
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YOUR COPY NOW.... Getting to know you written by Pastor Elvis Iruh Pastor Felix Asare wrote the foreword
BOOK REVIEW Pastor Elvis Iruh’s new book is out…… Title: “Getting to know you” - A book on marital steps with information about marriage Author: Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh About the book Whether you’re preparing for marriage or want to enjoy a deeper union with your spouse, this guide will help you enjoy a relationship built on solid Christian values. Pastor Elvis Iruh is a licensed minister with Victory Outreach International. His book highlights simple principles that are often taken for granted. Learn how to: • get to really know a love interest before deciding to marry; • avoid mistakes that lead to divorce; • appreciate the sanctity of marriage;
partners can carry out with each other as well as guidance for pastors and church leaders who may need help in advising couples. This guide will help couples enjoy marriage that is built to last. ***** About the Author ELVIS IRUH is a native of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended numerous schools in Nigeria, including the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos, Nigeria, before continuing his studies in Europe and earning a degree in theology from Victory Education & Training Institute. He worked for several media organizations in Nigeria as well and has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Voice news magazine since August 1999. He is serving as an associate pastor at Victory Outreach Almere, The Netherlands. The book can be used for educational purposes as well as educating your children on the subject of marriage. He is also available to speak on related topics covered in the book at any organized event or church activities. He is open for collaborative efforts to strengthen marriage institutions worldwide. It is a mission he has dedicated himself to helping the younger generation to talk and address the challenges they face in building good and solid relationships which could end up in marriage. You can purchase the book in Holland via his website: www.elvisiruh.com or through his publishers’: www.authorhouse.com/ Elvis Iruh or on www.amazon.co.uk via this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/ aw/d/1665580844/ref=ox_sc_act_
• forgive your partner when they make mistakes. Before you think of getting married, you should take the necessary steps to really get to know your partner. Your past should not contain any surprises - and your values must be aligned. This revealing book is filled with practical exercises that
image_1?smid=AHRB2OK2Q2YCL&psc=1 You can contact him directly through any of his social media handle for your questions or comments, he would look into it and respond would be sent to you accordingly. Email: info@elvisiruh.com or elvisiruh@gmail.com
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Netflix Wins Seven Oscars, Biggest Haul Among All Studios This Year
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etflix had a big night at the Oscars, bringing home a total of seven total trophies — leading all studios — although the streamer failed to grab the prize in the best picture category and came up empty in the acting categories. Netflix had 36 nominations, far more than any other studio. The company’s wins at the 93rd Academy Awards included two Oscars for David Fincher’s “Mank,” the most-nominated film this year with 10 nods, for cinematography (for Erik Messerschmidt) and production design (for Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale). “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from the play by August Wilson, also picked up two Oscars: for makeup and hairstyling (with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson the first Black women to win in the category alongside Sergio LopezRivera) and costume design (Ann Roth). Chadwick Boseman was widely considered the favorite to win a posthumous best actor Oscar for his turn in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” but Anthony Hopkins landed the award for “The Father.” Viola Davis was in the running for best actress, which went to Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.” Netflix’s seven Oscars are the most wins for a single studio since 2017, when Lionsgate nabbed eight (including six for
“La La Land”). After Netflix, Disney overall had the most wins at this year’s Oscars with five: Its Searchlight Pictures’ “Nomadland” 16
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picked up three wins (best picture, director for Chloé Zhao and actress for McDormand) and Disney-Pixar got two, for “Soul” (best animated feature film and score), representing the first-ever Academy Awards for Disney Plus. Warner Bros. had three Oscars wins: two for “Judas and the Black Messiah” (supporting actor for Daniel Kaluuya and song for H.E.R.’s “Fight For You”) and one for “Tenet” (visual effects). Amazon Studios’ “Sound of Metal” garnered two Oscar wins — for film editing and sound — after Amazon had nabbed 12 total nominations. Sony Pictures Classics also won a pair of Oscars for “The Father” (Hopkins for actor and adapted screenplay). Among other streamers at the 2021 Oscars, Apple had two nominations (for “Wolfwalkers” and “Greyhound”) and Hulu had one (for Andra Day in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) but they came away empty-handed. Netflix, in addition to the awards for “Mank” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” also won Oscars for documentary feature “My Octopus Teacher” from Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster; live-action short for “Two Distant Strangers” from Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, about a man who gets stuck in a time loop and relives a deadly runin with a cop; and animated short film “If Anything Happens I Love You” from Will McCormack and Michael Govier, which follows parents as they struggle to accept the death of their daughter who was killed in a school shooting. Overall, Netflix had at least one nominee in 22 of the 23 Oscars categories (with the sole exception of international feature film). That included two contenders for best picture: “Mank” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” the latter of which had six nominations but was shut out from any wins.
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Why Nigeria/Africa Needs a Cohesive Food Policy
igeria and Africa at large are combating food system related issues such as malnutrition, environmental degradation, the rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), cultural erosion and injustice. These issues can mostly be linked to defective or inadequate food policies. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in partnership with Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) carried out a collaborative research and reflection process to identify what tools are required to deliver sustainable food systems in Africa through coherent and effective policies. A study was carried out to explore the current governance structures and policy frameworks related to food in Nigeria and their fitness for purpose. The study which was conducted by Gloria Ekpo, a development consultant and facilitator at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, analysed the coherence between the food related policies and identified gaps for introducing reforms. The national plans, policies, programmes, initiatives and key implementing agencies that have guided and shaped the Nigerian agricultural, food security, and rural development landscapes from 1990 to 2020 were assessed. The aim was to show their impact on the lives of Nigerians, the food sector, and the entire ecosystem. On 6 May 2021 various stakeholders in the food sector including farmers, nutritionists, researchers, journalists, CSOs met in an in-person and virtual dialogue organised by HOMEF to review the findings of the study. Discussions focused on the gaps in the policies and on entry points for a better food policy and healthy, resilient and sustain-able food system in Nigeria and Africa. The research report and extensive discussions by the stakeholders highlighted issues facing food systems in Nigeria to include population growth, high number of people living in extreme poverty and rapid urbanization. It was also noted that public investments in the agricultural sector are low, resulting in underdeveloped infrastructure. Weak institutions, weak links between science and practice, low quality of education, and non-transparent markets with high transaction costs and high investment risks despite the 18
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high (urban) demand for food were also noted as challenges in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, it was stated that environmental trends, such as soil degradation, climate change, water scarcity, deforestation and decreasing biodiversity pose added threats to the food system. Other issues outlined include, the scarcity of resources which is a major driver of the pastoral-farmer conflict in Northern Nigeria; exclusion of small scale farmers in decision making process; and poor
extension service. Overall, it was revealed that the food related policies in Nigeria do not adequately address the challenges facing our food system. Some of the gaps identified in the food related policies in Nigeria include, poor coordination of policies on food, nutrition, and agriculture and poor alignment of policies between the federal and state governments. Other issues include weak monitoring and evaluation systems. A lack of continuity was also noted as many agricultural programmes and initiatives do not progress smoothly from implementation into expected outcomes and impacts. The absence of a Food Safety Act enacted early enough to, for example, control what is brought into the country was also listed as a pitfall. Stakeholders called for an implementable cohesive food policy which can address the outlined challenges facing our food system. They recommended that the different policy areas (agriculture, trade, environment, health) and
the different levels of engagement should be effectively connected. Also, it was recommended that a governing body which would provide policy oversight should be set up to address the coordination pitfalls. This oversight body should have legalised inter-ministerial authority and could take the form of a Governing Platform for National Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture. Agroecology should be mainstreamed into our food policy as it emphasises the development and application of integrated approaches that build on local knowledge and skills; stresses on the democratisation of agricultural research and development; supports diverse forms of coinquiry and co-management; promotes people-centred learning and action; and nourishes ecosystems while ensuring optimum productivity. It was further recommended that a mechanism for accountability should be included in policies and mechanisms to finance implementation of the policies given priority. Other recommendations include provision of better support for small scale farmers such as, better extension service, infrastructure, credit schemes and access to market. Stakeholders at the dialogue also examined the impact of (bio) technology on our food system and the role that biotechnology related policies play in delivering or
hindering the attainment of an ideal food system in Nigeria and Africa. A presentation by Tom Wakeford of ETC Group on The Role of Technologies, Corporations and Agroecosystems in Shaping our Desired Future led to discussions centered on the 4 industrial revolution with elements including machine learning (artificial intelligence), remote sensing technologies, internet of things, synthetic biology, cell culture engineering, gene drives, etc. Concerns expressed about the technologies include, infringement on people’s rights, destruction of biodiversity and negative impacts on local economies especially on grassroots food producers. Participants recommended that independent researchers should step in to inform policy formulation that ensures science is deployed in the best interest of our people, health and environment. Another issue of concern which the stakeholders discussed was the Plant Variety Protection Bill which currently sits on the table of the Nigerian president waiting to be signed into law. According to the Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, “the bill aligns with the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), a patent driven system formulated without the participation of African countries and designed by countries where agriculture is a business rather than a way of life. “Nigeria needs an omnibus law that covers plants, animals, and fishes. Rather than approaching food in silos, promoting the interest of seed oligarchs and speculators, we should be looking at how to create spaces for the celebration of traditional ecological knowledge and technologies and at how to amplify our traditional diets and cuisine. We should look for ways to encourage research into these as a sure pathway to secure our food systems for now and for the future.” Nnimmo Bassey stated.
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ADIEU PRINCE PHILIP 1921-2021
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rince of Princes. With a mighty crack and a cloud of smoke the first shot fired across the river in front of a historic palace and beside an iconic symbol of Britain. On the stroke of noon at the Tower of London a battery manned by the Honourable Artillery Company began a solemn Death Gun Salute in honour of the passing of a Prince. And for the next 40 minutes shots rang out across the UK and the Commonwealth as serving military personnel paid their tribute to a -wartime hero. Buckingham Palace announced the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip,The Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully in the morning of 9th April 2021 at Windsor Castle. An iconic figure. The Duke of Edinburgh,the Queen’s “strength and stay” for 73 years, has died aged 99.He was the longest serving consort in British history,and was only two months away from his 100th birthday in June. Queen’s husband Prince Philip will be remembered for his loyalty,sense of duty and his occasional politically incorrect comment. A statement from Buckingham Palace after his death said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will made in due course.
The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.” Her Majesty The Queen has described the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as leaving “a huge void” in her life. Wife To Husband •A Befitting Epitaph For The Departing Prince Philip Mountbatten.”He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know”Queen Elizabeth 11. Prince Andrew has revealed saying it had brought home to him the loss suffered by so many during the coronavirus pandemic. The Duke of York said the Queen had “described his passing as a miracle”, thought to refer to the fact Prince Philip died peacefully at home with her and not alone in hospital under Covid regulations. According to The Countess of Wessex, “It was
right for him [Prince Philip]. It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful, and that’s all you want for somebody, isn’t it? I think it’s so much easier for the person that goes than for people that are left behind.”Princess Anne later issued a statement paying tribute: “My father has been my teacher, my supporter and my critic, but it is his example of a life well lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate. His ability to treat every person as an individual
in their own right with their own skills comes through all the organisations with which he was involved. His eldest son,Prince Charles in his most touching tribute. Spoken from the heart,without notes, a message of thanks and sadness, as the Prince of Wales remembered his “dear Papa”. For all of his years in the public eye, speaking on such personal matters hasn’t always come naturally to Prince Charles, but as he stepped out of his home at Highgrove he was stepping up as the patriarch of the family to share with the world their genuine “loss and our sorrow”. Prince Charles said: “My family and I miss my father enormously.”He was a much-loved and appreciated figure.” His grandson (and second in line to the throne) Prince William has said he will “support The Queen in the years ahead” in a tribute to his late grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. Describing Prince Philip as “an extraordinary man”, William said he will “miss my Grandpa”. In a statement, he said: “My grandfather’s century of life was defined by service - to his country and Commonwealth, to his
wife and Queen, and to our family.”I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life - both through good times and the hardest days.”I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her. “I will never take for granted the special memories my children
will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour!”My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation. Prince Philip had returned to Windsor Castle on 16 March to be reunited with the Queen after spending a month in hospital – his longest stay. He initially received care for an infection but then under went heart surgery for a pre-existing condition. Philip’s health had been slowly deteriorating for some time. He announced he was stepping down from royal engagements in May 2017, joking that he could no longer stand up. He made a final official public appearance later that year during a Royal Marines parade on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace. Since then, he has rarely been seen in public,spending most of his time on the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, though moving to be with her at Windsor Castle during the lockdown periods throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and where the couple quietly celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November 2020.The Duke was said to be in “good spirits”and looking forward to returning home to his family ahead of his 100th birthday celebrations in two months time. Thank you for your long, loyal and selfless service. May your soul rest in perfect peace. By:Gbenga Teejay Okunlola London,UK
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The woman breaking the job stereotype in Malindi
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ice Versa Global presents the first, and so far only, female boda-boda rider in Malindi: Anna Matheka. She has defied the odds stacked against her and is excelling in a field that is male dominated. She tells us how she is overcoming the gender stereotypes that she encounters in her line of work and what her eventual goal is. We met up with Anna Matheka at her usual parking stage, right in front of Malindi police station, on one of the busiest streets in the town. From a distance, it’s impossible to tell that there could be a woman rider among the many boda-boda riders at the parking lot. In her blue jeans, a heavy sweater, reflector jacket and a well fitted helmet on her head, the forty year old mother of four portrays a confident rider. This has earned her the trust of many clients on the route as a safe rider. The Journey A native of Kitui County in the Eastern part of Kenya, the single mother of four opted to head for the coastal town of Malindi in search of greener pastures. This was about 11 years ago. Known for its flourishing and booming tourism industry back then, many people would troop there in the hope of landing a lucrative and promising job. The high number of Italian tourists who frequented the town, with some opting to become permanent residents, earned the town its nickname of ‘Italian town’. Unfortunately for the single mother of 4, things didn’t actually turn out the way she had envisioned, going from bad to worse. “When I first settled here, I started a business which never took off. It eventually collapsed and I was forced to look into other hustles. I would go hungry with my children due to lack of food as I struggled to do manual labor as a construction worker,” she said. Surviving from hand to mouth with the little income she was getting from her work as a construction worker was quite the challenge. Over time, she developed an interest in learning 22
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how to ride a motorcycle with the hope of venturing into the boda-boda business one day. “I met a guy, a fellow Kamba who taught me how to ride. Since I wasn’t confident enough
to hit the main road, I’d only train in the back roads until I got good at it,” she said. Her passion and ambition motivated her to work extra hard, saving the little she could and within no time, she had saved enough to take herself to a driving school so that she would be able to acquire a valid driving license. Getting To the Road Even after obtaining her license, it still wouldn’t be a smooth ride for her. Being a woman, she faced a myriad of challenges. “I was certified with categories B, C and E that allows me to handle light vehicles and heavy trucks. With full knowledge of all the rules and regulations observed on the road, and armed
with my motorcycle, I finally hit the road. I experienced a lot of discrimination because of my gender. Some people would ask me how I would manage to carry passengers on the main roads because it’s always presumed that women are easily bullied on the roads. It was really difficult convincing clients to board my bike, but I would urge them to trust me and to give me a chance to prove myself. They would then be the judges after they had experienced it firsthand,” she told me. Her mantra has always been, strike the iron while it’s still hot. It only takes one ride for her to make the best impression and earn a customer’s trust. “A person would board, but from their facial expression, you could tell that they were uncomfortable with it. But once I got them safely to their destinations, they would immediately ask for my number and they’d call me whenever they needed to be transported,” she recalled with a smile on her face It was after this that she started reaping the fruits of being in ‘Little Italy’. “Many tourists were always amused on seeing me with my bike on the road. The amusement didn’t deter most of them from opting to have me carry them to their various destinations. It was quite a unique experience for them, to have a female boda-boda rider ferrying them around. They paid me very well too, a distance that for instance we’d normally charge Ksh.100, they would pay Ksh.500,” she recalls. The Breakthrough Her successful venture did not come easy. It has been 9 years since she began her boda-boda business and she admits that it’s been quite the learning experience. There are days when the job is easy and perfect, and then there are those days when it feels like you’re drilling on a rock. “I have learnt to encourage myself. Consistency and hard work always pays off. This job earns me a living and it has even enabled me to own a home,” she told me with a proud look on her face. As unbelievable as it might sound, she was actually able to purchase a piece of land using her own hard earned money from her bodaboda business. Located at a place called Migingo, some few kilometers from Malindi town, she already has a permanent house on it that is almost complete. Lest I forget, I felt really safe boarding her bike and her confidence on the road is amazing and unmatched. She has a word of encouragement for her fellow women. “Always pick yourself up whenever you fumble and fall. Dust yourself off and forge ahead for hurdles are there to keep us strong. Women can! Being widowed or divorced does not mean that life ends there. I have managed to take care of my children, take them to good schools and pay their fees single handedly. My first born is in form two and my second born is in form one, both of them in boarding schools.” Quite a milestone for a single mother! The Covid-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected her business.
With the introduction of lockdowns and curfews in Kenya, the number of customers greatly reduced. “I had anticipated, with the tourists coming in from December and others staying around until around April, that the income I would have generated from that period would have been incredible. With corona, which has resulted in lockdowns and travel restrictions, they can’t travel here. The result is that business
has really gone down which means that the money is really hard to come by.” The pandemic led to not only a decline in business, but the cost of living went through the roof. “There is price increase in almost everything, including the price of oil. It is hard to get by with the little income I get. I have to deal with an increase in oil price vis-à-vis the low number of customers, so there is less profit, and on some occasions, I get a loss.” Despite these hardships, she remains hopeful. She strongly believes she was meant for the road and it’s where she belongs. Her desire is to one day secure a trailer truck and become a long distance driver. “I look forward to upgrading from this motorcycle to a lorry. My driving license allows me drive even a trailer truck but I am currently on a motorbike because I’ve not yet gotten an opportunity to drive one. My ultimate goal is to get employed as a driver of those big machines,” she confessed. She has some advice for the women out there who are constantly stereotyped and made to believe that some jobs are only meant for a specific gender. “First of all what I believe in is that there is no such thing as ‘jobs for men’ or ‘jobs for women’. Women should commit themselves and work hard, paying no attention to the so called ‘gender roles’. There are also men out there who restrict their wives from doing certain jobs. I would kindly ask them to allow their women to work especially if they are capable of doing it,” she concluded.
Story & Pictures By Cynthia Omondi (Kenya) www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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BOOK REVIEW
The Other Side of Fear Uncertainty, anxiety and fear: only fictitious superheroes are exempted from this all-too human sequence. The trouble is that fear is paralyzing because it feeds our minds with negative thoughts. In a second, fear can turn the idea of courage into one of recklessness, and then it’s all downhill to a point where determination is put aside in favour of ‘playing it safe.’ Sadly, fear can stop you from doing anything slightly risky. It’ll keep you locked up in the prison of the comfortable and predictable where you’re more likely to die of boredom than might from any of the dangers you fear. So, what’s to be done? The simple answer is that risk-taking and adaptability are as much part of our human heritage as uncertainty-inspired fear. It’s finding a balance that matters most. Fear is a useful tool for making better life-directing decisions, but fear must never be allowed to control the direction of your life. That way you lose the opportunity of reaching your true potential. I hope this book will inspire you to transcend your fears and achieve all of your dreams. The greatest prison you can live in is the prison of your own fears. Nothing of value can be achieved when we allow fear to control our life. Grab a copy of “The other side of fear” be inspired to live above your fears. You can purchase E-book & paperback on amazon. First and foremost, I want to thank God for guiding my every step towards completing this project and to every other
person who contributed to this. I’ve learned that if we can find the courage to begin something, God will empower & enable us to complete the task. There’s nothing we cannot accomplish if we are determined enough. I was inspired to write this book because fear has kept a lot of people locked up in the prison of comfort. Too many people are living in a self-made prison of their own fears, they are stuck, unable to move forward and achieve their meaningful dreams. Fear has the power to limit your greatness, and blind you from seeing the opportunities that lies ahead of you. Everything you desire is on the other side of your fear, don’t stay trapped behind the walls of your fear for the rest of your life. It’s time to move towards your fears instead for trying to avoid them. I can confidently tell you that this book will inspire and challenge you to transcend your fears. And also provide principles to help you on the journey. Grab a copy of this book to bless yourself, a friend or a loved one. You can read online, download, & order hard copies of this book online click on the link. www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Fear-M-K-Slim-ebook/dp/ B088RKSDW7/ref=sr_1_8? Thank you By M.K. Slim
About M.K. Slim For much of my life, I’ve been fully committed to my music career, but I’m also an entrepreneur and a budding writer. I’m very motivated and mentally resilient: a genuinely optimistic person who believes that anything can be achieved if I’m determined enough. I strive to create a positive impact in the lives of those around me and I believe the highest of human acts is to inspire others to reach their potential. I strive to inspire as many people as I can. I’d like others to say of me, “Because you didn’t give up, I can do the same.” That’s the legacy I hope to leave behind when I die.
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FB Moringa Mother Africa Instagram moringa_mother_africa
Marion van de Voort +31654658978 26
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moringamotherafrica@gmail.com http://moringamotherafrica.com
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Focus: Philip Kahindi Kadenge: A man with an hospitable heart to help communities in Kenya
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hilip Kahindi is the chairman of the CBO in Kenya, the partner Foundation of Pamoja Kenia (www. pamoja-kenya.com) in Kenya. If it wasn’t for him, there would be no Foundation Pamoja Kenia!!. This statement was given to us by the founder of the foundation, Marion Van der Voort as she is overwhelmed by the heart of gold this Kenyan has displayed over the years in discharge of his duties. Who is Philip Kahindi? He is a proud father of 3 children (and taking on children being the children of his late younger brother who unfortunately passed away). He resides in Matsangoni, Kilifi County in Kenya. He is one of those special rare persons who used to save €0,25 every month for 12.5 years to buy a water tank, can you imagine the patience and endurance to provide drinking water. NO WATER NO LIFE! Philip Kahindi is a man with a great feeling of responsibility and he visits The Netherlands two times a year to see how the foundation works in The Netherlands and how we organize activities to raise funds to execute our projects.
And when he returns home, he goes into action to practice all he has learnt and seen us do here in Holland. Amazing human being. Over the years, he has built up a huge network in Kenya and in The Netherlands as well as in Europe. Because of his background, being a food and beverage manager in different 5 star resorts in Kenya, he knows the western culture very well. Also he speaks like 5 languages or even more which helps him 30
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to communicate easily with people he meets across the board. Our sister organisation, CBO Pamoja Kenya in Kenya is responsible for the execution of the projects across the country. Philip Kahindi Kadenge as the chairman supervises the projects that have to be carried out from start to finish and he never disappoints. He delivers to the full letter of the contract and agreement. He works very precise and always has a solution for everything and is a very resourceful person. For sustainability of our projects, CBO Pamoja Kenya has also have found ways of local funding raising to benefit our projects therefore meeting us nearly half way to get the projects executed and make the benefitting communities take full responsibility of maintenance of the projects.
Philip executes this fund participating exercise by asking for a contribution from the local community, such as paying for the use of a water pump that has been installed by Pamoja Kenya. In this way, the organization is committed to increase the awareness of the problems in the Kenyan communities and get people to recognize that the solutions are costly but they can participate in their own little way too. Philip Kahindi has been studying fundraising in Kenya via Wilde Ganzen/Wild Geese = KCDF in Kenya, one of our huge subsidize organizations in The Netherlands and because of that he has learned the tools of how to negotiate with the local government and the local communities in Matsangoni, Kilifi county in Kenya. The result so far is that until now Foundation Pamoja Kenia
doesn’t have to buy the land when they execute a project in Kenya. Normally when you do a project in Kenya (Africa) you need to buy the land. Mainly our projects are realized at primary schools level where the children from rural homes are served at least one hot meal a day and they are also able to take their shower and access clean water on a daily basis. And during the pandemic, the foundation through Philip had engaged in educating the children and the communities about basic hygiene principles. Due to the fact, that every child in the school has to pay a school fees, they are taught how to save towards that like per 3 months 10 ksh (€0, 10), the school through the savings are able to handle technical maintenance as well as the daily cleaning maintenance of the completed projects. This whole idea of sustainability was the brain child of Mr. Philip Kahindi. Therefor we put up this write up to acknowledge and express our gratitude to Mr. Philip Kahindi for his voluntary work as a humanitarian and his continue zeal to serve more communities in Kenya. He is a community champion in all modest standards. Mr. Philip Kahindi it is a blessing to work with you, you have become a family member and we can’t imagine a life without your presence!! ASANTE SANA!! By Marion Van der Voort Chairperson, Stichting Pamoja Kenia The Hague, The Netherlands.
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Column: THE AFRICAN PROMISE
-Building on the pillars
African societal structures stood on ‘for us’ as opposed to ‘for me’. From the family structure to leadership and economy, it all stood on the communal norms and everyone knew of the power of co-existing. The element of competition was meant to strengthen as opposed to compete. Even when the
By Nicholas Jimmy (Jimmie Nicks) values seem to be on verge of death. This has taken great impact on projects across Africa. As Africa stands
today, m a n y government projects have failed and those standing few are either owned by private
informal structures were replaced by formal structures in matters education - schools were built by communities and many national schools across Africa which are today referred to as National schools originated from community efforts. Back then, money was not common but exchange of goods still served the purpose and those who worked in their firms contributed equally to community growth. A parent would give few bricks, some would give sand and another team would do the building. And this is how majority of schools and hospitals in Africa come to be. Such efforts would start with one class and another and decades later, a school would stand with enough facilities and structures to offer education to the next generation. Majority of parents and founders of today structures are either dead or too old to even remember their names, but pillars of what Africa stands on is purely on ground of “we” effort as opposed to “me” effort. Today, a lot has changed. Structure of our society has taken different form with emerging technologies and western ideology. While I uploud the ease in which transport, communication and housing has done, I fear for the essence in which morality has died with ‘we efforts’ replaced by ‘me effort’. From family to leadership, African norms and 32
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investors or have been privatized. Political competition knows no barrier and anything or anyone standing on their way becomes collateral damage. The culture of us is ended to the grave if not already buried. The tragedy of the hour is the effects of political competition which is focused on outdoing each other. A project started by previous regime stands no chance of new regime building on it lets the praise go to the other and not self. This self-centered idealism based on capitalism has crippled communal efforts. A new leader would rather borrow and plunge the community in debt lets their legacy based on selfish competition and outdoing each other go to waste. Such is not the spirit of African people. Change is inevitable but we should never lose our norms, our values, the very foundation our fathers/mothers struggled to establish. It’s time for Africa to retrace herself for we build each other, we support each other, we build on each other laid pillars.
“Nicholas Jimmy (Jimmie Nicks) is a graduate with B. A degree in Integrated Community Development, since his college days, he has continued to champion community programs on capacity building and eventually founding United Global Volunteers International, with twelve years of experience as an expert in Community Development, he is also the Founder of Kollywood Horizons - media Business, he also organizes World Volunteer Day (WVD) every 5th of December in Kenya, creating awareness on the need to grow volunteer culture and helps community institutions to get free experts & volunteers to assist solve community problems while experts get opportunity to re-learn and get exposure through various programs across targeting Grassroot capacity building. Jimmy has been awarded by Kenyan government (2010) receiving Good Samaritan honorary award presided by the then speaker of national assembly, Hon. Kenneth Marende. He has also been awarded by Daystar University as the youngest servant leader impacting communities” www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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Samuel Oluoko: Telling his story Samuel Oluoko is the founder of a youth community based organization called GPAY Africa with base in Kenya, East Africa. (http://www.gpayafrica.org). He is also the Vice President of the biggest gathering of young African fil makers in Kenya which was launched for the first time in Africa (Kenya) in 2019 called Cinemadamare Africa. The headquarters is based in Italy. He is a champion of empowerment of youth and kids from the informal settlements through talents nurturing in Kenya. His area of activities cover youths mostly based in the dump site of Dandora and in this location, he is teaching these young people how to film and use media skills like performing arts (music, dance, spoken word and theatre) to free them from life criminality. Although not funded but he enjoys the support of well-wishers and volunteers within the community and beyond. In this interview, he speaks about his passion and hope for the future of these youth in Kenya Enjoy the interview
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V: Introduce yourself to our worldwide readers please and what you do professionally? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: Well, my name is Samuel Ochieng Oluoko, a Kenyan citizen from Alego in Siaya County. I did my primary level education in Nyangoma Kogelo before proceeding to Sawagongo High School and thereafter pursued my Electrical/electronic engineering diploma course at the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute and finally switched to film/media course at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communications. I am currently a film/ tv producer, director working with Royal Media Services and also founder of GPAY Africa, a youth talents community based organization where I mentor youth from the informal urban settlements of Kenya. I am also the CEO of a film company called Film Production Technics where I do mainly consultancy and training on film production matters TV: What is the origin of the organization your represent? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: The origin of GPAY Africa dates back to 2007 when Kenya had the bloodiest election and triggered post-election violence that left more than 1000 people dead in its wake and several thousands homeless/displaced in 2008. There were outlawed sects one among which was Mungiki whose bedrock was entrenched in the informal settlements of the urban towns and its outskirts. Youth were the major target who were recruited into these sects and for a long time they wreaked havoc and killed the locals who they targeted for revenge due to the outcome of the elections. Government declared shoot to kill orders on site for any youth found loitering or gathered in any groupings. As a result of 34
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this declaration, many innocent youth lost their lives under mistaken identity; among them a very talented youth Joe who lived with his parents next door to where I stayed in Dandora estate. He met his death just as he went to buy airtime in the nearby shop. He used to spend most of his time with me sharing his amazing talents in singing and spoken word and seeking my counsel on
how his talent can be taken to another level. His death moved me to start GPAY Africa (Great Potential African Youth) in Dandora to offer opportunities to the youth with talents to come together and nurture their talents and make proper use of their spare/idle time to do something that will later open doors for them talent wise. TV: You are into film making, how is that profession in Kenya? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: Film making in Kenya is slowly taking shape though there are still so much to be done especially from the government side.
The amazing sceneries and opportunities to invest in film industry is massive but the future is bleak if the stakeholders will to rise up to push the government to open up these opportunities to the local filmmakers to exploit their full potentials. Good luck is that we recently participated in giving our ideas and opinions on a draft film policy that the government
circulated to the stakeholders and industry players. We were later involved in its validation before presenting it to parliament to be debated and if all goes well it will be implement upon accent by the president. With this policy the film industry is set to turn around the country’s GDP TV: How will you describe the industry compare to other parts of Africa and the Diaspora? Kenya is at a very strategic position on the African map as the preferred destination for filming. Most renowned films that have won international accolades have been shot in Kenya. We have the best sceneries that are ideal for film making as well as our heritages and diverse cultures. Allis needed is to come up with a policy that will ensure that local filmmakers are able to get value for the contents that they create and market and distribution outlets linked to the content creators to attract revenue. TV: So many discussions on ongoing on how best to engage the youths, how do you engage with them in Kenya?
Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: There are many areas where the youth are engaged. Through film production trainings that they participate in regardless of their levels of education, as actor/actresses as well as hosts for our new digital media platform Bongah tv where even those already trained get to experience the real tv production as interns, We also offer them the rare opportunity to participate both locally and internationally in our annual gathering of young filmmakers in the world that takes place in Italy for 75 days and Africa-Kenya for 35 days. This filmmaking program brings together 200 plus young talented filmmakers from over 50 countries worldwide totally and Kenya courtesy of the partnership that I brokered between GPAY Africa and Associazione Culturale CinemadamareItaly. Through this program, we seek to foster globalization, integration and cohesion among the filmmakers from different cultures. TV: What is the outcome in your opinion? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: The outcome is that through this initiative that I founded more than 13 years now, over 2000 young youth with talents have benefited in various ways. Through a memorandum of Agreement I signed in Venice at the Venice International Film Festivals I attended in 2014, I have sent about 50 Africa youth to Italy (Kenya, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Tanzania and
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South Africa) to attend the biggest gathering of young filmmakers in the world in record 5 years now. All these have been achieved without any direct funding to GPAY. We have been running all these on the spirit of well-wishers who support us in kind. We have initiated programs that are geared towards offering the youth various platforms to nurture their talents in performing arts like our annual talents galore that runs every year to showcase diverse talents to audiences with potential opportunities for the youth, Cinemadamare Africa that was officially launched for the first time in Africa in 2019 in Kenya and it benefitted more than 200 young participants directly from 37 counties of Kenya and 23 countries across the globe(7 from Africa and 16 from Asia, USA and Europe) TV: Have you accomplished your task or mission with your work? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: No the biggest task is just beginning since my main mission is to empower young filmmakers to revolutionize the film industry in Africa. This, I intend to do by strengthening the biggest gathering of young filmmakers to run in entire Africa TV: How do the communities see your activities and what type of support do you get from them? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: The community recognizes the sacrifice I have put since this whole journey started more than 13 years ago. It has impacted positively especially in the lives of those in the urban informal settlements of Nairobi since crime, drug and substance abuse have greatly reduced as most youth are busy pursuing their talents with very little idle time for such bad vices. The community supports my initiatives for the youth by giving them any finances they need towards their dreams, Government the security, religious fraternities and even the education sectors are all working in close collaboration with my organization to enhance the output that is expected from the youth TV: Is there any form of collaboration with you and other organizations in Kenya? 36
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Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: Yes the Government through its agencies that are charged with promoting, marketing and even regulating film in Kenya are our close partners e.g. Kenya Film Classification Board,(KFCB) and Kenya Film Commission(KFC) We are also in close ties with the county governments of Kenya, Easy Coach, Royal Media Service, Accacia Premier Hotel, Mayfair hotel, Saphire hotel, Color Creations among many other sponsors for our Cinemadamare Africa Program TV: In recent times, there has been a global pandemic with Covid-19. How has this affected your activities? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: The pandemic has been a big setback. It brought to abrupt stop the trainings that we were running and even those that we had lined up to start in selected counties for our young filmmakers. Also the new program that we launched in 2019-Cinemadamare Africa was not done in 2020 owing to the same reason of the pandemic. Currently we are working on our tv channel shows to be launched soon but again the prospects that we had set for its takeoff has been hampered by the pandemic. We have no funds to run most of our programs; many sponsors are
not able to chip in like before. It has been hectic to speak the least TV: What is your relationship with your government either to your organization or non-governmental organizations like yours? Do you get support and if not what do you expect them to do to make your job easier for you? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: The government is fully behind my organization and has been supportive towards helping empower the youth. I am forever thankful to the CEO of KFCB Dr. Ezekiel Mutua MBS for his massive passion for youth in the creative industry and his unwavering support to GPAY Africa. Also the CEO of Kenya Film Commission Mr. Timothy Owase who has known us since we started and has run film training workshops for our youth from time to time. The only thing that I wish the government could do to enhance our operations would be to offer linkages to us with relevant donor organizations that can fund our programs. GPAY Africa has struggled to get funds for all these years. I strongly believe that with a boost in funding, our impact will be more than tripled and the pace will be quickly realized. TV: What do you expect from this interview for those who would be reading you? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: I expect that those reading this will be able to jump on board an assist my struggle to empower and grow the African youth in film to be able to revolutionize the film industry and make it the leading in job creation and consequently the leading in GDP for Africa TV: Africa is still classified as under developed. What needs to be done to change that status of Africa? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: What we see as underdeveloped is just man made by those who I would call the enemies of African growth. They are from the West, East and others are even domiciled in our midst-Africa itself. For this reason what needs to be done to change this status is to first take cognizance to the fact that we have all we need to make Africa to the first world status. We should be mean with what we have and ensure that we have very clear policies that govern any bilateral ties that are skewed towards exploiting our resources at the expense of our Continued on Page 38 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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Continued from Page 37 own growth. Africa’s worsening debt problems is a sure recipe for socio-economic upheavals unless we tackle this monster in an equitable manner. What we call Africa Union should be on the forefront in pushing the Africa development agenda and not allow African problems to be solved by foreigners but by ourselves. TV: What would be your advice to African leaders? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: Just as I have said above, African leaders are capable of handling our problems with the help of the umbrella body-the Africa Union. Any socio-economic, political, cultural or environmental issues that Africa needs to fix in order to spur growth in all its spheres should be the key agenda for any African leader who means well for their country and continent at large. The youth agenda and export abroad of our best brains should be a serious discussion that needs to be looked into so that we come up with great policies that will entice our own Africans in the diaspora to come back and build Africa TV: What are your plans for the future with your organization? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: My plans with my organization is to spread our wings in the entire African continent in nurturing and mentoring as many young youth as possible in performing arts and film making as possible and have them learn from the international filmmakers who will be participating alongside them in the annual young filmmakers program for purposes of having them gain the skills of how they can tell African stories told by Africans that resonate with the international market. When film will be the number one income earner and creating meaningful employment to the many unemployed youth languishing in perpetual poverty amidst plenty of opportunities available for them in the creative industry. TV: What do you expect from the African people both on the continent and in the Diaspora? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: I expect support, support, support. This can come in many ways: Monetary-(Grants or investments), in kind, the enabling environment, the political and religious goodwill, partnerships and synergies between the relevant stakeholders and industry players etc TV: Lastly what would be your advice to those reading your interview particularly youths? Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: We are the change we would want
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to see for this reason; you should stand to be counted as having been in the forefront when your African country needed you most to champion its destiny in African growth. When what we cherish as Africans is vehemently taken away from us by the West and East in the name of “helping Africa solve its problems’, the youth whose potential is still fresh and rife to resuscitate our economy should not stay aloof and watch our continent plundered by those who later turns around and brand us as a poor continent. Let us champion this revolution and see our continent become the bedrock of the ‘African Hollywood’ through film .We have what it takes to make this possible. Ask me how. TV: Thank you for the interview Samuel Ochieng Oluoko: Thank you very much sir for the opportunity to share our work with your readers. TV
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Big Win in Uganda – Tanzania Pipeline held up as Financiers Withdraw
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n the 10th of April 2021, the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, alongside the French multinational Total and the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), signed the final agreements that will kickstart the construction of a controversial $3.5 billion crude oil pipeline that cuts across both countries. Both Total and CNOOC are license holders in Uganda but can only commence drilling operations when the pipeline is completed. These sites are expected to have a combined production of 216,000 barrels per day at plateau. The upstream partners are Total (56.67%), CNOOC (28.33%) and Uganda National Oil Company – UNOC (15%). The production will be transported from the Albertine Rift Basin in Western Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania via the planned 1,445 kilometer (898 miles) cross-border pipeline, with Total, UNOC, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and CNOOC as shareholders. It is believed that this will be one of the longest electrically heated crude oil pipelines in the world thus requiring a significant investment. The proposed project will have significant negative impacts on the local communities, wildlife and its habitats. It falls within sensitive biodiversity hotspots such as the Albertine Rift in Uganda which is one of the most important regions for nature reserves in Africa. It is host to over 50% of Africa’s birds, 40% of Africa’s mammals and about 20% of its amphibians and plants, it contains more vertebrate species than anywhere else on the continent. The area also has more threatened and endemic species than other regions in Africa. Population concentration within the Albertine Rift is also high with over 1,0000 per km2 in some areas. Most of these communities being extremely impoverished. The potential risks of the pipeline include the unjust displacement of local communities, contamination of ground and surface water sources, significant carbon emissions, habitat disturbances especially in the protected areas, compromised integrity of critical wildlife corridors, increased wildlife poaching, possible oil spills in two Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas and
potential job losses as a result of other impacts. Following significant resistance efforts within the continent and beyond, financiers of the project have been withdrawing their support with the most recent being three French banks: BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Crédit Agricole have
committed not to provide financing for the Total-led East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). An unidentified source in France’s Les Echos newspaper stated that “the project is too hard to defend”. Other banks that have pulled out of the project include Standard bank, Barclays, Credit Suisse and ANZ. Efforts are still underway to urge other financiers to steer clear of the project that proves to be unjust and risky for both the environment and the people. This comes at a time when Total seeks to engage its shareholders in the Annual General Meeting on the 28th of May where it is expected that their strategy towards carbon neutrality will be tabled. Meanwhile there are widespread calls upon Total to consider a climate strategy that is more viable and in line with scientific requirements of cutting emissions at source by leaving the crude oil in the ground. Oilwatch Africa calls on the governments of both Uganda and Tanzania to reconsider their plans to go ahead with this project bearing in mind the enormous social, financial and ecological risks it poses. By HOMEF www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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Nigerian Christians under persecuation Help us please....... It is a well known fact that Nigerian Christians are under severe perecuation particularly in the Northern part of the country. They continued to be attacked, properties destroyed, thousands of people dead, many more displaced, farm lands destroyed, children left homeless, orphans and desolate in a nation of plenty of resources. A government unable to protect his people. We have receieved a request from an organization helping these persecuted Christians to get some type or relief. They are calling on us on the Diaspora to support and help through our kind donations. The organization is coordinating assistances, see the flyers published below for details of how you can support their efforts. We approve the flyers so you can send support directly or contact them for clarification or more information. God bless you all. TV Management https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg52LK6cJlw&feature=youtu.be
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Testimony of a reformed cutter brings hope of eradicating Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya
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ver 200 million women across the globe have stood tall to tell their painful stories. Their victorious voices, their solidarity in transforming their pain into purpose and their undying hope of creating a world free from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). With many stories told of the survivors, Vice Versa Global brings you an exclusive interview with Isnino Tono. She is not only a survivor, but a person who actively participated in the actual act of the cut. Each year, millions of girls and women around the world are at risk of undergoing FGM. It is a harmful practice that
intentionally alters the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. While the customs and traditions that perpetuate it vary from community to community, the procedure is generally carried out between infancy and the age of 15. It has serious socio-economic, physical, emotional, sexual and health consequences, including death. The world at large has demystified the horrifying consequences of this brutal practice. For years it has been fought by organizations globally and even at the grassroots levels, and in countries like Kenya it has been declared illegal. “This is not an easy task that we are undertaking. In order to
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achieve this goal, we must initiate community based programs that are culturally sensitive, and that will encourage a change in social norms. I am confident that we are on the right track, and that we will achieve zero FGM in Kenya by the year 2022,” H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya declared. This was during the official launch of a campaign to eradicate FGM in Kenya on November 8, 2019. Two years later, and with only a few months left to 2022, is this going to be a reality? Tana River County I travelled to Tana River County, a county in the former Coast Province of Kenya. It is named after the Tana River that passes through it and consists of multi-cultural communities. The rate of development and literacy levels are really low here. This might explain why the majority of the population here still embrace their traditions. It is one of the counties in Kenya where FGM is believed to be rampant. Mine was an intense curiosity to figure out just how far we are as a country. With numerous campaigns and advocacies against the practice, education and immense awareness, is there any impact? Is there any change? Is there hope? I met up with Isnino Tono, a fifty one year old mother of four in her home village of Malakoteni, Garsen. She is known by many as an FGM activist. She is the eye of the government and reports any case she comes across of anyone who intends to have their daughter cut. She attends all meetings meant to empower and educate women in the fight against it. Had it not been for the interview we were having, she would have been attending one convened by the Caritas organization. What you may not know is that Isnino has been a staunch believer of this deadly practice. She has participated in the cutting of more than 50 girls in this very village.
“My name is Isnino, from the Munyoyaya tribe. A tribe that still practices female genital mutilation. In our tribe, the cut is done using a knife, not even a razor blade. A knife that is used to cut all girls present at the session, be it twenty, fifty, you name it!” The ratio of one knife to countless girls already sounds terrifying to me. Looking Back When she was growing up, undergoing the cut was something every girl looked forward to. It was actually taboo to play with a girl who had not gone through the cut. They were even given names to identify them as outcasts. “There is this time as a very young girl, I had gone to play with my mates, and they had all been cut except for me. I faced rejection as most of them abused me, stating that I was dirty and unfit to be in their company. I felt so bad,” she said. That was the first experience that made her realize the ‘importance’ of the cut. Later on, her grandma sat her down to explain in detail why they valued the practice. “She told me that if a girl is not cut, no man would want to marry her. She would become a harlot and the community would eventually disown her.” She vividly recalls how she felt the night before her ‘special’ day. She was nine years old then. “I was anxious, scared and happy, all in equal measure. I didn’t sleep. I was very eager for it since to me it was a very noble thing. All my anxieties were cut short when I finally felt the knife. It was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. I really cried that day.” It is not just the pain, she quantifies to me the amount of blood she lost and admits just how deadly the practice is. She seemed to be the oldest of the girls she underwent the cut with since most were between the ages of six and seven. “I remember one girl who was cut immediately after me. As she struggled to withstand the pain from the cut, the knife unfortunately cut beyond the intended area. She later developed complications and was unable to even pass urine. This called for another cut to rectify the urine passage. She truly suffered. The sad part is that there is no going to the hospital, we only rely on herbal medication,” she narrated. If you can’t beat them join them, an old adage that Isnino seemed to have applied. “Even before I got married, I began assisting the old woman in my village in the cutting ceremony. The process requires a combined effort since it is not easy to hold a girl down and cut her single handedly. On many occasions, I would grab the girl and cover both her eyes and mouth. This is to prevent her from seeing the
knife penetrate her skin and from screaming respectively. A lot of strength is required at this particular time. Some would squirm so much because obviously, the cut is very painful. Remember, there is no anesthetic drug given and so the girl struggles a lot. For some, I would even sit on their chests and force them on the ground just to ensure the cut is successful and only the intended part is cut,” she explained and even demonstrated it to me. This is something she has done for close to 20 years and to countless number of girls. Realizing the Consequences and Regrets “It is after I got married and had my first baby, that I realized that my scar was a recurring wound. I had complications with deliveries for all my four pregnancies. Since I couldn’t
have sufficient opening to allow for the passage of the baby, it meant cut after cut for each delivery. It was a painful experience that I couldn’t bare anymore, so I stopped after my fourth born,” she lamented as she fought back tears. She was blessed with only one daughter. Sadly, as a staunch believer of the knife ‘rite of passage’, she subjected her to it too. “It was the worst experience I have ever gone through. My daughter was cut at the tender age of 10, and she got really severe wounds that took so long to heal. I was so scared and for the first time in my life I cursed this practice.” She introduces me to her sister-in-law during our interview, the wife to her brother. She broke from the norm and endured all criticisms in their village by defying the culture. She was the first woman to refuse to take her daughter for the cut despite condemnations from people in the village, including her own mother. Hawa Mohamed, who was bold enough to be unbowed, is a happy woman today. “I don’t like talking about my FGM experience because it still haunts me to date. What I promised myself was that if God were to bless me with baby girls, I would never subject them to what I went Continued on Page 48 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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through,” she tells me. Hawa’s first born daughter is an age mate to Isnino’s, but she never underwent the cut and for that was criticized a lot. “When she was still young and mostly during playtime with her friends, whenever she had a misunderstanding with anyone, they would really abuse her. This was due to the fact that she had not undergone the practice. I would comfort her and assure her that she was fine. I told her that anyone who tried to intimidate her would be taken to the police,” she says. Her daughter is now married and with children, something that was once believed to be impossible. “You see, these are some of the things that made me realize that this practice was a hoax and has no benefits,” says Isnino as she refers to Hawa’s sentiments. “We were told that one would never get married yet she is now married and with children. She never experienced any severe complications during birth like most women who have undergone the cut. Had I known this earlier, let alone my daughter, even I wouldn’t have agreed to go through the cut. We have made innocent girls suffer and shed a lot of blood. This is sinning. May God forgive us!” she curses vehemently. This was a perfect case study for Isnino and the people of this community. From the campaigns and the education they were being given, it really worked to help change their mindset. Turning a New Leaf With numerous campaigns, advocacies, education and awareness about female genital mutilation, women like Hawa and Isnino have been enlightened. They now agree that indeed this practice is a thing of the past and was probably a way of enslaving women. Young girls in 48
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this community have been taught about their rights and the dangers of FGM. “In this village and the neighboring ones, young girls are aware that FGM is illegal. If you try threatening them with it, they will report you to the police,” said Isnino. I am introduced to two young girls yet again by Isnino, Michi, an eight year old and Mwanadia, a fourteen year old. These two girls call her grandma. “These two are my granddaughters. Years back, finding a girl in their age bracket that was not cut was impossible. Yet as you can see, none of them is cut, and the same applies to most girls of their age around here,” she says with so much confidence and pride. “Right now I can’t stand seeing any girl undergo the cut. It is something that I strongly condemn. We have been educated and we completely understand the consequences. No mother would wish to subject her daughter to such danger knowingly. We are grateful to have organizations that work tirelessly in fighting the vice and we have collaborated so well in running these campaigns. We now have even religious leaders who have joined the fight to ensure we eradicate FGM completely. With strict rules from the government and the order to jail anyone who participates in the cut, cases have tremendously gone down. In this village, for the past three years or so, I have not heard of any family that has subjected their daughters to female genital mutilation,” she concluded with a sigh of relief. Story & Pictures by Cynthia Omondi (Kenya)
Marina Diboma Appointed as New 2SCALE Program Director
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SCALE today announced the appointment of Marina Diboma as its new Program Director, effective July 1st, 2021. Marina will take over from the current Program Director, Henk van Duijn, who will transition within the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) as the Chief Operations Officer/Chief Finance Officer. Henk will handover to Marina after an intensive introduction program that will be finalized by October 13th, 2021. Marina joins 2SCALE from the Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC), where she is currently the Deputy
Managing Director. A Dutch national with Cameroonian origin, Marina has extensive experience in private sector and sustainable economic development in Sub–Saharan Africa and has a passion for building bridges between people and organizations. As an expert on Africa and development cooperation, Marina participates in various initiatives. It is in this context that she is a member of the INCLUDE platform, a platform that advises both the Dutch government and selected African states in their inclusive development policies. She is also the Vice Chairwoman of the African Studies Center foundation in The Netherlands and Chairwoman of Africa 2.0
NL. Over the past two years, Marina has been involved in 2SCALE as a member of the external Selection Committee (SC), the body charged with approving inclusive agribusiness ideas for our public-private partnerships. “With its available arable lands and ambitious young human capital, Africa has the potential to feed the world. Hence, agribusiness offers growth opportunities for sustainable economic development of the continent. Investing in inclusive agribusiness with a focus on private sector development, food and nutrition security, reduced prices for consumers and empowered farmers is therefore one of the most profitable investments for Africa. I am delighted and honored to join 2SCALE in a leadership role and contribute to this investment initiative that I hope to add valuable impact to. Marina Diboma Based in Ghana, Marina will oversee the implementation of partnerships initiated in the 2nd phase of 2SCALE (2018 -2023) and the subsequent expansion of the program into two new countries namely, South Sudan and Egypt. “I can say that we are very happy that Marina agreed to take on the position of Program Director. She has intimate knowledge of Agribusiness in Africa and in the Netherlands, has already been involved in the Program and has inroads into both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dutch Embassies. Her networking and communication skills will not only support the expansion of 2SCALE, but I also see her as the leader who can further shape 2SCALE as an African Agribusiness incubator for the future.“ Rob Groot, Director of Partnerships at IFDC and Chair of the 2SCALE Supervisory Board Marina’s extensive experience and linkages will contribute greatly towards the achievement of 2SCALE’s overarching goal of promoting inclusive agribusiness as a tool for sustainable social and economic progress in Africa. ________________________________________ About 2SCALE 2SCALE is an African incubator and accelerator program that manages a portfolio of public-private partnerships for inclusive business in agri-food sectors and industries. It offers a range of support services to its business champions (SMEs and farmer groups) and partners, enabling them to produce, transform and supply quality food products. These products go to local and regional markets, including base of the pyramid consumers. 2SCALE works together with companies (African, Dutch, and other small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs) and producer organizations (POs) to develop business models and partnership models that promote inclusiveness, develop competitive edge, and have potential for scaling. 2SCALE is implemented by a consortium comprising of IFDC, Bopinc, and SNV. www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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Germany has agreed to return Nigeria’s looted treasures. Will other countries follow?
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he bronze plaques from his birthplace looked strange at the British Museum. Enotie Ogbebor, a visiting artist, knew they were cultural treasures. West African sculptors had crafted them over six centuries to tell the history of Benin, a kingdom that stood in what is now southern Nigeria until British troops invaded in 1897. But on display in London, he recalled, they carried the aura of
war trophies. Colonial soldiers had plundered his ancestors’ land, seizing what became collectively known as the Benin bronzes. Thousands of plaques, masks and figures wrought from largely metal, ivory and wood landed in museums across Europe and the United States. “They look so out of place, out of context,” said Ogbebor, 52. “To see them in isolation, far away from home, kept for onlookers to gawk at without any real understanding of what happened — it’s like being a witness to your family story told wrongly.” Some of the bronzes are now set to come home: Last week, Germany became the first country to announce plans to send hundreds of pieces back to Nigeria, starting next year. The German restitution pledge, the largest thus far, has injected momentum into the push for other governments to do
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the same as nations worldwide grapple with histories of racial injustice. Protest movements have placed a fresh spotlight on old atrocities, toppled statues and called for the recovery of items stolen — often violently — during colonial rule. “To hold onto the works is to add salt to an open wound,” said Ogbebor, a member of the Legacy Restoration Trust, which represents Nigeria’s government and regional leaders. Germany’s culture minister said the shift stemmed from “moral responsibility,” and a handful of museums elsewhere have launched their own efforts as curators reexamine the bloody origins of prized artifacts. Benin bronzes can be found at 161 museums around the world, according to research by Dan Hicks, a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford and the author of “The Brutish Museums.” Thirty-eight are in the United States. Only nine of the institutions are in Nigeria. Many institutions remain hesitant to relinquish the work. The British Museum — owner of the world’s biggest collection, at roughly 900 pieces — is legally prohibited from releasing the Benin bronzes because Parliament regulates its inventory. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which has said it acquired Benin works from donors, has revealed no plans to return them. (The Met did not respond to requests for comment.) Pressure has swelled over the last year, however, as protesters flooded cities, reinvigorating dialogue around painful memories. Atop the African Union’s agenda this year: fighting the coronavirus — and recovering stolen heritage. Little remained after Benin fell. The kingdom, which dated back to the 11th century, had been one of West Africa’s great powers. Historians say its earthen walls rivaled the Great Wall of China. Then came the British, who by the mid-1800s were exerting control over the surrounding areas. Benin enjoyed trade
influence that irked colonial leaders, researchers say. The breaking point came when West African forces ambushed a British expedition that had not received permission to enter the kingdom, killing dozens. Britain responded with 1,200 troops, warships and 3 million bullets, according to Hicks’s research. Benin burned to the ground. Official documents offer no casualty number, but researchers estimate widespread death. The British military called the destruction “punitive.” Soldiers went on to loot the kingdom’s riches, telling British authorities that the ivory alone would cover the cost of the mission. Some kept the bronzes for themselves, making them family heirlooms. European art scholars lavished praise on the works, and they were quickly auctioned off. The spoils of Benin sat on display in England just six months later. Nigeria has been calling for their return since it gained independence in 1960. The theft stripped away centuries of knowledge, said Victor Ehikhamenor, an artist from Benin City. Generations lost the opportunity to build on the work of their forebears. “I grew up with the leftovers,” he said. And the narrative of white dominance lives on in revered places. Schoolchildren see the “punitive” language next to popular exhibits. Google “Benin bronzes,” and the search engine delivers a harmful euphemism: “Discovered by: British forces.” “These works were not legally acquired,” said Ehikhamenor, a member of Nigeria’s restoration effort. “Museums are oversaturated with colonial conquests.” Today, he said, the people and institutions that benefited from Benin’s collapse have a chance to make amends. Museums can put the Benin bronzes in the mail or transfer ownership to Nigeria. Leaders in Benin City have embraced the idea of loaning them out to museums across the globe, just as Spain might let France borrow a Picasso painting — on fair terms, as equals.
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I am Africa: A new initiative to strengthen Africa Youth as future leaders
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5th of May each year has been globally declared as African Day and on such occasions, the focus is on Africa. This year’s event did not go unnoticed in Dubai when a new umbrella organization called, “I am Africa” organized its Africa Day celebration with the theme,” Let’s talk about Africa” to introduce the organization to the world. I am Africa is a new initiative spearheaded by Her Excellency, Ambassador Laila Rahhal El Atfani of Business Gate, Dubai in collaboration with the Voice magazine In Holland and many other international organizations such as Safeer Corporate Services Provider under AbdulAziz Ahmad, Ambassador Fawad Ali Langah , UN Ambassador, SDGs Trainer Ehjazhussain Ahmad Tawazoun, Project Management LLC, Lady Anita DuckworthBradshaw Dr. Eno Praise, FCIML, Amb. Dr. Hillary Emoh of African Union among many others Among the participants are the following special Guests among others – H.E. Amb. Fawad Ali, (Moderator), H.E. Ambassador Laila Rahhal, conveyer, H.E. Dr. Ameena Ali, H.E. Dr. Karen D. Lomax, Pastor Elvis Iruh (The Voice magazine), Art4you Gallery, Rick Taulli, Hebe Assem, Abdualziz Ahmad, Karabo Mohale, JJ Robinson, John Aggrey (Ghana) Sallieu from Sierra Leone On 25th May 2021, the new organization, “I am Africa” was officially introduce to a global audience via zoom conference meeting where the initiator of the organization, Ambassador Laila Rahhal layout the plans and future expectation of the organization. She clearly stated that the organization is not about colour, race, gender or nationality; it is all about the heart for Africa and the willingness to advance its growth According to her Africa do not need aids; rather Africa needs all its human resources, empowerment, encouragement and willingness to make the continent great. Under her leadership, she would continue to mobilized support by traveling around the world to mobile attention, interest, contacts and funding for this great project that would see the face of Africa changed for good. With her verse experience in business and networking, she communicated to a highly skilled professional group at the meeting and one after the other, they all pledge their commitment to see this organization furnish. Each speaker pledged their commitment to bring in combined
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efforts, knowledge and resources to bring this initiative to the forefront of Africa agenda. The continent is blessed with a huge population of youth, which has the capacity to transform the continent through the right entrepreneurship transfer to them, and empowering them to belief that it is possible to make the difference. A mind set education providing them the system of data collection for job creation, training, and sustainability in line with United Nations developmental goals. According to Ambassador Liala, I am Africa is saying it is time to make the big move and shift in leadership by equipping the younger generation to take up entrepreneurship and take on the challenges Africa is faced with. As part of the goals is to build a future for African youth for bushiness growth and expansion in all areas of life. To motivate, empower through skill trainings, bringing about mind change and encouraging the Diaspora Africa to participate to help and support Africa. Empower 5 to empower another 5; within a short time we would see the rapid increase of manpower. To accomplish this is not going to be the effort of Africans alone; we have growing persons who are lovers of Africa despite being from other parts of the world. They love Africa as much as we Africans love the continent and they want to be part of our success stories. In line with this focus, we are working on a major event in Dubai along side the Voice Achievers Award 2021 to launch and present Ï am Africa” to the world. It is exciting time ahead of us. Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great honor that we announce that #BusinessGate (H.E LAILA Rahhal EL ATFANI) and THE VOICE MAGAZINE have merged to form this Strategic Partnership under #IAmAfrica! This will make both offers advance humanitarian efforts for both continents! What a great #AfricaDay gift! #AfricaWin Yes together we make difference for I AM AFRICA - We are all I AM AFRICA. Let us start our Mission Stay tune with us and we would keep you posted. On behalf of Ambassador Liala Rahhal, if you want more information on this project and initiative, kindly make contact with her on Iamafrica118@gmail.com bgate.dxb@gmail.com; lailarahhall@gmail.com
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HIV drugs run short in Kenya as people say lives at risk
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enyans living with HIV say their lives are in danger due to a shortage of anti-retroviral drugs donated by the United States amid a dispute between the U.S. aid agency and the Kenyan government. The delayed release of the drugs shipped to Kenya late last year is due to the government slapping a $847,902 tax on the donation, and the U.S. aid agency having “trust” issues with the graft-tainted Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, activists and officials said. Activists on Friday dismissed as “public relations” the government’s statement on Thursday that it had resolved the issue and distributed the drugs to 31 of Kenya’s 47, counties. The government said all counties within five days will have the drugs needed for 1.4 million people. “We are assuring the nation that no patient is going to miss drugs. We have adequate stocks,” Kenya Medical Supplies Authority customer service manager Geoffrey Mwagwi said as he flagged off a consignment. He said those drugs would cover two months. The U.S. is by far the largest donor for Kenya’s HIV response. Kenya’s health minister, Mutahi Kagwe, told the Senate’s health committee earlier this week that USAID had released the drug consignment that had been stuck in port. Patients are expected to receive them during the week. He said USAID had proposed using a company called Chemonics International to procure and supply the drugs to Kenyans due to “trust issues” with the national medical supplies body. Bernard Baridi, chief executive officer of Blast, a network of young people living with the disease, said the drugs would last for just a month. He said the delay in distributing the drugs, in addition to supply constraints caused by the coronavirus pandemic, meant that many people living with HIV were getting a week’s supply instead of three months. Many of those who depend on the drugs travel long distances to obtain them and may find it difficult to find transport every week, and if they fail to take them they will develop resistance, Baridi said. “Adherence to medication is going to be low because of access. ... If we don’t get the medication,
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we are going to lose people,” he said. According to Baridi, children living with HIV are suffering the most due to the shortage of a drug known Kaletra, which comes in a syrup form that can be taken more easily. Parents are forced to look for the drug in tablet form, crush it and mix it with water, and it’s still bitter for children to ingest.
Baridi urged Kenya’s government and USAID to find a solution on who should distribute the drugs quickly, for the sake of the children. On Thursday, about 200 people living with HIV in Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city, held a peaceful protest wearing T-shirts reading “My ARV’s My Life” and carrying posters that read “A sick nation is a dead nation” and “A killer government.” Some 136,000 people live with HIV in Kisumu, or about 13% of the city’s population, said local rights activist Boniface Ogutu Akach. “We cannot keep quiet and watch this population languish just because they can’t get a medicine that is lying somewhere, and that is happening because the government wants to tax a donation,” he said. Erick Okioma, who has HIV, said the government’s attention has been diverted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected even community perception. “People fear even getting COVID than HIV,” Okioma said, asserting that local HIV testing and treatment centres were empty. By Tom Odula, The Associated Press
Waiting lists for social housing continue to grow in The Netherlands Landsmeer hits 22 years wait .... Waiting lists for social housing have stretched to more than seven years in a quarter of the Netherlands’ 355 local authority
3 -month curfew generates 9 million euros in fines for the Dutch treasury Dutch police handed out a total of 95,000 fines to people for breaking the curfew during the three months it was in operation. The fines have generated over €9m for the treasury since the curfew was introduced on January 23 and scrapped at 4.30am on April 28. People caught breaking the curfew without a valid reason could be fined €95. The curfew was the first in the Netherlands since World War II and the measure, plus the civic unrest that it caused, placed a ‘considerable burden’ on already overstretched police officers, according to a police update. ‘The police registered more than 1,500 demonstrations in the period between January and April,’ the update said. ‘That is double the protests in the first four months of 2020, and 20% more than the more than in the same period in 2019.’
areas, according to research by public broadcaster NOS. The longest waiting list – 22 years – is in Landsmeer, a village just north of Amsterdam, but the waits are similar in other towns and villages surrounding the capital. In Amsterdam itself, the average waiting time for a rent-controlled home is 13 years. The long waits are down to the shortage of social housing – which has a rent of below €750 and has strict income requirements attached. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of housing corporation rent controlled properties rose by 1% while the population grew 3%. ‘I am not surprised by the unacceptable long waiting lists,’ said Martin van Rijn, chairman of the housing corporation umbrella group Aedes. ‘Only building more homes and better regional coordination can reduce this frustration.’ To do this, social housing providers need both direction and financial support from national government, he said. Earlier this year, housing corporations, real estate investors and local authorities said the Netherlands needs to build one million new homes to meet demand. According to government figures, some 60% of the 7.5 million homes in the Netherlands are owner occupied. Private landlords, including investment companies own 8% and the rest are in the hands of the country’s housing associations.
Meanwhile, the public health institute RIVM has said the impact of the curfew on public health is still being calculated and it is too early to say if it was ineffective. The agency’s statement follows comments by acute hospital care chief
Ernst Kuipers, who told a television show on Wednesday the curfew had not had an effect on hospital admissions. The calculation was that the curfew would reduce hospital admissions by 10%,’ he said. ‘But if you look at how hospital admissions have progressed during the period, you can see no effect through the introduction or the change in the time [from 9pm to 10pm].’ Nevertheless, Kuipers said, the curfew had to be introduced to head off the risks presented by the more infectious form of the virus first identified in Britain. www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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2023 General Election and Phoney Politicians By Eubaldus Enahoro The announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that the general election will hold on Saturday, 18th February 2023 no doubt has been received by Nigerians with mixed feelings. Especially, when the electoral umpire, Prof Mahmood Yakubu lamented the delay in the prosecution of electoral offenders as one of the most challenging tasks for INEC since its establishment. In his words, “ the commission would like to see more successful prosecution of offenders, not just of ballot box snatchers and falsifiers of election results but most importantly their sponsors. We look forward to the day when highly placed sponsors of thuggery , including party chieftains and candidates that seek to benefit from violations of the law are apprehended.” This no doubt directs our minds to the fact that the challenge is with the heart of man that is desperately wicked. There are some politicians whose stock in trade is full of evil machinations to get to power by any means including terminating the life of anyone on their way. They deploy thugs to perform their enterprise instead of canvassing for patronage from the people on Election Day. They believe in the mantra the strong takes all and making promises upon promises they do not intend to keep. At this stage they are like jelly fish, obedient, submissive and ready to do any bidding. They come down so low to the level of reasoning and if possible they practically make the voters see that without them they cannot exist. They use their sweet tongue and fake humility to the extent that you begin to reckon with them and believe their every word that comes out from their mouth. From obscurity, they work their way into your sub consciousness and before you know it you become their fan and you begin to see what was not there. But when they get what they want you can hardly see them, they build fences around themselves, their hangers on prevent you from seeing them. They abound all over the place and today you cannot tell who among them is worthy of being the servant of the people which they have sworn to be on oath. But on the other hand, when a true and God fearing individual decides to serve the people from the bottom of their heart, such people are hounded down and discouraged with all manner of antagonistic tendencies. The sad aspect that is still difficult to understand is that when it is time for another election, just as INEC has announced, the thugs and gullible masses, especially those who have been jobless are waiting eagerly for that day to stake out their necks again, ready to die for the politician and some actually die in the process only to be forgotten as the days 60
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goes by. Some voters are eagerly waiting for that day of election when they will troop come out again in their numbers irrespective
of the scorching sun or heavy down pour to cast their votes for their preferred candidate. They are ready to brave any odds and take unnecessary risks to come out on Election Day when the thugs of the different political parties flex muscles as a show of superiority and opportunity to use their latest weapons of destruction in their possessions. Just because they have been brain washed and starved by these politicians all these while, what they get for all their labour are peanuts to entice them to cast their votes for them with another promise to do more when elected. It is when they have been eventually elected into office that the eyes of thugs and voters are open to the fact that they have only been used and to be dumped again. However, the irony still remains that when next this same politicians who have held political office to enrich themselves come back with the same lies and tactics, they get away with their maneuver to power and they are given the mandate to represent them again. The same sets of politicians are recycled in the system from one juicy position to another all in the guise of being a system person. Some have arrogated to themselves the birth right to political patronage and they are ready to die if they are told to relinquish positions for another person. No wonder it has become a do or die affair. It is obvious that some are more concerned about their selfish interest and they do not intend to keep to their promises thereby leaving the electorates to regret coming out to cast their votes for them. But because they have no conscience, they careless about the plight of the people.
Their main aim in politics is to enrich themselves to the detriment of the masses that elected them. The profligacy of our political office holders is beyond comprehension as we have seen that the money meant for the development of our towns and communities, provision of infrastructures, employment opportunities and security infrastructure have been diverted to their pockets. Therefore, what do we really expect as the future of the nation becomes bleak by the day due to the political rascality of some of our politicians who have bled the nation dry? As Nigerians who want the best for the nation, we should as a matter of seriousness tell those phony politicians who do not have the interest of the people at heart to hide their head in shame and give those with a good heart the space to seek the mandate of the people in 2023
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Claressa Shields fed up with sexism in boxing: ‘We’re not going to keep waiting on men to give women the opportunity’
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espite winning two Olympic gold medals, nine championships and becoming the fastest person to ever claim titles across three divisions in boxing, Claressa Shields just couldn’t seem to book a big fight. After building her professional record to a perfect 10-0 while becoming the WBC and WBO light middleweight champion in January 2020, Shields was looking forward to staying busy for the remainder of the year but the coronavirus pandemic kept her from competing for several months. Unfortunately, even after boxing got restarted later in the year with several notable events, Shields was still stuck on the outside looking in when it came to finding a spot on a highprofile card. “We had worked very, very close with Showtime, had a good working relationship with them,” Shields explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Then all of a sudden dates kept being pushed back and dates were being cancelled. Promises kept being made. Then before we knew it, they made a huge announcement where they basically announced their whole 2020 and Claressa Shields was nowhere on there. “After that they said ‘don’t worry about that, Errol Spence wasn’t on there either’ and all of a sudden Errol Spence’s
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fight gets announced. Are we going to fight? And they just kept stringing us along and finally we just decided we couldn’t keep waiting on them so we started exploring our options.” Shields and her team began looking at possible landing spots
for her next fight but they eventually settled on an idea that has been kicking around her head for quite some time. Rather than hoping that Showtime or another outlet would put Shields under the spotlight on pay-per-view where boxers routinely make a much larger share of the profits, she decided to take ownership of her career by building something from scratch instead. “I always thought I should be pay-perview,” Shields said. “I always thought that. Women’s boxing would flourish a lot more if we start now, and even if the numbers aren’t great, at least we’re starting to build our payper-view base. “I always wanted to fight on pay-per-view or fight on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao or Errol Spence when they fought on payper-view. That was something I had said to Showtime and was just never given those opportunities.” At just 25 years old, Shields has already accomplished a lot but she’s also constantly
butted up against a glass ceiling when it comes to the perception that women’s fighters in the sport of boxing just aren’t as much of a draw as the men. Shields has called out promoters as well as television broadcast partners for refusing to showcase women’s boxing at the same level as her male counterparts.
That’s a huge part of the reason why she’s headed an allwomen’s pay-per-view on FITE TV against Marie-Eve Dicaire on March 5 which was atgged “Superwomen” because she was tired of waiting for the powers-that-be in boxing to finally come around to her way of thinking. “We’re not going to keep waiting on men to give women the opportunity,” Shields said. “We have to go out and make it ourselves. My team went out and did what they do best, Mark Taffet and Dmitriy [Salita] and now we’re here.” Shields has often spoke out for equality in boxing, especially after the attention she received when recently inking a multi-year deal to sign with the PFL to begin her mixed martial arts career. As soon as that news broke, Shields saw her social media channels explode with new followers and supporters from around the globe not to mention a huge number of media outlets reaching out to speak to her. Once upon a time, UFC president Dana White famously said that women would never fight in his promotion but just a few years later he was touting Ronda Rousey as the biggest superstar across all of sports — regardless of gender.
Seeing MMA stars like Rousey or upcoming UFC 259 co-headliner Amanda Nunes competing on the biggest cards and drawing millions of pay-per-views is proof to Shields that boxing has just woefully under appreciated the women’s fighters. She’s hoping to change that narrative starting with her pay-per-view fight this weekend. “This is what women’s boxing needs,” Shields said. “Men need to know that we’re not going to wait on them. I’m going to a place where no man has had to go. Like no man has had to go and fight his own pay-perview card without any backing from the boxing networks. No man has had to do that. But the fact that I have to do it is showing that boxing is sexist. “It’s also showing that I’m not afraid to go out here and make something for myself. I think that this will set a whole new wave for women’s boxing and other women are going to be fighting against the other best women and you’re going to have some super fights and there’s going to be women’s pay-per-views after this fight. This is just a great start.” This will also hopefully be the beginning of a huge year for Shields after she was only able to compete once in 2020. Shields plans on making the most out of the year ahead and she’ll be damned if anybody is going to stop her. “This is great. I have a busy year,” Shields said. “I have the fought in March, my boxing match and then I have my MMA debut in June. Then I want to have another boxing match. I would love to get Savannah Marshall in the boxing ring this year. She’s been doing a whole lot of mouthing off and talking, saying I went to MMA to run away from her and all this stuff she’s been saying. Like girl, you only got one belt and I’ve got nine. Hush up. I want to shut her up. “So hopefully we make that fight happen, maybe August or September and then have my last MMA fight to close out the year.”
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Danielle Perkins: Heavyweight champ? After life-changing accident she is becoming Tyson Fury of women’s boxing
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important for equality across the board,” Danielle Perkins says in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. “We need to have a female heavyweight division for the Tyson Furys, the Anthony Joshuas, the Deontay Wilders.” James Dielhenn The unexplored final frontier of women’s boxing is its heavyweight division, a barren and unrecognised landscape that stands meekly in contrast to the marquee fights of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and co. But there is a big-punching and even bigger talking heavyweight from the United States who takes inspiration from her mum, who has overcome the mental trauma of a catastrophe that took away the life she once knew, and who wants to smash a hole through the glass ceiling of acceptance. Danielle Perkins is on the road to becoming a female heavyweight champion - alongside Joshua and Fury as peers, she would become a high-value commodity who could “catapult women’s boxing” and whose voice demanding equality would only grow louder. Savannah Marshall, the unbeaten world champion, joked that she would rather fight for a middleweight title because “what woman wants heavyweight mentioned after her name?” The resurgence of women’s boxing that includes Marshall, Katie Taylor, Terri Harper, Claressa Shields and Jessica McCaskill is restricted beneath the biggest divisions. The weight limit is more accommodating (heavyweight is above 175lbs for females, above 200lbs for males) but there is no women’s champion of the division that is the showbiz centre for the men. Step forward Danielle Perkins. “I want to put my mark on the sport as a female boxer, and to sit on the throne as a female heavyweight,” she tells Sky Sports. “I want to invite anyone, everyone, who is athletic and strong to step into the ring and battle for the crown.” Her advisor Mark Taffet adds: “I believe a true female heavyweight champion, both in and out of the ring, would catapult women’s boxing and create intrigue and interest among a whole new generation of fans. “Danielle Perkins is six feet tall, 200 pounds, is in tremendous shape, has outstanding boxing skills, and carries herself like a champion. She is the perfect woman to lead and fulfil the
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promise of a revitalised, prominent female heavyweight division.” The talk is bold for a contender who has had only two professional fights but there is genuine reason to be excited. Perkins became the first amateur world champion from the US, male or female, in three years when she beat defending champion Yang Xiaoli of China in 2019. It is already a stunning turnaround from when Perkins lay immobilised, severely traumatised and with her sports career in ruins.
Perkins was an outstanding college basketball player before a professional career took her to teams in Italy, the Czech Republic, Puerto Rico, Austria and Spain. But she was struck by a vehicle, leaving her paralysed and eventually needing to learn to walk again.
“At my darkest point, if I couldn’t have athletics again, I didn’t want to be alive,” she says. “Certain things in life give you an opportunity to remain stagnant or turn a corner by making difficult choices. “I refused to quit. I wanted to have the basics back - to walk again, to be functional, and playing basketball again was my ultimate goal.” Perkins began exercising again and fell into a sport synonymous with where she’s from. “I grew up in Brooklyn in a household of Mike Tyson fans but boxing wasn’t an option for me,” she says. “My father would not allow his daughter to box so I played basketball.” After accepting her basketball career was finished, Perkins “wanted to be competitive but didn’t know how” when a friend noted that her physical dimensions would be ominous inside a ring. “But I thought: ‘I don’t want to get hit in the face!’” Now Perkins, who remembers the frenzy in New York during Tyson’s heyday, wants to have a similar impact on the women’s heavyweight division. “My goal is for people to say: ‘You’re 200lbs? Train hard enough and maybe you can fight Danielle’.” She fights for the third time in a rematch with Monika Harrison on March 5, on Claressa Shields’ all-female undercard. The prospect of a physically dominant women’s heavyweight champion with a backstory of adversity who advocates change is powerful. Perkins says about revitalising the glamour division: “It’s important for equality across the board. “We need to have a female division for the Tyson Furys, the
Anthony Joshuas, the Deontay Wilders. “If we had that athleticism and skill in a female heavyweight division, there would be so many people interested. “It is as important as the male division to have a solid, talented female heavyweight division.” The resolve and the strength behind Perkins, 38, is in her blood. “My mother has always overcame things,” she says. “She always worked so hard. “There were drugs, crack, robberies, murder but we were untouched by that because my mother was such a strong centrepiece of the community. “She made a bubble for us and we did not see these things. “When my mother battled cancer, she had the same mentality. “I now understand that it’s not about your surroundings, it’s about your mentality.” Perkin’s insistence that she will drag the sleeping female heavyweight division onto the same thriving platform as the men’s makes it remiss not to ask her one final question. Joshua or Fury? She laughs and interrupts: “I’m pretty slick and I hit hard. “I’m more similar to Fury - he’s slick, he hits hard, he has strategy, from round to round he makes solid adjustments, he looks like a middleweight fighting as a heavyweight, he’s strong and tall, he can fight going backwards or forwards.” If a female heavyweight can emerge with similar skill and charisma, the boxing landscape would be revolutionised.
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Joshua: I Know I’m the Man at Heavyweight and I’ll be for a long time!
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BF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is hanging back and waiting for an official announcement for the biggest fight is career. A high stakes unification with WBC champion Tyson Fury is being targeted to take place in the summer. The boxers and their respective teams have agreed on the bulk of the terms. At the moment, they are reviewing the contracts for the site free agreement, with the bout likely to land in Saudi Arabia. While waiting for a potential announcement, both champions are currently training and staying in shape. Joshua is ready to do whatever is necessary to get himself in top form to overcome Fury. One thing Joshua is ultra confident about, is his belief in being the number one fighter in the weight class.
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“Am I excited? I ain’t excited, it is what it is,” Joshua told the skipper of his hometown club, Watford’s Troy Deeney, on the striker’s podcast. “I’m getting ready to walk through a brick wall and nothing is getting in my way. I’m ready to go through whatever pain, torture, adversity I have to go through in order to win, that’s why I’m really looking forward to it. “I know I’m the man of this division and I will be for a long time. I came through this game quick and the way I had to learn was through mistakes, on the public stage as well. I came into this game not to take part but to take over, I feel I’m on a different wavelength and frequency. “I do it with a smile on my face but I’m dedicated to these things. Recapping over COVID I thought, man, I’ve put a lot into this and now I need to back myself.”
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Ghana prodigy Kamaldeen reacts to Manchester United, Ajax interest
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ed-hot Ghana and FC Nordsjaelland star Kamaldeen Sulemana says he is ready for a move in the summer transfer window. The 19-year-old is a target of several top European clubs with Manchester United and Ajax at the forefront to secure his
signature. The winger who is also on the radar of German sides Bayer Leverkusen and Bayren Munich produced a Man of the Match performance as FC Nordsjaelland held giants Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga with Ajax’s football director Marc Overmars watching on. Sulemana opened the scoring on the night. I feel ready to change, but we have to see this summer what happens,” he said after the game. “I can see myself fitting into all the big clubs. There is no specific league I feel suits me better, so I am open to all leagues - especially the top-5. But big clubs outside of the major leagues are also interesting,” he added. The highly-rated youngster scored in the 49th minute to give Nordsjaelland the lead before Jens Stage equalised two minutes later. Nordsjaelland restored their advantage in the 68th minute through Martin Frese but Copenhagen with another quick response levelled three minutes later through Stage. Sulemana has now scored 10 goals in 26 appearances for Nordsjaelland in the Danish top-flight this campaign. The Dutch champions had already sent a bid of 10 million pounds which was turned down in the winter transfer window but are offering to improve the deal. French giants Olympique Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen and 68
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English powerhouse Manchester United have all shown interest in landing the teenager this summer. According to Ajax manager, Ajax football club will be a good starting point for the young player as they would give him enough exposures and prepare him for bigger challenges ahead and better offer to come his way but he has to be prepared to be trained and made ready in the professional skills of football transfer. Sulemana, who can play on either wing, rose to prominence in Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy, who own Nordsjaelland and use them as a shop window for their most promising young players. Ajax signed 20-year-old Mohammed Kudus from Nordsjaelland last summer, with the player helping them to a 35th Eredivisie title win this season. Sulemana is tipped to become the most successful footballer from Ghana since Michael Essien starred at Chelsea. United did land wingers Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellestri last summer, but they are still on the hunt for more young, attacking talents. Sulemana certainly fits the bill in what they are looking for. However, it looks like the Red Devils will have to act quickly to beat Ajax to the punch.
Arsenal eye £7m move for Ajax keeper Onana but face wait over doping ban appeal
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he Cameroon keeper is wanted by the Gunners but is currently serving a 12-month suspension, which is due to last until February 2022. Arsenal are interested in signing Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana this summer - but will wait for the verdict in his upcoming appeal against a doping ban before deciding to step up their interest. Onana is currently serving a 12-month suspension handed to him by UEFA after he was found to have the banned substance Furosemide in his urine sample. But he is currently fighting against the ban and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear his appeal in early June, with a verdict due to be given later that month. Onana’s lawyers believe the ban, which is currently due to last until February 2022, could be reduced to eight months and, should that happen, a summer move away from Ajax could be on the cards for the Cameroon international. The Voice magazine sports have learned that Arsenal’s interest in the 25-year-old stretches back to last January when contact was made between the north London club and the player’s representatives. The Gunners were on the look-out for a keeper following the departure of Emiliano Martinez in September and the underwhelming form of summer recruit Alex Runarsson. But, despite technical director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta being big admirers of Onana, financial issues prevented Arsenal from making a firm offer, with the Gunners instead opting to sign Mat Ryan on loan from Brighton for the remainder of the season Arsenal still maintains a strong interest in Onana, despite the doping ban he was handed in February when he tested positive for Furosemide following an out-of-competition test. Onana has always maintained that he accidentally took medicine that was prescribed for his wife and the Dutch Association of Professional Footballers (VVCS) has condemned the length of the ban as “disproportionate” and “incomprehensible” . Lawyers for the player hope the suspension will be reduced to eight months at the upcoming CAS appeal, opening up the
prospect of a transfer this summer. Currently the terms of Onana’s ban mean that he is unable to even train with Ajax, so he is currently working with his own personal goalkeeping coach on pitches owned by a local amateur club in Amsterdam . Should he be successful in his appeal, however, and have his suspension reduced to eight months, he would be allowed to start training with a team again in June, two months before he would be available to start playing again. Ajax would be looking to receive around £12 million ($16.7m) for the goalkeeper this summer, if his appeal is successful. But, given his contract is due to expire in 2022, it could be that an offer in the region of £7m ($9.7m) is enough to tempt the Eredivisie champions into doing business. As well as the interest from Arsenal, clubs in Germany and France are also keeping tabs on the goalkeeper’s situation. Arsenal’s current number one Bernd Leno will have two years left on his current deal this summer and talks over an extension have yet to begin. The Germany international recently suggested an exit could be possible , saying he was ‘open to anything’. “I am very happy at the club,” said Leno. “I don’t know what will come in the future. But I am open to everything. Maybe for a new adventure or to stay at Arsenal. “At the moment I don’t think about my future because two years is still a long time. There are no conversations with the club.” Just before press time, we also received news that Onana appeal would be heard via video link because of Covid 19 restrictions with the court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) although a ruling may take some time to come through. The suspension of the player has attracted support from the Dutch players Union, his football club, his home country football association, Cameroon and VVCS, the global professional umbrella body for Fifpro. He would miss the delayed African Cup of Nations in his home country this year. Football giant club, Barcelona has been added to the list of big clubs interested in signing the goalkeeper as soon as his suspension is lifted. www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com
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