It was supposed to be a night of jubilation across Africa, even without an African team in the final. South Africa hosted a great World Cup and silenced the critics who claimed that Africa did not have the ability or resources to host such a major tournament. Millions tuned in around the world to watch the closing ceremony of the greatest game in the world. The buzzing of vuvuzelas tore through the skies for one last time at this tournament. A night which usually ends with spectators flying their flags high in celebration of the victory instead sent shock waves across Africa and the Diaspora. Three bombs exploded, one struck an Ethiopian restaurant and two exploded at a rugby center. So far there have been 74 reported fatalities and many others left the scene with injuries. Of the casualties twenty eight are Ugandan, one Irish, one Indian, one American and 11 Ethiopian. What could have been a night of joy for many soccer fans in Uganda ended in mourning and desperation to determine the fate of friends and loved ones.
The initial word from the investigation pointed in the direction of Al-Shabaab a Somali based terrorist organization. This group had threatened staging attacks in Uganda and other African Nations that are contributing troops to the peace keeping effort in Somalia. These allegations proved significant when the Somali Islamist militant movement claimed responsibility for these attacks. “And the best of men have promised and they have delivered,” said an Arabic statement issued by Al-Shabaab’s press office and obtained by CNN. “Blessed and exalted among men — (taking) full responsibility. …We wage war against the 6,000 collaborators; they have received their response—-May Allah accept these martyrs who carried out the blessed operation and exploded themselves in the middle of the infidels,”
Africa continues to be one of the most troubled continents in the world and it is saddening to add terrorism to our list of problems. This attack is different from previous attacks on African soil such as the 1998 bombing at the U.S Embassy in Kenya. The Al-Shabaab are currently directly targeting Africans. It is a very sad day when Africans inflict fear on fellow Africans. We have had our share of civil wars and genocide but terrorism is a different beast all together. Acts of terror instill fear in the masses and completely transform the state of mind of a Nation. Those of us who have lived in America and witnessed events since the Sept 11th attack on the World Trade Center understand how one event can change the livelihood of a people. America has used and invested a significant amount of recourses to fight terrorism. How are African Nations going to contain and respond to acts of terrorism? Our resources and intelligence are on a limited budget, the borders are more-less open, smuggling of items in and outside nations is rampant and some government don’t even have full control of their nations. This leaves our citizens vulnerable and caged in a corner.
As Africans we have to speak out in a unified voice and fight on a united front against these knuckleheads who intend to bring terrorism to the motherland. Africans with all our problems are still a vibrant people who enjoy having a good time. The last thing we need is additional anxiety while sipping our Tusker, Waragi, Bell Lager and enjoying the beautiful game. Indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians without knowing their identities and calling it a blessed operation against infidels is a despicable act of cowardice and hatred.
This event should be a wakeup call for the African Union (AU) to urgently invest resources towards failed States such as Somalia. Failed states are becoming a hotbed for terrorists and radicalized groups that can pose major security threats. The days of Africans not being targets of terrorism are over. Initiatives towards strengthening Somalia should be on top of the AU agenda. Critical at this juncture is a need to re-examine the mission of the current 6,000 African Union peacekeepers in Somalia. In order to have a functional Somali government, the mission of the AU troops ought to be expanded not only towards humanitarian and peacekeeping but engage in combat operations to flush these groups out of Somalia. This would require a surge in AU troops and additional contribution from other African countries. Somalia will remain on the course of a failed State until the AU offers this government a fighting chance and an adequate umbrella to establish control over the entire territory. If no action is taken, Al-Shabaab and pirates will continue to roam and cause havoc and instability in Africa.
We are all deeply saddened by the loss of life of innocent civilians and our condolences go out to the people of Uganda and the families that have lost their loved ones.
© Kawuma
I am doing a profile on the Liberian Women’s Initiatives (LiWIM) that I should be publishing sometime next week. Anyway, they are having a fund-raising for one of their programs where they work with high school girls. Its really impressive, the work that they are doing. Consider supporting them. Details below:
What better way is there to honor mothers than to attend this classy fundraiser on the eve of Mother’s Day, May 8? In fact, invite all the special ladies in your life to enjoy some live jazz and wine. It’s for a great cause!
Please join my friends and me for “Afterglow” – a wine & jazz fundraiser to benefit the Liberian Women’s Initiatives –Minnesota (LiWIM) programs addressing teenage pregnancy and school dropout among female African American and African immigrant students.
“Afterglow” features a live jazz performance by the Geoff Jones Trio (Sounds of Blackness). Savor complimentary wine* and hors d’oeuvres, while relaxing to varied yet consistently sultry jazz tunes; the Jones Trio runs the gamut – incorporating elements of funk, R&B, and neo-soul; from 9pm – 12am. Interlude music provided by Charles Dennis, host/producer of the African Roots Connection on KMOJ radio FM 89.9.
Continue basking in the “Afterglow” until 3am with DJ Sam Tokpa.
*Non-alcoholic varieties available
Donation: $20.00
Dress: Cocktail/Traditional
Location: Miracle Empowerment Center
5801 John Martin Drive
Brooklyn Center, MN
A few years ago a group of Kenyan friends in Minnesotan universities got together to start an education fund for children in Kenya. They would raise money every month amongst themselves, and over time formalized the association and formed the Kenya Society for Academic Advancement.
A long feature will follow. For now, read more about them on their website, become a fan on Facebook and party with them at the Lounge tonight! (flyer above) Proceeds from Soma Nights will go towards the KSAA education fund. (Soma is Swahili for Study/Read)
On their website you can meet the children who have received scholarships from them. You can also read about their work with women groups in different parts of Kenya. It was not until 2003 that education became free to all Kenyan children only at the primary school level. KSAA seeks to serve kids who have benefited from free primary school education, have done well academically, but cannot afford to go to high school.
The founders of KSAA realized that ensuring the education of these underprivileged children through high school would vastly improve their chances of success in life. The success of such an individual would greatly help in advancing not only personal growth, but the growth and development of [Kenya].
Disclaimer: I am friends with most of the founders and board members of KSAA so I have attended a couple of their benefits (thus explaining my photo on the slide show on their homepage)
Event details: The Lounge, 411 Second Ave North, Minneapolis. Time: 10pm to 2am.
By Aaron Glantz
Loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses — especially those owned by Blacks and Latinos — according to data provided by the federal government’s Small Business Administration (SBA) to New America Media (NAM). Continue reading →
Members of South Africa’s Creative Workers Union (as well as some of my facebook friends) are seething with anger over the casting of Jennifer Hudson to play Winnie Mandela in an upcoming biopic of the South Africa’s former first lady. According this article production for the film is to begin in May, but the union has threatened to delay shooting in South Africa.
Oupa Lebogo, general secretary of the CWU, said of Hudson’s casting, announced last month: “This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now. If the matter doesn’t come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film being cast in South Africa. We are being undermined, there is no respect at all.”
Continue reading →
Who knows the Minnesota Oromo?
Who knows their dark secret?
Fifteen thousand Oromo live in Minnesota but they blend in almost invisibly, like a stealthy, anonymous population in the state.
They are teachers, doctors and lawyers; they run retail shops and corporations; they attend Viking games, relax at coffee shops and stroll at malls. They are sometimes called “Ethiopian immigrants” because they are indeed from Ethiopia.
But among friends and family, or if you ask them specifically, they carefully call themselves “Oromo.”
Who are the Oromo?
They are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, numbering 31 million, and they are the subject of a new report, “Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Diaspora,” prepared by The Advocates for Human Rights, based in Minneapolis.
Continue reading →
Sex has always been a taboo word in Africa—and most of us were raised in families where sex and sexuality was a self taught subject. It has been stated that you can only take a horse to the river; you cannot force it to drink. In this case many of us were told the river never existed and once we stumbled on it, we hardly knew how to drink like a Tiger. HIV/AIDS was a reality check—simply put, it was similar to the American Indians being wiped out by infectious diseases after contact with Europeans. There immune system was not equipped with the antibodies to stem off the foreign pathogens and neither was African society equipped with the straight talk needed to create awareness and impede the spread of HIV/AIDS. The list of shame includes leaders such as Mbeki who denied the existence of AIDS and his fellow country man Jacob Zuma– while being tried on charges of raping an HIV-positive family friend mentioned in his testimony that he took a shower after sex to lower the risk of AIDS.
Four years ago, I wrote an article about the need for Africans to tackle our last Taboo—of openly talking about sex. This was following events in which the Uganda Media Council banned a women’s group from featuring the Play entitled ‘Vagina Monologues’— on grounds that the play promoted illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution. Once again Uganda is in the news for the wrong reasons and drawing worldwide criticism for proposed legislation to impose a death penalty for gay Ugandans—and up to seven years in jail for family and friends for failing to report individuals who display gay-like behavior. As an African, I feel concerned about the state of human rights and the incompetence of the leadership hierarchy. However, it is not a surprise because whenever you see the symptoms, there is likely a disease. Uganda’s President Museveni has targeted the gay community with tough rhetoric over the years. In some of his speeches, he continues to urge youth to reject advances from Europe, suggesting that ‘European homosexuals’ had launched a recruitment drive in Africa. With the crusade of politicians and church clergy openly critical of homosexuality, it was only a matter of time before the rhetoric turned into legislation. Continue reading →
I recently wrote about international student health insurance (below). What has your experience been? What do you do when you have to see a dentist? Or when insurance doesn’t cover your ailment? Please share in comments below.
When the twenty-two-year-old student’s heart started racing, she figured that she was just fatigued after a long day at school. A visit to the Boynton Clinic at the University of Minnesota convinced her that she was just having anxiety attacks. A second visit, an EKG and several blood tests later, she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, a condition where one’s thyroid gland produces more hormones than it should. Her doctor then put her on medication and monitored her heart for about a year. The Eastern European student at a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) school, was dismayed when she received a $1500 medical bill, even though she was insured. even though she was insured. Her insurer, United Healthcare Student Resources, is an insurance company that specifically covers college and university students, but it only covered one EKG a year. Continue reading →
