Map of Africa

I must have looked through a few hundred maps of Africa. This one from Safari Now is my absolute favourite. I love the colors and the fonts.

Click on the picture to see it in full size.

Kwanzaa and Kanga

I was delighted to spot the bright and colorful pattern of these Kwanzaa stamps in the post office. Kwanzaa is a seven day festival celebrated to honor African heritage. Here is the Official Kwanzaa Website.

From Wiki: The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s. The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued in by the USPS in 1997.

I decided to do some research on what the women in the stamp were wearing and found it hard to locate a good guide to Ethnic African Wear. It appears that the Kaftan (also called Boubou, the French word for robe) and the head-tie combine to form the formal attire for ladies in West Africa. The Kanga is the wrapper worn in East Africa (perhaps this is the garment the women on the stamp are wearing?). I like the Sengalese Kaftan and think it looks rather grand.

Africain à Paris

Last week, I spoke about Tukuleur being inspired by Toto’s Africa. Well, here’s another case of inspiration. If you like Sting’s Englishman in New York, you’ll also like Tiken Jah Fakoly’s “Africain à Paris” (Lyrics here). A lot of Africans emigrate to France, which is not surprising considering that French is spoken in a very large part of Africa. From Wiki: According to the 2007 report by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, an estimated 115 million African people spread across 31 francophone African countries can speak French either as a first or second language.

You must also watch the video of “Non à l'excision”, a beautiful song which supports the fight against the brutal act of excision which is still in practice in many countries of Africa. Read more about it here.

Tiken Jah Fakoly is originally from Côte d'Ivoire.

Mma Ramotswe in New York

As I was walking happily with my friends in the long passage of the West 4th Street station which is lined on both sides with large advertisements, I stopped suddenly. I couldn't believe my eyes! I shouted for joy! Yay!! Imagine my excitement when I realized that Mma was going to visit my home.

Yes, Mma Ramtoswe has arrived in the US and the first episode of the BBC-HBO series will air on Sunday, March 28th, 2009 at 8PM. The trailer is fantastic and looks very promising. I'm already of the opinion that the casting is very good. I have my popcorn and throw ready and I am counting down to Sunday night.

Check out the trailer and official website for the TV show here. More on the Wiki page and the official BBC website for the show. I can't wait to say "Dumela, Mma!"

Update to Post, Post-Episode 1:


The 2-hour pilot episode is fantastic. The casting is phenomenal - they couldn't have found a better Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi or Mr. J.L.B Matekoni. I am astonished by Jill Scott's African accent. She fits the role perfectly and even manages to bring forth Mma Ramotswe's sense of humour and confidence, with a dazzling smile. Botswana is captured beautifully, particularly in the early scenes where Precious Ramotswe is still a little girl (and what a cute little girl, she is!). Much to my surprise, the TV show brought the true spirit of the books alive in an effortless manner. I loved and enjoyed every moment. Ah, the joy of hearing the words out loud... "Aye, Mma!".

Landlocked!

Of all the 44(!) landlocked countries in the world, many of which are located in Africa, I am most fascinated by Lesotho which is completely landlocked by one nation! Only San Marino and Vatican City share this rare geographic feature. What it must feel like to cross the border in any direction and end up in South Africa, I wonder!

Lesotho also has the distinction of being the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in elevation. The national language, Sesotho seems very similar to Botswana's Setswana, both of them being Bantu languages (learn more). Sesotho also seems to follow the practice of adding prefixes to a common root to form new words.

African Continent

African Continent by BenHeine

What a brilliant idea! Bravo! I found this beautiful drawing here. (Larger and better version here).

African elephants are the species of elephants in the genus Loxodonta. That sounds a lot like 'Ekadanta' (one who has one tusk), one of the many names of the Indian Elephant God, Ganesha.

And speaking of elephants, did you hear about the adorable baby Pink Elephant they found in Botswana's Okavango delta?

Mama Afrika

Toto’s Africa is undoubtedly a beautiful song (lyrics here). Apparently, Oumar Sall of Tukuleur thought so too. Here is his version (lyrics here), a beautiful piece:

I learnt from Wikipedia that Oumar, who was brought up in France, was amazed by the beauty of Senegal when he finally went back to learn more about his African roots. Oumar studied African Languages at the University of INALCO in Paris and now performs in a variety of languages including Fulani, Wolof, Mandingue, Soninke, French, English and Spanish! There are more than more than 1,000 indigenous African languages including several spoken by tens of millions.

Africa Today

I subscribed very recently to the BBC’s Africa Today Podcast (other radio programs with a focus on Africa can be found here). The program lasts about 15 minutes and hence is a rather convenient option to catch up with Africa’s current events on a daily basis. The program features the latest news and analyses from Africa, including regular interviews with public figures and local voices and updates from journalists all over the continent. In addition, they have special features such as the one last week, in which they asked a few African entrepreneurs to give the listeners some tips on running a successfull business. I found these tips insightful and pictured Mma Ramotswe giving her views as well (all of them mentioned 'hard work' and I can bet Mma would've too!). I enjoy the program for one more reason - it gives me great pleasure to begin my drive to work with rhythmic African drums and a multitude of beautiful African accents dancing in my ears.

Moroccan Harira

Picture from www.spicelines.com

Over the weekend we dined at Jules Bistro, which has some wonderful Live Jazz (they even played my favourite Herbie Hancock number Chameleon from the album Headhunters). The soup du jour was a North African Soup called “Harira” which is the traditional soup of Morocco. Apparently, it is found on almost every Moroccan menu (mental note to add this to my to-do list for Morocco, whenever I finally get to go). I enjoyed the soup very much especially since lamb is among my favorite meats. Here are some recipes from SoupSong, BBC Good Food and Spice Lines. The soup can be prepared without the meat (you can just eliminate it from the recipe!).

I am eager to share this with my French teacher, who is originally from Morocco. She spoke to us with great fondness about the beauty and culture of Morocco while we were covering a chapter about travel. I hope to go soon and cannot wait to ride on the Marrakesh Express. All on board that train!

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

I want to meet Mma Ramotswe.

The first book in the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series introduces Precious Ramotswe, who starts the first ever Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana. The idea of going to Gaborone, driving past the Kalahari, looking at the white skies and thorn trees, meeting Mma Ramotswe and having a cup of bush tea with her in her office – this has become my current-favourite-daydreaming-image. A Botswana without Mma Ramotswe seems so empty, somehow.

Precious Ramotswe is an intriguing person. She is adventurous, intelligent, strong, brave and sharp. Best of all, she has the one thing a good detective should possess – intuition. Turns out when Mma Ramotswe has a hunch, she trusts her gut and always gets good results. Mma Ramotswe is also wise and kind and I love her non-detective side. The side that loves and respects Botswana and Africa. The side that misses her father and hugs children from the orphanage to make them feel better.

The books talk a lot about Botswana. I find myself suddenly feeling very close to nation I knew almost nothing about. I have this longing to go see Botswana now, to visit Gaborone, Francistown, Mochudi and Molepolole. (The names! I love all the names!).

I also find myself very interested in Setswana. I found this little piece fascinating:

"The main tribal language and one of the two official languages of Botswana is Setswana. In Setswana prefixes are more important than they are in many other languages. Some of those prefixes are "Bo" which refers to the country, "Ba" which refers to the people, "Mo" which is one person, "Se" which is the language.

For example, the main tribe of Botswana is the Tswana people, hence the name Botswana for its country. The people as a whole are Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language they speak is Setswana. Lesotho, located in the middle of South Africa, is considered a sister country. It was inhabited by a cousin tribe called the Sotho, who speak a similar language. That language is called Sesotho and can be understood by anyone speaking Setswana. The country is called Lesotho because "Le" is a prefix that means "other," holding lower rank. In Botswana, foreigners, particularly white people, are called "lekoa". Africans from other countries are not referred to as Lekoa."

I just love their greetings “Dumela Mma” and “Dumela Rra” and have happily incorporated them into my daily life (Ah, the look on my colleagues' faces!). Listen to the audio files.

I even went and bought myself a pack of Rooibos 'Red Bush' Tea. I have not, however, found the courage to taste it yet; especially since Mma Ramotswe's assistant Mma Makutsi thinks the tea tastes like rats. (Eeps!). But, Gosh, Mma Ramotswe loves Bush Tea. She brews and drinks cup after cup every single day. So does her good friend, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni.

Smith shows through his characters, the true spirit of Botswana, the kindness and warmth of the people, the old Botswana ways and value system. Life in Botswana is so radically different from the life we know. I find it almost eerie, the way the Basarwa live and the rules they follow. I love the way Batswana show how tall a person is – with their palms turned upward so as to not crush the spirit of the person they are referring to. It’s terrifying how many lives are ripped apart by AIDS in Southern Africa. Smith is always talking about ‘the disease’ and how rampant it is.

What scared me the most though, is the strong presence of Muti and Muti killings in these parts. We are so far removed from witchcraft and the occult, that it’s scary to believe that people and children have to still fear and go through this, is this day and age. I read in the news, a couple of days ago about Albinos being targeted in Tanzania for similar reasons. It’s horrific and so inhuman.

There are nine books in the series so far (I'm reading the fourth and can't wait to read the rest). There is now a TV series too, co-produced by BBC and HBO. I hope to watch it once I’m done with all the books (I don’t want the actors’ faces to skew my mental images of the characters just yet). Smith has written a few other series as well. Check them out here.

Nam! Thank you SO much for gifting me the first book. I’m taking you to Botswana with me whenever I go. Ke itumetse!

A new interest begins...

...I am falling in love with Africa!