Chic African Culture Blog

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

African Culture is World Heritage

Appreciate Africa through African art, food, proverb sayings, folklore, biographies, spirituality and African living history.

Waiting for Justice in Uganda's Luzira Maximum Security Prison

Luzira Men's and Women's Maximum Security Prison is the second largest prison in Uganda, there is nothing routine about a court appearance or a sentencing hearing at Luzira.

Under the Ugandan constitution, every citizen has the right to a state attorney and the right to a speedy trial.

Yellow is the color of sunshine, it is associated with joy and happiness. In Uganda's Luzira Maximum Security Prison yellow is anything but the color of joy, yellow is associated with a prison sentence or awaiting charges, sometimes waiting for years for justice.

Luzira is a district of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. Luzira is best known for Luzira Maximum Security Prison, Kampala Uganda's largest Prison. According to the Institute for War and Peace reporting under the Ugandan constitution, anyone accused of murder has the right to have their case heard by the High Court within a year of being arrested.  

According to the ministry of justice, the number of imprisonment cases that are yet to be heard stands at more than 40,000, some 32,000 on legal custody in prison and the rest on bail. The majority of these cases are offences such murder, treason, terrorism, rape and aggravated robbery, crimes which carry either an optional or mandatory death penalty, and which can only be tried by the High Court.

Guards at Luzira prison in Kampala

In April, the problem was so serious that the Ugandan government launched an initiative to slash the backlog of cases by 30 percent by the end of 2011, this goal was not met. March, 23, 2015 the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP drafted a new case management system to reduce case backlog and ensure efficient management of cases, the DPP, Hon. Justice Mike Chibita, has said. "In the new case management system, it will not be a requirement that case files recalled to the office of the DPP are transferred to Kampala but will be handled by particular assigned judicial officers”.

Luzira Maximum Security Prison is the 2nd largest male prison in Uganda

Under the Ugandan constitution, every citizen has the right to a state attorney and the right to a speedy trial. However, it is much harder for prisoners to get out on bail if they do not have adequate legal representation therefore; they remain in prison sometimes for years.  

In Uganda some are awaiting trial while legislation in Uganda proposes the death penalty for gay people, aggravated homosexuality, and imprisonment for families who fail to report their gay relatives to the police within 24 hours of finding out about their sexuality. In many African countries those imprisoned for being in debt are made to pay rent to the prisons.

On the grounds of Luzira Maximum Security Prison, children of the prison staff live in the barracks along with their parents. Built for 600 men but currently housing up to 2,000 Luzira Maximum Security Prison is the 2nd largest male prison in Uganda.  

Murchison Bay wing houses the male prisoners in cramped living quarters, sometimes inmates sleep outside because there is not enough room to sleep inside. Carpentry programs are the most popular programs, along with the Condemned Choir of Luzira Prison which is made up of inmates on death row.

Luzira Maximum Security Women's Prison

Luzira Maximum Security Women's Prison wing sits on 20 acres of land and houses around 430 prisoners. The women are classed by the color of their uniforms; yellow is for prisoners or people awaiting trial, orange colors received a sentence of 20 or more years, and red with white checks are sentenced to death. 

If prisoners give birth in prison or were breastfeeding when sentenced, the babies stay with their mothers until the age of 2 then they are taken to a daycare on the prison property and visit their mothers each Sunday. After the age of 4 the children are relocated off prison grounds to a children’s home, The Family of Africa, awaiting release of their mothers.

There is an educational system, a beauty parlor, sewing, basket making and arts and crafts at Luzira Maximum Security Women's Prison. The beauty parlor and training school was launched on Thursday May 23, 2013. The choir at Luzira women’s prison has many members who have been sentenced to death. Tumuhirwe Jolly a 22 year old former maid is in Luzira Prison, on December 8, 2014 she was sentenced to 4 years in prison for the severe battery of a child. The baby recovered from her psychical injuries and is happy and healthy living with her parents.

Dinner time at Luzira Maximum Security Prison

The African Prisons Project provides standards for human rights, and rehabilitative approaches to imprisonment. In 2004 Alexander McLean, volunteering in a nearby hospital in Kampala, visited and treated a group of prisoners in Luzira Upper Prison Uganda.   

Struck by the living conditions of the prisoners, Africa Prisons Project, APP continues working closely with prison administrators, prison staff and the prisoners themselves to identify their needs. To date APP has touched the lives of over 25,000 prison inmates and staff in Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Luzira men's and women's maximum security prison is the second largest prison in Uganda. Yellow means prison sentence in Uganda's Luzira prison.

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

  1. Deadliest routes for refugees
  2. Cooking with shea butter oil
  3. Worst serial killers recorded in history are women
  4. Indigenous healers and plants used
  5. Night running illness or magic
  6. What is back to Africa

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

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African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
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Using Amen and Ashe or Ase

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Usage of Amen and Ashe or Ase Ashe to Amen learn about the custom of using the words Ashe and Amen historically. Where did the word Amen and Ashe come from why is it said and what does it mean? In Judaism, 3,500 years old and Christian religions 2,000 years old, Amen, means may it be so. In the African Yoruba language among the Yoruba people whose culture is as old as time, Ashe or Ase means may it be so. Ase or Ashe means power, commandment, and authority, the ability to make whatever one says happen from the spiritual to the physical realm. In the Yoruba language, Ashe is omnipresent spiritual energy. Followers of Judaism and Christian religions use the word Amen. It is the word utilized to end prayers as an affirmation for the requests to be provided by God. Yoruba is as old as time, Ashe refers to the life force within all living things, the spark that animates life. It is used as a term used in the same manner as Amen at the end of appeals and prayers as an affirmati
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How the tortoise became bald African Folktale

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How the tortoise became bald is an intriguing African folktale. African folktales are stories forming part of an oral storytelling tradition shaped by the tongues of African elders passed down from one generation to the next.  How the tortoise became bald African Folktale Ijapa the tortoise was not always a bald animal. He used to have hair on his head, however, due to unfortunate circumstances, which the tortoise brought "upon his own head" literally speaking, he lost it all. It happened a very long time ago, long before the tortoise broke his back, but that is another story altogether.  The dog and his family had prepared a feast of yam porridge.  The aroma reached the tortoise who immediately followed his nose which led him to the dog's home. The tortoise went in and saw that a big pot of yam porridge was cooking.   Wanting all of it for himself, he called out to the dog and told him that he had brought a message from the king. "The king wishes to see you and
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Better Cooking With Shea Butter

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Womens Gold ▏Shea Butter Oil ▏ Cooking ▏ Shea butter is a multi purpose cooking oil when food grade oil is used in this baked mixed nut recipe. Using shea butter oil for cooking is healthy. Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. Shea Butter is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K and is high in essential fatty oleic, stearic, linoleic and palmitic acids. Shea Butter, also known as Women's Gold in Africa plays a very important role in cooking and earning living wages for millions of African women. Shea butter is a multi-purpose cooking oil when food grade oil is used in the recipe. It takes approximately 20 years for a tree to bear fruit and produce nuts, maturing on average at 45 years. Most trees will continue to produce nuts for up to 200 years after reaching maturity. Shea tree nuts Eight African countries produce high quantities of Shea nuts; they are in order Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Guinea.
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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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