I Love My Slum!!!!

What is the attraction to slum dwelling? In Mumbai, India the government has offered to relocate dwellers to brand new apartments across town, so that the land they are on can be used to construct residential and commercial properties. But residents of the Dharavi slum do not want to leave.

What is interesting is that this is a common response around the world, even in America. My personal experience of this happened in St. Petersburg, Florida. When city and federal officials wanted to tear down half of the buildings in the largest low income housing projects in the region. They offered to relocate the affected residents to brand new apartments. This was done due to the rampant violence and drug trafficking that was taking place in the area. It was determined that the area was overpopulated and too difficult for police officers to patrol. In response, some residents took up a petition and attempted to get the housing projects listed as a historic site, thus protecting it from being destroyed.

I was shocked that people would work so hard to maintain an obviously dysfunctional neighborhood that was riddled with crime. This is especially the case being that no one living there had any ownership rights there. They are all renters. So what is the attachment? Some of them have had their families there for generations. But is that really something to be proud of? That your family has been living off of government assistance programs for generations?

In India, there are more realistic concerns. Many of the residents run businesses out of their homes and the apartments that are being offered are too small to continue this practice. The second thing that is very troubling is that only residents that have lived in the slum since 1995 are eligible for the new apartments. That leaves 10 years of new residents homeless. Where are all of these people supposed to go? I guess they will be relocated to another slum sitting on less valuable land.

You can read more about the slum relocation issues here.

All-Female Unit

Came across an article in the Christian Science Monitor about and an all female U.N. peace keeping unit that is active in Liberia. It is an interesting read addressing the recent rape allegations that have been brought up agaisnt members of U.N. forces. The hope is that this female unit will raise the respect of women in countries that often see women as second class citiizens. They also hope to inspire some women to apply to become police officers in their communities. It was interesting to read that having a higher education was a requirement to be a police officer in Liberia. This puts women at a disadvantage because it is custom is some areas that a family's money is spent on sending young boys to school not girls. It is also great to hear that Liberia has implemented an accelerated education program for women who missed out on an education as children. This is definitely a program that should be duplicated for both men and women across Africa. The full article is available by clicking here.

Illegal Guns Burned

A report out of Kenya stated that the government burnt 8,000 illegal guns that were confiscated. I think this is a great practice that all countries need to develop. I have supported this idea since it was reported that thousands of guns that were confiscated by the Miami-Dade police department (in Miami, FL USA) had found their way down to South America and were being used by guerrilla forces. So the police department was unintentionally supporting armed conflict in other countries.
I came to the conclusion at that time that when guns were confiscated by the police after processing has been completed, these guns should be destroyed. This would prevent the possibility for them to ever be used illegally again. What would be even better is if the gun metal could be recycled and for something useful. There currently seems to be a revolving door of guns, where some police departments collect guns and then auction them off to gun dealers. These gun dealers just turn around and put these guns right back on the street, or even worse, send guns to countries that are suffering from civil war, terrorism or other armed conflict.
For those who think that this idea is anti-gun rights, I would do have an argument. By taking illegal guns off the street it actually benefits gun manufacturers. When people can't buy illegal guns, they are forced to buy the new guns that are currently coming off the assembly line. So both the citizens and the gun manufacturers benefit from this process.
It is possible that this is already taken place somewhere, and I am just not aware of it. But there definitely needs to be an international effort to take illegal guns off of the market permanently. Congratulations to Kenya for taking a huge step in the right direction. You can read the article here.

Russel Simmons in Africa Discussing Diamond Industry

"Bling'd" A Great Documentary

I just watched a great documentary last night. "Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds, & Hip Hop"
This film featured some hip hop artist taking a trip to Sierra Leone to see first hand the results of civil wars that have been funded by the selling of "blood diamonds." Included in the trip were Raekwon of the Wu Tang Clan, Paul Wall, and Tego Calderon. Other artist contributed commentary on why diamonds seem to be so important to the hip hop community.
The artist travel to Freetown to visit diamond mines and see the conditions miners are forced to work in. They also travel to an amputee camp to visit the victims of the long civil war. The film is very disturbing and you can tell that the artist had a hard time dealing with what they were witnessing. Raekwon had to be talked into getting off the bus and spending time with the amputees.
There were so many issues that were touched in this documentary you could probably dedicate 10 blogs to address each one full time. But I will try to address a few of them here.
It is incredible that with all of the diamonds available in the country that none of the miners had any idea how to polish or cut a diamond. In fact, they looked amazed when they saw the jewelry of the rap artist. It seemed like they had never seen the end product of their hard labor. My immediate response was saying to myself, that is the key. These Africans need to be trained how to cut and polish their own diamonds so they can get more money for the stones that they find. Basically cutting out the middle man. Of course this isn't in the best interest of many people in the diamond industry so it will take a lot to make this happen. Reminds you of slavery in the Americas when the slave master didn't want the slaves to learn how to read. Now, they don't want them to learn how to cut and polish stones.
The second issue that came up was the hip hip mogul Russel Simmons. A few of months ago Russel Simmons did a media tour repeatedly stating that the diamond industry is fair. Posting his trip to Africa on youtube.com ( I will post a clip Soon),he often shared how diamond manufacturers were investing their profits back into Africa. But he never visited Sierra Leone or even addressed the issues face there. He was happy to stay in South Africa and Botswana. Even stating that he was considering opening his own diamond company whose profits would go into economic development. After watching this documentary, it really makes you to start to question his motives at the time. When he first made these statements on how good the diamonds industry was, many detractors stated that he was being used as a pawn to distract people form the uproar that would be caused by the movie "Blood Diamonds" that was being released. At the time, I gave him the benefit of the doubt that his intentions were pure. Now, the only question is was Mr. Simmons a willing participant in this media manipulation, or was he simply ignorant to the realities of the situation.
When visiting the VH1 page regarding this film they suggest you support the people of Sierra Leone by donating to the Bombai Bling Foundation. If you click on the link, you are taken to a page that is under construction that isn't scheduled to be completed until May 2007. No information is given of what this foundation does, but I will be following it and be posting updates. There is so much more that can be written and I most likely will in the near future. I would definitely recommend you see this film. It is a real eye opener.

Digital Dump in Nigeria

Interesting short clip on where computers end up when we throw them away.

Technorati Profile

The Locusts Look Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!

Dog for Dinner!

Senan Murray has writen an article expressing the high damand for dog meat in certain parts of Nigeria. He sprinkles the article with many superstitions that surround the eating of dog meat that exist in the country. Some believe that eating dog meat can cure malaria, for example. Most agree that it is a great tasting dish.
This is interesting becuase I have often wondered why more domesticated animals have not been used for sources of food in certain regions of the world. Dog meat is a common dish in China, but these Nigerians are written about as if the idea is completely absurd. With pet populations out of control in certain parts of the world, wouldn't using these animals as a source of food be a wise choice? This is especially the case when you look at the alternatives. Right now, the United States of America puts thousands of stray dogs and cats to sleep because there is no one to take care of them. In Australia, organized kill offs are scheduled to keep wild animal populations in check. In these cases the animal bodies are simply buried. This is the case when there are millions of malnourished people across the world that dream of the day when they will be able to taste meat.
I also recently read an article that told the story of North Korean officials who bought several giant rabbits from a breeder. This was done so they could research the possiblities of turning them into a new food source.
It is easy for citizens of the west to turn their noses up at the idea of eating dog meat. But for those regions who dont have many options for meat, I really think this is a great option.
Just some food for thought!!!
You can read the article by clicking here.

Life in A Kenyan Slum

Hannah in Australia referred this video to me to show how life is for residents in a Kenyan slum. The video gives you clear insight into what people face everyday. Thank you Hannah

Congratulations!!!!! I Guess?

Let me start out by saying this article might be completely bias because I am a huge fan of Jay-Z. For those of you who don't know, Jay-Z is an American hip hop star. It was announced that he has sold the rights to his clothing line Rocawear to Iconix Branding Group. It is being reported that the deal will pay Jay-Z $200 million upfront.
Although it is sad to hear that another black company has been sold, it is good to hear that an African American entrepreneur is making major moves in any industry.
So congratulations are in order!!! And if you are reading this and you have an opening on your team. HIT ME UP!!!!!!!!!
You can read more here.

(RED) Campaign Off To A Bad Start

Well, I have already written about the ridiculous $300 shoes that Bono would like people to buy in order to contribute to charity through his (RED)campaign. Even though less than $20 actually goes to charity. It has now come out that the campaign has spent close to $100 million in just marketing cost. On top of that, the charity has only been able to bring in a meager $18 million dollars. If this isn't a waste I don't know what is. Sounds like Bono is going to have to come out and do some damage control for this. The whole concept of the line just sounds off. The idea that people are expected to pay more money for clothes than usual, but only a small percentage of the extra money actually goes to the charity, the rest is kept by the company. So instead of billion dollar corporations donating a part of their proceeds to charity, they are actually making more profit off of their gullible customers.
Granted, after seeing Bono on Oprah I ran out to by a (RED) t-shirt. Luckily for me the Gap store that I went to didn't have any in stock. You can read more about the short comings of the (RED) campaign here.

Moving in the Right Direction

The BBC has done a great series about the Black Economic Empowerment initiative in South Africa. Over 15 years after the release of Nelson Mandela, black South Africans are seeing the benefits of black majority rule. Most of the articles feature stories regarding the development of the new black middle class. With all of the negative news that gets presented from the continent, it is refreshing for a news organization to focus on the positive steps South Africa is taking to reverse the lagging effects of apartheid. Steps have been implemented to provide financing for homes and businesses. Rules have been enforced to increase the use of black employees and manufacturers in the supply chain. There is also a lot of effort being invested in the training of black people in skilled trades that were once monopolized by their white counter parts.
The only surprising thing about this program is that many people outside the country have never heard of it. The program states that they encourage corporate and social investment into black communities, but there doesnt seem to be any effort to raise foreign investment. I am sure there are many organizations from across the world that would be more than happy to invest in this new emerging market of middle class black Africans.
South Africa stands as a more stable model of economic transition than the drastic steps and tragic results caused by the land grab in Zimbabwe. Although there are many South Africans who argue that this transition has been too slow and not enough. I am sure when compared with their couterparts to the north, they will be content with what they have.
To read more you can click here.

Profile: Tavis Smiley

With the recent televising of the now annual State of the Black Union address. I thought this would be an opportune time to acknowledge the work that Tavis Smiley has put out over the last few years.
I personally have been a fan of Mr. Smiley for several years. I was introduced to him, like most people, when he was the late night talk show host on BET. The show covered a wide range of topics within the black community. His strong fan base was very apparent with the outrage that came with the announcement that he was being relieved of his duties at the station. This announcement came shortly after the announcement that BET was being bought by the corporation Viacom. At the time BET founder, Robert Johnson was forced to do some damage control stating that Smiley would have been released whether the deal with Viacom had gone thru or not.
Since then Tavis has had a run as a radio show host on NPR. The show ended due to differences with the station. If you are interested in hearing Smiley's version of the story you can click here.

He has since had his television show picked up by PBS.

I have to admit I am not as much of a fan of this new show. In my humble opinion, this new show really lacks the personality, energy, and hard hitting questions that his previous television show had. Working for the likes of NPR and PBS can sap the flavor out of any man. I actually find the show hard to watch. Even with one of the most well rounded guest list of any show on television, every interview just puts me to sleep. There are no hard hitting questions, nothing that would catch anyone off guard. If a guest avoids answering a question, Tavis doesn't push the issue. It is just a very "safe" show. I recently tuned in to catch an interview with Bill Maher, the political comedian. It was the most lackluster interview I have ever seen of Bill Maher.

That being said, I can't reasonably expect every show on television to cater to me. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who are fans of the toned down Tavis.

Luckily for those out there like me, Tavis has not rested on just the success of his television show. With the State of Black Union address he brings together politicians, academics, and social leaders together in one setting to discuss social issues facing the African American community. He has also been able to get panel discussions of this event aired on C-SPAN, so people from all over the world can be inspired by these great thinkers. In 2006, Smiley took the steps to go from talk to action by creating the "Covenant with Black America." The covenant address specific issues within the community from healthcare to technology.

Tavis Smiley should definitely be applauded for his work in uplifting his community. There will be more posting in the future giving further detail on his continued contributions. If you would like to read more about the Covenant with Black America you can click here.

And I Thought Only The US Had Sex Scandals

A senior minister in the presidential office of Liberia, Willis Knucles, has resigned after photos were released showing him in a sexual situation with two women.
Neither of whom were his wife. Without admitting guilt, he has apologized to his family and the country. My only question is, who took the picture? If you dont believe me you can click here.

It Appears That Senegal Isnt the Only One Being Raped

While going through my links, I just happened to come across a second article about the exact same company's (Arcelor Mittal)business practices in Liberia. It turns out that this company signed a contract with Liberia's interim government. The problem with the deal is that the contract allows Arcelor Mittal to opt out of Liberian laws that govern human rights and environmental standards. They also will not be required to pay taxes for the first five years of the contract. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has stated that she will be reviewing the contract to confirm if the terms are appropriate. You can read more here.

Another African Country Agrees to be Raped

One of the largest steel making companies in the world is set to begin a mining project in the country of Senegal. Arcelor Mittal is said to invest $2.2 billion into the project. This money will go into the construction of a brand new mine, a new port, and railway connecting the two. Production is scheduled to begin in 2011.
So what is Senegal getting out of this relationship. Arcelor Mittal has stated that they expect to extract 15 -25 million tons of iron each year which will be shipped primarily to Europe. The details on the project have not been released at this time. This seem to be another case where investors are interested in only stripping African countries of their natural resources and not in investing in the people of the continent. Billions of dollars annually are invested to extract resources from Africa, but when investment is requested for infrastructure such as electricity, phone/internet systems, water/sewage systems, etc, the money always comes up short. You can read more about this new "investment" in Africa here.

Kenyan Coffee On the Way

Starbucks, the international coffee retailer, has just announced its plans to brand and sell Kenyan coffee to the world market. This is great news to the coffee farmers of Kenya. Starbucks has made a commitment to pay for the coffee at preferential prices as long as the farmers commit themselves to standard practices to ensure the quality of the coffee beans. Starbucks already sells lines of coffee beans from Rwanda and Ethiopia that have received a great response from customers. In my local Starbucks here in Manhattan,NY, a bag of these specialty beans can go for $12. Online 12 ounces of these coffee beans start at $9.00. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a wonderful relationship. You can read more about this new addition to the Starbucks line here. If you would like to order your own bag directly from Starbucks, you can click here to see their online store.

$300 Shoes for Charity

Am I the only person that finds it odd that Converse shoe company is selling their (RED) line mudcloth shoe for $300? What is even more disturbing is that only 10% of the net wholesale price will be donated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. So the obvious first question is, where is the other 90% of the net price going to. If people are supposed to be encouraged to buy this product for charity can we please get a better break down of where the money is going to. Basically, Converse is asking people to buy $300 shoes so that they will donate $20 to a worthy cause. I am sure the management at Converse can find more efficient ways to support the world's less fortunate.

Part 2

Jefferey Sachs schools Angelina

I have gotten desperate for material, so I am posting this documentary from MTV about relieving extreme property.

SPONSOR A DAMN CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, reading any article about the wealth gap in the world (see the previous entry) has increasingly tempted me to donate to a charity or sponsor a child. I havent yet, but I would have if the members of a particular organization's street marketing team werent so amazingly annoying. I know I can not stand alone in feeling that the people who stand on the sidewalks of Manhatten harrassing people to sponsor a child are some of the most annoying people in the city. Let me breakdown exactly why I do not like these people. (Note: I am aware that this post does not fit into my normally positive and objective blog entries, but I need to get this off of my chest.) Now I will not name the organization at fault because I am pretty sure they are not the only organization that uses this type of guerrilla marketing to meet their objectives.
Anyway, the first problem I have with them is that they dont ask everyone if they would like to sponsor a child. They pick and choose what individual walking down the street they will jump out in front of and say "Hey, just give me minute of your time to save the life of a child!" Now, the reason I have a huge problem with this is because whether it is a charity, salesman or conartist its as if they are saying to me "Hey, of everyone walking down this sidewalk today you look like the sucker that will buy into my sob story!" Obviosly I am personally offended, was I looking a little too friendly today, or do I just have the face of a mark?
My second issue is that their one minute speech never takes one minute, and they really arent very concerned that you may be late for work as they go into ridiculous detail on how YOU can help these poor helpless children. Now, I will share a short true story, a very homely looking girl tracked me down on the way back from lunch and asked me a question. She asked, "How much a month do you think it would cost to pay for medical insurance, food, and school supplies for a child in a third world country?" My reply was "I don't know, $5?" She responded by yelling, " WHAT!!, Are you smoking crack!! How could you do all of those things for $5 a month!?!?!?!" Which basically made me want to walk away as quickly as possible. She went on to inform me of the "obvious" answer, which was $30/month
Now my third issue is what ended my conversation the last time I was approached by one of these reps. I was ready to sponsor my child and all I needed to know was where do I sign up. That is when she informed me that she would need my credit card or bank account number. Um, no. I don't think so. There just isn't any way I am going to give my credit card number or bank number to someone I just met on the street 1 minute ago. So, not taking no for an answer she showed me her driver's license so maybe I could use her name and face to track her down if she stole my money. I am sorry, there are just to many scams to be giving my account information to people out on the street.
Which brings me to the last problem I have with these people (for right now, there may be more later). I asked if its possible that I take the application home with me and mail it to the corporate office or if I can go online to fill out the application. The answer is always no. They can always come up with several excuses why it wouldn't be smart to do it any other way than to sign up with them on the street. I have heard "80% of applications we give out are never returned so it doesnt make sense for me to give you an application to take home." Which makes me wonder, isn't saving the life of a child worth the 20% chance that someone would return the application. I have also heard, "The children on the website are different from the ones I am trying to get sponsored, only children new to the program are posted on the internet, so I represent the kids that keep getting pushed back and forgotten about." The insistence that the application be filled out with them, just oozes selfish motives. If it is really the kids you are worried about, does it really matter who gets credit for the application.

So, now that I have completed my rant, I am currently surfing online gathering information so I can decide which organization I will be sponsoring my child through. I am currently leaning toward an organization that allows you to sponsor an entire family as opposed to just one child.

If I have to say anything these street marketers did convince me that there were things I can do to help right now. They have suscceeded in motivating me to "sponsor a damn child."

If you have $2,200 you are RICH!!!!!!!

A global study found that if you have a personal wealth of $2,200 you are currently in the top half of the world's wealthiest people. You are in the top 10% by just holding $61,000 in assets. Really makes you stop and think about our priorities. Over 3 billion people live on less than $2 a day. Really puts things in perspective. Read more here.

Positive Development in SA

Well at least good news for the government of South Africa. De Beers diamond company has agreed to help create a black-run diamond producing firm. The firm will most likely be run by Alexkor, a state run company. The deal is scheduled to be completed by 2008. Click here to read more.

New Uses for Your Manure

I have a strong interest in the recycling of waste. In my humble opinion the use of recycled material is one of the best ways to sustainably develop third world countries. It is amazing how many tons of material are simply buried or incinerated in developed countries that could be used in construction, consumer goods, or art in poorer countries. I came across an article today that announced the success of a Michigan State research team. They were able to convert animal manure into wood board. Their study finds that this wood board is of a higher quality than the standard particleboard wood often used in construction, floors, and shelving. This directly addresses the issue American livestock farmers are having in processing the hundreds of tons of manure that is produced every year. In the book, "101 Reasons Why I Am A Vegetarian", by Pamela Rice ( a great read), she addresses how the replacement of a large number of small farms by a small number of megafarms have led to a increasingly difficult problem of removing animal waste. She states that the increased number of animals using a reduced anount of land limits the area farmers have to spread the maure across. A large amount of waste finds its way into America's waterways eventually contaminating drinking water. To read more on this article you can click here.

The Problem with NGO's

Does Economic Aid Hurt Africa?

Came across an article written in 2005 that interviews a Kenyan who argues that international economic aid actually hurts Africa more than it helps. His arguments include that economic aid has a negative effect because, "Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need." You can read the rest of the article here. The idea of immediately suspending international aid to Africa sounds a bit extreme. But a gradual reduction of aid is reasonable. Isn't the oringinal purpose of aid to sustain a country until they can get back on their feet? So what is the long range goal of the international donor community, and what date have they set for Africa to be able to stand on its own?

Recognition for Postive Work

Over the next few months I will be be posting links to non-profit organizations that appear to be doing great work around the globe. This is by no means an endorsement as I have no personal connection to these organizations. This is just to bring attention to some of the organizations and mission statements that are out there. If anyone would like to have their organization acknowledged or has an opinion regarding any of the organizations that are posted, please feel free to forward me your comments. Today I ran across the GEANCO Foundation, an organization committed to building medical, educational, and athletic facilities in Nigeria. It was created by Dr. Godwin Onyema, and I think it is worth a look.

Interesting Economic Development Clip

Slums of Kenya

This article by Joyce Malama reviews the new UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon's, first visit to Kenya's largest slum, Kiberia. With insights such as "He could not have missed the tightly-tied polythene bags on every roof: some bags have burst open revealing its contents - human excreta. Flies buzz all around what have come to be known as "flying toilets". In the absence of toilets, people defecate in bags and throw them as far as they can, on to other people's roofs and homes," it is a in your face article that questions why it has taken so long for the international community to respond to the plight of these communities.

Is Help On The Way?

This article announces to the world that China is not the only country interested in investing in Africa's resources. As many people have commented, Europe and America have had plenty of time to help Africa and have been unsuccessful. Maybe the introduction of some new power players can help the countries of Africa jump start their economies. Competition is capitalism at its best. Check out this article from allafrica.com

Debating Crime in SA

Ok, I have finally motivated myself to add something to this fledgling blog. This a surprisingly interesting piece ( atleast to me) by BBC regarding the dabate on what is the best way for businesses to address the high crime rate in South Africa. So, who is really to blame for the high crime rate? Can you continue to blame the effects of aparteid for the current state of affairs in South Africa. And if you can, how long can this excuse be used before citizens take complete responsiblity for the state of their communities. Why does a bank need to motivate citizens to voice their opinions to the government? Or is it the governments fault for not acting on its own. The high crime rate is not a secret to anyone, why does the government need to be convinced to act. I will let you read the article to come to you own conclusions.