Perspectives

A diversity of views on Africa-related opportunities and issues.

Never too late: Somalia’s long quest for stability wins U.S. accolades

By Larcus Pickett on April 29, 2013

Hassan Mohammad and Hilary Clinton

January of this year marked a new chapter in Somalia’s quest for stability and security. It is the classic case of the African news that never was.  For one thing, whereas the story was reported by many a news media outlet, the full impact of the change in the country is yet to be visible to the outside world, and so it seems like nothing really happened. But indeed change is taking place in Somalia.

For the first time since 1991, the United States formally recognized Somalia’s government under the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The renewed partnership between the United States and Somalia continues both nations steady fight against terrorism and the establishment of stability through democracy.…

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By Larcus Pickett on April 29, 2013.
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Chinua Achebe reasserted ‘African dignity’

By Kenneth Usongo on March 26, 2013

Achebe as a young man in 1966

One of Africa’s most celebrated novelists, Chinua Achebe, died in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., on Thursday, March 21. He was 82 years old.

There is mourning as well as celebration all over the world to salute this great son of Africa. This can be seen and heard in special news broadcasts , announcements, marketplace meetings, press releases, emails and discussions of all sorts . As a lover of African literature and someone who reveres Achebe’s works, I have a take on the matter as well.

Wole Soyinka is imploring Ogun ; Ali Mazrui has his hands on his head; Nadine Gordimer is fretting in her study; Ben Okri is stupefied; Chima Amanda is utterly disheveled; the pen is trembling in the hand of Abiola Irele; and Tala Kashim is perusing the dictionary: that is the imaginary scenario of how things fell apart following news of the passing away of Africa’s leading wordsmith.…

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By Kenneth Usongo on March 26, 2013.
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What if Africa is really Rising?

By Kenneth Usongo on March 17, 2013

Africa Rising

Africa

Africa, Africa arise from the shadow of your underachievement

Arise from the slough of war, from the scourge of prejudice

Awake to the drum of political, socio-economic sustenance

Relive your legendary status of generosity, sensuality, and as the cradle of civilization

Through forums of discussion, mass media outlets, we shall celebrate your achievements

Through cultural exchanges and book clubs, we shall disseminate under-reported information about you

By bringing together the elderly and the young, the colored and the biracial, the informed and the misinformed, blacks and whites.

We shall champion you in a global context

From the banks of the Nile to the summit of Kilimanjaro

We shall foster understanding among your offspring

From the caravans in Timbuktu to the heart of the Kalahari

You are endowed with abundance

From the shores of the Atlantic to the frontiers of the Pacific

We shall facilitate valuable discourse on democracy, culture, business, and economics

Between you and the rest of humanity.…

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By Kenneth Usongo on March 17, 2013.
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Soyinka warns Africans not to sell themselves to the Chinese

By George Bamu on December 9, 2012

Wole Soyinka on Tavis Smiley

I like to call him “the man”, many call him “the gadfly, and still others call him “Africa’s only Nobel laureate in literature.”  His real name is Wole Soyinka, Nigerian writer and author.

The New York Times thinks he deserves some kind of secular sainthood . He just published his latest literary work, “Of Africa”, and it is garnering a lot of attention.

Soyinka came to my attention while i was still in high school and studying African literature. Through “The Swamp Dwellers” for example, one of his best works, I learnt such things as contrast and irony in literature. Today, while he is still a writer, he teaches at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in California.…

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By George Bamu on December 9, 2012.
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Denver Immigration Attorney explains “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals”

By Atim Otii on October 12, 2012

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

Many African immigrant families living in Colorado may benefit from the recent immigration law called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. But what exactly is this new law and how can families take advantage of it. Here are some explanations:

The government through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) -Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE), is presently making determinations called “prosecutorial discretion” on how to pursue enforcement of U.S. immigration laws against a particular individual.

This discretion can take many forms, such as whether to arrest or detain an individual, whether to send an individual to an immigration judge, or even whether to remove an individual if their case is unsuccessful.  The purpose of prosecutorial discretion is to identify cases that are low enforcement priorities for DHS and instead use its resources to pursue immigration enforcement against individuals with severe criminal history or who have committed fraud against the US government.…

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By Atim Otii on October 12, 2012.
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Ignoring Africa during U.S. Elections won’t make it go away

By George Bamu on August 11, 2012

Barack Obama/Mitt Romney

As Election Day in America draws close, U.S. voters are asking their candidates for office all sorts of questions. Some are questions the candidates and their campaigns don’t like or want to address right now. For example: What would you do about too many guns in the hands of Americans. That’s the question that has popped up in reaction to the recent shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin.

Yet, the ears of the world is tuned in to U.S. politics, as people listen and watch the spectacle of American democracy in action, the attack ads in the media, the machinations of Super PACs and money wars, plus the will of voters to vote as they please, to elect the leader of the free world.…

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By George Bamu on August 11, 2012.
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Film about 2010 Soccer World Cup airs in Denver

By Rahwa Meharena on August 9, 2012

Africa United, the movie

 

Africa Agenda hosted a fundraising movie showing of Africa United on Saturday, July 28.

With a humorous spin on critical issues in Africa, this film captures the story of five African children with different backgrounds that unites them as they embark on an adventure they will never forget.

Dudu is a young orphan who lectures on condoms and safe sex to his peers and lives with his young sister who is inspired to be a doctor. Dudu’s best friend Fabrice is a talented soccer player convinced by Dudu they should leave Rwanda and head to the audition for a warm-up act at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.…

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By Rahwa Meharena on August 9, 2012.
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Things may be fast in America, but in Malawi, things are still slow

By Muthi Nhlema on August 4, 2012

Fast and Furious, the movie

There are many strange facts in this world that are best kept within the realm of fiction. Some of these facts even border on the ridiculous and they make you wonder whether even facts can be adjusted and thus, in extrapolation, the truth also.

Americans often refer to things being fast; fast food restaurants aka McDonald, Burger King, and even the U.S congress thinks there can be a “Fast and Furious” gun investigation and what have you. Well, that fast gun investigation came to an end really fast and we’ve all forgotten about it, or maybe about to forget it really fast, too.…

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By Muthi Nhlema on August 4, 2012.
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Obama administration “ramping up” its Africa Policy

By George Bamu on July 29, 2012

President Obama greets well-wishers during a trip to Ghana in 2009

As if the Obama administration is heeding complaints that it has not engaged with Africa enough since the president assumed office in 2009, a new focus on the continent appears to be gaining steam. These appear to be signs and a signal from the White House that is takes Africa seriously while Obama is  president of the United States.

First there was the June 14 Presidential Policy Directive geared towards sub-Saharan Africa. Now, the White House Office of Public Engagement is holding a conversation Monday, July 30 with hopes of soliciting feedback from those involved with Africa related issues.

“Administration officials will be discussing the core components and strategic priorities outlined in the Presidential Policy Directive”, said an announcement from the White House July 27.…

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By George Bamu on July 29, 2012.
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2011 Africa Agenda