W. E. B. Du Bois envisioned “an Encyclopedia Africana,” named like the Encyclopædia Britannica. Du Bois envisioned a scientific and comprehensive work on Africa and Africans that would refute the Enlightenment notion of blacks as devoid of civilization. Due to lack of support, the project died
Women in Africa Are Recycling Plastic into Bricks for a Schoolhouse
Tthe world produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year, much of which quickly goes into the trash where it takes centuries to decompose. In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, women are putting plastic garbage to good use by turning it into bricks to build schools, New York Times reports.
Many women in Abidjan make a living by gathering plastic waste from city streets and selling it to recycling centers. Those same women are now working with a Colombian company to convert the waste into bricks to build schools.
The project will result in hundreds of classrooms to serve about 26,400 students — plus, it’s an opportunity for the women to make a better living.
For the @nytimes, @EverydayAfrica's @YagazieEmezi photographed the women in West Africa who collect and recycle plastic garbage, which, when it's turned into bricks, can be used to build schools. https://t.co/y505rih5ik
— Everyday Projects (@evdayprojects) July 30, 2019
Many schools in the area are built out of traditional mud-bricks and wood. These buildings require a lot of upkeep, as they easily erode in the sun and rain.
The buildings made out of recycled plastic, on the other hand, will last practically forever. In this context, plastic’s slow decomposition is a benefit.
Also, the country’s classrooms are severely overcrowded, with up to 90 students in each class. Additional classrooms are desperately needed.
Since Abidjan produces about 300 tons of plastic waste a day, there’s plenty of plastic to use. Each classroom takes about five tons of plastic waste.
UNICEF breaks ground on Africa’s first-of-its-kind recycled plastic brick factory in Côte d'Ivoire
#school #Recycle @TerraCycle #education https://t.co/6KuHrWayvd
— Juliette Touma (@JulietteTouma) August 3, 2019
The company converting the waste, Conceptos Plásticos, initially produced the bricks at a factory in Colombia, but they are now building a factory in Abidjan, which will make the classrooms much cheaper to produce.
Several classrooms are already up and running, and the project plans to deliver 528 total, each of which will fit 50 students.
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These Gorillas Actually Posed for Selfies with Anti-Poaching Rangers
The 600 rangers at the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo have a serious task: protecting the park’s animals from poachers. And it’s clear that some of the rangers have formed strong bonds with some of the park’s gorillas.
The rangers routinely take selfies with the beautiful animals and it’s obvious that there is a whole lot of mutual trust and admiration there.
WORDS TO LIVE BY- SAGESSE INTEMPORELLEFrom a Virunga National Park ranger, translated from the French:"When one is…
Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Thursday, May 17, 2018
Here’s another up close and personal shot.
FAMILY PORTRAITPatrick Sadiki, Ndakasi & Matabishi.
Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Friday, August 10, 2018
This one, however, has to take the cake.
ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE…Photo: Ranger Mathieu Shamavu (c)NOTE: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THIS PHOTO WILL BE REPORTED TO FACEBOOK
Posted by The Elite AntiPoaching Units And Combat Trackers. on Thursday, April 18, 2019
Looks like an album cover, doesn’t it?
A beautiful story. Be sure to follow their Facebook page. Keep up the great work, park rangers!
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Pedi people (a tribe in South Africa)…
Pedi people (a tribe in South Africa) wear Scottish kilts. Citing oral history, the use of kilts dates to 1879. They say that’s when the tribe lost a battle because its warriors thought kilted Scots leading a British army were women and held their fire until realizing their mistake too late.
This Country Is Now Taxing Social Media Use and People Are Very Angry
Imagine having to pay a daily tax to use social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Well, that’s exactly what is happening now in the country of Uganda because it’s the law.
Photo Credit: Global Voices
In May 2018, the government of Uganda passed the new tax law that forces citizens to pay roughly the equivalent of 5 cents U.S. to use social media.
Photo Credit: Twitter
People were shocked that the law was real and expressed their displeasure on, you guessed it, Twitter.
Photo Credit: Facebook
Photo Credit: Twitter
Many in Uganda believe the tax is meant to control young people and to stop the spread of ideas through social media. And Ugandans are worried about how it will affect the economy.
Photo Credit: Twitter
But the people are fighting back.
Photo Credit: Twitter
Amnesty International’s director for East Africa said, “It is not the place of the Ugandan authorities to determine what discussions taking place on social media platforms are useful. Rather, it is their responsibility to uphold and nurture unfettered enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, both online and offline. Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp have opened up cheaper avenues of communication and information sharing in Uganda. By making people pay for using these platforms, this tax will render these avenues of communication inaccessible for low-income earners, robbing many people of their right to freedom of expression, with a chilling effect on other human rights.”
“This is a clear attempt to silence dissent, in the guise of raising government revenues.”
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More Africans have access to cell phone…
More Africans have access to cell phone service than piped water and electricity. In Africa, less than one in three people have a proper drainage system, half of the population live in areas without paved roads, and only 63% have access to piped water. Yet, 93% of Africans have cell phone service. 00
Trevor Richards, a 16-year-old South African immigrant…
Trevor Richards, a 16-year-old South African immigrant, got suspended from his Omaha, Nebraska school when he nominated himself for a “Distinguished African-American Student of the Year” prize. He was the only pupil in this school to have ever lived in Africa. 00
There is an African Union which aims…
There is an African Union which aims to have a currency union similar to the Euro. One suggested name for this currency union is the “Afro.” 00
In the poorest areas of Africa, people wave oiled-up pans in the air…
In the poorest areas of Africa, people wave oiled-up pans in the air, so that Midge Flies stick to it. After catching enough bugs, they are scraped off and cooked into a meatball. Catching the flies with the pan is very entertaining for the kids in the village.
There are more Wikipedia articles on Antarctica than all but one…
There are more Wikipedia articles on Antarctica than all but one of the African countries.