My Pledge

I have made a pledge to myself and to others to get involved. HIV/AIDS is a huge issue and it is a very personal one to me.  I have chosen to start my involvement with the organization Africa Aid.

This is a wonderful organization that breaks  down the issues in Africa into 4 different programs: Health, Education, Water and Economic.  

What I like so much about this organization is that they are not just doing one thing.  They have expanded out to cover much of what is going on.  To me it was smart that they focus on a broad spectrum but in a very detailed manner.  Many of the issues within Africa are all linked together, so breaking them down is an easy way to tackle everything in Africa as a whole. 

One major thing that I have done in order to start my personal involvement.  Is to sign the pledge with Africa Aid.  The pledge states: 

We believe that a planet rich in resources and technology has a responsibility to all of those who inhabit it. 

We recognize that despite the generous commitments made by our leaders, that the true generosity of the global community can only be measured by the grassroots effort of the people.

We acknowledge that the solution to endemic poverty must come by respecting the power of the individual and investing in the local communities that support them.

We commit ourselves to the empowerment of the world's least fortunate and honor their fundamental right to survival. 

We pledge our support to Africa Aid and the global campaign to end endemic poverty- one community at a time. 

If you have said before that you wanna get involved... NOW is the time.  Make a pledge to yourself and to others to start today!  You can go to Africa Aid : The Pledge sign the pledge and join me in the work on helping Africa!! 

Child Soldiers...

The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers), or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in propaganda.

Throughout history and in many cultures, children have been extensively involved in military campaigns even when such practices were supposedly against cultural morals. Since the 1970s a number of international conventions have come into effect that try to limit the participation of children in armed conflicts, nevertheless the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reports that the use of children in military forces, and the active participation of children in armed conflicts is widespread.

It was very surprising to learn that child soldiers were not only in many parts of Africa but all over the world. Though I would still like to learn who first came up with the idea. As sad as it is to see people do things like this to children, I do have to admit that whoever came up with the idea was quite creative. I would never think to use children, given as influential they are, in my army, given how harsh and destructive it is to the children.

As I was doing my research on child soldiers I came across another blog all about the Human Trafficking Project. After reading the post, there was one part that truly stood out to me:

"A child enters the world with no paradigms, no preconceived notions, no
stereotypes or limitations on what they can or cannot do. They are blank
canvasses upon which we adults paint the rules and ways of the world as we
understand them, as our community, society, nation and world dictates. As a child
solider, their mind is twisted, brainwashed and pigeon-holed into a reality
based on violence and killing. The child soldier is the saddest of trafficking
victims."

I honestly feel as though it could nothave been said better. This particular blog summed it up. They explain the concept of child soldiers in the simplest and easy to understand way.

The main concern I have for the child soldiers is how they will live after everything is over with. These poor children are only used for a few years and then they are discareded like trash. At that point in their lives they have seen and done ore then any other child their age. They have been torn apart mentally and probably physically. The mental issues that they have now are more then many people would know how to handle. There are many people out there that are trying their best to work with what child soldiers that have been tossed aside. But it is surely a task that is going to go on for the rest of their lives.

Johnny Mad Dog

The author of Johnny Mad Dog, Emmanuel Dongala, did a great job showing the real inside story behind the child soldiers. As I had already been learning from other books that I have had the opportunity to read this semester, the issues behind the child soldiers were very deep. Yet the author I believe showed the honest down to the gritty truth behind it all. He showed you how things were and did not try to sugar coat it, which I think was very important. Things of that nature need to be out in the open, people need to know what is going on and they need to know the truth.

It was very interesting to me how Dongala showed both sides of the story. He used character in a great way. He was able to clearly portray the mental logic behind the children that were sucked into that way of life. As well as the other families and children that were affected by the child soldiers. Previously to reading this particular novel, I looked at the issues regarding the child soldiers one sided. I couldn't get past the things that these children were doing and how it affected the people around them. Though now, after reading this novel, I have had a reaslistic look into the minds of these children. I was really able to see what they are thinking about.

This book shows just how courrupt their minds have become. I have learned that this is way more serious then I ever would have thought. The character Johnny Mad Dog is a very unique character. Reading about the things that he did and the things that went through his head were very disturbing.

"The others laughed some more. I was boiling with rage. I though
of liling Giap, and I imaghined my hand reaching steathily for my AK-47.
But my quick mind realized that he's already attached his bullet-shield fetish
to his biceps. This fetish, at its weakest, could transform bullets into
clumps of wet dirt, and at maximum power could make the slugs ricochet off his
body and whiz back to strike whoever had fired them."

Things like this shows that Johnny Mad Dog was not a normal sixteen year old. He not only had violence flowing through his blood. But he also had false ideas flowing through his head about the powers that those above him had. They were not just above him in rank, but to him had some special powers makind them of another higher being. Which just shows that the young boys were not only angered, but they also were brain washed in more way then I would have ever thought.

Oil Polution in Africa

Oil spills are the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. This type of pollution is a major concern for the countries on the coast of Africa.

According to UNEP Regional Seas: Oil is a major pollution threat to coastal ecosystems, owing to the heavy use of the tanker route along the East African coast. On any given day there are hundreds of tankers in the region, many of them Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). With more and more people using motorized vessels rather than human or sail power for fishing and pleasure craft is increasing pressure on the environment. The high level of traffic back and forth from Africa also can expose the marine and coastal environment to oil pollution through the discharge of ballast water and oil leaks from the different water vehicles.

Not only are there issues with the cargo carriers just traveling back and forth, for shipping purposes. There is an area that stretches from Lambert's bay on the Cape West Coast all the way to East London in the Eastern Cape, that has been designated as a "Special Area". This area for years have allowed oil tankers and other large ships to clean out their cargo or to dump oily waste. Doing this, we have figured out is adding to the oil pollution and the destruction of our marine environment.

Thankfully the United Nations is trying to do what they can to help protect the coastline of Africa, especially South Africa. As of the 1st of August 2008, it will be come and offence for oil takers to drop anything in the "Special Area". Tankers engaged in trading with South Africa will be required to retain waste on board for discharge into adequate waste facilities in the Port.

The Bleeding of the Stone

This is a very unique book to me. For my African Literature class I never thought that I would be reading a book that was written with a Muslim background. I sadly never thought that there were any Muslims in Africa. But that shows you just how much we use stereotypes. Now that I have read the book I am happy to say that I learned something new.

The Bleeding of the Stone is a simple tale by one of Libya's foremost novelists has the power and qualities of a myth, blending elements of magical realism, mysticism and politics. The book uses what we could call magical realism. On the other hand, when it comes to the historical and spiritual aspects behind the book, other people may not see anything magical about it. Some people may see all of the things that the author Ibrahim al-Koni, writes about as reality, not magical.

The Author writes about a Bedouin Muslim herdsman who lives alone in the rugged mountain desert of southern Libya. Asouf, the main character lives a life which many American’s would call a life of isolation. He lives his life like this because his father taught him the need for patience and the necessity of avoiding other humans because of their evil. Through out the book Asouf, deals with many interesting characters.

One of the main characters being the THE WADDAN OR MOUFFLON is a wild mountain sheep with large curling horns that survives in the remote desert of southern Libya but is extinct in Europe. It is the oldest animal in the Sahara and has been associated in local myth with pagan gods and sacred rituals. This character plays such a huge role in the novel. Though it is only an animal, the majority of the story is based around this animal and its relationship with the main character.

Asouf struggles through out the novel with different issues of his own based off of his beliefs and morals. I like him because even though his beliefs are very different then mine he is still human. He struggles with things the good and bad in his life and anyone reading this book in some way should be able to relate to him.

Waiting for an Angel

This is a book that I really enjoyed reading. Helon Habila did a great job writing this book. He took something so important as the political issues in Nigeria, and turned it into a story that was worth reading. Habila made the issues in Nigeria understandable and inviting.

I have learned that Waiting for an Angel (2002), was originally written as a series of short stories (the first of which, published as ‘Prison Stories’, won him the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing). While Habila has said that constructing the book in this way allowed him a sense of achievement as he completed each section, the fracturing of viewpoints and chronology also creates an effective jarring which mirrors the story’s tense and unsettling atmosphere.

Waiting on an Angel, shows us the effects of a dictatorial government on the ordinary people that populate nigeria. Though life is difficult and opportunities almost non-existent, the young people still have hopes and dreams. The story is based around the lives of the main character Lomba and his close friends. Through their lives, especially Lomba, Habila educates the reader on all of the issues that were going on in Nigeria. The author shows the issues in a light that makes the reader feel what is going on.

My favorite part in Waiting on an Angel, was honestly the second chapter. In the second chapter, Lomba and his friends go to see a physic. And one of Lomba's friends wants to know when he is going to die, because he wants to be ready for it. He then learns that he is going to die sooner then expected. But that he is also going to know. He will see the angel of death right when it is time. The way that Habila writes this chapter is moving. It just had a really emotional tie to it.

I personally could not imagine knowing when I am going to die. Many people say that they want to know to be ready, just like Lomba's friend, but I think that would scare me. Most people say the only thing that they really fear is death, and I am surely one of those people. But with that fear comes the idea of living for the moment... living each day as though it was your last....

Oil in Africa

Oil is one of the Earth's natural resources that has become a huge problem in my eyes. Oil is a great resource, but it causes more problems then it may actually be worth. Oil has not only caused problems here in the United States but in other countries as well, especially Africa.

Until recently I never actually knew that Africa had anything to do with oil. It is sad to find out that oil is not only a large issue in Africa, but that is is tearing Africa apart. It honestly seems that anything that creates income for the country, hurts it. The diamond issue that I have talked about in a previous blog is also one of those times when something that could make the country wealthier is only hurting it.

Oil in Africa has more of less become a curse. If a person is to find oil in his or her backyard, in the United States that would be a great thing. They would be rich! But in Africa, it could mean losing your land and your home to the government. I could not imagine losing my home for oil. I could see if I was profiting from it, but many times in Africa, that never happens.

Instead the government takes your home, and your land to make its own profit. And it is heartbreaking to hear that companies such as Shell and Exxon Mobile are taking part in what is going on in Africa. These are companies that are even here in the United States. I go to these gas stations all of the time to purchase gasoline. And I never one have thought of where the oil came from. Now it is actually sad to know the stories behind me being able to drive all over town. When someone people lose their land, jobs and basically their lives for it.

I feel that there are so many issues that I am learning about right now that are going on in Africa. Each thing that I learn about now hit home in such a way. They make me so mad sometimes, but then I have to sit back and wonder what am I doing to help it. Though I am not over in Africa digging for oil, or diamonds for that matter. I am buying them here in America. We as Americans (though we are not the only ones) are not helping any of the issues going on over in Africa. The purchases that we make here, and how we are so depended on oil are feeding the greed over in Africa. As long as people continue to pay for diamonds and oil, the situation in African will continue to grow.

Diamonds are forever...

"Diamonds are forever" it is often said. But lives are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations and death for the sake of conflict diamonds."

- Martin Chungong Ayafor

Diamonds are such a rare treasure in the eyes of many people all around the world. Through ever since the 1867 discovery of diamonds in South Africa, the world not only had a larger supply of diamonds, but also a new way of getting them. The diamond industry not only grew at an extensive rate, it increased more then tenfold in the next 10 years. With a growing Western civilization the idea of wealth behind diamonds, turned the mining of diamonds into something more destructive to the culture of African then one ever imagined.

Across the majority of African, diamonds actually fuel the wars. Diamonds are so important for predatory governments and rebels that war has become a useful cover for hugely profitable smuggling enterprises. But for millions of Africans who happen to get in a way, diamonds are agents of terror. Some people have even given diamonds the name "Conflict" Diamonds". Though there is the common name that everyone knows "Blood Diamond".

Please check out this video: This helps for me to describe the seriousness behind blood diamonds.



When most people hear the term "Blood Diamond" they automatically associate it with the movie Blood Diamond that was put out a few years ago. The movie it self is a great film. Though it is an even better film in the sense that it really shines a light into what is really going on in Africa over diamonds. The movie portrays it better then I could ever honestly talk about.

So please enjoy this movie trailer from Blood Diamond:



The majority of the people around the world know very little or nothing about Blood Diamonds. I know personally I did not know anything about the diamond issue in Africa until I watched this movie. It is a sad but important movie. It not only gives viewers an inside look at what is going on in Africa over these precious diamonds, but also does it in an interesting way. Reading about the truth behind the diamond industry and what is really going on is one thing, but to see visuals many times even more powerful. That is how I look at this movie, it showed everything with such conviction, that it even made me cry.

Lumumba

I got the chance to see the movie Lumumba for my African Literature class. The movie was about Patrice Lumumba, who was an African anti-colonial leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped to win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. The story of his life was one of courage and persistence. The movie showed just how persistence he really was and how much he endured just for his country.

Though was is interesting to me is that he had an interesting position. I was not sure if I wanted to look at him as someone who just worked the system, or someone who was more of a puppet for the Belgium and didn't know it. It could be said that he worked for the Belgium, though in his eyes he probably would have said that he worked with the Belgium, to get things done. I believe in getting things done by any means necessary but I am not sure if I would have wanted to be someones puppet.

He worked for a long time, giving up most of what made him "him" in order to make things better for his people. Which I can say that makes him a great man in my eyes for not giving up. He fought a hard fight. But it is sad to say that he was not fully able to see all of his work pay off.


With his work, the Congo finally saw an independence. But it was nothing compared to the type of "independence" that the Belgium gave them while he was alive. What he saw was a country who declared their independence, only to still be under the control of Belgium in more ways then one. Yet he continued to fight and struggle to hold on to the control, which only worked so well. The Congo turned into complete chaos after their initial declaring of their independence. People were mad! They wanted power to be in the hands of who they felt deserved it. Though at the time, no one person was thought of to be there right person whether they be Belgium or African. Partly this was because of Belgium still being present in Congo.

Then there were also those, who were out only for themselves! There were people that Lumumba trusted that even stabbed him in his back. Primarily one even that was responsible for his death. It is sad that again there is another account in history of someone giving their all for their country and their people. Only to be undercut by one of their own people, even worse someone he considered a friend.

Patrice Lumumba is a man that will forever be remembered as someone who did all they could till his dying day. He surely made his mark in history.

Part of the importance of watching the movie I was able to see the story in a completely different light then if I was to have read about him. That is the great thing about movies. Also, one thing that makes this particular movie so important was that it was a "dubbed" movie. Meaning that the movie, was done in one language, but was dubbed in other languages in order to reach a larger population.

Being able to do that for movies in Africa, were and still are very important because of the vast number of different languages that exist through out Africa. This was a movie that I would consider, at the time to be an important movie that surely needed to be seen in many different parts of Africa. So being that this movie wad dubbed, it had the opportunity to reach a wide range of people.

Ancestor Stones

This book, Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna , is surely a book that I am going to have to keep reading. After starting the book I am realizing that it is hard to keep up with all of the different women in the book. There is the family tree in the front cover, but that is not helping me at all. But I digress, the book is a very poetic reading. For those that love symbolism, this is a great book for you.

The book starts out with a very poetic and touching story about butterflies. The first time that I read it, I really didn't understand the symbolism in it. It was just very sweet to me. Though after talking to some people in my African Literature class, I was able to see that there was way more meaning behind it then I had originally thought. It is actually very moving.

So far this story starts about showing the life of many different generations of women. All of these women who are very different then each other yet all connect one way or another. Many of the characters are strong and beautiful women. They all have very defined personalities that I am looking forward to learning more about. Also, I can not wait to find out the true meaning behind the stones. I know right now that they are based on something to do with religion, but I am curious to find out the rest.

STAY TUNED!!!

XALA

I do have to admit that Xala by Ousmane Sembène, is probably one of my favorite books that I have read so far regarding post-colonization in Africa. After reading the different books regarding pre-colonization and the things that actually happened during colonization. It is refreshing to read another book that is more of a story. I am not one for reading actual history books. And this book tells a very interesting story the depicts how certain thins worked after Europe supposedly left Africa.

It was interesting to read that even after Europe, and France, came and left their influence on all of Africa. That there were still parts of the African ways that managed to survive. That is something that actually surprised me highly. With the strong impact of the Europe culture and way of life, I was pretty sure that Africa would lose the majority of there own cultures. Though this book shows how people tried to hold on to certain parts of their own culture, while still having remnants of the European culture.

In Xala, you see that one major thing that was still prominent is polygamy. The idea of having more than one wife was something that was and actually still is a part the african culture in many different parts of Africa. And this book is one that shows it in a very unique light as compared to some of the other books that I have read. Though I personally do not agree with the whole idea behind polygamy. It is still an interesting thing to learn about.

In Xala, the relationship between the three wives and the husband were very unique. Each wife is so different from another and have very separate lives from one another, which is odd to me. In other books that I have read such as Things Fall Apart, the different wives have their separate home yet they still have a relationship with each other. Another big difference to me, was that in Xala, the first wife's oldest daughter Rama, was against Polygamy. Rama even acted more like how most people her age act now. But I was very surprised that she was against polygamy, given that her family took part in it. But I guess that like most cases in life, children do not always agree with the things that their parents do.

In general, after I started reading this book. It is one that I am going to have to keep in my collection of books. It was nothing like what I expected it to be like. It had its own drama, "xala problems", and sarcasm that I was not expecting. Especially from a book that was given to me to learn something. So if anyone happens to come across this book I do advise to pick it up and give it some of your time. You won't be disappointed!

One thing that is also funny to me is that I have yet to learn about there ever being any female polygamist. Then again I guess this comic explains it well...

Camara Laye

Camara Laye was an Malinké writer who was born in Guinea in 1928 while the country was still under French rule. Being Malinké he was traditionally supposed to work as a blacksmith or a goldsmith. Though he actually grew up with an education that was leading him down the path of becoming an engineer. In 1947 he was awarded a engineering scholarship and left for France. Though while in college he wrote his first novel L'Enfant noir (The African Child, 1954, also published under the title The Dark Child). This novel is an autobiography of his childhood, the differences that he experienced from his childhood to his life in France.

While doing research on Laye I found that the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe considered The Dark Child "too sweet" for his taste. After reading Achebe's thoughts on other books that I have read. I am very curious to know what he means by "too sweet". Also a man by the name of Thomas Lask in the New York Times saw the novel in a different light, he saw that it was a "tender re-creation of African life, mysterious in detail but haunting and desirable in spirit." Even with everyone having very different opinions, The Dark Child still happens to be Laye's most published writing. The novel even won the Prix Charles Veillon award in 1954.

After his first novel he continued to write two other novels that are earliest major works of Francophone African literature. This first being The Radiance of the King in 1954 and the second in 1966 titled Dramouss (A Dream of Africa 1968). It was in 1966 when he was working for the government that he was exiled from Guinea for his political opinions in his third book. After everything that happened with his third book he no longer wrote books based on his political opinions. Though he did write a fourth book in 1978 titled, Le Maître de la parole - Kouma Lafôlô Kouma (The Guardian of the Word 1980). This book received the Prix de l'Académie Française award.

Laye later died in 1980. Leaving behind his wife and seven children.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Walter Rodney wrote a great and insightful article titled How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, book not only showed another side to what happened in Africa, but it did it in a very straight forward manner. Rodney did not try to pull an wool over anyone's eyes, or sugar coat anything. He saw what happened in Africa for exactly what it was, and wrote about it so that others all saw in to the darkness of what Europe called "colonization". Rodney showed what was going on in Africa not only during colonization but also before. This gives any reader more insight to what effect Europe really had on Africa. It shows just how much things changed, as well as what was possible if Africa had not had a Holocaust of its own.

The Europeans (and others) came to Africa on what I call the "greed movement". They saw Africa and all of its resources as something for the taking and it did not matter what they had to do. They came for the ivory, rubber and anything else that they could get their hands on. In my eyes greed was the driving force for colonization. It was not about anyone making anything better or for helping anyone. It was all about what people could get out of it for themselves. I do not honestly believe that any human being could allow themselves to be involved in the violence, the killing, and the torture that was put on the people of Africa unless there was something that they were getting out of it. Something that was truly of some value and great worth. I truly believe that greed is what started it, continued it, and still today is what will still going to finish it.

Another look into the Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a book that many critics say is "among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language." Though I can say that it is nice to finally be able to look at this novel from another point of view. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, looks at Heart of Darkness in a completely different perspective.

He wrote the article "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" which is what I would say to be a very insightful look into the writing style and idea behind Heart of Darkness. When reading the, I had a hard time with Conrad's wording and Archebe speaks on that withing his article. This quote sums it up better than I surely ever could. I truly also felt that Conrad uses decriptive words to the point that is becomes too much and Archebe notes that...

"When a writer while pretending to record scenes, incidents and their impact is in reality engaged in inducing hypnotic stupor in his readers through a bombardment of emotive words and other forms of trickery much more has to be at stake than stylistic felicity."

Archebe makes so many insightful remarks of Heart of Darkness that is hard to not go on and on about them all. But in general I can say that it was truly refreshing to see someone with a very different out look on the novel. But the biggest issue that he speaks of is the racism that Conrad shows withing his novel. I do not know if first time readers even notice anything of that nature but Archebe surely catches it and points it out. Especially with the characters within the novel...

"The kind of liberalism espoused here by Marlow/Conrad touched all the best minds of the age in England, Europe and America. It took different forms in the minds of different people but almost always managed to sidestep the ultimate question of equality between white people and black people. That extraordinary missionary, Albert Schweitzer, who sacrificed brilliant careers in music and theology in Europe for a life of service to Africans in much the same area as Conrad writes about, epitomizes the ambivalence. In a comment which has often been quoted Schweitzer says: "The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother." "

There are quite a few times through out Archebe's article that he speaks of how Conrad explains differences throughout his book. And yes there truly were differences that were needed to be fully distinguished. But I think that it is Conrad's uncanny way of doing it. Then again there have been many times, which most everyone is guarenteed to have done once, where we say something one way and someone takes it the wrong way. Even if that is not how we may have meant for something to be said. After you say it what can you do?

Conrad may have had some rasism issues when writing Heart of Darkness. Many people during his time might have. Then again to give Conrad the benefit of the doubt, no one truly knows what Conrad meant during the majority of his novel other than him.

Heart of Darkness

The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, was one book that I can not say that I particularly liked. I think that for me the book had too strong of a word play for me really to follow what was going on. Conrad does not truly get to the point anywhere throughout the novel. He explains things in so much detail that I am spending more time trying to figure out what exactly he is talking about, and less time truly being able to grasp his story.

Though the book was a hard one for me to read, and not one of my favorites. That does not mean that the novel is not worthy of the credit that is due. Conrad wrote about a great story in history, one that more people need to learn about. There are many through out history who proclaim this to be one of the greatest novels that display the nature of what it was like within the Congo during the time of Kind Leopold. Since I wanted to be fair I found a quote that I would say explains how most see this novel....

"Heart of Darkness has been considered for most of this century not only as a literary classic, but as a powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time. Conrad's narrator encounters at the end of the story a man named Kurtz, dying, insane, and guilty of unspeakable atrocities. More recently, African critics like Chinua Achebe have pointed out that the story can be read as a racist or colonialist parable in which Africans are depicted as innately irrational and violent, and in which Africa itself is reduced to a metaphor for that which white Europeans fear within themselves. The people of Africa and the land they live in remain inscrutably alien, other. The title, they argue, implies that Africa is the "heart of darkness," where whites who "go native" risk releasing the "savage" within themselves. Defenders of Conrad sometimes argue that the narrator does not speak in Conrad's own voice, and that a layer of irony conceals his true views. "

This quote is a great explanation of the Heart of Darkness, though this is one that I feel that I was able to see for myself. If I was someone who had never attempted to read this novel, this particular quote would surely make me want to read the book. It shows that there is so much going on in the novel, and makes it one of those "must reads". I would advise to anyone who reads Heart of Darkness, to read it more than once and even to get one of the copies with the narrative explanations because it is worth the read, if you can understand it.

"History always seems to amaze me... "

After I finished reading King Leopold's Ghost I had to sit back in amazement of the things that occurred within in the horror of this novel. This particular novel was one of those stories that you read and really wished that they were just that, a story. According to the San Fransisco Chronicle Leopold's "heart of darkness" is an absorbing and horrifying account of the traffic in human misery that went on in Leopold's so-called Congo Free State, and of the efforts of a handful of heroic crusaders to bring the atrocities to light. Among other things, it stands as a reminder of how quickly enormities can be forgotten. I do not think that anyone could have said this any better.

The author Adam Hochschild does a great job at displaying tragedies within the book in such a way that it is one that I will honestly never forget them. He wrote the book with what I feel was pure passion which he used to get his point across in a manner that was moving and left readers shocked. Though what really makes the book, is not only the way the author wrote it, but the story itself. The story of what took place in the Congo during this time, is one of its own tales.

King Leopold II took greed for wealth and power to new extremes. He was the prime example of someone who let the idea of wealth and power turn them into what I would consider to be a monster. There are many accounts of people all throughout history who let money and greed control them, though this has to be one of the most horrific accounts ever.

Leopold II was a smart man, because spent the majority of his time in Belgium. He never even saw everything that was going on with his own eyes. He had made orders for such things to happen yet never got to see the horror first hand. I wonder if he would have had to actually stare what was going on in the face, if things still would have been the way that it was? Would he have allowed all of those innocent people go through those things?

Today yet there are still so many things going on within in the Congo, that still trace back to these events and other events that have happened with in the Congo. This video will hopefully add a little more insight in to the tragedies that have taken place and how it has left this country in shambles still today.

Since reading this book, I have what I call an eye opener. I have previously learned about traumatic tragedies that have taken place in other countries, but this surely takes the cake. This truly makes me wonder what other accounts of history am I missing out on? Or how many other situations that I have previously learned about were nothing more than sugar coated.?

All I know is that learning about history always seems to amaze me.

I have spent quite a bit of time trying to increase my knowledge by discovering what exactly was "Red Rubber" and what the correlation was between that and African colonization. After much research I finally found what I was looking for. Back when Kind Leopold II, was in charge of Europe's colonization of Africa there was there were dual campaigns of military pacification and economic explorations. These explorations of Leopold II's revolved around the harvesting of wild rubber.

Rubber is obtained for the tapping of rubber trees. This tapping allows for a milky secretion, which is referred to as latex to be collected. It is from the latex that we are able to create rubber.

Leopold II was a man focused on obtaining wealth no matter what. Him and his colonial representatives used force, coercion and extreme violence in order to obtain this new resource, that at that time was worth a nice amount of money. The United States and Europe heard many stories of Leopold II's actions, which they were very shocked and outraged. The reports lead to Leopold II's rule becoming tarnished by the image of "Red Rubber" - which is rubber stained by the blood of the Africans forced to gather it.

There are many resources that we use today,which most people are completely unaware of their origin. Many of these resources we have now are due to the exploration of the people that were many times forced to harvest them. Most of people are aware of how slaves were used to harvest cotton, yet we have been groomed to not think about it. It was something that was in the past and many choose to leave those thoughts there. Though in other countries even today, there are people that are still going through those same treatments for being ill treated in order to provide a majority with a product. The idea of "Red Rubber" is just another sad part of history where we learn that yet again another thing that we constantly use in our day to day lives has a sad history that many either do not know of or that they choose to not remember.

My First Visit

During my first visit to Village of Umofia, I really got a chance to admire the photographs. Seeing the photos definetely helped to put together more of an idea of the setting of the book Things Fall Apart. Reading the books descriptions of what life was like is not as interesting as the photos within the virtual world. The virtual world brings the book to life so much more, because the reader can not only hear about it, but this way they can actually grasp and idea of what things really looked liked.

One of the pictures that I really admired within the vistual world was this picture of the meeting room. I was amazed at all of the detail that was put into making this room. Giving when the book was said to take place, I would not have imagined that such detail and skill would have exsisted in such high quality. That is almost a sad thing to say. But many times when I have learned about African villages they are more remote villages with just huts. I have never really seen anything this detailed and honestly beautiful!

I also wanted to show a picture of the meeting hall. I find it interesting tthat even then the roof construction was very similar to what we do now. That shows that even after all these years somethings will always remain the same.

Things Fall Apart

Things fall apart, is a novel that keeps you interested. The story revolves around the life of Okonkwo and his trials in life. He has taken his fear and let it turn him into a great man within his clan at an early age, though it has also turned him into what seems to be almost a heartless husband and father. He has shows little emotions through out the story other than anger and disappointment. His actions through out the whole story shocked me repeatedly. I was surprised at the way that he treated his wife and his children. He was very cold hearted and there was not one time in the story where I can remember him expressing any honesty joy. He spent his whole life being more worried about how people saw him then anything else.

The only time where Okonkwo showed any emotion other than anger was when they village decided that Ikemefuna was to be killed. Ikemefuna was a young boy that was sent to live with Okonkwo for three years till the village could decide what to do with him. Sadly even after treating Ikemefuna as a son for those three years, he was till able to take part in his death which was a shock to me. Even though he Okonkwo was told not to. I could not imagine being that young boy, who turned to the man that he saw as a father for help before his death, only for Okonkwo to be the one to kill him.

One very interesting thing about this book to me was the Ibo people, who are from the southeastern part of Nigera. This book shows quite a bit of their culture and customs that I never knew of. One thing that interested me was their use of Yams and palm oil as parts of their main cuisine. They also had a large belief in mythology. They had many gods that they refereed to within the book such as Ani "the earth goddess" or Ifejioku "the god of yams".

The author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Archebe did a great job of writing an informative novel. That not only told a story but gave the reader lots of information and insight into another culture that most people may not know about. It was definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who is open to learning about new cultures.

African Slavery before Arabs and Europeans

What comes to your mind with you think of slavery?

Slavery, or involuntary human servitude was very different than what many people know of. People think of slavery as only being in the United states before the Civil War, but slavery actually existed many decades before that. Many people believe or only know of slavery as involving people from Africa being brought to the New World by Europeans and sold as slaves. To the surprise of many slavery was even in various countries, not only America, but even Africa. Slavery in Africa back then took many different forms that were actually quite different then what existed here in the United States. Slavery in Africa started a long time before Europeans or Arabs thought of taking the African people for a life servitude. It was not until the 7th century that slavery in African involved non-African groups. Before then African slavery involved normally a black owner and black slaves.

Slavery prior to European contact resided in all of Africa, in one form or another. Before the Europeans came, the process of how one became a slave or involuntary servant was very different. There were two different types of slavery, chattle and pawnship. In Chattle slavery means that the slaves were considered property. Pawnship slavery meant that a person was used as collateral for debt. Though some slaves were captivated as part of warfare, they were normally more of a bother than a benefit. Many times those captured from warfare were sold and transported to other villages father away from their homes to help with the ease of escaping. Also, quite often there were slaves that were part of the family or village. They were considered slaves due to their class or social status within their community.

The majority of people who were slaves in Africa did not have to live a lifetime of servitude, they would be slaves for only a few years out of their lifetime and then be free again. Unlike slavery here in the United States slaves in Africa had rights and were treated more like people. Slaves were allowed to marry, some were paid and even own land. Their children were born into freedom and many times adopted by the slave owner as part of the family.

Women in slavery were more common. They would do farming as well as economic things such as trade, and spinning. Women also had the responsibility of doing house hold chores and tending to children. Many of the owners would actually keep the slave women for wives or as a status of wealth. The men were used more for more manual work such as mining and herding.

I think that most people have a hard time learning about slavery because in today's society we see slavery as morally wrong. For many here in the United States, slavery is a hard topic to talk about due to the way the African people were treated. Even though they enslaved themselves way before the Arabs or the Europeans, they treated eachother better in my eyes. The Arabs and the Europeans brought about a new kind of slavery with the transatlantic slave trade. This trade was the start to a whole new meaning of slavery. Slavery that many people today are still mad over and they very well should be.

Now Introducing... ME...

This is my creative way of letting you know a little bit about me...

My name is Lashana Brown and I am currently a student at Western Michigan University. I am majoring on Food Service Administration with a minor in Business. I am focused right now on graduating from college and moving on to culinary school. My career goal is to own my own restaurant. I am very passionate about cooking and how food has a way of bringing people closer together. I would love to one day have a restaurant that is centered fully around affordable family dining with an atmosphere that is very inviting and unique. A place where busy families can still sit down and have a great home cooked meal for a great price.

I graduated from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, MI before attending WMU. I loved my high school and my teachers. Though sadly I was not able to continue playing sports when I started high school due to an roller coaster accident. Yeah that's right! A roller coaster accident. I get a funny reaction every time I mention that. Most people cannot believe it. So instead I started a Principal Advisory committee at my high school. This committee allowed students the opportunity to have their voices heard regarding all of the changes being made throughout our school.

Outside of school I am a very energetic person who loves life. I love to spend time doing things that allow me to grow as a person and still have a life. One important part of my life growing up was being a part of the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders. This organization was a great thing for me because it allowed me to experience things that I never would have dreamed. But the organization as a whole is all about teens and healthy lifestyles. While pledging to be drug and alcohol free, I was able to demonstrate to my peers the benefits and importance of academic achievement, and social change. As an active alumni member today I am still proud of my program and all that is has come to be.

I spend the rest of my free time reading, cooking and spending time with friends. I believe that everyone has to find something that they truly love out of life, something that truly makes them happy! And what makes me happy is to relax and just enjoy my friends and family around me.