Raissa's Blog - Best of Sports, Culture, and Entertainment

A number of African countries have been experiencing a slowdown in internet speed for about three days now. Two submarine cables along the continent's western coast - the South Atlantic 3/West Africa (SAT-3) and the West Africa Cable System (WACS) - suffered a technical fault resulting in slow internet. 13 African countries have been affected, including: Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and South Africa.  Africa's biggest telecommunications provider MTN, apologized to their customers in Nigeria and Ivory Coast for the slow and unstable internet. In an emailed statement, a Johannesburg-based MTN spokeswoman said:  “This situation is affecting all operators and customers in the region. “MTN has already begun to restore traffic through other channels and will continue to find alternative routes of connectivity until the situation is resolved.” A repair ship is working on the damaged cables over the weekend, with the break having been pinpointed to Librevi...

Nigeria has begun repatriating its citizens from South Africa following the xenophobic attacks perpetrated by some South Africans on foreigners, Aljazeera reports. About 1,000 foreign-owned businesses were targeted, including Nigerians, Ethiopians, Congolese, Zambians and Zimbabweans.  Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline, volunteered to fly Nigerian citizens to Nigeria's commercial capital - Lagos - for free, on Wednesday. The first batch of 189 Nigerians arrived Lagos late Wednesday. A second flight is set to depart today Thursday or Friday. 640 Nigerians in total are expected to leave South Africa. Many foreigners (more than 700) including Zimbabweans and Malawians, left their homes with just a few bags when violence broke out, and sought refuge in community centers.  Amidst the xenophobic violence in South Africa, "fake" videos have been circulating on social media showing Nigerians being killed in South Africa, but Nigeria's Foreign Ministry has sta...

Let's discover Uganda through these amazing facts. 1. Uganda has been ruled by only one president since 1986 - President Yoweri Musevini. He has been at the helm of the nation for 33 years. In Uganda, it is commonly said that a Ugandan president is called Museveni, no matter the outcome of the elections. 2. The variety of English spoken in Uganda is termed Uglish. Uglish is influenced by Luganda and other local dialects. Uglish has hundreds of words that have their own unique meanings. You might hear Ugandans say, "Please don't dirten my shirt with your muddy hands." "Downer" is often used in place of "lower", e.g.  I broke my upper leg, but my downer leg was paining, too." 3. Uganda is the second-highest consumer of alcohol in Africa with an average of 11.93 liters of alcohol consumed per person per year. Just 2% of their alcohol consumption comes from wine, 4% from beer, and 94% from other sources. 4. Uganda has the ...

How much do you know about Tanzania? If not much, you'll be amazed by these facts. 1. The most expensive wood in the world comes from the African Blackwood, called "mpingo" in Swahili. The African Blackwood tree grows in Tanzania. It is dubbed "the music tree" as it is the primary material used in making woodwind musical instruments such as clarinets. The tree takes 75 to 100 years to grow to a harvestable size. A kilogram of unprocessed African Blackwood costs about $10,000. "Mpingo" is also used in making elegant furniture. 2. Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia share the same national anthem. In Tanzania, it is titled " Mungu Ibariki Africa" or "God Bless Africa". In South Africa the anthem goes by the name " Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" . The song was composed by Enoch Mankayi Sontoga. 3. Tanzania has the largest concentration of wild animals per square kilometer in the world, with more than 4 milli...

Founding father of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has died, according to his successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The former president ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 30 years. The ex-president had been in poor health for a considerable length of time, and had been receiving treatment in a hospital in Singapore since April. His successor, Emerson  Mnangagwa , tweeted on Friday,  "It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe's founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe. "Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace." Mr. Mugabe who infamously claimed that "only God" could ever remove him from office was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power. Members of his own party turn...

The Chipolopolo of Zambia were to face the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a friendly match on Saturday, September 7, but the match has been called off by Zambia's football association. The Football Association of Zambia in a statement on Tuesday evening announced,  “The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) regrets to inform members of the public that the international friendly match between Zambia and South Africa that was scheduled for National Heroes Stadium on Saturday, 7 September 2019 has been called off in view of the prevailing security concerns in South Africa. "FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala has relayed the message to the South African Football Association (SAFA) about the decision." FAZ General Secretary, Adrian Kashala, said Zambia would now play Namibia in a friendly on Monday. South African Football Association (SAFA) Communications Manager Dominic Chimhavi acknowledged receipt of the memo from FAZ, saying, “We have just received correspond...

Ghana, officially known as the Republic of Ghana, is found on the west coast of Africa. In the Soninke language, Ghana means "warrior king". Ghana became the first self-governing (independent) country on the African continent in 1957, under President Kwame Nkrumah. Before 1957, Ghana was commonly known as the Gold coast, due to the availability of gold along rivers Volta and Ankobra.  Its capital city, Accra is the commercial hub of the country. What's more, Accra is the seat of the country's government and is the country's most populous city. Accra” translates to “ants”, named as such because of the anthills that once surrounded the city. English is Ghana's official language. Ghana's current president is Mr. Nana Akufo-Addo. Learn more about Ghana through these ten interesting facts. 1. After English, Akan is the most popularly used language in Ghana, and is spoken by approximately 67.1% of the Ghanaian population. 2. Ghana emerged the...

Egypt, a  beautiful Mediterranean country,  is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, known for its pyramids, pharaohs and ancient mathematics. The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for more than 3000 years, but how much do you know about this ancient civilization?  Here are 10 fascinating facts that will boost your knowledge of Ancient Egypt. 1. Egypt is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World - The Pyramid of Giza. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World, and is the only one still standing. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built over the course of 20 years, constructed out of stone blocks, each weighing at least 2 tons. 2. The oldest dress in the world, aged 5,100 to 5,500 years was discovered in Egypt. The dress was named the "Tarkhan Dress", named after the town in Egypt where it was found in 1913. 3.  The last active ruler of Ancient Egypt,  Cleopatra  VII Philopator, had Greek orig...