On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took office as President of Liberia, making her the first and only ever elected female head of state in Africa. In 2011, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with two other women.
(via ordinaryafrica)
The World Mourns the Passing of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai
NAIROBI, Kenya — Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees and who went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here on Sunday. She was 71.
The cause was cancer, said her organization, the Green Belt Movement. Kenyan news outlets said that she had been treated for ovarian cancer in the past year and that she had been in a hospital for at least a week before she died.
“It is with great sadness that the Green Belt Movement announces the passing of its founder and chair, Prof Wangari Muta Maathai, after a long illness bravely borne,” the organisation said in a statement on its website.
“Prof Maathai passed away on the 26th of September 2011 in Nairobi. Her family and loved ones were with her at the time,” the statement, signed by the movement’s Executive Director Karanja Njoroge, added.
Dr. Maathai, one of the most widely respected women on the continent, played many roles — environmentalist, feminist, politician, professor, rabble-rouser, human rights advocate and head of the Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977. Its mission was to plant trees across Kenya to fight erosion and to create firewood for fuel and jobs for women.
Dr. Maathai was as comfortable in the gritty streets of Nairobi’s slums or the muddy hillsides of central Kenya as she was hobnobbing with heads of state. She won the Peace Prize in 2004 for what the Nobel committee called “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” It was a moment of immense pride in Kenya and across Africa.
Her Green Belt Movement has planted more than 30 million trees in Africa and has helped nearly 900,000 women, according to the United Nations, while inspiring similar efforts in other African countries.
Elite Model Look Nigeria 2011 Finalists
Elite Model Look is the most renowned international modeling contest in the world. It is unique in providing the opportunity for young girls to enter the fashion world, become models and begin fabulous careers. The Elite Model Look contest is a prestigious event open to beginners with a professional aim: looking for and discovering the young hopefuls who will become the top models of the future.
Since 1983, Elite Model Look competition has discovered future industry luminaries. Super models such as Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Tatjana Patitz, Claudia Schiffer, Karen Mulder, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Denisa Dvorakova and Gisele Bundchen were all discovered through Elite.
For the 4th consecutive year, the Elite team toured Nigeria to offer a unique springboard to the girls that dream of becoming models. The 2011 Elite Model Look Tour Nigeria, composed of 5 castings, in different Nigerian cities. The Elite casting team selected 50 girls from Lagos, Abuja. Port Harcourt, Enugu and Benin to participate in the national finals and 14 girls were selected to compete at the semi finals.
The 14 finalists for the 2011 edition of Elite Model Look Nigeria are:
- Oiza Olayebi
- Rita Ojo
- Ubi Mavefe
- Sharon Egwurube
- Funmilayo Adeoye
- Saratu Iliyasu
- Chinwe Princess Ejere
- Udoma Owia
- Rebecca Areola
- Ruky Imalele
- Ruth Okereafor
- Oluwaseun Adebayo
- Chidera Loveth Okoro
- Dorathy Chizoba Alieze
The finalists will meet in Lagos on the 28th of August 2011 for 7 days of intensive preparation. They will showcase their talent during the Final Show that will be held on September 3rd 2011 at the Civic Center Lagos Nigeria.
This is in response to some disturbing posts I’ve read from black women on the web who proudly say they refuse to call the police on “their” black men in their neighborhoods when crimes are committed against them or their neighbors.
There is NO black cavalry coming to save you.
The white dominated police is the last line of defense for AA women and children. When you refuse to call them, you give the black criminals around a free pass to do as they please. Contrary to what black male criminals tell you, involving the police is not betrayal.
I don’t know about you, but I am grateful for the police, especially hearing the stories of women in children who do not have that kind of protection in majority-black nations. I didn’t say there isn’t corruption within the organization or that there are not cops racist against the black collective, because there is. But let’s not act dumb. The OVERWHELMING majority of these cases of harassment and searching involves black men and not black women. The main reasons you see an increase in black women going to prison are because they are trying to coddle/protect their deadbeat relatives/boyfriends and will go as far as to go behind bars for them. It has to be said.
Why would you not utilize a resource that too many black women and children around the world don’t have access to? Some cops are racist. So are some employers. So are some colleges/universities. So are the people who work at your grocery store and shopping center. Are you going to forfeit your education and stop working because of racism? Have you stopped getting new clothes? Are you growing your food in your backyard now? *blank stare*
How is it you have no problem going about your day in the other cases, but when it comes to your safety, YOUR LIFE, you do…nothing? If the key to your safety, your survival, is dependent on white law enforcement, how can you afford to be anti-police?
Using your hair as the sole reason whether or not you date interracially makes you look like a FOOL. Not only is it annoying for those of who have to listen to you, but it is embarrassing for the few black women who are not hung up about their hair.
You’ve basically reduced yourself to stuff growing out of your head. Forget about your good looks, intelligence, sense of humor and hourglass figure. All that matters is that non-black men don’t understand that braiding your hair takes hours or that your hair can stand up by itself w/o hairspray. Yeah, that doesn’t sound ridiculous at all.
Dad:*opens wallet* “How much is this going to cost?”
-later that day-
Me: “What do you think?”
Dad:”uhh….looks nice daughter(Nigerian accent “daw-tah”)….is it 6pm yet? I think Jim Lehrer is on PBS.”
Me: *rolls eyes and leaves the room*
White men, Asian men, Hispanic men, etc, do not know anything about your hair and NEITHER do black men or African men. I don’t think my dad has asked me in my 20+ years on this earth about the process of my hair. As long as I looked presentable and he wasn’t spending too much money, he nor my brothers gave it a second thought.
If you do not want to date interracially, fine. Don’t resort to making up excuses that serve to further “other” black women and make us seem more complicated than we are. Your hair and the trials and tribulations you have with it should not not effect who you date…unless your limiting yourself to the black collective. I can give you a list of the extensive things my Caucasian and Asian girlfriends do to make themselves look nice, including their time-consuming hair routines. I repeat, we are not anymore complicated than other groups of women on this planet.
This is EXACTLY why it’s important for black women to see men as INDIVIDUALS and vet them. How I know you aren’t doing that?
Take a non-issue like hair. Many of you automatically think that men who look like you are going to “understand your hair woes” or you won’t have to explain anything to them. You assume because you share a skin-shade or history with someone that it automatically means they “get you”. LIES. This hair nonsense is just one item on a VERY LONG list that black women use to limit themselves from potential partners.
We aren’t children anymore. No one is forcing you to go along with the status quo. Black women who want to live well need to start analyzing that kind of bizarre behavior and understand how it weakens our collective image. Stop projecting your (hair) issues on someone else. Black women who want to be free are going to have to disconnect themselves from that kind of madness.
When you start to recognize the ideologies that are not conducive to your success and wellbeing, you can start to seek out and create positive and nurturing environments for yourself.
Live Well!
A new generation of black college graduates are branching out into the world of international living. Here are a few of their stories.
Would any of you be interested if I posted interviews I did of (black) women who are studying abroad, working abroad, or just traveling the world? You could even send me questions you have.
I’l have a bit more free time after finals are done so…LET ME KNOW if you’re interested!!
And if there are other topics you want me to talk about or topics that aren’t covered on other bw-focused blogs, leave me a message in the ASK BOX, s’il vous plait. :)
AND WELCOME TO ALL THE NEW SUBBIES!!
Live Well!
P.S. If you would like to be interviewed about your experiences abroad (I would plug your blog/site if you have one), leave me a message in the ASK BOX as well!!
“Black men have been charting their own paths towards self aggransidenment while black male identified women try to convince other black women that ‘we’ black men and woman, are really on the same path and we only need to be patient and understanding.
If pan africanist women want to be taken seriously they might do well to splinter off from anything to do with black pan africanist men, because then they will make more sense than what is being made at this point with Pan africanism trying to merge love of all things white and light with talk of black uplift. Even a half wit can see something totally odd with that.
Those pan africanist women who think we black women who use our brains and God given judgement are fools and lost and in white supremacist grip, well I throw this one wider and say….. Whose the fool here, Judge for yourselves!”
Read the entire post at DateAWhiteGuy.
(LOVE the comments in this post. Some bw are starting to wake up :)
Salut! Ça va??! :)
Here are some general sites to get you started that pretty much cover everything travel-related:
Transitions Abroad
Matador Network
Matador Travel
Lonely Planet (Check out their forums!)
Expat Women
Oh and I can’t forget about zeh travel podcasts! I love listening to these podcasts and all of them can be found on iTunes:
Rick Steves (Check out his YouTube channel!)
Katia and Kyliemac (I think they are pretty funny)
Amateur Traveler
Indie Travel Podcast
These are great FREE resources to take advantage of!
Live Well!
Oluchi Onweagba
(Source: theyellowgirl)
The best thing black women and girls can do to uplift their image is to become their best selves.
It's not necessary to publicly proclaim anything other than the fact that you are living well. ♥
BWLW on wordpress<3
