Teach Africa™ Phase III in Review

As a result of the USAID funded Teach Africa™ initiative and the dissemination of the Africa Today film, The Africa Society and partner organizations have made resources and information about Africa-education available to over 100 million people. For those who could not be with us to experience the exhilarating Teach Africa™ Youth Forums, The Africa Society has created a short film highlighting the students, speakers, workshops, excitement, and importance of the Teach Africa™ initiative. The film is called Teach Africa™ Phase III in Review and can be found on The Africa Society’s youtube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/africasummit. We invite you to watch! To learn more about this initiative or other Africa Society programs, you may also visit our website at www.africasummit.org.

What's Going on in Africa Today?

Madagascar Power-Sharing Talks to Resume, Doubts Linger (Reuters) Madagascar 's political rivals will meet in Mozambique again next week to discuss how to allocate jobs in a power-sharing government they agreed to set up to end months of turmoil.
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE57I0DQ20090819?sp=true

China and Congo Change Tack on Deal (Financial Times) China and the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to amend the terms of the biggest Chinese investment deal in Africa, which had been blocking Congo's access to much-needed debt relief, the International Monetary Fund has said
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ac7fd79c-8c2a-11de-b14f-00144feabdc0.html

Sudan: African-UN Mission Sets Up Unit to Investigate Gender-Based Crimes (UN NEWS)
The police component of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur has established a special investigations unit to monitor and report on crimes involving sexual and gender-based violence, a prevalent problem in the western Sudanese region.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31790&Cr=Darfur&Cr1=

East Africa: Hague Court Orders Eritrea to Pay Ethiopia for War Damage (Daily Nations) An international panel has ordered both Eritrea and Ethiopia to pay each other damages for the 1989-2000 border war which left more than 80,000 killed
http://allafrica.com/stories/200908190698.html

Family Code Gets Nudge, But Women Seek a Push (NY Times) Despite an important reform of Morocco’s family code in 2004, pressed upon a reluctant Parliament by the young king, Muhammad VI, sex outside marriage is not recognized in Morocco, any more than homosexuality is.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/africa/19tangiers.html

UN Marking First Humanitarian Day (BBC) The United Nations is holding its first ever World Humanitarian Day to honor international aid workers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8208575.stm

BURKINA FASO: Some parents refuse testing children for HIV (IRIN)
Health authorities estimate that less than 25 percent of HIV-infected children in Burkina Faso who require treatment are taking life-saving drugs while thousands of at-risk children are undiagnosed because their families refuse to have them tested.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85765

What's Going on in Africa Today?

Ripples of Dispute Surround Tiny Island in East Africa (NY Times)


This little island doesn’t look like much. But baby Migingo is creating a huge fuss. The island happens to lie right along the disputed watery border between Kenya and Uganda, and politicians have even threatened to go to war over it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/world/africa/17victoria.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Ripples%20of%20Dispute%20Surround%20Tiny%20Island%20in%20East%20Africa%20&st=cse


Chinese Firm Invests $2.4 Billion in Post-War Angola (Reuters)


China's Sinohydro Corporation has invested $2.4 billion to rebuild infrastructure in Angola since the end of the country's civil war in 2002
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE57G07P20090817


Ethiopia: Hunger-Ridden Country Defends Land Grabs


Ethiopia is on the defensive over a plan to offer 2.7 million hectares of land to foreign, mainly Asian, companies despite millions crying out for food aid from the international community.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200908140576.html


US Peace Corps Quits Mauritania (BBC)


The American Peace Corps says it has withdrawn more than 100 of its aid workers from Mauritania because of safety and security concerns.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8205532.stm

Live! It's Teach Africa

On Tuesday, July 28, 2009 The Africa Society celebrated the culmination of the USAID-funded Teach Africa™ initiative for 2009 with a Live Teach Africa™ Webinar which took place at Discovery Communications Headquarters. The live webinar allowed students and teachers, both in attendance and online, to witness a presentation and have an interactive discussion on the rich history, diverse cultures, and current events of the dynamic West African nation of Benin. The presentation was given by His Excellency Cyrille Segbe Oguin, Ambassador from the Republic of Benin to the U.S. Attendees enjoyed a reception as well as musical performance by the Beninese musical group, Wloguede. Dr. Sarah Moten, Chief of the Education Division of the Africa Bureau for USAID, also spoke passionately to the audience about her commitment to the continent of Africa and the importance of Africa education initiatives like the Teach Africa™ program.



Over 210 enthusiastic students and educators participated either in person or via the webinar. Guests left energized and armed with over $100 worth of Africa-focused educational materials to aid them in their study of the rich continent of Africa. Included in the gift bag was the film, Africa Today, which Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership produced in partnership with The Africa Society as a part of the Teach Africa™ initiative. Our combined efforts have made information about Teach Africa™ and the Africa Today film available to over 100 million people. To learn more about this initiative, we invite you to visit our website at www.africasummit.org.

What's Going on in Africa Today?

Clinton Concerned About Deaths, Rape in East Congo
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday more must be done to protect civilians from violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the army is fighting a string of conflicts.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLB717380

Somali Islamists Pull Teeth From "Sinners”
Somali Islamist group al Shabaab is forcibly removing gold and silver teeth from residents in southern Somalia because it says they contravene strict religious law, locals from a coastal town said on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLA242623

Mismanagement Marred Nigeria-Asia Oil Deals
Nigeria has mismanaged relations with Asian oil firms, failing to capitalize on deals which could have helped it develop infrastructure and leaving $20 billion of investment at risk
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Oil/idUSTRE57823I20090809

Deadly Attack by Rival Group in Sudan
The few wounded survivors of the attack recount their experiences as they recovered in the town of Akobo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8194060.stm

Tutu and Zuma Bury the Hatchet
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma and one of his biggest critics - the former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu - have made peace.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8189258.stm

You Don’t Have to Be Bill Gates to Be a Philanthropist!

You don’t have to be Bill Gates to be a philanthropist! On Friday July 24th, Just Cause hosted a happy hour at Mio restaurant that empowered ordinary people to do something extraordinary with their Friday night. Just Cause raises thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations by collecting $10 donations at monthly happy hours. The Africa Society was chosen to be the beneficiary of last month’s fundraiser and everyday philanthropists from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia came out to show their support. Guests enjoyed drinks, refreshments, good company, and the opportunity to win prizes. President and CEO of The Africa Society, Bernadette Paolo thanked everyone for attending, and The Africa Society's Senior Communications Consultant, Jomo Bellard presented raffle winners with gift certificates to Cake Love and Saxby’s Coffee, the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and the African board game Afriqu’enjeux.

While $10 donations may not seem like much, they can certainly add up to a lot of good. It is precisely these kinds of contributions that enable The Africa Society to carry out its very important mission of engaging and educating Americans about the peoples, diverse cultures, histories, and economies of Africa. To explore how you can make philanthropy part of your everyday life, we invite you to visit our website at http://www.africasummit.org/.