The Pentecostal Church movement has brought with it much hope in situations which are almost hopeless and ignited an unprecedented zeal for Christian living in Africa. As it stands, Africa is the future of the Christian religion!

As if that is not enough, Pentecostal churches have brought enough chuckles to last us all a lifetime because of their names. Not many people are as creative in cooking up new names for their churches like African Christian leaders.

Some will tell you they got the names from visions and close encounters with God but regardless of origins, the following names are sure to either shock you or crack your ribs.
Laboratory Church of God

Whatever spiritual chemical they make here must be a cause for much trepidation in the devil’s kingdom! This is probably one of the most imposing church names in the whole world.

Jesus Elections Ministries

Who is being elected at this church? Someone might have to visit to know.

Run For Your Life Ministries

We cannot say any more!

Mountain of Swallowing Problems Interdenomination Prayer Ministry

When people take their problems to this church, they are not simply solved, they are swallowed. And did we say it is a mountain? Yes, it is a spiritual mountain which swallows all your problems. Certain governments must consider visiting this ministry.

Devil’s Hunter Ministries

It has become a common tagline for most churches to say “The Devil is in trouble” but at this church, that tagline seems to be the literal truth. The Ministry’s whole purpose is to hunt for the Devil and God knows what will be left of him after this church is done.

Helicopter Ministries

Yes, you read that right. It is Helicopter and it is a ministry in Kenya. There were allegations that members were being told they could do a search of their names in the Book of Life for a fee. The founder had a direct line to God and he would make a few calls and get back to congregants with confirmation.

Guided Missiles Church

This means war! The world might want to take lessons; this church means business.


There so many other names doing the rounds on social media ranging from David killed Goliath Ministries to Jehovah Sharp Sharp. It is now difficult to tell which are the real ones and which ones are the subjects of the imagination of the internet community. Whatever the case may be, soon and very soon, most of those names will be taken as more churches are created.



Source:https://howafrica.com/africans-and-religion-these-are-the-weirdest-church-names-in-africa/

You take no cognizance of these things, or better still you ignorantly make them your daily beauty regime. They are the fastest silent killers, since they are the Top 10 Biggest Causes Of Cancer.

1. Hormones present in milk and meat

In order to increase the milk and meat production, most of the domestic animals are fed with artificial hormones. These artificial hormones may trigger inflammations, cancer, and other diseases.

2. Mammography, dental X-rays, scanners at the airport

All of these are deadly rays that cause cancer and the reason we do them are to prevent it or react on time.

3. Aluminum present in deodorants and antiperspirants

Usually bre*st cancer happens near the armpit, right where we apply deodorants, which are filled with aluminum. The best option is to use homemade or organic deodorants.

4. Toxic cosmetics

We need to take care of our skin, which is our largest organ, but still we use preparatuve or decorative cosmetics that highly include petroleum and coal tar. These toxins go through the skin into the bloodstream. Use organic or homemade cosmetics instead.

5. GMO soy and corn

Most of the soy in America is genetically modified, while soy milk includes hemagglutinin, an ingredient that makes the red corpuscles into clots. Moreover, the soy increases the estrogen. Choose organic milk, no matter what type you like.

6. Artificial sweeteners

Not only refined sugar is GMO, but also it fast increases the levels of insulin. Fructose, which is found in soda is a serious cancer cause as well. It contains caramel color, which is a carcinogen. Soda acidifies the body, which as a result makes cancer cells to multiply. Limit your consumption of refined sugars and avoid sodas.

7. Fluoridated water

Well, this is not a mineral naturally found or purified water passing through the pipes. The fluoride is polluting the water and flushes out the minerals from the body and so weakens the immunity. Drink spring water.

8. Drugs, vaccines

Take advice from doctors you can trust about a lifestyle and nutrition that will help you prevent cancer. Avoid drugs from sound names in the pharmaceutical industry whose aim is to make profit.

9. Canned goods

Canned goods are bad because most cans are lined with bisphenol-A (BPA), a product which is shown to genetically change the brain cells of rats.

10. Commercial soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, creams

You need to remember than the things we apply to our skin, hair, or teeth end in the bloodstream. Some suspicious substances, including perfumes and colors can lead to cancer. Choose organic and natural cosmetics.



Source:https://howafrica.com/you-use-them-daily-yet-they-the-10-greatest-things-that-put-you-at-risk-of-all-kinds-of-cancer/

Marketing techniques have evolved over the years and now is the age of online marketing or what you call digital marketing. To establish a business and enable its growth, up-to-date marketing strategies are inevitable. These should be so created that they are easy to implement and positively impact the business.

According to surveys, many brands still don’t have successful strategies to begin with. This is a great hindrance to their growth and result in zero tangible results in the long run. Here are some important trends in online marketing that help boost any business.

1. Facebook Retargeting

Your presence in the world of web is easily traceable and many are doing so without your knowledge. Using Facebook retargeting, websites follow their potential customers by placing ads on their Facebook page. These ads will be related to the pages they visited earlier. For example, when you login to the social media site, you may find the ads of an e-shopping site you visited earlier. Good news is that even small business owners have access to tools that help create Facebook retargeting campaigns.

2. Social Customer Relations Management (CRM)

Social CRM is the utilization of social media platforms and techniques to enable businesses to engage with their potential customers. The tools of social CRM make it possible for the customers to opine about the products and services offered by businesses. It is also great at creating personalized marketing strategies. The businesses make custom content suitable for a particular customer using the reliable and qualitative user data obtained from social media sites. Getting access to this data is very helpful in understanding the audience better and build successful strategies targeting them.

3. Utilize Sales Funnels

A sales funnel is the buying process through which businesses lead their customers when a product purchase is made. Online marketers use sales funnel with upsell and downsell to increase the average order of a product. Through upsell, you are offering some more benefits to the customers when they make a purchase. This is a good idea to improve the lifetime value of online customers. Similarly when you go for a downsize option, they still remain your potential customers who are satisfied with a cheaper option you provided due to their budget constraints.

4. Big Data Marketing

The big data can be related to the customer data collected in today’s scenario including click-through rates, online purchase data, mobile device usage and browsing behavior to name a few. Experts say that big data can be your secret ingredient to a successful marketing strategy. It helps you know your customers and understand what they want. You get an idea about what wins their loyalty and what drags them to your business. In addition, big data helps you optimize your strategies from time to time through measurement, testing and analysis.

5. Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is trending in the recent years all thanks to the increased use of mobile devices. Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy with a goal to reach the target audience through their tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices via SMS, email, websites etc. Effective mobile advertising involves understanding the mobile users, developing content that works well with mobile platforms and making optimum use of mobile apps and SMS/MMS marketing. You may understand that mobile marketing is all about personalization and customization.

If you have not finalized on a strategy yet, it is never late to do so. You can aim at doing thorough research to find out what creates a powerful impact on your potential customers and keep them coming back to you.


Source:https://howafrica.com/5-tips-to-build-an-effective-online-marketing-strategy/

Bioquark, a biotech company based in the United States, has been given the go-ahead to begin research on 20 brain-dead patients, in an attempt to stimulate and regrow neurons and, literally, bring the patients back from the dead.

The technique is new and untested so the study will likely be controversial.

By implanting stem cells in the patient’s brain, in addition to treating the spinal cord with infusions of chemicals and nerve stimulation techniques (both of which have been shown to bring people out of comas), they hope to reboot the brain and jump-start neural activity.

The result could be people coming back to life.

There isn’t much evidence that this will work, though there is one well-known neurological researcher and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Calixto Machado who is involved with the study as a panel expert.

Bioquark’s CEO, Ira Pastor, said that

“to undertake such a complex initiative, we are combining biologic regenerative medicine tools with other existing medical devices typically used for stimulation of the central nervous system, in patients with other severe disorders of consciousness. We hope to see results within the first two to three months.”

He added, “it is a long-term vision of ours that a full recovery in such patients is a possibility, although that is not the focus of this first study.

“It is a bridge to that eventuality.


Source:https://howafrica.com/scientists-get-green-light-resurrect-dead-stem-cells/

A shocking report released by researchers has revealed hair dye and chemical relaxers might predispose consumers to cancer.

Common salon hair treatments involving Hair dye and chemical relaxers can drastically increase the risk of bre*st cancer.

These are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The researchers found there was an alarming increase in the risk of developing the disease when certain women used dark hair dye and chemical relaxers.

Hair colouring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the hair colour and the main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to change to a colour regarded as more fashionable or desirable, and to restore the original hair color after it has been discoloured by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.

On its part, a relaxer is a type of lotion or cream generally used by people with tight curls or very curly hair which makes hair easier to straighten by chemically “relaxing” the natural curls. The active agent is usually a strong alkali, although some formulations are based on ammonium thioglycolate instead.

According to the researchers, black women who dyed their hair had a 51 per cent increase in risk and white women who used relaxers had a 74 per cent increase in risk.

Previous research has suggested there was a link between harsh hair treatments and bre*st cancer, but most studies don’t include black women.

The researchers suggested that toxic chemicals in the products can harm the body and are using these findings to further investigate the danger of using chemical products on the body.

Experts asked more than 4,000 black and white women in the New Jersey and New York area their habits of dying, relaxing or using deep conditioning creams.

Researchers then examined the study participants’ medical history to see if these products elevated the risk of bre*st cancer. Black women who used dark hair dye had an overall 51 per cent greater risk of the cancer.

They also had a 72 per cent increased risk of developing estrogen receptor positive bre*st cancer, which is the most common type of the disease.


Source:https://howafrica.com/new-study-links-hair-dye-relaxers-to-breast-cancer-read-more/

The popular story of the “Good Samaritan” needs no repetition here. It is important though to appreciate its symbolic and practical aspects, which all parables are expected to convey, moreso when Easter has just been celebrated to commemorate the death of that great Teacher.

The core issue here is to reason for yourself as often as possible and do to others (your neighbor) as you would like them do to you, apart from tithing, in order to please God.

Note that it is to explain this very “neighbor” that invoked the parable of the Good Samaritan”. Simply put, one’s neighbor is any other human being; and by Christ’s teachings you are to do to them the same goodness (or wickedness, if you please) to the best of your ability, if you were in their shoes, that will maje you happy.

Note the conformity of this to the “Golden Rule” that Christ gave as the summation of Christianity.

“…. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

(Mark 12:30-1)
Love your neighbor as yourself implies that you have first loved yourself before extending it to another. It also means you do not “kill” yourself for another for any reason, unless you have a good reason to tell God that he made a mistake in creating you, or you genuinely feel that it is what you would have expected another to do for you if you had been in that condition.

The other essential thing that needs understanding in this parable is the independent mature reasoning expected of Christians. It is Sunday so your worship is very important to you and God; however here is Christ telling you to make the helping of the injured more important than the worship! Is Christ wrong? If so, then he must also be wrong when he advised that caring for the sick and prisoners is how oe cares for God.

So emulate the parabolic good Samaritan, reach out to the needy to help as best as you can. It is because of these neighbors, known and unknown, that your life is defined; in other words, life without other humans is as drab and hollow as or even worse than an empty room.



Source:https://howafrica.com/why-you-are-the-good-samaritan/

A Virginia first grader has become an inspiration to many. Not just for her excellent handwriting, but for her perseverance and determination despite her disability.

According to ABC News, Anaya Ellick, 7, was born without hands.

Virginia first grader Anaya Ellick, has such good handwriting, she beat out 50 other youngsters from around the country to win a national handwriting contest.

If that’s not impressive enough, Little Anaya was born without hands.

“There is truly very little that this girl cannot do,” principal Tracy Cox of Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake told ABC News, noting it was her idea to have Anaya enter the competition, which is open to students in kindergarten to eighth grade.

Anaya uses her forearms to write, opting to forgo prostheses.

“She is a hard worker,” Cox said. “She is determined. She is independent. She is a vivacious and a no-excuses type of young lady.”

Anaya’s penmanship was submitted in the category that encourages the participation of students with cognitive delays, or intellectual, physical or developmental disabilities. This category is judged by a team of occupational therapists, and the winner is awarded the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Penmanship.



“We looked at her writing and were just stunned to see how well her handwriting was, considering she writes without hands,” competition director Kathleen Wright told ABC News. “Her writing sample was comparable to someone who had hands.”

Cox said, “She truly has some of the neatest hardworking in her class.”

Anaya’s peers treat her no differently than other students, and she keeps up with them, Greenbrier founder and superintendent Ron H. White told ABC News.

“I don’t think Anaya thinks of it as an obstacle,” he said.




Source:https://howafrica.com/handless-7-year-old-girl-wins-national-handwriting-competition/

A pair of glasses that is able to ‘read’ text and convert it into speech allowing blind and visually impaired people has been tested by scientists. The device looks like a small camera attached to the side of a pair of glasses.
Using OCR – ‘optical character reading’ technology, the camera and tiny computer it contains can read printed materials. It is activated by pointing it at an object and pressing a trigger button. The speech output is then fed into the earpiece of the person wearing the glasses.
Many people with partial sight have to carry around a heavy magnifying glass to read text.


A pair of glasses (pictured) that is able to ‘read’ text and convert it into speech allowing blind and visually impaired people has been tested by scientists.
The device looks like a small camera attached to the side of a pair of glasses and uses OCR
Researchers at the University of California said the new system dramatically improves the ability of people with limited sight to read books, menus, newspapers and emails. The camera is not limited to text: its makers said it can also recognise faces and products.
The research paper ‘Evaluation of a Portable Artificial Vision Device among Patients with Low Vision’ has been published in the US journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
Dr Mark Mannis and colleagues carried out research on 12 people with low vision – six men and six women with an average age of 62. He said: ‘Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness in the elderly and it has no cure in its advanced stages.

Researchers at the University of California tested the glasses on 12 people with low vision – six men and six women (a volunteer pictured)
‘This device offers hope to patients who are beyond medical or surgical therapy for the condition. It is easily used and could potentially bring greater independence, particularly for older patients who are struggling with vision loss,’ he said.
The participants were all legally blind from a variety of disorders including macular degeneration and glaucoma. To get a baseline idea of the subjects’ sight, they were asked to perform a ten item test using only glasses.
Initially, none of the participants could perform five of the tasks.

Earlier this year, OrCam was tested by Luke Hines (pictured), 27, of Ilfracombe, who is blind in one eye and only three per cent vision in the other, described the device as ‘life changing’ and meant he could now embark on studying at university
These were reading a message on a smartphone, a newspaper article, a menu, letter or page from a book.
Eleven could recognise banknotes, eight could find a room in a hallway using wall mounted signs, and seven could recognise products and distinguish between similar sized and shaped breakfast cereal boxes.
After using it for a week, all of the subjects were able to carry out at least nine of the 10 items on the test and said they found it easy to use and would consider using it in their daily lives.
The tiny wearable computer uses audio feedback to relay visual information that they can not see, enabling them to take on new tasks they were unable to perform alone before. A miniature camera fitted to the frame takes photos of text or signs and uses artificial vision software to read back to him through an ear piece
The authors performed a separate sub-analysis of seven patients who were using other low-vision aids and found that their performance on the test was better when using the device, as well.

‘Patients with low vision often are often dependent on hand-held or electronic magnifiers, which may be somewhat cumbersome to use’, said Elad Moisseiev, co-author and UC Davis vitreoretinal surgery fellow.
‘This is the first independent clinical study to evaluate this new low-vision-aid device based on novel optical-character recognition technology,’ Dr Moisseiev added.

With the ability to read books for the first time, Mr Hines (pictured) is now hoping to attend college – something which he said he would never have imagined doing so just weeks ago.
‘Our results show that it can be a very useful aid for patients with low vision in performing activities of daily living, and increase their functional independence.’
The device – marketed as OrCam and invented by an Israeli company – is on sale in the US for between $2500-$3500 (£1700-£2400). The device has not yet been launched in the UK.


Source:https://howafrica.com/31732-2/

Erectile dysfunction is a key subject in men’s health.
Your p3n!s can serve as a harbinger to health happenings all over your body.

One you might not have known? Erection issues can foretell a painful problem with your feet, new research suggests.

In the study, researchers followed nearly 48,000 men for an average of 10 years, some with gout—a painful form of arthritis that usually affects the big toe—and others that were healthy.

They discovered that men with gout were 31 percent more likely to report erectile dysfunction (ED) than men without the condition.

What’s more, the p3n!s problems can pop up before the painful joint issues even surface: Those with gout were 63 percent more likely to report erectile dysfunction in the year preceding their diagnosis.

And within two years of a gout diagnosis, the risk of ED was 77 percent higher than with healthy guys.

One of the most painful forms of arthritis, gout occurs when too much uric acid builds up in your body.

The affected joint can be red, swollen, and feel warm to the touch.

The link in the study persisted even after the researchers adjusted for factors that could contribute to erectile dysfunction and gout, including smoking status, higher body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption.

While the study can’t definitively prove that one condition causes the other, there are some physiological mechanisms that may link the two, the researchers believe.

One possibility? The buildup of excess uric acid in your blood can affect your blood vessels, possibly by triggering vascular smooth muscle proliferation, the researchers write.

And that has been linked to plaque buildup.

Big problem for your penis: Plaque buildup in your blood vessels can hinder blood flow—a necessary component to getting and maintaining an erection.

While more research needs to be done to confirm a cause-effect link, the researchers believe that the findings here suggest that erectile problems can point to underlying gout before the painful joint issues even pop up.

So that’s one more reason to see your doctor when you start to notice problems with your penis.


Source:https://howafrica.com/men-get-in-here-once-you-feel-pain-in-this-part-of-your-body-that-signals-danger-with-your-pens/

1. Eliza Suggs

Elizabeth “Eliza” Suggs was an early 20th Century author who was born with Brittle Bones Disorder. She was the youngest of her siblings, and born to former slaves who lived in Bureau County, Illinois. It was discovered that she had brittle bones four months after her birth, when she experienced her first series of fractures. Eliza seemed to have had a more severe form of OI, and her bones would break from the slightest movements.


2. Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was thirteen years old when she threw herself between a fellow slave and the plantation overseer who threaten to whip him. The overseer struck Tubman on the head causing her to suffer from a form of epilepsy for the rest of her life. She escaped to freedom and spent the rest of her life rescuing other slaves.

3. “Blind Tom” Wiggins
Thomas Wiggins was a slave from Georgia who may have been autistic. From an early age he had the ability to compose and play music and he toured concert halls in Europe and America as a musical oddity.

4. Ever Lee Hairston
Ever Lee Hairston describes herself as Black, Blind, Successful, and Blessed as she travels throughout the U.S. and abroad lobbying for the blind. As a child, Hairston worked picking cotton and attended segregated schools. As an activist in the blind community, she is the Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey and founder of the Garden State Chapter, Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

5. Curtis John Pride
Curtis John Pride is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and now serves as head baseball coach at Gallaudet University. Pride was deaf at birth due to rubella. Pride developed oral skills early in his life and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and soccer in high school. Pride was originally signed by the New York Mets, but reached the major leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1993.

6. David Patterson
David Patterson is the second blind U.S. governor and first New York governor of African-American descent.

7. Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph was an American track and field sprinter, who competed in the 100 and 200 meters dash. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960. At the age of four, Rudolph was severely weakened by polio, a disease that attacks the central nervous system. She survived the illness but lost the use of her left leg. Despite doctors telling her she would never walk without braces she rose from the disability to Olympic glory.

8. Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist. Most people do not know that while in school Belafonte dealt with a learning disability.

9. Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan was an U.S. Representative. She was the first African-American woman to deliver a keynote address at the convention of a major political party. Most people did not know that Jordan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

10. Art Tatum
Art Tatum was blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other. However, he did not allow that to stop him from making a name as a big time musician.


Source:https://howafrica.com/top-10-well-accomplished-african-americans-with-a-disability/

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, had his first Iftar dinner with a group of Somali refugees in Minneapolis.
An excited Zuckerberg in an appreciation post on Instagram wrote: “Thanks to my hosts for being so gracious at the very end of Ramadan. I left impressed by your strength and resilience to build a new life in an unfamiliar place, and you are a powerful reminder of why this country is so great.

Source:https://howafrica.com/ramadan-mark-zuckerberg-dines-somali-refugees-minneapolis/

Having beautiful lips is the dream of the majority of women, fleshy pink lips are the beauty trend these days
However, several people face dark and damaged lips that do not sound at all nice. This is the result of a combination of environmental factors, caffeine, smoking and the use of poor quality cosmetics.

Women pay fortunes for cosmetic treatments that are supposed to make their lips pink and smooth but you should know that there is a simple natural remedy that softens your lips in just 10 minutes without wasting your money
Take a cup of lemon juice , Then add a little sugar and rub your lips with the mixture to lighten them. You can also apply a little lemon juice to your lips every night before sleeping to soften them. Repeat the process 5-6 days in a row to get better


Source:https://howafrica.com/forget-definitely-problem-blue-lips-get-pink-lips-minutes/

The linguistic heritage of Africa in danger. UNESCO has listed dozens of endangered local languages ​​on the continent.

At the head of this sad ranking is Sudan. The third largest country in Africa is likely to see no less than 65 idioms disappear.

Cameroon, which has about 200 languages, may lose 36. Nigeria, as well as Chad, each have 28 languages ​​at risk. As for Ethiopia, it also ranks at the top of the table with 28 endangered languages.

For Unesco, globalization has gone hand in hand with the expansion of English and French, inherited from colonization, which also serve as national languages ​​in most African countries. It is also the spread of transnational languages ​​such as Swahili which slowed the emergence of local languages.

However, shades the organization, globalization can have its good side. Indeed, with social networks and new technologies, language learning can be easier.

Some countries, such as Côte d’Ivoire, are already planning to integrate some of their local languages ​​into waste to give them a new impulse.

Source: https://howafrica.com/africa-dozens-local-languages-%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bthreatened-extinction/

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has reportedly moved to stop his wife, Grace’s ambition to succeed him.

According to Bloomberg, this came after the country’s intelligence chief warned that “her campaign may stoke political violence”.

Quoting three members from the ruling Zanu-PF party’s politburo, Bloomberg said that Grace’s ambition faced opposition from the military, who backed Mnangagwa as next leader.

“Mugabe asked his wife Grace, 51, to tone down her public criticism of veterans of Zimbabwe’s independence war who’ve supported the president since he took power in 1980 and back her main rival, Deputy President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 74,” the politburo members were quoted as saying.

Zanu-PF was reported to be divided into two distinct factions that sought to outwit each other in the battle to succeed Mugabe, 93.

The nonagenarian has failed to groom a successor in his 37 years in power in the southern African country.

Civilian structure

One of the camps calling itself “Team Lacoste” was linked to Mnangagwa, while another faction made up of Young Turks trading by the name Generation 40 was reportedly linked to First Lady Grace.

G40 was said to be seeking to torpedo Mnangagwa’s presidential ambitions.

In April, Zimbabwean former freedom fighters reportedly said they would rather vote for “a stick” if Mngangagwa failed to succeed Mugabe.

According to News Day, the war veterans vowed to continue backing Mnangagwa, with the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA), Douglas Mahiya saying at the time that their move was in line with the Zanu-PF leadership structure agreed upon under the Mgagao Declaration of 1975.

“We agreed there that the civilian structure would be religiously followed with no attempt to stop each other. That is why Emmerson (Mnangagwa) is quiet. We must respect the sacredness of the structure of the revolution which even caused the deaths of our gallant sons and daughters,” Mahiya was quoted as saying.


Source:https://howafrica.com/zimbabwe-army-warns-mugabe-over-wife-graces-ambition-to-succeed-him-report/

1. Liberia

Liberia got its name from the group of Quakers and slaveholders who wanted to repatriate freed Black people to Africa, a report by PBS explains. The group, known as the American Colonization Society, planned to send freed Black people back to Africa instead of having them potentially causing an uprising in America. The scheme of creating an entire country full of freed Black people from America ultimately resulted in the land being deemed Liberia, which translates to “Land of Freedom.”


2. Sierra Leone

In 1462, Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra mapped the hills around what is now known as Freetown Harbour. As he mapped the landscape, he deemed the formation Serra da Leoa, Portuguese for “lioness mountains,” according to the Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia. The name was eventually adapted and the now misspelled term for the majestic mountains became the country’s new name — Sierra Leone.


3. Cameroon

Cameroon’s name originated from one Portuguese sailor’s fascination with how many shrimp he spotted when he arrived in the African country. According to an article posted by the Cameroon Embassy in the Netherlands, “Cameroon is derived from the Portuguese word, Camaroes, meaning shrimps.” Fernando Po arrived at the Wouri River in Douala when he spotted so many shrimp that he declared the river Rio Dos Camaroes, which translates to river of shrimps. Eventually, explorers from all around the globe came to know the land adjacent to the Rio Dos Camaroes as Cameroon.


4. Eritrea

According to a report published by Uppsala University, the country’s name comes from Italian settlers who created colonies on the Horn of Africa in the 19th century. Italians used the phrase “Mare Erythraeum,” which loosely translates to Red Sea, to describe the cluster of colonies that lined what is now known as the Red Sea. Adaptations of that name eventually led to the name it still holds today.


5. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s name originates from one of the most prominent landmarks in the country. The name is derived from a large, historical stone structure called the Great Zimbabwe, which translates to “houses of stone,” the Zimbabwe embassy’s website explains. The embassy’s site states that this stone structure is one of the largest in Africa following the Egyptian pyramids.


6. Togo

Prior to the era of colonial rule by Germany, various tribes had already settled into the country that would soon become known as Togo. In the neighboring countries of Ghana and Benin, Portuguese settlers built forts and began to trade at the small fort at Porto Seguro, according to the Journal of the Royal African Society. The area became a major trading center for Europeans in search of slaves, earning the region the name Togo, which translates to “The Slave Coast.”


7. Seychelles

According to an article published by the National Assembly of Seychelles, the 115-island country was named after Jean Moreau de Sechelles, Louis XV’s minister of finance. In 1756, the French started taking control of the country, which was eventually contested by the British for years starting in 1794.


8. Gabon

Gabon’s name originated from the unusual shape of the Rio de Como estuary, according to Encyclopedia of Nations. The Portuguese arrived on the country’s coast around 1470 when explorers realized the estuary was shaped like a hooded cloak called a “gabao.” After a series of adaptations and translations, the country became known as Gabon.


9. Mauritius

According to Mauritius: A Country Study, the island nation was named in honor of Prince Maurice Nassau by Dutch explorers. In 1715, the French claimed the country and renamed it Ile de France before the British captured the country in 1810 and changed its name back to Mauritius.


10. Mozambique

According to the country’s official tourism site, the origin of Mozambique’s name isn’t certain, but there is a widely believed theory. The site explains that it is “believed to have come from the name of a Muslim leader called ‘Musa al Bique’ that lived in the Island of Mozambique, where Vasco de Gama in 1498 anchored his ship.”



Source:https://howafrica.com/10-fascinating-explanations-on-how-some-african-nations-acquired-their-names/

French magazine Jeune Afrique has revealed the secrets of some African presidents before they took power, reports Cameroon Info.

One of stories follows the activities of Ali Bongo, President of Gabon. As a young man he dreamt of becoming a music star, following in the footsteps of American funk stars like James Brown. He always surrounded himself with musicians who accompanied the American star, the likes of Fred Wesley and manager Charles Bobbit.

His 1977 album “A Brand New Man” – made when Bongo was 18 – carries funky beats that reminds listeners of James Brown. By this time the future president had already embraced Islam but still went by his birth name, Alain Bongo.

He was then named into his father’s cabinet just before he turned 30.

Not being able to frequent the musical scene anymore, he moved on to being a prolific composer.



After his election to the highest office in the country in 2009, he built a studio in the palace where he made music with his mother Patience Dabany, also a singer, and pianist and jazz musician Frédéric Gassita. On a State visit to Peking in 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose wife Peng Liyuan also happens to be a singer, played many of Bongo’s songs.
What do you think?


Source:https://howafrica.com/video-did-you-know-that-president-of-gabon-ali-bongo-was-once-a-funk-master/

German white model, Martina Big has undergone full surgery to become a black woman. She medically started the transformation process in January. She also documents her journey as a ‘black’ woman and the difficulties she faces in the society.

In her vlog, she narrated how difficult it was for her to get a hotel room in Stockholms just because of her dark skin. See more before and after photos after the cut.







Source:https://howafrica.com/a-white-german-model-undergoes-a-full-makeover-to-become-a-black-woman-photos/

Renowned Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie arrived in Kenya Tuesday to participate in this year’s World Refugee Day celebrations that were held in Nairobi.

The 40-year-old superstar interacted with at least 200 refugee girls who are mostly survivors of sexual violence and are now living in the Heshima Kenya Safe House.

Jolie was personally touched by the story of one girl who said in her speech that she is the same age as Jolie’s eldest son yet she is already a Mother to a child born of rape, reports the Daily Nation.


UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie meets refugee children of refugee families at Heshima Kenya Safe House. Photo credit: Nairobi News

“Over half of all refugees and displaced people worldwide are women and children. How we treat them is a measure of our humanity as nations,” she said.

Traveling to Kenya as a UNHCR special envoy, Jolie later addressed the International Peace Support Training Center in Nairobi and observed a training session for military and police personnel involved in UN- and- African-peacekeeping operations.

“If civilians do not have confidence in you as peacekeepers, your mission will not succeed,” Jolie said.

“On behalf of victims of sexual violence, I want to plead with all of you to take this issue seriously and personally, to use your position and your influence to spread this message on all the missions on which you serve.”

This is Jolie’s third visit to Kenya, which is currently hosting 491,000 refugees from neighboring countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, and DR Congo. A huge number of these refugees live in different Kenyan urban centers, where they survive on handouts from UNHCR and well-wishers.

Jolie, who left Kenya on Wednesday, thanked Kenyans for giving their desperate neighbors a safe refuge. She, however, didn’t comment on the recent repatriation of Somali refugees from Daadab Camp by the Kenyan government.

Girls Empowerment Project




Heshima Kenya Safe House is currently running a special program dubbed “Girls’ Empowerment Project,” which provides about 200 refugee girls with education and training in various courses to enable them to become self-reliant.

The Safe House also focuses on helping refugees fully integrate in to Kenyan society, especially those who are not able to return to their countries of origin. UNHCR has also taken up this initiative and is working with its partners in international talks aimed at forging a new Global Compact on Refugees next year.

“When I see them, I don’t see refugees. I see human beings who are suffering not out of choice but because of circumstances beyond their control,” says Benedict who is overseeing the Heshima Kenya program.

The program is restoring dignity to refugees by giving them a chance to be self-reliant and become taxpayers, employers, and consumers with purchasing power.


Source:https://howafrica.com/hollywood-actress-angelina-jolie-marks-world-refugee-day-in-kenya/

Libya under Gaddafi was not entirely hellish as the world has been made to believe. The citizens did not have the luxury of voting but Gaddafi made sure they had a high standard of living to compensate for curtailed freedoms. Was this enough?

That is a moot point but the fact remains: Libya was a great place to stay under Gaddafi (provided one did not try to usurp power).
Education and medical treatment were free

Under Gaddafi, education and health care were free for all. A response to this claim by Masareef Edareeya, a Libyan citizen claimed the quality of education and health was appalling but that does nothing to the fact that it was free. No system is perfect but most are imperfect and still expensive. Gaddafi made sure his system was subsidised and even Mercy Corps attested to the fact in its Beyond Gaddafi: Libya’s Governance Context. That is more than the so-called “democratic leaders” can say for their countries.
Newlyweds received U.S $50,000 from the government

Gaddafi’s government had legislation providing for a grant to newlyweds to buy their first apartment so as to help start a family. Claims are that the process was tedious and bureaucratic to the extent that not many people bothered to follow it through but the $50,000 was there if one followed through. Again Mercy Corps confirmed Gaddafi provided housing for newlyweds. Criticising the grant on grounds of tedious processes is a vindictive trial at attacking every good Gaddafi stood for. It is a personal attack rather than an attack on policy.
Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project

The Gaddafi regime embarked on one of modern man’s edifices of development: the Great Man-Made River Project to make water available to the whole country. As is known, Libya is in a desert region and Gaddafi’s plan to ascertain every citizen of access was the Great Man-Made River Project.

Libya had no external debt and had reserves of $150 billion most of which were frozen globally

Libya was a well-endowed state. To put this into perspective, the self-acclaimed champion of democracy and capitalism, the USA has a debt of over $18 trillion. Libya had none. Enough said.
The price of petrol was $0,14 per litre

In 2011, Staveley Head, a UK-based provider of insurance products compiled a list of countries with the lowest petrol prices in the world. China.org.cn reported the listing which put Libya at third position with its low $0,14.
Having a home was considered a human right

Gaddafi’s Green Book categorically stated, “The house is a basic need of both the individual and the family, therefore it should not be owned by others.” The Green Book was Gaddafi’s bible of political philosophy and had first been published in 1975. He vowed that he would not secure a house for his own parents until every citizen had one.
Gender equality actually a reality

Women in Libya were free to work and dress as they liked, subject to family constraints. The “dictator” did not impose any particular repressive canon on women and considering the sensitivities of the Arab community to gender roles, this was a big feat. Universal access to primary education was achieved in a relatively short space of time under Gaddafi.
The Human Development Index was better than two-thirds of the countries reported on

The Human Development Report has been published since 1990 and it is in the report that the HDI is found. The last time the report was released with Gaddafi in power, Libya was ranked 53 of 163 countries with comparable data. The HDI of Arab states was 0,641 while Libya’s was 0,760. Libya was therefore better off than most Arab States. The HDI provides a composite measure of health, education and income. Does being placed above the Arab States average mean all was rosy? By no means! It simply means there were worse countries that the Western “whistle-blowers” did not “rescue”. In 2009, Libya was reported to be on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

People had enough food

This does not need to be qualified. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) confirmed that undernourishment was less than 5% with a daily calorie intake of 3144. This was one “oppressor” whose subjects had enough. With the Great Man-Made River Project, Gaddafi was securing an even brighter agricultural future to feed his nation. Pessimists can be claimed he was feeding citizens for the slaughter.
Privatization of all Libyan oil to every citizen

On 21 February 2011, Gaddafi launched a programme to privatize all Libyan oil to every citizen of Libya. This would initially provide $21,000 to every citizen from a total of $32 billion in 2011 and effectively lead to the dissolution of the ministries of health, education and others to eliminate corruption, theft of oil by foreign companies and to decentralise power.

Was Gaddafi a dictator? Yes. Did he violate the human rights of some citizens? Yes. Did he keep his dead victims in coolers as trophies of his macabre exploits? So they say! However, he also had a heart for his country and the world conveniently skips that part every time. How one man could be such a paradoxical figure is a wonder.


Source:https://howafrica.com/reasons-make-libyans-cry-regret-gaddafis-death/

Adaeze Obasi, top model and Miss Supranational 2016 has been voted the sexiest woman in Africa by reputable beauty organization, Global Beauty, who recently released their 2016/2017 list across the 7 continents. Adaeze was picked for Africa.

Picking the 7 sexiest women Alive across the 7 continents was based on the women’s natural s*x appeal, intelligence, amazing looks and superb elegance, according to GB. Adaeze is definitely stunning but do you think she deserves the title? See more pics of her after the cut before you decide.













Source:https://howafrica.com/meet-nigerian-beauty-queen-voted-sexiest-woman-africa/