Wileys 20%

I made a blog for my 20% about blood diamonds. check it out

http://conflictblooddiamonds.blogspot.com/

Wileys 20%

I made a blog for my 20% about blood diamonds. check it out

http://conflictblooddiamonds.blogspot.com/

Africa Life

I'm almost done with my 20% time. Any comments/feedback/flames?

Wow

Wow. Just, wow.

Nigeria and Oil (Emily, Bobi, and Ari)

Really good National Geographic Article

Shell Nigeria

Nigeria! Woohoo!

View Larger Map

...Hopefully this works?

Here's the video on the oil industry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zalqYjcjA2Y

Since our presentation on Zimbabwe...

Here's a pretty good overview of whats been going on with the elections...

What you missed on senior skip day...

The lions. The t-shirt...




















Or, if you prefer, the plush toy (human corpse not included):

Africa Life: Remember, the goal isn't for you to have fun...

There's a lot of rough spots, but how do you guys think it looks so far? Keep in mind that it's intended to be much bigger (and therefore much more readable) than this picture's resolution.

lions, i has dem

in ur countree
trackin u down




Maybe.
Just maybe.

Blame Mr. Rogers

An article saying to blame Mr. Rogers for students who want to get good grades but don't work

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/06/fox-news-%E2%80%98blame-mr-rogers%E2%80%99/

Mr. Rogers Kicks Ass

lolUSMC

Mr. Rogers used to work for the USMC. I'm going to update his wikipedia article right now to reflect that.

Fainting Goats

lolAfrican Dictators.

By request...

For your pleasure, a lolCharlesTaylor.

Fun is a Secondary Objective

I realized in making my "Game of Life: Africa Edition" that it's not designed for the player to have fun, it's designed so others can laugh at you.

At certain points in the game, outcomes of random events are determined by drawing cards from a pile. At the end of the game, the winner is whoever has the most pwnage points.

• Names (http://www.babynameworld.com/african.asp)
○ Rain
○ Monsoon
○ Monday
○ Tuesday
○ Wednesday
○ Thursday
○ Friday
○ Saturday
○ Sunday
○ C-Section
○ Drought
○ Sun
○ Dwayne
○ Erik
○ Fola
○ Finn
○ Femi
○ Abeni
○ Aissa
○ Baako

• Puberty
○ Circumcised: Death from complications
§ Start over

○ Circumcised: Hurts like a mother
§ Move back two spaces

○ Physical ordeal: Slay a lion
§ + 50 pwnage points
§ Move forward one space

○ Physical Ordeal: Brutally mauled by a lion
§ - 50 Pwnage points
§ Move back one space

○ No physical ordeal or circumcision, your family lives in the city and is too progressive
§ Move forward two spaces

• Exams
○ Success! Your family is wealth enough to buy your way through the test. Perfect scores.
○ Failure! Go start selling sunglasses.
○ Success! Your studying pays off.
○ Success! Your schooling has served you well.
○ Success! You got lucky. Don't let it go to your head.

• Random
○ Realize that Rob was full of shit about the two lions. Move forward 2 spaces.
○ Get mauled by the same two lions. Move back three spaces.

• University

○ Become revolutionized and start a revolution.
§ + 150 pwnage points

○ Protest against corrupt government and be put in prison
§ Move back two spaces

○ Get hella smart, enter the government
§ Move forward three spaces

○ Sellout: Work for a corporation exploiting Africa and its resources
§ Move back one space

○ Flunk out
§ Move back 5 spaces

○ Start your own business
§ Move forward one space

○ Become disillusioned, bitter, and burnt out on academia
§ Move backwards one space

LOLBONOBO.

I made a lolbonobo.

HAAAA SAVENYA

Mehera's 20% Time

This is kind of late, but --

During my 20% time on Friday I went to C's art room and looked through her African Art book. I've chosen to study old Nigerian art as my project, so I flipped through the section on the Nok civilization. I found a picture of a head carved out of some sort of stone, and I made a mini-replica of it out of molding clay. I'm planning on making a plaster replica of it later, so making the mini one out of molding clay was the first step.

I think during the break I'll go to the library and see if I can find a book on African [particularly Nigerian] sculptures.

Rob's 20% Time

So now I have begun narrowing down the countries which are considered the most dangerous, and I ordered Robert Pelton's book, The World's Most Dangerous Places. Here is what I have decided to be the list of the top ten most dangerous countries. I will pick one city from each country, and will create either a travel manual or a slide presentation on each city, listing them as 10 places not to go in Africa. Here they are

Liberia

South Africa

Burundi

Somalia

Sierra Leone

Sudan

Zimbabwe

Angola

Nigeria

Ethiopia

When I get the book I'll plan on using it as my main reference, and then I will jump further into each of the countries, hopefully coming out with one very specific place not to go in each country.

Ariana's 20% Time

I researched lists of African films, and international film about Africa. Most of the ones I found aren't available, but I compiled a list of some that are.

Faraw! Mother of the Dunes
Haramuya
Tasuma
Monday’s Girls
Blood Diamond
Hotel Rwanda
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Black Hawk Down
The Constant Gardener
The Last King of Scotland
Sometimes in April
Tears of the Sun
Apocalypse Now
Battle of Algiers
Nowhere in Africa
Mama Africa: Growing Up Urban

What Mara Accomplished Today During 20% Time

I spent class researching Nigerian literature (as I've found the most noteworthy literature I might actually be able to find at a Borders or Barnes & Noble to be Nigerian). I compiled a list of eight books I might like to read; I may narrow it down by a few later, but it seems solid. Most are books described as having won awards or having received a lot of critical acclaim. If you want, I can post the actual list.

There.

Race and Elena's 20% time...

So. We looked up different species of endangered animals, and decided to focus on deforestation as a topic for our movie (causes, solutions, areas most affected in Sub-Saharan Africa, etc.). And we can include stuff about monkeys.

Oh, and we watched a bit of Blood Diamond.

Posting for me and Emily:
We learned pronouns and the possessives for those pronouns (like, if
the stem that agrees with the word for name is l-, you add the possessives to make
pronoun in question agree with the noun). We also made a noun list, and are going to know them by next week. And! We know how to count from one to 100. And we practiced saying numbers and the vocab and whatnot.

I researched a number of African dictators online and tried to find poetry by them. The only one I could find any poems by was the Ginuean leader Ahmed Sékou Touré. My next step will be to look for books that might have more poetry in them.

Summary

Found articles on cotton subsidies:

http://www.worldviewmagazine.com/issues/article.cfm?id=163&issue=39

http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/africa072505.cfm

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/press_releases/archive-2005/wto_cotton_ruling

Cool Videos

Current Issues in Ghana

Here's some Oxfam things about the issues of mining vs. agriculture in Ghana, currently. It's interesting. Dave also has the full article from the Oxfam newsletter, if anyone is interested.

The Key to Ghanaian Culture

Ghana is changing its currency and simultaneously producing a cultural masterpiece that rivals anything authored by a dead white guy. See if you can get all the symbolism/metaphors/etc. Prepare yourselves:

Ghana: Hell Yes (nheiner)

Here's the Ghana map, in case you want to look it over and have fun clicking on all the little buttons. Who knows, maybe you can come up with a question that I can't answer. That would be ironic.


View Larger Map

Here are some notes I compiled on the media that Dave found for me at the UW library. He still has the stuff, if anyone wants to check it out and see some more ritual chicken slaughter:

Ghana: Introduction

Saturday, January 26, 2008

6:14 PM

1. Geography - Ghana (Bradt)
• "flat and low lying"
• Always less than 1000m
• 50% is less than 150m
2. Fauna
• Chameleons are common
• Badass animals
• Tongue as long as its body
• Natural camo
• Eyes give 1800 field of vision
• Independent motion
3. Folk music: 205 (Ghana)
• Excellent
• Sounds vaguely Mexican
4. A Great Tree Has Fallen
• Semi-interesting traditional stuff that can be slow at times
• Good for a few minutes
5. Sankofa
• Self-centered American model
• "I'm not an African"
• 9:30
• Ancient spirit dude freaks out about misuse of slave castles
• Shows what slave castles look like
• Commentary on their commercialization
• Interesting cinematic style
• 10:30 - eye contact with camera
• 14:30 spirits attack
• 17:02 - travels back in time
• 17:52 - frontal nudity OMG!
6. Witches in Exile
• Women whose children die are accused of their death
• Why?
• Evolutionary instinct: if the child dies, then the mother carries bad genes as well
• Social control mechanism (4:30)
• "if you are too rich, if you are boastful"
• "if you are a loner"
• "if you are quarrelsome"
• Method of explaining deaths (6:30)
• Many deaths in Ghanaian society
• Difficult to explain
• Sexist: no male witches
• 12:42 - explanation of this
• 1:47
• "Kukuo Witches Home"
• 2:16 - powerful statements
• "If someone is accused, what should happen to them?"
• No sense of "innocent before proven guilty"
• Severe punishment
• 2:40 - impressive head juggling
• 6:10 - traditional version of witchcraft/what people are told from an early age
• 7:00 - excerpt from "End of the Wicked"
• 8:25 - mix of Christianity and local culture
• Baptist school teacher talking about witches
• 9:50 - Human rights activist talking about witch camps
• 11:20 - Rural, underdeveloped Northern Ghana
• Contrasts with richer Southern Ghana
• North v. South
• Northerners still believe in witchcraft
• Rural traditions still strong
• Weaker in the South
• 13:20 - state of women's rights in Ghana
• 14:30 - Kukuo witches home
• If woman is accused, she is brought there by family members
• Community can have witch back if they want
• 16:25 - witchcraft trial process
• Slay a chicken
• It flaps around on the ground
• Final position determines whether or not the allegations are true or false
• 18:25 - family violence is common
7. University of Ghana
• 1948
• 24,000 students
• Legon, a suburb 12km NE of Accra's center
• Legon = Ga (indigenous Ghana language) for "Hill of Knowledge"
• Used to be affiliated with University of London but recently broke off
• YouTube
• Christmas morning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS_ONK-9JeY
• Traditional music practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCRFR4w3fhw
• Produces many of the Ghanaian ruling class: chief justices, parliamentary representatives, heads of state, etc
• Six other public universities

Here are the stupid questions I wrote:

Maze Questions

Sunday, January 27, 2008

10:32 PM

1. Who was the first leader of Ghana, and when did he take office?
1. Nelson Mandela, 1957
2. Kwame Nkrumah, 1957
3. Nelson Mandela, 1946
4. Kwame Nkrumah, 1946
2. What is the life expectancy in Ghana?
1. 59
2. 61
3. 48
4. 77
3. What is the national language of Ghana?
1. Ga
2. Akan
3. Portuguese
4. English
4. Where was "Sankofa" filmed?
1. Accra
2. Kumasi
3. Cape Coast
4. Ada
5. Where is the witches home?
1. Jaagpo
2. Daboya
3. Salaga
4. Kukuo
6. Which is most rural?
1. Northern Ghana
2. Southern Ghana
3. Eastern Ghana
4. Western Ghana
7. What is a tro-tro?
1. Government mass transit
2. State-owned taxi system
3. Type of nut
4. Hell
8. What is the name of our hotel?
1. Centrum for Religious Prayer and Dialog
2. Mama's Hostel
3. Oki Doki Hostel
4. Akwaaba Beach House
9. Which of the following is a neighborhood in Accra?
1. Jamestown
2. Georgetown
3. Kumasi
4. Legon
10. How big is Ghana, approximately?
1. Florida
2. New York
3. Rhode Island
4. Oregon
11. Where are the slave wells located?
1. Dobya
2. Ada
3. Salaga
4. Kumasi
12. What is neo-imperialism?
1. European powers reestablish total control through military action
2. Neo-Nazis take over
3. Neo, The One, flies in and pwns everyone
4. Western companies maintain economic control over the country
13. Who is the current leader of Ghana?
1. Prime Minister John Kufuor
2. General John Kufuor
3. President John Kufuor
4. Tzar John Kufuor
14. What kind of government does Ghana have?
1. Federalist Republic
2. Anarchy
3. Military dictatorship
4. Constitutional Republic
15. What two religious are often simultaneously followed in Ghana?
1. Islam and Christianity
2. Judaism and Christianity
3. Christianity and local paganism
4. Local paganism and Islam
16. What is the significance of Jaagpo Sacred Grove?
1. Major slave trading post
2. Baobab with hoof marks from horse of local Chief
3. Natural geysers
4. Elephant breeding grounds
17. How big is Lake Volta?
1. Hella big
2. Biggest manmade lake ever
3. Biggest lake ever
4. Friggin' huge
18. How much does it cost to climb the 30m James Town lighthouse?
1. $5
2. $2
3. $.4
4. $1
19. What event was a major turning point in the African independence movement?
1. Protestors at Cape Coast Slave Castle are shot
2. Protestors at Osu Castle are shot
3. Protestors overrun guards at Fort Ussher
4. Protestors overrun guards at Fort James
20. How many Chiefs of Ada were killed by British between 1876 and 1930?
1. 3 of the 4
2. 1 of the 4
3. 4 of the 4
4. 5 of the 5