Easy Food Recipe South Africa Mealie Potjiekos Stew

This hearty traditional South African stew is an easy to make vegetable corn stew, just add chicken to Mealie Potjiekos for a variation on this traditional South African stew.

Mealie Potjiekos Stew Recipe Ingredients and Directions.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Mealie Potjiekos is a delicious vegetable corn stew.

Ingredients
3 cups vegetable stock
One 15 ounce can whole kernel corn
One 15 ounce can cream corn
1 can evaporated milk
One 14 ounce can tomatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon red pepper flake (optional)

Directions
In a large pot on medium heat, add oil then sauté onions one minute. Drain the can of whole kernel corn then add all ingredients into a large saucepan. Simmer on low uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Did you know?
Maize (corn) is the most important grain crop in South Africa and is grown throughout the country.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Salata Meshwiya also known as Roasted Vegetable Salad is a hors d'oeuvre recipe served largely in the African country of Tunisia.

Eggplant and Tomato Tunisian Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

How to choose eggplants - Look for firm eggplants that feel heavy for their size and have smooth, shiny skins and bright green stems.

Salata Meshwiya Recipe

Ingredients  

3 large ripe tomatoes, diced  

½ eggplant thinly sliced  

½ teaspoon salt  

1 teaspoon cumin  

2 teaspoons garlic, crushed  

2 tablespoons olive oil  

Directions  

In a large saucepan over medium heat add oil, heat then add eggplant and spices cook until eggplant is soft. Add tomatoes, garlic mix well serve warm with traditional Tunisian bread, tabouna bread.

Did you know? Tunisia is home of the ancient city of Carthage. Hannibal of Carthage war elephants were depicted in the movie 300.

More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
2. Frikkadelle an Afrikaner dish of meatballs
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
5. Cameroon Smoked Bonga Fish Stew

The Last Colonies — Africa’s Independence That Came Late

When people talk about African independence, they often picture the sweeping wave of decolonization in the 1960s — Ghana in 1957, Nigeria in 1960, Kenya in 1963. But not every African nation broke free then. Some had to wait decades longer, struggling against foreign control, Cold War politics, and internal wars before finally raising their own flag.

These are the last African colonies — nations whose independence came late, long after the first wave of liberation. Their stories reveal why freedom is rarely won in one dramatic moment and how global politics, resources, and geography delayed self-rule.

Djibouti — France’s Last Footprint in the Horn of Africa (1977)

Once known as French Somaliland, Djibouti remained under French control long after its neighbors gained independence. Its strategic location at the mouth of the Red Sea made it too valuable to let go. Only in 1977, after years of protests and an independence referendum, did Djibouti finally become a sovereign nation.

Zimbabwe — From Rhodesia to Majority Rule (1980)

White minority rule under Ian Smith declared independence from Britain in 1965, but the state remained unrecognized. A long guerrilla war led by nationalist movements forced negotiations, resulting in internationally recognized independence as Zimbabwe in 1980 with Robert Mugabe as prime minister.

Namibia — A Long Fight Against South African Apartheid (1990)

Namibia, formerly South West Africa, was administered by South Africa under a League of Nations mandate. Resistance led by SWAPO (South West Africa People’s Organization) and decades of UN pressure finally ended South Africa’s hold. Namibia became independent in March 1990 with Sam Nujoma as its first president.

Eritrea — The 30-Year War for Freedom (1993)

Colonized by Italy, then under British control, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia in 1952 and later annexed. The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front fought a 30-year war against Ethiopian rule. After a 1993 referendum, Eritrea officially gained independence, becoming one of Africa’s newest states.

South Sudan — Africa’s Newest Nation (2011)

Decades of civil war marked Sudan’s history after independence from Britain and Egypt. Southern Sudanese sought autonomy due to religious, ethnic, and cultural differences from the north. In 2011, nearly 99% voted for secession, and South Sudan became the world’s newest country.

Ethiopia — The Empire That Resisted Colonization

Unique among African nations, Ethiopia maintained its sovereignty throughout the colonial era, with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941. Emperor Menelik II defeated Italy at the historic Battle of Adwa in 1896, preserving Ethiopia’s independence when most of Africa was being divided by European powers. This victory made Ethiopia a global symbol of African resilience and inspired anti-colonial movements across the continent.

Did you know? While most African countries became independent between 1957 and 1966, more than a dozen still struggled under foreign control into the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and even the 21st century.

Related Articles

• Alphabetical List Of African Independence Dates
• African Country Names You’re Saying Wrong
• Land Is Not For Women in Sierra Leone
• How Many Countries Does Africa Have?

African Voodoo Zombies and the Walking Dead

Better known as Vodun, Voodoo probably is not what you think it is since African Voodoo is not accurately portrayed in movies, on TV or in books with the walking dead or zombies raining down destruction. African Voodoo is a nature based community centered religion.

Zombies do not have to be dead.

Benin is the center of voodoo worship in West Africa.

The walking dead? Zombies?  Animal sacrifice? What do you really know about Voodoo? 

What are Voodoo Zombies or the Walking Dead?

Zombies do not have to be dead. In African and Caribbean Voodoo cultures, zombies are more mindless servants than the walking dead. Zombies are people who do the mindless bidding of a person and are seemingly possessed by them. Zombies represent a slave to master relationship. However, the concept of the undead zombie has existed through time and across cultures, they reveal who fundamentally we fear we are, and they warn us about the collective choices we are making.

  Humans have historically expressed their social anxieties through references to the dead. Humans focus on zombies because they represent the metaphysical struggle many humans have with the meaning of their own existence and the fear of death. Soulless stares and staggering walks are the typical zombie characteristics but can also explain the condition of the living. Zombies do not have to be dead.

  What is Voodoo in African Religious Culture? Voodoo religion is often practiced alongside Christianity and Islam in West Africa. Voodoo better known as vodun probably is not what you think it is Voodoo is not accurately portrayed in movies, on TV or in books. Voodoo is not devil worship; people who practice Voodoo are not evil spell casting witch doctors.

  Voodoo is not a practice intended to hurt or control others and makes them into zombies; Voodoo is not dark or brutal. Not everyone who practices Voodoo does it in exactly the same way or agrees on exactly the same things.

  Voodoo has no written word; it is a nature based community centered religion that supports and empowers. Voodoo is a religion originating in Africa and is practiced around the world by millions of voodoo practitioners or Voodooists.

 

Voodoo is practiced differently in different parts of the world, and differs from village to village. Almost all Voodooists believe that there is a visible and an invisible world, and that these worlds are intertwined.

  Death is a transition to the invisible world, so our predecessors are still with us in spirit. Just as there are differences within other faiths, there is great variation within Voodoo beliefs and practices.

  Dangbénon's python voodoo temple an African voodoo priest states "Voodoo is not about using magic spells to curse your enemies," said Dangbénon, whose clan for generations oversee this temple dedicated to pythons. "If you choose to manipulate nature to harm your neighbor, it's not voodoo that harms your neighbor, it is you."

  Benin Voodoo festival, about half the African country of Benin are followers of voodoo. Voodoo religion has tainted voodoo to the point where even the word makes you think of wickedness. Voodoo is as much a part of African heritage as Buddhism is to Asia.

Did you know? In the 1990's, Benin's government overturned a decades long ban and recognized voodoo as a celebrated African cultural tradition promoting a national voodoo day, which is celebrated on January 10. 

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

1. Historical African Country Name
2. Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
3. How many countries does Africa have?
4. Roots of Africanized Christianity Spiritual Songs
5. Paying Money To Tour Slums in Africa
6. Awesome Kenyan Woman
7. Land is Not For Women in Sierra Leone


8. African Kente Cloth Facts
9. Accra the Ghanaian Capital Ultimate Mall Experience

Baharat spicy baked chickpea

Recipe from Ethiopia is delicious, high fiber, crispy, crunchy addictive snack food.

Spicy Baked Chickpeas Recipe is an Addictive Snack Food

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

10-21-2017

How To Make Crispy Baked Chickpeas in the Oven.

By Chic African Culture
African food recipe

A well-known part of the Ethiopian diet is chickpeas also known as garbanzo beans. Our Spicy Baked Chickpeas Recipe is seasoned with 9 spices and perfectly baked every time.

Addictive Baharat Spicy Baked Chickpeas Recipe Snack Food

Serves 4
Addictive African snack food
Total time from start to finish 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 cans chickpeas, drained

1 tablespoon dried mint

2 dried hot red chilies

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon dried coriander

¼ cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

2 whole cloves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add all ingredients except chickpeas to a coffee grinder and pulse until mixed well. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the drained chickpeas spice powder. Spread chickpeas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour until the beans are browned and crisp. Remove from the oven and cool. 

Did you know?
The Chickpea crop has been cultivated in Ethiopia since antiquity, dating back to 7,500 BC.

There are two types of chickpeas:
Desi – is a small dark seeded with rough coat, drought tolerant well adapted to low rainfall areas. Desi chickpeas have a yellow colored center. commercial production.

Kabuli – is a lighter colored large late-maturity plant, beige-colored throughout the seed with thin skin and is found mainly in areas of steady rainfall. The kabuli chickpeas are the type most commonly found in American supermarkets.

Cumin Spice, Cumin Indigenous Medicine

Cumin is an ancient spice grown in Egypt and used since antiquity in traditional healing systems.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Spice Cumin

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Cumin seeds are sometimes used whole, but more commonly they are ground into powder.

What does cumin taste like? 

Cumin has an unmistakable flavor, when a dish is flavored with cumin; it has a nutty peppery slightly smoky flavor.

Where does cumin come from?

Cumin is one of the earliest cultivated herbs in Africa. Cumin is a low-growing annual herb of the Nile valley, but cultivated in the Mediterranean region, Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, India, China, and Palestine from very early times and is a strong tasting herb.

How does cumin grow?

Cumin can grow outdoors, in containers, and hydroponics. Cumin plants are known to attract beneficial insects. The plants mature in about 2 - 3 months, when the stems are cut and dried in the shade. Cumin is grown for its seeds that are used whole or ground. To harvest seeds, allow pod to ripen and turn brown. Remove from the plant and dry. Rub pods to remove the seeds. The whole stem can be cut and hung upside down in a bag to collect the seeds. Use fresh or store in an airtight container.

What is cumin used for?

Cumin is a common spice in Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mexican cuisines as curry powder and in pickles, pastry and soups. The seeds should be roasted before being used to bring out the aroma.

What are other uses for cumin?

Those who take cumin as a medicine do so for digestion problems including diarrhea, gas and as a diuretic. Cumin may also lower blood sugar levels. Cumin seeds are rich sources of essential oils and have been actively researched for their chemical composition and biological activities. In the Moroccan traditional medicine, cumin seeds are used as diuretics and given to treat diabetes and hypertension. In traditional medicine of Tunisia, cumin is given to new mothers to increases milk supply and as an antiseptic.

Did you know?
When using whole cumin seed, toast the seeds in advance to get the best flavor possible.

Mercury Environment Poisoning.

Exposure to mercury even in small amounts may cause serious health problems as in the case of Minamata disease.

Mercury Poisoning Happens Every Day In Africa

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Mercury is a chemical element with symbol Hg and atomic number 80. Mercury is one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern.

What is the Minamata Convention on Mercury?

Minamata disease is a debilitating neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. The serious health and environmental effects resulting from the mercury pollution, and the need to ensure proper management of mercury gave birth to the Minamata Convention on Mercury. 

The objective of the Minamata Convention on Mercury is to protect the human health and the environment and releases of mercury and mercury compounds into the ground, air and water environment.

Minamata Convention on Mercury addresses the health concerns, especially in developing countries, resulting from exposure to mercury of vulnerable populations, especially women, children, and, through them, future generations and contamination of the environment for decades.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining

Mercury occurs naturally in the earth's crust and is released into the environment from volcanic activity, weathering of rocks and human activity. Human activity is the main cause of mercury releases as a result of mining for mercury, gold and other metals and many other factors.

Artisanal and Small-scale mining (ASM) refers to unlawful mining in Africa and other countries by miners using low technology or minimal mining machinery usually under dangerous conditions. The Minamata Convention on Mercury action plan on Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is to eliminate:

1. Whole ore amalgamation

2. Open burning of amalgam or processed amalgam

3. Burning of amalgam in residential areas

4.Cyanide leaching in sediment, ore or tailings to which mercury has been added without first removing the mercury

In addition to facilitating the formalization or regulation of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector, keeping statistics on the quantities of mercury used and the practices employed in artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing within its territory, creating a public health policy on the exposure of artisanal and small-scale gold miners and their communities to mercury.

Since ASM's are unlicensed, they are not regulated and health and safety issues, pollution to the environment, and child labor are chief concerns. Accidents and injuries from mining in unsafe tunnels, unprotected open pits and use of explosives lead to severe and fatal accidents. Chemical exposure and limited access to safety equipment are a day-to-day risk for poor miners.

Mining Africa's Health

Minamata Convention on Mercury was held in Kumamoto, Japan on October 10, 2013 and on August 16, 2017, entered into force. The following African Countries have signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury:

Mining Africa's Health The Minamata Convention on Mercury

African Country	Signature Date
Algeria	No data
Angola	11 Oct 2013
Benin	10 Oct 2013
Botswana	No data
Burkina Faso	10 Oct 2013
Burundi	14 Feb 2014
Cameroon	24 Sep 2014
Central African Republic	10 Oct 2013
Chad	25 Sep 2014
Congo	8 Oct 2014
Côte d'Ivoire	10 Oct 2013
Democratic Republic of the Congo	No data
Djibouti	10 Oct 2013
Egypt	No data
Equatorial Guinea	No data
Eritrea	No data
Ethiopia	10 Oct 2013
Gabon	30 Jun 2014
Gambia	10 Oct 2013
Ghana	24 Sep 2014
Guinea	25 Nov 2013
Guinea-Bissau	24 Sep 2014
Kenya	10 Oct 2013
Lesotho	No data
Liberia	24 Sep 2014
Libya	10 Oct 2013
Madagascar	10 Oct 2013
Malawi	10 Oct 2013
Mali	10 Oct 2013
Mauritania	11 Oct 2013
Mauritius	10 Oct 2013
Morocco	6 Jun 2014
Mozambique	10 Oct 2013
Namibia	No data
Niger	10 Oct 2013
Nigeria	10 Oct 2013
Republic of Cabo Verde	No data
Rwanda	No data
Sao Tome and Principe	No data
Senegal	11 Oct 2013
Seychelles	27 May 2014
Sierra Leone	12 Aug 2014
Somalia	No data
South Africa	10 Oct 2013
South Sudan	No data
Sudan	24 Sep 2014
Swaziland	No data
Togo	10 Oct 2013
Tunisia	10 Oct 2013
Uganda	10 Oct 2013
United Republic of Tanzania	10 Oct 2013
Zambia	10 Oct 2013
Zimbabwe	11 Oct 2013

Did you know? Mercury is contained in many products, including batteries, thermometers and barometers, electric switches and relays in equipment Lamps including some types of light bulbs, dental amalgam for dental fillings, skin-lightening products and other cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Below are more links to gold mining articles you will find thought provoking.

Part of the Resource Wars Archive

⚡ Explore Geopolitical Intelligence →

1. Gold Mining the Devils Office South Africa
2. Gold Mining and Gangs in Nigeria
3. Gold causes lead poisoning in African children
4. Artisanal and Small-scale mining

The Maghreb region Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia share the Atlas Mountain range which extends more than 1,200 miles or 2,000 kilometers, from the Moroccan port of Agadir in the southwest, through Algeria to the Tunisian capital of Tunis in the northeast.

Learn All About The Northern-Most Region of the African Continent And The Atlas Mountains

The highest point of the Atlas Mountain is Jbel Toubkal south of Marrakech, Morocco reaching 13,665 feet or 4,165 meters and is the highest peak in the High Atlas as well as in North Africa. The Atlas ranges dominate the landscapes of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, differentiating them from the other North African countries, where desert geography dominates the Northern African landscapes.

Learn About The Maghreb region Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Morocco

The English name Morocco derives from the Spanish and Portuguese names Marruecos and Marrocos, which stem from Marrakesh the Latin name for the former capital of ancient Morocco; the Arabic name Al Maghrib translates as The West. Marrakesh was the former capital of ancient Morocco while Rabat is the current capital city of Morocco and its second largest city. Casablanca in Arabic Al-Dār al-Bayḍā is Morocco's largest city; Casablanca houses 3.5 million people; Rabat 1.9 million; Fes 1.2 million; Marrakech 1.1 million; Tangier 982,000. Morocco is the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines.

Algeria

The largest country in Africa, Algeria is located in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia. The vast majority of the populace is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast. The capital is Algiers, which has a population of 2.7 million the next largest urban area is Oran 858,000 people. Algeria name derives from the capital city of Algiers whose conventional long form name is the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the conventional short form is Algeria, the local long form is Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah and the local short form is Al Jaza'ir.

Tunisia

In Tunisia, the overwhelming majority of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the south remains largely sparsely populated. Tunisia, in 1960 began Africa’s first national family planning program reducing its total fertility rate from about seven children per woman in 1960 to two in 2017. Tunisia flag is red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; red represents the blood shed by martyrs in the struggle against oppression, white stands for peace; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam.

 

Did you know?
North Africa is a loosely established term for a group of African countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and situated in the Northern most region of the African continent above the Sahara desert. The term North Africa has no single accepted definition however; the term sub-Saharan African country has drawn sharp criticism since no one demarcated northern Africa and sub-Saharan African.

Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia Learn All About The Northern Most Region of the African Continent
Facts about Africa and North African people.

In Africa a strawberry lake flows.

There is a natural lake the color of strawberries, Lake Retba or Le Lac Rose lies in Senegal Africa just one hour from its capital city Dakar.

Believe Your Eyes, Le Lac Rose Natural Strawberry Lake of Africa

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Le Lac Rose is sprinkled with salt miners, using their hands and baskets to collect salt. To protect their skin from Senegal Le Lac Rose salty water, miners rub their skin with a very thick lotion, Shea butter.

Explore More Senegalese Food & Culture

• Senegalese Seafood Okra Soup
• Senegalese Cooking Traditions
• African Groundnut Spice
• Iconic Dishes of Africa
• Lake Retba and Senegal Culture

Lake Retba is named for its pink waters caused by an edible, salt-loving micro-algae dunaliella salina. Dunaliella salina is a microalgae occurring naturally in a number of locations worldwide. Dunaliella salina is an ideal organism to study the effects of saline adaptation in algae.

Le Lac Rose is a natural curiosity thanks to the exceptional color of its waters that daily turn from colors from African violet to ruby red.

Covering an area of approximately one sq mile, the lake breaks down into four adjacent sections labeled Khaar Yaala, Khosss, Virage and Darajee.

The color of Le Lac Rose is particularly visible during the dry season from November to June. The one sq mile strawberry lake has been a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status since 2005. Several countries around the world have pink lakes, including Senegal, Canada, Spain, Australia and Azerbaijan.

It is estimated 1,000 people work around Le Lac Rose collecting 24,000 tons of the salt each year. Over half of the salt is exported throughout Africa.
With a maximum depth of less than ¼ mile, it contains a significant amount of salt that is labored by salt miners and exported throughout the world for cooking, leather goods, and de-icing roads.

Did you know?
The coloring of Le Lac Rosewaters changes throughout the day from African violet to ruby red.

A brief look at Senegal

Named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country; many theories exist for the origin of the river name; perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from Azenegue, the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river. Senegal independence came on April 4, 1960, from France however, complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on August 20, 1960. 

Senegal’s economy is driven by mining, construction, tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, which are the primary sources of employment in rural areas. 

Senegal’s flag has three equal vertical bands of green on the hoist side, yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope. Le Lac Rose natural strawberry lake of Africa Lake Retba is named for its pink waters caused by an edible, salt-loving micro-algae dunaliella salina.

Goat meat stew when cooked slow and low is a low-fat hearty recipe with potatoes, egusi seeds, tomatoes, herbs, and spices is the best goat stew recipe ever.

Say Yes To The Best Goat Meat Stew Recipe

Goat Meat Stew Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Calories 244 calories per serving
Fat Content 2 grams fat
Recipe Yield 6 servings

Best Goat Meat Stew Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound cubed goat meat

2 large pieces any smoked fish

2 large handfuls sorrel leaves or spinach

½ cup ground egusi seeds

2 medium chopped tomatoes

2 medium white potatoes, diced

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons palm oil or butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 hot pepper, chopped

5 cups vegetable stock

Directions

Heat palm oil over medium heat in a large pot, add onions and garlic. Add remaining ingredients except for egusi, fish and sorrel or spinach. Cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the goat is tender. Add egusi and fish stir, simmer 10 minutes longer. Finally, add sorrel or spinach simmer 2-3 minutes serve over fufu or rice.

Did you know?
What are equsi melon seeds? Egusi melon seeds are a popular snack and cooking ingredient used in many East African soup and stew recipes.

Most kinds of egusi melons are grown for their seeds, not for the flesh. Egusi melons goes by many names: bitter watermelon, bitterboela, bitterwaatlemoen, ibotola, karkoer, makataan, Tsamma melon, t'sama Kalahari melon and wild watermelon.

Bitter watermelon originates in southern Africa and occurs naturally in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi.

There is an urgent need to ensure the availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms, particularly in Africa tropical regions.

Dangerous venomous snakebites are common in Africa life-saving treatment is not.

A single vial of snakebite antivenom can cost thousands of dollars.

Snakebite Deaths In Africa

Africa has an abundance of dangerous venomous snakes and snakes could be anywhere, which means they are everywhere. Despite the high rates of death and disability from snakebites in Africa, it remains a significant burden to Africa’s poor women and children, agricultural workers, hunters, and farmers.

Though the exact number of snakebites is unknown, in Africa, there are well over a half a million snakebites yearly that need treatment. Up to 140,000 people die each year because of snakebites, and around 400,000 amputations and other permanent disabilities are caused by snakebites each year.

Bites by venomous snakes can cause paralysis that may prevent breathing, bleeding disorders that can lead to a fatal hemorrhage, irreversible kidney failure and tissue damage that can cause permanent disability and limb amputation. Agricultural workers and children are the most affected. Children often suffer more severe effects than adults, due to their smaller body mass.

Shortage of Antivenins

Africa has an abundance of dangerous venomous snakes and snakes could be anywhere, which means they are everywhere.

Antivenin is a medication made from antibodies that is used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. A significant challenge in manufacturing of antivenins in Africa is the preparation of the correct snake venoms.

Right now, very few countries are able to produce snake venoms of acceptable quality for antivenins, in addition, these antivenins may not properly reflect the geographical variation that occurs in the venoms of some widespread species. In addition, lack of regulatory capacity for the control of antivenins in countries with significant snakebite problems results in an inability to assess the quality and appropriateness of the antivenins.

The price of some antivenin products has dramatically increased in the last 25 years, making treatment unaffordable for the majority of those who need it. However, the cost of actually making the antivenin adds up to roughly one-tenth of one percent of the total cost. A combination of factors has led to the present snakebite crisis in Africa. Without access to the only effective treatment, antivenin, the death rate will remain high from snakebites, with survivors often suffering life-altering disability

List of dangerous snakes and important venomous snakes in the Africa to create antivenin, the Puff Adder is the snake responsible for most deaths.

1. Anchieta's Cobra

2. Ashe's Spitting Cobra

3. Banded Water Cobra

4. Bibron's Burrowing Asp

5. Big-Headed Carpet Viper

6. Black Mamba

7. Black Tree Cobra

8. Black-Necked Spitting Cobra

9. Boomslang

10. Broadley's Bush Viper

11. Burton's Carpet Viper

12. Cape Cobra

13. Christy's Water Cobra

14. Desert Cobra

15. Desert Viper

16. East African Carpet Viper

17. East African Gabon Viper

18. Eastern Green Mamba

19. Egyptian Cobra

20. Ethiopian Mountain Adder

21. False Burrowing Asp

22. Field's Horned Viper

23. Forest Cobra

24. Forest Vine Or Twig Snake

25. Gold's Tree Cobra

26. Horned Viper

27. Hughes' Carpet Viper

28. Israeli Mole Viper

29. Jameson's Mamba

30. Joger's Carpet Viper

31. Lataste's Viper

32. Levant Viper

33. Lowland Swamp Viper

34. Moorish Viper

35. Mozambique Spitting Cobra

36. Mozambique Vine Snake

37. Nubian Spitting Cobra

38. Puff Adder

39. Red Spitting Cobra

40. Rhinoceros Viper

41. Rinkhals Spitting Cobra

42. Savanna Vine Or Twig Snake

43. Senegalese Cobra

44. Snouted Cobra

45. Usambara Vine Snake

46. Variable Burrowing Asp

47. Variable Bush Viper

48. West African Brown Spitting Cobra

49. West African Bush Viper

50. West African Carpet Viper

51. West African Gabon Viper

52. Western Green Mamba

53. White-Bellied Carpet Viper

54. Zebra Cobra

Read more about Africa online

• African Water Spirit Mami Wata
• Reported Female Genital Cutting Countries
• Nkasa Tree Test for Witches

Africa has an abundance of dangerous venomous snakes and snakes could be anywhere. Poisonous snakes are everywhere.

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Did you know? A knowledge of which species of venomous snakes present the greatest risks to human populations in any particular region or country is essential to addressing snakebite problems.

Kenya Violence

Violence has tarnished elections in Kenya with 2007 Post-Election Violence being the bloodiest on record to date.

Kenya's presidential elections have been marked with some type of violence and protests, and the 2007 vote was best known for murder and mayhem along ethnic lines.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

Violence has tarnished elections in Kenya with 2007 Post-Election Violence being the bloodiest on record.

The Issue

Kenya’s President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi stepped down in December 2002 after serving 24 years from 1978-2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai Kibaki, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated Kenya African National Union (KANU) candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of founding president Jomo Kenyatta, and assumed the presidency.

However, Kibaki's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of voter fraud from Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Raila Odinga and let loose two months of violence where over 1,000 people died and left over 300,000 people displaced.

The Mediation

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan spearheaded the peace mediation directed by the African Union 0n January 22, 2008. The 41-day mediation peace talks began three weeks after the Post-Election violence erupted across Kenya, also included former President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, and former South African First Lady Graça Machel and Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji.

On February 28, 2008, after six weeks of intense negotiations between the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Government of Kenya’s Party of National Unity (GoK/PNU), Kofi Annan, said farewell to Kenya a few days later on March 3rd. But this was only the beginning of an even longer and more difficult road ahead toward sustainable peace in Kenya. 

The technical elements were left in the hands of Attorney-General Amos Wako and a team of lawyers whose job it was to draft the necessary bills for the implementation of the power-sharing agreement into law.

The peace mediation continued over the root causes of the crisis left in the hands of Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji, who was tasked with addressing the land issue, historical injustices, the cycles of dispossession, and the steps needed to move toward reconciliation.

The Solution

The Agreement on the Principles of Partnership of the Coalition Government, was signed by President Mwai Kibaki and the Honorable Raila Odinga on February 28th, putting an end to the crisis.

The Agreement on the Principles of Partnership of the Coalition Government agreement is built on the principles of power sharing. Parties agreed to enact the 2008 National Accord and Reconciliation Act, specifying principles concerning the authority of the prime minister, coalition members, cabinet, and parliament.

The chief mediator Kofi Annan, stated "a crisis presents us with both danger and opportunity. On the one hand, the danger was that this East African nation, previously perceived as an island of political and economic stability and an essential hub for international activity, would allow the election crisis of 2007 to deteriorate into a catastrophic civil war along ethnic lines.  

As messages of hate penetrated the radio waves and a church full of fleeing women and children went up in flames, the echoes of Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire made this danger a very real one.

The opportunity, on the other hand, was that the crisis could be used to actually address deeply rooted problems: the simmering grievances, repeated ethnic migrations, and the cycles of dispossession which have characterized Kenya’s colonial and postcolonial years. 

This was indeed an opportunity to create a political system which could attempt to address the vast disparities in wealth and the endemic sense of marginalization."

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Dark Continent or the Dark Continent?

The first, that it was a dark continent that non-indigenous Africans knew nothing of and second meaning, refers to the skin color of dark skin African indigenous peoples.

Africa is the oldest inhabited continent with more unknown history than known.

The Truth About Bringing Africa to the Light

The Dark Continent Geography

The colonization of Africa imposed boundaries without regard to culture or heritage of native Africans. When maps were drawn of Africa, there were huge chunks of land known as Terra Incognita, regions that have not been mapped or documented by non-indigenous Africans. As a result, as Chancellor Williams explains in his book “The Destruction of Black Civilization”

“The general condition of vast stretches of uninhabited and uninhabitable land over the continent seemed to support the Western thesis that Africans never developed any worthwhile civilization with a notable historic past. British explorer Samuel Baker went far in promoting the idea of African innate inferiority saying ‘No one would claim that any kind of society, civilized or savage, could exist in the Sudd Swamp Lands for it was neither all land nor water, but a seemingly endless mass of rotting vegetation, interwoven tree-like vines, steaming heat, swarming man-killing mosquitoes, crocodiles, hippos and other unknown forms of tropical life .  As late as the 1840s and 50s these explorers, even the most ignorant, should have known that in the same vast continent of wastelands, tropical rain forests and swamplands, there were also areas of arable land and civilized states . But they wrote about what they saw the most of: vast stretches of wasteland and secluded groups of "strange" people.”

The Berlin Conference also known as the Congo Conference met Nov. 15, 1884 to Feb. 26, 1885 for a series of negotiations Berlin Germany. The major European nations met to decide to carve up Africa based on their needs not knowing or caring the trauma they were inflicting on the people of Africa. 

Later in history, foreign overseas traders and exporters solely according to the business and trade economies roughly divided Africa into four coasts; Pepper Coast, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast and the Slave Coast.

The year 1960 witnessed the independence of 17 Sub-Saharan African countries and 14 French colonies in part to the French defeat by Germany in 1940 World War II. January 30 to February 8, 1944, the Brazzaville Conference took place headed by Charles De Gaulle general of the Vichy France also known as the French State.

Bringing Light to Africa

After Asian, German, Greek, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, Berber, Turkish Ottoman Empire, Dutch and Roman colonization of Africa, the colonist were not humanitarians, but took economic, physical and mental control of native Africans.

The Kenyan coast was a major crossroad in the spice and slave trading routes of the 15th century. Pate Island is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya and is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago. 

The Chinese Ming sailors married and had children with the native African women, converted them to Islam and created a community of African-Chinese whose descendants still live on the Island of Pate.

Today, some Africans object to being identified as African choosing to be known as Egyptians in Egypt, Moors in Morocco and Mauritanians or Carthaginians in Tunis, great care is taken to distinguish them from Africans, in fact, North Africa is classified as the Middle East in documentary literature. Moreover, Africa further divided by labeling her peoples and land below the Sahara desert as sub-Saharan Africa.

Collecting water in Liberia 

“We feel that it’s a racist term, and it is something that Africans should not accept. Right now, there is no other continent that you have sub-anything. You have Europe, you do not have sub-something Europe; you have America, you do not have anything sub about (America); you have Asia. But, it’s only the same people who have been referred to as sub-humans that are being referred to as sub-Saharan Africa,” said Nigerian-born Chika Onyeani, chairperson of Celebrate Africa Foundation.

Onyeani also  said, "Since no one demarcated northern Africa and southern Africa, the continent should be referred to as simply ‘Africa,’ or mainland Africa, or it can also be referred to by regions. For anyone to say Africa is backwards this is an uninformed study of history of the continuing trauma inflicted on the oldest inhabited continent and the most rapped land, people and culture in history.

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African food Indian style basmati rice.

Our African food basmati Indian style spiced rice recipe is essential to eat with any and every homemade South African Indian curry. White basmati rice is steamed with yellow onions, seasoned with ghee, whole cloves, ground cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, whole mustard seeds, ground chili and dried turmeric.

The Best South African Yellow Rice 

Chic African Culture

Serves 4 African food

Nutrition facts: 340 calories, 3 grams fat

Ingredients 

1/4 cup ghee 

1 yellow onion chopped 

1 cup uncooked basmati white rice 

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 

1/4 teaspoon whole mustard seeds 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

3 whole cloves 

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon ground chili pepper 

1 whole dried hot pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon black salt 

1 1/4 cup warm water 

Directions 

Rinse the basmati rice then drain. In a rice cooker add all ingredients and stir well. Set the machine for the regular white rice recipe. After rice cooker is done, let it stand for about 20 minutes then serve.

More easy lunch and dinner rice recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring white rice recipe again.

1. Mozambique Coconut Beans Recipe
2. Black-Eyed Pea Casserole with Rice and Herbs
3. Rice and Beans Ghana Style
4. Fried Banana Rice Dumplings
5. Fried Rice Cakes Recipe

I know my ancestors are with me, wherever I decide to stay, drink, eat and explore; these 10 favorite African Proverbs I always keep with me wherever I go.

A journeys discovery can be bittersweet but you can emerge stronger from the experience.

Chic African Culture

I take with me everywhere I go 10 favorite African Proverbs

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.


It is not always the one who speaks the loudest who wins the dispute.


The disobedient fowl obeys in a pot of soup.


The river may be wide, but it can be crossed.


An axe does not cut down a tree by itself.

Strategy is better than strength.


Two men in a burning house must not stop to argue.


Do not let what you cannot do turn your head away from what you can do.


If we stand tall, it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us.


If a donkey kicks you and you kick back, you are both asses.

No one can uproot the tree that God has planted.

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An African proverb typically refers to a short clever saying that offers some kind of wisdom.

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African proverbs became known as the wisest type of speech for the wisest man in the ancient world.

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The African proverb refers to action, skill or applied knowledge.