Politician and economist, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first female elected president in Africa.

Madame President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to power. 

She subsequently won reelection in 2011 and remains challenged to rebuild Liberia's economy, particularly following the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, and to reconcile a nation still recovering from 14 years of fighting.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated “If asked to describe my homeland in a sentence, I might say something like this: Liberia is a wonderful, beautiful, mixed-up country struggling mightily to find itself.”

Liberia Madame President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 10 Fast Facts

Born October 29, 1938 in Monrovia, Liberia

Studied economics at Harvard University and other institutions.

Johnson Sirleaf began her political career in the 1970s as her nation's first female minister of finance. Worked within the banking industry at Citibank and the United Nations.

She was imprisoned in the 1980s for criticizing the government and she has gone into exile twice to escape persecution. First ran in the Liberian presidential election of 1997 but was defeated.

She was later elected as president in 2005 and then re-elected in 2011.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first female head of state ever to be democratically elected in Africa.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 or their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered her Nobel Lecture on December 10, 2011 at the Oslo City Hall, Norway.

In 2016, she was named the 83rd-most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Magazine. She has been called the Iron Lady due to her strong will and political persistence.

Under the 1986 Liberian Constitution, the president is democratically elected by voters to a six-year term, which may be renewed once. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as the twenty-fourth and current president, making her the first elected female president in Africa.

Liberia

Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822. Liberia is some 43,000 square miles of lush, well-watered land on the bulge of West Africa, a country slightly larger than the state of Ohio, a very small nation with a giant history. It has a population of 3.5 million people from some sixteen ethnic groups speaking some sixteen indigenous languages plus English.

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

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2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
6. About African Night Running

South African classic tea time dessert, strawberry tart hertzoggies were named after J.B.M. Hertzog who served as South Africa's prime minister. Hertzoggies were his favorite teatime dessert and his supporters baked and served strawberry hertzoggies at every function J.B.M. Hertzog attended.

 

Hertzoggies are sweet and delicious tartlets filled with strawberry jam and decadent coconut topped with baked meringue.

Food of Africa.

Prep time: 45 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 55 min

Classic South African Strawberry Tart Hertzoggies Recipe.

Ingredients

For the Dough

2 cups self-rising flour

¼ cup castor sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Filling

1/2 cup strawberry jam

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Meringue

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

 

Directions

For the dough, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined. Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes.

For the filling, beat together all ingredients until well combined.

To assemble tartlet, take a golf ball sized chunk of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc between your hands and place into prepared muffin pans. Place a teaspoonful of filling into the center of each.

For the meringue, in large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks. Top each stuffed cookie with a dollop of meringue. Bake tartlets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the lightly golden.

Growing strawberries

In South Africa, April is the best time to plant strawberries.
In South Africa strawberries were introduced in 1656.
Strawberries were cultivated by the Romans as early as 234 BC and in mediaeval times strawberries were regarded as an aphrodisiac

Sudd Swamp three facts

Papyrus reeds which grow prolifically in the Sudd is a native plant of Africa

Sudd is the world's largest wetlands in the Nile basin

In the wet season, the Sudd covers an area nearly 1 1/2 times the size of Texas.

The Sudd is a huge swampy biological supermarket in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile, comprising more than 15% of the country's total area; it is one of the world's largest wetlands. The Sudd of South Sudan is a large swampy area of more than 38,610 sq miles or 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile. The Sudd dominates the center of Africa’s newest country, South Sudan.

The Sudd is one of the largest flood plains in Africa, and one of the largest tropical wetlands in the world. The Sudd region has countless wetlands, a maze of channels, lakes, and swamps, and which receives water from the Bahr el Gazal River. 

One of the most extraordinary physical features of the Sudd is its flatness and the soils of the whole area are generally clayish and poor in nutrients. The idea behind the construction of the Jonglei Canal was to bypass the Sudd region and to direct a downstream a proportion of the water available for irrigation and other uses downstream in Sudan and Egypt.

The Jonglei Canal had been planned for construction in 1978 but work stopped in November 1983 because of civil war. When Sudan gained its independence in 1956, it was with the understanding that the southerners would be able to participate fully in the political system.

When the Arab Khartoum government reneged on its promises, a mutiny began that led to two prolonged periods of conflict from 1955-1972 and 1983-2005 in which possibly 2.5 million people died. 

The canal would have provided a straight channel for the Al-Jabal River to flow northward until its junction with the White Nile. However, the project would have drained the swamplands of the Sudd.

The Sudd wetlands provide fish and wildlife habitats, storing floodwaters and maintaining surface water flow during dry periods in South Sudan. 

The Sudd is also an important place for biodiversity because of an immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals, some of which are only found in the region. The ecological issue today is if water is drained from the Sudd through the construction of the Jonglei Canal can serious or irreparable damage to the Sudd environment be avoided.

Despite its ecological importance, the Sudd has been a major obstacle to transportation and commerce in the region for centuries. The wetland is characterized by a dense growth of aquatic vegetation, including reeds, grasses, and papyrus, which makes navigation difficult and dangerous. The area is also prone to flooding during the rainy season, which further complicates transportation and agricultural activities.

Efforts have been made to clear the Sudd of vegetation and improve navigation, but these efforts have been largely unsuccessful due to the size and complexity of the wetland ecosystem. In recent years, there have been calls to protect the Sudd as a valuable ecological resource and to promote sustainable development in the region that takes into account the unique characteristics of the wetland.

Inspirational whispers of guidance from your ancestors that will encourage and uplift you.

Being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you do not have.

Sometimes you do not realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

A little axe can cut down a big tree.

A clear conscience is more valuable than wealth.

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.

A wise man plans for tomorrow, a fool plans only for today.

The patient person eats ripe fruit.

Learn politeness from the impolite.

~ with love from your ancestors

Human beings have always sought to understand the supernatural and explain the occurrence of disease and death through superstition.

Throughout South Africa, Sangoma's and Nyanga's are traditional healers. Traditional healing is linked to wider belief systems and remains integral to the lives of most Africans. Some traditional healers use good magic as a cure because they believe that illnesses including psychological issues have supernatural origins. 

South Africa’s traditional healers believe that supernatural origins are often the chief cause of disease and have much power over the sick person. Three chief dark powerful creatures are Impaka the cat, Incanti the chameleon and Inqolobane the snake.

Though science has discovered the causes of many diseases, superstition causes questions to remain. Three chief supernatural creatures are Impaka the cat, Incanti the chameleon and Inqolobane the snake.

Impaka

Impaka 

Impaka is a creature resembling a cat, which has the power of getting inside any house at will. The Impaka is bred by evil spirits and then set on its mission of finding its victim, scratching the body and injecting them with poison.

Incanti

Incanti 

In its natural state, Incanti is a poisonous snake which is believed to have the power of changing its color or assuming various forms resembling different objects and have great powers of fascination. Anyone who comes upon an Icanti is suddenly under a trance and becomes motionless and speechless for days.

Inqolobane

Inqumbabane

Inqolobane is a wand-like snake which is believed to be the chief cause of uncontrollable high fevers. By getting inside a person, Inqolobane slowly eats the insides of his victim and causing a lingering horrific death.

Superstition and supposed supernatural diseases

In parts of Africa, people’s attitudes towards mental illness are still strongly influenced by traditional beliefs. These beliefs are sometimes so prevalent it affects the policy funding of mental healthcare services. In Uganda, "Locally people say Mulalu, which literally means you're mad, you're useless" says Jimmy Odoki, who also has bipolar disorder. "Where I come from people say 'that one he's a walking dead'." according to the BBC. 

This belief system often leads to unhelpful or health-damaging responses to mental illness, and to the stigmatization of the mentally ill. Young girls and women that are from families that are known to have a history of mental illness marriage prospects are severely limited. Fear means people with mental illnesses and their family can end up being abandoned by society.

In some areas of Africa, the solution for caring for the mentally ill is to chain mentally ill people by the ankle and hide them away. At home, people with mental illness are commonly chained by their parents or other relatives to control the mentally ill person. Many volunteer organizations provide only temporary psychological care to the vulnerable citizens of Africa in humanitarian emergencies.

The African Mental Health Foundation (AMHF) was established in 2004 by Professor David M. Ndetei, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nairobi. AMHF was created in the response to national tragedies such as the school fire tragedy in 2002 in which 67 school children were burnt to death. Members of AMHF saw a great need to provide mental health services to survivors and victims’ families. 

Conflict situations also fuel sexual violence and rape which require specialized psychological care which is urgently needed in some parts of Africa. Governmental and non-governmental agencies must work together to ensure a comprehensive approach towards a solution to suitable mental healthcare in Africa Mental health is neglected on Africa's health and development policy agenda.

Mental Illness Are Evil Spirits and Demonic Possession

Mental illness and you believe that the person is possessed by demons get in the way of treatment. People often focus on trying to get evil spirits out instead of working on the real issues that lie within. Most Africans have a natural Affinity towards the supernatural but mental illness is not Supernatural possession but is treated as such.

It is difficult to separate religion from mental health treatment for some prayer is the answer and not treatment. Traditional treatments are also used but medication and talk therapy are looked down upon. 

Educating individuals is necessary for the proper treatment of certain types of mental illness for it is harmful to confuse mental illness and demonic possession. Religious leaders often set the tone for African communities which includes traditional Healers and talking about Mental Health is not always communicated effectively to their congregation.

Most people are not able to process or work through their issues with a doctor or talk about it to anyone in the community because of stigmatism around mental illness. It can be a long dark struggle with many difficult days the person with the mental illness may feel like they are falling apart and have no help in their corner.

It is important to separate religion from psychology Society needs to be rid of the shame towards mental illness and stop saying that people are weak or not perfect Believers but possessed. Spirituality is important but it does not mean that you deny what is really going on inside because it will only get worse.

Zulu Beer Making: Tradition, Ritual, and Community

Zulu tribespeople have a long, proud tradition of beer making. For generations, homemade beer—called Ubhiya in the Zulu language—has played an essential role in social gatherings, spiritual ceremonies, and family rituals.

Enjoying a drink with friends

Zulu Beer Making

Home brewing beer is both a labor of love and a precise science. Zulu beer has been brewed for centuries to bring people together—whether at weddings, funerals, traditional ceremonies, or quiet evenings shared among neighbors.

Women traditionally brew Zulu beer in a special hut that is partially open at the roof to let smoke escape. A beer strainer and skimmer, called an Isikhetho, is a cone-shaped basket made of grass—some tightly woven to hold liquids during the process. These tools are handmade by women, both for household use and for sale in local markets.

Sharing traditional beer in Africa

To obtain malt for brewing, grain such as maize or millet is soaked, wrapped in a mat, and left to sprout. The sprouted grain is then ground into meal and mixed with hot water in a large clay pot, boiled for about 30 minutes, and left to cool before fermentation begins.

Making beer the traditional Zulu way

During fermentation, which lasts several days, the scum is removed using an Isikrini sebheya—a handmade beer skimmer. The foam isn’t discarded but reused to start the next batch, preserving the yeast’s character. Once fermentation is complete, the beer is filtered through an Umsizi weBhiya (beer strainer), though modern brewers may use cheesecloth or fine mesh