Africa's Alphabet of Change

A for A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

A.lways
T.ake
T.hought
I.n
T.endering to
U.r
D.aily
E.rrands

It’s been a long week. We are all excited that it’s coming to an end, and yes, you’re another day closer to a pay check, more alcohol, or worse to a more bleak and uncertain future.


To shake off the This Is Africa notion I’d like introduce you to something I’d like to call Africa’s Classroom. Each week we’ll be looking at a new word in our alphabet of change. Today’s first word is A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E.

You may know the conventional dictionary terminology for it, such as an outlook towards life and your day-to-day works, or more precisely; a way of thinking and behaving. But the African word dictionary will take your everyday words and make an acronym of them to ensure that we can adopt and internalize each word as a code of conduct rather than just knowing new vocabulary to show off your intellectual prowess.

So from now hence forth in the African word Dictionary Attitude stands for Always, Take Thought In Tendering to Ur Daily Errands. That simply means be impeccable in your work. Be deliberate in delivering whatever it is, to the best of your ability.

It doesn’t matter whether you shine shoes, are a porter in a hotel, a secretary dealing with annoying people or an underpaid civil servant. You need to adopt an attitude of excellence and precision in whatever you do. It’s through your individual A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E that you’ll rub on the magical virus and let it spread across the continent.

If you’re young, old, frustrated or hopeless then you need to have a really big A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E, much more than anyone else. Because you need to think very carefully and realize what it is your dreams and aspirations are. There’s a quote that says, do what you can, where you are, with what you have. Another great man also said, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Remember it's when you use the little you have to the best of your ability that you are able to yield the best not just in your life, but the community around you, however small.

It’s not easy, it never is, that’s what we all need to understand. The road to deliverance and prosperity in Africa, is never going to be easy, but you need to have the heart and the determination to ‘soldier on’ if I may say so.

It is what is between your ears and within your heart that’ll show you where to go. You may be semi literate as you read this, jobless, hopeless, but you have a dream. What is that dream? Share it and find out how to get started on the right path, once you speak it out, it becomes an opportunity. When you share it with like minded people, it becomes a venture, you exchange ideas and come up with something concrete that you then create and deliberately pursue with the right A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E.

With a few steps you grow from hopeless to prosperous. But you need to take that first step and let other subsequent steps of growth be guided by A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E that will definitely lead to prosperity.

So whatever you’re going through, however impossible, you have the choice to change it. And all you’ll need is to Always, Take Thought In Tendering to Ur Daily Errands.

Africa's got a New Look

Now that today is African children’s day, I think of one child in particular. The child soldier. I cannot begin to fathom what they go through. Being abducted from their homes, watching their parents being killed, sisters being raped and other close friends and villagers mutilated before their very eyes.

No matter how evil you may be, no human deserves to go through that. But that is the tale of the child soldier. It varies in degree, but the torment is the same. They are sedated with gunpowder and indoctrinated to kill, feel no pain; have no heart and no mercy.

Just stop and think about it for a moment, you are raped of your childhood in all senses of the word. You lose part of being human and enjoying the basics of family, communion, laughter and playing. You are reduced almost to an animal, no reason is required, just kill, at 5, 7 or 13 years. You are numb to the ideals of a good childhood and lose the meaning of life.

It’s a hard and impossible place to be in, but there are several rehabilitated ex-child soldiers that’ll you meet walking on the streets. Veterans of war in the late teens and early twenties from Southern Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and many other war torn African states. To be able to transform from being a stone cold killer to being able to function as a rational human being is commendable and admirable. I do admire and respect all these rehabilitated former child soldiers for that. But there’s one ex-child soldier who stands out as a visionary and ambassador for social change.

His name is Emmanuel Jal. His smooth ebony skin, king sized smile and cool demeanor can fool you. He appears as a young man born into wealth. He’s shared the stage with Nelson Mandela, Will Smith, Bono and Moby among several other international artists in both the Live 8 concerts and in Hyde Park last year to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday.

He’s not just an ex soldier Jal’s a hip hop artist leading a generation with a new message of peace, reconciliation and a fight to end poverty.

Like many child soldiers, his plight begun at a tender age, being torn away from his family and shipped off to Ethiopia to train as a soldier for the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). His life was pre-determined to end pitifully, but that course changed when a British Aid worker by the name of Emma McCune, now deceased, rescued and smuggled Emmanuel to Nairobi.

In Nairobi, he found religion and music to soothe and heal the wounds of the past atrocities committed and experiences that haunted him. It’s through his unique Hip Hop style; focused on social injustice and a push for change that separates Jal from American counterparts, who glamorize gangster culture. Jal has even composed a song, “50 Cent” questioning American Hip Hop sensation, Fifty Cent on his approach to music.

Jal has since released three albums. The first two; A day in the life and Ceasefire were a hit in Kenya and received airplay on the BBC which then propelled Jal to the International Stage. His 2008 US album release, War child catapulted him further. He also has ana ward winning Film by the same name War Child. Have a look at the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0402tJk3g5U&feature=related


Jal has brought the plight of child soldiers, trafficking and slavery to the fore. He is also the spokesperson for the Make Poverty history, The Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers and the Control Arms campaigns. He’s also established his own organization; Gua Africa. The word Gua (pronounced Gwaa), means Peace in his native Nuer language. Gua Africa supports former Sudanese child soldiers.

Jal is currently in the process of building a state of the art learning facility and safe haven on 15 acres of land in Leer, in Southern Sudan. He is currently eating one meal a day to raise awareness on this initiative till he raises the funds to build the institution. You can keep track on Jal’s progress and send your support on http://www.youtube.com/emmanueljal.

Its determination and sacrifice that Emmanuel Jal exemplifies that we as young Africans need to embrace to push an agenda of change and development in the continent.

All young people of Africa, this is your time to arise and bring forth the Africa of your dreams and aspirations.

If you want to know more about Emmanuel Jal and Gua Africa, you can check out the links below.
http://www.emmanueljal.org/
http://www.gua-africa.org/
You can also connect with Emmanuel on Facebook and MySpace; www.myspace.com/emmanueljal

Now you know who's in charge!

By Desmond Milya

A few friends and i were in awe while watching Inside Africa this past week. After over 3 days of deliberations The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses made a resolution calling for legislation by all countries importing rough diamonds, requiring all imports to be polished and officially parceled by the exporting countries, in a bid to stop the multibillion dollar sale of conflict diamonds worldwide. Wonderful!!!

Definitely a step in the right direction and these are efforts the whole world should applaud. The story went on to tell about a Senator in the U.S trying to push a bill through congress to this effect. Now here we were thinking 'this is great! Somebody’s finally noticing the urgency of the situation!’, until, the Senator in question appeared on TV and when asked by Isha Sesay what the bill was all about, he said, that the legislation was geared at determining who controls these mines... need I say more?!!

My friends and I looked at each other and shook our heads in disgust! Because this is the typical African story; Africa has something we need, so let’s go to the diamond-laden villages with little goodie bags feed a few starving kids, pave a few roads in the jungle, give people clean water, throw in a few electric generators while we’re at it and decide for them what happens to their natural resources! It’s ridiculous! That just means a decision made in the U.S congress could lead to America deciding exactly who mines where, when and how.

Don’t even know why I’m surprised this is so typical, because there’s no other way to explain how a continent which lacks absolutely nothing SEEMS to have... absolutely nothing! The British enjoy a 99 year leasehold control over salt mining in my country, Kenya. They grow coffee on our land process the beans in the U.K and sell refined branded coffee back to us at absurd prices. Now the U.S wants to 'decide' who controls mines in Congo huh?

And Isha Sesay didn’t ask the Senator what gives the U.S the right to do this. The bill probably won’t make it through the committee stage because, let’s face it; Africa may be important but not really worth anyone’s time in Congress. What’s startling is the imperialistic mindset that even drew up the bill to begin with. They probably did it just because they could huh? Isha Sesay should have taken the Senator to task over this issue. You know, We like to believe it did but colonialism never really ended, did it?