FREEING OUR MINDS EMANCIPATION DAY 2012

Ivan Van Sertima and Africa's Contribution to Global Civilization

Ivan Gladstone Van Sertima (26 January 1935 – 25 May 2009) was an associate professor of Africana Studies at Rutgers University in the United States.

He is best known for his Olmec alternative origin speculations, a brand of pre-Columbian contact theory, which he proposed in his book They Came Before Columbus (1976). While his Olmec theory has "spread widely in the African American community, both lay and scholarly", it was mostly ignored in Mesoamericanist scholarship, or else dismissed as Afrocentric pseudohistory to the effect of "robbing native American cultures".

Van Sertima was born in Karina Village, Guyana, when Guyana was still a British colony; he retained his British citizenship throughout his life. He completed primary and secondary school in Guyana, and started writing poetry.He attended the School of Oriental and African Studies(SOAS) at the University of London from 1959. In addition to his creative writing, Van Sertima completed his undergraduate studies in African languages and literature at SOAS in 1969, where he graduated with honors.  During his studies, he learned Swahili and Hungarian. From 1957 to 1959, worked a Press and Broadcasting Officer in the Guyana Information Services During the 1960s, he worked for several years in Great Britain as a journalist, doing weekly broadcasts to the Caribbean and Africa. Van Sertima married Maria Nagy in 1964; they adopted two sons.

In doing field work in Africa, he compiled a dictionary of Swahili legal terms in 1967.

In 1970 Van Sertima immigrated to the United States, where he entered Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for graduate work.

He published his They Came Before Columbus 1976, as a Rutgers graduate student. The book deals mostly with his claims of African origin of Mesoamerican culture in the Western Hemisphere, but among other things also writing that the kings of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt were Nubians. The book, published by Random House rather than an academic press, was a bestseller and achieved widespread attention within the African American community for his claims of prehistoric African contact and diffusion of culture in Central and South America. It was generally "ignored or dismissed" by academic experts at the time and strongly criticized in detail in an academic journal in 1997.

Sertima completed his master's degree at Rutgers in 1977. He became Associate Professor of African Studies at Rutgers in the Department of Africana Studies. In 1979, Van Sertima founded the Journal of African Civilizations, which he exclusively edited and published for decades.

He published several annual compilations, volumes of the journal dealing with various topics of African history. His article, "The Lost Sciences of Africa: An Overview" (1983), makes claims for early African advances in metallurgy, astronomy, mathematics, architecture, engineering, agriculture, navigation, medicine and writing. He claimed that higher learning, in Africa as elsewhere, was the preserve of elites in the centres of civilizations, rendering them vulnerable in the event (as happened in Africa) of the destruction of those centers and the disappearance of the knowledge. Van Sertima discussed such "African scientific contributions" in an essay for the volume African Renaissance, published in 1999 (he had first published the essay in 1983). This was a record of the conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 1998 on the theme of the so-called African Renaissance.

After divorcing his first wife, Sertima remarried in 1984, to Jacqueline L. Patten, who had two daughters.

On July 7, 1987, Van Sertima testified before a United States Congressional committee to oppose recognition of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas. He said, "You cannot really conceive of how insulting it is to Native Americans . . . to be told they were discovered".

Van Sertima retired in 2006. He died on 25 May 2009 aged 74.He was survived by his wife and four adult children. His widow, Jacqueline Van Sertima, said she would continue to publish theJournal of African Civilizations. She also planned to publish a book of his poetry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_van_Sertima

Liberty Hall celebrates the 124th anniversary of the birth of Marcus Garvey August 17 2011

UN Declares Famine in Somalia

This is according to the Agence France Presse-the  APF News Agency

The UN officially declared famine in two parts of southern Somalia Wednesday as the world slowly mobilised to save the 12 million people battling hunger in the region's worst drought in 60 years.

More than 10 million people in the Horn of Africa have been affected by the drought 

The United States urged the Al Qaeda-inspired rebels controlling the area to allow the return of the relief groups they expelled two years ago while aid groups warned many would die without urgent action and funding.

Somalia, which has been affected by almost uninterrupted conflict for 20 years and become a by-word for "failed state", is the worst affected nation but parts of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti are also hit.

The Horn of Africa 

The United States urged neighbouring Eritrea, one of the most secretive countries in the world, to reveal the scope of its own food situation.

Famine implies that at least 20 percent of households face extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition in over 30 percent of people, and two deaths per 10,000 people every day, according to UN definition.

The Shebab expelled foreign aid groups two years ago, accusing them of being Western spies and Christian crusaders.

However, the UN last week airlifted in the first supplies since the group said it would lift restrictions on aid.

For further information on the issue visit the BBC page on the Horn of Africa drought. 

BBC's Drought in the Horn of Africa

South Sudan Profile: An Overview

The following is from the BBC with minor changes to be current, the following was originally posted BBC World News on July 8 2011: The BBC South Sudan country profile

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running civil war.

An overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted in a January 2011 referendum to secede and become Africa's first new country since Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993.

The new nation stands to benefit from inheriting the bulk of Sudan's oil wealth, but continuing disputes with Khartoum and a lack of economic development cloud its immediate future.

Geography

Formed from the 10 southern-most states of Sudan, South Sudan is a land of expansive grassland, swamps and tropical rain forest straddling both banks of the White Nile.

It is highly diverse ethnically and linguistically. Among the largest ethnic groups are the Dinka, Nuer and Shilluk.

Unlike the predominantly Muslim population of Sudan, the South Sudanese follow traditional religions, while a minority are Christians.

South Sudan celebration scene

History

As Sudan prepared to gain independence from joint British and Egyptian rule in 1956, southern leaders accused the new authorities in Khartoum of backing out of promises to create a federal system, and of trying to impose an Islamic and Arabic identity.

In 1955, southern army officers mutinied, sparking off a civil war between the south, led by the Anya Nya guerrilla movement, and the Sudanese government.

The conflict only ended when the Addis Ababa peace agreement of 1972 accorded the south a measure of autonomy.

But, in 1983, the south, led by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and its armed wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), again rose in rebellion when the Sudanese government cancelled the autonomy arrangements.

At least 1.5 million people are thought to have lost their lives and more than four million were displaced in the ensuing 22 years of guerrilla warfare. Large numbers of South Sudanese fled the fighting, either to the north or to neighbouring countries, where many remain.

The conflict finally ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, under which the south was granted regional autonomy along with guaranteed representation in a national power-sharing government.

The agreement also provided for a referendum in the south on independence in 2011, in which 99% of southern Sudanese voted to split from Sudan.

Most South Sudanese sustain themselves through agriculture

Economy


Long based on subsistence agriculture, South Sudan's economy is now highly oil-dependent. While an estimated 75% of all the former Sudan's oil reserves are in South Sudan, the refineries and the pipeline to the Red Sea are in Sudan.


Under the 2005 accord, South Sudan received 50% of Sudan's oil proceeds, which provide the vast bulk of the country's budget. But that arrangement was set to expire with independence.


Despite the oil wealth, South Sudan is one of Africa's least developed countries. However, the years since the 2005 peace accord ushered in an economic revival and investment in utilities and other infrastructure.


Conflicts

Alongside the oil issue, several border disputes with Sudan continue to strain ties. The main row is over border region of Abyei, where a referendum for the residents to decide whether to join south or north has been delayed over voter eligibility.

The conflict is rooted in a dispute over land between farmers of the pro-South Sudan Dinka Ngok people and cattle-herding Misseriya Arab tribesmen.

Another source of conflict is the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan's South Kordofan state, where violence continues between the largely Christian and pro-SPLA Nuba people and northern government forces.

Inside South Sudan, several rebel forces opposed to the SPLM-dominated government have appeared, including the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA) of Peter Gadet and a force led former SPLA general George Athor. Juba says these forces are funded by Sudan, which denies the accusation.

South Sudan's Independence and breaking the bonds of colonialism

On Saturday South Sudan became the world's newest nation and African 54th country. 

Map  showing the established borders of Sudan and  South Sudan 

Sudan, the largest and one of the most geographically diverse states in Africa, split into two countries in July 2011 after the people of the south voted for independence.

The world's newest nation was born at midnight East African Time last Saturday. Independence marked the the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long civil war.

The South's independence follows decades of conflict with the north in which some 1.5 million people died. 

South Sudan's independence following a referendum held in January 2011 in which nearly 99% of voters opted for separation from the rest of Sudan.

Saturday's independence ceremony was held at the mausoleum of the late rebel leader John Garang, who died just months after signing the peace deal with Mr Bashir that ended Africa's longest-running conflict. 

While we celebrate with South Sudan and look towards a bright future for the long suffering Southerners we must acknowledge that moving forward will be hard.  


South Sudan is in an oil rich region but is considered to be the most underdeveloped country in the world. 


South Sudan most now move to build basic infrastructure and amenities such as roads, schools, hospitals, schools and the like.  


However, I see good in all this. As a student of African history I am proud and happy that Sudan is the first country to break the artificial and forced boundaries established under colonial rule.   


In what is termed the "Scramble for Africa" also known as the Race for Africa and the Partition of Africa  was the process of annexation, colonization of African territories by Europe between 1881 to the start of the World War I in 1914. 


European imperialist created artificial boundaries and called them countries wherein ethnic groups and nation-states were forced to live within laws that did not fit the African personality. Such laws are exported from Europe ( such a the British common law that former colonies of Britain like Jamaica continue to struggle operate in). 




 After the 1960s the Decade of Independence for most African and Caribbean nations that were colonized these artificial boundaries were maintained and Sudan is the first nation to act to change from these colonial spatial definitions. 


I will watching closely to see how  South Sudan and Sudan adjusts. And I pray and wish them success as this may be the step needed to end the ethnic clashes that have plagued Africa since the end of official colonial rule. 


For the next few weeks Envasa will have a South Sudan post independence series as we monitor the transitional period. 


What do you think of the independence of South Sudan? Do you think other African countries can benefit from the Sudan-South Sudan model? or is it just too soon to tell?   

Desmond Tutu ‘God is not a Christian’

 I saw this interesting piece on New African Magazine homepage and decided to share it with you. I am in complete agreement with his sentiments. Christianity is a fairly new religious and life philosophy while the presence of and the belief in a Supreme Element (of whatever name, shape, size, colour or race) has been intrinsic in human civilization and cosmic realities. So I invite you to read the excerpt below and then discuss. Is God a Christian?

New African Magazine Homepage
“God is clearly not a Christian. His concern is for all his children. To claim God exclusively for Christians is to make God too small and in a real sense is blasphemous. God is bigger than Christians and cares for more than Christians only,” writes Archbishop Desmond Tutu in his new book, God Is Not A Christian, a collection of some of his speeches, sermons, lectures, letters, and exchanges from the past three decades. Below is an excerpt from the book.

Most Christians believe that they get their mandate for exclusivist claims from the Bible. Jesus does say that no one can come to the Father except through him, and in Acts we hear it proclaimed that there is no other name under heaven that is given for salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Those passages seem to be categorical enough to make all debate superfluous. But is this all that the Bible says, with nothing, as it were, on the side of inclusiveness and universality, and does the exclusivist case seem reasonable in the light of human history and development? 

The Most Reverend Doctor Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African activist and Christian cleric who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town., South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).

Archbishop Tutu has been active in the defense of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis,  homophobia, transphobia, poverty and racism. Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986, the Ghandi Peace Prize in 2005, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Tutu has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.

Haiti: Culture A Vehicle for Reconstruction

From UNESCO, just sharing. Enjoy!
Comment and Discuss: Does cultural heritage or intangible heritage stimulate sustainable economic development in Africa and the African Diaspora?

Interregional Philosophical Dialogue between Africa and the Americas – “Africa and its Diaspora”

Interregional Philosophical Dialogue between Africa and the Americas – “Africa and its Diaspora”

The conference will bring together philosophers from throughout Africa, its diasporas, and the Americas to address contemporary challenges. 
It is organized in the framework of the celebration of the International Year for People of African Descent (2011) proclaimed by the UN General Assembly at its 64th session and benefits from ISESCO’s financial support.

The dialogue between philosophers from Africa and the Americas – North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean – around the theme “Africa and its Diaspora” is founded on a strong conviction: the very rich intercultural exchanges between the regions have given birth to a quintessence of intellectual wealth. Such wealth is embodied by the very valuable and insightful philosophical and theoretical debates on the meaning of “African Philosophy”, “African-American Philosophy” and “Caribbean/Latin Philosophy”. 

For further information visit UNESCO Cultural Events Calendar

ENvasa Media and Publications: In Search of My Black Aesthetic

I do have a rather small concern when it comes to Black Aesthetics, I am of African descent and all people around are predominantly of African descent and yet the literature that has been presented to me through life have not been those that have celebrated Black Aesthetics. I am convinced that most of the people that I am close to (my friends and family) are indeed beautiful. I know that I am beautiful I am one of the most beautiful people on Earth. And yet... How do I describe my beauty? How do I explain fully what I see in the mirror and see in others? I think the answer lies in the way I will bring forth my characters. Before I seek to bring them forth from my mind I must look deeply at myself AND I must describe bit by bit the beauty I see in me. I have only read a small section of books by Black people, this is not my fault but in going forward I must make it a part of my life to read about myself and the people that I look like and those that look like me. I find that in my own life I think of people, particularly shades of brown in turns of food or candy or some sweetness, there is dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, honey and yet that seems inadequate maybe should use word yes I should use another phrase those words are good they are what comes naturally they also can be and will be worked on. Black Aesthetics exist in degrees and variations there is a mixture and smooth combination that always creates a unique beauty and once I master the ability to relate the beauty that I see and feel with words I shall be truly grateful.

Project of Great Hope and the Ngambe-Tikar people of Cameroon

Project of Great Hope is based on TechCeFaCos’ Humanitarian Program aimed at providing and making available basic human needs like water, food and shelter; as well children growth as the fountain of life and base for future generation.

It’s all became behind the aim of ‘Holidays for Hope’-giving lasting hope on a special day of December for homeless and underprivileged kids of all abilities…as we of TechCeFaCos NGO Cameroon together with Dreams for Kids US, we organized and undertaken a mission to Ngambe-Tikar where we came cross bunches of great needy people who needs our help! Our journey was not all that easy to before coming across this people.

The basic issues here from our observation and inquire was that of health and education! Health issues resulting from Polio, Schistosomiasis and Intestinal Helminthiasis (poor sanitation), Cholera (drinking water) and STDs (no sex education) infections are several, so lots of disable and high death rate in children. Illiteracy is still very high in this community, as 75% are primary school dropped outs due to lack/inefficient basic academy needs!

Our vision is to empower the young generation which is the tomorrow leaders through provision of basic needs good hygiene, education, shelter  and water. We are looking forward to uplift the community from the poverty level which will have great impact of the economy through motivating them by providing the basic needs.

You can assist the Ngamber-Tikar by making a donation or volunteering your time visit  the TecheFaCos NGO or the learn more about TecheCeFaCos NGO, the Ngambe-Tikar and Cameroon visit the Project of Great Hope Blog

Spotlight on UN Millennium Development Goals

United Nations Development Goals

Africa the Cradle of Mankind! Who then are the African Diaspora?

The film presents the diverse histories and heritages stemming from the global tragedy of the slave trade and slavery. Through the compilation of images, historical narration, and interviews with experts from all the continents, the film shows how African slaves and their descendants, in contrast to incorrect racial theories, helped shape the modern world. The film's main objective is to give a global vision of the different dimensions of this tragedy and raise crucial questions regarding its consequences in modern societies in order to come to terms with this collective memory