African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

Internal Displacement African Overview

Africa’s five highest internal displacement countries are due to widespread disasters, conflict, and violence.

The poverty divide in Africa is worsened by conflict and forced displacement. These issues often arise due to political instability and armed conflicts within African countries. As a result, many people are forced to flee their homes to escape violence and persecution. This internal displacement can significantly impact poverty rates in the region.

Internal displacement in Africa leads to increased migration, both within the country and across borders. Some displaced individuals might try to migrate to other regions, including the United States, for better living conditions and economic prospects. This migration can, in turn, contribute to the rise in homelessness in the host country as new arrivals often face challenges in finding stable housing and employment.

In 2015, the World Bank estimated that there were 194,000 combatants in armed groups in Africa.

Poverty refers to insufficient funds and resources to fulfill one's essential requirements, including food, clothing, and shelter.

According to the World Bank, although great strides have been made toward poverty reduction in Africa, the region hosts half of the world’s extremely poor. The latest estimates suggest that the share of the African population in extreme poverty declined from 57% in 1990 to 41% in 2013.

Over the next 10 years, only one in four of Africa’s youth is expected to find a salary job. This lack of opportunities threatens the realization of the money dividend. Forced displacement is a challenge in Africa that also increases the poverty divide.

A symptom of conflict, persecution, human rights abuses, natural disasters and failure of governance, the African region hosted 5.1 million refugees or internally displaced persons (IDP’s) at the end of 2016, 30% of global IDP’s.

IDP Stats

The Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017 estimates 4,480,000 IDP’s

South Sudan 2017 estimates 1,899,000 IDP’s

Nigeria 2017 estimates 1,707,000 IDP’s

Ethiopia 2017 estimates 1,078,000 IDP’s

Somalia 2017 estimates 825,000 IDP’s

While IDP’s are faced with aid dependency and life in encampment situations, the communities hosting them often belong to the poorest and most excluded in their respective country, living in secluded and underdeveloped borderlands. Turkana County in Kenya, for instance, which is home to the Kakuma refugee camp, has a poverty rate of 88% compared to the national average of 45%.

Despite forced displacement, Africa is undergoing rapid urbanization, with 40,000 new urban dwellers daily. Over 450 million new urban dwellers are expected between 2010 and 2040, with half of Africa’s population living in urban areas by that year.

The protracted conflict in many African regions has also created the poverty divide. Around 20 countries out of 54 in Africa are categorized as fragile or conflict-affected. The Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region have been in conflict for over 20 years.

In 2015, the World Bank estimated that there were 194,000 combatants in African armed groups. A 2016 study commissioned by the World Bank-administered Transitional Demobilization and Reintegration Program on armed movements in Mali found that youth comprised the majority of the ex-combatants, with the 18-40 age group representing 79%.

Environmental issues like climate change also contribute to internal displacement in Africa. For example, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events can displace communities, causing them to seek refuge elsewhere within their own country. 

The interconnectedness of the global economy can also play a role. Economic policies, trade agreements, and investments in the United States and Africa can influence economic conditions, employment opportunities, and resource access. If economic disparities persist or worsen, it can exacerbate both homelessness in America and internal displacement in Africa.

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Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

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How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
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Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

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African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
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Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

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Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
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Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

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Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
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