Safari Notes

Wangari Maathai “When you have the environment degraded, it is always so that we are going to fight over the few resources that are left.” “We are very fond of blaming the poor for destroying the environment. But often it is the powerful, including governments, that are responsible.” “We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind.” "Throughout Africa, women are the primary caretakers, holding significant responsibility for tilling the land and feeding their families. As a result, they are often the first to become aware of environmental damage as resources become scarce and incapable of sustaining their families." "We have planted over 30 million trees that provide fuel, food, shelter, and income to support their children's education and household needs. The activity also creates employment and improves soils and watersheds. Through their involvement, women gain some degree of

Stand Up Against Poverty is a Month of Action from Sept 16 - Oct 17, where millions of people around the world will be showing their support to eradicate poverty and inequality. "Six years ago, 189 world leaders sat down and agreed to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. On October 15&16, people across the world will stand up to remind them of this promise. Join us as we set the Guinness World Record for the most people standing up against poverty. Together we can end extreme poverty. STAND UP is part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty month of mobilization around the International Day of Poverty Eradication." To add your own event click here . What You Can Do for STAND UP

Not all stories are bad. Some are good. Some very good and encouraging. One such very encouraging story is that of Bwindi; Bwindi National Park, Uganda. Bwindi's recovery as a major tourist attraction, is a reflection of the recovery of Uganda's tourism industry. During the Idi Amin years and the unsettled years after that, many thought that Uganda would never recover as an attractive tourist destination. Many too, thought, that most of the attraction - wildlife in particular - would no longer be much of an attraction for tourists. Of much concern, were the state of the gorilla population in Western Uganda; close to the Congo-Rwanda border. But the gorillas, mountain gorillas, some how survived all those unsettled years; and have now become Uganda's star tourist attraction. Their population has rebounded. The Uganda Tourist Board says: ' the endangered mountain gorilla, the bulkiest of living primates, and among the most peaceable. Staring into the pensive brown eyes of

“African nationalism is meaningless, dangerous, anachronistic, if it is not, at the same time, pan-Africanism” "Violence is unnecessary and costly. Peace is the only way." More on Nyerere: infed , ANC.org.za , sardc.net , Wikipedia , Google Books , Google Scholar Photo: Mwalimu

"Most people call it a paradise. It's a name that conjures up many images in the mind. Many emotions in the heart. It's a name that, unfortunately, we don't often hear applied to many of the places we have left on this planet.Why? Because paradises these days are often rarer than the endangered animals that are found within their borders." That's the Gamba Complex which lies on the coast of Gabon, a country in western central Africa, just below Cameroon. "The Gamba complex is a critical refuge for Africa's embattled rainforest wildlife." TV for the Environment But now, the Gamba complex is under threat; several animal species are under threat which includes: the western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, leatherback, green, hawksbill and olive ridley turtles; and a variety of other animals. Illegal poaching remains a major and critical problem; but that aside - new roads are being planned to run through the reserve, the continuing prospecting

"To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there." "Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family." "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." "From this vision of the role of the United Nations in the next century flow three key priorities for the future: eradicating poverty, preventing conflict and promoting democracy." Photo: from Google Images

U.N. report - early 2005: The government of Sudan and militias have acted together in committing widespread atrocities in Darfur that should be prosecuted by an international war crimes tribunal, but the violent acts do not amount to genocide, a U.N. commission has said. The African Union's response: " The African Union has announced that it will extend the mandate of its peacekeeping forces in Darfur through the end of the year, ensuring that international troops will remain in the war-torn Sudanese province for now ." Omar Hassan El' Bashir, at the last UN General Assembly: "It is very clear there is a plan to redraw the region especially after the invasion of Iraq,” Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan's president, said on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly session."The main purpose [of this plan] is the security of Israel. Any state in the region should be weakened, dismembered in order to protect the Israelis, to guarantee the Israeli security." Th