My name is Marian Koroma and I am from Freetown, Sierra Leone on the western side of the beautiful continent of Africa. I was born there and traveled to the United States at the age of five. My family and I have been here for twelve years. I am an intern at The Africa Society for The National Summit on Africa this summer and a guest writer for our blog. I like working here because it gives me a chance to really learn and grow as a person, while helping to educate people about Africa, three things that I love. This is a short piece on Africa from one of the continent's daughters.
As a teenager, the first thing I think of when I hear the word “Africa” is home. But maybe that is because I was born there because if you ask any of my friends, they don’t seem to think the same way. Now call me naïve, but my history books say that human life originated on the continent about five billion years ago. When I looked up the definition of home, it stated “place where something began and flourished.” So if mankind began and flourished to this point, then it should still hold the title of home to authentic and non-authentic Africans alike? If you don’t know where you’re from, your journey to the place you want to be someday will surely be hindered.
I do understand those who say they were born in America and did not travel here on a big ship bound to strangers by cold metal chains. The people who have had generations of their family go by with no trace of Africa in their lives. Sometimes, the only frame of reference Americans have about the continent of Africa is through the media, and most of those images are negative.
If you went to Africa, not only will you see the most diverse species on four legs or two, but also civilization in its purest form. I feel that we are often too blindsided by the media’s awful interpretation of the continent. Trust me when I say that I am well aware of the issues facing Africa, but what is the point of scrutinizing a situation when you don’t help? There are many things to celebrate about Africa today such as the independence of most of the countries, some longer than many other countries. Just take the trip and you will realize that there are homes there similar to your home.
I say this all not to give a fluffy “we are the world” piece, but to tell you about Africa, from my perspective.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Happy Independence Day Liberia!!!!
Formerly known as "Commonwealth of Liberia", Liberia gained it's independence from American Colonization society and celebrated it's 163rd year of independence yesterday July 26, 2010.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Africa in the News!
Country Leads in Africa Literacy Race
Zimbabwe has overtaken Tunisia as the country with the highest literacy rate in Africa.According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) latest statistical digest, the southern African country has a 92 per cent literacy rate up from 85 per cent.Post independence Zimbabwe's education was heavily subsidised by government resulting in vast improvements from the colonial system.Zimbabwean graduates are well sought after throughout the world.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007150032.html
'Lettuce Lady' takes on Kenya's meat-eaters
A campaigner wearing a dress made of spinach has paraded through Nairobi urging Kenyans to give up meat.Dubbed "the Lettuce Lady", Michelle Odhiambo from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, admitted her campaign was provocative.Ms Odhiambo went on to urge restaurants to change their menus to cater for vegetarians.''So what do we eat, if we don't eat meat?'' said Mohamed Asman, from the north-east of the country where many people's whole way of life is based on animals."Meat is like our staple food," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10635452
South Africa's ruling party to mark Mandela Day
Nelson Mandela's African National Congress is preparing to celebrate his 92nd birthday.On Mandela's birthday, ANC leaders will renovate a school in Mvezo, the southern South African village where Mandela was born.People around the world have been asked to mark the anti-apartheid leader's birthday as Mandela Day. The day, inaugurated last year, is to be devoted to public service.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100715/ap_on_re_af/af_south_africa_mandela
Zimbabwe has overtaken Tunisia as the country with the highest literacy rate in Africa.According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) latest statistical digest, the southern African country has a 92 per cent literacy rate up from 85 per cent.Post independence Zimbabwe's education was heavily subsidised by government resulting in vast improvements from the colonial system.Zimbabwean graduates are well sought after throughout the world.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007150032.html
'Lettuce Lady' takes on Kenya's meat-eaters
A campaigner wearing a dress made of spinach has paraded through Nairobi urging Kenyans to give up meat.Dubbed "the Lettuce Lady", Michelle Odhiambo from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, admitted her campaign was provocative.Ms Odhiambo went on to urge restaurants to change their menus to cater for vegetarians.''So what do we eat, if we don't eat meat?'' said Mohamed Asman, from the north-east of the country where many people's whole way of life is based on animals."Meat is like our staple food," he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10635452
South Africa's ruling party to mark Mandela Day
Nelson Mandela's African National Congress is preparing to celebrate his 92nd birthday.On Mandela's birthday, ANC leaders will renovate a school in Mvezo, the southern South African village where Mandela was born.People around the world have been asked to mark the anti-apartheid leader's birthday as Mandela Day. The day, inaugurated last year, is to be devoted to public service.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100715/ap_on_re_af/af_south_africa_mandela
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Africa in the News!
Africa's young 'change sex habits and lower HIV rates'
In a report, UNAids says the incidence of HIV has decreased by up to 25% as young people between the ages of 15 and 24 change their sexual behaviour. Uganda's vigorous campaign against HIV/Aids had helped to reduce the prevalence of the virus - which reached 30% in the 1990s - to single-digit figures. In countries such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe the reduction in new HIV infections, measured among young pregnant women presenting for antenatal check-ups, indicates that these nations will achieve UN targets for reducing HIV rates among the young this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10616274.stm
Uganda: Obama Offers U.S. Assistance in Phone Call to Museveni
Following the bombings in Kampala on Sunday, the White House announced that President Barrack Obama phoned Ugandan President President Yoweri Museveni Monday morning to express "sincere condolences for the loss of life." "The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to working together to combat terrorist organizations that threaten innocent civilians around the world," Gibbs said in his opening statement at the White House briefing. He said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007130001.html
Scientists Discover Antibody for HIV
Researchers have discovered a protein that can protect against a wide range of HIV, and said they may now be able to finally design a vaccine against the fatal and incurable virus.There are two main types of the virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2 with the most prevalent in Kenya being the former. HIV-1 is classified into four groups which further fall into several sub-types.These different strains make it difficult to produce a vaccine that could protect an individual from the virus, mainly because of what is called super infection or co-infection.In addition, the technique the teams used to find the new antibodies represents a novel strategy that could be applied to vaccine design for many other infectious diseases.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007121334.html
In a report, UNAids says the incidence of HIV has decreased by up to 25% as young people between the ages of 15 and 24 change their sexual behaviour. Uganda's vigorous campaign against HIV/Aids had helped to reduce the prevalence of the virus - which reached 30% in the 1990s - to single-digit figures. In countries such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe the reduction in new HIV infections, measured among young pregnant women presenting for antenatal check-ups, indicates that these nations will achieve UN targets for reducing HIV rates among the young this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10616274.stm
Uganda: Obama Offers U.S. Assistance in Phone Call to Museveni
Following the bombings in Kampala on Sunday, the White House announced that President Barrack Obama phoned Ugandan President President Yoweri Museveni Monday morning to express "sincere condolences for the loss of life." "The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to working together to combat terrorist organizations that threaten innocent civilians around the world," Gibbs said in his opening statement at the White House briefing. He said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007130001.html
Scientists Discover Antibody for HIV
Researchers have discovered a protein that can protect against a wide range of HIV, and said they may now be able to finally design a vaccine against the fatal and incurable virus.There are two main types of the virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2 with the most prevalent in Kenya being the former. HIV-1 is classified into four groups which further fall into several sub-types.These different strains make it difficult to produce a vaccine that could protect an individual from the virus, mainly because of what is called super infection or co-infection.In addition, the technique the teams used to find the new antibodies represents a novel strategy that could be applied to vaccine design for many other infectious diseases.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007121334.html
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