Congratulations to South Sudan!!

This post is long overdue. Over the weekend, the world received its newest nation, South Sudan. People in the streets shouting and celebrating this historic moment. To know the significance of this moment in history, one must look at the history of Sudan itself.
Neolithic cultures settled the region during the 8th millennium BC. Their structures were of mud-brick and were made to be very strong. Hunting, fishing, and farming were part of their way of living. They were settling into a sedentary way of living. Grain gathering and cattle were also part of their way of life. The Dinka raise cattle today.
Around 1070 BC, the Kingdom of Kush was established where the Blue Nile, White Nile, and Atbara rivers meet. Kush started out as part of ancient Egypt but later became a kingdom. It had its own trade with Egypt, with grain being brought from Egypt, and ivory, incense, and hides being brought back from Kush. Kush would later to Meroe.
In the 6th century AD, Christianity would arrive in Nubia, making this a Christian kingdom
Later on, Islam would arrive with Arab invaders trying to conquer the region.
The history of southern Sudan has been a history of many nomadic peoples, particularly the Dinka, Luo, Shillik, and Azande settling in this region. Some of the semi-nomadic peoples and the Funj people united and formed the Sultanate of Sennar. The Sultanate of Darfur would be established later on. Taqali would be established in the Nuba hills.
In the early 19th century, the Ottoman Empire would later have control over the northern portion of Sudan. Egypt also claimed the entire portion of Sudan and established the province of Equatoria.
In the late 19th century, there was a scramble for Africa. A Belgian expedition laid claim to South Sudan as a exclave of the Congo. After the death of King Leopold II, the British took over in 1909. The French claimed the remaining part of the nation, but later ceded it to Anglo-British Sudan in 1899, run by the British Empire. From this point until Sudan's independence, Egypt and the British Empire controlled Sudan. The nature of colonialism is this: Borders are drawn, without any say from the people living there. This has been known to cause strife among people living in many places. This is very true for Africa.
The UK and Egypt would agree to let Sudan have self rule, and in 1956, Sudan became an independent nation. The Khartoum government promised southern Sudan to create a federal system of government, but back out on its promise to South Sudan. This created outrage and led to a civil war for almost 2 decades. This would not be Sudan's first civil war. There has also been a genocide in Darfur, of the people in that region, basically led by Janjaweed. This has pitted the nomadic peoples against persons living in a fixed environment. This has also been a racially motivated genocide, with Black African people concentrated in the south being killed and raped. President Omar al-Bashir has done nothing to stop this genocide. In fact, I suspect he supports it.  One aspect of the genocide is division. There are divisions between north and south, Black and Arab, Muslim, Christian, and animist.

For this reason, South Sudan getting its independence is a step towards peace. Sudan was only formed by the Berlin Conference of 1884. The locals weren't asked about this or included. It was all one big scramble. And then when independence did come, the Khartoum government broke its promise and problems arose from this. Perhaps South Sudan becoming its own nation will make things more peaceful. It appears that al-Bashir had no intentions of stopping a genocide. Little has been done in general.
I know this. South Sudan is where alot of oil is located. I can be a critic of oil, but these oil resources could prove to be important to South Sudan. However, the USA cannot buy this oil because Sudan as listed as a state sponsor of terrorism by the USA government. This means if South Sudan wants to sell its oil to the USA, then the Khartoum government cannot get any share of the oil revenue. Most of the oil fields in South Sudan are owned by Chinese oil companies and by Malaysia's Petronas, for which the Petronas Towers are named. South Sudan has a long way to go to carve out its own way, but I hope things work out for South Sudan, that they can get their economy going and they can progress as a nation.

This was all the pre-colonial history. Now for the colonial history. In 1827, Ali Khurshid Pasha was making a conquest on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. This quest for what is now South Sudan was later abandoned.
Sources:
http://www.goss.org
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1073
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sudan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janjaweed

Gbagbo captured.

Yesterday, former President of Cote d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo was captured by French forces in an effort to bring order to Cote d'Ivoire. To put it bluntly, this idiot decides he isn't going to step down. The voting results were in and Gbagbo lost to Allasane Ouatarra. Ouatarra is the rightful President. Gbagbo could have just stepped down and been a man about it. Instead, this corrupt politician decides to fight and get so many people killed because he has powerlust.

Murder rates on the African continent.

I am quite the frequenter of forums. What does this have to do with the murder rates on the African continent? Well, there are many out there who have made really stupid claims. Among those claims includes such as suggesting that Africans are somehow more inherently violent than anyone else on earth. Well, one look at HUMAN history tells me otherwise. People have killed since when Cain and Abel were around.

Yes, I know there have been wars in Africa. Yes, I know there are places in Africa where the murder rates are through the roof, and I like list them for you:

Lesotho 36.7 murders per 100,000
South Africa 36.5 murders per 100,000

Those are to name a few. There are places with higher murder rates than that.
Honduras(in North America) 60.9 murders per 100,000
Guatemala(in North America) 45.2 murders per 100,000
Jamaica(in the Caribbean) 59.5 murders per 100,000
Colombia(in South America) 38.8 murders per 100,000
Venezuela(in South America) 52 murders per 100,000
Trinidad and Tobago(in the Caribbean) 39.7 murders per 100,000

On this note, there are some nations in Africa with low murder rates:

Kenya  3.6 murders per 100,000
Ghana  1.7 murders per 100,000
Cameroon  2.3 murders per 100,000
Ethiopia   6.4 murders per 100,000

http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/61006.html
I still say there is some hope left for Africa. Africa is not a lost cause in my eyes. It just has alot of work to do. Anyone who would suggest that Africans are somehow more inherently violent than anyone else is obvious racist, and has very little sense of history.

The vote is finally in. Southern Sudan should be its own nation by July 9, 2011.

After weeks of voting on independence, the vote is finally in. Southern Sudan's residents voted in favor of independence 99%. It has been confirmed that it is around 98%. Still, it looks like Southern Sudan will become a nation soon enough. According to the news, Omar al-Bashir has accepted Southern Sudan's vote. "Today we received these results and we accept and welcome these results because they represent the will of the southern people" were al-Bashir's exact words. Well, we will have to see. Bashir is saying these words, but we will have to see. Anything could happen soon. There has been violence so far. People have been killed in clashes during the voting process. The voting has concluded and it appears that Southern Sudan will no longer be part of the Khartoum government anymore.

Considering the history of genocide and humanitarian violations in Sudan, maybe this is a solution for peace. There are many who have campaigned for unity. It would have been helpful to have unity, provided that the genocide ends. This however, seems to be the most helpful solution. The north is seen as an oppressor to the southern region of Sudan. Given the history, I would say this is the truth.There has been civil war going on since the 1950's and slave traders raiding the south region in the 19th century.

So far, there are economic uncertainties. This is one of the things that is concerning me. Southern Sudan is dependent on oil for its economy. This is also one of the reasons I am surprised about the southern region possibly seceding. Right now, oil is a huge commodity and I would doubt that any nation would grant independence to a region with vast oil reserves. A region with alot of petroleum, I believe, is a region that no nation would want to let be its own nation. Why? A nation with oil wants to hold on to the oil. The state of Texas would be a good example. I do not believe for a moment that the government in Washington DC would want the state of Texas to branch off and form its own nation. Texas literally sits atop alot of oil, and for that reason, I suspect many people would want to keep Texas. Of course, oil is a finite resource.Oil in Southern Sudan is eventually going to run out. There is a need to find another source of income. This is where I see the potential for so much more. The alternative energy industry could be big in Southern Sudan. This is a sunny region. This would make a good place for the solar energy industry. I would suggest that for better economic viability, Southern Sudan should invest in solar energy. This is part of why I feel that there should be more technical skills built up in Africa, and to do it on a massive scale. Do it for everyone. If you have the technical skills, you can do things. With more technical skills being built up, there is the potential to build more factories to make the solar PV cells. This will provide alot of jobs for people. I see alot of potential here. There just needs to be some long term investment, for Southern Sudan, and for the continent of Africa as a whole.  There isn't as much potential for wind power, as the average wind speeds in Southern Sudan aren't as high as in the northern part. Still, at least on a small scale, I would suggest giving it a try.

As far as Southern Sudan independence, it leaves alot to think about.

19 people killed in a Christian village in Nigeria.

Well, where do I begin. This is one of the most disgusting things to happen since the beginning of the year. There was a bombing in Nigeria, which was thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda. Now there has been some murders in a Nigerian village from a machete attack.. This village is in a Christian part of Nigeria. This happened in the village of Jos. Going after people simply for being Christian is basically barbaric. As sad, and as angering as it is, it doesn't surprise me. Christians have been under attack for ages. And some Christians have hurt others. People of different faiths hurting each other. My view is this: It isn't "religion" that's the problem. The problem is MAN. Man goes out and kills people. People can choose to do as Jesus would do and NOT kill people. So what if a person is of a different faith that you? It doesn't give you a license to kill those persons. Jesus even said not to kill people. Right is right and wrong is wrong. And this was a wrongful thing to do, on so many levels. People being victimized for no reason, other than their faith. Murdering someone because they are of a different faith is failing to see that said person is a human being, created in the image of God The Father.

A vote on secession in Sudan

So far, voters in Sudan are voting on secession. The southern part of Sudan wants to secede from the rest of Sudan. It is currently an autonomous region in the nation of Sudan. What do I think about this? Personally, I can understand why this is going on. There has been a genocide in Sudan of the Black people. Black people have been enduring this genocide since the 1980's. In a way, I can understand why there is a vote on secession. If secession will bring peace, well, maybe it will work. Personally, I have seen that there hasn't been peace so far. There have been clashes between ethnic groups during this voting time. I don't know what will be of a new nation. I don't know what will be of Southern Sudan. I know that there is oil in the southern portion of Sudan. 85% of the Sudanese oil output. It is heavily dependent on agriculture for its economy. Economically, it could work. It is a matter of making sure the violence end, and making sure that the secession happens peacefully.

Stuff that happened under apartheid.

Sharpeville massacre - thousands of Blacks demostrated against the pass laws by offering themselves up for arrest at the police station in Sharpeville. A protest turned into violence between the residents and the police. 69 people work killed.

Dimbaza - many Black familes removed from living "illegally" in a place. They were placed on a waterless hilly area where many people died from malnutrition and neglect. Houses were poorly built. They were constructed of concrete and tin roofs and were not equipped with the proper things such as electricity, running water, and heat. Houses were too hot in the summer, then cold and damp in the winter. Because of this, the old and the very young died.

Sources: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/37a/042.html

http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol1no8/LastGraveAtDimbaza_JPASvol1no8.pdf

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869441-1,00.html