After a little prodding from close quarters, i am now convinced to keep this Blog, share my day to day experiences, in my quest to seek, find and do what is for the Greater Glory of God, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam.From work, travel, study, current affairs...all my impressions of the world around me and far beyond will be here. And i hope, with a bit of luck, to keep it alive and updated!
How often do you get to experience a great live concert, inside the United Nations plenary assembly hall in New York? Well, i had the honour to be in the house when Nigerian songstress, Yemi Alade, gave a beautiful performance, as part of the official opening ceremony of the SDG Action weekend in September 2023.
The world is way off target in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations convened the SDG Action weekend and the SDG Summit in 2023, to emphasize the urgency and galvanize action.
Will the world succeed to realize the goals ahead of 2030? In the meantime, enjoy the music!
Just a few hours before the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, who takes the name Pope Francis, this article offering an African Perspective on the Next Pope, was published in the 'Millenial'.
'Millenial' is a project of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good –
an online journal and blog that provides world-class Catholic opinion
and analysis on the most pressing issues of our times in politics,
religion, and culture. It aims to move beyond partisan and ideological
divisions, bringing together all those who support the global common
good and the worth and dignity of the human person.
It will be interesting to see how this perspective matches up!
A few days ago,i was deeply honoured to be interviewed by William L. Patenaude, a Catholic Ecologist who live and works in the state of Rhode Island in the United States of America.
William (or Bill), is a committed Catholic Ecologist-an environmental engineer who holds a Master of Arts in Theology- a man who loves the Church and is keen to promote care for creation. William writes widely and has a new book, "Catholic Ecology in Orthodoxy, a Culture of Life, and the New Evangelization.", coming soon!
Mr. William Patenaude
Below is his introduction to the e-interview; please click here to re-direct to the full interview on his blog: Catholic Ecology. Thank you Bill for your help with making the efforts of CYNESA known across the US and the world! Asante sana!
Allen Ottaro of Kenya is Executive Director of Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa.
At 28, he’s traveled and done more than many twice his age. Allen (or
Al, as his friends call him) is the face of the African continent’s
future—a future of thriving economies and cultures as well as the
preservation of its
identity, its abundant natural, beautiful resources, and its soul.
Al is a true Catholic ecologist. Because he was kind enough to share
some of his thoughts and experiences, I am delighted to share them with you. [Update (December 4): The following interview takes on even
more value given recent statements by Bishop Bernard Kasanda of
Mbuji-Mayi in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Bishop Kasanda has condemned the international community for failing to
react to unrest and invasions caused by factions seeking control of mineral and oil resources. Read here for more.]
Something that might be deemed 'strange' happened at the just concluded African Union summit, last Sunday. South Africa's Home Affairs minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, was elected after four rounds of voting, the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission, defeating incumbent Dr. Jean Ping of Gabon.
Dr.Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Her election went against the tide for two reasons: the 'voters', were African heads of state and government-an entirely male club, save for Presidents Joyce Banda and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Malawi and Liberia respectively. That Dr. Dlamini-Zuma got these fellows to back her is impressive. Secondly, the AU has laboured to adhere to the so called 'gentleman's agreement' pitting the large AU nations versus their smaller counterparts. In this arrangement, the former were required to 'leave' the AU posts for the latter. This card did not work for Dr.Ping this time round, when South Africa decided that all countries are 'equal' and campaigned hard for its candidate. It seems the other nations concurred by voting in Dr.Dlamini-Zuma. Lastly, the Anglophone-Francophone divide reared its ugly head once again at the continental governance level. South Africa was accused of dividing the continent along language lines. Never mind that English and French are not native to any of the AU member states. Dr. Dlamini-Zuma was quick and smart enough in her rejoinder, stating that she is not 'Anglophone' but Zulu! This for me, was the knock-out punch! Intriguingly, the host, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, missed this AU summit for the first time, nursing ill-health in a Brussels hospital. I can only speculate as to whether his absence was a good omen to Dr. Dlamini-Zuma's election prospects!
Away from the politics and more importantly, a crop of African women leaders is set to shape the destiny and political discourse of the continent.Not many weeks ago, Ms. Fatou Bensouda from Gambia, was elected as the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), succeeding Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo. She becomes only the second prosecutor in the history of the ICC, which has been labeled by some African statesmen (including former AU chair, Dr.Ping), as being 'an African Criminal Court'. It will be interesting, therefore, to see how the relationship between Ms. Bensouda and Dr. Dlamini-Zuma evolves, as the two institutions interact.
Ms. Fatou Bensouda; ICC Prosecutor.
I already mentioned Mrs. Joyce Banda, President of Malawi and her opposite number in Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. In Kenya, Martha Karua is putting up what is promising to be a bruising battle for the presidency, in a male dominated battle-ground. The boys are running scared!
Early in his tenure, the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, picked Tanzanian, Asha Rose Migiro, to be his number two.
I am sure i am missing quite a number of other African women who are taking the continent and the world by storm. Most memorable though, is the competitiveness that Nigerian Finance minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, brought to the race for the World Bank presidency.
Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Again, the United States and the European Union have some sort of deal, that ensures an American and a European always sit at the helm of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund respectively. Still, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, a former World Bank managing director, put up a strong bid for the job, that eventually went to Obama's nominee, Dr. Jim Yong Kim.
I have a strong vibe that we will be hearing from and seeing a lot more African women on the continental and world stage during this decade.
Africans have reason to look forward to brighter days to come and to salute the African woman!
I have been reading blogs about Africa these past weeks. However, none of the reads have been as original and refreshing (as well as concrete!), as two interviews given by two Jesuits; the provincial of Eastern Africa, Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator and the Superior General, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas.
Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator,SJ : Good News for Africa
