face of africa - yes, youth can

FALL 2010

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

“Liberation through unity and knowledge”

INSIDE From the Editor 2

SHAKEPoverty 4

African Century 6

Technology 7

DREAM Act 8

The Brain Drain 10

Obama in Ghana 12

Youth Voice 14

A Bold Vision 15

Youth Forum 15

Year of the Youth 16

Learning Abroad 17

Ubuntu 18

Tehn Diamond 20

Fashion Forward 21

Get to know

Your E-board

African Student Organization Executive Board 2010/2011 Eunice Ochuonyo President Afua Donkor Vice-President Lauretta Oseni Secretary Adwoa Adu Treasurer Tolu Odunsi Historian Mamadou Sanogo Public Relations Daniel Ayomikun Adeyanju Educational Coordinator David Almonte Activities Coordinator Abisola Abosede Ogunbiyi Food Coordinator Mildred Tibourataa Ngminebayihi SA/ICA Representative/Parliamentarian Tomide Familusi Senior Advisor Ketiwe Boahene Senior Advisor

FACE OF AFRICA

Questions, Comments?

Email us at: [email protected]

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

It is my distinct pleasure to present you this edition of the African Student Organization‘s

newsletter. Face of Africa serves as a forum for discussing critical issues that affect Africans and

members of the African Diaspora.

The theme for this edition is ―Yes, Youth Can‖ a phrase based on President Obama‘s well-

known campaign tagline. It captures a similar sentiment of hope and optimism experienced by

Obama‘s own youth-driven election. Indeed, youth are the future, but for Africa the future is now

as youth comprise a huge chunk of the population. It is crucial that African nations maximize the

potential of their youth.

The authors of the articles you will be reading exemplify the theme ―Yes, Youth Can‖.

These writers are all young people making a difference using their words, ideas, and actions. You

will learn about SHAKEPOVERTY, a nonprofit aiming to end poverty, be inspired to DREAM

and take part in the ―African Century‖, learn about the debilitating effects of ―brain drain‖ and get

an insider perspective on what it was like to be on the ―F1‖ team of South African students that

visited Binghamton earlier in the semester. You will also learn about young people making waves

in technology, entertainment, and fashion.

This newsletter is the product of weeks of work on the part of the writers, my fellow e-

board members, as well as myself. I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I did. You

will certainly be inspired to make a difference after reading this issue.

Thanks for reading,

Daniel Ayomikun Adeyanju

Educational Coordinator 2010/2011 WRITE FOR FOA!

Learn more about Africa while

educating your peers! FOA will

be accepting articles, poetry,

and artwork for submission at

the beginning of next semester.

End Extreme Poverty in Our Generation

youth, the power (in numbers) of our

youth and our generation‘s technol-

ogy. In terms of technology, for pur-

poses of ―noise-making‖ and net-

working, we have the most powerful

social media and networking apps

ever built in the past century at our

disposal. If you haven‘t heard, they

are Facebook, Twitter and the like.

Couple this with the fact that, as of

2008, 1in every 5 people were be-

tween the ages 15 and 29, there is no

doubt that, in unity, we are an un-

stoppable force. We saw evidence of

this in the election of President

Barack Obama in 2008 as the 44th

president of the US.

SHAKEPOVERTY Foundation

In September 2000, world

leaders came together at United Na-

Ladi Ogunnubi

In The End of Poverty, Dr.

Jeffery Sachs explains that ―when

the end of poverty arrives, it can and

should be in our own generation, it

will be citizens in a million commu-

nities in rich and poor countries

alike, rather than a handful of politi-

cal leaders, who will have turned the

tide.‖ Such bold and powerful words

uttered in a time when we have 1 out

of every 6 people living under a dol-

lar and 25 cents a day. In a time

when there are more than 300 mil-

lion food-insecure Africans not

knowing what their next meal will

be. Also note that, according to the

UN, 33 of 54 countries in Africa (3

out of 5) are considered the least

developing countries in the world.

So with respect to the facts,

can extreme poverty really be ended

in our generation? Many have heard

the facts and have this question on

their minds. The facts do not indi-

cate that the end of poverty is im-

possible. Rather, they just give more

insight to the conditions of the im-

poverished and better understand-

ing as to how huge the feat to end

extreme poverty really is. So my an-

swer is yes! I believe that extreme

poverty can and will be ended in our

generation. A daunting challenge

but just a challenge nonetheless. Of

course, a lot of people still disagree

with this opinion and say it is just

plain and outright unrealistic. My

response is that realism is subjective

and in the eyes of the beholder.

Whose Fault is it? Does it Matter?

Some argue that the impov-

erished are cursed by God while oth-

ers argue that extreme poverty today

is a result of the slave trade events of

the past. I argue who cares? Who

cares what caused global extreme

poverty? Why are we playing the

blame game? Analogically speaking,

in the event that milk is spilt on the

kitchen floor, should we be crying

over the gallons of spilt milk?

Should our arguments be focused on

what should have or could have been

done to prevent the milk from spill-

ing, or should there be response ef-

forts made to clean the milk up and

pick up the shattered glass? Just as

milk that is left to curdle is harder to

clean, the more time we spend argu-

ing about why we are in the situation

we are in the harder it becomes to

clean the mess.

Our Generation’s Role in the Solu-

tion to Extreme Poverty

A synchronized and unified

effort by the different nonprofit or-

ganizations and corporations needs

to be made to eradicate extreme

poverty. However, unity needs to

start with us, the youth of our gen-

eration. Our generation today needs

to develop a movement to seek the

end of poverty. This is the role of our

youth and the responsibility of our

generation.

To achieve a unified effort,

we need to take full advantage of

three things; the dynamicity of our

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

sustainable economies. This opens

numerous doors because the world is

now 100% economically efficient.

New discoveries can be made in all

the sciences, new cultures can be

explored and international trade is

improved. Aren‘t these ends worth

striving for knowing that the situa-

tion only gets worse if nothing is

done?

In conclusion, let us become

more active in bringing an end to

extreme poverty. If you already

stand against poverty, start walking

against it. Going back to the spilt

milk analogy, we can only keep ig-

noring the spill for so long because,

eventually, it affects us directly as the

rottenness spreads and affects our

productivity. Let us unite to support

the Millennium Development Goals;

walk with SHAKEPOVERTY to end

extreme poverty in our generation

now. I call on you and the rest of our

generation now because if not us,

who? And if not now, when?

Ladi is a BU Grad Student and is a

manager of Projects and Operations

for the SHAKEPOVERTY Founda-

tion. Learn more about this organi-

zation at:

www.SHAKEPOVERTY.org

tions headquarters in New York to

adopt the United Nations Millen-

nium Declaration, committing their

nations to a new global partnership

to reduce extreme poverty and set-

ting out a series of time-bound tar-

gets — with a deadline of 2015 – that

have become known as the Millen-

nium Development Goals (MDG). A

lot of poverty focused nonprofit or-

ganizations today are in support of

these MDGs however amongst the

lot, none understands nor empha-

size on the power of our generation

as the SHAKEPOVERTY Founda-

tion does.

SHAKEPOVERTY is a

grassroots movement initiated by a

young entrepreneur by the name of

Farooq Busari. Inspired by Jeffery

Sachs‘s book The End of Poverty,

Farooq set out to inspire his campus

to bringing about the end of poverty

by setting a goal to meet each of the

1850 students at Ohio Wesleyan

University (OWU), shake their

hands, take a picture of every hand-

shake and construct a mosaic mural

with the pictures. This goal was

achieved, with over $10,000 raised.

SHAKEPOVERTY is now working

to lift its first village out of extreme

poverty. A 20-foot mosaic currently

hangs on the wall of OWU‘s library

displaying the possibilities of what

can be achieved when our genera-

tion is united, inspired and empow-

ered to make a difference. As project

manager at SHAKEPOVERTY, my

role is to equip student ambassadors

with the tools they need to unite

their campus.

Imagine a World without Poverty!

For a quick second, imagine

a world where the issue of extreme

poverty remains stagnant and is not

alleviated or resolved. Our global

economic efficiency rate remains the

same at 83% or gets worse over time

because at least 1 out of every 6 peo-

ple will be impoverished. Trade is

affected because people cannot af-

ford to pay for expensive goods and

services; new discoveries in the sci-

ences and technology are hindered

and so on. Nothing positive comes

from doing nothing about the issue.

Imagine the other scenario – the one

I prefer – where extreme poverty

does not exist. A world where all the

impoverished of Africa, Asia and

other nations are now self-

The African Century

across the continent , without the debilitating effects of economic de-

terrents such as cur-rency fluctua-tions, Africans around the world need to come together to collabora-tively provide an hospi-table trade climate for the 'New' Africa. The Diaspora Bank will help fund innovative busi-ness ventures that are necessary to achieve this goal. The Bank will be central in re-branding the New Af-rica as what Bentley calls the ‗Continent of Hope‘.

The purpose of the social movement is four-fold: to raise Africa to dignity and prosperity, challenge out of date societal norms on our continent, in-fluence social trends, and empower African youth and women by provid-ing access to resources for economic and social development (through the Diaspora Bank and Innovation Hub). We aim to use social networks as a platform to start our social move-ment, create awareness, and awaken the social conscience of Africa‘s youth. We will achieve these goals through forming collaborative net-works and partnerships with existing youth forums and organizations and embarking on social and business development projects. Our initial focus will be students studying in academic institutions on our conti-nent. The database to map Africa‘s re-sources will be a repository of all resources and information for poten-tial investors and entrepreneurs in Africa. This will include detailed in-formation about the availability of land, labor, political climate in the

Kate Nkansa

Thabo Mbeki, the former President of South Africa recently launched the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, which aims to make the 21st Century an ―African Century‖. For those who keep abreast with the African cur-rent affairs you are aware of the enormous sacrifice and hard work that is required to achieve this goal. Upon reading the vision for The Thabo Mbeki foundation I asked myself how ordinary Africans, particularly the youth, can help make the 21st Century an ―African Century‖.

As African youth, it is not easy to influence our community, country or continent because of economic, en-vironmental, cultural, and political barriers. I often hear young Africans say that it is easier to participate in activities such as excessive partying, drinking, and drug use that distract and rob them of valuable time than contribute to positive initiatives to help turn the 21st Century to an ―African Century‖. You may think that as an individual you cannot possibly make a difference. My chal-lenge to you is to think differently. Consider these statistics about our population dynamics. Africa has a unique population profile called the demographic dividend (for further reading on the subject you can search online for The Demographic Dividend). According to its statistics, Forty-four percent of Africa‘s popu-lation was under 15 in 2006. Sixty-five percent of Africa‘s population is under 65 years old.

So what does this all mean? The youth of Africa make up the majority of our continent. Individually we may not be able to influence our societies, but collectively we are a

force that can help turn the 21st cen-tury into an ―African Century‖. It is our responsibility as African youth at aca-demic institutions to find ways to raise Af-rica to dignity and prosperity. Young Afri-cans in universities are at an advantage be-cause they have access to resources, under-stand how to use new technology, and know the importance of so-cial media to influence change. We still have idealistic worldviews uncompromised by pessimism and have the energy and time to contribute to worthwhile initiatives. A combination of all these qualities could result in a veritable African revolution. I have been investing my time and energy in a new initiative called ―The Watu Afrika Project‖. When I con-sider the potential impact this pro-ject could have, it makes me excited and optimistic about Africa‘s future. The approach the project is adopting is innovative, creative, and collabo-rative. It will resonate in your hearts and minds and motivate you to act.

There are three pillars to The Watu Afrika Project: The Diaspora Bank or Innovation Hub, Social Move-ment, and a database to map all the resources on our continent.

Ian Bentley, the creator of the con-cept of the Diaspora Bank, says the purpose of the Bank is to ―kindle the innovative spirit and unleash the suppressed creative energy required to launch the 'New' Africa‖. In order to encourage entrepreneurship

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

The Technological Vanguard

family house so he can sell and fix

phones, computers, radios, car en-

gines, and other devices. During my

last visit to Nigeria in 2008 people

were in and out of his shop.

These small business owners, includ-

ing my uncle, do not make these cells

phones, but they know so much

about how it works that they can fix

whatever is wrong with it. When our

phones break, most of us, and in-

cluding me, either contact technical

support, exchange it for another one

because we have insurance on it, or

we just throw it away and get a new

one, because we have the money to

do so. We don‘t attempt to sit down,

take it apart, examine it, and see

what the problem is. We barely know

what the inside looks like!

The use of technology by African

youths is not limited profit-making

but also to connect to others beyond

their borders, to stay updated on po-

litical issues and to state their opin-

ions on different matters. With ac-

cess to internet, they also have Face-

book and Twitter accounts, blogs and

various websites for discussion which

they have created themselves for

these purposes. They use technology

as a way to express themselves. So

don‘t be under any illusions that Af-

ricans do not know about the latest

Apple product, Microsoft‘s newest

software, and Google‘s latest offer-

ings. African youths take what is

available to them, as limited and as

expensive it may be, and utilize it to

the maximum benefit.

country, population statistics, health, laws of the country, infra-structure, and any valuable statistic about our continent that will assist in making valuable economic and social decisions. Watu Afrika is look-ing to collaborate with academic institutions to assist in maintaining the database and ensure that the information is accurate and cur-rent. One of the major obstacles to economic development in Africa is attracting investors to invest in our continent. Many attribute this to the lack of information necessary to make sound investment decisions. For many potential investors Africa remains the ―Dark Conti-nent‖. Through this Database, we aim to address this problem of avail-ability of vital informa-tion. This is an invitation to the youth of our continent and academic institu-tions to join us in our efforts to cre-ate a true African renaissance. In closing I leave with you this quote by the anthropologist Margaret Meade: ―Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.‖ Contribute your talents, ideas, creativity, and energy to ushering in an African Century. We need your drive and enthusiasm to propel this project to extraordinary heights that will bene-fit all Africans.

Kate is a Ghanaian-born, South

African-raised social entrepreneur

teaching English in South Korea.

She will be returning to Ghana soon

to focus on development and Youth

Empowerment. She is a regular

blogger on feintandmargin.com .

Learn more about Watu Afrika at

sites.google.com/sites/WatuAfrika

Abosede Ogunbiyi

When my phone rings and I look at

the caller ID and see a Nigerian

number, I cannot be sure who will be

on the other end. It could be an aunt

or uncle, a friend, a friend of a

friend, or a cousin. I pick up and I

often hear the same thing: ―this is

my number, call me‖ and a dial tone.

They‘ve hung up! We Africans call it

―flashing.‖ Every time I receive a

―flash‖, I am amazed at how the

times have changed. Just a few years

ago, owning a land phone was con-

sidered a big thing, owning a cell

phone is an even bigger luxury. Now

even my ten year old cousins own

one. And when they have credit

(prepaid minutes) they ―flash.‖

The rate of ownership of mobile

phones has increased greatly world-

wide. If anyone thinks that African

countries are technologically back-

ward they are totally wrong! Believe

it or not, many Africans, particularly

the youths, know more about mod-

ern technology than most of us give

them credit for. They use phones,

computers, mp3 players, television,

and so much more. Many even go as

far as to make businesses out of it

ranging from selling phones, credits,

accessories, or fixing them. They

need not have a physical location to

conduct their businesses either; they

can set up shop in front of their

homes, a spot in the market, or a

table set up beside the major high-

ways to cater to travelers. When he

could not find a job, one of my un-

cles opened a small shop beside our

The Right to DREAM

youth that with good ―moral charac-

ter‖ that have immigrated to the

Unites States under the age of six-

teen , stayed in the country for at

least five consecutive years and have

or will graduate from an American

high school. The eligible teen must

then apply for the act and must en-

roll in an institution in pursuit of a

bachelor‘s degree or enter the mili-

tary if desired. The act will give eligi-

ble applicants six years of permanent

residence and allow them to apply

for citizenship at the five and a half

year mark.

The process is meant to en-

sure that young immigrants can have

the opportunity to get an education

despite their status. It is an opportu-

nity of a lifetime for many that can-

not reach citizenship without this

legislation. The Dream Act also is a

boon for the United States as well as

the young immigrants given a new

chance. Young students benefiting

from the Act will eventually obtain

careers from a wide variety of fields

and become our future doctors, po-

licemen, lawyers and possibly even

politicians. Although it is good to

know that there are politicians back-

ing up the Dream Act, it is not

enough. There must be a force pres-

suring the legislator‘s stance. There

are currently 216 lawmakers for the

act, 104 opposed and 220 on the

fence, and this will certainly change

due to the recent midterm elections.

It will not be easy, but as young peo-

ple we need to help pressure Con-

gress to pass this crucial legislation.

Nouha Saeed

―The American Dream.‖ It is

a simple phrase consisting of three

words, yet it is one that holds so

much power. It represents hope,

success, prosperity, and the promise

of a better life. For certain young

immigrants, it is something they

aspire to, but cannot reach because

of this nation‘s current policies to-

wards them. The Dream Act is a bi-

partisan bill written by two U.S.

Senators that can potentially reverse

the issue of undocumented students

and their inability to continue higher

education after high school. It is still

uncertain when the Act will pass, or

whether it will pass at all. As young

members of society, it is our respon-

sibility to support this effort for the

sake of many teens from Africa and

other foreign countries affected by

the restraints of this land because for

many immigrant youths the Dream

Act is their only hope. It is therefore

important to explore what we can do

to support this crucial legislation.

Are we as African youth as involved

as we should be in this movement? If

not, what should we be doing to be a

part of this movement?

America is known to be the

land of the free, yet there are so

many restrictions on allowing hard

working individuals from foreign

countries to live the lives that citi-

zens are entitled to. Senator Orrin G.

Hatch of Utah and Senator Richard

Durbin of Illinois are the pioneer

politicians that took notice to the

injustices faced by many young im-

migrants. The act is targeted towards

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

and made aware, actions can be

taken to pressure the people that can

actually make this all happen. Con-

tacting Congress is one of the most

effectives methods we can pressure

the legislature to pass this Act. Be-

lieve it or not, members of Congress

take the calls and letters they receive

in the mail very seriously. If those

two options seem like too much you

can even send an email to your rep-

resentative or senator.

Undocumented should not

mean unable. Whether or not we

personally know an undocumented

immigrant it is still our duty as

Americans to uphold the justice this

country claims to uphold. As young

Africans living in America, we have

all had lectures from our parents

about the importance of education

and reaching success and as Bing-

hamton University students we have

the opportunity to get an education

and succeed. So let us try to come

together and bring awareness about

those may not have opportunities we

have. As cliché as this may sound, we

are the future, and a mind is a terri-

ble thing to waste—especially when

there is something that can be done

to prevent it.

On the surface some may see illegal

immigrants as criminals who have

clearly broken a law. This assump-

tion is by no means a reflection of

reality. The bulk of attention in the

illegal immigration debate goes to

Mexicans that risk death to cross the

southern border in search of a better

life. Is it really a crime to want better

for yourself and your family? With

respect to African immigrants, it is

obviously not a matter of crossing a

border to enter the country. One of

the most popular reasons Africans

and other foreigners who enter the

US legally become ―illegal‖ is that

they overstay the time allotted on

their visas. Sometimes they do not

have enough money to return home

or their new lives are simply better.

Who has the right to tell them they

should give up a better life for the

sake of an unjust law? Many chil-

dren born to undocumented immi-

grants live in the US for years, learn

its customs, and adopt its culture.

Some may not even speak the lan-

guage of their parents, so to send

them back might be akin to banish-

ing them to a strange land. Why not

give them a chance to become pro-

ductive members of society rather

than cast them out senselessly?

Some may wonder how

someone who is not a politician can

influence whether the Act passes or

not. After all, many of the individu-

als are young and feel their voices

might not be heard. With that out-

look, however, nothing can ever be

accomplished. We must come to-

gether and emphasize the impor-

tance of what is going on. I inter-

viewed nine African youth between

the ages of fifteen to twenty-two. The

first question I asked was whether

they knew about the Dream Act. Six

out of nine interviewees had no idea

what I was talking about, and the

three that were familiar with the Act

couldn‘t answer most of my ques-

tions. After interviewing these indi-

viduals, I realized that one of the

major problems is that people are

not being informed. It is hard to get

support when potential supporters

are not aware of the issues. There

have been occasions of protesting

over the past year or so, however, I

believe persistence is the best strat-

egy. If protests and rallies occurred a

lot more often in well known cities

and areas, media coverage would be

a bit more wide resulting in aware-

ness. Even if the media coverage

isn‘t widespread, the audience and

bystanders would be better informed

about this great opportunity. Once

the targeted audience are informed

“Why not give them a

chance to become

productive members of

society rather than cast

them out senselessly?”

Wanted: Stay at Home Professionals

to UN Development Program

(UNDP), ―too quick to bring outside

expertise without exploring the capa-

bilities available at home or that

could be attracted to return.‖ This

would explain why 800 foreigners

with university degrees were em-

ployed in Burkina Faso in 1990,

while an equivalent and exceeding

number of Burkinabè nationals with

university degrees were unemployed.

African countries ―need to

become more economically, socially

and politically attractive‖ in order to

discourage emigration, says Rohey

Wadda of Gambia‘s Strategy for Pov-

erty Alleviation. This would allow a

middle class to flourish, but instead

we see a massive underclass of peo-

ple that live in poverty, and a handful

of very rich and very corrupt military

and government officials who travel

abroad for their routine medical-

checkups at the expense of the im-

poverished taxpayers. A strong mid-

dle class that displays technical, en-

trepreneurial, managerial, scientific,

and a variety of other expertise,

would certainly impact governmental

infrastructure by deeming a neces-

sary decrease in corruption and poor

leadership, making it more difficult

Gianella B. James

From our vantage point

within this university setting, we can

observe diversity at its finest; stu-

dents of every creed and race have

settled here on Binghamton Univer-

sity‘s campus to become a part of the

western educational enterprise that

is so highly valued. For students

whose families have migrated to the

States, a ―better opportunity‖ was

sought. Seldom do we ponder the

implications of the ongoing emigra-

tion of thousands of educated and

talented individuals on their home-

lands. Students leaving developing

countries to study and eventually

live abroad account for only part of

the problem; it is the mass exodus of

the educated and the highly skilled

from their homelands that generates

the brunt of the problem . What

happens to a country when it experi-

ences a high shortage of skills be-

cause professionals are fleeing from

lack of opportunity, political insta-

bility, economic depression, health

issues and other circumstances that

are so often prevalent in their places

of origin? What happens when large

sections of the middle class consist-

ing of doctors, professors, engineers,

and other professionals seemingly

disappear? Human capital flight, or

―brain drain‖ as it is more commonly

referred to, is the consequence.

Places like India, China, Russia,

Latin America and the Caribbean are

amongst the areas of the world that

experience it most, but Africa, being

that is especially hard hit.

To date, Africa spends

about $4 billion annually to employ

foreign skilled workers and non-

African expatriate professionals in

an attempt to satisfy the shortage

that is being created due to brain

drain, according to the International

Office on Migration. Nigeria, Kenya

and Ethiopia are believed to be its

greatest victims, making it more

difficult to fight poverty. ―Since one

in three African professionals pre-

fers to live outside of Africa, African

universities are actually training one

third of their graduates for exports

to the developed nations.

―The African education

budget is nothing but a supplement

to the American education budget.

In essence, Africa is giving develop-

mental to the wealthier western na-

tions, which makes the rich nations

richer and the poor nations poorer‖

says Philip Emeagwali, a renowned

Nigerian-born engineer and com-

puter scientist. Brain drain in Africa

is a growing problem mainly due to

socio-economic conditions that spur

unreasonably low wages paid to the

professionals that do work within its

many boarders. According to one

source, an African professional

could be paid as low as $500 a year

as opposed to his $50,000 job

abroad. These conditions also en-

courage the reliance on foreign ex-

pertise as donor policies send pro-

fessionals to Africa to ease their

plight. On a number of levels this

obstructs the establishment of

―brain trust‖ as African governments

and donor programs are, according

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

as Africarecruit, which is aimed at

recruiting overseas African person-

nel to accept employment back in

Africa after working overseas, can

take place. Other programs create

incentives for the maintenance of the

educated African population, as ex-

emplified by the African Leadership

Academy in South Africa which

waives the tuition cost for most of its

students on the premises that they

remain in Africa and work, otherwise

full tuition plus interest would be

owed. These are just a few of the va-

riety of steps being taken to reverse

the adverse effects of brain drain.

With all the talk of the dam-

aging effects of brain drain and the

deteriorating African economic in-

frastructure, some economists pre-

sent an opposing view to the situa-

tion. They claim that there might be

some positives to brain drain phe-

nomenon. Their research shows that

skilled professionals often send sig-

nificant amounts of money, or remit-

tances, back to their countries of ori-

gin, and on average they are just

about equal to 81% of the foreign aid

received in African countries. They

also point out that few Africans do

return to their home countries to

work and/or start businesses. All this

sounds great, but from certain angles

on the economic spectrum. We must

examine the condition of the situa-

tion from other vantage points on

that spectrum, and question whether

this kind of external dependence is in

the best interest of bestowing healthy

social, economic, and political resto-

ration to the African continent.

to overthrow a democratically

elected government and ensuring

the healthy transference of power by

ballots, not bullets. Currently, many

African nations are spending more

on the military than on education

and youth development. ―Africa

needs a large middle class to build a

large tax base which, in turn, will

enable us to build good schools and

hospitals and provide constant elec-

tricity‖ states Emeagwali. However,

the future challenges Africa faces at

restoring the dwindling middle class

are daunting when we look at this

startling trend: The Zimbabwe Na-

tional Association of Social Workers

estimates that 1,500 of the country‘s

3,000 trained social workers left for

the UK during the past then years.

UNDP estimates the loss of 75% of

Ethiopia‘s workforce between 1980

and 1991. Since 1990 at least 20,000

people leave the continent annually.

About 250,000 African profession-

als are currently living and working

abroad.

There is no

doubt Africa has a

unique pool of highly

talented individuals. In

fact, in the US alone 64%

of foreign-born Nigeri-

ans aged 25 and older

have earned at least a

bachelor‘s degree, and

43% of foreign-born Af-

ricans dwelling in the US

have at least a bachelor‘s

degree. This may be

enlightening news to some, and

given the persistent brain drain

trend in Africa, it may be especially

confusing. How could a continent

that is so well capable of producing

the best and the brightest have fallen

victim to economic ruin? What are

African countries as well as young

members of the African Diaspora

doing about it?

South Africa has recently

attempted to curb the outflow of its

professionals by asking the Cana-

dian government to stop recruiting

its medical professionals. It may be a

step, but more drastic action is cer-

tainly needed. Some African coun-

tries are now exploring ways to util-

ize the knowledge and skills of their

professionals overseas without re-

quiring their return through net-

works based on the internet. The

South African Network of Skills

Abroad (SANSA) is an example of

one such network, which offers to

train their South African counter-

parts or to assist them in conducting

research, by transferring informa-

tion and technology not available in

South Africa.

The New Part-

nership for Af-

rica‘s Develop-

ment program

(NEPAD) may

be another ef-

fective ap-

proach, in

which African

leaders have

pledged to strive

toward transfor-

mation and development within Af-

rica. Under NEPAD, initiatives such

Yes, Africa Will

that Africa could and would only

become prosperous if we took it

upon ourselves to make it better.

Most Africans always blame colonial-

ism for their misfortunes and by do-

ing so, they save themselves from

having to put in effort to make Africa

a better place. He encouraged Afri-

cans to be more optimistic and to

forget the evils of the past because

the continent‘s future is still bright

and full of opportunities.

Ghana is considered one of the most

peaceful democratic countries in Af-

rica and Mr. Obama congratulated

the political parties, the people and

President Mills for their dedication

to democracy. He said that the

United States is a strong proponent

of democracy and that his admini-

stration would not hesitate to help

any country that was trying to pro-

mote democracy. ―No country is go-

Mildred Ngminebayihi

I feel privileged to have been in this

country to experience the joy, pride

and excitement that Obama‘s elec-

tion brought to African Americans.

This feeling was not restricted to

only Americans; the entire world,

especially the Continent of Africa

shared in this happiness. So, as a

proud Ghanaian, Barack Obama‘s

decision to pick Ghana as his first

Sub-Saharan Africa country to visit

warmed my heart with pride and

happiness.

Ghana has always been blessed

when it comes to visits by famous

people. Over the past years, the na-

tion has been visited by famous peo-

ple such as Queen Elizabeth II, Tony

Blair, Bill Clinton and George W.

Bush. Though all these prestigious

people were welcomed with great

excitement, none elicited as great a

response as President Barack

Obama did. Anxious Ghanaians

from all walks of life filled the streets

of Accra in anticipation for his arri-

val on July 11th 2009.

After a short trip around the beauti-

ful capital Accra, Mr. Obama headed

to the House of Parliament which is

equivalent to Congress in the United

States to give his first speech. He

started the speech with a jovial com-

ment about the traditional horns

that were been played and he

thanked the members of Parliament,

the former and current Presidents of

Ghana for the hospitality that was

shown to him and his family since

their arrival.

During the course of his speech, he

talked about various issues facing

Ghana and the African continent as

a whole. He made it clear that al-

though Africa had once suffered

from colonial rule and imperialism,

the future of the continent lied in the

hands of Africans. Thus, he encour-

aged Africans to stop blaming the

past for misfortunes but rather put

more effort into making their coun-

tries more peaceful, democratic and

economically stable. He stated nu-

merous instances in different coun-

tries in which corruption, war and

bad governance led to a decrease in

development.

This particular advice stood out the

most to me because unlike other

foreign leaders, President Obama

made it a point to remind Africans

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

pleaded with African leaders to end

war. At the end of the day, it is left to

the people of Africa to realize that

war will only continue to cripple the

continent and it is essential that the

people vote for leaders that will en-

hance peace and democracy and

eliminate religious, political and ra-

cial animosity.

At the end of his speech, President

Obama reiterates his initial state-

ment that ―Africa‘s future is up to

Africans.‖ He said that all hope is not

lost for the continent because just as

African Americans strived for suc-

cess in the United States, so can the

people of Africa. To the youth he

said, ―Ghana, freedom is your inheri-

tance. Now, it is your responsibility

to build upon freedom's foundation.‖

He urged them to take initiative and

help improve their country because

the future lies in their hands. Presi-

dent Obama advised Africans to con-

tinuously strive for peace and de-

mocracy and he ended his speech

with his trademark phrase ―Yes We

Can.‖

While I was proud that Obama gave

this speech in Ghana, it was clearly a

message for all of Africa. It was a

wakeup call for Africans and their

leaders. Our continent is rich in

natural and human resources and

has the full potential to become as

successful and as prosperous as any

other first world country out there,

but this will never be achieved if we

do not build strong foundations such

as democracy, peace and unity .

ing to create wealth if its leaders

exploit the economy to enrich them-

selves or if police can be bought off

by drug traffickers‖. He challenged

Ghanaian and African leaders to

practice full democracy and to elimi-

nate corruption, nepotism and eth-

nocentrism because these are the

vices that continue to cripple the

nation‘s development.

President Obama encouraged Gha-

naians and Africans in general to

increase their exports and to use

more locally made products. He

promised that his government would

do everything in their power to open

and expand fair trade between Af-

rica and the United States because

the development of his country is

directly tied in to that of Ghana. I

agree with this advice

because most Afri-

cans obsess over for-

eign goods and usu-

ally think that any-

thing that is made

oversees is automati-

cally better than lo-

cally made products.

They tend to forget

that using their own

products will lead to more money for

the own country rather than sending

it out. The key word in trade is fair-

ness because African countries are

usually duped when it comes to for-

eign trade and if this matter is not

easily rectified, we will always find

ourselves at the short end of the

stick of economic growth.

He went on to talk about AIDS and

other illnesses that continue to

plague the continent. He applauded

his predecessor, George Bush for his

initiative to curtail preventable ill-

nesses such as malaria, polio and to

provide aid to people who suffer

from these diseases. He announced

that his administration has set aside

$63 billion to help promote the cure

and eradication of common diseases

in Africa.

The efforts that Obama‘s govern-

ment is putting in place for the re-

duction of AIDS and other illnesses

are not likely to succeed without the

help of African governments. Money

alone will not resolve systemic barri-

ers to implementing healthcare pro-

grams to reduce these maladies.

Obama acknowl-

edged efforts by the

Economic Commu-

nity of West Afri-

can States

(ECOWAS) and the

African Union (AU)

to reduce war and

maintain peace in

Africa. He also

urged Africans to resolve their con-

flicts amicably and encouraged other

African nations to take part in

peacemaking efforts because of the

interconnected nature of African

politics. Africa‘s long history of con-

flicts has created a bad reputation

for the continent all around the

world and this is certainly not the

first time that foreign leaders have

“The key word in

trade is fairness”

African Youth Need a Voice

ers and try to come to a resolution.

Another issue in the African educa-

tion system is trying to make educa-

tion affordable for all students. Many

students do not attend school be-

cause their parents cannot afford

school fees. The education system

within Africa needs to be revamped

before youth can have any real im-

pact on society.

Anita Matey

Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian

diplomat and the seventh secretary

general of the United Nations once

said that ―Empowered, [youth] can

be key agents for development and

peace. If, however, they are left on

society‘s margins, all of us will be

impoverished.‖ He believes that

every young person should be given

the right to ―participate fully in the

lives of their societies‖. It is well

known that the youth make up a

huge amount of the global popula-

tion. They are the backbone of our

nations and the hope for a change

among societies across the world

because the future belongs to them.

With that being said a question that

comes to mind is ―do African youth

have a voice?‖ Or ―can the youth in

Africa find a voice?‖

In African Families in a

Global Context, Goran Therborn

discusses obedience and dependence

among African youth. He notes that

the African concept of deference to

one‘s parents is enshrined in the

African Charter on Human and Peo-

ple‘s right with the expectation that

one must ―respect his parents at all

times.‖ As someone who was raised

a Ghanaian home I feel as if this ex-

pectation limits the say of young

people. In African culture, children

are raised to respect elders and au-

thority, and not to stray from their

parent‘s rules. We have been

brought up within a culture where

voicing our opinions seems to be

forbidden. Expressing a viewpoint or

idea against an issue is considered

strange. We are brought up in a soci-

ety where our responsibilities as

youth are to be able to perform

housework duties and help out our

families. Other students I have spo-

ken with share my viewpoint and

agree that they do not have a voice

because of fear. One interviewee

says that young people ―simply si-

lence their own voice because they

know the outcome and may not want

to waste their opinion on people that

probably won‘t take it seriously.‖

Although it is said that African youth

do not have a voice, with proper

education and a change in family

dynamics, the voices of the youth in

Africa would be heard and changes

within the society can be made.

In Obama‘s speech to African

leaders he said that ―Africa‘s future

belongs to its young people‖. To en-

sure that Africa‘s young people are

able to raise Africa up we need to

reform the education system. Dr.

Kelvin Urama, the executive director

for African Technology stated in an

interview that the ―education system

in Africa is pretty much colo-

nial...and was the type of education

needed at the time in order to ser-

vice industries.‖ Clearly, post-

colonial Africa needs to adapt to the

changing times and take a second

look at its school system.

In recent news, many school

teachers in Ghana have been on a

strike since September because they

want higher pay and benefits. This

strike has affected about 360,000

students nationwide. Government

officials need to listen to the teach-

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

A Bold Vision “We Can’t Do It For You”

Afua Donkor

In a room, there stood such

great promise, despite adversity, that

it served to motivate privileged youth

like us.

President Obama hosted a

young African leader‘s forum which

included 115 young leaders from 46

different African countries. The fo-

rum was just one part of the two-day

event for the young leaders. The rep-

resentatives were chosen by their

local US embassies for their innova-

tive work and forward visions for

their countries. The president

stressed that the US wants to support

these African youth in order to build

a strong relationship between the

two continents.

Obama said that Africa is at

a ―moment of extraordinary prom-

ise.‖ He believes that the Africa of the

next 50 years will be built by the

leaders at the forum and those like

them. He stressed entrepreneurship,

transparency, health care, and em-

powering African youth.

One of the support mecha-

nisms mentioned was education. The

president mentioned specifically the

program that allowed his father to

come to America.

In town hall style forum, the

president was questioned about cor-

rupt leaders, the ―brain drain,‖ and

offering financial support. He closed

his speech saying that the US can be

support Africa but ―we can‘t do it for

you.‖

Eunice Ochuonyo

A team of local and interna-

tional experts was commissioned to

work closely with both the public

service and the private sectors in

preparing the vision. After days of

deliberation, the members found

that it was imperative to involve the

Kenyan youth in their endeavors.

Their goal was to make the youth

factor count and to create an agenda

with an initiative that will empower

and employ Kenyan youths from

today into 2030. This initiative came

to be called Kenya Vision 2030.

An overview of the vision

highlights three important areas:

economic, social, and political. The

vision further explores shortcomings

in these areas and offers suggestions

on how to improve them. The eco-

nomic goal is to maintain a sus-

tained economic growth of 10% per

year over the next 25 years with con-

centrations in tourism, agriculture,

wholesale and retail trade and

manufacturing. The social aspect

concentrates on education training,

the health sector, water and sanita-

tion, and housing and urbanization

with programs targeting gender

women, youth, and other vulnerable

groups. Finally, the political area

focuses on public administration and

service delivery, security, peace

building, and conflict management.

There are four ways in

which the youth can involve them-

selves in implementing this vision.

The first is for young people to first

understand the vision and then edu-

cate others about the vision. Sec-

ondly, young people should optimize

the opportunities that the vision of-

fers by starting business that seek to

address the goals that have been set.

Thirdly, young people should use

their innovativeness and creativity to

suggest different ways of implement-

ing the vision and utilizing re-

sources. Lastly, young people should

uphold all the Kenyan ideals high-

lighted in the constitution such as

gender equality, national values,

public participation in governance,

and self-government of Kenyan peo-

ple.

Kenya Vision 2030 is a way

to accelerate the transition of the

country into a rapidly industrializing

middle-income nation by the year

2030. The journey to 2030 will re-

quire sacrifice, hard work, self-

discipline and determination. I am

confident that Kenyans will meet

these challenges in order to make

our country a globally competitive

and prosperous one where every

person can enjoy a high quality of

life. Every Kenyan youth and young

people around the world should

commit themselves to the realization

of Kenya Vision 2030 targets. Let us

all continue to work together in or-

der to build a just, equitable, and

prosperous Kenya.

The Year of the Youth

Adwoa Adu

The United Nations has

declared the year spanning from

August 11, 2010to August 12, 2011

the ―Year of the Youth‖ under the

theme Dialogue and Mutual Under-

standing. The goal of the Year of the

Youth is to encourage the youth to

use their voice to help mankind

overcome its current challenge. The

event has three objectives: creating

awareness, mobilizing and engaging,

and connecting and building

bridges.

Youth, people between the

ages of 15-24, account for 18% of the

world population, and 87% of the

population in developing countries.

With these large numbers and the

enthusiasm held by these young

people, the United Nations recog-

nized that the youth could actually

help make a difference. The General

Assembly has sponsored programs

to promote youth involvement.

Events are taking place

worldwide in commemoration of the

Year of the Youth. For example, in

Baltimore, Maryland there will be a

year-long retreat providing youth

and their parents with the necessary

tools and skills to make a difference.

The difference between what Mary-

land doing and what others have

tried to do, is that they are actually

going to push the youth involved to

become active in leadership roles.

The participants will be able to use

what they have learned in whatever

leadership roles they find them-

selves in.

There are other states who

are taking measures such as this to

help to youth realize how much in-

fluence they hold in various decision

-making processes. This is needed

because the youth around the world

underestimate what their potential.

This is an extremely important en-

deavor that the United Nations em-

barked on because they are taking

the first step in helping the youth

recognize, that they truly are our

future and we need them to make

the necessary changes in it.

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

Learning Experiences a Long Way From Home

to expand our connections beyond our own country. By forming net-works with people who share similar worldviews we can work together towards a common goal, this helps make the world a better place for future generations to enjoy.

The most significant discov-ery I made however was that across the world we share similar problems especially race related problems. It is in the hands of us youth to try and sort out whatever tension we have in our respective countries. The first step in achieving this is continuous dialogue. We need to start talking with our peers both in and out of the classrooms as well as to members of older generations. By talking about these issues we are creating a plat-form for generating ideas to resolv-ing tension and also putting a stop to stereotyping.

Having been part of this study abroad program I am now pur-suing the true essence of life - find-ing out what I am here for and what I can do to make the world a better place.

Callie Hendricks and

Lerothodi Molete are two of

five South African students

from the University of

Bloemfontein. They are part

of the F1 Program at their

university which allows stu-

dent to study abroad to see

models of integrated living.

ASO had the privilege of

having Callie, Lerothodi, as

well as Hlonipa Matshamba,

Jason Viviers, and Susan

van der Westhuizen as spe-

cial guests at a GB entitled

“After Apartheid: Race Rela-

tions in South Africa.”

Callie Hendricks

Participating in an interna-tional study like the F1 leadership program one is bound to create ex-periences that will stick with you for the rest of your life. The most impor-tant thing is that you are able to learn something from it. I have ex-perienced quite a lot in a short pe-riod of time and I would like to share my most significant impressions.

My first most significant learning experience was what I learned in the meeting with the head of the Affirmative Action offices of Binghamton University, Valerie Hampton. She taught me that the role of affirmative action is not to undermine white people but to make sure discrimination of any sort does not occur in the work environment. Young people today need to be mindful to their behavior. For be-havior change could lead to attitude change and this will help in improv-ing diversity change.

My second most significant learning experience was learning how leaders with clashing views can come to a happy medium. When two of our group members had clashing decision making methods, with one being an impulsive decision maker and the other a methodical decision maker, we learned that there is no one method better than the other but were able to discuss which would benefit the group the best for the specific task at hand. Being able to work in a team is an important asset to any young person. Team work is also necessary for young people entering the workplace

Another great experience was meeting Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi. I learned that we are all interconnected and therefore need

Ubuntu: Together We Can!

churches, etc.), as well as the on-going political warfare. Clearly there are many similarities between our two nations. Now, to understand this phenomenon better, compare it to a basketball game. The USA and SA are the same team due to their simi-larities. But because of the advanced progress the USA has already made ahead of SA in many aspects, espe-cially the above mentioned, they are considered to be in the second quar-ter of the game. Blacks in the US have already made huge advance-ments: they have already experi-enced the challenges of racial inte-gration, and have partially suc-ceeded; they are seeing the fruits of their hard work, and are winning the game. They are living the American dream, where anyone can flourish regardless of their racial origin. How-ever, many believe, they are experi-encing a "time-out", a pause due to the deceptive belief that social inte-gration and peaceful social diversity has been achieved. This complacent prevents progress from taking place.

South African blacks on the other hand, in the first quarter of the game.

Lerothodi Molete

―Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. ‖ – Nelson Mandela

I will be reflecting upon the most significant facets of my learn-ing experience in the USA in the two weeks we visited as the F1 Class of 2010 and touch upon a few of the numerous initiatives the youth of South Africa are engaging in, mak-ing a difference in their vicinity. I really hope that our South African side of the story gives you hope, a broader perspective, and the urge to become pro-active in the mass-change of the world, in leadership, business and social justice.

I am an Agriculture student specializing in soil sciences and plant pathology at the University of the Free State. I was part of the In-ternational Leadership for change program of seventy-one first year students called the ―F1 Class of 2010‖. The program was initiated by the UFS rector Professor Jonathan Jansen to gain exposure to the posi-tive model of integration in the USA and build a network with BU under-graduate students that will see us engaging and uniting to resolve problems, and generating new ideas in regards to race relations. Once in Binghamton University we were greeted with huge smiles, warm hugs, flashing camera lights, ques-tions, one hectic learning program, and a table full of food. Much to our liking, throughout the two weeks of our visit, whether it was in lecture halls, conferences, dialogues, check-ins, tours, or the visits to the many institutions of various traits, we were embraced by a large amount of in-formation in regard to leadership, diversity and citizenship, and race relations.

This was just the ashes of an on-going battle - racism, discrimination, oppression, prejudice, and many other global hindrances still exist, that is why we have developed a net-work of collaboration with African Students‘ Organisation of BU, to further work together to see the change through as practically as pos-sible. In reflection, I have observed, analysed and given feedback on the way forward, in something that I call ―The Basketball Analogy‖, which basically summarises what I saw as significant in those two weeks.

The Basketball Analogy

Due to the historical, struc-tural and political similarities be-tween the United States of America and South Africa, an analogy can be derived if you make a general obser-vation on the two nations' develop-ment throughout recent history. More clearly, this observation can illustrate the position of the two na-tions in comparison to each other. I call this analogical observation the ―Basketball Analogy‖. The compari-son show far both countries have gone, their current status, and how far they still have to go. This analogy was my brain-child, born in the home of my host parent Ms Renee Micalizzi. It came to me as I struggled to put into words the countless similarities be-tween our two countries. It suddenly came to me that basketball was a perfect analogy. I was analyzing how both the USA and SA went through a period of racism after slavery, I noted how both had a political hero (Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela), the abolish-ment of oppression, establishment of bill of rights and civil rights acts, the difficult transition into the new USA and the new SA, integration in soci-ety (businesses, schools, transport,

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

We have just achieved our democ-racy just over one and a half decades ago – sixteen years ago to be exact. We are a teenage society that has just begun the rough and bitter proc-ess of institutionalized racial inte-gration. As the USA has already done, we have to trudge through the first quarter to reach the second quarter. Once there we can look back and see the fruits of the heart-ache we have experienced in the past. Neither country has reached the third quarter yet – we both have still got a long way to go. After the third we have the fourth quarter and perhaps even overtime. It will take the hearts of champions to endure the hardly fought battle for a peace-ful, cosmopolitan society that seeks justice, peace and equality for all who live in it

Youth Making a Difference in South Africa In South Africa, there is a need for social change. There is a need for new leadership that will lead differently, liberally, and trans-parently for the good of the nation. We are beginning to see this with the immense youth participation in global initiatives and local politics, but the mammoth challenge is in getting everybody involved in social change, especially the youth from all spheres of life be they rich or poor, educated or uneducated, employed or unemployed. This is the goal that the following student-run initiatives at the University of the Free State seek to fulfil:

Ubuntu Sustainable Develop-ment Focus Group promotes dis-cussion on topics relating to sustain-able development using programs and media releases around campus.

Kovsgem (community service)

brings students together to reach out to community institutions such as schools, hospitals, orphanages, and old-age homes at large with basic needs such as food, clothing, toys, and employment. They also partici-pate in many charity awareness events such as Cancer4life and HIV/Aids awareness walks. They are a university organization reaching out to the world, making a difference in many lives. They are situated in Bloemfontein at the moment, but are started to spread to surround-ing towns.

The F1 Class of 2010 travelled to the USA to gain exposure to inte-grated life in the country and estab-lish an effective network of com-munication with the youth abroad such as the Binghamton University African Students Organisation, to engage in issues of race relations, and generate fresh ideas to address social dilemmas.

PO10SEE leadership and diver-sity annual camps bring youth together for a week to strengthen their grasp on leadership and diver-sity. These various programs seek not only to start youth engagement in dialogue, but they seek to increase youth participation, and incorporate community service to improve the lives of seniors citizens, disabled citizens and less privileged children.

The above is just the tip of the ice-berg. While South Africa is doing really great, there is a lot to be done here and in the whole of Africa, hence more youth will be called upon in the near future to lead the nation, and Africa as a whole. We must all come together regardless of our differences. That‘s Ubuntu, to-gether we can!

Spotlight on: Tehn Diamond

Most of my music is very personal, I

really just write about what I know

and understand best. But even in my

stories, there's underlying themes.

Having been away from home for

5yrs and the returning, I touch on

the Zimbabwean Diaspora issue and

its emotional effect. Its something

I've been on both sides of, and a lot

of people relate to those feelings par-

ticular from Zimbabwe. As far as

politics, well politics just confuses

me. I try stay away from it all, life's a

puzzle as it is.

If you could work with any art-

ist, who would it be and why?

Kanye West, even if [it‘s] just to be

privy to how he creates and just learn

even one thing off him. Yeah I'd have

to do a track with 'Ye. He seems to

bring out the best music in the peo-

ple he works with. That would be an

amazing experience, for real.

Where do you see yourself and

your music in 5 years time?

I'd love to be doing the kinda stuff

Maxwell does, that kinda throwback

soul sound. I wanna be chilling and

singing in lounges and shit. I wanna

Jackie Nembaware

Zimbabwe’s entertainment industry

is on the rise. With talent waiting to

be discovered and given the oppor-

tunity, I have taken it upon myself

to explore this area within my beau-

tiful country Zimbabwe. I inter-

viewed a talented young artist

whose music is nothing short of

amazing and magical.

Who are you as an artist and as

an individual?

As an artist I guess I'd say I'm what

happens when the passion of say a

Kanye West, meets the lyrical dex-

terity of Jay-Z, add a big splash of

Zimbabwean pride, plus a sprinkle

of my old man's business mind and

you have yourself a Tehn Diamond.

More than anything I'm just a dude

who really loves music and loves

words even more. As an individual,

I'm one of those people with a crazy

lust for life. I live to experience as

much of the world as I can while I'm

here. And just enjoy, I guess.

What or who has been your in-

spiration in your music?

I'm a big Jay-Z fan, like I never grew

up listening to a whole lot of hip-

hop, I only listened to Jay-Z for the

longest time. Strangely enough I

never grew up wanting to be an MC,

I always wanted to be a songwriter

or an actor. But the bug hit in 2006

and I think a Jay shaped a lot about

how I approach my music. Another

massive inspira-

tion for me has

been Kanye West

too, he's a genius

and stays push-

ing the limits of

what‘s accept-

able to do or say

in hip-hop. He's

on it.

Seeing that you are currently

promoting your music in Zim-

babwe, what do you think

about the future of this indus-

try in Zimbabwe?

Honestly, with the wealth of talent

around here its just a matter of time

before someone in the right places

wisens up and starts putting more

money behind it.

For now though, the scene is a live

and well and growing. There's so

much live music on out here, and its

all sorts of music too. From a hip-

hop perspective I do wish the media

would pay more attention to us, but

I guess part of the onus lies with us

as artists in Zimbabwe.

So mark my words, the future looks

bright. At least from where I'm sit-

ting.

As an African man, are there

particular issues, politically,

socially that affect Zimbabwe

that you sing about? Or that

your songs relate too?

FACE OF AFRICA

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

Fashion Forward: Onyx and Pearl

fashion. According to a review, the

debut offering from the label fea-

tures great use of color and inter-

esting fabrication that include

leather, snake skin, damask, and

batik prints. Their menswear pieces

feature colors that seem to be ex-

clusive of women‘s fashion, but

they‘ve managed to bring formality

to it with a masculine touch. The

women‘s pieces are also fun and

young with interesting jackets worn

alone as dresses and the high waist

skirts with fabric in the shape of

petals sewn onto it.

Their label ethos, ―more

than just the clothes,‖ sums up the

significance of their label. Al-

though filled with simple designs,

Onyx & Pearl is a label that speaks

volume and is ready to change per-

ceptions. This label dares a man to

be different - to try new things such

as bright colors, gladiators, and

man bags while still radiating mas-

culinity. Onyx and Pearl encour-

ages the Nigerian man to be fashion

forward. When it comes to women,

this label understands the sexuality

of a woman‘s body and knows that

obviating it beautifully doesn‘t ne-

cessitate nudity.

A challenge for these rising

young designers has been getting

the quality materials to design with.

However, Bayo and his three part-

ners are not giving up anytime

soon. Without a doubt the sky is

the limit for their successs.

be more business focused too in

5yrs, hopefully developing some

younger Zim talent and trying to

make sure my city stays firmly on

the map. Cuz in five years I plan to

have made a significant impact on

African hip-hop and Lord-willing on

International Hip-hop

too. Not just in hip-

hop, but in music in

general. I just wanna be

able to look back in five

years and say "Yeah its

been f*** amazing." So

we'll just wait and see.

What kind of audi-

ence does your mu-

sic attract?

You know what I'm still

trying to figure

#TeamSOTG out. So far

my music has attracted

all sorts of folk, and I love it. Lately,

in maybe the past 6 months or so, a

lot more Zimbabweans have found

my music and found ways to let me

know. My first tape attracted a lot of

university kids, who could easily

relate to what I was trying to express

then. But off this second mixtape, I

think the ladies are getting in tune

with the program too which is dope.

Plus with the internet being the

amazing tool that it is these days, a

Tehn Diamond fan can be anyone

from anywhere in the world. I love

that.

Learn more about Tehn at

www.HashBrownDontFrown.com

Lauretta Oseni

The Nigerian Fashion in-

dustry is exploding with talent and

each new day brings with it fresh

ideas ready to take the industry by

storm.

Adebayo Oke-Lawal, a

twenty year old Nige-

rian, is not only a de-

signer but the new crea-

tive director of the

three-month old label

Onyx & Pearl. He and

his three other part-

ners, Oluwaseun

Abiodun Lisk, Dapo

Ajayi, and Oyakhire

Russell are the young-

sters that gave birth to

this new label that is

generating a lot of buzz

in the Nigerian fashion industry.

Onyx & Pearl is a unisex label

that was birthed from an erstwhile

conservative menswear label called

‗Lisk‘. Though Lisk quickly earned

accolades from the fashion indus-

try its business savvy founder

Seun knew that this would not be

enough. He quickly assembled a

team to re-brand Lisk into the sim-

pler, but edgier and more fashion

forward brand “Onyx & Pearl‖

which would be driven by these

four creatively diverse

minds. Their first line ―The

Haunting‖ is now one of the most

talked about lines in the Nigerian

-

FACE OF AFRICA

She loves to knit and crochet especially her own scarves

75% of the songs on her iTunes are gospel/Christian genre

She likes to collect journals with pretty covers

This is __________________________

She is constantly guarding the money

If you see her around campus she is sure to be smiling

She is always complaining about how she misses her last job

This is __________________________

She has impeccable fashion sense

At our events you are sure to see her with a camera

This is __________________________

She ran track in High School

Spends her free time reading novels

Her goal in life is to publish a novel

She loves her love-hate relationship with Adwoa

She has a phobia of dancing

This is __________________________

She was born in Ghana

She is half Ashanti and half Akyem

She is a member of basically every group on campus

Always found in the kitchen

Also always has a smile on her face

This is __________________________

He is a good artist

He is a fast track runner

He loves pickles

This is __________________________

He is extremely friendly and shy at the same time

He is a double major in Political Science and Africana Studies

Keeps you up to date with what is going on with ASO

This is __________________________

Before you turn the page lets see how well you know the ASO E-Board...

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

Abisola Abosede Aleye Abeje Ogunbiyi - born to wealth

Ketiwe Boahene - chosen one

Eunice Adhiambo Ochuonyo - born in the evening

Mamadou Sanogo - W. African version of Muhammed

Lauretta Adekunbi Oseni - an additional crown

Olatomide Familusi - my prosperity has come

Adwoa Adu - born on Monday

Afua Donkor - born on Friday

Daniel Ayomikun Adeyanju - my joy is full

Mildred Tibourataa Ngminebayihi- God never forgets

David Almonte - beloved king

Tolulope Odunsi - to God be the glory

She loves food but is probably one of the skinniest people you will meet

She is 5‘6 but looks taller

She wants to have identical twins in the future

She never cries in front of people

This is __________________________

She is an only child

She speaks four languages

She had a pet monkey when she was little

She is fluent in French

This is __________________________

He was born in Jamaica

He lived in Antigua, California, and South Carolina before moving to NY

He used to perform as rapper in high school

He loves wheat thins

This is __________________________

ANSWER KEY: ABBY, ADWOA, TOLU, EUNICE, AFUA, DAVID, MAMADOU, LAURETTA, MILDRED, DANIEL

My name is Delmar Dualeh and I am a sophomore majoring in Human De-

velopment. The moment I heard about ASO's pageant and representing Af-

rica, I was very enthusiastic about competing. At the moment, I did not re-

alize the immense amount of work it takes to memorize all your lines, come

up with a talent, and just be confident in front of a large group of individu-

als because this was something I've never done before. But the help of ASO's

E-Board and constant meetings made the actual performance much less

difficult. Also, working with such amazing contestants was a joy within itself.

All of the contestants who competed in this year's pageant were honestly

amazing and I'm glad that I got to know them. We all supported one an-

other as if this wasn't a competition and I would do it again if I could.

My name is Vanessa Ayivi and I am a junior here at Binghamton Univer-

sity. Being part of Mwami and Malkia was by far the most exciting time I

had here in Binghamton. From practicing everyday, to having our little

disagreements, and helping each other out, we became kind of like a fam-

ily. Regardless of the fact that we all wanted to win, we were still willing

to helping each other out in all areas so we all could deliver our perform-

ances. The lovely ASO e-Board was there every step of the way. They sup-

ported us, provided us with everything we needed and encouraged us to do

our best. In my eyes, we are all winners. How does it feel to be crowned

queen? I must say that it is pretty amazing knowing that all my hard

work paid off in the end and being called Queen all around campus. I feel

some sense of accomplishment and empowerment. My favorite part of the

whole process was getting the chance to teach the audience about my

beautiful country. I would encourage everyone to participate in this pag-

eant next year because not only will you receive a great deal of recognition

but you will also you get to learn more about Africa.

FACE OF AFRICA

ASO held its annual Mwami and Malkia: King and Queen of Africa

pageant on Friday, Nov. 5th. The contestants competed their hearts

out, but in the end there could only be one King and Queen...

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

Meet E-board

My name is Eunice Ochuonyo. I am a senior majoring in nursing. When I

graduate in May, I hope to pass my NCLEX, find a job in a medical surgical

unit so I can have exposure to various things. After two years, I will attend

graduate school with the hopes of becoming a nurse administrator or re-

searcher. I am currently the President of ASO and I have been involved

with this organization for three years. I was the Public Relations Coordinator

during the 2008/2009 school year, and last year I was the Treasurer. I love

ASO and I hope that you love or will get to love ASO as much as I do.

My name is Afua Donkor and I am a junior majoring in Integrative Neu-

roscience. I have been involved with ASO since my freshman year. Last year

I was Activities Coordinator and currently I am Vice President. I am in-

volved with several other student groups including the Student Association

Programming Board and Habit at for Humanity. I also work as an Resident

Assistant in Dickinson Community. I hope to see ASO reach new heights

with its GBs and events this semester

My name is Lauretta Adekunbi Oseni. I am a senior and a pre-med biol-

ogy major. My aspiration is to become a pediatric oncologist after medical

school. I am currently the Secretary for the African Student Organization

and this is my second year on e-board. For the 2009/2010 school year i was

the SA/ICA Representative. I am also involved with the Charles Drew Mi-

nority Pre-med Society. My motto is to do my best and always put God first!

My name is Adwoa Adu, I am currently a senior psychology major. My fu-

ture plans include becoming a successful pediatrician. Currently, I partici-

pate in various community service events through Phi Delta Epsilon, a pre-

medical fraternity that I am a member of. I'm involved in a crisis hotline

called High Hopes, and I'm also a member of Charles Drew Minority Pre-

Health Society. I am also the current Treasurer of the African Student Or-

ganization and was the historian last year. I enjoy being on e-board because

I consider the people who are on e-board with me and the members of the

organization to be my second family.

My name is David Almonte. I am a sophomore and a financial economics

major. I aspire to be an investment banker and to work on Wall Street some-

day. I am currently the Social Activities Coordinator for ASO. I am also

a member of MALIK Fraternity Incorporated. Since I am of Dominican de-

scent, being part of ASO has helped me diversify myself and become more of

a well rounded person. My aspirations are to educate others about African

culture and better unite the campus through cultural awareness.

Meet the E-board (cont.)

FACE OF AFRICA

My name is Abisola Abosede Ogunbiyi, but most people call me Abby. I

like to cook and love to bake even more. I was a big fan of ASO and my love

for the organization led me to eventually become the Food Coordinator.

I'm a junior double majoring in Biology and Africana Studies. I plan to be-

come a successful pharmacist. And my long term goal is to open a library in

my hometown in Nigeria.

My name is Mildred Tibourataa Ngminebayihi. I am a sophomore and

a double major in Political Science and French. I want to become a diplomat

or work in the United Nations after graduate school. This is my first year on

the ASO E-board and I am SA Representative and Parliamentarian. I

appreciate diversity hence my involvement in cultural organizations such as

the African Dance Ensemble, the Bhangra Team and the French Club. I also

want to travel all around the world when I become rich.

My name is Mamadou Sanogo. I am a senior and was part of BEP 2007,

double Majoring in African a Studies and Political Science. I am the Public

Relations Coordinator of ASO. I have three long term goals: (1) to go

back home to the Ivory Coast in the future to implement some of the things I

learned in the US;(2) to become an ambassador for the US to Ivory Coast or

vice versa; and finally I want to become a very influential leader without be-

ing a politician. I also want to win a Nobel Peace Prize one day.

My name is Tolu Odunsi. I am a Junior Human Development major. After

undergrad I plan to go on to law school and aspire to eventually become a

judge. One of my major goals in life is to fight against global injustices. I

have been involved with The Black Student Union, Binghamton University

Gospel Choir, Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society, and Delta Sigma Theta

Sorority, Incorporated. Through these orgs I have learned the value of giving

back to the community. This is my second year on the ASO executive board.

I was the 2009-2010 Food Coordinator and am currently the 2010-2011

Historian.

My name is Daniel Ayomikun Adeyanju and I am a sophomore major-

ing in biology and minoring in Africana Studies and Global Studies. I plan to

become a doctor without borders and use my medical expertise to solve

health crises in Africa. I am also involved in Charles Drew Premedical Soci-

ety . This is my first year on e-board and I am the Educational Coordina-

tor for ASO. I hope to see ASO continue to grow and educate students of all

races about Africa and its rich culture.

VOL. 6 EDITION 1

ASO IN ACTION

Thank you to everyone who has continued

to support our organization for all these

years: GB members, former e-board mem-

bers, faculty and staff. We also thank all

other cultural orgs for working in tandem

with us to bring more diversity to this

campus. Indeed, unity is key to achieving

this end.

FACE OF AFRICA

Thank You

face of africa - yes, youth can

Documents