5 events in Africa in 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup – It is impossible to search “Africa 2010″ without the FIFA World cup popping up. It was hosted in South Africa and took place from June 11 – July 11th. Preparations included the building of 5 new stadiums as well as the upgrading of 5 existing stadiums. Additionally, safety precautions were put in place, such as a no fly zone above all the stadiums where events took place.

Egypt’s Great Hash Crisis – More prevalent in April 2010 than the presidents health or elections was the disappearance of hashish on the local market, which came to be known as the “Great Hash Crisis”. Despite Egypt’s high population of more conservative Muslims, the rate of hashish smokers in Egypt is incredibly high, and this shortage became incredibly notable in the country.

Kenya – On June 13 a bomb went off in Uhuru Park, targetting the “NO” Campaign which was rallying for the next election

Ugandan Landslide – March 1st, in Bududa a landslide was caused by heavy rain, resulting in a death toll of over 100

The Second Rwandan Presidential Election since Civil War occured on August 9, re-electing Paul Kagame. Under his previous presidency, Rwanda has had high infrastructure growth as well as international interest and investment. Despite a few incidences, the election was conducted almost entirely peacefully.

Pan-Africanism: Pros and Cons

Pan-Africanism, refers to the unity of all the countries within Africa to create one united front that will stand together. Although contested in many countries and continents outside of Africa, Pan-Africanism would unite Africas resources and allow for better control of those resources by Africa, as there would be a united government that other countries would not be able to go around in order to take advantage.

Pros to Pan Africanism, are, as listed, the unity of government to as to be able to control their own resources better. Additionally, they will be able to allocate their resources accordingly, ensuring that any area that lacks is compensated. It will create a fairer “playing field” if you will for all the countries to play in, evening out certain disadvantages that may occur in some countries, while in others they may not.

Cons include the international distaste towards the idea of Pan Africanism. Countries that may already have deals with certain countries in Africa may lose those ties in a united Africa. This may cause animosity, and has, in the case of the overthrowing of Nkrumah so as to cease his actions and support towards Pan-Africanism. It also may fog cultural identities under a united Africa, as  it would result in many leaders giving up power, and certain political traditions in a country may be eradicated to make way for that of a united democracy.

Ultimately, it has both Pros and Cons, but as Pan-Africanism has many supporters, there is still a possibility that uniting Africa could still occur. It just takes time, and a catalyst.

Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn vs. Basil Davidson

What I find interesting about the two, is how, despite the lack of video in Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn’s slideshow, that is was merely a slideshow, I found it more interesting and engaging than Basil Davidson’s Different But Equal series.

Perhaps, it has to do with the fact the Dr. Kwaku covered issues and facts that are slightly lesser known, such as the fact that Beethoven was black. It is more  engaging to learn these bits and pieces, than to sit and watch a historical recount.

Both men’s focus is to debunk the common perception that Africa “has no history”  and other stereotypes, but while Davidson does so by focusing more heavily on events and culture, Person-Lynn does so by engaging the viewer with the actual people involved in African History. He gives names to the events, and as such, character. In this, the viewer can understand the purpose of the presentation better. There is actually feeling in the presentation which, despite never seeing Person-Lynn’s face, the viewer picks up immediately. Davidson, on the other hand, was for the most part factual and unfeeling, creating a disengagement between himself and his viewers.

Ultimately, although both are working to the same end, I feel as thought Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn does so more effectively in his slide show than Basil Davidson does through his series of videos.

EAJ TAKE HOME 3

• What is Africa’s highest point?
Mount Kilimanjaro

• The longest river?
The Nile

• The largest river
The Congo

• The largest country in terms of size(territory?)
Algeria

• The only country still under semi-colonial rule?
Morocco

Take Home EAJ 2

What are other characteristics of the continent?
One of the most diverse continents on Earth, genetically. 1 in 8 Africans is Nigerian

How many countries form the AU?
There are 54 countries in the AU. The only country not in the AU is Morocco

When was the OAU formed?
May 25, 1961

Which countries was the last to be admitted to the OAU?
South Africa

When was the AU formed?
July 9, 2002

Africa is bordered by two oceans and a sea.

Which ocean borders Africa to the west?
The South Atlantic Ocean

Which ocean borders Africa to the east?
The Indian Ocean

Which sea borders Africa to the north?
The Mediterranean Sea

Which continent is connected to Africa by a land-bridge?
Asia

What is the virtual line that divides the world into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres called?
The Equator

What is the virtual line that connects the North and South Pole and divides the World into Eastern and Western Hemispheres called?
The Prime Meridian

Which continent(s) occupy space in all four Hemispheres?
Africa sits in all 4 Hemispheres

Based on Africa’s global location (as projected on the map), (a) do you think that Africa has a long history of active contact (trade, migration, exchange of ideas) with other regions of the world? OR (b) do you think that until recently (the past 300 years) Africa has been isolated from other regions of the world? Give as many reasons as you can for your answer.
Africa, as being the origin of the human race is far from having been isolated from the rest of the world until recently. Even before the enslavement of many young Africans, Europe had trade encounters with Africa, in gold and other resources. There has also been migration from Arabia into parts of Africa, where there is an Islamic influence. Not all influences from other continents have been positive, but in no way has Africa been entirely isolated.

Based on the information provided on the map, with which two continents do you think people and societies in Africa had the longest contact? Why? Which regions of Africa do you think had the earliest contact with other regions of the world? Why?
Africa would have had closest contact with Europe and Asia, due to the close distance between the three continents. By looking at a map, it is clear that Europe and Asia have land that is easily crossable to come into contact with Africa. The proximity of Egypt to Asia, suggests that it would be the first region to be contacted by  explorers and traders from Asia, and Morocco, being the closest to Europe, would allow for the easiest route into Africa from Europe, implying that this is where the first contact would occur.

Basil Davidson: Caravans of Gold

In this instalment of Basil Davidson’s Different but Equal series, Davidson looks at Mali, the Ashanti Empire and Niger River, Timbuktu and the Burbon Nomads and Cairo and the roles of gold in each region’s economies and lifestyles.Gold functioned as a status symbol of wealth, worn by kings to symbolize their power

The focus on Mali is its trading,  it’s economy depended greatly on the trading of goods, particularly gold found throughout Western Africa. In addition, they were known for their detailed gold smithing, resulting in beautiful and unique styles of jewelry.

A great deal of gold was found in the Ashanti Empire and Niger River Regions, where the King of Ghana was described as the wealthiest of all kings. Here there is also an abundance of fish, which became a major food staple. Fish became another valuable good for trade, increasing this regions wealth even more.

Timbuktu had a great focus on education and religion (Islam, as it was the religion of the emperor). Because of this, trade was effected by the morals and values of Islamic Rule. The gold was transported by camel back.

Finally, in Cairo, gold coins were minted to be used as currency. Soon Europe began to take cues from Africa, and commenced using African gold to mint their own coins. This shows that at one time, Africa was viewed as equal to Europe, and the two viewed each other with regard, to an extent.

Interesting Facts about Africa

It’s strange how little I knew about Africa before this class. I knew plenty about Europe. It was a part of the Social Studies curriculum in high school (more so than our own continent, really). I know plenty about North America. I do live here, after all. Even Asia, South America I know some about, and although it confuses me as to why Australia is a continent that includes the COUNTRIES Australia and New Zealand, I still know enough about the two. Antartica, I don’t actually think anyone lives there because it’s too cold, except for exploration teams, but my point is, each continent has its acknowledged history that we’re mostly educated about. Africa, however, gets most of its coverage in classrooms, discussing European colonization, attributing most facts as not necessarily pertaining to African history, or facts. However, since commencing Global Studies, I’ve learned a great deal more in a matter of weeks than I have in years learning about the world around me.

Africa is incredibly diverse, comprising of 54 countries, where more than 8000 languages are spoken. Eight. Thousand. Or more. That’s huge. I can’t begin to imagine who even counted them all? How the data was collected. So many languages, each with its own history. With as many countries and languages as there are, Africa is then accompanied by incredibly diverse cultures, all different. The longest river in Africa is the Nile, which is actually a well known fact, but the largest lake is Lake Victoria. Ghana was Africa’s first independent country, and Nigeria is the most popular. Research states that every 8th African is Nigerian. And I continue to learn and learn about the vast cultures in Africa. I find myself recounting them to people. “Did you know a man at one point wanted to unite all of Africa, but was assassinated as this posed a threat to how business could be handled?” and so on to any friend who will listen, really. And I think I will continue to, so long as I continue to learn about this interesting and diverse continent.

Different But Equal

In class, we watched a video with Basil Davidson called “Different but Equal”, a video about Africa, and its rich history that is ultimately ignored in the world history. It focuses on myths vs the realities of African history, and acknowledges its vast ancient kingdoms, such as the Nubian and Egyptian empires.

It’s interesting, because before watching the video in class, it never occurred to me that history was being ignored, or discounted as the history of other groups. It simply did not come to mind, which shows how successful this effort has been. In high school, we learn about the Egyptian Empire, the Greeks and the Romans. Even the Mayan culture, but never to the empires of Ghana, Nubia and Mali come up,  and so it becomes even more easily neglected. Information that is not readily available at our fingertips is often ignored, and so because African History is a debated topic, the information is not as available as less disputed history, such as that of the Greeks or Romans. Ultimately, it’s sad. The ancient, and more recent history of African kingdoms and their people are interesting, and pinnacle to life today, and to see historians continue to discredit their contributions and history isn’t just doing harm to the people who’s history they ignore, but to anyone who can learn from that history.

Welcome!

Hello there! I’m Alise Scott, welcome to my Sociology, global studies blog! I’m currently planning on a major in sociology. Before, my major was English (sorry if this is sounding similar to my intro for SOCI 2275 intro, but there’s only so much I can say about my educational life), but after realising there wasn’t anything (aside from going into law after) that I wanted to do with an English degree, and so I wound up hunting through intro classes figuring out what on earth I wanted to study. For a while, I thought I might be interested in business, but I’m awful at math and accounting, so that was out. Then I thought maybe International Relations, but I thought “Do I really want to go into politics?” and unfortunately no. I was interested in economics, but once again. Math. Then I took an intro sociology class. And hated it. But for some reason I decided to take more, and sure enough, there was a lot more to see once you got past intro, and I liked what I saw, and so finally, I realised Sociology was the major I wanted to pursue.

I decided to take this class to continue to work on a research project from last semester. I wasn’t planning on taking it. I didn’t have the pre requisites yet, but I’m interested in it, and I think I’m going to be glad I took this course, because I feel like it will really help me learn more about research methods, and aid me in other classes.