Africa Rising 21st Century

              Since retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu died the other day, there have been numerous photos of him on social media – some in which people wanted to show that they had been blessed know him – but little in the way of explanation of why he is so highly thought of.   I will attempt to explain, using points in his life and his own words, so that his life’s meaning is genuinely shared beyond the current citations.             Desmond Mpilo Tutu was of mixed Xhosa/Motswana heritage, born on 7 October 1931 in poverty in the town of Kierksdorp.   He trained as a teacher, got married in 1955 and had four children.   In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to the United Kingdom to study theology at  Kings College London. In 1966, he returned to Africa, teaching at the  Federal Theological Seminary, South Africa, and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.   He subsequently became Bishop of Johannesburg and later Archbishop of Cape Town,  t

            Nigeria is not only Africa’s most populous nation, it is the home of abundant natural blessings, such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, minerals such as gold, iron ore, niobium and tin and a significant amount of arable land.   Moreover, Africa’s giant has plentiful human resources to call upon – many of whom have already made significant contributions to society.   Unfortunately, there are too many Nigerians who have succumbed to the temptation to engage in criminal activities or who have perverted holy teachings to persecute their fellow citizens.   As a result, what should be a progressive nation enjoying its God-given blessings has become a hellish place for too many of its people and a disappointment to a continent and a world that could sorely use the leadership it is quite capable of providing.             According to Statista, the international research company, more than two-thirds of Nigerians surveyed were quite concerned about being mugged or robbed.   More th

              Africa’s Sahel region stretches from the Atlantic coast of Senegal in the West to Djibouti’s Red Sea coast in the east.   In addition to these two countries, it includes at least parts of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan and Ethiopia.   Hundreds of millions of people live in this region of Africa. The Sahel is not completely desert;   it is mostly covered in grassland and savanna, with areas of woodland and shrubland.   Still, this area has suffered the effects of frequent drought, desertification and other symptoms of a changing climate. Earth.org has quoted M ark Lowcock, the United Nations’ undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, as referring to the “alarming deterioration” of the Sahel region in recent years that has led to tens of millions of people being displaced, rising extremist violence, massive violations of human rights and growing political instabilit

              In the making of U.S. policy toward Africa, the influence of African Americans has rarely been especially influential.   At an earlier point, when the Congressional Black Caucus was led by members who had important Congressional positions and were vehement about Africa issues, they were heeded because they could benefit or demolish non-Africa initiatives.   However, it takes that level of commitment by black legislators because it is well known that the mass of African Americans don’t know or care much about Africa.   However, a new player is emerging on the scene: Africa-born African Americans.             Not that this is a new group. Today, one in every six black people in the United States is foreign-born.   Since 2000, the black immigrant population has risen 71%.   Yet like so many black voters, African-born people have reflexively voted Democrat and have not been seriously solicited by Republicans, despite having characteristics that make them prime candidates f