once wild

cuntofdoom:

Because this always bears reblogging. Illustrates how cartography—specifically the ways in which cartographers shrink and expand land masses in order to depict a “flat” earth— distorts our perception of the world.

One of my favorite maps of all time.

izuba:

THE FORGOTTEN - Example Of An African Middle-Class

Images from Africa in the Western media show mostly terrible misery, war, hunger and poverty. According to UN figures more than ninety percent of all Africans live neither in war nor crisis-areas and the economic growth of some African countries is among the largest in the world. 

Kenya‘s economic growth is annually between five and six percent which is three times higher than the growth in Germany. This is above all to the credit of the middle class, which is probably the most crucial potential for the development of the country. Nevertheless you hardly notice anything about the lives of African middle class people. Hahn + Hartung traveled to the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi to meet and create a portray of people belonging to the middle class.

(via kuithefish)

This is usually what I point to when people say, “The country of Africa.”  Because if I’m horrified by the idea of people thinking I’m Californian, we should probably figure out the difference between Uganda and Somalia.

annlarimer:

anirishginger:

nutopiancitizen:

fuck, do africans have any of their resources for them left to use for the benefit of their own people at all? 

get that filth out of there

I believe the standard answer is, “Don’t be silly, they wouldn’t know what to do with them.”

This really makes me want to cry, especially when I think about all the conversations I had with my Tanzanian friends who kept asking, “Why?  Why don’t we have any resources to aid in our development.”  Because the truth is that there are tons of Tanzanians—tons of Africans, I’d wager—who’d love to help develop their country if only they had access to the resources that belong to them.  Too often the refrain from the Form VI students I’d talk to were, “I’d love to study Engineering but Tanzanian lacks resources.”  ”I’d love to study medicine but Tanzania lacks resources so that I could afford to bring medicine to my village.”  ”I’d love to but.”

How can there be development without resources?  How can we excuse behavior that takes resources from others and then “gives a portion back” as charity?

(via polerin)

thisisnotafrica:

erifresh:

These 9 women represent the 9 official tribes of Eritrea. They each have different languages they speak, music they play, clothes they wear, foods that are seen as special ( yes its true not everyone eats ingera ALL the time), customs they keep sacred like wedding, childbirth, funerals etc, and culture that has been passed down from generation to generation. They are NOT the same. In Eritrea we’re all different in all the above mentioned ways but are united as a nation.

So if my small country of Eritrea can have that many differences (plus more because there are unrecognized tribes living in Eritrea) imagine how diverse the continent of Africa is!

We live in the 21st century. Its time to stop with the Africa is a country, do you speak African blah blah bs. Africa is a diverse continent and the world needs to know that!

Bless this post forever and ever till Kingdom come <3

And then there was the time I was living in Tanzania and one of the pastors at my childhood church said, “Pray for V while she’s living in the war torn country of Africa.”  Yeah.  Tanzania being known as a very peaceful country, in the continent of Africa.

(via touchmeordont)

Babies Throwing Shade at White People: White Girls, African Children and Facebook

dumbthingswhitepplsay:

lawd-knows:

karnythia:

blackraincloud:

roropcoldchain:

enterkatdragon:

Hi

I’ve noticed over the years a trend starting to rear its hysterical head out from the bowels of facebook

The African child as profile picture accessory 

These profile pictures all feature wealthy white girls 

1. holding hands with an african child
2. Surrounded by African children
3. Taking a selfie with an African child and then showing them the picture because the white female probably thinks that this will be the first and only time the child sees his own reflection
4. Trying to acclimate to the African children’s culture while unknowingly embarrassing yourself in the process
5. Having the profile picture focus on the African Child as if to give the impression that you actually went over to Africa to help the children without the intention of setting yourself apart from other college applicants
6. Helping the African child with something that they definitely could do by themselves
7. Scare the shit out of the African infant with your white girl camera flash (and not wax your mustache)
8. And pretending like you actually like being there whilst African children are in the background

Please refrain.

We all know that the minute you get off that plane and get through customs, your white anglo saxon parents will be waiting with your barbour coat and a pair of jack rogers. 

Love,

KDragz

Welp.

OMG AND THE PPL POUTING IN THE NOTES!!!!

I’ma start a blog right now called “Babies Throwing Shade at White People”

Here I go…

YES! DO EEET!

It is done.

dead dead dead hahahaha

most of these kids look mad side-eye-y

Part of me is like: yes, this; but also: not this.

Yes, this to the people who go on five week missions trips or humanitarian trips and then believe they know all about the culture now that they’ve “immersed themselves in it.” Yes, this to the people who live there for years and years keeping themselves separate or clinging to every last shred of their first culture.  Yes, this to the people who exploit African culture in its many many varieties and post their photos to show how diverse, well-traveled, humanitarian, whatever that they are.  Yes, this to people who post photos of people they don’t know and whose names they never learned.

But also not this.  Not this because of the women who cried with me when I found out my step-dad had terminal cancer and I’d have to go back to the United States to take care of him.  Not this because of the phone calls (or, okay, beeps that mean “call me because I have no money on my phone!”) from Fatuma and Aneth and Pendo still asking how he’s doing.  Not this because of the hours spent taking beans out of their shells with Belita and Fatuma (and Happy, Juhudi, Mara, Upendo…).  Not this because of Mahonje and Mwambije and Jairos and Pendo and Mama Belita and Oliva and Mama Yasmin and Baba Yasmin and Mary and Mama Fatuma and so many others who did life with me, who invited me into their homes and came to mine.  Not this because I already had to prove myself while I was living there, to show that I wasn’t just some tourist who’d come to evangelize American culture and frame them in photographs, to show that I valued their languages by learning Kiswahili and fumbling my way through Kihehe.  Not this because I believe in the friendships I made in my village—in the family that we created—and still believe that cross-cultural relationships are possible and valuable and necessary.

(via crackerhell)

GET ME TO THE WILDERNESS… (by bocavermelha-l.b.)

Makalolo Plains

Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

(via latikaaaa-deactivated20111231)

neets88:

Some photos during my trip to Malawi for Habitat for Humanity and visiting an orphanage school, the Jacaranda Foundation.

(via latikaaaa-deactivated20111231)

(via World’s Most Dangerous Countries for Women)

War-displaced Helene Namikano, 71, Rebecca Martha Kanigi, 75, Venancia Ndamkunzi, 65, and Atia Egenia Mobato, 74, sit together on the steps of a building in the village of Mugunga, just west of the eastern Congolese city of Goma, August 24, 2010. All four women have repeatedly fled fighting in North Kivu province over the past four years despite efforts to bring peace to Democratic Republic of Congo

ourafrica:

The love a father has for a daughter is unmeasurable.

This is Africa, our Africa

(via oliviachase)

latikaaaa:

Turkana woman smiling - Kenya

I love smiling pictures.

(via latikaaaa-deactivated20111231)

latikaaaa:

aljazeera:

Somalia famine predictions ignored | “Whenever there is an indicator of such a disaster, we must not only sit and wait for the emergency response.”

Breaks. My. Heart. 
If you are moved by the crisis in Somalia you can donate to: 

Mercy USA
Human Concern International
World Vision UK  
Save the Children: East Africa Appeal 

I can only vouch for World Vision from personal experience, but everything I’ve read about the other organizations is legit.

After teaching this last year and working with many Somali refugees, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look on a map or see a picture or read an article and not connected “my kids” and their families with those stories.  That’s why I so believe in exposure, why I believe in the education that only travel, experience, and a diversity of people, ideas, and opinions can bring.  I think it helps to remind us of everyone’s humanity and their innate dignity.

(via latikaaaa-deactivated20111231)

I adore the contemplative expression.

(via babeonsticks)

(via latikaaaa-deactivated20111231)