A photo that made history

(c) Sam Nzima

June 16 is celebrated worldwide as the Day of the African Child. It is a special date. On 16 June 1976 the photographer Sam Nzima was commissioned to report on a demonstration in Soweto for the “black” South African newspaper The World. Soweto was the largest township in the southwest of Johannesburg. For weeks, an order of the apartheid regime had been causing growing wrath among the one and a half million black inhabitants.

 

 

The causes of the Soweto uprising

The lessons in the schools should also be held in Afrikaans, the language of the white Apartheid regime, the Burian elite. The black majority was once again declassed and unfairly disadvantaged. The students of Soweto took to the streets and demonstrated against the new decree. It had become known in the press that the police would also use firearms in an emergency. Everyone who had a camera that day rushed to Soweto to witness the event. Also Sam Nzima. At first the demo was peaceful, the students say the song “Nkosi Sikelele”, which was forbidden in South Africa at that time. The policemen fired aimlessly into the crowd, the students ran apart in panic. Another shot was fired, a boy fell to the ground fatally injured. It was 13-year-old Hector Pieterson. Sam Nzima was on the scene, he shot photos of an older boy picking up the injured student and carrying him out of the combat zone. It was Mbuyisa Makhubo. Hector’s stunned sister Antoinette ran beside him.

Hector Pieterson, Mbuyisa Makhubo and Hector’s sister Antoinette (c) Sam Nzima

Hector was already dead before Mbuyisa Makhubo could hoist him into the vehicle of Sam Nzima. The photographer hid the film in his sock just before he was stopped by police and forced to hand out his camera. In South Africa at that time it was forbidden to photograph the police during their missions.

What happened afterwards…

to Sam Nzima

The daily newspaper The World, run by black Africans and employing Sam Nzima, decided to publish the photos despite the ban. The world should see what happened in South Africa. Soon after, Sam Nzima was visited and threatened by the police. He had to choose between job and life. Nzima understood, he resigned. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to one year and seven months in prison. His photo, however, went around the world. It showed the trauma of the black population of South Africa, it shook up people all over the world. The photo marked a turning point, it was the beginning of the end of apartheid. It was not until decades later that Sam Nzima received the copyright to the photo. In August 2018 Sam Nzima died.

to Hector Pieterson

He was buried a few days later on the Avalon Cemetery. On June 16, 2002, the 26th anniversary of his death, the Hector Pieterson Museum was opened in Soweto’s township of Orlando. Nelson Mandela inaugurated the Hector Pieterson Memorial. Since 1991 the Day of the African Child reminds of Hector Pieterson, it became a symbol for children’s rights.

to Mbuyisa Makhubo

He was accused of having himself photographed with the deadly wounded student to discredit the white government and the police. Mbuyisa Makhubo disappeared because he had to expect a prison sentence. His family later reported that he had changed after the rescue of Hector Pieterson. He felt guilty that he could not save the boy. His disappeared. His family never heard from him again.

Every year on June 16th the Day of the African Child is celebrated, each year with another motto. In 2019, the theme is “Humanitarian Action in Africa: Children’s Rights First”. Children’s voices must have weight in decisions that affect their concerns and their future.

Angelika and the team of afrika4teens commemorates all those who participated in the 1976 Soweto uprising, especially Hector Pieterson, Sam Nzima and Mbuyisa Makhubo.

More on South Africa and Apartheid

The Tropical Cyclone Idai and Global Warming

What do tropical cyclones have to do with climate change?

Displaced people in Bangula, an evacuation camp (c) L.Masina

At the beginning of March a cyclone had formed over the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Mozambique. There was a first landfall in Mozambique on March 6. Destructive winds devasted coastal communities. Flash floods destroyed inland communities. The cyclone raced back to the sea and became stronger and stronger. On March 14, the cyclone returned to East Africa‘s coast, and made its second landfall near the city of Beira. In a short time, a storm flood devastated entire areas of Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It has destroyed villages and towns and has left hundreds of thousands homeless. The city of Beira was the worst hit. 500,000 inhabitants had no electricity, communications were crippled, all roads out were rendered impassable. Many people lost their lives, officals estimate that 1000 or more have died in the floods.

What’s a cyclone?

Cyclone Idai’s Downfall near Beira, Mozambique

Cyclones are tropical storms that form over the Pacific Ocean. Seen from satelite, it looks like a milky swirl with an „eye“ in its center.  There were always cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere, but since the 1950s they have become more frequent and violent. They sweep across the sea, by moving over water they become very fast and extremely strong. Cyclone Idai formed over the Indian Ocean, between Africa‘s east coast and the coast of Madagascar. The storm was zigzagging back and forth over the see before it hit the coast. On the map on the left you can see the path it took between March 4 and March 15. It reached a top speed of 195 km. This is why the cyclone had such a destructive power when it hit Beira. It was so strong that it destroyed most of the city of Beira. Idai is the eleventh tropical storm since last year, and it is also the heaviest storm.

When did help arrive?

People seek shelter from the floods on the roofs of their houses

The rivers had grown into lakes, the Beira airport was closed. The national state of emergency was declared. Only three days later could helpers land with helicopters at the damaged airport of the city. They were the first to use satellite telephones to report on the extent of the crisis. Neighbouring South Africa immediately sent a helicopter fleet and rescued people from areas cut off from the outside world. International aid programmes were quickly coordinated. Chinese emergency responders in red jackets transported food to the affected areas. Danish, German, Swiss and American aid organisations built emergency shelters and provided medical care for the injured. The THW, a technical organisation from Germany, built a water treatment plant near Beira. The Indian Navy sent three ships to provide humanitarian aid. Time was pressing, because the worst is not over yet. People are afraid that epidemics will break out due to contaminated water.

What does global warming has to do with the cyclone?

Helpers in search of missing peoples.

Climate researchers are divided as to whether the cyclones will become more frequent and stronger as a result of global warming. One of them, Anders Levermann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), says: “It is difficult to make detailed predictions for the future occurrence of hurricanes. It is absolutely clear, however, that global warming will enable them to absorb more energy from water in the future. And this will also increase the destructive power of these events.” In other words, tropical cyclones will become stronger as a result of climate change. Rising sea levels will also make storms more threatening.

Fridays for Future

Coastal inhabitants in tropical areas are most affected by climate change, in India, Asia and Africa. These people cannot wait until researchers provide clear statistical results on extreme weather events. Every year they experience more and worse storms that destroy their towns and villages. They cannot wait for politicians around the world to agree on what they want to do about global warming. The West and its extreme consumption of ressources is the most important cause of climate change. That’s why pupils in Europe and elsewhere don’t go to school on Friday but attend the demos. The school can wait. The environment can’t. Fridays for Future! Greta Thunberg has explained that the demos against climate change are more important for the future than school on Friday!

Angelika and the team of afrika-junior

Women’s Power in Ethiopia

Ahmed Abiy is welcomed in Eritrea

In Ethiopia the Democratic Unity Party ruled the country for quite a long time. During this time the opposition was oppressed, and the protests of young Ethiopians were suppressed. But the anger of the young people couldn’t be suppressed in the long run. Last year’s election of Abiy Ahmed as the new prime minister brought a surprising change: He has accelerated a radical reform programme that is overturning politics in Ethiopia. He has ended a state of emergency imposed to quell widespread unrest. The government is becoming more democratic and more female politicans are in the cabinet.

 

A wind of change in Ethiopia

Sahle-Work Zewde

Since the election in 2018, exactly half of all ministries are headed by women, which is unprecedented in this once patriarchal country. The highlight: since the end of last year, a woman has been at the top of the new government: Sahle-Work Zewde. She was unanimously elected the country’s first president. Does she have the most power in the country? Not really, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has it. Sahle-Work Zewde’s main task is to represent. As President of Ethiopia, she is the first woman to hold the office. She will increase the influence of women on the destiny of the country and its peoples.

 

 

Freedom in Ethiopia and peace in East Africa

Muferiat Kamil, Ethiopian Ministry of Peace

Sahle-Work Zewde is supported by a number of female politicians, because half of the cabinet is occupied by women. This concentrated women’s power will ensure that much will change in Ethiopia in favour of women and girls. They now decide on the military, the police and the secret service. This is new in Africa and for the whole world. Muferiat Kamil heads the newly created Ministry for Peace, which will become a super ministry, responsible for police and secret services. The government thus acclaims the outstanding role of women in the search for peace and the reconciliation between the various parties and ethnic groups in the country.

 

 

 

Will Ethiopia become a better place for women and girls?

Female politicians in Ethiopia want to promote equal rights, improve education for girls and end female circumcision, which has been already abolished but still is practiced. For Toyba Ibrahim, a 20-year-old student, the future looks mixed, especially because women in Ethiopia have not been treated equally in the past. They played no role in education, business or politics. The fact that a female President has been appointed gives her courage:

“Our mothers and grandmothers really suffered in the past, equal rights for women was a foreign word. But especially after the recent changes, I hope that life will be better for women. Political decisions make me believe that we will have the same opportunities as men in the future”.

 

The team of africa4teens wishes Sahle-Work Zewde and her colleagues the very best in making Ethiopia a better place for girls and women.

 

More on Ethiopia

PREVIEW: In April we will continue our account on investigative journalism in Africa.

Investigative Journalists in Africa

On the occasion of the murder of the investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale in Accra on 16 January this year, we report on African journalists who uncover corruption in politics and business.

 

The Stars in Investigative Journalism in West Africa

Anas Anayarema Anas is the star among the investigative journalists in Ghana. He overthrows politicians, judges and football officials: Anas Aremeyaw Anas is part of a small but growing professional group in Africa. He founded “Tiger Eye I.P.”, a secret group of journalists who uncover the corruption of governments and institutions. They finance themselves through crowd funding, sometimes working with the police or with international press agencies such as the BBC.

 

The Activities of Tiger Eye

In a remarkable research, the group found 34 Ghanaian judges guilty of corruption, trafficking of children and prostitutes, and murders of albinos. Anas often disguises himself for his research, slipping into the role of a mentally ill person and spending several weeks in a psychiatric clinic. Ana’s life insurance: He and his collegues hide their faces in public interviews with hats that have hundreds of threads with plastic beads covering their faces. “Anonymity is my  weapon,” Anas said at the beginning of 2018 in an interview with the TV station KTN, “I call the ‘Bad Guys’ by their names and bring them behind bars. That’s not conventional journalism. It’s my understanding of what journalism should be.”

Investigative Journalists, the modern Folk Heroes of Africa

Journalists like Anas are particularly important as a regulatory force in Africa. Many African countries remain de facto one-party regimes, dominating both government and parliament. This means that the people’s representation’s ability to  control the government is limited. The law enforcement agencies are not always independent either. Anas and his Tiger Eyes see themselves as the fourth force of the government. They are something like the fourth power in the state and enjoy the support of the masses. But the protection unfortunately does not always work. That’s what happened in the last case of corruption that a member of Tiger Eye uncovered.

Corruption in West African Football

Recently, Tiger Eye has caused a stir with its research on corruption in West African football. Anas and his team spent two years researching corruption in West African football for the BBC. Especially in Ghana, he and his team had repeatedly offered referees and officials money to influence the outcome of matches. Most accepted. In the end, Ghana’s president of the national football association  resigned and dozens of referees were banned. Tiger Eye did a documentary about its research entitled “Number 12”, which had its premiere in June 2018. The crackdown followed earlier this year: On 16 January, a member of Tiger Eye – Ahmed Hussein-Suale – was found shot dead near his home in Accra. Ghanaian police believe he was murdered for his critical reporting. In addition, Ghanaian politician Kennedy Agyapong started a campaign to spread the word that Tiger Eye’s team had attacked him with their under cover methods. He publicly called for Anas to be hanged and made sure that Hussein Suele’s face, in particular, became publicly known through a private TV station.

To be continued… in the next months we will report on investigative journalism in South Africa

Angelika and the team of africa4teens

 

Indigenous Peoples, their Rights and our Future

In 2007, the United Nations ratified the Declaration on the Rights of indigenous peoples. This was an essential and long overdue step by the UN to guarantee the legal situation of indigenous peoples worldwide. According to the UN, there are about 370 million indigenous people worldwide. Why do indigenous peoples have special rights alongside universal human rights? Indigenous people are peoples without passports, without national borders, without a guaranteed right to their land and environment. They need special legal protection. This concerns in particular the right to live their original way of life and culture as well as the right to their living space and the resources that belong to their land.

 

Does the UN Declaration protect Indigenous Peoples in Africa?

Great progress has been made since the UN Declaration in 2007. But in terms of their land and resources, the rights of indigenous peoples have not yet been adequately safeguarded. This is partly due to discrimination against their culture and way of life, and partly due to a lack of support from governments that do not adequately safeguard their rights. In Africa, this particularly affects sub-Saharan Indigenous Peoples, including the Himba, the San, the Baka Forest Peoples and many more, many of whom live as their ancestors did more than ten thousand years ago.

Conflicts often arise because valuable mineral resources are mined in the territories of indigenous peoples and these are displaced or forcibly resettled. This happened in Botswana, where the San were expelled from their hunting grounds in the Kalahari two decades ago to mine diamonds on an industrial scale. The Endorois in Kenya suffered a similar fate. They were also expelled, but for another reason: their territory was declared a national park.

 

Conservation of Wildlife and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

2010 was an important year for the Endorois and all other indigenous peoples of Africa. For the first time in the continent’s history, the African Commission on Human Rights (ACHPR) has granted the Endorois their land rights. After long disputes, they were allowed to return to their territory in February 2010. They also received a share of the profits made on their land.

In this legal dispute, the conflict-laden relationship between the nature conservation of ecologically valuable areas and the territorial law of the indigenous peoples living there became clear for the first time. In the case of the Baka peoples in the Congo Basin and the WWF, this conflict has been boiling again since 2018. This is about the tropical rainforests in the heart of Africa. The WWF wants to establish a large nature reserve in the Congo region. However, according to the Baka living there, it has not reached an agreement with them. Rangers engaged by the WWF deny them hunting in their area. Survival International fights with the Baka to preserve their habitat. The forest is their lifeline and provides them with food and medicinal plants. A life outside the forest is unthinkable for them. Studies have shown that indigenous peoples like the Baka, who have no access to their forests, fall ill and die earlier.

 

Conservation of Wildlife and “Green Colonialism”

This conflict once again shows that nature conservation and animal welfare are very important. But they must not happen at the expense and not without the will of the indigenous peoples. Even more, only with the help of the ingenious knowledge of these peoples can ecologically valuable regions be preserved. Because they are the ones who have maintained the balance in these areas for thousands of years. Would our planet have a future without their knowledge? It can be doubted.

Survival International is a human rights organisation working for indigenous peoples and is campaigning for a focus on national parks and indigenous peoples. Its 50 years of commitment have shown that sustainable nature conservation is only possible with the participation of indigenous peoples.

More about Survival International‘s Campaign to protect indigenious peoples

The Nobel Peace Prize 2018 is a Signal against War-Time Sexual Violence

The Nobel Peace Prize is the most important prize awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. This year, it was awarded to two personalities for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Denis Mukwege, the “miracle doctor” of the Congo

Denis Mukwege

The Congolese physician Denis Mukwege is a gynaecologist. He is regarded as a leading expert in the treatment of injuries caused by gang rape. His involvement began in the mid-nineties, when the civil war raged in Congo. More and more women, who had become victims of sexual violence consulted him. In 1999 Denis Mukwege opened the Panzi Hospital for raped war victims. The hospital is located in Eastern Congo, where several militias are fighting for control of the mineral resources. At that time it was considered taboo to report on sexual violence. Since then he has treated thousands of women and children. His patients call him a “miracle doctor”, because many owe their survival to him or can lead a dignified existence despite terrible mutilations.

As a human rights activist, he is also politically active against sexual violence. In the Congo, he fights against the use of rape as a weapon of war. He has repeatedly condemmed impunity for mass rape and he has criticised the Congolese government for not taking action. He has also called for greater international commitment to ending the armed conflicts in Congo.

The Congolese government announced that it feels honoured by the award for a Congolese, but at the same time criticised Denis Mukwege for his political stance.

 

Nadia Murad fights against sexual enslavement

Nadia Murat

Denis Mukwege shares the Nobel Peace Prize with human rights activist Nadia Murad, member of the Yazidi. Nadia Murad is herself a victim of war crimes. She was enslaved and raped by the terrorist militia “Islamic State”.  Nadia Murad refused to accept the social codes that require women to remain silent and ashamed of the abuses to which they have been subjected. She has shown uncommon courage in recounting her own sufferings and speaking up on behalf of other victims.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has recalled that “it is a decade since the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1820 (2008), which determined that the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict constitutes both a war crime and a threat to international peace and security. This is also set out in the Rome Statute of 1998, which governs the work of the International Criminal Court. The Statute establishes that sexual violence in war and armed conflict is a grave violation of international law.  A more peaceful world can only be achieved if women and their fundamental rights and security are recognised and protected in war.”

Internationally, there was overwhelming support for the committee’s decision as well as for Mukwege and Murad. For both Nobel Peace Prize winners, the award on Friday came as a complete surprise: the jury had reached neither Mukwege nor Murad before the announcement.

 

 

Elections in Zimbabwe – what the Change of Power means for the young Zimbabweans

Election in Zimbabwe (c) Dj Cky Blue

The resignation of the dictator Robert Mugabe

Robert Mugabe

Freedom – that is what many in Zimbabwe hope for. In 2017, the long time dictator Robert Mugabe was forced to resign. His fall was celebrated, because Mugabe had terrorized the people in the country, expropriated the white farmers and started a clean-up campaign against the opposition – under the name “Operation Murambatsvina”, in English: “waste disposal”. After military intervention, Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeded 93-year-old Mugabe. The elections on 30 July confirmed Mnangagwa in office. More than 50 percent of the Zimbabweans voted for him.

 

Who is Emmerson Mnangagwa?

Emmerson Mnangagwa (c) Voice of America

The 75-year-old Mnangagwa is regarded as a cunning politician and long-time political companion of President Mugabe. His political cunning earned him the nickname “the crocodile”. The former head of the secret service is said to have been responsible for violent riots against opposition supporters in the 2008 elections. Now irregularities have also emerged in this election. International observers reported irregularities in the run-up to the elections, such as voter intimidation, partisan media and a biased election commission in favour of the ruling party Zanu-PF.

 

 

Riots against the Election

After the announcement of the interim results, protesters have taken to the streets in the capital of Harare to accuse the government of vote rigging, with the military drafted in to disperse them using live rounds. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa called the published figures wrong. He vowed to fight election result. At least six people died in military clashes with demonstrators. As Mnangagwa calls for peace, Zimbabwe is bubbling. Now heavily armed policemen dominate the streets of Harare.

 

What do the young Zimbabweans want?

Street vendor in Zimbabwe

Voting by young Zimbabweans is seen as the key to changing the political climate. After all, 46 percent of Zimbabweans are under 35, and how they voted is not yet clear. Especially opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, who is 35 years younger than Mnangagwa, addressed the young people in his election campaign. He and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) stand for a democratic change of the country. But the economy, which urgently needs new impetus, has top priority for many. Good jobs are rare, even university graduates work as street vendors to make ends meet. Thus Mnangagwa will have involve Nelson Chamisa and his party in the affairs of government. Otherwise he will not receive international acknowledgement which he badly needs; which means that in the long run, Zimbabweans have every reason to hope for change.

 

More on Zimbabwe

More on gold diggers in Zimbabwe

100 Years Nelson Mandela

When Nelson Mandela was born on a stormy day in  July 18th 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa, his father gave him the name Rholihaha, which means in the Xhosa language “troublemaker”. Did he have any idea that his youngest son would become Africa’s most important peacemakers?

Mandela’s Education

Nelson Mandela took part in the activities and initiation ceremonies of his local tribe. However, unlike his father Nelson Mandela gained a western education, studying at the University College of Fort Hare and also the University of Witwatersrand. Nelson qualified with a law degree in 1942. That’s why later on he was able to build bridges between the white and the black peoples of South Africa.

Resistance to White Domination

In Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela came into contact with the African National Congress, the ANC, who called for better working conditions for black people. Nelson Mandela founded the youth league of the ANC together with some of his fellow activists. They ignored the laws of racial segregation. Thousands took part in the actions. In 1956, Nelson Mandela, along with several other members of the ANC were arrested and charged with treason. After a lengthy court case, the defendants were finally acquitted in 1961. The ANC was banned, Mandela’s career was ruined. When in 1960 the Sharpville massacre occured, in which 69 students were shot by the police Nelson Mandela suggested an active armed resistance to the apartheid regime. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe, which would act as a guerilla resistance movement. Receiving training in other African countries, Nelson Mandela took part in active sabotage.

The Move to Armed Struggle

In 1963, Mandela was again arrested and put on trial for treason. This time the State succeeded in convicting Mandela of plotting to overthrow the government. However, the case received considerable international attention and the apartheid regime of South Africa became under the glare of the international community. Nelson Mandela faced death sentence, but finally he was sentenced to life imprisonment. from 1964 –1981 he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town. In prison the conditions were sparse; however, Mandela was with many other political prisoners, and there was a strong bond of friendship which helped to make more bearable the difficult prison conditions. Also, in prison, Nelson Mandela was highly disciplined; he would try and study and take part in exercise every day. He later said these year of incarceration were a period of great learning, even if painful. Mandela also created friendships with some of the guards. Mandela would later say that he felt he was fighting the apartheid system and not individual white people. When South Africa fell into violence in the 1980s and the economy was on the brink of collapse, Nelson Mandela started his policy of reconciliation out of jail.

Mandela’s Policy of Reconciliation

During his time in prison, Mandela became increasingly well known throughout the world and was symbolic of the struggle against the apartheid regime. His continued imprisonment led to a world-wide pressure for his release. Many countries implemented sanctions on apartheid South Africa. Due to international pressure the apartheid regime increasingly began to negotiate with the ANC and Nelson Mandela in particular. On many occasions, Mandela was offered a conditional freedom. However, he always refused to put the political ideals of the ANC above his own freedom. Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. The day was a huge event for South Africa and the world. His release was symbolic of the impending end of apartheid. Together with his political rival Frederik Willem de Klerk and the Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi he developed a democratic constitution. As a brilliant tactician he integrated opponents as well as violent supporters. In April 1994, South Africa had its first full and fair elections. The ANC was elected by a large majority and Nelson Mandela became the first President of the new South Africa. His policy of reconciliation saved South Africa from civil war. He sought to heal the rifts of the past. Nelson Mandela oversaw the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in which former crimes of apartheid were investigated, but stressing individual forgiveness and helping the nation to look forward. His forgiving attitude gained the respect of the whole South African nation.

Nelson Mandela and Ubuntu

Nelson Mandela retired from the Presidency in 1999. He has campaigned to highlight the issue of HIV / AIDS in South Africa. The epidemic has changed the country more than the civil wars before. The number of infected people in the Cape is estimated at 5.5 million, and the AIDS orphans to more than two million. He launched educational campaigns and donated part of his assets to a children’s hospital, schools and orphanages. Shortly before his death, he founded together with Desmond Tutu “The Elders”, a council with internationally experienced politicians who were designed to continue his long walk to freedom. Members include Kofi Annan, his wife Graça Machel, Jimmy Carter, Gro Harlem Brundtland and many others. On December 5, 2013 Nelson died at the age of 95 years in his hometown Qunu.

Mandela’s Heritage

Nelson Mandela  is considered the father of a democratic South Africa and widely admired for his ability to bring together a nation, previously divided by apartheid. He is one of the most admired political leaders of Africa for his vision to forgive and forge a new ‘rainbow’ nation. For millions of young peoples today his political heritage is an inspiration.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela

Did you know?

Nelson Mandela received 250 awards, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize along with F. W. de Klerk for his work in helping to end racial segregation in South Africa.

Watch a short Biopic on Nelson Mandela

Mother’s Day in Africa

Mother’s day is a day for many people to show their appreciation towards mothers worldwide. It is celebrated in several African countries south of the sahara, including Ehtiopia, South Africa and Nigeria. African people celebrate Mother’s Day in its true spirit by acknowledging the importance of mothers in their lives and thanking them for all their love and care. The role of mothers in African societies is so essential that what affects them on a regular basis has much impact on the lives of the young generations as a whole. That’s why we want to present some books of African and/or African-American authors who contributed to the lives of mothers in globalized societies.

 

A Painful Season of Stubborn Hope. The Odyssey of an Eritrean Mother.  By Abeba Tesfagiorgis. Red Sea Press 1992

Abeba Tesfagiorgis has a startling story. Throughout this beautifully written book is woven the heart-wrenching story of a nation and a people who have struggled for decades in order to ‘breath the air of freedom’. A nation that has sacrificed its precious daughters and sons in order to have the right to self-determination. Abeba Tesfagiorgis includes in her book her story of imprisionment,having to allow her teenage children to make their decisions as strong Eritrean women despite her breaking heart upon having to come to terms with their mortality and then becoming a refugee with her two younger daughters and her husband. Her record of her experiences at the hands of the Ethiopians in Asmara, and the odyssey which follows her escape from the tortures, gives us a picture of how thoroughly the forces, first the Emperor, and then the Stalinist dictator Mengistu, alienated the Eritrean people.

Abeba Tesfagiorgis has given us an eloquent narrative of not just Eritrea’s struggle, but of the strength of which human beings are capable in the most difficult of circumstances.
About the Author
Abeba Tesfagiorgis is an Eritrean mother and former political prisoner. Two of her earlier books were published in Tigrigna in Asmara. As a young professional she was actively involved in forming and nurturing  many civic organizations for women.

 

 

African Women & Feminism. Reflecting on the Politics of Sisterhood. By Oyeronke Oyewumi. Africa World Press 2004

The relationship between African women and feminism is a contentious one. Embedded in this connection is the question of whether sisterhood—a mantra assuming a common oppression of all women and signifying feminist international/cross-cultural relations—describes the symbolic and functional representation of African women. The contributors in this book are aware of the global discourse on women as articulated by Western feminists and interrogate the issues raised by the misinterpretation of African women of both black and white American feminists. The implications of the dominance of Western men and women in the production of knowledge about Africa are also explored.

This is one of the first collections written by African women who were born and raised in Africa and are now teaching in the United States. The papers here focus on a variety of issues including the uses and abuses of female circumcision in global feminist discourse, the problem of the criminalization approach to eradicating female circumcision, the effect of the image of the victimized African woman on development policy, and gender imperialism as a metascript of domination and oppression and as encountered by African women in the academy. This volume also raises profound questions about the idea that a common anatomy can form the basis of sororal solidarity among women of different colors, cultures, classes, nations, and religions.

About the Author
Oyeronke Oyewumi is an associate professor of sociology at State University of New York at Stony Brook. Born in Nigeria, she was educated at the University of Ibadan and the University of California at Berkeley. She is the author of The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourse, which won a 1998 Distinguished Book Award of the American Sociological Association and was a finalist for the Herskovitts Prize of the African Studies Association in the same year.

 

Temba Tupu! (Walking Naked) The Africana Woman’s Poetic Self-Portrait. Edited by Nagueyalti Warren

Temba Tupu! is an anthology brimming with a cross-section of poetic styles that represent the creative genius of Africana women from the beginning of written records. Included are selections from Queen Hatshepsut, Makeda, Queen of Sheba, Sojourner Truth, Gladys Casely Hayford, Una Marson, matriarch of Jamaican women’s poetry, and Noemia Da Sousa, a revolutionary poet from southern Africa, as well as poems from contemporary poets like the former United States Poet Laureate, Rita Dove, popular people’s poet, Nikki Giovanni, Ghanaian poet and dramatist, Ama Ata Aidoo, Trinidadian poet, Grace Nichols, Nigerian poet, Taiwo Olaleye-Ornene, and Brazilian poet and scholar, Miriam Alves.

The poems assembled in this anthology center on Black women’s consciousness: self definitions, their questions regarding the complexities and contradictions of race and gender, their spiritual and inner lives, and their search for Truth. Many of these poets write to subvert and deconstruct the wicked popular representations of themselves by others. Some of the poems are overtly political while others are not. Some poets use formal prosody, while others do not. However, they all reveal the poets’ philosophy and the common issues that connect Africana women throughout the Diaspora.

About the Editor
Nagueyalti Warren, Ph.D., MFA, is Senior Lecturer in the Department of African American Studies at Emory University. She is winner of the 2008 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award for her volume Margaret Circa 1834-1858. Coeditor of Southern Mothers: Facts and Fictions in Southern Women’s Writings (LSU press 1999), Warren has contributed numerous critical essays and book chapters on African American literature and women’s writings in particular.

Fashion and Racism

About Models and Racism in the Fashion World

Have you have seen the foto with a black boy wearing a hoody with the slogan ‘Coolest Monkey In The Jungle’? It was the most talked about topic in the internet in January. The company H&M wanted stir up emotions to get attention for its newest product line targeting families and children. That’s why they hired a black boy, dressed in one of their newest hoodies with the provocative slogan.  They got much attention, but with a negative outcome. They didn’t sell the product. What they got was anger and rage. The campaign was labelled ‘racist’, ‘offensive’ and ‘irresponsible’. The hoody, along with the controversial image, has been removed from stores, and H&M has apologised. The brand tweeted “We’re deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. Therefore, we’ve not only removed the image from our channels, but also the garment from our product offering.” But that wasn’t the end of the rage.

Racism in the History of South Africa 

The apartheid system ended in South Africa 27 years ago. There was much done to heal the wounds of the former racist regime. South Africans have come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go. The little comments that people think are harmless make everyday life frustrating for a lot of black people. If subtle racism is packed in a marketing message it is simply too much. This was the case with the people in Johannesburg. They believed that H&M knew what they did when starting the campaign. Activists have trashed H&M stores to protest against H&M’s racist message. Violence spilled over in H&M malls in the country, forcing the police to fire rubber bullets at protesters. Julius Malema, one of the activists, claimed: “In South Africa the shops of H&M are closed because they have announced our children as apes.” (DailyMail) He was upset because H&M didn’t respect the feelings of the black people.

What about the Boy Liam, and is there a 1 Million Dollar Deal on the table?

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We have no statements from the boy called Liam but from his mother Terry Mango, who immigrated from Nigeria. She said (in a facebook post) that the whole thing is an ‘unnecessary issue’. “Am the mum and this is one of hundreds of outfits my son has modelled,” she wrote. Of course, this comes after the news that P Diddy was reportedly set to offer her son a modelling contract for his own brand, Sean John. His offer was a $1 million deal as reported in ladbible.news.  Diddy posted to Twitter and Instagram pages with an amended version of the image, where the offending slogan had been replaced with ‘Coolest King In The World’. Diddy also said: “Put some respect on it!! When you look at us make sure you see royalty and super natural God sent glory!! Anything else is disrespectful.”

What do we learn from this charade? Racism still exists, no doubt about this. We have to be more aware of subtle racism in everyday life, and we have to think twice, when listening to slogans from the world of sports, of fashion, of music or politics.

What do you think about it? Is it a provocation, an insult or a charade? Share your thoughts or write a comment.

Angelika and the team of africa4teens

INFO February is the Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

Please find a short video on black history at history.com