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By D Grace of God: A Story About Trust and the Hope for Humanity

This post is going to be a bit different. I am going to be talking about a quirky little event that has occurred between a man in America and a man in Liberia, and how expectations can be subverted if we all take a chance. The story goes that Pleasant Green received a Facebook message by a man in Liberia named Joel. Joel appeared at first as some sort of con man, but Green humored him, saying that if he wasted Joel's time, then he would not be able to scam others. Green made a business proposition that if Joel were to take some photos of his home, then maybe Green would pay him for the photos he liked. What seemed to be at first a scam, turned into something different. Seeing that Joel was taking this seriously, Green sent him a basic $30 camera, and what happened next was incredible. The photos got better, the photos revealed the life that exists in Liberia as well as the struggles. Green then got the idea to run an IndieGoGo campaign to help fund a book made up of the photos
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An Enlightening Development

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Everyone has seen, at least once in their live, those advertisements on lotions and skin products promising soft, and luscious skin. Well, apparently there is a skin product that will not only do all of those things, but also make you look whiter?  The actual ad that is being used throughout Western Africa Skin product giant Nivea has been receiving a lot of flack for a new product that they are pushing forward in Western Africa. This product promises to give one "fairer" skin, or in other words, tries to make a person's skin appear lighter. There is a stigma going around about fashion models and cover models, in that the skin color of whoever is modeling appears lighter than it should. What this product does is try and take that post-processed look, and make it a reality. Needless to say, a lot of people are not too crazy about this product. So much so that Nivea has been forced to take down a few of the ads, and as the BBC article highlights, there is a billboard in
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The Proof is in the Ice Cream

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So, in a more lighter tone then last week's post, this one from the BBC succeeds in putting a smile on my face by the sheer absurdity of it. Presently in Zimbabwe, there are talks of who is most likely to succeed the current president, Robert Mugabe. The man in which many believe to be best suited for the job is current Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. So in a turn of events no one saw coming, he goes and makes a claim in which proves him to be a bit off his rocker. The Co-Vice-President of the country, Phelekezela Mphoko and standing president as Mugabe is out of the country, has accused Mnangagwa of lying, when Mnangawa claimed to have been poisoned at a rally this past August held by Mugabe. The method of choice? Ice cream. Mnangawa claims that he was poisoned by the president's wife's dairy firm in which the ice cream was procured. Turns out, as reported by Mphoko, the cause of Mnangawa's illness was stale food. Now, whether or not this effects Mnanagawa's cha
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Homophobia in a Highly Conservative Nation Strikes Again

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Earlier this week, a band by the name of Mashrou' Leila, a Lebanese group, performed at a concert in Cairo, Egypt. What had seemed to be an excellent showing, by both the band and crowd, the seemingly fun event was turned sour for reasons of homophobia and religious conservatism. Seven people in the crowd that day were arrested for waving the rainbow colored flag that represents the LGBTQ community. It is also worth mentioning that the lead singer for Mashrou' Leila is openly gay, and so this kind of support is not unexpected. The fans were arrested on the basis of "promoting sexual deviancy," in other words, what they were supporting and representing does not conform to societal standards.   Picture of the band, from the BBC Homosexuality is not a crime punishable by detainment, however since 2013, there have been 113 investigations that involved 274 individuals who were gay, lesbian, transgender, and so on. And it is not like the people in power have any qualms w
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Nigerian Woman Helps Keep the Legacy of African Story Telling Alive

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Amina Yuguda is a Nigerian journalist who has just won an award handed to only the finest of journalists and speakers in Africa. BBC's Komla Dumor Award. For those unfamiliar, Komla Dumor was a Ghana-born news anchor and journalist for the BBC's branch in Africa. He was renowned for his immense presence, both physically and emotionally, and his unorthodox style of interviewing. Beloved by most, Dumor sadly passed away in 2014. To honor his legacy, and to hopefully instill the same sense of virtue he had towards journalism, the BBC created this award in his image. Komla Dumor- Source, Wikipedia This is where Amina Yuguda comes into play. She is known to be fearless in regards to her reporting, never seeing any topic as too tough to tackle. This is evident in her constant updates on the Boko Haram who are an insurgent terrorist group known for violence and kidnappings. She carries herself with pride, and is able to connect to a wider audience, similar to Dumor. She is a believ
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A Snapshot of the Profile of the World's 4th Largest Island: Madagascar

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This week I will be focusing on a brief glimpse of Madagascar, including a condensed history of the island dating only as far as the 16th and 17th centuries, political regime, and unrest surrounding the country as a whole.  Photo provided by the BBC Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world, and has a fairly rich exporting industry, due to an abundance of desirable natural resources, such as coffee, vanilla, and spices. However, despite these profitable exports encompassing much of the nation's wealth, it is still seen as a very poor country, and relies heavily upon foreign aid to assist in maintaining a stable economy.  Madagascar used to be a French colony, dating from 1896 all the way until its independence in 1960. Within that span of time, however, revolt and social unrest was common, resulting in a rebellion that the French squashed in 1947. A presidency was established shortly after independence, but do to a coup attempt in 1975 a single leader ruled for close t
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Mansa Musa of the 21st Century

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Time for an article a bit more uplifting than last week. Earlier this year, Gambia's presidential elections experience an upset that, according to the BBC, was unprecedented and "is arguably a bigger shock than that of fellow property mogul in the US, Donald Trump"(BBC, 2017). This accolade goes to real estate entrepreneur and 51-year old Adama Barrow. The main reason that there is a comparison between Trump and Barrow, is that neither of them have ever held public office. Gambia had also been under presidential rule by Yahya Jammeh, who had been president for over 22 years. The desire for change by the young adults of Gambia, as well as a fortunate turn of events, the previous candidate having been arrested before the elections officially began. This gave Barrow the opportunity to capitalize on the situation.  Credit given to the BBC Adama Barrow is also a devout Muslim. And, like the famed ancient sultan of the Mali Empire Mansa Musa, Barrow, according to the Washi
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