I really wish Liberia would pop off Dual Citizenship, I meet the qualifications to be a citizen by birth, but I`m not giving up my US Citizenship for it, as a US Passport is the most "powerful" you can have in this day and age.
Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About
- Thread starter TommyHilltrigga
- Start date
Every African nation needs to do this.
Senegal scraps visas for tourists, cuts tax on air fares
DAKAR
(Reuters) - Senegal has scrapped visa requirements for foreign visitors and will slash taxes on air fares as it seeks to revive a tourism sector crippled by high costs and a regional Ebola outbreak.
The cost and administrative hassle of visas, coupled with taxes on air tickets, led to a fall in the number of visitors to the country.
The new measure on visa-free travel will come into effect on May 1, President Macky Sall said in an address to the nation late on Friday.
Sall also announced that government taxes on air fares would be cut by half in a bid to make Senegal a more competitively priced destination. It was not clear when the taxes on air fares would be cut.
Many hotels along Senegal's coastline that were once full of French visitors closed early this tourist season as fears over an Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Guinea and nearby Liberia and Sierra Leone came on top of a gradual decline in the industry.
Senegal recorded one case of Ebola last year but prevented any further spread.
Senegal is looking for a strategic partner to relaunch its indebted state carrier Senegal Airlines ahead of the opening of a new international airport next year as it seeks to become a hub for air travel in West Africa.
(Reporting by Diadie Ba; Editing by David Lewis and Stephen Powell)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/04/uk-senegal-government-tourism-idUKKBN0MV0F820150404
Tech in Africa: The past month’s news in one place
The outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa gave technology the opportunity to prove its worth to society in April, a month that also saw a number of moves by major players and progress towards expansion for homegrown firms.
Tech and South Africa’s xenophobia attacks
The xenophobic violence that has swept South Africa has made the news across the world, but less publicised has been the technological response to it. iAfrikan partnered with mapping company Ushahidi to launch a tool named Report Xenophobia, a real-time mapping feature that allows people to submit reports and alerts of xenophobic incidents in their areas.
Verified reports are then placed on an interactive map allowing users to see the location of xenophobic incidents, as well as things like evacuation areas and police activity. The City of Johannesburg is also employing tech in a bid to tackle the issue, releasing an app that allows the public to report xenophobia-related incidents via mobile.
Global players ramp up their activities
A typically busy month in terms of global companies stepping up their activities in Africa, especially in the startup/SME sector. Samsung partnered with Ghanaian incubator the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), saying it aimed to provide more opportunities, resources and tools to West African entrepreneurs. Samsung will be involved from the early stages of the MEST incubation process, while it will also have the opportunity to invest in MEST companies.
Microsoft had another busy month as well, launching online portal Biz4Afrika, which looks to provide SMEs with access to information and an online community for entrepreneurs. The company also announced a partnership with Kenya’s ICT Authority, with the arrangement looking to bring 10,000 SMEs online within three years, train 50,000 working professionals in ICT, and distribute 1.2 million devices to schools by 2016.
In mobile money, telecoms giants MTN and Vodafone signed an interconnect deal in East Africa, meaning customers of MTN’s Mobile Money and Vodacom’s M-Pesa in the region will be able to transfer money to each other. In digital music, Netflix made its first inroads into Africa,signing a deal with Nigerian company iROKOtv to allow it to curate African movies on its streaming service. In an altogether quieter revelation, anarticle by TechCentral said Apple had quietly re-established a South African office, which it has not had since 1999.
Getting money, scaling larger
Investment funds are increasingly available for African tech startups, withAbraaj and Hatcher making money available in April. There were a couple of sizeable Africa-related funding rounds, but nothing to compare with previous months.
One Africa Media (OAM) pushed up its ownership share in Nigerian jobs site Jobberman to 100 percent after Australia-based Seek invested an additional US$10 million into OAM, while classifieds platform Kerawa.com raised US$200,000 to launch in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kenya’s JamboPay, meanwhile, is also plotting African expansion this year.
Expansion was more the name of the game than funding in April, though many African startups are looking for funding to facilitate that expansion. One such is Kenya’s Totohealth, an SMS-based maternity information service, which is seeking US$300,000 to expand into other African countries. Others are further along in the process.
Developer skills training startup Andela has opened applications for its programmes in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, while crowdfunding startup M-Changa will expand beyond Kenya to Tanzania in June.
Awards and recognition
African tech companies and entrepreneurs have begun to get some serious recognition from outside the continent. Kenyan companies were particularly well received in April, with Chura making it to the final of the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation competition, and Valuraha CEO Wangechi Mwangi winning a Global Social Impact Award.
Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund awarded funding to three South African startups providing solutions in climate innovation, African tech companies were among the winners in the Making All Voices Count competition, Kenya’s Strauss Energy was named People’s Choice at the global 1776 challenges, and Egyptian and Moroccan teams were among the winners in a Middle Eastern startups competition organised by mobile operator Zain.
An increasing number of incubator and accelerators
Finally, the month saw some new additions to the growing list of African tech startup incubators. South Africa was especially busy, with Standard Bank launching two business incubators while also partnering Sw7 and Microsoft BizSpark to launch an accelerator programme at its Johannesburg hub. Most notable, perhaps, was MTN Business launching a three-year business incubation programme aimed at ICT startups.
Elsewhere, Dutch non-government organisation (NGO) Spark and partners launched the Africa House business incubator and entrepreneurship development centre in Gargeisa, Somalia, Nigerian incubator iDEA opened applications for early-stage or growth startups looking to take part in its incubator programme, and Village Capital picked 12 startups for its East African fintech accelerator.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/05/06/tech-in-africa-the-past-months-news-in-one-place/
The outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa gave technology the opportunity to prove its worth to society in April, a month that also saw a number of moves by major players and progress towards expansion for homegrown firms.
Tech and South Africa’s xenophobia attacks
The xenophobic violence that has swept South Africa has made the news across the world, but less publicised has been the technological response to it. iAfrikan partnered with mapping company Ushahidi to launch a tool named Report Xenophobia, a real-time mapping feature that allows people to submit reports and alerts of xenophobic incidents in their areas.
Verified reports are then placed on an interactive map allowing users to see the location of xenophobic incidents, as well as things like evacuation areas and police activity. The City of Johannesburg is also employing tech in a bid to tackle the issue, releasing an app that allows the public to report xenophobia-related incidents via mobile.
Global players ramp up their activities
A typically busy month in terms of global companies stepping up their activities in Africa, especially in the startup/SME sector. Samsung partnered with Ghanaian incubator the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), saying it aimed to provide more opportunities, resources and tools to West African entrepreneurs. Samsung will be involved from the early stages of the MEST incubation process, while it will also have the opportunity to invest in MEST companies.
Microsoft had another busy month as well, launching online portal Biz4Afrika, which looks to provide SMEs with access to information and an online community for entrepreneurs. The company also announced a partnership with Kenya’s ICT Authority, with the arrangement looking to bring 10,000 SMEs online within three years, train 50,000 working professionals in ICT, and distribute 1.2 million devices to schools by 2016.
In mobile money, telecoms giants MTN and Vodafone signed an interconnect deal in East Africa, meaning customers of MTN’s Mobile Money and Vodacom’s M-Pesa in the region will be able to transfer money to each other. In digital music, Netflix made its first inroads into Africa,signing a deal with Nigerian company iROKOtv to allow it to curate African movies on its streaming service. In an altogether quieter revelation, anarticle by TechCentral said Apple had quietly re-established a South African office, which it has not had since 1999.
Getting money, scaling larger
Investment funds are increasingly available for African tech startups, withAbraaj and Hatcher making money available in April. There were a couple of sizeable Africa-related funding rounds, but nothing to compare with previous months.
One Africa Media (OAM) pushed up its ownership share in Nigerian jobs site Jobberman to 100 percent after Australia-based Seek invested an additional US$10 million into OAM, while classifieds platform Kerawa.com raised US$200,000 to launch in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kenya’s JamboPay, meanwhile, is also plotting African expansion this year.
Expansion was more the name of the game than funding in April, though many African startups are looking for funding to facilitate that expansion. One such is Kenya’s Totohealth, an SMS-based maternity information service, which is seeking US$300,000 to expand into other African countries. Others are further along in the process.
Developer skills training startup Andela has opened applications for its programmes in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, while crowdfunding startup M-Changa will expand beyond Kenya to Tanzania in June.
Awards and recognition
African tech companies and entrepreneurs have begun to get some serious recognition from outside the continent. Kenyan companies were particularly well received in April, with Chura making it to the final of the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation competition, and Valuraha CEO Wangechi Mwangi winning a Global Social Impact Award.
Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund awarded funding to three South African startups providing solutions in climate innovation, African tech companies were among the winners in the Making All Voices Count competition, Kenya’s Strauss Energy was named People’s Choice at the global 1776 challenges, and Egyptian and Moroccan teams were among the winners in a Middle Eastern startups competition organised by mobile operator Zain.
An increasing number of incubator and accelerators
Finally, the month saw some new additions to the growing list of African tech startup incubators. South Africa was especially busy, with Standard Bank launching two business incubators while also partnering Sw7 and Microsoft BizSpark to launch an accelerator programme at its Johannesburg hub. Most notable, perhaps, was MTN Business launching a three-year business incubation programme aimed at ICT startups.
Elsewhere, Dutch non-government organisation (NGO) Spark and partners launched the Africa House business incubator and entrepreneurship development centre in Gargeisa, Somalia, Nigerian incubator iDEA opened applications for early-stage or growth startups looking to take part in its incubator programme, and Village Capital picked 12 startups for its East African fintech accelerator.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/05/06/tech-in-africa-the-past-months-news-in-one-place/
It Is Time for President Obama to Visit Nigeria
by John Campbell
May 6, 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama is seen in a mirror behind members of the Nigerian delegation as he meets with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan (not seen) in New York September 23, 2013. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)
Up to now, President Barack Obama has never visited Nigeria. That has been appropriate given the country’s history of rigged elections and the governments refusal to investigate credible reports of human rights abuses by the security services in the struggle with Boko Haram. The Obama administration did engage with the Jonathan administration, with meetings between the two presidents in Washington and New York, and visits by Secretary of State John Kerry to Abuja.
Now, in the aftermath of the March 28 elections, it would be appropriate for the president to visit Nigeria, perhaps in conjunction with his July visit to Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi.
While far from perfect, the March 28 elections were the best since Nigeria’s restoration of civilian government in 1999. The elections resulted in the first democratic transfer of power in Nigeria’s post-1999 history from an incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, to the opposition presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Most Nigerians, including President Jonathan, have accepted the credibility of the election results.
The Obama administration was heavily invested in the success of the elections. Senior administration officials repeatedly denounced potential election related violence, which Nigeria has historically experienced. The administration also supported the efforts by Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, to conduct elections that were free, fair, and credible. The Department of State has made it clear that those who promoted violence or interfered with the elections could expect to have their U.S. visas revoked. On March 23, President Obama directly appealed to the Nigerian peopleto insist on credible elections. On April 1, after the elections, he congratulated the country on “the strength of Nigeria’s commitment to democratic principles.”
Under these circumstances, a presidential visit to Nigeria would be a continuation of U.S. support for Nigeria’s developing democracy.
Muhammadu Buhari will be inaugurated as president of Nigeria on May 29. He already has a functioning transition team. By July, his government should be in place. President-elect Buhari has already said publicly he would like to restore a military relationship with the United States. A July visit by President Obama would provide an opportunity to open a dialogue with the new president on Boko Haram and jihadist radicalism, the necessary steps to end human rights abuses by security forces, and a host of other bilateral and multilateral issues.
http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2015/...ia/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
by John Campbell
May 6, 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama is seen in a mirror behind members of the Nigerian delegation as he meets with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan (not seen) in New York September 23, 2013. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)
Up to now, President Barack Obama has never visited Nigeria. That has been appropriate given the country’s history of rigged elections and the governments refusal to investigate credible reports of human rights abuses by the security services in the struggle with Boko Haram. The Obama administration did engage with the Jonathan administration, with meetings between the two presidents in Washington and New York, and visits by Secretary of State John Kerry to Abuja.
Now, in the aftermath of the March 28 elections, it would be appropriate for the president to visit Nigeria, perhaps in conjunction with his July visit to Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi.
While far from perfect, the March 28 elections were the best since Nigeria’s restoration of civilian government in 1999. The elections resulted in the first democratic transfer of power in Nigeria’s post-1999 history from an incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, to the opposition presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Most Nigerians, including President Jonathan, have accepted the credibility of the election results.
The Obama administration was heavily invested in the success of the elections. Senior administration officials repeatedly denounced potential election related violence, which Nigeria has historically experienced. The administration also supported the efforts by Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, to conduct elections that were free, fair, and credible. The Department of State has made it clear that those who promoted violence or interfered with the elections could expect to have their U.S. visas revoked. On March 23, President Obama directly appealed to the Nigerian peopleto insist on credible elections. On April 1, after the elections, he congratulated the country on “the strength of Nigeria’s commitment to democratic principles.”
Under these circumstances, a presidential visit to Nigeria would be a continuation of U.S. support for Nigeria’s developing democracy.
Muhammadu Buhari will be inaugurated as president of Nigeria on May 29. He already has a functioning transition team. By July, his government should be in place. President-elect Buhari has already said publicly he would like to restore a military relationship with the United States. A July visit by President Obama would provide an opportunity to open a dialogue with the new president on Boko Haram and jihadist radicalism, the necessary steps to end human rights abuses by security forces, and a host of other bilateral and multilateral issues.
http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2015/...ia/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
SA FOREIGN NATIONALS FORM TRADE UNION
The South African United Foreigner Trade Union was launched this week.
FILE: Thousands of people took part in the anti-xenophobia march, calling for end to attacks on foreign nationals in Johannesburg on 23 April 2015. Picture: Emily Corke/EWN.
Emily Corke | 6 days ago
JOHANNESBURG – Foreign nationals in South Africa have formed their own trade union.
The South African United Foreigner Trade Union was launched this week to bring organisations representing foreigner nationals in South Africa under a unified voice.
The union was created in the wake of the xenophobic attacks where some accused foreigners of stealing jobs and resources.
Last month, xenophobic violence flared up in KwaZulu-Natal where locals attacked foreign nationals.
The violence then spread to parts of Gauteng, including Johannesburg.
At least seven people were killed and hundreds were displaced.
The union's president Salman Khan said, “We came with the idea that there should be a united front and it’s going to be a mouthpiece for foreigners.”
(Edited by Refilwe Pitjeng)
http://ewn.co.za/2015/05/01/SA-Fore...e-union?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
The South African United Foreigner Trade Union was launched this week.
FILE: Thousands of people took part in the anti-xenophobia march, calling for end to attacks on foreign nationals in Johannesburg on 23 April 2015. Picture: Emily Corke/EWN.
Emily Corke | 6 days ago
JOHANNESBURG – Foreign nationals in South Africa have formed their own trade union.
The South African United Foreigner Trade Union was launched this week to bring organisations representing foreigner nationals in South Africa under a unified voice.
The union was created in the wake of the xenophobic attacks where some accused foreigners of stealing jobs and resources.
Last month, xenophobic violence flared up in KwaZulu-Natal where locals attacked foreign nationals.
The violence then spread to parts of Gauteng, including Johannesburg.
At least seven people were killed and hundreds were displaced.
The union's president Salman Khan said, “We came with the idea that there should be a united front and it’s going to be a mouthpiece for foreigners.”
(Edited by Refilwe Pitjeng)
http://ewn.co.za/2015/05/01/SA-Fore...e-union?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Zuma calls on Burundi president to step aside
Friday 8 May 2015 20:41
SABC
Thousands of Burundians have already fled to neighbouring countries amist escalating violence and unrest. (GCIS)
President Jacob Zuma has appointed Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, as a special envoy to Burundi.
Radebe’s appointment as an envoy comes as political temperatures continue to escalate in Burundi, resulting in thousands of Burundians fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Radebe is tasked with conveying a message from Zuma to President Nkurunzinza, asking him to step aside from running for a third term as president.
Over 25 000 Burundians, the majority of which are women and children, are feared to have fled with more expected to follow suit.
Many are suffering and desperate after the effects of last week's clashes in Bujumbura between police and the civilians opposed to President Nkurunzinza's announcement to stand for a third time as president of the country.
Friday 8 May 2015 20:41
SABC
Thousands of Burundians have already fled to neighbouring countries amist escalating violence and unrest. (GCIS)
President Jacob Zuma has appointed Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, as a special envoy to Burundi.
Radebe’s appointment as an envoy comes as political temperatures continue to escalate in Burundi, resulting in thousands of Burundians fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Radebe is tasked with conveying a message from Zuma to President Nkurunzinza, asking him to step aside from running for a third term as president.
Over 25 000 Burundians, the majority of which are women and children, are feared to have fled with more expected to follow suit.
Many are suffering and desperate after the effects of last week's clashes in Bujumbura between police and the civilians opposed to President Nkurunzinza's announcement to stand for a third time as president of the country.
3 Chinese Men Arrested For Importing Contraband Goods Into Nigeria
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has announce the arrest of three Chinese business men identified as Gao Gnuxu, Li Yang and Zhon Showmin, for allegedly smuggling contraband and illegal textile materials worth over N20 billion into the country.
The service has also sealed over 20 warehouses belonging to the Chinese in Kano and Lagos States respectively, in an operation co-ordinated by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Muhammad Diko Inde.
According to the service, the operation was undertaken under the directives of the CGC who had been monitoring movements of the smugglers who were mainly Chinese and at a stage, the operatives of the Customs conducted undercover operation to locate and discover the actual number of illegal warehouses in Kano State being operated by foreigners with the support of unpatriotic Nigerians.
Shalangwu added that during its investigation, the Customs team discovered over 20 warehouses fully loaded with printed textile materials ready for transportation to various markets in the country.
The CGS, in a state of the matter report, said:
"We have seized the printed illegal materials and sealed over 20 warehouses whose value worth N20 billion.
We are doing this in our effort to make Nigeria free of all illegal businesses, imports and actions capable of totally crippling the country."
http://pulse.ng/gist/importing-crim...-contraband-goods-into-nigeria-id3736850.html
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has announce the arrest of three Chinese business men identified as Gao Gnuxu, Li Yang and Zhon Showmin, for allegedly smuggling contraband and illegal textile materials worth over N20 billion into the country.
The service has also sealed over 20 warehouses belonging to the Chinese in Kano and Lagos States respectively, in an operation co-ordinated by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Muhammad Diko Inde.
According to the service, the operation was undertaken under the directives of the CGC who had been monitoring movements of the smugglers who were mainly Chinese and at a stage, the operatives of the Customs conducted undercover operation to locate and discover the actual number of illegal warehouses in Kano State being operated by foreigners with the support of unpatriotic Nigerians.
Shalangwu added that during its investigation, the Customs team discovered over 20 warehouses fully loaded with printed textile materials ready for transportation to various markets in the country.
The CGS, in a state of the matter report, said:
"We have seized the printed illegal materials and sealed over 20 warehouses whose value worth N20 billion.
We are doing this in our effort to make Nigeria free of all illegal businesses, imports and actions capable of totally crippling the country."
http://pulse.ng/gist/importing-crim...-contraband-goods-into-nigeria-id3736850.html
Lagos locals fear annual carnival's links to Brazilian past are being lost
Streets of Nigeria’s commercial hub to fill on Saturday for annual party – the legacy of slave descendants who returned to their ancestral homeland
A reveller at the Lagos carnival in 2010. Photograph: Akintunde Akinleye /Reuters
Monica Mark in Lagos
Friday 8 May 201508.50 EDTLast modified on Friday 8 May 201519.00 EDT
Before he died earlier this year, 86-year-old great-grandfather Mr Ibaru decided he had finally had enough of Lagos’ annual carnival. “It’s become boring,” grumbled the fine-boned man with a halo of white hair, tapping his cane impatiently. “When our forefathers used to do it – that was real dancing! And we had better costumes before.”
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A group take part in the Lagos carnival. Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUM/Rex
When Ibaru began sewing outfits for the parades seven decades ago, the festival was closer to its origins in 19th-century rural Brazil. The annual street party arrived in Lagos via freed slaves’ descendants who returned to their ancestral homeland, including Ibaru’s own grandmother. “On the streets everyone here spoke Portuguese and ate Brazilian food,” he recalled, sitting beneath a bronze plaque of an ox’s head – the symbol of the folk festival which was transplanted to Nigeria.
On Saturday the streets of Nigeria’s commercial capital will fill for the annual Lagos carnival, the biggest and brightest in west Africa. Carnivals across the region are just one way in which tens of thousands of Brazilian – and to a lesser extent Cuban – repatriates left their mark on a crescent of nationsstretching from Sierra Leone to Nigeria. But in Lagos, some in the community fear fragile links to the past are in danger of being lost.
Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery, but had a thriving class of artisans, a jumble of those had worked their way to freedom, were of various mixed races, or were born free. Many began arriving to seek their fortunes in Nigeria at the turn of the 19th century; by 1880, almost a decade before Brazil abolished slavery, their numbers had swelled to almost one in 10 of Lagos’ approximately 40,000 inhabitants.
Outside Ibaru’s peeling yellow veranda in Lagos’ Campos district, a visitor might be forgiven for thinking they had stepped onto the streets of colonial-era Brazil: pastel-coloured houses in the distinctive Afro-Brazilian style dot the neighbourhood like bright sweets dropped amid the concrete and skyscrapers.
Mr Ibaru, pictured in Lagos before he died earlier this year, bemoaned the fact that young people were losing touch with their history. Photograph: Monica Mark for the Guardian
“Salvador, Peiro, Cruz, Veracruz, Ferreira, dos Santos,” said resident Graciano Martins, 65, rattling off the typically Brazilian surnames of his neighbours in the district also known as “popo aguda” – roughly translated as “the Brazilian quarters”.
“My parents used to talk about the food – they missed the food. Today we think of tomato, chilli and cassava as our own homegrown food, but it was [the returnees] that brought them here.” Unofficial national dishes such as eba – cassava mashed to a dough-like consistency – were adapted from the Americas, much like the English did with tea grown in India.
Those who returned came with skills and knowledge that helped make colonialLagos a buzzing melting pot and trade hub: the city was the second in the world to have street lamps, after London; a returnee who introduced piped water became one of the region’s richest men – the grand two-storey home where he lived known as Water House still stands among skyscrapers downtown; and novel ideas like Catholicism were introduced.
“There was a lot of prestige in coming back. They had money, but they would always be third- or even fourth-class citizens if they remained in Brazil,” said Sesu Tilley-Gyado, director of African Heritage Group, a foundation which last year exhibited rare photographs of Brazilian and Cuban returnees. They included an 1896 Time magazine cover showing “the league of Creole gentlemen” bedecked in Victorian-era finery.
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Drummers of the Brazilian Campos Carretta Carnival Association entertain crowds in Lagos. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images
“They wanted to help build a new world, a new Lagos. Because they were coming with money and exposure to Europeans, but also, with African heritage, they were accepted by both sides. It’s similar to what’s going on now, with many from the diaspora coming back to try to contribute to the development of the motherland,” added Tilley-Gyado, whose great-great-uncle, Oshodi Tapa, made several trips to Cuba and Brazil at the behest of the indigenous royal family, beginning in the 1830s, to encourage skilled freedmen to repatriate.
But historical links are at risk of being erased. Preservation often falls to the wayside in a frantic megacity of 21m where 4,000 newcomers pour in every day, while some have changed their Lusophone names for fear of being labelled as descendants of slaves.
“They left us a beautiful heritage and we should be proud of it,” said Olusegun Faustinho Daniel, who heads the 50-odd members of a recently-formed union, the Nigerian Descendants of Brazilians, which wants the rundown Campos area to have protected status.
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Traditional dance groups march in the carnival in Lagos last year. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
“This entire area where they stationed the returnees was all swamp before,” he said, indicating the nearby lagoon after which the Portuguese christened the city. “But they were industrious. They said, ‘We can deal with this small thing.’ If they could do that, then we can protect what they left for us,” he continued, pointing out a nearby towering church built in their distinctive style.
Still, much of the job remains in the hands of a diminishing community of elders. One afternoon shortly before he died, Ibaru called in his 33-year-old niece. He first recounted a story of how he had once met a Brazilian tourist wandering the neighbourhood, then he asked his niece to recite the family lineage going back to Brazil. She fumbled through the list under his increasingly unimpressed gaze.
“Young people don’t have any sense of history,” he sighed, rolling his eyes when she eventually stuttered to a halt.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...val-forgotten-links-to-brazilian-past-nigeria
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Nigeria: Dubai Banks Order Closure of Nigerians' Accounts
By Phillip Oladunjoye and Bamidele Ogunwusi
Lagos — A diplomatic row seems imminent between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria, following a directive by the country's central bank prohibiting Nigerians who do not work there from operating accounts in any branch of their local or foreign banks.
Nigerian journalist, Fidelis Mbah, disclosed this on Thursday May 7, 2015 with a series of tweets on his twitter handle, even as observers believe the move is partly to check money laundering activities of Nigerian politicians, a situation they say, has become common.
According to Mbah, those affected by the new policy include Nigerian politicians, students and business operators in the UAE.
Already, he continued, UAE banks have sent out notices to some of those affected, informing them that their accounts in the country's commercial capital have been closed without further explanation.
Continuing, he said "some Nigerian politicians have been hiding under the pretext of paying children school fees to smuggle millions of dollars into the UAE."
To signpost the seriousness attached to the directive, all such Nigerians whose accounts were closed following the policy, have been issued cheques equivalent to the amount they have in their accounts.
Also, all account holders reportedly have five working days to cash their monies or forfeit them.
Reacting, Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, told Daily Independent on telephone, Thursday night, that the decision is commendable, as must have resulted from a realisation by the UAE monetary authorities that so much slush funds laundered globally flow through Dubai, a major financial hub. This, he noted, is why there is the possibility that corrupt people would want to take money from their countries and put it there before now.
He said the decision would bring sanity to the movement of funds globally, noting that the way to curb corruption is to holistically check the movement of money.
He also noted that unlike in the U.S and in Europe where it has become difficult to move money around, all attention has been on taking such funds to Dubai. But since it is becoming difficult to take the money to there now, "we should now see how they will launder it locally.
"The tighter it is for them the better for all of us," Yusuf enthused.
Kehinde Phillip, a chartered accountant, also welcomes the development, as "it will be to the advantage of our country. Stacking money in another country will add pressure to the U.S Dollar.
"With the new measure, Nigeria will be able to conserve more foreign exchange to the benefit of its citizens," he said.
For Anor Anyanwu, former Executive Director of Mainstreet Bank, the action would affect "those who are not clean and I believed that before such a decision should be taken, the authorities in Dubai would have done their due diligence and 'Know-Your-Customer (KYC). Those whose money are clean should not fear, but those involved in illegitimate activities" are the targets.
When asked what the government of Nigerians should do as a follow up action, Anyanwu said the Federal Government can request from the UAE authorities the list of its citizens involved, "I am sure that those involved may have stolen the money from government. Though, it may take a long time to do this, considering the laws in Dubai, but I am sure the country can benefit from it too."
He, however, stated that some banks in the country also routinely conduct such KYC exercise and take drastic steps too.
Responding, Rasheed Alao, a lecturer of Economics at the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, said the decision is welcome, at a time Nigerians are expecting the incoming government of Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption.
http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/05/dubai-banks-order-closure-nigerians-accounts/
By Phillip Oladunjoye and Bamidele Ogunwusi
Lagos — A diplomatic row seems imminent between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria, following a directive by the country's central bank prohibiting Nigerians who do not work there from operating accounts in any branch of their local or foreign banks.
Nigerian journalist, Fidelis Mbah, disclosed this on Thursday May 7, 2015 with a series of tweets on his twitter handle, even as observers believe the move is partly to check money laundering activities of Nigerian politicians, a situation they say, has become common.
According to Mbah, those affected by the new policy include Nigerian politicians, students and business operators in the UAE.
Already, he continued, UAE banks have sent out notices to some of those affected, informing them that their accounts in the country's commercial capital have been closed without further explanation.
Continuing, he said "some Nigerian politicians have been hiding under the pretext of paying children school fees to smuggle millions of dollars into the UAE."
To signpost the seriousness attached to the directive, all such Nigerians whose accounts were closed following the policy, have been issued cheques equivalent to the amount they have in their accounts.
Also, all account holders reportedly have five working days to cash their monies or forfeit them.
Reacting, Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, told Daily Independent on telephone, Thursday night, that the decision is commendable, as must have resulted from a realisation by the UAE monetary authorities that so much slush funds laundered globally flow through Dubai, a major financial hub. This, he noted, is why there is the possibility that corrupt people would want to take money from their countries and put it there before now.
He said the decision would bring sanity to the movement of funds globally, noting that the way to curb corruption is to holistically check the movement of money.
He also noted that unlike in the U.S and in Europe where it has become difficult to move money around, all attention has been on taking such funds to Dubai. But since it is becoming difficult to take the money to there now, "we should now see how they will launder it locally.
"The tighter it is for them the better for all of us," Yusuf enthused.
Kehinde Phillip, a chartered accountant, also welcomes the development, as "it will be to the advantage of our country. Stacking money in another country will add pressure to the U.S Dollar.
"With the new measure, Nigeria will be able to conserve more foreign exchange to the benefit of its citizens," he said.
For Anor Anyanwu, former Executive Director of Mainstreet Bank, the action would affect "those who are not clean and I believed that before such a decision should be taken, the authorities in Dubai would have done their due diligence and 'Know-Your-Customer (KYC). Those whose money are clean should not fear, but those involved in illegitimate activities" are the targets.
When asked what the government of Nigerians should do as a follow up action, Anyanwu said the Federal Government can request from the UAE authorities the list of its citizens involved, "I am sure that those involved may have stolen the money from government. Though, it may take a long time to do this, considering the laws in Dubai, but I am sure the country can benefit from it too."
He, however, stated that some banks in the country also routinely conduct such KYC exercise and take drastic steps too.
Responding, Rasheed Alao, a lecturer of Economics at the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, said the decision is welcome, at a time Nigerians are expecting the incoming government of Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption.
http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/05/dubai-banks-order-closure-nigerians-accounts/
No stupid nikka, there are different Berber tribes. All with different levels of African and European admixture.
Those pictures you posted are Tuareg people. Moroccans are much more mixed than Tuareg people re: French Montana
The admix that you are speaking of, most notably the color of most (not all) of the Morocco and Mauretania people of today is mostly from all of the European white women that were held in the harems of the men of those countries. However, the Moors were Black.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/14/burundi-coup-fighting_n_7282246.html
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) -- Gunfire and explosions rang out in Burundi's capital on Thursday as military forces backing an attempted coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza battled it out with forces loyal to the elected leader.
An army general had announced on Wednesday that Nkurunziza was being ousted. The president was in Tanzania at the time for a meeting with regional leaders about a political crisis that has gripped this African nation. His exact whereabouts on Thursday were unknown but in a Twitter post issued by his office on Thursday, Nkurunziza urged the country to remain calm and said the situation is under control
Gunshots and explosions could be heard in central Bujumbura as loyalist troops guarding the national broadcaster, known by its initials as RTNB, exchanged fire with forces believed to be loyal to Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare, the senior army officer leading the coup attempt.
The building housing RNB and its surroundings was under attack for about 25 minutes, presidential communication adviser Willy Nyamitwe said on Twitter. State radio was broadcasting music after going briefly off air amid the fighting.
People celebrate in the streets of Bujumbura on May 13, 2015.
The military is divided between Nkurunziza loyalists and those who back Niyombare, who had been fired in February as the country's intelligence chief. The army chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Prime Niyongabo, said on state radio late Wednesday that he is "against Maj. Gen. Niyombare."
A grenade attack Wednesday night seriously damaged the building of private broadcaster Renaissance TV, where Niyombare made his coup statement, said the station's director, Innocent Muhozi. One of Muhozi's offices was also burned overnight, he said.
Smoke rises from several buildings near the port in Bujumbura on May 14, 2015.
Police withdrew from the streets of Bujumbura after Niyombare's coup statement, and people thronged Bujumbura's streets and applauded soldiers who rode by in tanks and trucks.
At least 15 people have been killed during protests since April 26 over Nkurunziza's bid for a third term. During the unrest, the military acted as a buffer between police and protesters who said Nkurunziza's candidacy violated the Constitution and Arusha peace accords that ended a civil war here.
The president of Tanzania, Jikaya Kiwkete, who chaired the summit on Burundi's crisis, said the regional leaders condemned the coup and called for return to constitutional order.
Burundian police and soldiers run after protestors throwing stones during a protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza on May 13, 2015 in Bujumbura.
The Constitution states a president can be popularly elected to two five-year terms. Nkurunziza maintains he can run for a third term because parliament elected him for his first one, leaving him open to be popularly elected to two terms.
The U.S. government on Wednesday called on all sides in Burundi to end the violence and expressed full support for the ongoing work by regional leaders.
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) -- Gunfire and explosions rang out in Burundi's capital on Thursday as military forces backing an attempted coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza battled it out with forces loyal to the elected leader.
An army general had announced on Wednesday that Nkurunziza was being ousted. The president was in Tanzania at the time for a meeting with regional leaders about a political crisis that has gripped this African nation. His exact whereabouts on Thursday were unknown but in a Twitter post issued by his office on Thursday, Nkurunziza urged the country to remain calm and said the situation is under control
Gunshots and explosions could be heard in central Bujumbura as loyalist troops guarding the national broadcaster, known by its initials as RTNB, exchanged fire with forces believed to be loyal to Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare, the senior army officer leading the coup attempt.
The building housing RNB and its surroundings was under attack for about 25 minutes, presidential communication adviser Willy Nyamitwe said on Twitter. State radio was broadcasting music after going briefly off air amid the fighting.
People celebrate in the streets of Bujumbura on May 13, 2015.
The military is divided between Nkurunziza loyalists and those who back Niyombare, who had been fired in February as the country's intelligence chief. The army chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Prime Niyongabo, said on state radio late Wednesday that he is "against Maj. Gen. Niyombare."
A grenade attack Wednesday night seriously damaged the building of private broadcaster Renaissance TV, where Niyombare made his coup statement, said the station's director, Innocent Muhozi. One of Muhozi's offices was also burned overnight, he said.
Smoke rises from several buildings near the port in Bujumbura on May 14, 2015.
Police withdrew from the streets of Bujumbura after Niyombare's coup statement, and people thronged Bujumbura's streets and applauded soldiers who rode by in tanks and trucks.
At least 15 people have been killed during protests since April 26 over Nkurunziza's bid for a third term. During the unrest, the military acted as a buffer between police and protesters who said Nkurunziza's candidacy violated the Constitution and Arusha peace accords that ended a civil war here.
The president of Tanzania, Jikaya Kiwkete, who chaired the summit on Burundi's crisis, said the regional leaders condemned the coup and called for return to constitutional order.
Burundian police and soldiers run after protestors throwing stones during a protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza on May 13, 2015 in Bujumbura.
The Constitution states a president can be popularly elected to two five-year terms. Nkurunziza maintains he can run for a third term because parliament elected him for his first one, leaving him open to be popularly elected to two terms.
The U.S. government on Wednesday called on all sides in Burundi to end the violence and expressed full support for the ongoing work by regional leaders.
Because foreigners have the ability to start and stop instability in any arican nation they choose.
Have you seen some of the african vs aa or caribbean vs aa threads on here
