Some more pics from Shaping Destiny's fundraising event.

Click here for more pics. And for more information on Shaping Destiny, click here.

A first trip to the dentist - Dentistry in Africa

I ain't gonna lie. I was a full grown adult before I paid my first visit to the dentist here in the US. When I told the dentist how old I was and that this was my first visit to the dentist, she shouted out to her receptionist "Cancel ALL of my remaining appointments, this is going to take a while"

Of course, there are the privileged few back in Africa that visit the dentist regularly but for the most part, many people don't even know such a profession even exist.

Whetin I dey go dentist for when I get pako?!


I mean, check out the 32s of a lot of Nollywood stars...many of the Nollywood stars are my close friends O! but if you think about it, they depict a fantasy world and if their grills are all jacked up, what hope does Toyin Tomato in Mushin have!

So when I came across this article...a sigh of relief followed

A first trip to the dentist

Three UK dental surgeons travelled to the heart of Africa to set up a clinic in an area where tens of thousands of people live in pain with rotting teeth or gums and no one to treat them.

Click here to read the full story

World Aids Day

World Aids Day was marked on December 1st. I thought I'd just post a little quote from Mr. Mandela from a speech during an event in South Africa.

"The trend is encouraging but still for every person receiving treatment four others are newly infected. If we are to stop the Aids epidemic from expanding, we need to break the cycle of new HIV infections. All of us working together with government, communities and civil society can make the difference that is needed."

Let us all do our part.

Mandela announces new South African HIV/Aids gig

Source BBC News:

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has announced an international concert to be held for World Aids Day in Johannesburg on 1 December.

The aim is to raise awareness about HIV/Aids in a country with one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates

More than five million people are HIV positive in South Africa.

Fifty thousand people are expected at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. More than 30 local and international artists will be performing.

For the past four years, Nelson Mandela has allowed his old prison number 46664 to be used as a banner in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Several 46664 concerts have been held around the world and Mr Mandela said 46664 would continue to organise major events to highlight the problem.

"I am very delighted that we are engaging the youth in schools, communities and through the media, breaking the silence and stigmas around HIV and Aids, and making them realise that the power to beat the pandemic, lies in their own hands," he said.

Since his retirement from politics, Mr Mandela has thrown himself into the struggle against Aids with determination.

In 2005, the cause took on a tragic personal dimension for him when his only surviving son, Makgato, died of Aids.

What's health worth for the poor in Africa?

Check out this link for couple of case studies on health issues. Interesting read.

SUFFERING AND SMILING (New York Premiere). Coming soon.

SUFFERING AND SMILING (New York Premiere)

Dan Ollman, Nigeria/US, 2007, 65m, video, doc, In English and Yoruba with English subtitles

Focusing on the legendary African singer and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his son Femi, Suffering and Smiling depicts the impact of their politically charged music. Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, Fela used his songs to speak out against the country's corrupt leaders. Since independence the military and political elite have enriched themselves by allowing Nigeria's oil and natural resources to be stripped by multinational corporations with little benefit to ordinary Nigerians. Fela gave voice to Nigeria's disenfranchised underclass and sang of a free and united Africa. Upon his death in 1997, Femi has continued his father's legacy. Equally passionate and charismatic, he sings about the dire situation in his country, asks why the world's most resource-rich continent has the poorest people, and struggles to maintain a vision of better days ahead for the common people of Nigeria. *Presented in association with Film Aid International, http://www.filmaid.org/

SHOWTIMES:

Wed June 20: 2

Fri June 22: 4

Sat June 23: 9

Sun June 24: 1:30

Running from June 15 to 28 at the Walter Reade Theater, the 18th edition of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival features 21 films and three shorts from 17 countries and includes 16 New York premieres. Tickets for the 2007 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival are available at both the Walter Reade Theater box office (212)875-5600 and online at http://www.filmlinc.com/

Africa’s Storied Colleges, Jammed and Crumbling

Africa’s best universities, the grand institutions that educated a revolutionary generation of nation builders and statesmen, doctors and engineers, writers and intellectuals, are collapsing. It is partly a self-inflicted crisis of mismanagement and neglect, but it is also a result of international development policies that for decades have favored basic education over higher learning even as a population explosion propels more young people than ever toward the already strained institutions.

Read more.

"I can treat asthma and HIV/Aids...within 3 days"

A claim by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Did you read about this?