VLAAMS BELANG NOT INVITED TO OBAMA'S INAUGURATION

Philip De Winter, leader of the 'Vlaams Belang' party

Belgium has been a center of controversy many times, in regard to issues pertaining to foreigners, especially in Antwerp, which has the "Vlaams Belang," a political party known to have extreme views against foreigners. 

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They preach hatred against foreigners to solicit votes during political campaigns, yet they find it unacceptable when the American Embassy in Brussels excludes them from attending Obama's inauguration.

According to the "Vlaams Belang", weeks before the inauguration of the 44th president of the USA, Barack Obama, at the Brussels residence of the American Ambassador, all Belgian senators of the committee of Foreign Affairs received an invitation. 

However, on the morning of the inauguration day (January 20th), the US embassy made a phone call to them(Vlaams Belang) claiming the invitation was a mistake and that Vlaams Belang was not welcome.

The "Vlaams Belang" thinks the behavior of the American Embassy is inappropriate for the world's largest democratic country. They went on further to say that "It isn't the task of an embassy to become actively involved in the internal politics of another nation.

I don't understand the "Vlaams Belang" getting bitter over this non-invitation issue when they know what the USA stands for. Americans are people that had learned a lot from past issues regarding racial problems, just like former Apartheid South Africa. 

Now they don't want to repeat those mistakes they made. Changes of constitutions, laws, and other things have brought peace and unified all Americans under one democratic umbrella. This is what the world should emulate.

The "Vlaams Belang" is are selfish, and non-realistic party that doesn't care about bloodshed but preaches hatred against foreigners because they are power conscious. 

They shouldn't forget that there are also Americans living in Belgium, and whatever they say against foreigners also affects other foreign nationals living in Belgium. To me, the American Embassy has done the right thing by not giving them an invitation.

The world is tired of hearing things like "An immigrant murdered in Antwerp", "I bought a gun to kill people of foreign origin." Every investigation made in Antwerp over such cases links up with something from the "Vlaams Belang." 

If the world wants peace, then it mustn't let such political parties survive in any part of the world. They must exclude them from taking part in any international conference. Antwerp can keep them; we don't care.

Murdered Immigrant in Antwerp, family gets no compensation

Oulematu, the Malian babysitter who was murdered with the child The family of Oulematou Niangadou, the Malian babysitter, shot and killed by Hans Van Themsche in Antwerp, Belgium, will not be compensated. The commission of financial aids for victims of criminal acts announced in an official statement given to the press that the Belgian Justice Ministry decided to compensate the victims 71,500 euros,  but the court challenged the compensation to the Malian woman, owing to the fact that the victim was illegally staying in Belgium. The victim came in with a visa that has since expired. It will be recalled that in 2007, racist student Themsche bought a rifle at 500 euros from a shop in Antwerp, to kill people of foreign origin. Unfortunately, his gun didn't take away the Malian immigrant, but a poor, innocent Belgian child, the victim was babysitting.  His bullet also struck a Turkish woman sitting on a bench nearby, but she survived. The full story about this ruthless and senseless killing can be read in my book called "An African in Antwerp." In the book, I accused both the mayor of Antwerp, Mr. Janssens, and the police of being responsible for the killing of this poor immigrant. You need to live in Antwerp as a foreigner before you will know or understand what I'm talking about. How could they like foreigners when they don't even like themselves? When you are speaking French at some Flemish institutions, you can be confronted and questioned about the reason you are speaking French instead of Flemish.  Unbelievable. What is wrong with it when one speaks a different language spoken by its own nationals? That is Antwerp. Kris Luyckx, the advocate for the victim's family, hopes that the rules on compensation will be amended and points to previous changes brought in to allow victims of human trafficking to get compensation from the commission.

PENSIONER LOST HER FUNERAL MONEY

Pensioners need protection because some are too old to defend themselves. Life is like a journey full of loads. If you can carry this load throughout your lifetime with discipline, endurance, sacrifice, and truthfulness, you can succeed in life. If one's life goes the opposite way, then things might never be better for the one.  Most people, while living, think of the death ahead of them and save money towards that to have a befitting burial after death. A pensioner living in England, who has carefully saved £1000 to pay for the funerals of her and her 85-year-old disabled husband, accidentally lost the money, leaving her unable to sleep with high blood pressure.  According to her, she left her home at the Watford end of Wimborne, around 11.30 am, on Monday, 12 January 2009, and walked to town with the money at the bottom of her shopping bag. However, when she got to the Nationwide Building Society to pay the money into her account, she discovered that the money had gone missing.  The sixty-nine-year-old woman who wants to remain anonymous said, "I was absolutely gutted. My husband had been saving the money for some time so that we could pay for our funerals in time," She said. She has no clue about the disappearance of the money. "I have been hoping that someone would find it and hand it over to the police, but no one has. We have had to work hard for every penny we have, so to lose it this way was heartbreaking," she said. I wonder why she was expecting a miracle to get her money back in a country like England, where youths have no regard for the elders. They rob, beat up, and steal from the old, without any second thought that one day they will be old as well, and the same thing could happen to them.  Whatever the case, old woman, don't be distraught; give thanks to God that you are still alive.

WHY DO PEOPLE BLAME GOD FOR TODAY'S VIOLENCE?

There are many churches throughout Europe, but they are empty every Sunday.


Christianity found its way to Africa through the white missionaries who went to the continent years ago, but it is like Africans have embraced the Christian faith than the whites themselves. 

It is very common to see Africans worshipping God in churches on Sundays, while on the same Sunday, you see Whites at the drinking pubs enjoying glasses of wine and beer. 

In Britain, a few churches had been converted to drinking pubs, yet the government is fighting hard against alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, hooliganism, and crime without success.

Many simply have no time at all to think of God, let alone to attend church service on Sundays to worship the creator. Once I visited a church in a small town in Rome-Italy called "Sacrofano." 

The beautifully designed ancient church attracted me into it with the desire to fellowship with them that Sunday.

 

I was shocked to see that the pastor was preaching to only two people in this big church. I joined them, and the number increased to three. 

In Antwerp, Belgium, most of the time I see people at the church when someone has died. It is like the church was built to pay last respect to only the dead, not the living.

The world today is full of turmoil, war, tribal conflicts, racism, discrimination, etc. All these problems are caused by man. Man decides to cause pain, havoc, and unrest to people and our societies, but not God.

 

Why then do people ignorantly ask, if there is God, why must all these problems occur? People drink and lose their minds to kill, stab, and beat their wives and children, yet many prefer to drink rather than read the Holy Bible, a book that heals our spiritual and physical problems.

Hebrews chapter 12:26-27, predicts that "Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.....so that only those things that can not be shaken will remain." This means that our jobs, retirement, pensions, children, health, etc, can be shaken at times. 

At the same time, the Bible says, "Everything shall pass, but the word of God shall be there forever." This is an important message to remind men to find solace in God by reading the Holy Bible. 

Alcohol, crime, and all the evil things men commit will lead us to a place we have never dreamt of, that is, going to hell and jail.

JOHN LENNON IMAGINED AFRICA'S POLITICAL CRISIS

The great John Lennon, ex-member of the 'Beatles'


John Lennon once said he was more famous than Jesus Christ. Many faithful Christians around the world weren’t happy over that defamatory statement he made. However, I’m not writing this article to condemn Mr. Lennon but to congratulate him on his concern over the political crisis in Africa during his period.


Africa has been a neglected continent for a very long time, even though most of the wealth in Europe was taken from that continent. In the sixties, the members of the Beatles were presented with MBE awards, Nigerian-Biafran Gowon haunts did, and John Lennon returned his award to the Queen in protest against UK foreign policy.

He wrote, “Your Majesty, I’m returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts” with love, John Lennon. 

The Nigerian-Biafran war in the sixties between Yakubu Gowon and Ojukwu claimed thousands of lives. It was a catastrophe, a human disaster, and a nightmare that still haunts Nigerians.

It’s astonishing that while the world does not care about the turmoil in Africa, just as the racist Margaret Thatcher does not care about the Apartheid, segregation, and the discrimination going on in South Africa ca that time, a common musician like John Lennon cares much about the carnage going on in Africa.

To me, John Lennon wasn’t only a great musician. But a special statesman, an envoy interested in bringing peace to Africa. At the same time, he was bringing the problems of Africa to the awareness of the selfish leaders who do not care about the continent’s political crisis, but the Beatles were only interested in the looting of the continent's rich mineral resources.

Fans of the Beatles want the rejected award that has been in storage at Saint James’ Palace, since 1969, to be placed at the museum, but a spokesman for the Chancery Department of the Royal said that it’s only John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, could decide if it has to go on display or to the museum.

AFRIQIYAH AIRLINE MUST IMPROVE ITS SERVICES

Afriqiyah Airways, poor service, poor facilities




While modern aviation has taken new dimensions to improve aviation safety and ensure the safety of passengers and luggage in all flights, other airlines such as Afriqiyah has broken every rule in civil aviation. 


This is a true bitter experience of a passenger that joined the airline Afriqiyah, a couple of months ago.

"I find it very necessary to write my story for other intending passengers that want to travel with this airline to think twice before making any fatal decision," said a woman residing in Britain. In July 2008, I traveled with my son, an eleven-year-old boy, from the United Kingdom to Accra- Ghana, for a six-week-long holiday.

Even though my luggage was controlled and tagged, right under my watchful eyes, when we arrived in Accra- Ghana, our luggage was nowhere to be found. How could our luggage mysteriously disappear? Afriqiyah officials had no clues to the disappearance of our luggage.

When I called their office in Accra to find out where our luggage was, none of the airline officials gave me a positive answer. On many occasions, they don’t want to pick up the phone when I called. At a certain stage, they felt being disturbed by my constant inquiries. How could such a thing happen to a passenger?

It’s only Africa, one could hear such stories. We are a subject of mockery in the eyes of the developing world due to the way some of us do our things. It takes so many years to build up a good reputation but it takes just a second for a stupid fool to destroy all the good works that had been done. 

One shocking thing I also observed was that the toilet on the flight wasn't in good order. A hostess stood by, with a bucket of water and rinses the toilet after each use before someone else enters. It is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.

I spent the whole six week holiday with my son in the same clothes we wore on board the flight from the UK to Ghana. Eventually, we returned to the United Kingdom without a trace of our luggage by Afriqiyah officials. 

Three months after my arrival; I received a confirmation call from them that our luggage had been found. I wrote a letter to the airline demanding compensation. Till now they refused to reply to my letter or even to send a word of apology.

Is that an airline I would encourage someone to travel with? She asked. Sometimes passengers make mistakes to join cheap airlines but in the end, they lose more than traveling with the best airlines. A word to the wise is enough.

THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL IN SOCIETY

Once alcohol takes control over you, it's hard to break free



Alcohol is now known to be equally dangerous to cocaine and other dangerous drugs that affect the health of the abusers but the fight against it is much relaxed or slow. 

A group of doctors in America believes that before the government loses or wins the campaign against cigarettes, cocaine, and other dangerous drugs, without considering alcohol much, it would have claimed millions of lives.

During my youth, I witnessed the effect of alcohol on some of my teachers during lessons in the classroom. When it’s eating time, we had nothing to talk about but the stinking or stench of alcohol we smelled on a particular teacher. 

I could also remember my mother on many occasions counseling an alcoholic living in our neighborhood. When my mother didn’t see him any longer passing in front of our house to buy the strong, locally prepared drink, she thought he had gotten the message. 

Unknowingly, the man changed his route to avoid my mother seeing him. Eventually, the man succumbed to illness and died. The postmortem revealed that he died from excessive drinking.

In America, medical statistics have it that nearly 14 million over 18 are alcoholics. Another 1.3 million suffer from alcohol dependencies. Overall, almost 8% of adults have problems with alcohol, costing the economy an estimated $100 billion a year in health care costs and loss of productivity. Fatal road accidents worldwide are also related to alcohol.

Indy Mehigan, 17, a transformed alcoholic, once terrorized the streets of Lowestoft, Suffolk, in Britain. According to her, “I was just 12 when I first swigged vodka with my giggling mates in the school toilets. A few years later, I had turned into a violent, drunken youth who thought of nothing but smashing someone’s face."

"Then a friend told me about Positive Futures, a youth project in Lowestoft that helps teenagers with addiction and other problems. With their help, I left the gang and started a college course, and I’m now retaking my GCSEs. 

I’m also doing a course where I can mentor other kids. These days, when I see gangs of youths, I’m the one who crosses the street. But I also feel sorry because they are wrecking their lives.” She said. (Culled from Daily Mirror, Saturday, February 23, 2008, edition)

This is the confession of a young girl who has been in the abyss of alcohol drinking, but now is out of it and piously and consciously stepping out to help others. As a nation, people have to understand the crisis in alcohol abuse for several reasons. 

Drinkers may find it legal, pleasurable, and even beneficial, but at the end of it all, when hooked, let’s us view its disastrous effect on humans and on the roads. Besides the deaths alcohol has caused, it has also contributed to many broken homes, painful divorces, separations, and juvenile crime. .,

Alcohol is not just a closet problem but a full-blown health crisis that is crippling our nation as well as families. Kick it early or don’t go for it at all.

Why do children suddenly want to be mothers?

A teenage mother-to-be



Across the continent, poverty has taken its toll on many Third World countries. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America, teenage pregnancy, lack of education, prostitution, and juvenile crime are so prevalent that they have affected the socio-economic sectors of these countries. 


However, things are now changing. What used to be the problem of these poverty-stricken countries has now shifted to Europe and the United States of America.

Teenage pregnancy is now booming in the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, and France, and in fact throughout the whole of Europe. 

The question is why children, who have a lot more chances and facilities for education than their counterparts in the Third World, suddenly choose to be mothers instead? Is it peer pressure? Are they from a family of a broken marriage? Or victims of alcohol and drug abuse, or simply ignorance?

It is now very common to see children and sometimes adults who can speak their own language in Europe, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, but can’t read or write. Is that illiteracy or semi-illiteracy? 

The Dutch Youth and Family Affairs Minister recently said that “Sexual morals of the country’s youngsters have gone astray. A girl is seen as an object, and sex as a currency. The meaning of love does not play any role anymore in the lives of youngsters.”

He stressed that if the mentality among Dutch youths is to enter a garage to get a girl and the very moment you want sex, then we have lost the principle of moral relationship. Many have distorted ideas about sex. Said Andre Rouvoet. 

The minister was responding to a television documentary, “Sex Sells,” aired on Dutch television, which showed 12- to 16-year-old boys and girls speaking openly about sex.

The open experience sex debate revealed that some of the youngsters had their first sexual experience at the age of 9. The average of they lost their virginity at the age of 13. 

If the same problems taking place in so-called Third World countries are also occurring in Europe and the USA, then I’m afraid there are no more differences between a Third World country and an advanced country anymore.

TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTS

Orphans in Africa



Studies by psychologists show that emotional distress in adolescence and adulthood, including depression, alcoholism, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies, is often associated with abuse and bereavement suffered in childhood. 


Many young children have undergone diverse emotional distresses that are not their fault. Take, for instance, because of divorce alone, thousands of children born today spend their lives in a single-parent family. This contributed to the high rate of child delinquency.

On many occasions, when a child is bereaved, adults think they are too young to feel the loss. According to psychological reports, this assumption is absolutely wrong. 


Until recently, most psychologists believed that there was no way to help a mourning child recover from painful encounters with separation and loss. These are a few recommendations suggested by psychologists to help a bereaved child. Communication starts by telling the child...

“You are not alone. I’m with you.” Hold the child who trusts you on your lap and soothe her with long strokes. Finally, one can put an arm around the child’s shoulders, in this way easing the tension that builds up in the head, neck, and shoulders.

AN AFRICAN IN ANTWERP, A resident's story

The tale of an African in Belgium


"I want the Belgian authorities to know that the media have failed to address the crime that is perpetrated on foreigners. I will publish it," -Joel Savage.


The Belgium-based African journalist Joel Savage has published a pocket-sized book, An African in Antwerp. It’s his true life experience and a personal encounter about how he lives in a city where one in three adults is known to vote for the Extreme Right Party. 

It is also in Antwerp where Ouleymatou, the African nanny, was gunned down with the toddler under her care in broad daylight in a racist attack by Hans Van Themsche in May 2006. Joel Savage’s pocketbook is handy, small, and easy to read. An hour of good reading.

An African in Antwerp explains in detail how immigrants are systematically abused and blackmailed by landlords, employers, and even friends. We’re under constant threat, and the Police do very little to help. 

It reminds me of the number of mixed-race couples I have known where African men are under constant pressure… “don’t do this or I will call the Police,” And in Europe.

 

The police come, every time they’re called, because if something really happens, they never want to be accused of negligence. And in any encounter with the police, the first thing they ask for is your Identification documents.

While Africans demand treatment with dignity in Europe, the same is still tricky in Africa. And honestly, a collective good treatment in foreign lands will remain a tricky issue as long as human rights issues are not dealt with decisively in Africa. 

In my opinion, the continued racism in Europe, America, and Australia has direct roots in Africa, and the day five nations like Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Congo will raise the dignity of their citizens to be at par with an acceptable international level, the world will be forced to respect Africa.

So in Joel’s book, it's very interesting to read how honesty and hard work have helped him thrive in a society that offers little to its black population. Belgium is a country traumatized by the loss of its colonial power in Congo. 

It was a painful divorce that the tiny European kingdom was not able to cope with. They like their selective memories of their past with the Congo, how they brought civilization to Africa. But not how King Leopold III annexed a country as big as the whole of Western Europe and one of the richest in the world, to his personal wealth portfolio.

The tyranny, killing, and raping of African women is not part of that good old past. Last year, the Belgian award-winning film producer Georges Kamanayo, himself a product of a Belgian colonial man in Africa, exclaimed that his picture and many other mixed children like him are missing in the beautiful family album.

 

The family album that Belgium so proudly presents everywhere is of a happy family. This year, the country is preparing to remember the World Expo held in Brussels in 1958. But man, this is 2008, and Africa has long gained independence. Joel Savage’s book is available in African shops in Belgium.

The updated book is now published in America as 'Little Boygium-Wonderful experience.' 

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Boygium-Experience-Joel-Savage-ebook/dp/B013SJ7DCW?

THE CRIMINALS WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE

There is discrimination in the police force worldwide.



The police are a law enforcement force responsible for keeping public order. Their activities include the apprehension of those who don’t want to abide by the law. 


As a matter of fact, citizens of every nation depend on the police for protection and the guarantee of a safe and crime-free neighborhood. In the pursuit of peace and the fight against crime, the police sometimes meet their untimely death.

In Africa, especially in Nigeria, hundreds of police officers have been killed by armed robbers and thieves. Ghana was once a peaceful country, although petty crimes are reported daily, but not armed robbery. 

But now armed robbery has been exported to Ghana by Nigerians, and this has given employment to hardened criminals in Ghana. For example, every Nigerian armed robbery gang arrested in Ghana has a Ghanaian accomplice.

Some of the arrested armed robbers have police uniforms. No one is accusing the police of selling their uniforms to armed gangs, but the question is, “How do armed robbers get police uniforms?” 

It takes a million people and precious time to build a good reputation, but it takes less than a second for one person to destroy all the good work that has been built. 

In fact, the head of the Ghana police force has a greater deal of responsibility on his shoulders to eliminate all those criminals in uniform within the police force. There are a lot of corrupt officers within the police force.

It is a very serious matter that something must be done. Some officers in the police force are tarnishing the image of the force because they joined it not to protect citizens against crime but to wear the uniform to make money through robbery and other illegal means. 

On Tuesday, August 7, 2007, the Daily Graphic carried front-page news about three arrested police officers for allegedly taking $24,000 from a suspected cocaine dealer. 

According to the story, the three men from the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service have been placed in custody. This is a very serious matter and a disgrace to the Ghana police force. How could police officers commit such a crime?

This is not the first time a story involving the police in criminal activities has appeared in the daily papers. Another question that needs an answer is, “Why do police officers indulge in criminal activities? 

Is it poverty, or are they underpaid? It is a fact that the job of the police is a very frustrating one, one that unfortunately many people don’t respect, but that doesn’t mean they have to turn against people they have to protect. 

Some people think that giving the police full discretion and freedom from legal actions would help. That is not true. According to investigations, taking away accountability will make the police worse than criminals. 

It is, therefore, a good part of the Ghana police force to let any member who broke the law pay for his crime, as they are presently doing. Most Ghanaians have lost total confidence in the police for many reasons.

For example, the police are nowhere to be found when a crime is going on, and when they are called, they come when the crime has already taken place. In advanced countries, it is a big success for the police when criminals leave behind any evidence during an operation. 

Because the retrieved object during investigations could lead to the arrest of the criminals by means of forensic, DNA, or fingerprint tests. But in Africa, criminals are never apprehended when they leave behind an exhibit. 

Many people refrain from reporting to the police their problems because some have to extort money from the victim before investigating their case or making an arrest. These are some of the issues that need proper attention.

To prevent crime in society, people should give respect to the police and work with them. The lack of respect for the police prevents them from fully serving a community. This is very common in Europe, where a lot of foreigners are living. 

Due to racism, there is an indifference to police service where immigrants are. One thing individuals must understand is that the police cannot be everywhere at once to apprehend a thief or fight against an armed robber. 

As long as there are human beings, crime could occur. Therefore, in order to help the police to prevent crime, people should look out for each other and always inform the police immediately when they see someone acting suspiciously.

Making Bicycle A Safe Means Of Transport In Africa

A sea of bicycles in Amsterdam

The Oxford dictionary defines “vehicle” as a conveyance for transporting passengers or goods on land or in space. In this case, besides a car, lorry, train, airplane, a bicycle is also accepted as a means of transport to apply on the road.


That means a cyclist has the right to use the road without any horn hooting or harassment of the rider by other road users. An integrated transport policy is not viable without the implementation of structures allowing the development of cycling.

There are many reasons the bicycle is essential and important to users. The bicycle enables one to get somewhere very fast when there is a traffic hold-up. It is energizing to use a bicycle, and it eliminates stress. 

Among all transports, it is the cheapest, as you don’t need fuel, and no license is required. Ecologically, the manufacturing and use of a bicycle, as well as the planning of space for its use, create much less solid waste and no pollution.

In Ghana, the bicycle plays a major role as a means of transport in the North for farmers who have no other means of getting to their farms and home. But at the moment, bicycles are fast emerging as an urban means of transport. 

Transportation is a problem in most big cities. It is therefore not a crime for a cyclist to get to work or wherever he intends to go on a bicycle. 

But on the road, some road users think the cyclist has no right at all to be on the street. They torment cyclists with the blaring of horns and even scream at them at times.

Actually, it is very frustrating to most drivers when a cyclist is ahead of them or at any inconvenient place along the road. Bicycles can cause traffic on a busy road. 

Some cyclists have contributed to road accidents many times. But that doesn’t mean that they have no right to use the road; after all, motorists are also involved in road accidents. 

Walking through the city of Accra, there is nowhere one can find a bicycle route by the side of the major roads. For example, the Accra – Kasoa road is a very good level constructed road, but it was constructed without any bicycle lane.

In Europe, a cycling plan aiming to develop cycling was approved in the ’80s. Revised annually, it considers the implementation of a network of cycle lanes and the transformation of parking places into bicycle parking. 

This network is built in order to reinforce the safety for cyclists, with stop signposts placed before those for cars, and crossroads redesigned for cyclists. 

In Ghana, roads are constructed without any consideration for bicycle users. Nothing is planned in the country by taking the future into consideration.

I believe that if the government implements the construction of bicycle routes in its future projects, there will be a free flow of traffic in the cities, and that would also help to reduce the traffic holdups that motorists are currently facing.

It’s a well-known fact that a lack of finance is one of the major setbacks affecting Africa’s infrastructure and projects. But if a specific project would be a solution or an answer to a problem, then the government should take it into consideration. 

For example, in Europe, to prevent traffic jams and ensure the safety of cyclists, the Netherlands has been successful with bicycle routes running throughout the towns and cities. A journey of about 50 to 100 km could easily be done by bicycle. 

In Trondheim-Norway, a bicycle lift has been put up in the center of the town to facilitate access to another town called Brubakken, and in Belgium, a bicycle tunnel has been built under the sea to link the two cities of Antwerp and Linkeroever. 

It takes ten to twelve minutes to go to Linkeroever from the city of Antwerp, while the bus takes about twenty minutes.

As Ghana gradually matures into a great nation, the government must include the construction of bicycle routes in its future road projects. Bicycle plays a very significant role, not only as a means of transport but also in promoting good health.

The saga of waste disposal and poor drainage system in Africa

An open rubbish ground in Nairobi, Kenya

The disposal of household waste worldwide is a problem that continues to increase with the development of industrialized nations and the growth of the population. 


Poor waste disposal not only breeds mosquitoes in tropical countries but could also cause an epidemic of widespread disease. After colonialism, most African countries were left in a very poor state, especially in terms of their methods of waste disposal and drainage systems.

The question is, if the Europeans are technically advanced in building underground drainage systems and there is no gutter found in any part of Europe or America, why did they fail to execute such projects in Africa during colonialism? 

Visiting Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, I saw one common thing: choked gutters. 

The gutters are filled with rubbish and debris, thereby causing an impediment to the movement of water during rainfall. Many countries in Africa experience drought during the dry season, and when it rains, many times there are often more floods because of the poor drainage system.

The most dangerous of all is within Accra Central. Opened concrete slabs: after the evacuation of refuse from gutters, they are left uncovered, thereby causing more hazards to pedestrians. 

I’m wondering how many people have been injured or broken a foot by accidentally falling into these gutters, while those responsible are left free to answer queries and charges for negligence, or even to compensate the victim.

The primary aim of any government is to promote good health for the citizens of the country. Maintaining good health in Third World countries could be very expensive, but one of the best ways to reduce health costs is to maintain a proper waste disposal system. 

Mosquitoes are commonly seen in Europe during the hot period in summer, but surprisingly, they do not carry any disease like malaria. Doctors don’t agree with Africans when they complain of malaria because there is no place for mosquitoes to breed such sickness in Europe.

Waste can be divided into many different types. The most common methods of classification are by their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. 

Federal regulations classify waste into three categories. Non-hazardous materials are those that pose no immediate threat to human health and the environment. 

Household garbage is included in this category. Hazardous wastes are of two types. Those that have common characteristics, ignitability, or reactivity, and those that contain toxic components.

With the rapid increase in population, many methods of waste disposal came into existence, with landfill as the most common of all the methods. But this is the most cost-effective method of disposal. Refuse is also burned in incinerators. 

It is more expensive but a safer method of disposal than landfills. To avoid throwing away garbage indiscriminately, the government needs to come out with a scheme that would ensure the proper way of waste disposal to avoid floods due to the blockage of drainage systems within the country.

Refuse to recycle by sorting; it takes time, energy, labor, and money to make new products from recycled ones. 

Ghana is gradually climbing up from the slums of colonial infrastructure, but until it develops a modern method of improving its waste disposal and improving its drainage systems, please let’s help to keep the city clean. 

People found disposing of refuse and answering nature’s call indiscriminately must be arrested on the spot to pay a fine. These are some of the methods implemented by the European Parliament, and the plan has worked. 

Firstly, the cities are kept clean; secondly, the money goes into the government's coffers as a sort of tax-generating.

Joseph Hill: The reggae prophet who inspired peace

The great Joseph Hill of the group 'Culture.'

I have followed musicians for most of my life, but few have shaped my spirit the way Joseph Hill, the legendary lead singer of Culture, did. In the late 1970s, his lyrics struck me with a force I had never felt before. Among his many classics, one song changed my life completely: “Rally Round Jehovah’s Throne” from the album International Herb.

Its message guided me spiritually and placed my feet firmly on the right path. Joseph Hill was not a politician. He was a humble musician whose voice rose against injustice, corruption, discrimination, and the moral decay of society. 

Yet his influence reached farther than many world leaders ever achieved. His music carried truth, courage, and a prophetic tone that resonated across continents.

A Musician Who Loved Africa in Deeds, Not Just Words

Many artists sing about Africa, but few ever set foot on the continent. Joseph Hill was different. His love for Africa was not symbolic; it was lived. He visited several African nations, including Sierra Leone, even during times of war. His presence alone earned him recognition as a peace ambassador, not just a singer.

Joseph Hill Live

He toured war-torn regions, calling for unity and calm. During one of his visits to Sierra Leone, the rebels sent a chilling message to the head of state: “You should be glad Joe Hill is in the country, or we would destroy it within twenty-four hours.”

Such was the respect he commanded, a musician whose voice could silence guns.

A Conversation I Will Never Forget

In 2004, after his performance at the Pole Pole Festival in Gent, Belgium, I had the privilege of interviewing Joseph Hill. That conversation remains one of the most profound moments of my career. 

He told me, "Greed is the stumbling block that has denied peace between the Palestinians and the Israelites.”

He was the first reggae artist to perform a peace concert aimed at uniting Palestinians and Israelis. His courage was unmatched.

A Spiritual Presence on Stage

Seeing Joseph Hill live was a spiritual experience. Many believed he was a prophet, much like Bob Marley. On August 18, 2006, he arrived at the venue “Petrol” in Antwerp for a performance. 

I searched backstage for him but couldn’t find him. Suddenly, I heard his voice; he was already on stage. When I reached the front, I saw him performing with the same passion that made Culture legendary. 

However, something was different. 

His physical appearance had changed. He stood in one place, no longer dancing or kicking as he used to. He sang every song the fans requested, but he left the stage earlier than expected.

Backstage, I saw him walking with Albert Walker, one of Culture’s original members. Something held me back from speaking to him. I left the venue with a heavy heart.

At home, my wife noticed my sadness. I told her, “Joseph Hill is very sick. I fear he has completed the task God gave him on this earth.”

That night, I played Culture’s music for hours. My wife complained, but I couldn’t stop. Something in my spirit was unsettled.

By noon the next day, the news broke: Joseph Hill had died in Berlin, Germany.

A Loss That Can Never Be Replaced

His death was a shock to the reggae world and to everyone who loves peace, justice, and righteousness. The vacuum he left can never be filled.

Related post: Freed Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton stronger than before

He honored Bob Marley with Psalms of Bob Marley and called for global unity with World Peace. His music was not entertainment; it was a mission.

Joseph Hill was born on January 22, 1949, and passed away on August 19, 2006. He left behind his wife, Pauline, and his son, Kenyatta, who continues the Culture legacy.

Joseph Hill was truly a “Slice of Mount Zion.”

Everything in this world will pass away, but his music, his message, will remain forever. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Social and economic effects of teenage pregnancy

Unprotected sex quickly develops into pregnancy among teenagers


Teenage pregnancy has been a national phenomenon, affecting every country's economy, development, and educational sector. 


It was once thought to be a "Third World" problem, since poverty has been the main issue forcing underage girls to be mothers when they aren't ready in many poverty-stricken countries of Africa, South America, and Asia. 

But now it has been a major concern in Europe and even the United States of America.

The causes of teenage pregnancy vary considerably. For example, in Africa, young girls from rural areas who arrive in the cities to work or study without proper living conditions often end up in prostitution. 

Lack of education, without the awareness of dangers in sex, contributes to teenage pregnancy at a very fast rate.

In Asia, Africa, and in some developed countries, girls plagued by financial difficulties readily take men for money and, within a short period, become pregnant, and they bear the responsibilities alone if the men do not accept the responsibility. 

Some girls who have reached their puberty believe that up to a certain stage in life, abstinence from sex could lead them to mental instability; thus, they are compelled to go for boyfriends.

Teenage pregnancy has a great effect in many ways. For example, it is the main cause of population growth, which leads to unemployment and accommodation problems. 

In Africa, teenage pregnancy puts pressure on schools and hospitals. Since a teenage mother is not a fully adult, she and her child stand at risk because the mother's reproductive organs are not fully mature.

Measures: To arrest the incidence of teenage pregnancy, there is a need to intensify education on this issue at all levels. The old customs of chiefs and other royal leaders in Africa, marrying underage girls, must be abolished. 

Finally, governments must take the impregnation of underage girls as a serious offense.

Manu Dibango speaks to Joel Savage

Joel Savage and Manu Dibango


Manu Dibango is perhaps one of the world's best jazz saxophonists. A true international superstar, with a career starting from the '50s. At 15, he was sent to Paris to prepare for a professional career. 

He is a tireless globe-trotting musician. Last year, he played for hundreds of fans at the "Mano-Mundo festival" in Antwerp, and this year he was invited once again to play at the "Pole-pole festival" in Gent. Both cities are in Belgium. Now he speaks about his passion for music to me.

Joel: As an African musician, you have made such an enormous contribution to African music internationally. How do you feel about this achievement?

Manu: I'm glad I'm still in motion. I don't think of my past achievements. The most important thing is what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm happy that I did what I did. Thanks be to God.

Joel: In 1972, your hit "Soul Makossa" stormed the world. Since then, you have still been on the music scene. What keeps you moving all these years?

Manu: Passion "La passion." What I would want African youths to have is passion. If you have the passion, you can easily accept suffering, and when there is no passion, you have to try to cultivate it. If you can't do that, then you can really bring out the best of yourself.

Joel: In 1985, you raised funds for the famine-stricken Ethiopia through your "Tam-tams for Ethiopia project" with Mory Kante and others. What do you feel about the present situation in Ethiopia?

Manu: Well, talking about Ethiopia is like talking about the whole African continent. A month ago, we played against AIDS and famine. We also played in Dakar. It is not only the music that is playing an important role in this issue of problems affecting Africa, but the activities of doctors, sportsmen, and journalists are also helping in various ways.

Joel: According to an international music magazine I read recently, you and the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti are among the world's best saxophonists. How do you feel about this?

Manu: It's interesting to hear that. You know that one doesn't play music for hours just to pass. But you play music because you are in love with music, and luckily, if it happens that people like what I'm proposing, then I'm happy. 

Although music is a business, you don't start thinking of money from the initial stages when you are in music. First, you propose to the people what they want, and if they like it, then the money comes later.

Joel: Last year, I watched you playing at the Mano-Mundo festival when the frenzied crowd called for more songs. What was your experience at that moment?

Manu: Well, you can see that I'm still in motion. It happens that you share the music with the audience. That is the best happiness an artist can have. 

I'm not alone on stage but with a group of musicians. So the more the music is successful, the happier the audience feels about the music. It's the responsibility of an artist to make his or her fans happy. That is a proposition. I'm always talking about a proposition.

Joel: This question comes from one of your fans who lives in the United States of America. He said I must ask you the reason you do always play in Africa and Europe but not in the USA?

Manu: If they want me there, I will be there. I go to every country that wants Manu. I have management, and those who want me to play in contact with my management. I have played in Canada and some parts of South America. I lived in America for two years in the '70s. The most important thing is that they love my music.

Joel: This is another question from one of your fans. He said that when he was young, he heard that you sued Michael Jackson for using "Makossa" in his music without your permission. Is it true?

Manu: Yes, that is true. It is a long-time story from 1986. But the problem was solved a long time ago.

Joel: I believe that you are now in your seventies. What is the secret behind your fitness?

Manu: If I have a secret of what keeps me young, then definitely I'm going to sell it. (He laughed) I told you before. It's a passion.

Joel: In 1994, you released "The Rough Guide of Manu Dibango." What do you have in store for your numerous fans worldwide?

Manu: Well, at the moment I have a big band in France. The name is "Marabuti." We have big projects presently and in the future, and we are going to the studios probably in the autumn for recording.

Joel: Sir, thank you very much for this interview.

Manu: You are welcome.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Reggae-African-Music-ebook/dp/B013L9A1JQ/

Problems in Africa, are the leaders responsible?

Africa is far behind in development after independence


My hope and belief is that Africa can be a model for the world in finding a balance between the needs of the people and the needs of the world. 


Watching the hurricane disaster in New Orleans and the thousands of people left homeless and destitute in the United States of America, I began to imagine how blessed and privileged we are as Africans.

Many of the problems Africans are facing were caused by man. Poverty, hunger, HIV/Aids, malaria, disease, corruption, fraud, and poor governance are caused by human negligence. 

How do we explain the natural violence sweeping across the United States of America or Asia? Are there any lessons in all these for the world to learn, and most especially the Africans?

We are the cause of our suffering in Africa. Instead of the leaders addressing the problems affecting the countries, they are looking to the advanced world for help. 

What is the significance of the independence our past leaders fought for? African leaders have a responsibility on their shoulders. They should be reminded.

DEATH FOR SALE-THE KILLING INDULGENCE

When one becomes a slave to hard drugs, the result is terrible



Illicit drug consumption, production, and trafficking are on the ascendancy in many parts of the world. The effect of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and hashish is causing concern to society and governments throughout the world. 

The escalated trend in this illicit business has led to an increase in crime and other social ills.

On the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse, June 1994, it is estimated that at least 40 million people throughout the world regularly abuse drugs. 

The disastrous effect of the drug on mankind could be seen in Europe and America more than in Africa. But health magazines report on the gradual abuse of drugs in some parts of Africa today.

On almost every street in Europe, junkies are commonly seen. Especially in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, the effect of drug abuse has transformed able-bodied men into some fearful creatures. Some are gaunt at the edge of death. 

Others have lost their families and properties. Some are insane, leading them to permanent confinement in mental institutions.

Once hooked on drugs, they can't do without them. The more they use it, the more they want it. To satisfy their demand, junkies resort to stealing, committing serious crimes to lay their hands on anything that comes their way to raise money for drugs. 

It is for this reason that worldwide governments are fighting against drugs to bring good health to their citizens. But are they winning? The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, they say.

Despite previous and recent progress in arresting some pushers, the trade is still going on. The drug clan is one of the largest underworld groups, having links and networks all over. 

To fight against or reduce drug trafficking means to eliminate its roots and links. However, this hasn't been an easy task. 

The United States of America, with other world leaders, is trying to solve this social menace. Modern airports have been well equipped with computer detectors backed by sniffing dogs.

All these measures are just to prevent the smuggling of drugs across our borders, but what about what is already in the countries? Here, the press has an important role to play. Drug awareness lessons and campaigns are also possible ways to warn children about drugs. 

In fact, the campaign on drug abuse and its effect on society should be equal to the one on AIDS.

HOMES TELL WHAT WE ARE

Home cleaning builds both happiness and better health.


Very often, psychologists and psychiatrists have traced the cause of many of our present-day ailments to homes."Home sweet home," they say, but at times, dirty environments have made our present-day abode "Home miserable home."


Homes have straightforward stories to tell. The setup of our homes immediately conveys the message to a visitor about the nature and character of those dwelling there and the sort of training or life being acquired from it. 

Truly, the life and character of a person can easily be determined from the home he or she was raised in.

It is often said, "Never judge a man by his appearance but by his innermost heart that could reveal who he is." Again, "It is not the beauty of the dress a woman wears that makes her a lady, but an examination of her character would show who she really is." 

It is very common and part of our daily lives to see beautiful ladies and gentlemen in town and in the offices.

The perfume they wear adds a sweet charm to their personalities with sweet charm. However, by chance, some of these glamorous workers invite you to their homes; you may not like to go there again when given another invitation. 

One's refusal to visit the house again does not mean that he or she hates the friend who invited him to the house, but the filth he or she wasn't expecting might have put him off.

In the lives of people, many things happen without knowing the cause. Let's take, for example, someone's girlfriend or boyfriend who does not seem to have a real place in his or her heart, so dates turn out to be disappointments. 

When these disappointments occur, it may turn out that the partner does not like something about the other, especially about his or her home.

This is where the importance of an ideal home and cleanliness comes in. The ideal home has brought comfort, happiness, and understanding to many people who face unfavorable conditions outside his or her home. 

An ideal home does not mean money or luxury, but a simple, comfortable, and airy home free from filth. How can this be achieved? The cleaning of dirt every day at our homes makes the old furniture look brighter. 

A clean environment could be created by properly disposing of refuse; then the "Home miserable home" would surely be "Home sweet home."