Lost in Translation

Here's an interesting NPR article our Prof. shared with us. It draws a comparison between people in London and the semi-nomadic Himba people of the Kaokoland region in Northern Namibia to bring out the similarities and differences in culture, particularly sounds associated with emotions.

Henna in Sudan

Here's an interesting BBC slideshow about the importance of Henna in Sudanese culture. Also, check out this website about Sudanese traditions (and its henna page).

Of Travels

Check out this beautiful travel slideshow that features Africa right from the beginning (KwaZulu Natal and Zambia). My husband will identify with this, he just did the bungee jump at Victoria Falls. He brought back some wonderful photos and I will post selected ones shortly.

Naming my daughter

A friend shared this interesting piece and it reminded me of a recent BBC article about naming children in Africa. Not to forget the wonderful punning capabilities of the current Nigerian President's name, Goodluck Jonathan. :0)

Naming My Daughter

"In the Uruba tribe of Africa, children are named not only at birth but throughout their lives by their characteristics and the events that befall them."

The one who took hold in the cold night
The one who kicked loudly
The one who slid down quickly in the ice storm
She who came while the doctor was eating dessert
New one held up by heels in the glare
The river between two brothers
Second pot on the stove
Princess of a hundred dolls
Hair like water falling beneath moonlight
Strides into the day
She who runs away with motorcycle club president
Daughter kicked with a boot
Daughter blizzard in the sky
Daughter night-pocket
She who sells sports club memberships
One who loves over and over
She who wants child but lost one.
She who wants marriage but has none
She who never gives up
Diana (Goddess of the Chase)
Doris (for the carrot-top grandmother
she never knew)
Fargnoli (for the father
who drank and left and died)
Peter Pan, Iron Pumper
Tumbleweed who goes mouths without calling
Daughter who is a pillar of light
Daughter mirror, Daughter stands alone
Daughter boomerang who always comes back
Daughter who flies forward into the day
where I will be nameless.

"Naming My Daughter" by Patricia Fargnoli, from Necessary Light. © Utah State University Press, 1999.

Dobet Gnahoré

Dobet Gnahoré was born on June 17, 1982 in a small village in Côte d'Ivoire. Her father, Boni Gnahoré, is a master percussionist who founded a sort of artists' community in which Gnahoré grew up. She dropped out of school at age 12, determined to become a musician, and by her mid-teens, she had become a touring musician and dancer. By her early 20s, she hit the international music scene. She sings in more than eight different languages, and her lyrics speak to the issues of women in Africa, as well as multiple social issues. More. Watch her perform "Djigenue":

The blog turns one!

Has it been a year already? Learning about this beautiful continent, its interesting culture, peoples and politics has given me much joy. Over and over again, I have been enthralled by its natural beauty, horrified by its cruel practices and intrigued by all the diversity and richness it has to present.

All year I have felt a deep wanderlust, a yearning to travel the length and breadth of Mama Afrika. Much to my dismay, I have had to experience some disappointment in my attempts to get closer to Africa - Last year, I missed an Amadou and Mariam concert by 30 minutes (I had never heard of them), today, as FdAf turns one, my husband is off on a two week trip to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana (unfortunately, my schedule does not permit me to join him) and finally, I have to skip a Kidjo concert in two weeks (I bought tickets six months ago) because I have a mid-term early the next morning. But these are very minor things. Africa is all around you, no matter where you are.

I am eager and hopeful for that moment, when I set foot on African soil. I leave you with a beautiful number from Vusi Mahlasela, Basimanyana which I hope you will enjoy. Here's to year one!

ECOWAS

This acronym puzzled me for months (Echoas, Echoise, Eckowass, I tried them all). Today's a day to say "Aha!". From Wikipedia:

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries, founded on May 28, 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos. Its mission is to promote economic integration. In 1976 Cape Verde joined ECOWAS, and in December 2000 Mauritania withdrew, having announced its intention to do so in December 1999.

It was founded to achieve "collective self-sufficiency" for the member states by means of economic and monetary union creating a single large trading bloc. The very slow progress towards this aim meant that the treaty was revised in Cotonou on July 24, 1993, towards a looser collaboration. The ECOWAS Secretariat and the Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development are its two main institutions to implement policies. The ECOWAS Fund was transformed into the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development in 2001. ECOWAS is one of the pillars of the African Economic Community (AEC).
The current President of the Commission is James Victor Gbeho. The current chairman is acting President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria.
It operates officially in three coequal languages (English, French, and Portuguese).

Official Website.

Forgiveness in Liberia

Liberia was set up by citizens of the United States as a colony for former African-American slaves. There is only one other state in the world that is started by citizens of a political power as a settlement for former slaves from the same political power: Sierra Leone, begun for that same purpose by Britain. (From Wiki).

This inspiring speech gives you an insight into life in Liberia post civil-war:

Arouna by Kidjo

I really like Arouna by Angélique Kidjo. You can find the studio version here (Search for "Arouna").

Check out the live version:

Angelique Kidjo - Arouna
by sandriam
Lyrics here. Wish I knew what they meant.

Out of Africa - II

After hearing innumerable references to the film, I finally watched 'Out of Africa'. The film, which is based on a true story, and adapted from the writings of Karen Blixen, showcases various aspects of Kenya, notably:

• Kikuyu: Kenya's most populous ethnic group. Environmental and Political Activist and Author Waangari Maathai is Kikuyu.
• Maasai: an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania.
• Kenya's Natural Beauty: Aerial shots of the beautiful landscape reminded me of Yann-Arthus Bertrand's photograph of the Flamingos on Lake Nakuru in Kenya.
• Life in the early 1900s when the British controlled Kenya (then British East Africa).

I enjoyed the film very much (except the hunting scenes) and found it romantic and touching.

The film on Wiki, and the book it was based on.

Out of Africa - I

Recent African origin of modern humans: In paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is the mainstream model describing the origin and early dispersal of anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens. The theory popularly is called the (Recent) Out-of-Africa model, and academically the recent single-origin hypothesis (RSOH), Replacement Hypothesis, and Recent African Origin (RAO) model. The hypothesis that humans had originated in Africa was published in Charles Darwin's Descent of Man (1871). The concept was speculative until the 1980s, when it was corroborated by a study of present-day mitochondrial DNA, combined with evidence based on physical anthropology of archaic specimens.

• From National Geographic: Modern Humans Came Out of Africa, "Definitive" Study Says
• The Wiki Answer to: Are all humans originally from Africa?

The Long Walk to Freedom

Today is a great day in history. It is on this day, 20 years ago, that Madiba walked free after 27 years in prison. All week, BBC's Africa today has featured fascinating snippets from that great moment in history. They featured this number by Hugh Masakela, "Bring him back home", which I liked a lot. Best wishes, Madiba!

Rowling's Speech

J.K. Rowling talks about her experience of working at Amnesty International's African Research Department. Watch from 12:00 minutes onwards.

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Bill Bryson's Africa Diary

During Bill Bryson's visit to Kenya in 2002, he recorded his observations and published them in his African Diary. The book highlights the work of CARE International, an organization that helps the people of Africa help themselves through projects providing simple, sustainable solutions. Bryson donated all royalties from the book to CARE. The book is short, interesting and sprinkled with a good dose of Bryson's humor... he says that he expected Kenya to be like a setting from the film 'Out-Of-Africa'...!

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

I just read 'A Guide to the Birds of East Africa' by Nicholas Drayson. If you're looking for a nice, light read based in Kenya which brings forth many aspects of the nation from the Government, the life of immigrants, society and crime to the scenery, people and of course, the beautiful birds, this is the book for you. Here is a review. If you like McCall Smith, you will enjoy this book; I sure did. One last thing... I loved all the little bird sketches at the beginning of every chapter. They prompted me to look up some of the birds and I've never seen anything like the Great Blue Turaco, Turner's Eremomela or the gorgeous Hoopoe seen below. Picture from Wikipedia.