Advert
Friday, 29 March 2013
Monday, 4 March 2013
Construction of Lagos to Abidjan Expressway Begins 2014
Construction of Lagos to Abidjan Expressway Begins 2014: President Goodluck Jonathan. Muhammad Bello. The stretch of international roaad linking Nigeria's economic hub, Lagos with Abidjan, the Ivorien capital would commence next year President Goodluck Jonathan intimated Saturday.
See all stories on this topic »
See all stories on this topic »
Nurturing Democracy in Kenya through the Arts
Nurturing Democracy in Kenya through the Arts: Guest Post by George Gachara
2010 YouthActionNet® Fellow George Gachara recently co-founded the NEST Arts Company
in Nairobi, Kenya as a forum for artists, writers, youth workers,
actors, and citizens to express themselves and nurture the creative
spirit. In advance of Kenya’s national elections on March 4, George
shares his reflections on the vital connection between the arts and
2010 YouthActionNet® Fellow George Gachara recently co-founded the NEST Arts Company
in Nairobi, Kenya as a forum for artists, writers, youth workers,
actors, and citizens to express themselves and nurture the creative
spirit. In advance of Kenya’s national elections on March 4, George
shares his reflections on the vital connection between the arts and
Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance:
I had a shocking experience several years ago noticing a neighbor’s young daughter would constantly cry in the morning while her mother was bathing her. Upon inquiry, the young girl’s senior sister casually told me in Hausa that “An yi mata kachiya ne” (she had a circumcision). To say I was shocked by what I heard is an understatement. I could not believe my ears. I had heard about such practices but thought they had long been stopped. When I asked my mother about it, she told me it is alive and still practiced in certain communities. Further inquiries showed the principal reason given in most cultures for this practice is “to prevent the girl from becoming promiscuous” while others regard it as an important rite of passage.
Thankfully the international community has risen up against this harmful practice. Thus, the designation of February 6 each year as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. It is quite interesting that the observance of the day was initiated by then Nigeria’s first lady on behalf of the first ladies group consisting of Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry and Mali in 2003. They made an official declaration on “Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)" during a conference organized by the NGO, Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children. It is, however, not surprising African women spearheaded this fight considering the fact it is most commonly practiced in sub-Saharan Africa.
What is FGM? It’s a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. This is usually done by untrained trado-medical personnel without the use of any kind of anesthesia. Apart from the pain and trauma, it could result in bleeding, infection, birth complications and even death. Sadly it is estimated over 100 million women around the world have undergone this procedure and millions more are at risk.
In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution, titled "Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation," calling for international efforts to eliminate the harmful traditional practice. Last year, then U.S. Secretary of State Clinton hosted the first-ever event at the Department of State to commemorate International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. She noted “we cannot excuse this as a cultural tradition… We cannot excuse it as a private matter because it has very broad public implications… And as we think about the rights of young girls to be free from both physical and mental violence, we can understand why this is such an important issue that deserves attention from the United States Congress and from leaders across the globe.”
Thankfully the international community has risen up against this harmful practice. Thus, the designation of February 6 each year as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. It is quite interesting that the observance of the day was initiated by then Nigeria’s first lady on behalf of the first ladies group consisting of Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry and Mali in 2003. They made an official declaration on “Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)" during a conference organized by the NGO, Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children. It is, however, not surprising African women spearheaded this fight considering the fact it is most commonly practiced in sub-Saharan Africa.
What is FGM? It’s a procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. This is usually done by untrained trado-medical personnel without the use of any kind of anesthesia. Apart from the pain and trauma, it could result in bleeding, infection, birth complications and even death. Sadly it is estimated over 100 million women around the world have undergone this procedure and millions more are at risk.
In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution, titled "Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation," calling for international efforts to eliminate the harmful traditional practice. Last year, then U.S. Secretary of State Clinton hosted the first-ever event at the Department of State to commemorate International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. She noted “we cannot excuse this as a cultural tradition… We cannot excuse it as a private matter because it has very broad public implications… And as we think about the rights of young girls to be free from both physical and mental violence, we can understand why this is such an important issue that deserves attention from the United States Congress and from leaders across the globe.”
Catholic Church: Black Pope?
Catholic Church: Black Pope?:
It
can seem to the contemporary mind that the papacy is a purely European
institution, and predominantly an Italian one to boot. In fact, the
early popes reflected the diversity of the early church — a community
that was born in the Middle East and spread around the Mediterranean
basin, from Greece to Rome and the Iberian peninsula and with great
success to North Africa.
"North Africa was the Bible Belt of
early Christianity," said Christopher Bellitto, a church historian at
Kean University in New Jersey. "Carthage was the buckle," he added,
referring to the city located in modern-day Tunisia.
So it
should be no surprise that three early popes hailed from that region:
the 14th pope, Victor I (circa 189-198 A.D.); the 32nd pope, Miltiades
(311-314 A.D.); and the 49th pope, Gelasius I (492-496 A.D.).
According to the sixth-century Liber Pontificalis, the earliest known
record of the popes, Victor was from North Africa, while Miltiades and
Gelasius likely were born in Rome to families of African origin.
Interestingly, Victor was the first pope to speak Latin because
Christians in Rome were still using Greek in the liturgy. As one
historian has written, it was "remarkable ... that Latin should have won
recognition as the language of African Christianity from the outset,
while the Roman church was still using Greek."
But were these three African popes "black" in the sense that we would define race today? And did it matter back then?
The Rev. Cyprian Davis, a Benedictine priest who is a leading
historian of African-American Catholicism, notes that by Pope Victor's
time, the Roman aristocracy had large holdings in North Africa. It's not
clear, however, whether these so-called African popes came from those
families or from the rural, somewhat darker-skinned indigenous
population known as the Berbers.
Davis said the best bet for
what we would consider a "black" pope is probably Victor, but he added
that the church and the empire of those early centuries were a mosaic of
colors and ethnicities.
"It's important for us to look and
say that yes, the early papacy was not white. No, it was much more
diverse than you might think," Davis said.
Moreover, race as we think of it today did not have quite the same meaning back then.
"When you say 'black pope,' you have to think Roman Empire, not
African-American," as Bellitto put it. Some popes in those days — along
with many renowned saints and martyrs and bishops like St. Augustine of
Hippo — probably looked more like modern Arabs than any pontiff of the
last millennium.
Still, if the cardinals elect Turkson or another
cardinal from sub-Saharan Africa, any of them would represent a historic
first for the church, geographically and racially. Africa is one of the
fastest growing centers of global Catholicism.
"I don't
want to say that we blacks have arrived again, and what was once, now
we're back!" said Davis with a soft laugh. But, he continued, "I'm sure
black Catholics like myself would think it's a wonderful thing."
An article I found on USA today. Read below...
'The early papacy was not white, it was much more diverse,' says a historian of African-American Catholicism.
Ghanaian cardinal Peter Turkson is frequently mentioned amid all the speculation about who might succeed Pope Benedict XVI. If picked, some would see him as the first African and the first black pontiff in the nearly 2,000-year history of the papacy.
But in all that time has there really never been a black pope? Or anHmmmm. Continue reading...
African pope? It depends on what you mean by "black" and by "African."
It
can seem to the contemporary mind that the papacy is a purely European
institution, and predominantly an Italian one to boot. In fact, the
early popes reflected the diversity of the early church — a community
that was born in the Middle East and spread around the Mediterranean
basin, from Greece to Rome and the Iberian peninsula and with great
success to North Africa.
"North Africa was the Bible Belt of
early Christianity," said Christopher Bellitto, a church historian at
Kean University in New Jersey. "Carthage was the buckle," he added,
referring to the city located in modern-day Tunisia.
So it
should be no surprise that three early popes hailed from that region:
the 14th pope, Victor I (circa 189-198 A.D.); the 32nd pope, Miltiades
(311-314 A.D.); and the 49th pope, Gelasius I (492-496 A.D.).
According to the sixth-century Liber Pontificalis, the earliest known
record of the popes, Victor was from North Africa, while Miltiades and
Gelasius likely were born in Rome to families of African origin.
Interestingly, Victor was the first pope to speak Latin because
Christians in Rome were still using Greek in the liturgy. As one
historian has written, it was "remarkable ... that Latin should have won
recognition as the language of African Christianity from the outset,
while the Roman church was still using Greek."
But were these three African popes "black" in the sense that we would define race today? And did it matter back then?
The Rev. Cyprian Davis, a Benedictine priest who is a leading
historian of African-American Catholicism, notes that by Pope Victor's
time, the Roman aristocracy had large holdings in North Africa. It's not
clear, however, whether these so-called African popes came from those
families or from the rural, somewhat darker-skinned indigenous
population known as the Berbers.
Davis said the best bet for
what we would consider a "black" pope is probably Victor, but he added
that the church and the empire of those early centuries were a mosaic of
colors and ethnicities.
"It's important for us to look and
say that yes, the early papacy was not white. No, it was much more
diverse than you might think," Davis said.
Moreover, race as we think of it today did not have quite the same meaning back then.
"When you say 'black pope,' you have to think Roman Empire, not
African-American," as Bellitto put it. Some popes in those days — along
with many renowned saints and martyrs and bishops like St. Augustine of
Hippo — probably looked more like modern Arabs than any pontiff of the
last millennium.
Still, if the cardinals elect Turkson or another
cardinal from sub-Saharan Africa, any of them would represent a historic
first for the church, geographically and racially. Africa is one of the
fastest growing centers of global Catholicism.
"I don't
want to say that we blacks have arrived again, and what was once, now
we're back!" said Davis with a soft laugh. But, he continued, "I'm sure
black Catholics like myself would think it's a wonderful thing."
Abia State University revokes former governor Orji Kalu’s 1st degree certificate
Abia State University revokes former governor Orji Kalu’s 1st degree certificate:
Abia State University released a statement yesterday Saturday March 2nd saying that they have withdrawn the degree certificate they awarded the former governor of the state, Uzor Orji Kalu.
The school said they took the decision after they found out that the former governor's admission was flawed. Orji Kalu enrolled at the university when he was governor of the state but only spent two semesters there.
The school is now saying his admission and graduation violated the school's rules and regulations. They didn't know before giving him the certificate? Lol and SMH!
The school said they took the decision after they found out that the former governor's admission was flawed. Orji Kalu enrolled at the university when he was governor of the state but only spent two semesters there.
The school is now saying his admission and graduation violated the school's rules and regulations. They didn't know before giving him the certificate? Lol and SMH!
Big A Entertainment artist, Ruffcoin, releases his first album
Big A Entertainment artist, Ruffcoin, releases his first album:
Ruffcoin has just released his first album under Big A Entertainment.
The Album titled "Diamond in the Ruff, features several top acts
including 2face Idibia, Iyanya, Timaya, Flavour, Ruggedman, M. I Abaga,
Phyno, Sound Sultan, and More. As a sneak peek, listen to 2 songs of the
album, "30-40" (ft Phyno and Baller. The album is on the streets and on
Itunes now. See sneak peak HERE
See the album track list after the cut...
The Album titled "Diamond in the Ruff, features several top acts
including 2face Idibia, Iyanya, Timaya, Flavour, Ruggedman, M. I Abaga,
Phyno, Sound Sultan, and More. As a sneak peek, listen to 2 songs of the
album, "30-40" (ft Phyno and Baller. The album is on the streets and on
Itunes now. See sneak peak HERE
See the album track list after the cut...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)