Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. ~ Akan proverb

Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. ~ Akan proverb

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Black or White

Despite his physical appearance at the peak of his career, Michael Jackson was actually black (African American) till the mid 1980s when he underwent surgery to even out his complexion, since he suffered from a skin condition called vitiligo.
In most of his songs, he preached the message of love, equality, charity, environmentalism, and saying no to racism, among other socially positive messages.
His song, 'Black or White' is one such message-filled inspiration (read below)

Black or White

I took my baby
On a Saturday Bang
Boy, is that girl with you?
Yes we're one and the same

Now I believe in miracles
And a miracle
Has happened tonight

But, if
You're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're
Black or white

They print my message
In the 'Saturday Sun'
I had to tell them
I ain't second to none

And I told about equality
An' it's true
Either you're wrong
Or you're right

But, if
You're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're
Black or white

Don't depend

I am tired of this Devil
I am tired of this stuff
I am tired of this business
Goin' when they going to gets rough
I ain't scared of your brother
I ain't scared of no sheets
I ain't scare of nobody
Girl when the goin' gets mean

Protection
For gangs, clubs and nations
Causing grief in human relations
It's a turf war on a global scale
I'd rather hear both sides of the tale
See, it's not about races, just places, faces
Where your blood comes from
Is where your space is
I've seen the light get duller
I'm not going to spend
My life being a color

Don't tell me you agree with me
When I saw you
Kicking dirt in my eye

But, if
You're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're
Black or white

I said if
You're thinkin' of bein' my baby
It don't matter if you're
Black or white

I said if
You're thinkin' of being my brother
It don't matter if you're
Black or white

No, no, alright
Alright
Yeah, yeah, yeah now
Alright, alright
Jump on, don't
Yeah, yeah, yeah now
Alright

It's black, it's white
It's tough for you to get by
It's black, it's white
It's black, it's white
It's tough for you to get by
It's black, it's white

Songwriters
JACKSON, MICHAEL

Published by
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Coup de tat Made in the USA?

Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, the army officer who has seized power in Burkina Faso amid popular protests in the West African country was twice selected to attend counterterrorism training programs sponsored by the U.S. government.

Similarly, in March 2012 in Mali, Capt. Amadou Sanogo, who had attended a half-dozen military training courses in the United States led a coup that deposed his democratically-elected government.

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When your mouth stumbles, it's worse than feet.

When your mouth stumbles, it's worse than feet. - Oji proverb

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Gorillas: Africa's endangered species

 The DNA of gorillas is very similar to humans – about 98-99% the same. This is more than any other animal in the world.

Every gorilla has a unique fingerprint just like humans.

Gorillas are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals in the world. They are able to process information and to think independently.

Gorillas can walk upright but prefer to do so on their knuckles.

They have four fingers and a thumb just like humans.

Gorillas don’t have tails as many other primates do.

They are able to see in color. All of their senses are very highly developed.

They are able to grasp items with both their hands and their feet.

When male gorillas are about 12 years of age they can develop silver coloring on their back. This is where the name silverback comes from but many people assume that is a species of gorilla but it isn’t. Silverbacks are the mature males in troops. They are very kind hearted though, and will even care for orphaned offspring on their own.

A group of gorillas that live together are called a troop.

When the dominant male in a troop dies or is killed, then the troop will go their separate ways and find new groups to be a part of. However, if a younger male challenges the leader and wins then he becomes the new leader and the troop stays intact.

Gorillas aren’t meat eaters, that is a common myth.

Gorillas move every day for food and for exploration. They never sleep in the same place two nights in a row!

They will never sleep in the same nest twice. They make a new one when they nap in the afternoon and before they sleep for the night.

A female gorilla is ready to reproduce when she is around eight years old. She must first leave the safety of her own troop and find another troop or a lone silverback to live with.
Mother gorillas will continue to carry their offspring for about 2.5 years even though they are able to walk when they are 8 months old.

They are migrational animals, moving in search of food at the command of the leader. They may only move a short distance each day or they can travel several miles depending on what the food sources available happen to be.

 Although they have no discernible language, it is estimated that gorillas have at least 22 distinct sounds, which they use for communication.

A gorilla will typically spend a third of the day eating, a third of the day foraging for food and playing, with the rest of the time spent resting and sleeping.

 Where gorillas live:
Gorillas are ground dwelling and primarily live in tropical forests in Africa:

The western lowland gorilla can be found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea.

The eastern lowland gorilla can be found in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The mountain gorilla can be found around the Virunga volcanoes in high-altitude tropical forests in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Cross River gorilla can be found in a small area between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Conservation status: Endangered to Critically Endangered

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Africa Day

May 25th, is what is known as Africa Day, the annual commemoration of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed a founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In 1991, the OAU established the African Economic Community, and in 2002 the OAU established its own successor, the African Union. However, the name and date of Africa Day has been retained as a celebration of African unity

It is a day to reflect on the big picture about Africa and the future of the continent. Are we for real or are we clowns on a stage, whose only place in the world is to entertain, amuse and stir up worry and guilt among the major world powers?

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Africa's most attractive investment destinations

African economies easily rank among the most resilient in the world. In the middle of the 2009 global economic recession, Africa was the only region apart from Asia that grew positively, at about 2%. The continent’s growth has been on an upward trajectory ever since then- 4.5% in 2010 and 5.0% in 2011.
Africa is favorably positioned to become the 2nd fastest growing region in the world, and according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), economic growth across the 54 countries of the continent will hover around 6% in 2012.

A report by the US think tank, Foreign Policy has ranked countries by their attractiveness as investment destinations. This is based on the ease of doing business, the return on investments and the stability of the country.
Political stability, good governance, relative ease in conducting business affairs, strong protection for foreign investments and abundant economic opportunities are some of the key factors that these three countries have in common.

#1. Botswana
Botswana is one of Africa’s least populated and wealthiest countries.
Investors flock to Botswana for the country’s high quality minerals, textiles and agricultural resources.The government has also been praised for its prudent management of these resources.

#2. Rwanda
Rwanda is ranked fifth globally and is renowned for being one of the best places in the world to do business.
Investors have been incentivised by the ease of doing business as it takes 24 hours to register a business in the country. There are also generous tax exemptions for investors.

#3. Ghana
The third best place in Africa to invest is Ghana.
Africa’s newest oil producer is regarded as one of West Africa’s stable havens.
Foreigners are attracted to Ghana’s minerals, energy and agriculture sectors.
Investors receive generous exemptions in customs and taxes.
Good governance and stronger fiscal policies are an added incentive.

#4. Nigeria
Nigeria is currently ranked second in just behind South Africa and ahead of Egypt by RMB as top Africa destinations for investment. Rand Merchant Bank, (RMB) Nigeria’s list of top investment destinations. Nigeria’s GDP is now $268.7bn, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The pillars of RMB Nigeria’s investment rankings are based on growth, market size and operating environment a combination of which makes up total investment attractiveness.
Nigeria is already among the top 10 fastest growing economies globally, while its share of total inward FDI into Africa stood at 12 percent in 2012.
A breakdown of  the ranking shows that Nigeria remains the most favourable destination for retail in Africa, driven by demographic gains from increasing population, rising real wages from increase in GDP per capita and growing urbanization.

#5. South Africa
South Africa remains the most attractive corporate investment destination in Africa, Nigeria is nipping at its heels and may overtake it as soon as next year, according to a new survey.

South Africa is 33rd in the overall world rankings with a GDP of $384bn.
South Africa's status is driven by improvements in government efficiency as well as social factors, such as income distribution and gender income ratios, along with economic factors such as the cost of capital and adaptable central bank policies and foreign currency reserves.

South Africa’s growth is weak, but it remains top of the rankings because it had the largest market in Africa and has a sophisticated operating environment.
For example, Nigeria’s growth rate is forecast at 6%-7% a year for the next five years, compared with South Africa’s forecast of 2%-3%.

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