Sir Nigel's Journey…

African Union Youth Volunteers Corps (AU-YVC) is a continental development program that recruits and works with youth volunteers, to work in all 53 countries in Africa.

AU-YVC promotes volunteering to deepen the status of young people in Africa as key participants in the delivery of Africa’s human development targets and goals. It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated Continent.

Requirements:

- Africans or youth of African decent

- Age 18 – 34

- Youth with post secondary certified training and qualifications

- Available to dedicate 12 (twelve) months (extendible) for volunteer work

- Good knowledge of at least one official AU languages (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese) and willing to learn others

- Verifiable experience in past volunteer work of minimum 1 year

Apply Today & become a Youth Volunteer! Visit: www.africa-youth.org/auyvc

Deadline: 15 June 2011

In the context of the International Year for People of African Descent, the Anti-Discrimination Section of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is launching a Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent from 10 October to 4 November 2011.

The Fellowship Programme will provide participants with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the United Nations Human Rights system and its mechanisms, with a focus on issues of particular relevance to people of African descent.

This will allow the fellows to better contribute to the protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Afro-descendants in their respective countries and communities.

Who can apply?

• The candidate must be an African descendant.
• The candidate must have a minimum of 4 years experience dealing with afro-descendant or minority issues.
• The candidate must be fluent in English.
• A letter of support from an afro-descendant organization or community.

Selection Process: In selecting the fellows, gender and ensuring a regional balance will be taken into account. All documents submitted must be in English.

Entitlements: The selected candidate is entitled to a stipend to cover accommodation, basic living expenses in Geneva, basic health insurance as well as a return economy class plane ticket.

Application: Interested candidates are requested to submit their application by email to: africandescent@ohchr.org or by fax to +4122-928 9050 with a cover letter clearly indicating “Application to the 2011 Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent” with the following documents:

• An application form
• A Curriculum Vitae
• A letter of motivation (maximum 1 page) in which the candidate will explain his/her motivation for applying, what he/she hopes to achieve through this fellowship and how he/she will use what they learn to promote the interests and rights of afro-descendants
• A letter of support from an organization/entity they are affiliated with.

The deadline to receive applications is 15 June 2011. Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Source: Kubatana newsletter

A few weeks ago I was discussing a personal issue with a few friends. I walked away from that sad discussion and felt…..hurt and judged to put it quite bluntly. I ponder and every so often I document my final thoughts as I’m doing right now. This situation reminded me that very often we judge life’s interesting situations (me included) without acknowledging that we don’t always have all the facts at hand. In fact I have often said that there are always 3 sides to every story: mine, yours and then the truth. It is that truth we should always seek.

My own personal situation got me thinking about what this blog is really all about. We judge our Zimbabwe and Africa in general extremely harshly. You see, the Zimbabwe and indeed the Africa I know is very different to one ‘they’ portray. I find the reality and perception are miles apart. I find this extremely frustrating actually. I have often said that if Iraq and Afghanistan had their own ‘CNN or BBC’, then perhaps our impression of their respective realities would be very different. We would probably know more about the civilian casualty rate or perhaps what the common Iraqi thinks and feels in general about that war. I’m not suggesting that CNN and BBC don’t cover such issues, but I am cognisant that these broadcasters have their own agendas to fulfil which are naturally different to that of the local Iraqis and Afghans.

Turning back to my own personal situation; it got me thinking further about being a Zimbabwean and indeed an African ambassador.  More often than not, we find ourselves in this role whether we choose to or not. If this is the case, shouldn’t we then be in a position to discuss and share the reality of our continent openly? Shouldn’t we speak with such conviction when we do this? I’m wondering what other Africans discuss when they think of Africa?

• Do we walk around discussing BEE in South Africa and how unfair it may/may not actually be or do we look at the history of that country and make a judgement based on all the information available right now?
• Do we fully understand why Mugabe preaches indigenisation and empowerment laws in Zimbabwe? Is it really all about white vs. black people? Is it sufficient for a multinational corporation et al to come into Zim and simply employ as opposed to empowering people economically?  
• Do we understand why we have MDC-99, MDC-T and indeed MDC-M (or MDC-N)?
• What does MDC (in general including the various factions) and Zanu actually stand for in 2011 and beyond? How will the people benefit from their various policies? Matter of fact, what are their policies?
• Do we complain about the internet connection in Zim or do we acknowledge the work currently being done quietly to address this very issue?
• Do we fully understand the history of Zimbabwe and why things in Zim are actually the way they are for now?
• Do we all realise that therein lay various opportunities for people at different levels to set up businesses, co-operatives and such, which will hopefully contribute to the formal sector?
• Do we look further and analyse politics in Nigeria, land reform in Zimbabwe, the crisis in Libya, the changing landscape in Sudan, Kenya’s economic growth or the Ghanaian political journey?
• Ultimately, do we take responsibility for our own actions or lack of? As a Zimbabwean who left my beloved to pursue further education and so forth, how did my absence contribute to the current status quo? Surely it is time for me to take responsibility for assisting Zimbabwe’s economic demise? At some point I should accept some responsibility right?
• Or do we simply diagnose the situation on the ground with little thought to the overall situation and simply share our typical negative findings with others like the majority of people do?

Too often we sit by the sidelines eating our custard cream donuts, licking our figures in the process and simply judge our beloved continent without fully understanding her journey and the tribulations she has had to endure to get to this very point today. This blog although inspired by my personal situation was written to simply remind us (me included) that we often need to be less emotional about the African situation in general, adopt a more pragmatic approach when discussing our beloved and look at her from a holistic perspective. Let us remember to hold our tongues when opportunities to judge arise. Let us instead gather all the information we can at the time and make the best decision based on that.   

May God bless Africa!

This is my first blog post on www.kenyanvibe.com

Why a Cheetah wouldn’t return home

Last month I wrote a blog entitled – Will the Cheetah ever return home? As I prepare to move back home myself, I have been inundated with various questions regarding why, how and where. I try to answer as much as I can whenever I’m asked and – trust me people do ask! I was inspired by Dr George Ayittey who defined the ‘Cheetah versus Hippo’ scenario in a CNN article he wrote earlier this year. I decided at that point to blog and share my thoughts on the matter asking of course whether the cheetah would in fact return home. Read more

Football is one of my other full-time passions. Anyone who truly knows me will tell you this. I am one of the ‘biggest’ Manchester United supporters out there. I have followed my beloved team for years and I am also a proud owner of a signed football (the whole team including Cantona, Giggs, Becks and others) from the 1996/1997 team. The location of this prized possession remains a secret of course. A few weeks ago, I walked into my local pub and sat at my usual spot and ordered my usual pint of beer. The crowd and the bar staff know me; not because I’m a famous blogger or anything. I’m usually the guy shouting at the TV and/or celebrating/commiserating with my other ‘ManUtd Crew’ but more importantly because I tend to be the only ‘African’ in that pub. Read more

Emang has fast become one of my favourite bloggers and this is an example to illustrate my point. This particular blog is entitled ‘I grew up…’ I wrote a verse in June 2008 which was meant to be part of a series of scribes – the ‘For my Sister’ series. Needless to say I never got round to doing that or indeed thinking about the next instalment until I read this blog post. You see I am personally interested in the intricacies of relationships (marriage, dating and so forth) within the African community, the effects of new world we live in and the challenges faced by those in the diaspora. Below is my first piece for the series that was never completed – this piece is entitled TrueStory. But PLEASE do pass through www.africaontheblog.com and read Emang’s ‘I grew up…’ piece. Please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts as others have done.   

TrueStory

I often wonder…
…if she even realises the truth
that no matter what happens
Brother man ain’t never gon’ be like Daddy
Sadly…
Sister doesn’t see that yet

Society got the masses thinking
Feeling
Like this life deal is a constant battle
Who controls versus the rest of us
Seems like we all forgot about trust
Forgot about the kind of love Free-Free spoke so eloquently of
Forgot about the ‘real’ reasons why we got involved in the first place
Spitting copious amounts of clichés
‘Baby you complete me’
Can’t live without them we claim
Yet we manage to subject them to our insecurity-inspired actions
Photocopying factions
Mummy versus Daddy situations of old
Sister declaring she ain’t never gon’ be Mummy
For in her mind Mummy is weak
And Sister is strong
Same Sister who meets a good Brother man and runs away
Yet openly declares good Brother men don’t exist
Same Sister who finds a good Brother man and plays defence the whole time
You see Sister doesn’t want to end up like Mummy
All Mummy ever did wrong was to actually trust
Submit
And embrace love
Daddy did too
Yet Sister never acknowledges the latter
Only focusing on a one-sided affair
All she seems to recall is abusive Daddy
Verbal or otherwise
So now Sister wanders this sphere very afraid
Afraid to embrace this thing they call love

Meanwhile Brother man knows not of these struggles
Unaware of Sister’s internal battle
You see the Sister struggles
Fighting constantly
With herself
Attempting to deal with societal pressures
So she fires her frustrations at him
Bombarding Brother man with issues that don’t relate to his own actions
No rhyme or reason thinks Brother man
Shrugs and moves on with life
Sadly
There stands a man
Ready
Willing to embrace real love
And yet time is running
Running out I mean
Patience was never his to embrace
True story

*Taken from the ‘For My Sisters’ series

ALB offers scholarships to qualified residents of Africa who wish to obtain an MBA through one of our partner universities.  Scholarship comes with great responsibility, and as such, ALB scholarships are offered as part of the ALB Fellowship Program.

Register now to receive updates as new partner MBA programs and scholarships are added.

Scholarships:

We are pleased to announce a new partnership with IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.

As a Founding University Partner in cooperation with the Foundation for African Leadership in Business, IE Business School will offer 2, 100% fellowships for African residents to attend the International MBA program in Madrid, Spain beginning in 2011.

Eligibility:

The scholarship application is open to all African citizens, currently residing in Africa, who meet the qualifications for admission to the IE International MBA program.  At a minimum, successful applicants will need to demonstrate:

To qualify for the ALB Fellowship Program, applicants should demonstrate the following through their application:

• A commitment to returning to their country after program completion
• Strong professional background, including 3 or more years of work experience
• Strong academic background, including completion of a Bachelor degree or equivalent
• High competency in written and spoken English
• All other requirements for admission to the IE International MBA program

Eligibility for scholarships is merit and need based.

Student Responsibility:

Fellows are expected to serve as representatives of their country, the African continent, and the ALB Foundation throughout their program and ongoing professional career.  To ensure that the ALB goals are being pursued throughout the MBA program, all ALB Fellows complete the ALB Fellowship Project, which involves the group development of an entrepreneurial business plan to be implemented in the Fellow’s home country.  Additionally, all ALB Fellows are expected to commit to returning to their home country following graduation, and remaining there to work for a minimum of two years.

How to Apply:

I blog here as well: www.africaontheblog.com and this is my recent post: -

Reinventing the wheel

Some of my good friends happen to be Kenyan. Naturally being Zimbabwean I have been observing the events in Kenya economically, politically and otherwise with great interest. I am completely fascinated by this country which was embroiled in massive killings only a few years ago (2007). This resulted in a coalition government which is currently projecting some 7% economic growth rate this year. My Kenyan friends recently voted this August in a constitutional referendum. In truth I’ve been watching developments on the continent as whole with a keen interest in general.  If the truth be told one of my ambitions is to play some small role in assisting to rebrand my beloved Zimbabwe and in turn the continent. After many years in the diaspora I have started to embark on my return home scheduled later this year. As I prepare for my return to the homeland, I find myself heavily involved in discussing the intricacies of Africa. I’m constantly thinking, planning and looking forward to life on our continent with eagerness and a proper sense of realism. Read more

Today Africa – The Good News published an article I wrote. I received the email just before lunch time. It truly was a very humbling experience. 

The article is published here

I blog here too: - http://www.africaontheblog.com

This is my first post: -

The Forgotten Children

Last week on Tuesday, I received a text message which simply read ‘Tune to BBC2 now’.  A good friend of mine had sent it while I was making dinner. I stopped and immediately switched over to BBC 2. What she wanted me to see was a documentary about Zimbabwe narrated by Xoliswa Sithole -  entitled Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children. – Read more