Culture

Jun 19
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World Refugee Day

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Tomorrow, June 20th, 2013 marks the 13th year of World Refugee Day!

The United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 decided that June 20th would be celebrated as World Refugee Day on December 4, 2000. Although the event did not become an official part of the UN’s calendar until 2001, it has been observed in Africa since the Organization of African Unity founded Africa Refugee Day in 1975. The day offers a chance to bring awareness to the millions of refugees worldwide and to honor their determination and strength to escape their homeland in search of a better life.

Exactly what is a refugee?

A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee their country of origin because they have suffered or fear persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are fleeing war or natural disaster. According to the United Nations, Afghanistan remains the biggest producer of refugees (2.7 million), followed by Iraq (1.4 million), Somalia (1.1 million), Sudan (500,000) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (491,000).

As a former refugee from Liberia, I understand the importance of bringing awareness to this day. I also understand the importance of educating others about the millions of men, women, and children unwillingly leaving their homes due to persecution and/or war.

To learn more about World Refugee Day, visit http://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday. If you would like to get involved in helping refugees, there are a number of ways to do so. The best way to get involved is to find a resettlement center in your area. You can donate supplies needed or volunteer your time. Many refugees need assistance with transportation, finding jobs, and learning English. You can also search other non-profit organizations outside of resettlement centers that assist refugees in their transition to other countries.

-Bilphena Yahwon

“Every day, thousands of people run from war, persecution and terror. Even one is too many. One family forced to flee is too many. One child growing up in a camp is too many. One refugee without hope is too many.” –Angelina Jolie

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Jun 14
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Eastern Illinois University ASA Fashion Show

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photographed above: ALITI fashion Line

Earlier this year the African Student Association at the Eastern Illinois University powered their annual African Fashion Show titled “All Sides of Africa: The Search for Gold.” The evening runway show featured designers, models, and dancers from across the continent and the diaspora. EIU ASA’s mission is to educate people about Africa through enlightening their members and members of surrounding communities about the history and cultures of Africa.

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Jorjoh K Joof served as the 2012-2013 President of the organization and was committed to bringing a spectacular show to the EIU campus. Assisted by a student fashion show coordinator Stephanie Barns, Jorjoh set out to not just have a fashion show, but a week-long cultural experience. Leading to the grand finale of a cultural fashion show, activities included, Taste of Africa where participants were able to enjoy cuisine from various African countries, a Raggae themed party, a cultural dress social where participants dressed in traditional wear and socialized with one another, and an “African Elite” workshop. Saving the best for last, it has been EIU ASA tradition to have The “African Fashion Show” at the end of the week considering that the fashion show is the most anticipated event amongst the students. Some significant scenes from the final event were “Tame your Tresses” (a scene that featured spectacular head ties), “Mystery of Modest” (a scene that featured the beautiful garb of North Africa), “Fela kuti Shrine (a scene dedicated to popular cloth of west Africa), and Eastern Empire (a scene that featured threads from the region of East Africa). The fashion show scenes were intended to shed light and exposure to all regions in Africa. Fashion is an essential element of culture; the ASA at EIU believes culture is far more compelling than politics and uses fashion as a vehicle to share parts of their cultures with others.

The African Student Association at Eastern Illinois University donated a portion of their proceeds from their fashion show to Rise Africa as an act of solidarity and support to our cause. We’d like to thank Vice President, Cyprian Ahmede, and President, Jorjoh K Joof, association for the generosity and support they have shown us throughout the years. ASA’s throughout America are embodying all that Rise Africa stands for, we are glad to have a close relationship with an organization committed to highlighthing various aspects of Africa and African nations in a positive light. We want to congratulate EIU ASA on another successful year, and we wish them the best of luck in years to come. Visit asaeiu.com for more information on Eastern Illinois University’s African Student Association.

Below is a glance at the EIU ASA fashion show that was part of their week-long experience titled “All Sides of Africa: The Search for Gold.” Enjoy!

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Behind the scenes from the Fshion Show

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2012-2013 Vice President Cyprian Ahmede and President Jorjoh K Joof

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African Head Tie Scene (Tame your Tresses) from the Fashion Show

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Cultural ASA dancers entertained the crowd

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ASA Model showcasing vibrant hair and make up

Jun 13
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Elizabeth ‘Sikin’ Rege

Posted by | Artist Lounge, Blog, Culture, Music | No Comments

Elizabeth ‘Sikin’ Rege is a Kenyan native who was raised in Ethiopia. Growing up she was exposed to a variety of musical influences that sparked her love for music at a young age; at age 4 she was enrolled in music school in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. She is now a musician at Sauti Academy, (a Penya Africa program) and along with her singing career she’s also the head of marketing at Epic Live Nation and a co-host at her university, United States International University (USIS), campus radio station: USIU 99.9FM.

I initially found out about Sikin after watching the YouTube clip (located at the bottom of this post) of her doing a cover of India Aries’ “I Am Not My Hair”. I was impressed by the talent and thought I should share it with our readers this week. Rise Africa received the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth. Here’s what she had to say.…

Rise Africa: How would you define yourself and your music/musical interests?

Sikin: I believe I have a unique, powerful and soulful voice; and with my musical influences being Miriam Makeba, Atemi, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Tanya Stephens and Christina Aguilera, my style is eclectic.

RA: What musical instrument(s) do you play and when did you start playing them?

S: At 4, I was enrolled in a music school in Ethiopia where I learned how to play piano. My parents felt that music would be a good extracurricular activity and would help develop my discipline. I immediately fell in love. After moving back to Kenya around the age of 11 I took up flute lessons in Brookhouse (my new school in Kenya), which was the cause of my current yearning for music. At 15 I took up voice lessons and with the help of a friend, taught myself how to play the guitar.

RA: What African music artist(s) inspires you?

S: My African inspirations include Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Zahara, Atemi and Dela. I believe that they are very powerful ladies in the entertainment industry. They all have a very unique sound with which I draw my unique sound from.

RA: Who are your African hero(s) and/or role model(s)?

S: Miriam Makeba, I would say is my African heroine. She was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music around the world. As well as being an artist, she was heavily involved in the campaigns that went on in South Africa against apartheid.

Other than that, her life story is so inspirational. She battled and won the fight against breast cancer. She lost her African citizenship and spent time abroad where she continued to perform and build a name for herself. She received a Grammy Award, which I hope to achieve as well.

She achieved so much in life and her music was tremendously inspirational for me. I hope to one day achieve as much or even more than she did.

RA: How do you think African music could get better exposure in other continents?

S: To begin with, as Africans, our industry I believe has not yet reached the standard of music internationally. A lot of the time we find individuals who wake up one day and decide they want to be a musician; they get that track, lay down their lyrics in an hour or so and decide they have made it. We need to attain that seriousness and discipline we see in the Western world. You have people like Beyoncé who spend hours and hours in the studio on one track making sure it is perfect. On top of that constant daily vocal classes, dance classes and so on. They take it very seriously.

In regards to exposure, I believe that we need to find a way to deal with pirating music. How are we as a community meant to earn a living and get a means to push our music if we have EVERYONE getting our music for free? We need to support and push more music from our respective countries. For example, Nigerians are very good at getting exposure, which I believe is a result of Nigerians in the outside continents pushing their music into the clubs, radio stations etc. We need our countrymen to represent us out there.

RA: What are your thoughts on the recent Kenyan elections?

S: I, like a number of Kenyans, had prepared myself for the worst. But I was still hoping and praying that everything would go smoothly and that we would learn to get rid of these tribal lines our ancestors had drawn. I believe that everyone is equal; one should not be judged by the constituency they hail from. Ones’ tribe, race, or sex should not dictate what type of person they are or what type of jobs they deserve to have and so on. We as the youth need to take control and get rid of this discrimination and hate. It is taking us nowhere.

I am content at this moment though… I have noticed that our current president has taken strides to ensure that there is peace and understanding within the tribes of our country.

RA: Is there anything you would like fans and readers to know about you as ‘Sikin’ and/or Elizabeth Rege?

I am a very down to earth person and very sociable. Basketball is my passion. I haven’t played seriously in a while though. I study music at Sauti Academy – a place that is really helping me explore my talent. Other than music, I am currently a senior at USIU studying Psychology. I hope to combine my love for both music and psychology one day in music therapy – a field I believe has not yet been explored in our country.

I also have an interest in radio. Currently I am a co-host on a radio show on USIU 99.9FM. I really enjoy anything that involves music.

I am a marketing manager for EPIC Nation as well as Santa Fe Lounge – a club located at The Mall, Westland.

I am very busy juggling all of these things, but I manage. Life is about the hustle, and nothing comes easy.

RA: “Africa Is Done Suffering”, what does it mean to you or what are you thoughts about the phrase?

S: Africa as a whole has been mistreated, violated, torn, drained and abused. But the suffering must end! It is more than just us as people, but our land as well. Our men have been killed, women raped, children starved – we have suffered. Our land drained of its resources, beauty, life and radiance. What more do we have to go through? How long do we have to cry in pain? We deserve better as a people, as a nation, as a continent.

RA: Lastly, where may our readers find you and your music?

S: My music hasn’t been officially released, I’ve been doing a lot of work in the studio these last few months. But once out, you can find my music on: Twitter, Facebook Page, and soundcloud. Read More

Jun 12
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Educating the girl-child

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In 2011, Plan International, one of the oldest and largest children’s development organisations in the world reported that 16 million girls in Africa are denied access to education.

It is undeniable that education is the bedrock of all facets of development. It is the process of learning and acquiring information through which an individual is made a functioning member of their society. It is therefore alarming that a high percentage of girl-children in Africa (aged 0 – 18) are denied the opportunity to develop their full potentials and are hindered from playing productive and equal roles in their families, their societies, their country and their world.

In Africa, many girls are prevented from getting the education entitled to them because families often send their daughters out to work at a young age, so that they can get the additional income to keep the family above the poverty level, and finance the education of sons. The girl-children appear to be the most vulnerable and most undervalued members of the world society. They bear the heaviest burden for household responsibilities, including care of sick parents and siblings, and are the first ones to drop out of school.

Child labour, poverty and lack of sponsorship, bereavement, truancy, early marriage have been identified as reasons why millions of girls do not have access to schools. When a girl is denied an education, she becomes more vulnerable to poverty, hunger, violence, abuse and exploitation, trafficking, forced marriage, HIV/AIDS and maternal mortality – a legacy that may well be passed on to her own children.

A large number of the factors that militate against the girl-child’s access to education are socio-cultural. Backward cultural practices continue to deny her right to education. A number of African communities believe that women who are at the same level of education as the men are a disgrace to the community because more often than not, they will not get married and if they do, it will be to a foreigner. As such, early marriage is the best way to prevent this and at the same time preserve traditions. In Ethiopia, girls are sometimes abducted for marriage when they are no more than eight years old.

Studies have shown that when given the opportunity, the girl-child does well in school. Pointing out the significance of educating the girl-child, there is a proverb that says “educate a man and you educate an individual, but educate a woman, you educate a nation”. An educated girl tends to marry later and have healthier children. The children she does have will be more likely to survive; they will be better nourished and better educated. She will be more productive at home and better paid in the workplace. She will be better able to protect herself and her children against HIV/AIDS and will assume a more active role in social, economic and political decision-making throughout her life.

The prevailing social thought that minimizes the importance of education for girls needs to be overcome before all African girls can all get the education they deserve. Also, African countries need to pass laws; banning the early marriage practices that keep girls out of school, making education of girls mandatory for primary and secondary school, and then ensure they enforce these laws stringently in the rural communities.

-Bunmi Adegboye

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Jun 10
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A New Image Through An African Lens

Posted by | Art, Blog, Culture, Events | No Comments

We’re pleased to announce our support of a panel organized by AADAT called, “A New Image Through An African Lens”. This is the first of a series of panel discussions between the AADAT team and a diverse group of artists from Africa and those of the Diaspora. This discussion will examine how African photographers are actively taking charge of how their continent and its people are portrayed. Panelists include Omar Victor Diop, Ofoe Amegavie, Nana Kofi Acquah, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Laura Asimeng and Sharifah Issaka. The forum will be hosted on Google + livestreamed on June 14, and also livetweeted through @aadatart.

If there are any questions about the topic that you would like to have answered by the panel on the topic, simply Tweet your questions at AADAT @aadatart or send them through the AADAT Tumblr Ask Box: http://bit.ly/18WrUmu.

May 24
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My ID

Posted by | Blog, Culture | 3 Comments

The week 3 posts have opened a world that had never existed to me before; identification, having to deal with which cultural set you belong to. All my life, I have been an African, a Ghanaian. I have never had the need to choose which cultural background I represent and I know there are millions of people like me who will never have to go through that.

We have only one identity, being an African. We identify with the tribes to which our parents belong to, we know there is a difference between the fundamentals of the tribes and clans but in this modern era we are all Africans. We belong to one family, a huge one, a powerful one, one that is gradually growing and changing. Africans are open to change (the young ones), we are gradually assimilating foreign practices that were once alien to us. These practices as a whole are changing us positively. Our identity is gradually changing, where identity here is the core practices and cultural norms that identity us as Gas, Yorubas, Lozis, Ngoni, Bassas, Dualas, Bamums, Bamilekes, Wolaytas, Oromos, Wolofs, Fulas, Soninkes, Maasais, Turkanas, Luhyas, Bantus etc. Our ways of farming, marrying, music, dances, worship, education etc are all changing.

Being an African not only has to do with being born on the continent or being black. Being an African is more than that, it’s in our attitude and approach to life, it’s in what we hold near and dear to our hearts. Our families, our families make us Africans. Africans strongly believe in the family institution. A family is important, your pillar of support, dead family members are always remembered and revered. It identifies you. To be an African, you must have a family, a home, a place where you are welcome. Africa makes this easy, everywhere is home. You are welcome everywhere you go. But like every society, Africa as a whole is not perfect.

Our identity was changed by colonization and as well as the winds of change, our identity was smashed, chipped, remolded and rebranded. But we remain Africans, we accepted the good and lived with the evil (division). For years we were bitter about this change, but now that change is what fuels our desire to be the best. It’s this change that is producing the best minds of our time in all fields of life. We are no longer complaining, we accept our identity and we’re working with it. We are Africans, whether we live on the continent or live on other continents. And as far as we have a place called home, we will remain Africans.

-Christian Yebuah

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May 24
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Being An African

Posted by | Blog, Culture | 4 Comments

Everyone has insecurities. Even those who look like they have nothing to worry about have their own sets of individual frustrations. It may be hard to believe but that’s the truth. No one has a perfect life. Really. No one. What makes the difference is how you deal with the knowledge that you’re not perfect and appreciate yourself. Coming to this realization changed my life.

To be honest, I’m really grateful to be Ghanaian. It hasn’t always been this way though. But now, in spite of all its imperfections, I love my country. Traders don’t understand customer-care, our electricity is competing for the volatility award with Nigeria, poverty, illiteracy, bad roads… I can go on and on. Nonetheless, I’ve grown to appreciate all the positives; our music, our food, Azonto, our food, peace and stability, our food… Really, our food would be the hindrance if I’m ever tempted to change my nationality.

Being an African may be an embarrassing trait to some people. You find that some people sadly find it difficult to embrace who they really are just because of the stigma attached to being African. But isn’t it possible that those who look down on Africa partly do so to prop up their self-esteem? Think about it. No one has it all and that’s what we sometimes fail to see. Yes, we may have leadership and governance issues but Africans are a unique group of people. Our cultures are so rich and intriguing, and our land is so beautiful. Undeniably.

How do you expect to be recognized if you’re busy trying to fit into someone else’s culture when you can stand out just by embracing your own?

-Derrick Crentsil

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May 23
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Auburn Butterfly Conversation Week 3

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Auburnbutterfly joins us once again as we focus on identity for the third week of our series. Whether African or of African descent or Black (non-African). This week we tell stories of our experiences that have transformed us, our mindsets, and our sense of identity. Or maybe you view this week as an opportunity to explore and explain what your identity is, or what it means to you. Feel free to use the following questions to guide you as you watch this video. Read More

May 22
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Mixed in the Diaspora

Posted by | Blog, Culture, Personal Experiences | 2 Comments

What does it mean to be African/African in diaspora?
If there weren’t a concept of ‘African’, what would your global identity be?

Being mixed-ethnicity (“white-black African” is the general term for my ethnicity), is obviously a different experience than being a black African in the Diaspora. When I was younger, I was brought up by my grandma, who is white, but from about 6 years of age, I was brought up by my mum, who is black, so I am the product of contrasting cultural upbringings. In retrospect, I realise how much I have grown as regards to my identity and accepting that I have the opportunity to appreciate and explore the best of both worlds.

When living with my grandma, the community I was living in was mostly white and I was apparently told at a young age that it is better to be white, and that I behaved as though I wanted to be white (although I have little recollection of this). As I grew older and began living with my mum, I lived in a more black community and eventually started wanting to be black. At that time I figured since I didn’t know that many people of mixed ethnicities, I felt left out because I always treated differently and even now even though some of black peers call me black, some persist on labeling me as white.

All that has happened in my life thus far has led me to my current understanding of myself and my identity. Accepting both parts of my identity has made me realise that I am both Ugandan and English, not just one or the other. Of course, I knew this before but I hadn’t yet realised that I didn’t have to side more with one aspect of my identity than I did the other. Now I’ve learned to integrate both Ugandan and English cultures/traditions etc. into my life, and as I discover and learn more about each of the cultures, it helps me to understand where I am from, who I am, and who I come from. For example, when I learnt that if your dad is white and your mum is black and a Muganda (part of the Buganda tribe in Uganda), then you are white; so according to this belief system then I’m not at all Ugandan although I have Ugandan blood, Ugandan family, and hold steadfast to Ugandan culture.

Being a member of the Diaspora is… interesting, to say the least. It allows me the opportunity to experience and connect with other parts of the world but also allows me to stay tied to my homeland. The Disapora as a community is intriguing. It’s so diverse and allows its members to gain a wealth of knowledge from all the different people who identity as diasporians. These factors have all enabled me to develop my identity, which is continually evolving as I learn more and more. I’m fortunate enough to have two different cultures that have helped me develop as a person, and I’m fortunate to now understand that I do not have to identity solely with one culture or the other.

-Danielle Sams