- Top news stories from Chicago and the African continent.
- An exclusive interview and music from Dah-Jah of Benin
- Advice Box: Taxi drivers and health care
- Africans in Chicago interview with Fehinty African Theater Ensemble
The African/Caribbean Intl Festival of Life in Washington Park
on July 4-8th was a huge success.Tents filled with unique art, African clothing, jewelry,and
a long row of tents filled with Jamaican food, as much a your
stomach could handle.By all accounts, this fest was a huge hit, and winded down
perfectly with great musical and poetic acts.Sudanese Demo:
The Sudanese demonstration in Chicago was on Tuesday, July 10th.
The aim of the demo was to make people more aware of the poverty
and war in Sudan.Representatives from the community says that 1,000+ protesters were
jailed within 3 weeks.
The aim of the demo was, and continues to be to support the sudanese people
on an international level.
Ghana Draws Tough Group in Fifa U-17 World Cup
Mas-Ud Didi Dramani is savouring the ‘special moment’ of getting to know the teams that Ghana have drawn for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2012. Last Friday was the official draw for the 16 qualified nations. Ghana will be making their third straight appearance at the World Cup. “This is a very special moment,” said Ghana coach, Mas-Ud Didi Dramani after the draw placed his team in Group D. We have to go away and prepare ourselves now.”
The tournament will be taking place between 22 September and 13 October in Baku and Lankaran. The teams were drawn into the following groups:
Group A: Azerbaijan, Colombia, Nigeria, Canada
Group B: France, USA, Korea DPR, Gambia
Group C: Mexico, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan
Group D: Uruguay, China PR, Ghana, Germany
https://allafrica.com/stories/201207110744.html
DR Congo conflict: UN ‘to protect Goma from rebels’
There are an estimated 19,000 UN peacekeepers deployed in DR Congo. UN peacekeepers are being redeployed to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect the city from mutineers, the country’s UN envoy says. Roger Meece said he was determined to protect population centres in the east from advancing rebels of the M23 group. a source has told the BBC the army has retaken the two towns recently captured by the fighters. The Congolese government and the UN say Rwanda is backing the rebels, a claim Kigali vehemently denies. The BBC has been told that Congolese soldiers have been seen entering the strategic town of Rutshuru, 70km (43 miles) north of Goma, which was captured by rebels over the weekend. Kiwanja, 20km further north, has reportedly been retaken by the army after M23 fighters left the town. The rebels – who took up arms in April – named themselves “M23” after a failed peace agreement signed on 23 March three years ago. a rebel commander told the BBC they intended to hide out in the mountains until they were able to renegotiate a new peace deal with the government and did not intend to take further ground. A rebel commander told the BBC they intended to hide out in the mountains until they were able to renegotiate a new peace deal with the government and did not intend to take further ground. They are supporters of renegade General Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). An estimated 200,000 people have fled their homes since April, with about 20,000 crossing the border into Uganda and Rwanda.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18795457
Music Sensation Zahara to Make a Return to Zimbabwe
South African songbird Zahara will return to Zimbabwe for shows in Harare and Bulawayo by what organizers said was “by public demand”. Zahara tour scheduled for August 10 and 11. This will be Zahara’s second tour to the country after her debut less than five months ago. She will perform at Fusion –Borrowdale. Zahara is bringing in her eight-member live band, which left audiences spellbound earlier on this year.
allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Kawara to Curtain Raise for Zahara
Nigeria: President Jonathan Says Govt. Is Committed to Manufacturing Sector
Leadership (Abuja)
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan declared Thursday in Lagos that there was still huge hope for the Nigerian manufacturing sector, even as he stated that inspite of the insecurity problems the nation is currently facing, “yet N6.1trillion worth of investments were made in the last one year in Nigeria and these are yielding positive results”. The president who was represented by the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Mr. Samuel Ortom, at the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) 40th Annual General Meeting, on Friday, said that “Our potential as a Nation is huge indeed economically, and we’ll do better than what it is presently, all that is needed now is the willingness to drive the economy faster and I can assure you, my administration is willingness to do so”.
https://allafrica.com/stories/201207021555.html
UPCOMING EVENTS:
UAO Leadership Workshop
Topic: Youth Development & Empowerment
Date: Sat, July 21, 2012
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Venue: University Room
10 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60616
Email: training@uniteafricans.org
Call: (312) 285-5024
Umu Igbo Alliance’s
3rd Annual – Ama Ndigbo Intergenerational Dialogue!
Date: July 26 – 29, 2012
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Venue: UIC Forum
750 S. Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607
* To register, please visit:
https://www.umuigboalliance.org/Registration
Email:umuigboalliance@gmail.com
Call (773) 759-8883
Miss Ghana 2012
Date: Fri, July 27, 2012
Time: 5:30pm
Venue: DuSable Museum of
African American History
740 East 56th Place
Chicago, IL 60637
Email:gloriaopare@missghanausa.org
GhanaFest 2012
Date: Sat, July 28, 2012
Time: 10:00am – 10pm
Venue: Washington Park
5600 S. Russell Drive
Chicago, IL 60616
* The event is $10 (for adults) to get in.
You can expect to find:
- local Ghanaian food
- Church choir singing from 11-2pm
- 3 live bands
- 6 culture groups
- registration to vote
- parades
- Ghanaian ambassador, and other political figures
If you have any questions, please email or call:
Email: info@ghananationalcouncil.org
Call: (773) 636-7013
Liberian Independence Celebration
Thursday, July 26th
*There will be a 3 part program filled
with:
- Guest speakers
- performances
- formal ball and dinner
- music, food, and fun!
For the Liberian community, immigration is the biggest issue
- Organization of Liberian Community in Illinois (OLCI) collaborating with Union of Liberian Assoc. in the Americas (ULAA) are fighting for Liberian immigrants
- Today, 4,000 Liberians are facing deportation
ADVICE BOX:
Taxi Drivers and Health Care
RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken legs and thighs, skinless — 2 pounds
- Lemon, juice only — 1
- Salt — 2 teaspoons
- Onions, chopped — 2
- Garlic, crushed — 3 cloves
- Gingerroot, peeled and chopped — 1 tablespoon
- Oil 1/4 cup
- Paprika – 2 tablespoons
- Berberé paste — 1/4 to 1/2 cup
- Water or stock — 3/4 cup
- Red wine — 1/4 cup
- Cayenne pepper — from 1 teaspoon
- Salt and pepper — to taste
- Hard-boiled eggs (optional) — 4
- Mix together the chicken pieces, lemon juice and salt and in a large, non-reactive bowl and set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, puree the onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender. Add a little water if necessary.
- Heat the oil, butter or niter kibbeh in a large pot over medium flame. Add the paprika and stir in to color the oil and cook the spice through, about 1 minute. Do not burn. Stir in the berberé paste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the onion-garlic-ginger puree and sauté until most of the moisture evaporates and the onion cooks down and loses its raw aroma, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Pour in the water or stock and wine and stir in the chicken pieces, cayenne to taste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add water as necessary to maintain a sauce-like consistency.
- Add the whole hard boiled eggs and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.
- Adjust seasoning and serve hot with brown rice.
- ·Bottom of Form
- Traditionally, the pureed onions are cooked first in a dry pan without any oil. The liquid evaporates out and they take on a unique toasted flavor. If you’d like to try this method, just make sure your flame isn’t so high it burns the onions, and stir constantly. Then add the oil, butter or niter kibbeh, paprika and the berberé and proceed with the recipe.
- Sik Sik Wat: Substitute 2 pounds of cubed stewing beef for the chicken.
- Vegetable Wat: Substitute 2 pounds of small zucchini, halved and quartered. Proceed with the recipe, but just cook long enough for the zucchini to be cooked through and soft.
- Doro Alich’a: Eliminate the paprika and berberé and substitute white wine for the red wine.
AFRICANS IN CHICAGO:
For this month’s episode, we speak with Fehinty African Theater Ensemble, a theater group located in Uptown in Chicago. The group speaks on how FATE got its beginning, upcoming shows, as well as how theater is important to the community.
