A recent study conducted by Africa-based education networks and the African Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA shows that illiteracy in West Africa is the highest in the world. This according to the report impedes development and weakens citizens' power to effect socio-economic and political change.
On the show we talked about literacy and illiteracy. We tried to understand the meaning of both terms in the African context. In contemporary society, literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write to a level adequate for communication. However this definition does not specify in which language one should be able to read or write. This leaves many to speculate that understanding the common and dominant languages of international pedagogy like English and French makes one literate. So the one burning question i kept putting to the guests was, if one does not go to school but is able to synthesize and communicate ideas that allow for survival in their environs,are they not considered literate? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines Literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. It says that literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.
In modern times, illiteracy is seen as a social problem to be solved through education. However i am interested to know how we would refer to my grandfather who had no access to western education. Are they illiterate because they couldn't read or write? How about the fact that they were able to negotiate the survival of their communities to sustain generations before us.

Growing up in East Africa,one of the most regular songs on Television was the song-'Sweet Mother' by Prince Nico Mbarga and his band Rocafil jazz.
It pays hommage to the great roles that mothers play in our lives. In greater sense it is a tribute to the power of women in every African society. As testament to its greatness,the song was voted Africa's favorite song. The band Soulfege recorded a remix of the song,below is a video i recorded of their performance at the University of Maryland.

In many African cultures, polygamy has been practiced for hundreds of years. Those who have done extensive research say that the common thread in many of these cultures across the continent; is the justification that marriage,women and wealth are one and the same. A man with many wives was a sign of great power and wealth. Other justifications include the assurance that their family tree will grow. This was a great topic to discuss on Upfront since it was a follow up to our show on patriarchy.

So the two angles we explored were; is polygamy an outdated culture with no place in our modern African societies? Does government have any business mediating an important cultural aspect of traditional African societies?
A recurring argument among many proponents of polygamy--more a conspiracy theory-is that western governments sponsor legislation to ban polygamy in Africa,while promoting increased childbirth in Europe. The Europeans are supposedly cognizant of "the social-economic threat caused by increased African populations and Eurocentric Christian values" It is the same argument advanced in countries like Sudan where polygamy is legal.

However it is important to note that even in countries where the tradition is not actively promoted or encouraged,it is not frown upon by state enforcement mechanisms adopted by the these new laws. Some of the biggest offenders are government officials like the recent case in Uganda.
This particular case among other reasons highlights the argument against polygamy. Opponents say that it is an archaic culture that should be banned and those that practice it punished to the full extent of the law. Alan Stewart says that the problem with polygamy is that it is very likely to be an exploitative relationship where the man has unchecked control over many women. 'It may sound very open and tolerant to think all members of a polygamous marriage would be 100% willing and not at all disadvantaged, but that’s pretty much ignoring that the history of polygamy is tied fairly directly into the subjugation of women.' He says. The video below shows that even in developed societies,polygamy exists. Even though these are considered on the fringes of society,it is peculiar that it happens at all.
Here is an interesting video i found of polygamy in Africa by Esther Stanford

On this week's episode of Upfront, we talked about love (literally). It is such a common and broad topic,that it is often tricky as to approach this cognitive and social phenomenon without falling prey to the cheesy verbiage that it often conjures in people's minds. But we decided to talk about it.Listeners who contributed to the show explained the three main components of love; intimacy, commitment, and passion. Apart from asking our guest to define 'love',i wanted to find out if it is still love if one of the components is missing? For example;can you love someone if you don't have a sense of commitment to them. Most importantly,i wanted to know if there is an expectation to be loved back by the object of your affection. One of my guests Ritah says that being loved back provides an impetus. Basically some sense of pseudo-reciprocity. In my opinion, any gesture or emotion that is not purely altruistic should not qualify as love!

The other question is then "How can I tell I'm in love?". What feels like love to one person may be nothing more than an infatuation. Some people fall in and out of love quickly and often while others are never really in love as much as they are in lust.

There are quasi-love feelings that we often mistake for love. Often younger people can't tell the difference. It is part of growing up. You learn to make the distinction with experience. That is why it is normal or even encouraged to explore any emotion that confuses you. Now that would seem that i am encouraging young people to act upon their lust. NO! . It is important that young people examine these different emotions and express them without admonishment. It is true that most often African parents discourage their teenagers and young adults to talk about of love. The misconception is that when you love or speak of love, there are sexual connotations.
Jennifer Cole a professor of comparative human development at the University of Chicago says that even though scholarly interest in the topic of love has flourished in Europe and the United States, love in Africa has been peculiarly ignored, resulting in a serious lack of understanding about this vital element of social life—a glaring omission given the intense focus on sexuality in Africa in the wake of HIV/AIDS.

In a first of its kind on Facebook,i interviewed Derrick Ashong aka DNA of Soulfege...below is a bio, and full interview.


Born in Accra, Ghana in 1975, Derrick Ashong is the son of a pediatrician.[1] He attended school in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Voorhees, New Jersey[2] before attending Harvard University in 1997 through a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, where he studied Afro-American studies and was awarded the Hoopes Prize for his senior thesis. He returned to Harvard and is currently studying for a PhD in Ethnomusicology and Afro-American studies. Ashong was a founding member of the Harvard Black Alumni Society.(source: wikipedia)

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi at 3:05pm June 5
Hey Derrick...or is it DNA?

Derrick N Ashong:
Lol, wassup Jackson. You can call me DNA



Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
Welcome...we are doing this for the first time ever...so we are hoping that the technology responds....how are you...been a while since i last saw you in a concert here in DC...you have since gone on to make world headlines..:)

Derrick N Ashong:
Yeah, man I've been having a good time. Wow that DC show seems like an age ago.


Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
sure does....whats happening with the Take back the Mic Movement?

Derrick N Ashong at 3:09pm June 5
It's in an interesting phase. We started out w/ a grassroots approach w/ cats in NY, Accra, Seattle & LA. But I quickly learned that it's hard to bootstrap a global project.

Derrick N Ashong:
At the same time I was approached by some folks in the mainstream of Entertainment & Technology. So I've been quietly building out the structure for the movement. In a way that will enable to grow bigger & faster. If all goes well the first mainstream TBTM project will debut next year.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
What have been some of the challenges?


Derrick N Ashong:
I think the biggest challenge is financial & logistical. When we first started it was me funding things from my own pocket. So whether we were doing something in NY, Accra, Seattle, Kingston or Berlin, I was footing the bill along w/ a few die-hard team members.


Derrick N Ashong:
When we began we thought we'd be doing work in Accra. What we didn't anticipate was how much ppl would resonate w/ the concept. So we are taking a different approach now, that I think will yield the fruit we want to chop.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
TBTM...stands for Take Back the Mic...What should we expect at the debut?


Derrick N Ashong:
At the debut you should expect a project that will enable people to make their own representations of things happening in the world, but through their own "eyes". It will be art & social commentary woven together in a fun & creative way.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
Why don't you explain to people who might not know what TBTM is?


Derrick N Ashong:
Sure, Take Back the Mic is a movement to empower a new generation to take leadership in Four areas of life: Art, Society, Business & Politics

Derrick N Ashong at 3:18pm June 5
It began w/ a smaller vision to put "meaning back into music." But we quickly realized that the same methods we were employing applied to some other important areas.
We believe that art is not something that is engaged as an addendum to life, but that it is a powerful tool for enhancing and amplifying voices that can speak to all aspects of life.

Derrick N Ashong:
I always knew that music was "bigger" than entertainment, that is something that I think is very clear in many West-African cultures.


Tegy Thomas :
I am working on an open source content management system using http://www.liferay.com for social entrepreneurs on a global scale. Derrick and I have met during the Obama campaign


Derrick N Ashong:
Over time, however, I started to realize that my own artistry could be used to reach people on many more levels than I'd thought. And so I began to fuse my interests in Art, Society, Business & Politics into what we call "Take Back the Mic."

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
But how do you package that into one single product?

Derrick N Ashong:
Big Ups Tegy. Good talking to u on the chat just now. I think Social Entrepreneurship provides a big opportunity for ppl interested in making a sustainable impact.

Tegy Thomas:
I think what Derrick is doing is great but he also needs financial support like most of us to get their projects off the ground

Derrick N Ashong:
Lol great question. The answer is simple: you don't.

Derrick N Ashong:
TBTM will never be a "product." It's a venture & a movement. It will be associated w/ a number of projects, products & properties developed both internally by TBTM and externally.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
So..here comes the African angle...how do our young people benefit..participate.?

Tegy Thomas:
the cross sections of social entrepreneurship also includes the arts, but grassroots artists can not function in a fragmented market

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
Hey Tegy...welcome.Great work!

Derrick N Ashong:
There are a variety of ways in which young Africans will be able to participate. Our goal is to make it easy & cheap to do so, so that our home peeps will not be excluded. That is why as Tegy noted we are building the financial base first.

Derrick N Ashong :
On a practical level, though, for the first project ppl will be able to submit their own take on a specific "open-source" art project.

Derrick N Ashong:
It will require some basic technology to get down w/ that project, but over time we will make it simpler & simpler for ppl to participate.

Derrick N Ashong:
In 2010 the eyes of the world will be on AFrica due to the World Cup. We want African youth to have a chance to share their own voices, and hope to be a part of making that happen.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi:
Where are you hoping to source the finance...grassroots or corporate. If you receive corporate financing...don't you risk becoming a product?

Derrick N Ashong :
That all depends on how you structure what you are doing. As an artist I already am a "product" in a certain sense. You realize this very quickly once you leave the safety of a day-job and jump w/ both legs into your work.


Derrick N Ashong :
But with the movement we have to be careful that people participating are not themselves "commodified" per say. So the way we tackle that is to develop properties that are viable in a stand alone sense, and partner w/ larger companies to launch them. This addresses the issue of financing while enabling us to maintain a measure of autonomy.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi :
lol...you do then set strong firewalls to protect the 'product'?

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi :
Has your life changed since that 'incident'--has it opened doors for you..?

Derrick N Ashong :
Lol I have "people" who deal w/ that. ;)

Derrick N Ashong :
Hmm, has my life changed...


Derrick N Ashong :
Yes definitely. It has caused a lot more people to take notice of who I am and what I'm doing. Which for the most part is a very wonderful thing, but comes w/ a few pitfalls. I would say overall though many doors have opened and I've been able to walk through them w/ confidence both in my mission and my abilities. I've also been very fortunate to have some truly amazing people step up to the plate to assist, encourage and even protect me.

Derrick N Ashong :
It has been a blessing and I hope to leverage my increasing opportunities to magnify the work we are doing to help others also to be heard.

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi at 3:41pm June 5
So at the big launch on january....i am still hoping you can give us a sense of what to expect...unless that is part of your strategy...keep it in wraps!!

Derrick N Ashong at :
Lol, no I can't tell you what just yet. And I won't say that the launch will be in January, just that it will be in 2010. But what you can expect are a series of cool announcements beginning in the Fall or so, and you'll start to see me pop up a little bit more in various media talking about some of the things that u and I have discussed in the past, cultural, political & artistic.


Derrick N Ashong :
Those little appearances will grow bit by bit, but will not mention TBTM per say...and then one day you will wake up to a media smackdown like "YO...WE'RE HERE!!!" LOL

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi :
Now..i was avoiding political questions...i have someone who wants to know your reaction to the big Obama speech yesterday...

Derrick N Ashong :
Lol, we can never escape politics.

Derrick N Ashong :
I thought Obama's speech yesterday was excellent. He reframed the dialogue between the US & the global community.


Derrick N Ashong :
Many people look at it primarily as a speech to the so-called "Islamic World." But what Obama did is establish a different paradigm for America's engagement w/ the rest of the world. One based on mutual respect and a desire to seek a greater good for all parties, rather than to pursue narrow national self-interest.

Derrick N Ashong :
At the same time he did present an argument on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was in fact based on the pursuit of their respective national interests, and the regional interest in supporting a resolution to the conflict.

Derrick N Ashong :
I think it was masterful. I watch & learn...

Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi :
It was a great speech i agree. Derrick, it was great to chat with you.Where can people find more information on your projects?

Derrick N Ashong :
People can hear more of my music at www.soulfege.com, and read some of my writings at www.ashongventures.com . Look out for some new music later this summer.


Jackson Muneza M'vunganyi :
Great...thanks Derrick. Be safe out there and win us another championship...i see your Lakers beating on Orlando!

On this week's show we looked at the concept of forgiveness. When people you know or do not know engage in activity that offends you,or commit an act of harm to you or your those you love, it is normal that we respond with anger and resentment. We can choose to act upon this anger by reciprocating (trying to hurt them back),other bottle it in and live with the the pain. One the show explored the third option;forgiveness.

It is the most difficult of the three choices but it is one that helps us move on by putting the past behind us. The decision to let go of resentments and thoughts of revenge is compounded by the need to be the better person.Usually when you act on your anger,you give more power to those who offended you. Their actions are controlling yours. That in itself is a lot of power to give to someone you loath! When we forgive,we let go of the ropes that bind us to the offense and offenders. Others say that forgiving often leads to understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.

Most world religions include teachings on forgiveness that provide an underlying basis for many varying modern day traditions and practices of forgiveness.
On the show i spoke to Catherine Larson,author of the book 'As We Forgive'. In the book and her numerous articles, Catherine seeks the answer to questions like "Could there be a common roadmap to reconciliation? Could there be a shared future after unthinkable evil? If forgiveness is possible after the slaughter of nearly a million in 100 days in Rwanda..."

The show also featured an interview i had with Marina Cantacuzino founder and director of The Forgiveness Project. She acknowledges that forgiveness is a complex, exasperating subject, which provokes strong feeling in just about everyone."

"The most important vehicle of reconciliation is open and honest dialogue… We are here to reconcile a human life which was taken without an opportunity for dialogue.” says Marino.