Positively African

  In the 1950s, the UK saw a rise in a popular practise referred to loosely as ‘Child Farming’. Essentially it meant that couples were sending their children away to be fostered privately, either by white British families- in poor white areas, or away in the countryside. This practice meant that west African couples who had travelled to the UK to study could focus on receiving their degrees and doing well in their education, without having to worry about the day-to-day care of their children. In West African culture it is considered normal for children to spend long periods of time away from their parents, however, it would normally be in the care of another family member, well versed in the culture and traditions of said family. Many worry that despite the best efforts of some white families to celebrate and practice West African culture, it often falls short and is a bit unnatural to how it may be practised by someone of natural West African descent. In 1955, the popular chil...

In 2015, Sierra Leone saw a rapid rise in teenage pregnancies, with 3 in 10 girls aged 15-19 either pregnant or having birthed a child. This is attributed to the Ebola outbreak which started in 2014. The pandemic caused widespread poverty, as well as a surge in rape cases and abuse. The community is very traditional and pregnant teens were widely discriminated against and outcast, especially by school peers and sometimes even disowned by family members. Some young women are routinely coerced into sex by men who promise to offer financial support for their education, including school and exam fees, uniform, and textbooks. These men also seldom take responsibility for said pregnancies, leaving girls with limited options when it comes to child support. Girls rarely return to school as they have nobody to watch over their child. Following the rapid rise in pregnancies, the government enforced a law banning pregnant females from attending mainstream school. They are believed to be a bad...

  Queen Amina of Zazzua was born in 1533 to King Nikatua, the 22 nd ruler of Zazzua and Queen Bakwa of Turunku. Zazzua is a city in present-day Northern Nigeria, called Zaria (named after her younger sister). Amina also had a brother, Karami, who took over the throne after the death of their parents (thought to be around 1566). Zazzua was one of seven of the Hausa states and was also the largest before Amina took over the throne, it’s large slave hub contributed to its wealth and future success. The other six states were Daura, Kano, Gobir, Katsina, Rano, and Garun Gabas Growing up, Amina showed a strong interest in military and combat skills. She soon became very skilled at this, and is how she earned herself the name Amina, meaning “Woman as capable of man”. She is said to have been bought up in her grandfather’s court, where he educated her on political and military matters. Amina led an army of about 20,000 men and never lost a battle. She was highly respected by her sol...

  In Zambia, the ever-growing climate crisis has been a cause of concern for many Zambian small-scale farmers. Many rely on the agricultural output to feed their families and sell any surplus to pay for school fees; toiletries; medicines and so on. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent and making it difficult for farmers to yield successful crops. The SCRALA project (Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agriculture) began working to provide small scale farmers with goats and training in goat-rearing as a means of alternative income. The project has been supported by the UN, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), and WFP (World Food Programme). It has been funded by the GCF (Green Climate Fund), who have donated $32 million; the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture, who donated $103 million; $369,000 from WARMA (Water Resources Management Authorities) and $1.4 million from UNDP.   Such funding has led to a better livelihood for many rura...

  A 16-year-old, unidentified teenage boy from Kenya survived as a stowaway, aboard the landing gear of a freight plane that flew from London, Stanstead Airport to Maastricht Airport in the Netherlands. The boy astoundingly survived freezing sub-zero temperatures. However, he was admitted to hospital with hypothermia and is reported to be recovering surprisingly well.   Unfortunately, most stowaways either fall out of the wheel during flight-or freeze to death. Such an incident took place in 2019 when a Kenyan man was found on a patio in Clapham, London. The Dutch Royal Marechaussee (police branch of the Netherlands armed forces) are investigating potential links to a human trafficking syndicate. The boy is applying for asylum and has expressed that he does not wish to return to Kenya, which is where his incredible journey originally began. He has not yet explained exactly what pushed him to give up his comfort and potentially his life to flee his home country. We hope t...

  On the 1 st of February 2021, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that the UK would be imposing harsh sanctions on four of Zimbabwe’s Security Sector chiefs. How is this good news? Well… sighs in Zimbabwean . Following the coup of Robert Gabriel Mugabe in November 2017, the Zimbabwean people were full of hope that the new leader Emerson Mnangagwa would be kinder than his predecessor. Luckily, they did not hold their breath, and his leadership style can be described as leaving much to be desired. Even if they did happen to need ventilators due to low oxygen levels, any Zimbabwean belonging to a neighbourhood or traffic WhatsApp group, has heard enough on that matter already Zimbabweans witnessed the deaths of 17 peaceful protestors in the January 2019 protests, expressing basic human rights. The UK government is holding 4 security sector chiefs responsible, in an effort to demote such callous violations. The aim is to encourage the Zimbabwean government to respect hum...