More than 250 migrants trying to reach Italy rescued

19.12.17 / No Comments

More than 250 migrants trying to reach Italy rescued

Libya’s coastal guard has rescued more than 250 illegal migrants trying to leave the North African country in small boats bound for Italy,officials have said.

“The naval forces’ Ibn Ouf vessel on Friday rescued illegal migrants including women, children and men … they are from different sub-Saharan and Arab countries,” Coast Guard Captain Abdulhadi Fakhal told Reuters.

“They were rescued off Qaraboulli and Zliten towns … and they are about 250 to 270 persons,” Fakhal said.

The naval forces’ Ibn Ouf vessel on Friday rescued illegal migrants including women, children and men ... they are from different sub-Saharan and Arab countries.They were rescued off Qaraboulli and Zliten towns ... and they are about 250 to 270 persons.

Libya’s western shores are the main departure point for migrants mainly from sub-Saharan countries fleeing poverty and conflict trying to reach Europe.

Arrivals to Italy have fallen by two-thirds since July from the same period last year after officials working for the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, Italy’s partner, managed to cut back human smuggling in the city of Sabratha west of the capital.

That has pushed the trade further east, with the coast guard intercepting several boats off the coast near Qaraboulli and Zliten, two towns located east of Tripoli.

Libya has plunged into chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising. A U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli has been trying to gain control of territory.

African stories for African kids [This is culture]

/ No Comments

African stories for African kids [This is culture]

Nearly half of Africa’s population is under 18, a huge potential for the future of the continent. Education therefore plays a major role in enabling this youth to develop critical thinking skills. Because an uneducated people does not go very far.

Today is the Universal Children’s Day. In this domain, everyone knows that the key to everything is education and the magic word is: school. But sometimes knowledge can be conveyed through cartoons or books.

On today’s segment we took a glimpse into educational contents adapted for the young African public.

I decided to get into the publishing industry because the books I was reading to my children did not reflect their realities

For instance, there is an Ethiopian cartoon that is quite entertaining but also educative. It is called “The Tibeb Girls” which features 3 girls with superpowers . They use their powers to denounce taboos in African societies, and also educate on subjects ranging from conjugal violence, how to be educated and so on.

Tsion Kiros is Ethiopian. She publishes books aimed at Ethiopian kids, and wishes to promote ethiopian culture and languages, like amharic.

“I decided to get into the publishing industry because the books I was reading to my children did not reflect their realities. I want them to know about their history, like the battle of Adwa. Most kids don’t know the battle of Adwa. It’s the time when Ethiopians won against Italia in 1896. I want them to know their history so they can take pride in being Africans and Ethiopians.”

For Tsion, representation matters.

“I want my kids to see a black hero in books. Cinderella does not have Blacks. I want my daughter to see herself, a curly-haired as a hero in books. A main character, not just a supporting character. My daughter finds it very exciting that there is an Ethiopian hero in the book, and she looks like her. And this shows you that children really want to see themselves in books.”

We took a look on photo by Vincent Tremeau. Vincent met several children in various countries on the continent (like Central African Republic, Mali, DRC, etc) and he asked them a famous question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

His photo project is called “One day, I will”.

In one of the portraits, there is a little boy in suit, his hand on his chest , he wants to become the president of Mali because he thinks he can help his country but also earn a lot of money.

Most children interviewed want to become footballers, soldiers or teachers.

Have a look at the video!

Outdoor libraries offer commuters in Cairo a world of books to explore

/ No Comments

Outdoor libraries offer commuters in Cairo a world of books to explore

Small cupboards filled with books have appeared on the bustling streets of downtown Cairo,Egypt offering entertainment and literature to book-loving commuters.

The “Place A Book, Take A Book” libraries started appearing on Alfy and Emad El Din Street in Downtown Cairo two months ago with the goal of promoting reading among Egyptians of all ages.

People have contributed books from all genres in several languages, making sure the shelves are full.

I like the idea of the library, taking a book and replacing a book. It would be beneficial to many people, not necessarily someone struggling financially.

Arabic literature student, Ahmed Aly, fills the library on Alfy street with a dozen books every few days.

“I like the idea of the library, taking a book and replacing a book. It would be beneficial to many people, not necessarily someone struggling financially. The idea is that I might be looking for a certain book, I can then exchange that book with another. The idea is to spread culture,” he said.

The project was founded by Nader Riad, a prominent Egyptian businessman who aims to spread the exchange of unused books and also reading awareness.

The director of the project, Labib Samir, said that this is just the start for the libraries. He has plans to expand within the next year to eight book cupboards around downtown Cairo, holding 160 books each.

“The Egyptian public owns millions of books. They are put on shelves or in warehouses. Unfortunately they end up being abused and used as paper cones for nuts. The project consists of eight libraries. We started with three libraries, two in Alfy street and one in Emad El Deen street, for a three-month evaluation and trial,“Samir added.

The libraries are left unlocked and unmonitored, but despite occasional empty shelves, readers have been quick to restock the cupboards.