City pick of the week

Posted on by eben229

        Johannesburg, South Africa


Johannesburg, a city in the Gauteng province, is the country’s chief industrial and financial metropolis. It is situated on the Highveld, the broad, grassy plateau that covers the South African interior. Greater Johannesburg consists of more than five hundred suburbs in an area covering more than two hundred square miles (520 square kilometres).
The city is a centre of mining, manufacturing, and finance. All the mining houses are headquartered in the city, as is the Chamber of Mines, which regulates the industry. Local factories in Johannesburg produce a great variety of goods ranging from textiles to specialty steels and a substantial engineering sector serves the needs of the mining industry. Virtually all the country’s banks, insurance companies, and building societies have their head offices in Johannesburg where the Johannesburg Stock Exchange lists more than 600 companies. The central business district is predominately four styles of architecture, Victorian Colonial, Edwardian Baroque, Art Deco and Modernism.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo is responsible for planting the city’s many green trees, making Johannesburg one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the world. It has been estimated that there are six million trees in the city thanks to the subtropical highland climate. Summer months (October to April) are hot sunny days followed by afternoon thundershowers and cool evenings, and the winter months (May to September) are dry, sunny days followed by cold nights.
Tell us what you think of Johannesburg, South Africa in the comment box

FOOTBALL IN AFRICA

Posted on by eben229


From North to South, East to West Africa, football is, no doubt, Africa’s most popular and favorite sport. Football is an incredibly exciting game with origins tracing back to the 1800s when the British, French and Portuguese colonialists introduced the sport to Africa. Unlike other sports, football requires minimal resources, and for this reason, it has penetrated every part of Africa. It’s common to find youngsters across the continent, including rural areas, enjoying playing football. Football talent in Africa mostly begins at the grassroots level, and for this reason, many football stars began their careers on local football pitches.

The proliferation of African football clubs began more than 50 years ago, and since then, the number of professional football clubs and leagues have been on the rise. Today, there are many local, as well as regional and continental football leagues across Africa. Many football clubs in Africa receive sponsorship from the private sector and government, which has increased the popularity of the game.
Today, over 100 players drawn from various African teams on the continent play in the first division league in Europe, United States, and South America. In 2010, South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time on African soil, which was a major boost for African soccer.

Countries well-known for their soccer prowess having performed well in global tournaments include Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia, and Senegal. Notable African football personalities include Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Yaya Toure, as well as many others. Interestingly, more than 80% of African players who play in World Cup play for various clubs in Europe.
According to the latest world FIFA rankings released on August 10, 2017, Egypt tops the African continent at position 25 globally with 866 points. Democratic Republic of Congo is 2nd in Africa and position 28 globally with 822 points, with Senegal in 3rd position on the continent and position 31 globally with 794 points. Other African countries are Tunisia in 4th in Africa and 34th position globally with 776 points, Cameroon in 5th position in Africa and 35th position globally with 737 points, and Nigeria in 6th position in Africa and 38th position in the world with 716 points. Football is indeed one of the most loved sports in Africa. 

Why Africa GEOGRAPHY to the World

Posted on by eben229
You must be wondering why the title “Africa GEOGRAPHY to the World” and what is the concept behind this title, especially with the world GEOGRAPHY in the blog title when In fact GEOGRAPHY is basically a topic or a course of study in the university.. Funny right??..
  Well to start with, I’d love to give us a very brief and simple definition of geography, according to Wikipedia, it says “Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth”…, of course there are other definitions of GEOGRAPHY but i wouldnt want to bore us as this is not a geography class.
   we see in that brief definition that GEOGRAPHY broadly means anything that has to do with a place and these can include ,the economy of a place, the culture of a place, the political characteristics of a place and lots more. 
  so in other words ,it is correct to say that GEOGRAPHY is everything and everything is GEOGRAPHY.
 so AFRICA GEOGRAPHY TO THE WORLD is a blog that tells the African story from different sectors like economy,entertainment,technology,education and culture and lots more.
 so as long as it is happening in africa,here is the place to fine it.
    ‘Welcome’
   

A quick biography of FELA KUTI(Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome)

Posted on by eben229

  Fela Kuti was born on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Beginning in the 1960s, Kuti pioneered his own unique style of music called “Afrobeat.” He rebelled against oppressive regimes through his music came at a heavy cost. He was arrested more than a 100 times and had to endure numerous beatings, still continued to write political lyrics, producing 50 albums before he died in lagos nigeria on August 2, 1997,


 Aside music,Fela was also a political activist. Fela Kuti was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti on the 15th of october, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Kuti was the son of a Protestant minister, Reverend Ransome-Kuti. His mother, Funmilayo, was a political activist.(the first woman to drive a car in nigeria)

 In the 1970s and ’80s, Kuti’s rebellious song lyrics established him as political dissident. As a result, Afrobeat has come to be associated with making political, social and cultural statements about greed and corruption. One of Kuti’s songs, “Zombie,” questions Nigerian soldiers’ blind obedience to carrying out orders. Another, “V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power),” seeks to empower the disenfranchised masses to rise up against the government.


Rebelling against oppressive regimes through his music came at a heavy cost to Kuti, who was arrested by the Nigerian government 200 times, and was subject to numerous beatings that left him with lifelong scars. Rather than abandon his cause, however, Kuti used these experiences as inspiration to write more lyrics. He produced roughly 50 albums over the course of his musical career, including songs for Les Negresses under the pseudonym Sodi in 1992.

Fela Kuti was a polygamist. A woman named Remi was the first of Kuti’s wives. In 1978, Kuti married 27 more women in a single wedding ceremony. He would eventually divorce them all. Kuti’s children with Remi included a son, Femi, and daughters Yeni and Sola. Sola died of cancer not long after her father’s death in 1997. All three offspring were members of the Positive Force, a band they founded in the 1980s.

Death

Fela Kuti died of AIDS-related complications on August 2, 1997, at the age of 58, in Lagos, Nigeria. Roughly 1 million people attended his funeral procession, which began at Tafawa Balewa Square and ended at Kuti’s home, Kalakuta, in Ikeja, Nigeria, where he was laid to rest in the front yard.

QUICK FACTS

NAME
Fela Kuti
OCCUPATION
Pianist, Songwriter, Drummer
BIRTH DATE
October 15, 1938
DEATH DATE
August 2, 1997
EDUCATION
Trinity College of Music
PLACE OF BIRTH
Abeokuta, Nigeria
PLACE OF DEATH
Lagos, Nigeria
AKA
Fela Kuti
Sodi
FULL NAME
Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-kuti