Nigerian pilot, Ademilola Odujinrin, makes history, becomes first African to fly solo round the world

Nigerian pilot, Ademola “Lola” Odujinrin,

A Nigerian pilot, Ademola “Lola” Odujinrin, who works for Air Djibouti has become the first African pilot in history to fly solo around the world.
Odujinrin completed the final leg of his historic journey Wednesday afternoon, landing safely at Washington Dulles International Airport.

The pilot has completed the entire circumnavigation in a Cirrus SR22, stopping in more than 15 countries on five continents, returning to Washington DC, where his journey began back in September.
The flight is part of Project Transcend, a foundation which aims to inspire young people to achieve their goals, regardless of their personal circumstances.
Ademilola said after the historic feat, “Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of one day flying around the world. We have a responsibility to lead by example and follow our dreams. I want African children to think: ‘I can do this too!’
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Air Djibouti’s Chairman, Aboubaker Omar Hadi, and Cardiff Aviation’s Chairman, Bruce Dickinson, who have supported me throughout this journey. Without them, this would not have been possible.”

The Ambassador of Djibouti to the United States, His Excellency, Mr. Mohamed Siad Doualeh; Senior Director of Strategic Planning for Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority, Mr. Dawit Michael Gebre-ab; and Chief Operating Officer of Air Djibouti, Mr. Moussa Houssein were part of a high-level delegation that received the historic aviator on the tarmac at Dulles Airport.
Other distinguished guests included the CEO Africa World Press, which plans to publish a book on the journey.
The Nigerian has logged over 4,000 hours as a commercial Boeing 737 pilot since earning his pilot licence six years ago.
The Chairman of Air Djibouti, Aboubaker Omar Hadi, said, “By supporting initiatives like Lola’s flight around the world, Air Djibouti hopes to inspire a new generation of pilots in Africa and help to pave the way for the aviation industry to thrive in the region.

“The benefits will be felt within the region, as this will encourage more intra-African trade and sustainable economic development.
“With the commencement of the Single African Air Transport Market set for June 2017, air travel in the continent is positioned to grow rapidly and become a key contributor to the region’s economic and social development.”


Congrats to him. What do you think?

7 Shocking Harmful Traditional Practices In Africa

Some African tribes have really dangerous traditional practices. The real issue is that most times children and women fall victim of these weird practices. Thanks to civilization, some of these traditional practices are losing grounds Here are some dangerous traditional practices in Africa.

1. Efidan tradition

“Efidan” is one of the types of harmful traditional incision. Efidan translates as cutting. This tradition is still used in the rural areas of Nigeria. For the tribes, cutting is a part of adolescent traditions. Parents usually cut their children when they reach puberty. For women, scars needed to decorate their body and be more sexually appeal to men. For men, scars and cuttings serve the same purpose, and through them, they show that they are ready to take responsibility for a family.

The problem is that cuttings are made by people who knows nothing about medicine or by children themselves, which leads to the blood loss and even death. Moreover, instruments for cutting are not sterilized properly which can lead to the variety of diseases, HIV and AIDS. The Anti Child Abuse Society of Africa stands for stopping Efidan or at least monitoring it by local authorities.

2 Nutrition violence

 

Sometimes children do not desire to eat food, but parents want them to eat – what should they do in this case? Some parents in the Gwaris, Yorubas and Hausas found a violent solution to this problem. If a child does not want to swallow watery food, then the parents or caregivers put the kid`s head between legs, close the nostrils and provide food to the mouth when the kid opens it. If the kids are crying during this procedure, then it`s a good sign for a parent to feed them. Nevertheless, these cultural practices of delivering food may lead to choking, chemical pneumonitis and aspiration pneumonia.

3 Forced marriage

 

Child marriage is a very common cultural practices in some Nigerian tribes. The main victims of early marriage are young girls. The marriage age for them is considered to be around 12 years old. Still, some girls enter the puberty period in the house of the husband. Sometimes they can be married to a man much older, then they are. The violence occurs when a girl refuses to marry or have sex with a husband. They have to suffer from the pregnancy in the young age and suffer from obstructive labor. Young girls can be bought directly from the parents. Many of the children are given free to marriage for future economic and political benefits.

4 Children`s labor

 

Occupational violence is a part of harmful traditional practices in Igboland. Children under age of 12 have to work on the farms against their will. They can work regardless climatic conditions. This practice is common in the forest and farm regions of Nigeria. Still, parents send their children to work as they believe it will help them to secure a job position in the future. Therefore, children do not go to school and have to work without proper protection. Public organizations and UN attorneys investigate cases of forced children labor in Nigeria.

5. Blood vengeance

 

UN Study on Violence in Africa provides facts of blood vengeance in some tribes. This tradition is based on the religion basis. If one member of the family harms a member of another family, then the whole family can pay a death price for the actions of one member. These cultural practices stand against law in Nigeria. Still, it does not stop these traditions. Families still have grudges and they prefer to solve their problems not in the courts. Therefore, Nigeria suffers from brutal murders in rural areas of the country.

6 Female Genital Mutilation

 

This practice is also known as female circumcision. It`s one of the cultural practices, where a female child has to go through the procedure of partial or total removal of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Some cultures in Africa see this tradition as a part of becoming a woman. Therefore, young girls undergo the procedure during the puberty period. Female Genital Mutilation is believed to be made to ensure women`s virginity. Some tribe cultures see external female organs as an unclean. Therefore, they believe that they clean they girls with mutilation of the organs.

7 Virginity test

 

It`s one of the old cultural traditions in Africa. Virgin girls in tribes are defined as clean and pure. Girls who did not save their virginity up to the marriage can be treated horribly. Virginity tests in Africa tribes can have various forms. According to the traditions, a girl can be defined as virgin if she has an intact hymen, innocent eyes, the tightness of muscles behind the knees and “tight breasts”. Some tribes also examine male virginity. According to some traditional tests, a boy defines as a virgin if he has a thick foreskin and can urinate over one-meter-high fence with no hands.

What do you think?

Why Africa Is Less Happy Than The Rest Of The World

On March 20, the United Nations released the 2017 World Happiness Report to mark the celebration of the International Day of Happiness, according to that report Africa or Africans are least happy people or continent in the world.
Africa is also the least happiest continent in the world with: lowest GDP per capita, health life expectancy, generosity, dystopia, social support, freedom to make life choices, perceptions of corruption and confidence interval.
These are the variables used to measure global happiness level since the survey was launched in 2012 using data from the *Gallup World Poll.
47 of the 166 countries in the *Gallup World Poll are African countries and 44 made it on the happiness ranking measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 indicating greatest happiness.
In all, 155 countries with available data were surveyed including 44 African countries.

HIGHLIGHT OF RANKING

Algeria led as Africa’s happiest country but lagged at 53rd in the world where Norway is ranked the happiest followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden.
The story was different last year when Algeria led as Africa’s happiest and 38th in the world with Denmark being the happiest globally.
Mauritius is the second happiest country in Africa and 64th in the world, followed by troubled Libya (68), Morocco (84), drought-stricken Somalia (93), Nigeria (95), South Africa (101), Tunisia (102), Egypt (104) and Sierra Leone (106) respectively.
Africa dominated the bottom of the ranking with Benin (143) on top of the bottom ten followed by Madagascar (144), South Sudan (147), Liberia (148), Guinea (149), Togo (150), Rwanda (151), Tanzania (153), Burundi (154) and the least happiest country in the world — Central African Republic (155).
The Central African Republic returned to the surveyed group this year and took Burundi’s position at the bottom

REASONS FOR POOR PERFORMANCE

“Africa’s lower levels of happiness compared to other countries in the world might be attributed to the disappointment with different aspects of development under democracy,” the report said, adding that “although most citizens still believe that democracy is the best political system, they are critical of good governance in their countries.”
The report also attributed slow infrastructure and youth development to population pressure while acknowledging the significant improvement in meeting basic needs according to the Afrobarometer index of ‘lived poverty’.
It also highlights Africa’s resilience despite poor infrastructure.
“African people demonstrate ingenuity that makes life bearable even under less than perfect circumstances … African people are essentially optimistic and this optimism might serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy for the continent.”

WAY FORWARD

What if Africa looks to its youth to realise the continent’s dreams of prosperity? What if the African youth’s confidence in their future and their entrepreneurial spirit were to be matched by substantial investment in their development? Then, no doubt, African countries would join the ranks of the world’s prosperous and happy nations. – the report advised.


 Credit: Howafrica.com

Indians attack Nigerians over teenager’s death

Attacks on Nigerian Students Underscore India’s Problem With Africans

Indian officials plan to launch an investigation into recent attacks on Nigerian students living in Noida, an area just outside of New Delhi.
Five students were attacked by large crowds on Monday, and one was beaten inside of a shopping mall, BBC reports. The incident was caught on tape and the video has been circulating on social media. The victim told reporterIndia’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has promised an “impartial inquiry” into the incident, which is said to have been in response to the death of an Indian teenager who overdosed on drugs, which his parents believe were given to him by Nigerian students. As of today, five people have been arrested for their involvement in the attacks, reports BBC.
Leaders of the Association of African Students of India have advised that African students remain at home instead of attending classes on Tuesday.
Attacks on African foreign nationals in India mounted last year, after a Tanzanian student was assaulted and stripped by a mob in Bangalore.
Incidents like these are forcing the country to acknowledge issues of racism. Some have taken to social media to express outrage and advocate for change in the nation.
s that he was attacked with rods, bricks and knives

Racist rumours lead to baseless murder charge against Nigerian students in NOIDA. When will we acknowledge widespread racism in India?

— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) March 27, 2017

Indian mob attacked Nigerian Students in New Delhi. Racism and hate crimes are on the rise. Welcome to Modi’s & Yogi Adityanath’s India.

— Huraira Iftikhar (@Hur1) March 28, 2017

Indian Twitter is standing by Nigerian students facing racial violence. 

— Nimit Doshi (@nimit129) March 28, 2017

Meet Nandi Zama, first black to command a millitary Cargo in South Africa

When she joined the military straight from high school‚ Nandi Zama never thought she would make history by becoming the commander of a South African Air Force aircraft. 

 

On Friday the 31-year-old major touched down the military cargo plane C-130 at the Waterkloof Air Force base‚ on her maiden flight as commander – the civilian equivalent of a captain.
The mammoth task at hand – flying the C-130 and being responsible for the safe arrival of both the aircraft and crew members on board from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
SANDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ntsikelelo Mantshongo said Zama’s command of the C-130 came with a huge responsibility. Zama is the first black woman to command this type of aircraft in the air force.
“If there’s a mission and she needs to take the aircraft‚ she needs to assemble a team that includes specialists on board. The plane can take up to 160 people‚” Mantshongo said.
Zama matriculated from Saint Gregory College in the Natal Midlands in 2003 and joined the Air force.
“I went through military training and then I was at the central flying school in 2006 and got my wings in December. In 2007 I was transferred to 41 Squadron‚” she said.
At 41 Squadron she flew the Cessna Caravan‚ known for its power and flexibility. From 2008‚ she flew the Casa 212 at 44 Squadron.
In 28 Squadron‚ where she is now‚ she commands the C-130 cargo plane‚ a four-engine military transport aircraft. While now in command of the aircraft‚ she has already been flying it for four years.
“Flying the plane is not something you can explain in words. You just have to be there to experience it‚” she said.



Credit: Timeslive.co.za

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Ten Female Contemporary Poets In Africa

Poetry is considered as one of the most universal and important vehicles of human expression as it encapsulates various human experiences in an understandable and well-documented manner.

Africa is rich in literature and poetry, and here’s a list of contemporary African poets that you should know:

 

1 Warsan Shire

Warsan Shire is a Kenyan-born Somali poet and writer who is based in London. She is popularly known for her poetry being adapted into Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” album. Her work explores the topics of gender, war, sex, and cultural assumptions. Her body of work includes Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, released in 2011, Her Blue Body and Our Men Do Not Belong to Us, both released in 2015.
She is passionate about character-driven poetry that tells the stories of people, especially immigrants and refugees who are often portrayed as victims or martyrs, without their human experience being captured. In 2014, she was named the first Young Poet Laureate for London and chosen as poet-in-residence for Queensland, Australia.

2 Nayyirah Waheed

Nayyirah Waheed is a U.S.-based poet best known for her poetry books titled “Salt” and Nejma”. She fell in love with poetry at the age of 11 when she was given a poetry project by her teacher to be featured in a community newspaper. Her inspiration for poetry comes from her self-honesty and the desire for people who read her work to be positively affected by it.

3 Liyou Libsekal

Liyou Libsekal is an Ethiopian poet who spent a number of years in the U.S before returning home to Addis Ababa. Her chapbook, “Bearing Heavy Things”, is part of the 2015 African Poetry Book Fund’s New Generation African Poets series. Her poetry explores the themes of identity, displacement and the reality of growing up away from home.

 

4 Lebo Mashile

Lebo Mashile is a South African poet who was born in U.S. and returned to South Africa after the fall of apartheid in the 1990s. She is well-known for her works “In a Ribbon of Rhythm” released in 2005 and “Flying Above the Sky”, which was released in 2008. She is also an actress and producer, having performed in a number of theatre productions, being featured in the 2004 film with Don Cheadle “Hotel Rwanda” and co-producing and hosting the documentary programme L’Attitude, which aired on the South African channel SABC 1.
Mashile regards poetry and its expressive power as the most effective tool to bring about discussion and changes in mental attitude about social issues, especially issues experienced in the socio-political realm of post-apartheid South Africa.

5 Koleka Putuma

Koleka Putuma is a Cape Town-based performance poet who facilitates and hosts writing and dialogue workshops at schools, community projects and interfaith programs in the Cape Town area. Her poem titled “Water” earned her PEN SA Student Writing Prize. She co-founded a theatre company for up-and-coming female artists in 2014 called Velvet Spine and is a member of the theatre group The PaperCut Collective.

6 Ijeoma Umebinyuo

Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo is making waves with her debut collection of prose poems and poems titled “Questions for Ada”. The book explores themes of femininity, self-love and self-acceptance. She also explores the theme of Africans living in the diaspora and how everyday life is experienced. Critics have described her work as a bible for women.

 

7 Ketty Nivyabandi

Ketty Nivyabandi is a poet and writer from Bujumbura, Burundi who is popularly known for her significant role in political activism when the country’s president Pierre Nkurunziza sparked unrest by illegally bidding for a third term in office. She led women-only protests and demonstrations in the capital of Bujumbura, some of which were brutally suppressed, and she led a protest in the city center during the May 13th attempted coup by Major General Godefroid Niyombare. After the attempted coup, authorities targeted protestors, forcing Nivyabandi to flee to neighbouring Rwanda for safety.
Her poetry is written mostly in French, and has appeared in several anthologies. She represented Burundi in 2012 in the London Poetry Parnassus as part of the Summer Olympics. Her poetry explores social themes such as the horror of war and femininity.

8 Harriet Anena

Harriet Anena is a Ugandan poet, author and journalist. As a poet, Harriet wrote her first piece in 2003 titled “The plight of the Acholi child”, which won a writing competition that helped secure her a bursary for A-Level education. She has been published in the Caine Prize anthology was shortlisted in 2013 for the “Ghana Poetry prize” for her poem “We arise”. Her debut collection of poetry is titled “A Nation in Labour” which explores the reality of living through war and under the weight of political mistakes.

9 Safia Elhillo

Safia Elhillo is a Sudanese poet who grew up in Washington D.C. She’s an NYU graduate and is a Pushcart Prize nominee, co-winner of the 2015 Brunel University African Poetry Prize, and winner of the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets. She has appeared in several journals and anthologies including “The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop,” and her work has been translated into Arabic, Japanese, Estonian, and Greek.
She was a founding member of Slam NYU, the 2012 and 2013 national collegiate championship team, and was a three-time member and former coach of the DC Youth Slam Poetry team. She is currently a teaching artist with Split This Rock.

10 Yrsa Daley-Ward

Yrsa Daley-Ward is a writer and poet who was born o a Jamaican mother and a Nigerian father, and raised in the small town of Chorley in northern England. She published her debut book “Bone” in 2014, and is loved for her honest take on depression, self-reliance and femininity. Her first collection of stories were in the publication called “On Snakes And Other Stories”.

Source:HowAfrica.com