Obama warns Africans about terrorist groups

Today I read an article from CNN entitled Obama warns Africans about terrorist groups. Obama stated that the terrorist groups in Africa do not actually value the African people's lives like some of the African people think they do. Obama warns the Africans about these terrorist groups and then goes on to discuss ways in which the United States can help the people in Africa help themselves. He states that we can partner with Africa and find ways for them to work together to make improvements. At the end of the article Obama says that "we want to provide resources, but we want to partner with those who are interested in growing their own capacity over time and not having a long-term dependency on foreign aid."

This article caught my attention because I really liked what Obama said about us helping Africa. We have talked in class about how people can help Africa, but ultimately they need to figure out ways in which they can make improvements themselves. I think that is exactly what Obama was saying in this article and I completely agree with him. I think that it is a wonderful idea for the United States to get Africa going on the right track to make improvements, but we also need to know when to step back and let them try to figure things out so they do not have to be so dependent on the United States, or any foreign help for that matter.

Photo: Flickr

Nigeria: 5 die in new religious violence

The most recent article I read about Africa came from MSNBC News. The article was about a mosque being attacked in Jalingo, Nigeria. After the attack there were at least 5 people dead and the fighting still continues between Christians and Muslims. All of the violence began on Tuesday, July 13th when upset Christians burned the mosque to the ground. Once this happened, people began to fight on the street, leaving at least 15 people wounded. By the time the fighting had come to an end, several mosques and churches had already been destroyed.

I chose to blog about this article because I found it very unfortunate how serious the fighting got, all because the people involved differed on their views about religion. I would have thought that because Africa is so diverse in the languages they speak and because there are different religions, people would be more accepting of others' views.

This article ties in with our class discussions because we have talked about how diverse Africa is, even though people don't realize it. I think that this article proves that the people in Africa do have differences and share different views from each other.

The Biggest Winner of the World Cup: South Africa

The latest article I read for my blog came from The Huffington Post. The article was entitled The Biggest Winner of the World Cup: South Africa. This article talks about how successful the World Cup event was in South Africa and also how they should be given a lot of credit for this success. The article states how difficult it is to maintain safety with such a large event, especially for a place like South Africa which already faces many internal problems without hosting such a large event. Finally, towards the end of the article they discuss how other countries have not had nearly as much of a success in hosting these large events. In the final paragraph, the person who wrote this article, Howard Steven Friedman, says that he hopes "that South Africa will continue to improve its security, its economy, and the quality of life of its people, while reaping the economic benefits of the tourism it has duly earned."

I chose to reflect on this article for a variety of reasons. One reason is because I really liked that this was an article that had something positive to say about Africa and those who live there. I feel like every article I have read about Africa always is discussing something negative. I am so glad that someone took the time to show appreciation for the good job South Africa did in hosting this event.

I also chose to blog about this article because it really ties in with what we are learning about in class. The article talks about how South Africa went through the apartheid only 15 years ago, which is something we just talked about in class this past week. The writer of the article mentions this in order to show just how far Africa has come. The article also mentions that Africa is always associated with HIV/AIDS, something else we are discussing in class. When he mentions HIV/AIDS, he is just using this in order to describe how South Africa had such a great success with the World Cup, even though they have to deal with so many issues within their own country.

Photo: Flickr

Desperate Addicts Inject Others’ Blood

I recently read an article from the New York Times entitled Desperate Addicts Inject Others’ Blood. This article was about people in a few African cities injecting themselves with other addicts' blood after the addicts have taken heroine. This practice is often called flashblood or flushblood and the people do it in order to keep their high or avoid having to go through withdrawal. This is a very dangerous practice and can cause those doing it to get AIDS or hepatitis.The article then continues to discuss the process the people go through in order to get this flashblood and also gives some details about the increase in heroin use.

I chose to blog about this article because I found it to be very shocking. I was amazed at how far people would go just to have access to a drug. I was also very surprised to find that this is becoming more common, even though people know the danger it puts them in.

Another reason I chose to reflect on this article is because I think it really relates to what we are talking about this week in our discussions, HIV and AIDS. By people injecting others' blood into their bodies, it puts them at a much greater risk for contracting the virus.

Nigeria - lead poisoning kills 100 children in north

The article Nigeria - lead poisoning kills 100 children in north came from BBC News and it talks about the fact that many children in Nigeria have recently died of lead poisoning, especially in the state of Zamfara. According to the article, "The number has been rising since March, when residents started digging illegally for gold in areas with high concentrations of lead." The article also reports that of the 355 total number of cases of lead poisoning, 163 have been fatal. Since this has become such a problem, they have set up camps in order to treat the people who have been poisoned. Health officials believe that "locals became sick after lead removed during the process of refining gold ore contaminated local water systems."

I found this article very interesting, but also very sad. Many of the villagers believed that the children were all dying from Malaria and did not realize that it was lead poisoning. I think that if the people knew about the high concentration of lead, they would not be illegally mining for gold. It is unfortunate that they have such an important natural resource that is actually harming the people of Nigeria rather than helping them.

This article ties in with what we have been talking about in class because we have had a few discussions regarding natural resources. We have talked about how other countries take advantage of Africa's resources and Africa never really benefits from having such great resources. We also discussed the water pollution Africa faces and how much of a negative impact this has on the health of the people.

Photo: Map of Nigeria, BBC News.

New strategy may be last shot to get rid of polio

I recently read the article "New strategy may be last shot to get rid of polio" from USA Today about the attempts at getting rid of polio. According to the article, "experts are unveiling what they describe as a new strategy to get rid of the feared disease." For years the World Health Organization has been trying to wipe out the disease once and for all, but have not had the success they would like. The article states that "Polio has virtually disappeared from the West but is entrenched in a handful of countries, namely Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan." Even though the World Health Organization thinks that they may have a cure, there are many people who think that it is impossible and believe that they should not waste their time trying to eliminate polio. Along with those people who doubt that they will be able to eliminate polio, there are many experts who are very optimistic. Many of the experts believe that they are so close to finding a cure and need to try now while they still have the money and donors willing to help.

I chose to reflect on this article because I think that eliminating polio would be a huge step in the right direction for these countries. I think that since the experts are getting so close to eliminating the disease, they should continue to try while they still have the support. Some of the donors commented how crucial it is to find a cure in the next few years in order for the donations to keep coming. In my opinion, if these experts do not at least try their ideas now when they come up with them, they will never find a cure.

The article also talks about the idea that polio is spread by dirty water. This really ties in to what we are talking about in class because we have recently had discussions about water pollution and poor water quality in Africa. Since Africa continues to have an issue with having dirty water and it looks like it will continue to be a problem, it is so important that children receive the vaccine in order to prevent them from getting polio.

Photo: Man with polio in Nigeria, USA Today.

Fighting in Somali capital leaves at least 20 dead

I recently read an article from CNN called Fighting in Somali capital leaves at least 20 dead. This article talks about how the Somali forces have been fighting against al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda proxy in order to implement a more strict Islamic law. According to the article, "The fighting has displaced an estimated 1.4 million Somalis within the country, and more than 580,000 live as refugees in neighboring countries." This means that an already overcrowded country has become even more overcrowded, forcing people to live in unsafe conditions such as on the streets under plastic sheets and in temporary dwellings. These terrible conditions are forcing many of the women and children to beg for food. The article also informs the reader that Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991 and this fighting is not helping the situation.

I chose to discuss this article because for my most recent presentation I did for the class I talked about the country of Somalia and the different languages they speak. In reading about Somalia for my presentation, I found out that they do not live in the best environment and are facing a lot of poverty. After reading this article, I found further information on what the situation in Somalia is like.

It is so heartbreaking to me when I think about the country, already facing a lot of poverty, being confronted with even more of it. The living conditions for many people are horrible and it is so sad to think that so many of these people have to beg for food in order to survive. The article also tells the reader that "About 43 percent of the Somali population lives below the extreme poverty line and one in seven Somali children die before the age of 5." This is not even including the current situation with the fighting so the numbers have undoubtedly increased.

Photo: Somali soldier, CNN.