Burkina Faso is not the typical place one decides to visit. It is land-locked nation in West Africa. But some people have been visiting from neighbor countries for a different reason: to escape the fighting between Malian forces and the Tuareg rebels. (A similar year-old Tuareg-led revolt has hit neighboring Niger).
The Tuareg are a nomadic group. Their latest attack has been motivated by what they feel is unwarranted interferences in their traditional territories.
This brings up an interesting question that I don't have a really good answer to: who owns what land?
We have traditional borders but what do they mean? Looking back at the history of the U.S., Native American ideology states that no one owns the land which explains why Manhattan was sold for a few dollars....why would you be paid for something that doesn't belong to you?!
We are seeing that groups are proclaiming rights to their territorial home. How do we draw the borders and who has rights to them?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Water in Kenya
While reading Reader’s Digest the other day(RD is old school..I used to study the vocabulary words when I was young!), I stumbled across a story about a teacher named Patty Hall who was about to retire after 35 years of teaching. She had spent much time in Kenya and received an email about a river drying up in a village she had visited. Not thinking she wanted to devote the time needed to this kind of project when she was retiring, she almost hit the delete button. She decided not to and started getting her students involved. When she asked how much it would cost to build a dam in the village, they said 480,000 Kenyan shillings which is the equivalent of $7,000.
She involved her students in this process to raise the money for the dam. The students were shocked that people had to spend most of their day transporting water. Many children could not go to school because they were getting water for their family. Her students felt like they couldn’t do anything to help situations like this but with the class banding together, they raised more than enough to build the dam.
A whole village now has water. A WHOLE village. $7,000 is not a drop in the bucket but would you trade that amount of money for the lives of the residents for the village, the animals that live there, and the ecosystem in the area. All three of these rely on water to survive. A thought for this summer....as we spend money on our homes, going out to eat, or a vacation, considering putting the equal amount to a cause like this.
It's about Africa.....
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Why I Write This Blog
For those people who don't know me, they probably wonder why a white, late thirties, middle class guy living in the Chicago area would write a blog about Africa. That is an excellent question!
While working for a large software company, I was able to travel the world helping people use a database more effectively. I worked with some of the best organizations you can think of! Eventually, my boss asked me if I would like to go visit South Africa. That was an opportunity I could not turn down. In talking to the organization I was going there to work with, they had partnered with an orphanage in the local area and asked if I wanted to experience first hand what poverty looks like in Africa.
To say I was excited to visit the orphanage was not exactly correct. It was more like intrigued because I knew it would be good for me to see. Little did I know how this would change my life.
In my next post, I will talk a little about my time at the orphanage and what it meant to me. In the book of James, it says true religion is taking care of widows and orphans. My life will never be the same after seeing what true religion looks like.
While working for a large software company, I was able to travel the world helping people use a database more effectively. I worked with some of the best organizations you can think of! Eventually, my boss asked me if I would like to go visit South Africa. That was an opportunity I could not turn down. In talking to the organization I was going there to work with, they had partnered with an orphanage in the local area and asked if I wanted to experience first hand what poverty looks like in Africa.
To say I was excited to visit the orphanage was not exactly correct. It was more like intrigued because I knew it would be good for me to see. Little did I know how this would change my life.
In my next post, I will talk a little about my time at the orphanage and what it meant to me. In the book of James, it says true religion is taking care of widows and orphans. My life will never be the same after seeing what true religion looks like.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ah Yes, Mr. Bush skirts the issue...again
As I was trolling through the NY Times, I found this wonderful little tidbit of how our President views the ever-worsening situation in Africa:
"But with Kenya ravaged by post-election violence, and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, Mr. Bush could not escape Africa’s crises, and the White House spent much of Saturday fending off suggestions that the president should be more engaged as a peacekeeper."
I am shocked by the White House saying that President Bush should not be a peacekeeper in this war-torn area. While I am sure Ms. Rice has some role in this, I cannot imagine why the President would not use the last few months in office to make a major difference in the world.
Here is my challenge:
President Bush, there is only one way to salvage your legacy as a President. Take the time and spend the last months of your presidency to make a difference in Africa. I don't care whether it is helping out Kenya's political problems, working on something to help Darfur, or concentrating on policies and possibilities to fight malaria and AIDS but, if for no other reason, for the sake of your legacy as our president do something substantial for Africa before you leave office.
If you do, millions of people throughout the world will thank you and remember you more fondly. Not to mention you can save a few lives that way.......
"But with Kenya ravaged by post-election violence, and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, Mr. Bush could not escape Africa’s crises, and the White House spent much of Saturday fending off suggestions that the president should be more engaged as a peacekeeper."
I am shocked by the White House saying that President Bush should not be a peacekeeper in this war-torn area. While I am sure Ms. Rice has some role in this, I cannot imagine why the President would not use the last few months in office to make a major difference in the world.
Here is my challenge:
President Bush, there is only one way to salvage your legacy as a President. Take the time and spend the last months of your presidency to make a difference in Africa. I don't care whether it is helping out Kenya's political problems, working on something to help Darfur, or concentrating on policies and possibilities to fight malaria and AIDS but, if for no other reason, for the sake of your legacy as our president do something substantial for Africa before you leave office.
If you do, millions of people throughout the world will thank you and remember you more fondly. Not to mention you can save a few lives that way.......
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Zimbabwe
Once again, another African country shows up the true divide between the haves and the have nots.
In Zimbabwe, central bank chief Gideon Gono is willing to point the finger at those who are hoarding money in a country that are government officials. This hoarding of cash has caused major lines at banks for people who are waiting to withdraw small sums of money in order to live.
Zimbabwe's inflation rate was postulated to reach more than 100,000 percent in a July 31 article on cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/31/zimbabwe.prices.reut/index.html)
How can a government official, who knows about the sting of inflation affecting their country, hoard cash while millions starve?
Simply because they can.....
While the millions and millions of their own countrymen die, they are more worried about making sure they have large amounts of cash for their own use.
It's About Africa......
In Zimbabwe, central bank chief Gideon Gono is willing to point the finger at those who are hoarding money in a country that are government officials. This hoarding of cash has caused major lines at banks for people who are waiting to withdraw small sums of money in order to live.
Zimbabwe's inflation rate was postulated to reach more than 100,000 percent in a July 31 article on cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/31/zimbabwe.prices.reut/index.html)
How can a government official, who knows about the sting of inflation affecting their country, hoard cash while millions starve?
Simply because they can.....
While the millions and millions of their own countrymen die, they are more worried about making sure they have large amounts of cash for their own use.
It's About Africa......
Sunday, September 9, 2007
The Lost Boys of Sudan
My first foray into the trials and tribulations of Africa. I just got done watching a documentary on the lost boys of Sudan. First and foremost, my question goes to were there any lost girls or were they all killed as part of the process?
Transplanting a person from a war-torn area into the United States will not magically solve all the problems that have been created. While Peter and Santino flew to the United States where they felt like they would experience heaven on earth, the reality of 7 dollar an hour jobs with 570 dollar traffic tickets hit them squarely in the jaw.
I would not wish war upon anyone. But transplanting a person to another culture is not a panacea. We all should be more involved on a global level to head these things off at the pass rather be forced to be reactionary.
To the lost boys: you will not find yourself in a place. You are already found because of who you are...
It's about Africa kids....
Transplanting a person from a war-torn area into the United States will not magically solve all the problems that have been created. While Peter and Santino flew to the United States where they felt like they would experience heaven on earth, the reality of 7 dollar an hour jobs with 570 dollar traffic tickets hit them squarely in the jaw.
I would not wish war upon anyone. But transplanting a person to another culture is not a panacea. We all should be more involved on a global level to head these things off at the pass rather be forced to be reactionary.
To the lost boys: you will not find yourself in a place. You are already found because of who you are...
It's about Africa kids....
Monday, August 13, 2007
75 whatever
Ah yes, there are days when I am sad to say that my favorite sport in the whole world is baseball. Sports-wise it will always be my favorite. My grandparents actually met at a Baltimore Orioles game way back when. That is why it pains me to watch the record for most home runs in Major League Baseball go to Barry Bonds.
While I do not know Mr. Bonds, the interviews I have seen of him have not been that informative, helpful or cordial. I don't blame him for this because I am sure the media can be a serious pain at times. But, God has reached down and given Barry talent like no other player we had seen since Willie Mays whom I still consider in the top two players to ever play the game. (Number one has to be Babe Ruth, who else could have won 300 games if he had tried and did hit more than 700 home runs.)
I would hope that Mr. Bonds would be a bit more thankful that God gave him speed in his bat, an arm to throw with, and the ability to play a game everyday for a job.
This ingratitude is what caused me to respond with a yawn when homer 756 was hit. No one's life is perfect but Barry has been given a gift.
May we all use our gifts like Barry has and may all of us be much more grateful.
While I do not know Mr. Bonds, the interviews I have seen of him have not been that informative, helpful or cordial. I don't blame him for this because I am sure the media can be a serious pain at times. But, God has reached down and given Barry talent like no other player we had seen since Willie Mays whom I still consider in the top two players to ever play the game. (Number one has to be Babe Ruth, who else could have won 300 games if he had tried and did hit more than 700 home runs.)
I would hope that Mr. Bonds would be a bit more thankful that God gave him speed in his bat, an arm to throw with, and the ability to play a game everyday for a job.
This ingratitude is what caused me to respond with a yawn when homer 756 was hit. No one's life is perfect but Barry has been given a gift.
May we all use our gifts like Barry has and may all of us be much more grateful.
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