Recent Articles
Africa is Diverse and Improving
Over the last week or so, a popular video brought a lot of attention to recent (and not so recent) events taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. On one hand, I’m glad the video is stirring interest in the region. On the other hand, I think it’s unfortunate that the video propagates an old perception of a continent that has seen more transformation over the last few decades than any other in the world. In the ten years from 2000 to 2010, six of the world’s ten fastest-growing countries were in sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique, and Rwanda. In eight of the past ten years, sub-Saharan Africa has grown faster than Asia. Continue reading…
Still Thinking About Belize
Belize City was nothing like I remembered the first time I visited four years ago, but that has more to do with my changing perspective than anything. After getting off the boat and some negotiations we made a deal with Stephen, who agreed to show us around the city for a reasonable price. We drove through the country side while Stephen told us some general information about the country peppered with more interesting commentary about what we saw outside of the van’s windows. We passed houses that were for sale in the real estate market with prices cut to dirt cheap because they were effectively built on a swamp, some of them visibly sinking into the ground. There was an old British military base that stood as a reminder of Belize’s colonial past. More than anything we saw trees, fields, and beautiful stretches of land. Continue reading…
Celebrating Kwanzaa
I’ve celebrated Kwanzaa as far back as I can remember, for the last 20 years or so. There’s nothing incredibly solemn about the way my family celebrates Kwanzaa. We pick one of the seven days and host an evening at our house celebrating the principle for that day. We gather old friends and welcome new ones, eat good food, catch up on life and reflect on the principles. There’s a “do it your own way” kind of spirit to the holiday that I think will be one of its greatest strengths as it grows older. I’ve always looked forward to the week after Christmas as just another standard part of my holiday season. For me, Kwanzaa has always been a good thing. Continue reading…