Yearly Archives: 2008

MINNEAPOLIS – Rep. Keith Ellison, the first African American from Minnesota to be elected to the U.S. Congress, challenged Liberians in the state to run for political office.
 
Ellison was speaking Saturday at The Cedars Hall in Minneapolis, during the Inaugural Ball of Kerper Dwanyen as the 20th president of Organization of Liberians in Minnesota.

The post-election violence was fueled in part by outrage resulting from President Mwai Kibaki’s failure to honor a similar accord with opposition leader Raila Odinga that led to Kibaki’s election in 2002 as Kenya’s third head of state.          

NAIROBI, Kenya – A few days before Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his main opponent Raila Odinga signed the Feb. 29 agreement to share power, it looked as if the country was closer to returning to the post-election ethnic violence that had claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people and left hundreds of thousands more wounded and displaced.

As small businesses struggle with tough economic times, Graham Kigo’s fortunes have taken a 180-degree turn and he is ‘finally making money’ because he has reached out to his neighbors.  

HAYWARD, Calif. – Just over a year ago, Graham Waweru Kigo was contemplating quitting his bar and entertainment business after five years of barely staying afloat. Kigo had entered the business with – not experience or training – but a lot of emotion and flawed math.

Yesterday, Kenya's 10th Parliament convened formally, to implement the Harambee House Accord. Kenya's urban middle classes bask in the justified relief of our country being pulled back from the very brink of civil war. But the 600,000 Kenyans living in appalling destitution in IDP camps have nothing to celebrate.

Liberian rapper, Z-PLUS, is among the musicians who will compete and showcase their talents.

Reaching into the masses and pulling out winners is what mnSpin, the annual competition and showcase of Minnesota artists, hopes to do this year.  Well on their way, each week since Jan.14, they’ve posted on-line a trio of songs from a raft of submissions for this first quarterly music contest.

Kenyans based in the US have created a network of communication for diaspora groups to take action and support the ongoing quest for Peace With Truth and Justice in Kenya.

The fear is growing, says L. Muthoni Wanyeki, Executive Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission. But we must resist and dispel it by naming the sources of the violence, and demanding accountability.

Maina Kiai is the Chair of the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights. In the past two weeks, he's received death threats for his public stance for truth and justice for all Kenyans.

The Rwanda Men's Resource Centre has issued a global call to action for men, and male leaders, to speak out against gender-based violence in Kenya.

I want peace in Kenya
And as a Kenyan I have every right to ask for that.
And you Mr. President have the given duty
To ensure I get it.  

Quiet Friday evening, I'm relaxing in my apartment and thinking of settling down to a movie, then calling it a night. But, just as the thought is formulating, my phone rings and by the end of a conversation filled with a lot of squealing and laughter, my plans have changed to attending a K-CI & JOJO concert. The event is taking place in downtown Minneapolis at Trocaderos Nightclub and restaurant which just recently opened. We get there shortly after nine o'clock and walk into the classy high-end nightclub.