The Okavango Delta is a vast inland delta in the Kalahari Desert that drains each year into a swamp covering up to 1500 sq km. In January – February the rains that fall in Angola drain 1200km into the Delta, which means that for the next few months there is abundant ground water and vegetation that attracts wild life and thousands of birds. The Delta is a unique landscape in all of Africa and varies from vast grass savannahs, dry sandy desert, wooded areas, low-lying islands (that twice yearly become isolated refuges for many animals during the flooding), vast marshes, channels and lagoons.

Our camp, Sandibe, is perched on the edge of one of these vast lagoons that is filled with papyrus and reeds. The sleeping quarters at the camp consists of eight thatched cottages with canvas sides where large insect screened windows catch any breeze. Attached to the tent is an “en suite” bathroom which is an open air (complete with monkeys and geckos – actually the monkeys really have a taste for soap). The room is well furnished with a really comfortable queen sized bed which I find hard to leave on those chilly mornings when the sun has not crested the horizon.

Just a few minutes walk from your tent along a sandy path is the main “building”. This large, open sided space houses the bar (well used when you come home after a game drive hot and parched), the dining area and several squishy lounges and comfy chairs where you can sit and let the wildlife pass you by. No animal is deterred from venturing close by. Elephants freely stroll through the camp, knocking over the fence around the swimming pool, but are careful to manoeuvre gently and gracefully around the outdoor furniture without ever knocking over a chair.

Our arrival is heralded by a chorus of African women singing a welcome song and providing cold towels, used to refresh faces and hands which are now covered in fine Kalahari dust.

Our host, Kate, gives us the camp overview and instructions that will be consistently reinforced no matter where we are in Africa: don’t go outside your tent at night, wait to be escorted to the main building before dawn and after dusk, stand still if you are on the path and an elephant is close by, don’t run if you see a lion or leopard in camp (running means prey and you could be the next meal), use the mosquito net and insect repellent liberally every day, don’t leave anything outside your tent because the hyenas will eat it or the baboons and monkeys will be wearing it.

We easily adapt to the pattern of camp life: wakeup call at our tent is 5:30am, collection for breakfast at 6am, into the jeep for the morning game drive at 6:30am and ready to see the sunrise at 7am. Usually there is a stop at a picturesque bush location around mid-morning for a coffee/tea and a “wee” stop at a location that is free from man-eaters and other potential dangers. I am reassured that the guide will scout out the bush toilet to ensure that there are no nasty surprises lurking in the foliage or behind the anthill.

Late morning we return to camp for lunch and a very welcome cold beer to wash away some of the Kalahari sand that is in our throats. Following lunch it is time to return to the tent for a siesta, take a dip in the pool or sit on your veranda and enjoy the quiet (apart from the grunting, snorting and bellowing of the hippos) and watch the passing parade of wildlife and the birds that dart about in the trees.

At 3pm we gather for a cup of tea before heading out for the afternoon/evening game drive. Our guide, Gee is full of information and quickly becomes our new friend. We exchange jokes and share stories of our different homelands, customs and cultures.

Gee is in his mid-40’s with a wife and three daughters. They live in Maun, a 4 – 5 hour drive over incredibly rough, sandy roads. Usually he works for two months and then gets two weeks off where he returns to the family. His aspiration is to retire from guiding when he is 50 and grow vegetables on a plot of land that he has bought outside Maun. To supplement this, he will take private guiding jobs. His knowledge of trees and plants and the animals and birds of the Delta seems limitless and he recounts many amazing stories and opens our eyes to the secrets of what is the African bush.

As we drive through this vast open land Gee is able to recollect every bush, tree, anthill, swamp and stream as though these landmarks are indelibly printed on his mind like a road map. As we drive along, bouncing over rutted, pot holed roads or sandy dredges where the wheels sink up to the axles, he is forever examining the horizon, peering behind every tree, bush and blade of grass to point out some animal or bird that is so well camouflaged that it takes us a few minutes to focus on where his finger is pointing.

Next blog we discover the big cats…

The festival held annually at the Seattle Center brings together artists from Africa and the diaspora to showcase the West African history.

The Spirit of West Africa, under the direction of Senegalese born Thione Diop, has always focused on music and dance as performed by West African artists, many of them brought to Seattle just for the festival as guest performers. However, word is that next year’s event will expand to include artists and performers whose expression clearly reflects the influence of the whole of African culture, under the name “Spirit of Africa”.

Despite the theme focusing on West Africa, the whole of Africa, its diaspora and people of African origin were well represented.

There was the African marketplace where the culture was showcased in different medium. Traditional clothes, beauty accessories, paintings etc. were on sale at different stalls made available to vendors.

The Industrial Revelation Band (Avant Jazz) made up of D’Vonne Lewis, Evan Floyd-Barnes, Josh Rawlings and Ahamefule Olouo came on stage and played some very smooth and soothing music setting the stage for the next act on the schedule, ‘Best of Both Worlds’ fashion show by Nansare, a native of Kenya.

The models showcased beautiful clothes from across Africa.

Then there was the ‘Cover Your Ears Steel Band’ that had a very interesting beat to their music using mostly metal and steel drum equipment. They played a reggae tune that had everyone on their feet. They were accompanied by a dance troupe of some very agile people who made the whole show awesome to watch and dance to.

Thione Diop and his Yeke Yeke group featuring Gora Diop, Teo Shantz and Akheenu Musa also provided a taste of West African drum beats in a show that had people dancing to their accomplished skills. They had some in the audience join them on stage.

From Peru, the group De Cajon came on stage with their form of salsa music. They promised to be here again next year.

The last act for this year’s event was by the Obo Addy Legacy Project. Using repertoire taught by the late Obo, the project took us on a journey through Ghana in song and dance.

We are looking forward to next year’s event.

Red River – May 12

Little Tree on this side of the River – May 12

Big Tree Across the River – May 12

Bunny – May 12

Elm Tree Buds – May 12

Black-Headed Gulls – May 12

Black-Headed Gull – May 12

Black-Headed Gull – May 12

Singing Sparrow – May 12

I didn’t include this in the headlines, but we went to Celebrations Dinner Theatre last night and had a wonderful time.  She show was great (as usual), the food was great (as usual) and the service was great (as usual).  Our waiter was new and he did an excellent job of keeping all his tables well looked after.  The show was Johnny Be Goode – a rock and roll reunion.

It is time to check in to Africam to see what I missed while sleeping.  Lately, I have missed Lions and Leopards more than once – but luckily pictures and videos are posted and I get to watch those. 

[Image courtesy of http://www.ancenstry24.com

In my school steroids were shunned upon, with the coach of the first team rugby taking a zero tolerance approach to the matter, of which a student would be expelled without question if found to be a user. Irrespective of this environment, steroids were still used in small circles of boys, normally under the argument that it “enhanced physical strength”.

Because the boys at my school were mixed with girls, the intense macho atmosphere as with single-sex was never a real part of the everyday experience of a male student so I tried to fathom as to why people still used steroids.

In Biology we covered steroids as part of the endocrine (hormone) system because as it is known, steroids contain testosterone amongst a myriad of other components. In Biology, we were alerted to the various health risks of long term steroid use; roid rage [sic], acne break-outs of the face and chest, ultimate hair loss, restriction of arteries and veins (ultimately resulting in strokes), the overgrowth of the heart muscle and thus the likelihood of a heart attack or heart failure and one that got people talking, the reduction of sperm count.

It is in this context why the use of steroids was perplexing, particularly as this syllabus was taught at the senior level that the very boys who played in high rugby levels were at. Jokes were made in class about the shrinkage of manhood as a result of steroid use, and jokes too were made about the very serious issue of decrease in sperm count – although it was obvious that this was a sensitive issue for most boys.

Robert Morrell, a scholar in the field of South African Masculinities studies, states that it is ultimately South Africa’s national obsession with sport that has created an environment for school boys to engage in dogmatism, belief in divine support, willingness to take risks, capacity to ignore danger and put up with discomfort, little regard for the rights of others and ownership of the body.

He states these as prevalent ideas that were institutionalized by the apartheid government, who allowed for a type of masculinity that was authoritarian, unforgiving and unapologetic. Morrell further comments that this type of masculinity was forged into the Afrikaans medium, all-white schools where shooting, a high risk activity, was legitimized and installed as a sport.

He states that the reason behind the move to paint shooting as a sport was because South Africa was a highly militarized society of which many white men were conscripted into the armies after leaving school.

Morrell says that it is tempting to attempt to uncover what changes masculinities, allowing for those we see today to exist but it is a complex and intricate phenomenon prompted by a myriad of historical, political and social factors.

With many South African single-sex Schools across the country- most being deeply entrenched with history as far back as the 19th century- having been tainted with scandals of steroid use in the past few years, it is no wonder that even recreational drugs are prevalent in these environments. The type of environment created by the South African single-sex Boys school is a catalyst in creating high-risk unapologetic individuals who care more about their school rugby careers than they do about their health or prospects of family.

God Almighty created all men equal, whether they be white, yellow or black, and for any race to admit that it cannot do what others have done, is to hurl an insult at the Almighty who created all races equal, in the beginning.

The white man has no right of way to this green earth, neither the yellow man. All of us were created lords of the creation, and whether we be white, yellow, brown or black Nature intended a place for each and every one.

If Europe is for the white man, if Asia is for brown and yellow men, then surely Africa is for the black man. The great white man has fought for the preservation of Europe, the great yellow and brown races are fighting for the preservation of Asia, and four hundred million Negroes shall shed, if needs be, the last drop of their blood for the redemption of Africa and the emancipation of the race everywhere.

Marcus Garvey from
“The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey”
Volume 1, Chapter III page 32

When Chester and I had our walk along the Red River yesterday, I found a few of the gulls that look to me as if they are the Black-headed Gull.  There were 3 of them floating along so I got a few pictures of them as they went by.  I also took a picture of the big tree across the river and it still looks like the river has not moved up at all.  If the peak is coming this week as predicted, I predict a low peak. 

Big Tree Across the River – May 11

Black-headed Gull – May 11

Black-headed Gull – May 11

Black-headed Gull – May 11

Black-headed Gull – May 11

Black-headed Gull – May 11

I took some time to figure out what these guys are, but the Black-headed Gull seems to be it.  I got all 3 birds in at least one picture, so they are all the same anyway.

Click here to see a picture I found of them online and let me know what you think.  They are listed as rare/accidental in this area by Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World  Manitoba

I’ve got time for a bit of Africam viewing before heading off to work.  Have a great day.

Nairobi – Populations of elephants in Africa continue to be under severe threat as the illegal trade in ivory grows – with double the numbers of elephants killed and triple the amounts of ivory seized, over the last decade, according to the United Nations*.

African elephants | Photo credit: Ikiwaner | Wikimedia Commons.

According to a new report entitled “Elephants in the Dust – The African Elephant Crisis”, increasing poaching levels, as well as loss of habitat are threatening the survival of African elephant populations in Central Africa as well as previously secure populations in West, Southern and Eastern Africa.

The report says that systematic monitoring of large-scale seizures of ivory destined for Asia is indicative of the involvement of criminal networks, which are increasingly active and entrenched in the trafficking of ivory between Africa and Asia.

17,000 African Elephants, Illegally Killed in 2011

The report has been produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC).

At sites monitored through the CITES-led Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme alone, which hold approximately 40 per cent of the total elephant population in Africa, an estimated 17,000 elephants were illegally killed in 2011. Initial data from 2012 shows that the situation did not improve. However, overall figures may be much higher.

These threats compound the most important long-term threat to the species’ survival – increasing loss of habitat as a result of rapid human population growth and large-scale land conversion for agriculture, which provides for international markets.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said, “CITES must re-engage on illegal wildlife crime with a renewed sense of purpose, commitment, creativity, cooperation  and energy involving range states and transit countries to consuming nations of products such as ivory.”

Elephant Killing Threaten Wildlife and the Livelihoods of Millions of People

“The surge in the killing of elephants in Africa and the illegal taking of other listed species globally threatens not only wildlife populations but the livelihoods of millions who depend on tourism for a living and the lives of those wardens and wildlife staff who are attempting to stem the illegal tide,” he added.

John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES said, “This report provides clear evidence that adequate human and financial resources, the sharing of know-how, raising public awareness in consumer countries, and strong law enforcement must all be in place if we are to curb the disturbing rise in poaching and illegal trade.”

The report recommends critical actions, including improved law-enforcement across the entire illegal ivory supply chain and strengthened national legislative frameworks. Training of enforcement officers in the use of tracking, intelligence networks and innovative techniques, such as forensic analysis, is urgently needed.

Urgent Action Needed

“Urgent action is needed to address the growing challenges elephant populations are facing, but it will only happen if there is adequate political will to do so,” said Dr Holly Dublin, Chair of the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group.

Organized Crime

Better international collaboration across range states, transit countries and consumer markets – through the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, CITES, INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, the World Bank and other international actors – is needed in order to enhance law enforcement – from the field to the judiciary – to deter criminal activities and combat illegal trade.

These efforts include the need to fight collusive corruption, identifying syndicates and reducing demand.

“Organized criminal networks are cashing in on the elephant poaching crisis, trafficking ivory in unprecedented volumes and operating with relative impunity and with little fear of prosecution,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s ivory trade expert.

Elephants are also threatened by the increasing loss of habitat in around 29 per cent of their range as a result of rapid human population growth and agricultural expansion.

Currently, some models suggest this figure may increase to 63 per cent by 2050, a major additional threat to the survival of the elephant in the long-term.

Other Key Findings from the Report

• Large-scale seizures of ivory (consignments of over 800 kg) destined for Asia have more than doubled since 2009 and reached an all-time high in 2011.

• Large movements of ivory that comprise the tusks of hundreds of elephants in a single shipment are indicative of the increasingly active grip of highly organized criminal networks on Africa’s illicit ivory trade.

• These criminal networks operate with relative impunity as there is almost no evidence of successful arrests, prosecutions or convictions.

• Globally, illegal ivory trade activity has more than doubled since 2007, and is now over three times larger than it was in 1998.

• The prevalence of unregulated domestic ivory markets in many African cities, coupled with the growing number of Asian nationals residing in Africa also facilitates the illegal trade in ivory out of Africa.

• Poaching is spreading primarily as a result of weak governance and rising demand for illegal ivory in the rapidly growing economies of Asia, particularly China, which is the world’s largest destination markets.

• The high levels of poaching are, in some cases, facilitated by conflicts that, through lawlessness and ensuing abundance of small arms, provide optimal conditions for the illegal killing of elephants.

The report – released in Bangkok, at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CITES convention – combines information from sources including the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Elephant Specialist Group, MIKE and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), managed by TRAFFIC on behalf of CITES.

Notes to Editors:

High resolution graphics and photos from the report for use in media are available at www.grida.no

Results from the report were synthesized from the latest data based on sources including the CITES-led Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG), the African and Asian Elephant Database, the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), expert consultations and a range of other sources.

*Source: UNEP release. 

 **Image: African Elephants | Photo credit: Ikiwaner | Wikimedia Commons.

2013 Human Wrongs Watch

Human Wrongs Watch

As an estimated 50 billion birds commence their annual migrations, the critical staging areas they need to complete these journeys continue to be degraded or are disappearing completely, the United Nations today warned on this year’s World Migratory Bird Day on 11 May 2013*.

White Pelican. Photo: UNEP/AEWA/Sergey Dereliev

In his message marking the Day, celebrated each year in over 65 countries on 11 and 12 May, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored the need for greater international action in protecting the winged fauna and saving their natural habitats.

With the stepping stones to their migration under increased pressure, some bird species could face extinction within a decade.

Migratory Birds Habitat: Destruction, Overexploitation, Pollution…

“I fully support the global campaign to raise awareness about the threats to migratory birds from habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution and climate change,” Ban said in a news release in which he added his call for “greater international efforts to restore and preserve migratory birds and the network of sites they need to survive as an important part of the environment on which we all depend.”

Initiated in 2006, the Day is an annual campaign organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) – two intergovernmental wildlife treaties administered by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which also backs the campaign – and devoted to celebrating migratory birds and promoting their conservation worldwide.

In particular, through numerous bird festivals, education programmes, presentations, film screenings and birdwatching trips held in the participating countries, the Day highlights “the importance of ecological networks for the survival of migratory birds, the important human networks dedicated to their conservation, the threats migratory birds face, and the need for more international cooperation to conserve them,” reported a UNEP news release.

They Are Part of the Web of Life!

This year’s Day, however, will mark the importance of the African-European Flyways where a regional event, to be held on the shores of Kenya’s Lake Elementaita, will pay tribute to the 11 globally threatened bird species which are supported by the Kenya Lakes System.

“There are many reasons why migratory birds should be conserved – their beauty and behaviour are a source of joy and inspiration for millions upon millions of people,” UNEP’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner, noted.

“But they also are part of the web of life that underpins nature’s multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem services, while being in some countries, including Kenya, part of the nature-based tourism that generates 10 per cent of the nation’s GDP,” he continued.

Many migrating birds – including cranes, storks, shoebirds and eagles – travel thousands of kilometres across flyways that span countries and continents. Nevertheless, pressures resulting from rapid urbanization, pollution and climate change have caused the steady loss of their natural habitats.

Rapid Decline

According to UNEP, the migratory waterbird species that depend on the intertidal habitats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway – which stretches from Russia to New Zealand and encompasses some 22 countries – are showing “rapid decline” and are among the planet’s “most-threatened migratory birds.”

“The decline is mainly caused by the fast pace of coastal land reclamation occurring in this densely populated region, particularly around key coastal staging areas in the Yellow Sea,” the UNEP press statement added.

However, with 19 per cent of the world’s 10,000 bird species migrating annually around the globe, the UN environment agency pointed out that the responsibility of protecting their habitats was not just a regional one, but required a network of international assistance.

“Migratory birds and the challenges they face in many ways underline the ambition of multilateralism in a globalized world,” Steiner stated. “It is only when countries work together in common cause that the survival and conservation of these species be ensured.”

Migratory Birds Are of Major Importance for Food Security, Livelihoods

Migratory birds connect the ecosystems of our world, said* Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention of Biological Diversity. “As they fly from place to place, these birds join communities across the globe. As they move, they help maintain ecosystem services that are vital to us human beings. Migratory birds are of major importance for people’s food security and livelihoods.”

Throughout their travels birds contribute to pollination. Many human communities also rely on the regular influx of migratory animals as a basis
for subsistence, or for economically important hunting, fishing, tourism and recreation, Ferreira de Souza Dias added.

They Are Bridges Between Human Cultures

The conservation and sustainable management of migratory species populations is therefore a key contribution to the broader goals of sustainable development, de added. ”Migrator y birds also serve as bridges between human cultures. The arrival and departure of species have inspired art and literature that link our societies.”

Yet the irony is, in our increasingly interconnected world, migratory species are in decline and are under pressure from a number of sources, he warned.

“The habitats upon which they rely on are increasingly being degraded and fragmented. Crucial resting, feeding and breeding grounds along on their cyclical journeys are under threat from land use change, invasive alien species, pollution and a host of other human created impacts including climate change.”

*Source: UN release.

2013 Human Wrongs Watch

Now we rise.

Ethiopia
We have God’s love.
Ethiopia
The land of my foreparents.
This is Mutabaruka and Tony Rebel
We are saying:

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold!!!

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
Of the next half
that not yet been told.

Oh!!!

Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
AFTER this
half that has not yet been told.

So Mr trickster:
Where you are?
go tell me seh
me two eyes behold
and me two foot go there
now propaganda
where you are?
go tell we now
We done prove
say we need our self pure now.

Take a trip
in all the womb
of Mama.
Travel down the nile
and the grass
leave Tana.
Riding a mule
and there is Lalibela.
Cruise to the capital
of Addis Ababa.

I N I breath
to behold
this day
taking our journey
on the King’s highway
wonder
can let
the beauty
to behold
talk about
the springs
some hot and
some cold
jah!

Tis issat
was like a woman to desire.
The rainbow in the river
was like water and fire.
My heart has
cherished your glory.
Now my eyes
have seen your future.
Oh Blessed Ethiopia,
save your sons and daughters from hell.
Your glories everlasting.
Your ancient history
tell.

oh lord
oh lord

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold.

Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
Of the next half
that have not yet been told.

Again!!!

Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold

The Mama land
The Mama land
The Mama land
The Mama land
Of the next half that
not yet been told.

So Mr trickster
Where you are?
go tell me seh
me two eyes behold
and me two foot go there.
Propaganda
where you are?
Go tell me now.
We done prove say
you need our self pure now.

Good to see our brothers
nice to see our sisters
Irie to see our friends
and even ever
but best of all
is to be with Mama.

Infiltrate our mind
with your guns and lie.
Want us to disregard
Haile Selassie I.
Said them tread the land
with the foot
and make the people die.
But most people in Ethiopia
Love our baba no lie.

Ethiopia
I yearn the day
when all Africa will say:
Never to be conquered
Never defeated
Never to be sold again
Never cheated
Strength the weak
More strength to the strong
Let us know more things,
by the rivers of babylon.

Oh lord!!!

I say
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold.

Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
Of the next half
have not yet been told

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold

Lord!

Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
of the next half
have not yet been told.

So Mr trickster
Where you are?
go tell we seh
we two eyes behold
and we two foot go there.
Now propaganda
where you are?
Go tell we now?
We done prove
say we made
our self pure now.

This could be the genesis
of the gathering of the people.
The top of Jacob’s ladder
is very much visible.
The cohesiveness
that is required
is evidently feasible.
So all you individuals
make yourself available
NOW!!!

We now have a known
of a self.
The people are more
grown.
All of your teachings
gwan so
like meal of bow-wow.
The tings you guess,
the tings you fear
are through and
can never replace
what I N I
Know!

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
have so much beauty to behold.

the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
the Mama land
Of the next half have Not yet been told

Oh!!!

the mama land
the mama land
the mama land
I’ve so much beauty to behold

the mama land
the mama land
the mama land
AFTER this
half that has Not yet been told

So mr trickster
Where you are?
come tell we seh
me two eyes behold
and me two foot go there
propaganda
where you are?
come tell we now
We gone prove

From News24 – SA

Cape Town – Two Cape Town police officers have marked the houses of gangsters and drug merchants with red paint to identify them to the community, it was reported on Friday.

The officers, backed by community members, marched through Delft on Thursday and painted red Xs on certain houses.

“We have marked the houses to tell us and the community who you are. These gangsters are a minority and I told them to shape up or ship out” Colonel Basil Vellai was quoted as saying.

“You are going to see, police will dominate this area.”

The 200-strong crowd also reportedly handed over letters to known offenders, asking them to stop all drug-related activity and violence, and to provide the police with the details of wanted criminals.

Those targeted were asked to sign the letters in front of the community.

Everything is moving very slowly here due to the very late disappearance of the snow and the extreme late warm weather.   We had 2 days last week of warm weather and then the temperature dropped again.  They tell us that this upcoming week will be warmer again.

Snow on the Mountain or Bishop’s Gout – May 10

Snow on the Mountain or Bishop’s Gout – May 10

Day Lilies – May 10

Tulips – May 10

Tulips and Elephant Ear – May 10

Tulips – May 10

Tulips – May 10

Tulips – May 10

I have places to go and things to do today, but will be heading over to Africam as soon as I can.  See you there.  First though, it is time for Chester and I to head down to the Red River and see what we can find there this morning. 

I actually wanted to become a teacher but became a youth worker instead. Where we lived the nearest university was at least an hour away. I was married and there was no way I was leaving my husband just to do what I wanted. Then the kids came along and it never happened.

I home schooled our girls and there were a few extra bodies along the way. Now looking back I would do things differently but at the time you do the best that you can. When we moved to Australia in 2002, I gave up the schooling and the youth work as we needed the money and Sydney was way more expensive than Christchurch to live in.

As I’m writing this I’m overseeing 15 students who have completed a 6 week business skills class that I’ve taught. These are young men who only a short while ago where living on the streets of Nairobi. They didn’t finish primary school, but they could be great businessmen if they believe in themselves.

It’s kind of weird how everything from the past 25 years happens just for that moment. I mean, we moved to Aussie, I ended up working in a high school and then went on to working for a university. I got my MBA (Masters of Business Administration) and we started our work in Africa. I’m tutoring kids here and teaching classes. In the next 5 years we’re looking at building a boarding school.

I didn’t even finish high school.

I dropped out at just before my final year. In those days you just walked into a job, not like now.

But I’ve also become the student again.

Each Monday I have Kiswahili lessons with Judy, she’s a whizz at languages, I’m not. I’ve taught English as a second language and decided I’d much rather be a teacher than a student. I’m envious of these Kenyan kids, they have to learn at least 2 languages throughout their school life.

I’m 44 and yet feel like a 4 year old trying to learn Kiswahili.

I’ve heard people say that you can never stop learning. Heck, move to a country like Kenya and then you have the right to say that. I was wanting to get my Masters in Development some time in the future, but every day here in Kenya is a classroom.

Society here is our teacher and she’s not always nice or patient.

Sometimes I don’t want to hear what she is saying and some times I just don’t care. Sometimes I just want to go to a movie and forget that I’m in Africa.

The fact is though that we are here and we do have to learn. As someone told us ‘Coming to Africa shows you what’s really inside of you, how big a capacity you have’. I thought I was a big person inside but discovered that I’m not. I’m too judgemental, opinionated, narrow-minded and set in my own ways – thank you very much!!

While life is a schoolroom, we have to be willing to learn.

I’m always telling my students that attitude determines altitude, now I have to take my own medicine. While the medicine might not taste great, it is good for us.

Human Wrongs Watch

The theme of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification* is drought and water scarcity. Freshwater is valuable. Of all the water on Earth, only 2.5 per cent is freshwater. And of all this freshwater, the total usable supply for ecosystems and humans is less than 1 per cent. 

UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

When demand for water exceeds available supply, it results in water scarcity. Drylands are particularly vulnerable to water scarcity. The projected intensification of freshwater scarcity will cause greater stresses in drylands. While each person needs at least 2,000 cubic meters of water for human well-being and sustainable development every year, on average, people in the drylands have access to only 1,300 cubic meters.

The goal of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification is to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity in the drylands and beyond, calling attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of post Rio+20 agenda, as well as the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

Take Action!

This year’s slogan, “Don’t let our future dry up” calls for everyone to take action to promote preparedness and resilience to water scarcity, desertification and drought.

The slogan embodies the message that we are all responsible for water and land conservation and sustainable use, and that there are solutions to these serious natural resource challenges. Land degradation does not have to threaten our future.

*Source: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) release. 

2013 Human Wrongs Watch

The crops, animals and trees found in forests can play a crucial role in improving food security and nutrition around the world, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)*, which is hosting a gathering on the issue in Rome next week.

Forests for improved nutrition and food security. Photo: FAO

Forests cover nearly a third of the globe and provide an invaluable variety of social, economic and environmental benefits. Around 1.6 billion people – including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures – depend on forests for their livelihood.

Forests are also the source of three-fourths of freshwater, help to regulate the impact of storms and floods and store carbon from the atmosphere. Also, more than three billion people depend on forests for wood for cooking and heating.

International Conference

The International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, to be held at FAO headquarters from 13 to 15 May, will bring together policy-makers, scientists, the private sector, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community and farmers’ groups, as well as indigenous representatives to raise awareness and understanding about the many ways forests contribute to food security, especially in developing countries.

“If you talk to the general public about forests, they think about building houses and furniture and maybe recreation. But they don’t primarily think about food,” said Eva Muller, Director of FAO’s Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division.

“So one of the main reasons for organizing this conference is to draw attention to the contribution that forests can actually provide to food security and nutrition,” she stated in an interview with the UN News Centre ahead of the Rome meeting.

Forest Foods

Muller pointed out that forests contribute to food security in a variety of ways. They are a source of ‘forest foods’, which include things such as fruits, leaves, seeds and mushrooms, as well as wild animals and insects.

“These usually are not the main staple of people’s diets but they are a very important supplement to diets because they are very nutritious and add minerals and vitamins. Also, the insects and wild animals provide the main source of protein for many people who live in and around forests.”

Forests and trees also provide income and in many rural areas, they are the basis of small businesses, Muller noted. Very often, women collect products from the forests – mainly non-wood products – and sell them in the markets to generate crucial additional income which they use to provide food for their families, pay school fees and clothe their children.

Forests Environmental Services

“But forests also contribute in a more indirect ways to food security and nutrition. And that is through the environmental services they provide,” she stated. Forests help mitigate climate change by storing carbon, regulate water flows, and sometimes provide protection against the effects of storms. Forests are also home to bees which are pollinators for agricultural crops, she added.

The first day of the conference will feature the launch of the book Edible Insects: future prospects for feed and food security, which address the multi-faceted role that insects can play in nutrition and supporting livelihoods in both developing and developed countries.

Insects, Muller pointed out, are extremely nutritious. “They’re rich in protein, they’re rich in fat, and they’re also rich in vitamins and minerals.” While edible insects may not be all the rage right now, FAO believes there is growing interest in them and that they can help address the food security needs of a growing global population.

Two Billion People in the World Eat Insects

“If we think about edible insects, there’s a huge potential that has essentially not been tapped yet because currently, two billion people in the world eat insects but most of these are just collected and there’s very little experience in insect farming, for example, which is something that could be explored in view of a growing population.”

The agency has been working on edible insects for a number of years and has established a database of edible insects that are reported to be used in various countries. It decided that the time was right to compile all of the information into one major publication.

“We have realized that there is really a huge potential there that hasn’t been very well explored,” said Ms. Muller, who said she believes the publication will be “groundbreaking.”

In addition to highlighting the ways in which trees and forests contribute to food security and nutrition, next week’s meeting will explore policy options and innovative approaches for increasing that contribution and identify key challenges and bottlenecks hindering it.

Among those expected to address the opening of the conference on Monday is FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva; David Nabarro, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Food Security and Nutrition; Mirna Cunningham, outgoing Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous People; and Braulio De Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

*Source: UN release.

Read also:

Forests, a Matter of Life or Death for 1.6 Billion People!

1.6 Billion People Depend on Forests, But…

“As Long as There Is One of Us Standing, There Will Be a Fight to Protect the Forests”

Have Destroyed the Amazon? No Problem, Forests Will Pay the Bill

‘How KFC Is Junking the Jungle’

God, What a Future!

‘Governments Spend $1.4 Billion Per Day to Destabilize Climate’

Politicians Promote Fossil Fuels with Half a Trillion Dollars a Year

Save The Planet? Just Eat Cars, Drink Fuel!

Big Business Suffocating Our Lungs

All the Benefits of Amazon Plants and Foods in a UN Book

Eighty Per Cent of World’s Forests Degraded, Destroyed

2013 Human Wrongs Watch

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

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Highlights

It turned cloudy and cooled off quite a bit the last 2 days.  The sun was shining a bit for yesterday’s pictures when Chester and I walked – but not for Wednesday’s one, and I’ve combined both days into one for today.   We have trees, water and gulls.

Big Tree Across the River – May 8

Little Tree this side of River – May 8

Gull – May 9

Gulls – May 9

Gull – May 9

Gull – May 9

Big Tree Across the River – May 9

I have lots to do today, but will be on Africam to check things out a little later.  See you there.