La poule pond ses oeufs quand les gens ne la regardent pas (Proverbe Libinza, Mongo – RDC). – On cache les secrets du métier.
The hen lays eggs when no one is looking (Libinza proverb, Mongo – DRC). – Trade secrets are hidden.
Tis’ the season of blessing, joy, happiness, and merry-ness. I would like to share with you a book which will make you all laugh to tears. A king, a beautiful princess, and a pot of hot chili sauce… the combination is bound to make you laugh. Enjoy this book, an African Children’s book, for young and young at heart, perfect for Christmas and to spice it up the African way! It is on kindle e-book. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Que de couleurs, que de rires, que d’astuces, que d’intelligence dans ce livre! Le Lièvre, la Princesse, et la marmite de piment est un livre véritablement adapté a toute période enjouée! Je vous garantis qu’il vous fera passer de bons moments. C’est sur Amazon Kindle. Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année!
It is about time we talked about Alexandria, the light of Egypt. So why the name Alexandria? If you thought about Alexander the Great, then you are absolutely right! Yes. The second largest city and major economic center of Egypt was named and founded by Alexander the Great.
Alexandria was founded around a small Ancient Egyptian town around 331 BC by Alexander the Great. It became an important center of the Hellenistic civilization and remained the capital of Hellenistic and Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1000 years until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in AD 641, when a new capital was founded at Fustat (later absorbed into Cairo). Hellenistic Alexandria was best known for the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; its Great Library (the largest in the ancient world; now replaced by a modern one); and the Necropolis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Alexandria was the second most powerful city of the ancient world after Rome. Ongoing maritime archaeology in the harbor of Alexandria, which began in 1994, is revealing details of Alexandria both before the arrival of Alexander, when a city named Rhacotis existed there, and during the Ptolemaic dynasty.
To me, Alexandria, has always had a special place in my heart because of its Great Library. Imagine thousands upon thousands of ancient papyri, scrolls, and books on mathematics, philosophy, medicine, architecture, etc. Just the thought of it makes my eyes shine with light. Isn’t it thrilling? And then to know that this library had been burnt down by the army of Julius Caesar in 48 BC (more like a repeat of history: Palmyra, The giant Buddhas of Afghanistan, Timbuktu, …) also makes my heart ache at the thought of all this knowledge gone down in flames. Today, we remember the Great Library of Alexandria thanks to what poets and writers of the past said about it, but there are no vestiges of it. I also remember Alexandria because of the brilliant female mathematician Hypatia who chaired a department of philosophy and astronomy, and the world-renowned mathematician Euclid.
Today, Alexandria is Egypt’s largest seaport, serving approximately 80% of Egypt’s imports and exports. It is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez. Alexandria is also an important tourist destination. Enjoy the video below about Alexandria, the beautiful!
This story is from a book called “The Secret of the Crocodile“, a Namibia Oral Tradition Project, published by New Namibia Books. (Paraphrased)
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The crocodile originally had a beautiful smooth golden skin, and it stayed that way because the crocodile would spend all day in the muddy waters and only come out at night.
During the day all the other animals would come and admire it’s beautiful golden skin.
The crocodile became very proud of its skin and started coming out of the water to bask in the other animals’ admiration, even while the sun was shining. He began thinking he was better than the other animals and started bossing them around.
The other African animals became bored with his change in attitude and fewer and fewer started showing up to look at his skin.
But each day that the crocodile exposed his skin to the hot African sun, it would get uglier and bumpier and thicker, and was soon transformed into what looked like bulging armor.
Crocodile never recovered from the humiliating shame and even today will disappear from view when others approach, with only his eyes and nostrils above the surface of the water.
First of all, I would like to raise my hat to Peter Ekeh, the editor of the website Waado.org who has done an amazing job archiving and analyzing some of the treacherous treaties signed between the British and the local populations of Southern Nigeria. I am publishing here a protection treaty signed on 16 July 1884; this was the first treaty signed by the British in that area. Here is what Ekeh says, “Although the first clause, Article I, of these pro forma Protection Treaties claimed that the British were engaging in their agreements in “compliance with the request of the Chiefs and People” of the political communities concerned, it was clear that the Foreign Office from London and its assigned imperial agents, in the Niger Delta and beyond, were driving the terms and purpose of the treaties.
Indeed, it is doubtful that the Chiefs of any Nigerian communities understood the letter, let alone the spirit, of these Treaties of Protection whose pro forma texts were printed in England, written in English, and “interpreted” by British imperial agents to the signatory chiefs. However, the consequence of their signing the Treaties was that these Chiefs and their people lost their sovereignty.” Below is one of them. Check out Waado.org to read an in-depth analysis of the 16 July 1884 British colonial treaty with the Itsekiri people, as well as to see the appendix to the 1884 Treaty between the British and the Itsekiri.
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Le sel est bon à la bouche, mais pas au coeur (Proverbe Ekonda – RDC). Les plaisirs du monde ne donnent pas le bonheur.
Salt is good in the mouth, but not for the heart (Ekonda proverb – DRC). The world’s pleasures do not give happiness.
Sous l’insistance de mes nombreux amis, je publie ici le message très important de Serena Williams à toutes les femmes du monde. Ceci est de Yahoo News website.
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«A toutes les femmes incroyables qui aspirent à l’excellence,
Plus jeune, j’avais un rêve. Je suis sûre que vous en aviez un aussi. Mon rêve n’était pas celui d’un enfant normal, mon rêve était de devenir le meilleur joueur de tennis au monde. Pas la meilleure joueuse “femme” de tennis au monde. J’ai eu la chance que ma famille me soutienne et m’encourage à poursuivre ce rêve. J’ai appris à ne pas avoir peur. J’ai appris combien il est important de se battre pour ses rêves et, plus important encore, de rêver grand. Mon combat a commencé quand j’avais trois ans et je n’ai pas pris une seule pause depuis.
Mais toutes les femmes n’ont pas cette chance, ne sont pas assez soutenues ou sont découragées dans la voie qu’elles ont choisi. J’espère que toutes ensemble, nous pouvons changer ça. Pour moi c’est une question de résistance. Ce que les autres montraient de moi comme des défauts – ma couleur de peau, mon genre – je m’en suis servie pour mon succès. Je ne laisse rien ni personne définir ce que je suis ou mon potentiel. J’ai choisi mon futur. Alors quand le sujet de l’égalité salariale revient sur le tapis, cela me frustre car je sais que, comme vous, j’ai fait le même travail et les mêmes sacrifices que mes homologues masculins. Je ne voudrais pas que ma fille soit moins payée que mon fils pour le même travail. Vous non plus.
Nous le savons, les femmes doivent abattre de nombreuses barrières pour sur la route qui mène au succès. L’une de ses barrières, c’est la manière dont on nous rappelle constamment que nous ne sommes pas des hommes, comme si c’était un défaut. On dit de moi que je suis “l’une des meilleures athlètes féminines”. Est-ce qu’on dit de LeBron [James] qu’il est “l’un des meilleurs athlètes masculins” ? Dit-on cela de Tiger [Woods] ? Ou de [Roger] Federer ? Pourquoi pas ? Ils ne sont pourtant certainement pas des femmes. Nous ne devrions jamais laisser ce genre de choses arriver. Nous devrions être jugés sur nos résultats, non sur notre sexe.
Pour tout ce que j’ai accompli dans ma vie, je suis profondément reconnaissante d’avoir eu des bas et des hauts, qui accompagnent toujours le succès. Et j’espère que mon histoire, et les vôtres, inspireront toutes les jeunes femmes, les encourageront à donner le meilleur d’elles-même, à suivre leur rêve avec une ténacité inébranlable. Nous devons continuer à rêver grand, et en faisant cela, nous encourageons la prochaine génération de femmes à être aussi audacieuses que leurs rêves. »
Serena Williams
Serena Williams wrote a powerful open letter “to all incredible women who strive for excellence” about gender and sexism for the December issue of Porter magazine. The letter was part of the Incredible Women of 2016 issue reprinted by the Guardian.
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To all incredible women who strive for excellence,
When I was growing up, I had a dream. I’m sure you did, too. My dream wasn’t like that of an average kid, my dream was to be the best tennis player in the world. Not the best “female” tennis player in the world.
I was fortunate to have a family that supported my dream and encouraged me to follow it. I learned not to be afraid. I learned how important it is to fight for a dream and, most importantly, to dream big. My fight began when I was three and I haven’t taken a break since.
But as we know, too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that. For me, it was a question of resilience. What others marked as flaws or disadvantages about myself – my race, my gender – I embraced as fuel for my success. I never let anything or anyone define me or my potential. I controlled my future.
So when the subject of equal pay comes up, it frustrates me because I know firsthand that I, like you, have done the same work and made the same sacrifices as our male counterparts. I would never want my daughter to be paid less than my son for the same work. Nor would you.
As we know, women have to break down many barriers on the road to success. One of those barriers is the way we are constantly reminded we are not men, as if it is a flaw. People call me one of the “world’s greatest female athletes”. Do they say LeBron is one of the world’s best male athletes? Is Tiger? Federer? Why not? They are certainly not female. We should never let this go unchallenged. We should always be judged by our achievements, not by our gender.
For everything I’ve achieved in my life, I am profoundly grateful to have experienced the highs and lows that come with success. It is my hope that my story, and yours, will inspire all young women out there to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience. We must continue to dream big, and in doing so, we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits.
Serena Williams
« ¡ Las ideas no se matan ! » « Ideas cannot be killed ! »
This is the sentence shouted out to the killing squad which was about to execute Fidel Castro on 26 July 1953, and this saved him. Indeed, El Commandante stood for ideas and above all for love: love of humanity, and planet earth. He understood that imperialism was nullifying the human being, and crushing people under its hands. He worked for the freedom of mankind. Fidel showed us that the size of a country or its people does not matter when fighting for great ideas and principles. Cuba is a small country, but its actions, its help, has been immense to Africa for the past 50 years. Even to this day, doctors across Africa are trained in Cuba, and Cuban doctors have vastly supported the health-care services of many countries including Ghana.
Nelson Mandela wrote from Robben Island, about Cuba: “It was the first time that a country had come from another continent not to take something away, but to help Africans to achieve their freedom.” Indeed, Cuba’s help to Africa has been selfless, and loving, and that of true brotherhood.
As a towering figure who stayed true to his Marxist-Leninist ideology even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Fidel Castro has empowered countless Africans. The struggle for liberation from colonial powers by Africans benefited vastly from help from this little country in the western hemisphere.
When Africa cried, Cuba was there. When Portuguese were killing, subjugating, imprisoning Angolans, Bissau-Guineans, Cape Verdians, Mozambicans, Cuba was there. When Apartheid and the South African regime was oppressing (with support of the Western world) Black South Africans cried, and Fidel heed their calls. When Lumumba was killed, and Congo at lost, they called and Fidel answered. When Namibia was crushed, Fidel and Cuba helped free them from the Apartheid regime. When Ethiopians needed help, Fidel provided troops and expertise. When France was perpetrating a genocide in Algeria, Cuba helped free them.
Castro’s support for Africa’s liberation led him to meet with some of the continent’s leaders including Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Sam Nujoma of Namibia, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Responding to calls for help from the Angolan leader
Agostinho Neto who was trying to liberate his country from the Portuguese, Castro sent troops to Angola. Today, Angola is free of civil war thanks to the unfailing support of Fidel. Cuban soldiers are documented to have fought alongside Namibians and South Africans to prevent the apartheid regime from spreading all over southern Africa. They have also helped in Mozambique, and Guinea Bissau & Cape Verde supporting Amilcar Cabral. Between 1966 and 1974 a small Cuban force proved pivotal in the Guineans’ victory over the Portuguese. This time Cuba’s involvement also stretched to medical support (Cuban doctors) and technical know-how. Ultimately, Cuba’s successful battle against South Africa in Angola also hastened the Apartheid regime’s withdrawal from Namibia after 70 years of occupation, and led to that country’s subsequent independence.
Cuban troops have since the 1960s, served in Algeria, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Libya. Cuba was a thorn for the imperialists in Africa, France in Algeria, Portugal, Great Britain, South Africa, etc.
In a 1998 speech, Fidel Castro told the South African Parliament (it was his first visit to the country) that by the end of the Cold War at least 381,432 Cuban soldiers and officers had been on duty or “fought hand-in-hand with African soldiers and officers in this continent for national independence or against foreign aggression.”
Given this history, it was no surprise that one of Mandela’s first trips outside South Africa – after he was freed – was to Havana. There, in July 1991, Mandela, referred to Castro as “a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people,” adding that Cuba, under Castro’s leadership “helped us in training our people, gave us resources to keep current with our struggle, trained our people as doctors.” At the end of his Cuban trip, Mandela responded to American criticism about his loyalty to Castro and Cuba: “We are now being advised about Cuba by people who have supported the Apartheid regime these last 40 years. No honorable man or woman could ever accept advice from people who never cared for us at the most difficult times.”
Altogether fitting was Cuban President Raul Castro’s address at Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013. In Johannesburg, Raul reminded his audience: “We shall never forget Mandela’s moving homage to our common struggle when on the occasion of his visit to our country on July 26, 1991, he said, and I quote, ‘the Cuban people have a special place in the hearts of the peoples of Africa’.”
Upon arrival in Havana, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe said, “Fidel was not just your leader. He was our leader and the leader of all revolutionaries.”
So in essence, many countries in Africa became independent thanks to Cuba and Fidel Castro, thanks to his ideals and his love of freedom. I am not sure that there is a single African country which has not benefited in some way shape or form from Cuba. We all owe Fidel our love, our lives, our freedom, and we salute him: So long El Commandante, thanks to you, we are free! Thanks to you, we fought a long battle and won! thanks to you, we started new chapters and became ‘free’ countries! Africa owes you so much!
African Heritage 