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Re-branding Africa.
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29-05-2012 12:46AM#1I can't sleep (this is not relevant to the rest of the post so I don't know why it is here).
It was Africa day the other day but I was unable to attend any events because I am holed up at home with a leg injury, so I figured I would organise my own celebration and what better place to do it than in AHs.
I have read loads of threads and posts on Africa and what I took away from them is that a lot of people on boards don't really know much about Africa and an even bigger number just don't care.I know this is AH so my expectations are relatively realistic but I just wanted to invite all the other Africans on boards and any other persons foreign to Ireland to challenge what they feel are unfair or ignorant perspectives on here or simply share random interesting and or educational facts/anecdotes about their homelands.
I'll start: I am Rwandan. It's a little country in East Africa that's the size of Wales. It is breathtakingly bee-you-ti-ful: lolling hills literally everywhere, lakes and a lush green landscape. We may be a tiny country but we make a lot of noise (not literally)-very similar to Ireland in that respect. The first thing people always ask me is if it is safe now after our 'troubles' and my response is the same- it is one of the safest places and this is said entirely without bias (okay, maybe a little).
Random fact: Until the dutch overtook us in the Guinness book of world records, my tribe were the tallest people in the world.
Another random fact: Every last Saturday of the month, between 7 and noon, we clean our respective neighbourhoods- planting trees, cutting tall grass, weeding, removing trash etc. It is the responsibility of every able-bodied Rwandan. It's called 'umuganda'.
And another: Benefit packages for most civil servants include gym memberships which I find ridiculous but even weirder still is that Friday afternoons are for sports (government edict). Of course, being the party people that we are, the bars on Friday afternoons are filled with people wearing sports outfits. 79
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Itwasntme. wrote: »I can't sleep (this is not relevant to the rest of the post so I don't know why it is here).
It was Africa day the other day but I was unable to attend any events because I am holed up at home with a leg injury, so I figured I would organise my own celebration and what better place to do it than in AHs.
I have read loads of threads and posts on Africa and what I took away from them is that a lot of people on boards don't really know much about Africa and an even bigger number just don't care.I know this is AH so my expectations are relatively realistic but I just wanted to invite all the other Africans on boards and any other persons foreign to Ireland to challenge what they feel are unfair or ignorant perspectives on here or simply share random interesting and or educational facts/anecdotes about their homelands.
I'll start: I am Rwandan. It's a little country in East Africa that's the size of Wales. It is breathtakingly bee-you-ti-ful: lolling hills literally everywhere, lakes and a lush green landscape. We may be a tiny country but we make a lot of noise (not literally)-very similar to Ireland in that respect. The first thing people always ask me is if it is safe now after our 'troubles' and my response is the same- it is one of the safest places and this is said entirely without bias (okay, maybe a little).
Random fact: Until the dutch overtook us in the Guinness book of world records, my tribe were the tallest people in the world.
i love how africa day was mostly white irish people and political gob****es like the KONY 2012 supports...
dont get me wrong, africa's a lovely yet troubled place ( in more ways then war as mentioned ) but come on, its a day for you and other africans to celebrate not our wannabe upperclass elitists.0 -
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Battered Mars Bar wrote: »Never mind your tribe OP, what height are you?
Sure my peoples are suppose to be the ugliest and...er, well...
I am average height myself. 5"7 and a half or thereabouts. I am also the shortest person in my family. My brothers are 6"6, 6"5 and 6"4. Both my parents are taller than I am as well. I should probably ask my mom for my birth certificate just to be sure. 0 -
Itwasntme. wrote: »Random fact: Until the dutch overtook us in the Guinness book of world records, my tribe were the tallest people in the world.
I think you'll make a good full-forward
Recover from the leg injury and then head over to the GAA forumItwasntme. wrote: »I am average height myself. 5"7 and a half or thereabouts. I am also the shortest person in my family. My brothers are 6"6, 6"5 and 6"4. Both my parents are taller than I am as well. I should probably ask my mom for my to for my birth certificate just to be sure.
Ah this is no good
We'll stick you as wing-back so
Your brothers have potential though!0 -
Any African music I've heard is pretty ****ing good. Not sure which countries it's from though. Congo could be one I think.
Aye, love this stuff.
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I think you'll make a good full-forward
Recover from the leg injury and then head over to the GAA forum
Ah this is no good
We'll stick you as wing-back so
Your brothers have potential though!
Unless the GAA supports scrabble, I am afraid I am totally useless as an athlete. I am one of those people who has to touch their hands to tell left and right.
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id love to spend a year somewhere warm,and Africa always pops to my mind,but when reading info online it seems that whole country is trying to eat or kill you in some sort of way,the malaria ,Cece fly's,lack of clean water,also cities ridden with corruption drugs and war zones,read somewhere that a guy was traveling trough Nigeria i think it was and he said the bodies were rotting away on the streets,because if you report a casualty you have to pay the burial fees :cool: .would be interesting to know whats the opinion on the white people over there nowadays,as many say Africans are friendly and always help out but,most believe if a white person is over there then he is rich and everybody sees him as a target or someone who tries to exploit them.So anyone have any experiences to share,i know what i said cannot be applied to the whole continent so dont take it to heart . 0
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Rwanda is a fantastic country. Spent some time working all over the country in 1999/2000 and loved it and the people. I got kidnapped by blokes with guns outside that big nightclub in Kigali (I forget its name but it had no roof and they stamped your hand with ultraviolet ink) but they let me go and even drove me back to the nightclub when they realised I was Irish
Worked in Kigali and surrounding areas and also Gitarama, Ruhengeri, Butari and some other places there I can't remember at the moment (humanitarian).
Lovely place, lovely people.0 -
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id love to spend a year somewhere warm,and Africa always pops to my mind,but when reading info online it seems that whole country is trying to eat or kill you in some sort of way,the malaria ,Cece fly's,lack of clean water,also cities ridden with corruption drugs and war zones,read somewhere that a guy was traveling trough Nigeria i think it was and he said the bodies were rotting away on the streets,because if you report a casualty you have to pay the burial fees :cool: .would be interesting to know whats the opinion on the white people over there nowadays,as many say Africans are friendly and always help out but,most believe if a white person is over there then he is rich and everybody sees him as a target or someone who tries to exploit them.So anyone have any experiences to share,i know what i said cannot be applied to the whole continent so dont take it to heart .
First, you're quite self aware if your name is anything to go by. :P Second, I laughed out loud at the bit in bold. It conjured up images of white men on boats sailing to the 'dark continent', scared witless of the being killed or eaten.
In response to your question, the continent is so diverse that I can only speak for the part of it that I know which would be East Africa. East Africa comprises: Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea. I have lived and been to most of these countries and have friends and relatives in all and apart from Somalia, I consider them safer than Dublin.The Africa I read about in the news would scare me too but that is not the Africa that I know. The Africa I know is friendly to foreigners, warm and full of character. There's widespread poverty of course but people are also happier than the majority of people I have encountered in the west. Yes, it is assumed that white people are rich but that because to many of the people, you ARE rich. You are under no obligation to give anyone anything. You will find that people in Africa, even the very poor will be willing to share whatever they have which is probably why they expect someone they assume to have more to do the same.
Rwanda in particular is very welcoming to foreigners. In fact, many of my white friends in Rwanda who came to visit or work ended up staying and have been there for years.
I am not saying nothing bad will ever happen to you- I am saying that you would be as safe there as you would in Dublin if not safer.0 -
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Rwanda is a fantastic country. Spent some time working all over the country in 1999/2000 and loved it and the people. I got kidnapped by blokes with guns outside that big nightclub in Kigali (I forget its name but it had no roof and they stamped your hand with ultraviolet ink) but they let me go and even drove me back to the nightclub when they realised I was Irish
Worked in Kigali and surrounding areas and also Gitarama, Ruhengeri, Butari and some other places there I can't remember at the moment (humanitarian).
Lovely place, lovely people. Kidnapped? 1999/2000 was just after the time of the insurgencies in the north. Brave of you to work in Ruhengeri. What work were you doing in Rwanda. Glad to hear you loved it. You would not believe the change in the last 12 years if you came back to Rwanda. 0
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