With its 37th Independence Day only a few days away (July 6th), Comoros, which means 'moon' in Arabic, is the perfect country to learn about this week on my Africa from A-Z series. While I knew only a little about Chad, I honestly didn't even know Comoros was a country :( And, to clarify for myself and others, these posts are really to help me gain an increased awareness about countries in Africa; they aren't meant to be exhaustive but rather to whet the taste buds!
I did some sleuthing this weekend and learned more about this former French colony nestled in the Indian Ocean above Madagascar. Here are some of the trifles and treasures I learned:
Sources like these are tricky because they don't appear credible but the stories on them about country origins are fascinating. If you're looking for Comoros tschotskes on the net - look no further: you can buy fish stamps from the Comoros and here's a board game found on Esty or perhaps you'd prefer a map pendant? Want to read about fisheries in Comoros? For all you foodies out there - this Comoros dish looks delicious. A couple of sources claim that Comoros is the second-largest exporter of vanilla (after Madagascar) in the world. Yum!
Source. Hard to find much information on this mosque.
Had you heard of Comoros? Did you know Madagascar was the number one producer of vanilla??
And a shameless plug: One of the pictures that I took while working with USAID/PHARE, and that I later submitted to IREX's 'Make a Better World' photo contest, made honorable mention in their photo contest. I'm so thankful and honored to be a part of such a neat online exhibit - the photos they chose as winners are truly stunning.
Well, I don't know much about Chad (knew even less before sleuthing around for this blog post!) but it's somewhere I should know more about - especially with a former president, Hissene Habre, (soon?) to go on trial in Senegal for crimes against humanity. (their current president, Idriss Deby, is one of Africa's enduring dictators...).
But look at the mountains below! While it doesn't look like Chad is equipped with the infrastructure for tourism, (and is suffering from food insecurity like many countries in the Sahel) I bet it gets some adventure travelers seeking a thrill. Here are some neat sounding places to visit (I'd love to see a hippo though it seems their numbers are dwindling...).
Image source. While I don't know if I could cut it out there - it would be cool to go to the actual source. Gorgeous!
Though the writing is a bit off, here's a happy article about a Nigerian student at Johns Hopkins University. Relevance = Nigeria touches a tiny corner of Chad (Chad's mid-SW side). Do you think Chad is Rad??
I had a hard finding information on the Central African Republic that doesn't relate to the Lord's Resistance Army or its woeful history as a country plagued by coups and an unstable government. No doubt we'll be hearing more about the CAR as the search for Kony wages on.
As I work with the Forest Landscape Initiative at WRI, I'll be learning more about the CAR. Quick facts to place it: Bangui is the capital and the country and it is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the DRC and the Congo. Read this post to learn more about forest initiatives in the region to monitor mining and logging activity.
I will check out this reading list to get a better understanding of the Central Africa region and the wars and instability that have crippled it recently. Also interesting (albeit a few years old) is this article on a Central African Republic(an?) doctor who returned to the CAR to work for the Ministry of Health. What struck me was this quote about his work within Africa for international health organizations:
Jobs with such organizations provide opportunities for African professionals to earn Western salaries while still working in Africa, but they also generate a kind of internal, transcontinental brain drain.
Something to think about.
Here's a link to a folklore book with tales from the CAR and a story from a journalist visiting Bangui.
What do you think? Any thoughts on the CAR - I'd love hear what you think!
It's the start of a new semester (for me!) and I'm feeling inspired. In order to meet some of my personal and academic goals, I'm going to try harder to post more often about topics relevant to my professional interests in order to expand my understanding of them and hopefully yours, too!
First up, bringing back the Africa from A-Z series... I'm going to blame the slip-up on that one on the coup. Next up, I'll post on an international education topic and also music I've been listening to. Maybe I'll throw in a craft project every now and again, too. And now, for some tidbits on Cape Verde!
A former Portuguese colony and a teeny-tiny country (population 523,568) comprised of 10 islands off the coast of western Africa, Cape Verde looks like a little paradise to visit though I'm sure the day-to-day life isn't quite so (p)beachy. Cidade Velha is a UNESCO heritage site and here's a cookbook if you'd like to make something Cape Verdian. I want to get this children's book about a grandmother from Cape Verde who immigrated to the US and misses her family when I have my own little babies to read to.
I heard this song all the time in Mali (it's Malian musician with Cape Verdian singer Cesaria Evora). Neat there's a connection to Mali! :) And here's a children's romper from Etsy with a Cape Verdian (and apparently Cesaria Evora-ian flair!) that is too cute.
Have you ever visited Cape Verde? Any ideas for topics you'd like me to cover in International Education?
Time to jump back on the saddle with my Africa from A-Z series! With school, coming back to Mali, and celebrating the day-to-day - I have been a little preoccupied. But I am feeling back in the groove of things and excited to keep learning about the countries around me.
My experience with Cameroon is limited to a few friends that have lived there and/or visited. The Peace Corps girls from Cameroon (including Claire) and my friend Fleurette who will be returning home to Cameroon this week (she hopes!). She was a veterinary student with Abdoulaye, Massa, and Ousmane in Guinea and did her last year of research in Mali with Abdoulaye and Chantal. I hope this post honors her country well!
I recently found the blog Africa is a Country and it is just what I was looking for. Africa news (in English!) about the 'real' Africa. Politics - yes - but real life, too. Here are some music links including Cameroonian artist Yanigga.
I want to learn more about the Chad/Cameroon oil pipeline financed by the World Bank. The documentary Quel Souvenir is not yet finished by see the clip above to learn more. Here is an interview with the makers of the film.
More Cameroonian music . Festivals in Cameroon.
Just in case you are looking to go to the movies in Cameroon - here is a map of the theaters!
Have you ever been to Cameroon? Have any Cameroon news or tips to share?
When I am putting together these Africa from A-Z posts, I often feel like I am skimping too much on the information. How do you write one blog post about countries with histories and cultures so rich I probably could devote an entire blog to each of them? But I only have but so many fingers and there are only but so many minutes in a day. Nonetheless, I am enjoying the opportunity to hear new languages through YouTube videos and learn a little more about the nuances of the culture - few as I have time to explore!
I like the name of the capital of Burundi, Bujumbura, and the official language, Kurundi. Here is a quick overview of investments in Burundi and if you are looking for natural treasures in Burundi, look no further! There are many links to safari sites as well as national parks and reserves such as Kibira National Park. And if you are looking for unique plants and animals in Burundi- there you go!
I like this blog's use of the word 'treasure' while talking about Burundi and I appreciate his perspective, as an African, on the way African history is taught to Africans. What do you think?
I am also finding it difficult to find normal, day-to-day news about the countries I am researching. Maybe I am not researching properly in order to unearth such news (googling country+good news usually yields a lot of Christian sites). Any tips out there for finding less sad/depressing information on Africa? However, I did find an article about a baby named 'Good News.' Hope she turns out to be a smiler.
I do wonder what it would be like to live and work in a country such as Botswana whose population is the size of Bamako, the capital city in Mali where I recently lived (and plan on soon returning!). The lady who writes this blog knows! This one, too! With the Kalahari Desert, Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta - there is a lot to explore!
Survival International is a not-for-profit that seeks to protect the rights of tribal people around the world - including those in Botswana being displaced by the pursuit of diamonds. A PCV blog in Botswana.
Botswana has a stock market and this looks like a neat site to follow if you are interested in business in Africa. There soon may be a railway cutting through Zimbabwe and Mozambique or Namibia. Controversial sounding but exciting! The American ambassador to Botswana sounds like a real gem! She recently made a tour of the country and visited with local leaders and NGOs including Women Against Rape which sounds like a powerful organization.
Anyone ever visited? What's your favorite thing about Botswana?
The third country in my Africa from A-Z series is Benin. My friend Ryan was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin before joining us in Mali for a third year. When I think of Benin I think of Nadine, our sweeter than sweet Peace Corps nurse turned embassy nurse who has Beninese roots, voodoo (Benin is, after all, touted as the birthplace of voodoo!) and that the country is a must-see for adventure traveling. If you are looking to visit Benin, here are some helpful travel hints. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance to visit but surfing the web for information on the country is a close second (or third to first-person experiences!).
One of Ryan's PCV friends from Benin traveled around West Africa on a motorcycle (after completing his service) with a friend of his from village to photograph people from the nomadic Fulani tribe scattered throughout the region. Their website, found here, is a must visit - the photos will take your breath away. Here is a link to their facebook page.
The man who made the video above was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin in the 90s and then revisited with his wife and children in 2007. What a dream come true for a lot of volunteers!
UNICEF Benin put together this video about a standardized grading tool developed to encourage parent participation, even in the face of their own illiteracy, in their child's academic life. I wonder how it really works??
Awful story of a Peace Corps Volunteer, Kate Puzey, murdered in Benin. A truly tragic story - she and her family remain in my thoughts and I hope posts like this will keep Kate, Benin and the safety and security of everyone at home and abroad in the forefront of their thoughts.
African button earrings!
This necklace is awesome.
Looking for the movie theater in Cotonou? Here it is! Living National Treasures (I love anything with the word treasures in it!)
Looted treasures.
Benin highlights.
From BBC:
President: Thomas Boni Yay
Population: 9.1million (UN, 2011)
1975 - November - Dahomey is renamed the People's Republic of Benin.
Capital: Porto-Novo
Major languages: French (official) Fon, Ge, Bariba, Yoruba, Dendi
Main exports: Cotton, palm oil
** My friend Kafui who I met at the 2010 Global Shea conference in Mali just let me know that the 2012 Global Shea conference will be held in Benin in April as well as the Cashew conference which will take place in September. Thanks Kafui!
I'd love to hear from you - have you ever visited Benin? Am I missing any must-see or must-dos in the country? Next week I'll learn more about Botswana - has anyone ever been? Anything I must learn??
Before doing some digging on Angola, the second country in my series Africa from A-Z, the first thing that popped into my mind was a bunny of the sweater-making variety.
First thought: Angora bunny which I thought were Angola bunnies. Not so.
But then my mom corrected me and told me that these bunnies whose fur makes sweaters are angora and not angola. And so I thought of a few more. Conflict, diamonds, dictator. All of which turned out to be more on point than bunnies. However, after some probing I learned a few new things about this south African country which gained its independence from Portugal in 1975 and is surrounded by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Namibia. I think you might, too!
The wildest fact I learned about Angola was the United State's collaboration with South Africa
during their South-African Border War (aka Angolan Bush War) which raged from 1966-1989. Like most wars, it looks like it was a complicated mess. The war involved Cuba and the USSR as well as Angola and Namibia's bids for independence. South Africa, in cohort with the United States, recruited and sent black Vietnam war veterans to Angola to help fight against Cuba and the Soviet Union's encroaching influence on the country (!!!). Yeesh. Here is a fiery article from veterans against the Vietnam war talking about the United State's intervention in Angola. Makes your heart hurt thinking about all the men and women dying for the freedom of our country - and also for our foolishness as we pursue the protection of our economic interests. Because Angola is not only rich in diamonds but also in black gold - and is one of the largest exporters of oil to the United States.
Angola: Journey Through Change, is a photography book highlighting the devastating effects of internal strife and war spanning 40 years. Looks like there are some powerful images to be seen focusing on the effect of landmines that have been found and continue to be discovered in the country.
Angola, like many countries, will also host presidential elections in 2012. And Angola boasts the title of second-largest oil producing country in Africa (producing 1.9 million barrels a day) and also that of second longest-ruling leader.
Did you know that Leila Lopes, Miss Universe 2011, is from Angola? I did not! If you can't watch the video I'll give you a synopsis: She believes in extraterrestrials, that women are more capable than men (though I find her logic a bit weak..) and she would like to be a butterfly if she had to be an animal.
Angola from A-Z:
Looking to hit the town in Luanda, Angola's capital? Here's a blog with all the hot spots!
A blog by the wife of a foreign service officer currently stationed in Luanda.
A blog by an oil-worker on the rigs in Angola.
A bookmark with Angola on it!
And some buttons!
A goal of mine for 2012 is to learn more about the countries in Africa (and around the world!). I will do this by writing a blog post each week about a country in Africa. 54 countries. 52 weeks (two countries/weeks will be extra special!). And I will blog about them alphabetically. I still need to work out some of the kinks about how I will post but here goes for my first country!
I always wonder about Algeria since I do not hear much about it and it is right above Mali. What happens there? Does anyone visit? Doesn't sound like much after the war in 1992. From my brief perusing it seems like a key country to know more about if I want to dig deeper into what decolonization was like in Africa since it was colonized by France for over 120 years. It is also the largest country in Africa (and the Arab world and the Mediterranean, for that matter) and has a snazzy 4-mile, much anticipated, metro system. Also, Algeria cares about the bid for Western Sahara's independence. Does anyone else?
From around the web:
A zine about Algeria. An unlined journal. I would love to have this journal, too! And a light switch!
