The Walker equivalent of 'shock and awe'. Top African musician, Oliver Mtukudzi performs free at Loring Park as part of the Walker's 'Summer and Movies' programming on Monday, August 6 2012.
The Walker equivalent of 'shock and awe'. Top African musician, Oliver Mtukudzi performs free at Loring Park as part of the Walker's 'Summer and Movies' programming on Monday, August 6 2012.The Walker equivalent of 'shock and awe'. Top African musician, Oliver Mtukudzi performs free at Loring Park as part of the Walker's 'Summer and Movies' programming on Monday, August 6 2012
The longtime Twin Cities favorite “The Walker Art Center Music & Movies: In Dreams” continues on Monday August 6 with by far its biggest presentation ever of an African artist, the world-renown “Giant of African Pop” Oliver Mtukudzi.
Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits will appear for a free open air concert at Loring Park in Minneapolis across the street from America’s First Basilica, St. Mary’s Basilica and near the Walker itself. Music starts at 7:00 PM. Bring your picnic gear.
Mtukudzi is an international sensation and is known for his husky, mellifluous voice and gift for combining gripping guitar-based melodies with hypnotic rhythms.
End of African Summer
Over at the Cedar, the African Summer music series which has presented a variety of African bands and groups since the summer begun concludes Tuesday with a sold-out Amadou & Mariam show.The couple is from Mali. The Cedar is co-presenting the show with the Walker Art Center and Sue McLean and Associates.
Amadou & Mariam
This will be Amadou and Mariam’s first appearance in the Twin Cities.Their son Sam is part of SMOD which also had its first appearance in the Twin Cities this past Tuesday (July 31) at the Cedar as part of the African Summer series.
Twin Citians at a previous Music and Movies event at Loring Park in Minneapolis.
Show Sold-out but Mshale has Tickets
The Amadou and Mariam show is sold-out but the Mshale Newspaper Text Club has tickets to give out to its members. You can enter a drawing by Midnight Friday, August 3 by texting BAMAKO to 24587. Winners will receive a pair of tickets and will be notified via text by Monday at noon CST.
Vaccines keep healthy teens healthy. Did you know that your kids need shots when they begin their teen years? Starting at around 11 or 12 years old, kids need three vaccines. And it’s not too late for your older teenagers who didn’t get these vaccines at 11 or 12 years old. They can get them at their next doctor/clinic visit.
Tdap
The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (also known as whooping cough). Kids also get vaccinated against these same diseases when they are younger and they need the Tdap vaccine to boost their protection against these diseases. It’s important for teens (and adults too!) to be vaccinated against pertussis, not only to protect themselves, but to prevent spreading it to babies who are too young to be vaccinated.
Meningococcal
The meningococcal vaccine protects against dangerous brain and blood infections. These illnesses are not very common, but they are very serious when they happen. People can lose their arms or legs, have brain damage, or die. One of the most likely times for people to get meningococcal infections is between the ages of 15 and 24. Teens need meningococcal vaccine at 11 or 12 years and a booster at 16 years.
HPV
The HPV vaccine protects against two types of human papillomavirus that cause most cervical cancer and other kinds of cancer. One of the HPV vaccines also protects against genital warts. Boys and girls need three doses of HPV vaccine when they are 11 to 12 years old.
How and Where
Your child can get these vaccines at the same time, and they can be given at any doctor visit. If your child’s school has a health clinic, vaccines may be available there too. Your local health department may also have these vaccines. Many people can get vaccines for free or for a low cost. Ask about this at the doctor’s office.
More Information
For more information about vaccines, ask your doctor or local health department. You can also get information about vaccines for adolescents on the Minnesota Department of Health website at www.health.state.mn.us/immunize.
President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Mills died on Tuesday, July 24 2012.
President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Mills died on Tuesday, July 24 2012.President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Mills died on Tuesday, July 24 2012.
Ghana’s ex-leader Jerry Rawlings has said late president John Atta Mills was suffering from cancer and could only work for a few hours per day before his death earlier this week.
In comments to the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme while attending an event in Congo, Rawlings said Mills’ death on Tuesday “was not unexpected” and suggested the late president may have lived longer had he focused on treatment.
He said Mills had been battling cancer for “quite a while.”
The interview has drawn attention back home in Ghana, both from those who say Rawlings, who maintains wide influence in the West African nation, was disrespectful and others who argue he was simply being truthful.
Jerry Rawlings PHOTO: African Executive
No official cause has been given for Mills’ death, though there have been unconfirmed reports in local media saying he suffered from throat cancer.
“Quite frankly, I think had he been advised and done something wiser earlier on, he could probably have survived for another six, seven months, I guess,” Rawlings said in the interview.
The two men have been rivals recently despite Mills previously serving as Rawlings’ vice president. Asked about Mills’ legacy, Rawlings said that “he’s played his part.”
“As my vice president, I think he was one of the finest…,” Rawlings said.
He added later, referring to Mills’ recent performance, “considering that the cancer affected both his eye and his ear, he couldn’t sustain more than three hours per day.”
Rawlings was Ghana’s longest ruler who seized power in successive coups, in 1979 and 1981, before serving as the elected president from 1993-2001.
Ghana has recently been seen as a bastion of democracy in West Africa, and the transition so far has gone smoothly, with vice president John Dramani Mahama swiftly sworn in to replace Mills, as spelled out in the constitution.
Elections are set for December, and Mills had been set to seek re-election. Senior figures of the ruling National Democratic Congress were to meet on Thursday to decide a way forward, and it was unclear if Rawlings would attend.
Nyambane aka Walter Mongare brings his act to the Twin Cities on July 28, 2012
Nyambane aka Walter Mongare brings his act to the Twin Cities on July 28, 2012Nyambane aka Walter Mongare brings his act to the Twin Cities on July 28, 2012
Kenyan stand up comedian,Nyambane, aka Walter Mongare has been back in the States these last few weeks but this time as an ambassador for AMREF’s “Stand Up for African Mothers” campaign. He makes his half way stop of the US tour on Saturday in the Twin Cities.
The Nairobi based AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation) has been involved in health development since pre independence days in Africa in over 30 countries.
Nyambane recently partnered with AMREF in their campaign and as its ambassador will help in creating awareness in the Kenya diaspora community as part of his annual US tour which is currently underway.
Nyambane says he is a believer in the cause. The “Stand Up for African Mothers” campaign aims to train 15,000 midwives by 2015 and contribute towards reduction of maternal deaths by 25%, according to AMREF.
The comedian has built messaging about the campaign into his appearances.
The Saturday appearance is being coordinated locally by Twin Cities promoter Kilimanjaro Entertainment.
Nyambane in Minnesota
Date: Saturday, July 28, 2012
Doors: 5pm. Show 6pm
Venue: Palmer Plaza, 6860 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center
Cover: Adults $20. Kids 13-18 $10.00. Kids 12 and under FREE
Kenyan food, snacks available.
Cesar Kamga talks about his mother, 54-year-old Rose Tchakounte from Cameroon who police turned over to immigration agents. PHOTO: The Gate
Cesar Kamga talks about his mother, 54-year-old Rose Tchakounte from Cameroon who police turned over to immigration agents. PHOTO: The GateCesar Kamga talks about his mother, 54-year-old Rose Tchakounte from Cameroon who police turned over to immigration agents. PHOTO: The Gate
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has introduced the “Safe Families Ordinance” to prevent police from asking about the immigration status of those who have not committed a serious offense.
“The history of this city is written by immigrants and this ordinance is consistent with our values, our economy and personal interests,” Emanuel said during a press conference in front of a school in the city’s Mexican neighborhood Little Village. Emanuel was joined by Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill.
The Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights said the ordinance is the direct result of protests against the detention of an African immigrant woman in February.
Rose Tchakounte, 54, a native of Cameroon who had a pending asylum claim, was detained for a minor traffic violation. When police discovered that she had a pending deportation order, they turned her over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tchakounte was detained for two days and then released as a result of negotiations by the mayor, but her case inspired protests by immigrant rights groups who say the police had violated the spirit of a 2006 city ordinance and a 1985 executive order by the mayor that prohibit Chicago law enforcement agents from carrying out immigration duties. According to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), the ordinance is also a result of the organizations’ advocacy to ensure that immigrant families are not subject to racial profiling.
In a statement, ICIRR explained that much of the pressure came after last February when Chicago Police arrested an undocumented Chicago resident –Rose Tchakounte. “Chicago Police stopped Tchakounte for failing to signal a turn, and arrested her upon discovering an outstanding deportation order on her record. Charged with no crime, Tchakounte spent two nights in custody while Chicago Police waited for immigration agents to pick her up. When ICE failed to show up, Chicago Police delivered her to ICE’s doorstep,” said the statement.
This act, explained ICIRR, violated the city’s 2006 ordinance that prohibits any agency from requesting information or investigating a person’s citizenship or residency status unless required by the Illinois State Statute, federal regulation, or court decision.
Enlace Chicago, an organization located in Little Village, explained that as the current sanctuary city policy is systemized by the new ordinance, it makes sure that Chicago becomes a safer city as it ensures that immigrants contact the police without fear of ending up in the hands of ICE officials.
Liberian actor and rapper, Eugene Lorenzo Martin, stars in "Murder in the Cassava Patch" which makes its US screening debut on Friday, July 27 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Liberian actor and rapper, Eugene Lorenzo Martin, stars in “Murder in the Cassava Patch” which makes its US screening debut on Friday, July 27 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
A special screening of the film, Murder in the Cassava Patch, will take place at North Hennepin Community College Fine Arts Theater on friday, July 27.This first screening of the film in the United States will be the culmination of events celebrating the 165th anniversary of Liberia’s independence (July 26).
The film is adapted from acclaimed Liberian writer Bai T. Moore’s award winning novel, Murder in the Cassava Patch—long considered a classic and remains required reading in the Liberian school system. “It’s a literal rite of passage that remains part of the fabric of our culture,” said the Liberi
an-born filmmaker, Yor-El Francis, who read the book as a student at the American Cooperative School in Sinkor, Liberia.
Based on a true story, the movie—like the book—weaves a suspenseful plot of murder, jealousy, and envy all for the price of love. Making his directorial debut, Francis skillfully masters the art of suspense; and poetically brings to life the complexity of a people which truly compliments Moore’s masterful works. Filmed and cast on location in Dimeh, Bong County, Liberia, Murder captures the country’s beautiful landscape and rich inheritance circa post war. The film stars Liberian actor and rapper Eugene Lorenzo Martin, Liberian actress Barnie Doe, with new find Precious Samukai who makes her acting debut. Other cast members include veteran Liberian stage actors Peter Ballah and Eddie Gibson; and actress Barkue Tubman.
The film screening is made possible by African Career, Education & Resource, Inc. ACER’s executive director, Wynfred Russell said the screening highlights his organization’s ongoing mission in “preserving and exhibiting African folkloric culture.”
Screening date:
Friday, July 27 at 5:30 P.M.
North Hennepin Community College Fine Arts Theater
7411 85th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN
Suggested donation: $5
www.acerinc.org
The intersection of University and Snelling Avenues in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo: Metro Lutheran
The intersection of University and Snelling Avenues in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo: Metro LutheranThe intersection of University and Snelling Avenues in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo: Metro Lutheran
Too often, people pass by the businesses on Snelling Avenue, near University in St. Paul, without stopping.
As one way to change that, the African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) group is leading an effort to brand the district that spans Snelling Avenue between University and Minnehaha avenues as “Little Africa.”
Soon, the Central Corridor light rail transit line will run through the area, but in the meantime, the construction has decreased foot traffic in the district and beyond.
Bruce Corrie, who is a business professor at Concordia University in Saint Paul, explains that the branding campaign comes out of the broader, nonprofit-driven World Cultural Heritage District. This emerged as a way to help businesses stay afloat during the light rail construction on University.
The idea is to make the area a destination for ethnic tourism. Here, “there’s a growing presence of African Americans,” he says, adding that it includes about 20 immigrant businesses.
Further, “African immigrant groups are very dynamic and entrepreneurial,” he says. “We want to capture that.”
Tom Gitaa and Doris Pagelkopf will co-chair the planning committee responsible for 25th anniversary celebrations for Books for Africa.
Tom Gitaa and Doris Pagelkopf will co-chair the planning committee responsible for 25th anniversary celebrations for Books for Africa.Tom Gitaa and Doris Pagelkopf will co-chair the planning committee responsible for 25th anniversary celebrations for Books for Africa.
Planning for the 25th anniversary celebration of Books for Africa are now underway with the naming of Doris Pagelkopf and Tom Gitaa as co-chairs of the anniversary committee charged with the planning of the historic celebration.
At its last meeting, the board of directors gave its blessing for planning to resume for festivities next year that are expected to attract attendees from around the globe. The celebration will take place in the fall of 2013.
Books for Africa is the largest shipper of donated school text books to Africa and was founded in 1988 by Tom Warth. It is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota with its main warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia.
Pagelkopf and Gitaa are both former board chairs of the organization. She is currently Chief Staff Officer of The United Ways of Minnesota and practices as a nonprofit consultant. Gitaa is the founder and publisher of Mshale.
At its last big celebration in 2008 to mark 20 years, Books for Africa had by then shipped 20 million books to Africa. It has kept up the pace and is now shipping just over a million text books each year.
Western Union Account Executive in charge of the Upper Midwest region, Rebecca Porter, spoke in January about M-Pesa during a Western Union sponsored informational dinner hosted by Mshale Newspaper in the Twin Cities. Photo: Jared London/Mshale
Western Union Account Executive in charge of the Upper Midwest region, Rebecca Porter, spoke in January about M-Pesa during a Western Union sponsored informational dinner hosted by Mshale Newspaper in the Twin Cities. Photo: Jared London/MshaleWestern Union Account Executive in charge of the Upper Midwest region, Rebecca Porter, spoke in January about M-Pesa during a Western Union sponsored informational dinner hosted by Mshale Newspaper in the Twin Cities. Photo: Jared London/Mshale
Western Union (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment services, today announced a new promotion for customers sending mobile money transfers to M-PESA subscribers in Kenya.
Customers who tell at least three friends and family members through a qualifying referral about the Western Union® Mobile Money Transfer service from the U.S. to Kenya will receive a coupon for a
$0-fee* transaction. To qualify for the coupon, U.S. customers must “tell a friend” through www.westernunion.com/mpesa using e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. The promotion runs until Sept. 7, 2012.
Western Union continues to expand its Mobile Money Transfer service to M-PESA subscribers in Kenya. Today, consumers can send money directly to the mobile “wallets” of Safaricom M-PESA subscribers in Kenya from nearly 170,000 Western Union Agent locations in 91countries and territories, including the U.S. This “cash to mobile” service to Kenya is the first service of its kind in the world.
The service operates on Western Union’s worldwide network and trusted global “hub” for processing cross-border remittances. It also builds on the unprecedented success of M-PESA, a mobile money transfer service in Kenya offered by Safaricom that has attracted nearly 15 million customers since its launch in 2007. Funds are delivered directly to M-PESA subscribers and are usually available in minutes.
To learn more about Mobile Money Transfer and to receive the fee-free coupon, visit www.westernunion.com/mpesa.
Hennepin County Government Center where the lawsuit regarding NoKET will be heard on Friday, July 20, 2012.
Hennepin County Government Center where the lawsuit regarding NoKET will be heard on Friday, July 20, 2012.Hennepin County Government Center where the lawsuit regarding NoKET will be heard on Friday, July 20, 2012.
UPDATE: The Minnesota court system website now shows the lawsuit has been settled since our story below was published. Thus there will be no hearing on July 20, 2012 as we previously reported. The court registry indicates that the hearing has been canceled.
MINNEAPOLIS – A noble effort to promote the quality of education for girls in the impoverished Northern Kenya region has disintegrated into a legal wrangle over control of the use of the name that will be used to raise money for the Trust in Kenya that is spearheading the effort on the ground.
Dr. Siyad Abdullahi is the plaintiff in the lawsuit and is the registered agent of NoKET, Inc.
Last May, the Kenya based Northern Kenya Education Trust that has as trustees on its board senior Kenyan government officials and Kenya private sector heavyweights held a US dinner launch with much fanfare in Minnesota that was attended by among others Minister of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Elmi as leader of the government delegation that came to attend the Us launch (read the launch story here). Also in attendance was Ambassador Elkanah Odembo, Kenya’s ambassador to the United States as well as permanent secretaries from the Kenya government and other trustees.
Over 300 guests attended the launch with many paying $100. Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota’s 5th Congressional district was the keynote speaker at the launch.
However within five weeks of the U.S. launch, an organization identified as NoKET, Inc. filed a lawsuit in Minnesota’s Hennepin County Court against another entity called Northern Kenya Education Trust. Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are Wali Budul, Mahat Rashid Abdifatah Haji and John Doe #1, #2 and #3. The Minnesota State Court system registry shows the hearing is set for this Friday, July 20 at 2:30pm.
Minister of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Elmi at the US launch of NoKET. He was the leader of the government delegation that came for the launch.
Mshale has since established through the Minnesota Secretary of State office which is in charge of business and organization registrations that NoKET, Inc., the plaintiff on the suit, has Dr. Siyad Abdullahi as the registered agent. He was the public face of the local organizing committee that put together the US launch of NoKET. The registered office address for NoKET, Inc (the plaintiff) which is required by state law lists a condominium in downtown Minneapolis that Hennepin County records show is owned by Dr. Abdullahi.
State government records show NoKET, Inc. was registered as a nonprofit corporation on May 9, 2012 or two days before the launch with Siyad Abdullahi as the registered agent and his home address as the registered office. According to the Secretary of State Minnesota, four businesses were registered using the “NoKET” name. NoKET, NoKET, Inc., and NoKET- USA. All with Dr. Abdullahi as the agent.
In the case of Northern Kenya Education Trust, the defendants in the lawsuit, state records show it was registered on May 15, 2012 with a Wali Budul as its agent and an office at one of the Somali malls in Minneapolis as its principal address of business. The state records however show that Northern Kenya Education Trust was dissolved on July 9 2012 or about two weeks after Dr. Abdullahi’s lawsuit was filed on June 21, 2012.
Congressman Keith Ellison keynoting the NoKET launch on May 11, 2012 in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Mshale has pieced together a tale of two sides fighting to be the sole representatives of the Kenya based NoKET as it gets ready to start raising funds for the Trust here in the United States.
A member of the team that organized the launch, Mr. Mohamed Ugas, said of those who registered Northern Kenya Education Trust: “They wanted a piece of the pie. That is why they registered. Siyad believed that he did 99% of the work that is why he took them to court.”
Reached for comment, Dr. Abdullahi said the dispute has since been resolved and is now a “private matter”. He told Mshale via telephone that “We are waiting to stand in front of the judge so that we could terminate the case,” in reference to the Friday, July 20 hearing.
Efforts to reach the defendants in the case were unsuccessful. Also, calls to NoKET offices in Kenya went unanswered during business hours in Kenya.
Amina Mohamed, Trustee and Founder of the Kenya based NoKET during the organization's US launch in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Minneapolis Attorney, Joe Fru, who attended the US launch and represents many Kenyan and Somali immigrants said he was
Attorney Joe Fru who is not part of the lawsuit but donated to NoKET at the lauch says he is concerned about the dispute.
surprised to hear of the dispute between the two sides. “Why would they go to court and spend money? It ripped at my conscience that girls were not being educated so I went and donated,” he said.
Mr. Fru however said that it is natural for a civil suit to be resolved prior to a court hearing. “The agreement has to be serialized.”
In order for the agreement to be serialized, he said, both parties have to “stand in front of a judge to dismiss the case.”
The Obama Administration recently took the initiative to provide temporary relief from removal and work authorization to certain undocumented immigrants under age 30. On June 15, 2012, rather than wait for Congress to pass the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before turning age 16 may apply for “deferred action.”
Secretary Napolitano stated, “Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner.” She added, “But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here.”
The new Obama policy has been called “Deferred Action for DREAMers” because it mimics some of the proposed requirements and benefits of the DREAM Act that stalled in Congress. First introduced in 2001, the DREAM Act generally offers undocumented immigrants, who came into the U.S. when they were children, a pathway to citizenship by earning a college degree or serving in the military. Although it applies to all immigrants, the proposed law would affect the Latino community the most due to the sheer number of undocumented Latino children who have been brought into the U.S. In essence, President Obama used his executive power to stop the removal of those who would qualify for benefits under the DREAM Act through prosecutorial discretion, which has long existed.
What is prosecutorial discretion?
The government prosecutor who represents the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the discretion to decide who to place in removal proceedings, what charges to file, when to drop the charges, and how to spend resources on immigration enforcement.
What is deferred action?
Deferred action is when the DHS agrees to not place a foreign national in removal proceedings or to not execute a removal order against him or her. Under the Obama policy, undocumented immigrants who do not present a risk to national security or public safety and meet the key criteria may apply for deferred action, including work authorization, for a period of two years, subject to renewal.
Who qualifies for deferred action under the Obama Policy?
Even though the Obama policy takes effect immediately, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) expect to begin implementation of the application processes within sixty days of the announcement. Under this plan, individuals who show they meet the following criteria will be eligible for an exercise of discretion and deferred action, on a case-by case-basis:
Came to the United States under the age of sixteen;
Have continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of the announcement and are present in the United States on the date of this announcement;
Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate (GED), or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;
Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
Are not above the age of thirty.
The announcement states, “only those individuals who can prove, through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action.” Most immigrants will find it difficult to prove their case on their own. Therefore, those who believe they meet the criteria should seek an experienced immigration attorney to help with presenting the necessary information and documentary evidence.
The use of prosecutorial discretion confers no substantive rights, immigration status, or pathway to citizenship. Only Congress, acting through its legislative authority, can confer these rights. As such, comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act remain an important topic for political debate leading up to the presidential and legislative elections.
Conclusion
Although the Obama policy does not provide permanent relief from removal or a path to permanent resident or citizenship status, it is likely to earn points for the President among Latino voters. It protects the least culpable immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children and deserve a chance to legally remain in a country that they have always called home. The policy has stirred up ongoing debates on the need for comprehensive immigration reform and for the DREAM Act, which is mostly in Congress’ hands.
