Way-C Tablet: the First African iPad Rival

Way-C, the first African tablet, was invented in the Republic of Congo by 26-year-old Verone Mankou under his company, VMK. The Way-C tablet, an African rival to the iPad, went on sale in the Republic of Congo on Jan. 30, 2012. The Way-C, which means "the light of the stars" in a dialect of northern Congo, is sold for just $300. Though the Way-C was designed in Congo, it was assembled in China, to keep the price low and because of a lack of factories in the central African country.

On the official Way-C website, Mankou who said "originally the idea was to design a low-cost computer to bring Internet access to as many people as possible," describes the tablet as being affordable without being a cheaply made product, and filling a gap in the market for a device catering specifically to Africans. According to him "in technological terms, this tablet is equivalent to all those to be found on the market." The Android OS tablet is a little smaller than the iPad, and weighs 380 g. It has a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory and supports wifi. Battery life is 6 hours. Further specs include a 7-inch screen and a version of Android dubbed "Kongo" (based on Gingerbread 2.3.5). Mankou's aim is to keep the tablet accessible for the African market and says that although the tablet is for "emerging markets" it will be available globally. The Way-C can't compete specs-wise with the dual-core, 64GB monster from Apple. Well the good thing is that the Way-C doesn't have to. All it has to do is to grab a foothold on the African tablet market.

Tablets for emerging markets seem to be all the rage. India started the trend with its Akash tablet, and now the Republic of Congo has its own cost cutting touchscreen device. This is a monumental achievement for the Republic of Congo because if there was anybody expecting an African tablet this early it would have been from countries like South Africa, Egypt or Tunisia. My Question is "where is the so called 'Giant of Africa' in all these?"

Mali, the Coup d'état and the Tuareg's Declaration of Independence

"We, the people of the Azawad," they said in a statement published on the rebel website, "proclaim the irrevocable independence of the state of the Azawad starting from this day, Friday, April 6, 2012."

"The Executive Committee of the MNLA calls on the entire international community to immediately recognise, in a spirit of justice and peace, the independent state of Azawad," Billal Ag Acherif, the MNLA's secretary-general, said on its French-language

Their independence declaration cited 50 years of misrule by the country's southern-based administration and was issued by the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (NMLA) whose army is led by a Tuareg senior commander who fought in the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's military. Nomadic Tuaregs have nurtured the dream of secession since Mali's own independence from France in 1960, but have little foreign support for a move neighbours fear could encourage other separatist movements. The rebels that captured the North of Mali comprises: the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNAA), the Islamist Ansar Dine which is closely tied to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and which is demanding the imposition of Islamic law in northern Mali and the secular Tuareg nationalist Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) which is seeking an autonomy, if not a completely independent homeland.

The rebels' advance capitalized on confusion in Bamako after a March 22 coup by mid-ranking officers whose main goal had ironically been to beef up efforts to quash the rebellion of the rebels. Tuareg rebels in the country's north launched incursions deeper into Mali, seizing towns and bases formerly held by government forces fighting the conflict that caused the coup. As military forces have been engaged in consolidating their hold on the capital, the rebels have been able to push southward with little opposition. The Malian coup d'état began on 21 March, when mutinying Malian soldiers unhappy with the management of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion attacked several locations in the capital Bamako. The soldiers, who now call themselves the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR) led by Captain Amadou Sanogo, declared that they had seized power from "the incompetent regime of Amadou Toumani Touré" and said it would look to hand over power to a new democratically elected government. The coup was followed by the swift loss of northern Mali to Tuareg forces, leading Reuters to describe the coup as "a spectacular own-goal" for the CNRDR.

The coup d'état was "unanimously condemned" by the international community and as for the declaration of independence by the rebel, the African Union said in a statement Friday that its commission chairman Jean Ping "firmly condemned" the declaration, which it said was "null and of no value whatsoever." And the French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said "a unilateral declaration of independence that is not recognized by African states means nothing for us."

It is believe that despite the declaration of independence made by the NMLA, they are not in total control of the situation in the north of Mali.

"I heard the declaration but I'm telling you the situation on the ground. We barely see the NMLA. The people we see are the Salafis," said the young man, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. "I can't tell which group they are exactly, but we know they are the Islamists because of their beards. They are the people in control of Gao.

"They do not speak any African language as far as I can tell. In fact, I don't believe any of them are African ... Even the ones that speak Arabic, speak an Arabic that doesn't come from around here," said Halle, who explained that their dress and appearance leads him to believe that they are likely foreign fighters recruited by the al-Qaida franchise.

The situation on ground and the involvement of Al-Qaida in all these makes me believe that this is the beginning of another African long civil war that will be hard to end.

The United States and the Kalashnikovs

In parts of the Western world especially the United States, The Avtomat Kalashnikova Model or AK-47 machine gun and semi-automatic weapon is associated with their enemies; both Cold War era and present-day. In the cold war era the AK-47 assault rifle, first developed in the USSR by Mikhail Kalashnikova for the Russian army in 1947 was the primary infantry weapon of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong (VC) in Vietnam War, a war in which America lost 58000 soldiers and a war which America lost. These assault rifles which were used in the war and mostly made in the People's Republic of China, the chief supplier of armaments to NVA and VC forces is been said to be one of the factors that made America lost the Vietnam war.
 

Most armaments analysts judge the AK-47, which normally holds thirty bullets, to be superior to the U.S. M-16, which became the standard weapon of American, Korean, and South Vietnamese troops in the Vietnam War. It was more durable and less adversely affected by the climate and conditions of Vietnam. M-16 which is better in accuracy and long range targets was a high maintenance weapon while AK-47 which is inexpensive and less expensive to manufacture, required little maintenance and was perfect for inexperienced troops. Dust, dirt and grime build-up would fail the M-16 while the AK-47 still functioned exceptionally well. The AK-47 wins hands down when it came to firepower. For example a single shot from an AK-47 would break a cinder block. An M-16 bullet would just create a bullet hole on a similar cinder block. This powerful firepower and the rapid-fire capability (600 rounds/min) of AK-47 alone could have turned the tide of war against the Americans in Vietnam. There are a number of accounts of cases in which American troops preferred to use the AK-47 and in fact did use it when combat conditions permitted. The continuing popularity of this weapon is illustrated by its use in many military hostilities since the Vietnam War.

 

During the 1980s, Russia became the principal arms dealer to countries embargoed by Western nations, including Middle Eastern nations such as Syria, Libya and Iran, who welcomed Soviet Union backing against Israel. After the fall of the Soviet Union, AK-47s were sold both openly and on the black market to any group with cash, including drug cartels and dictatorial states, and more recently they have been seen in the hands of violent Islamic terrorist groups such as the Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Iraq, FARC, Ejército de Liberación Nacional guerrillas in Colombia. Western movies often portray criminals, gang members and terrorists using AK-47s. For these reasons, in the U.S. and Western Europe the AK-47 is stereotypically regarded as the weapon of murder and a weapon of choice of insurgents, gangsters and terrorists. Conversely, throughout the developing world, the AK-47 can be positively attributed with revolutionaries or "freedom fighters" against foreign occupation, imperialism or colonialism. In Mexico, the AK-47 is known as "Cuerno de Chivo" (Ram's Horn) and is one of the weapons of choice of Mexican drug cartels. In the United States its considered counterculture, which is always something that citizens in Mexico kind of like ... It's kind of sticking a finger in the eye of the man, if you will.

Why the Portuguese called it Benin City

In the late sixteen century, a time when the word "City" really meant city, a time when the words - village and hamlet were the only word use to describe settlements in black-Africa, a time when blacks where called monkeys, at a time when the English believes and thinks black-Africans lives on trees and a time before the English even dreamt of coming to sub-Sahara Africa, Dutch and Portuguese traders were already using the name Benin city to identify Benin. Benin which was originally called Ile Binu (land of anger) which was changed by Oba Eweka (King Eweka) to Ubini which was sometimes shortened as Bini which the Portuguese corrupted in their own language and wrote down as Benin City. The question is why did they call it a city in such a time? The pictures and writings of then explorers, missionaries and traders may give us some of the answers.

Roese, P. M., and D. M. Bondarenko in their book, A Popular History of Benin. The Rise and Fall of a Mighty Forest Kingdom, wrote:
 

"The kingdom and the capital city were both called Benin. The city of Benin was laid out in a system of huge straight streets. These streets were very wide, very long, and well maintained although they were not paved. You could travel on foot in a straight line for 15 or 20 minutes and not see the end of the street. Other streets opened from the main streets. They were also wide. Houses were built in rows along all of the streets. On the street front side, houses had covered porches to keep people dry as they sat outside. The Dutch and Portuguese traders who came to Benin by sea were not invited into the nobles' or artists homes. So we don't know how their homes were arranged, or what the back looked like. But we do know about the palace. "
 

"Dutch and Portuguese traders were invited into the king's palace - and thus we have written records of what the palace looked like."The king's court is very big, having within it many wide squares with galleries round them where watch is always kept. I went so far within these builds that I passed through four such squared, and wherever I looked I still saw gate after gate which opened into other places."

A seventeenth century Dutch engraving from Olfert Dapper's Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaansche Gewesten, published in Amsterdam in 1668 described the palace thus:

"The king's palace or court is a square, and is as large as the town of Haarlem and entirely surrounded by a special wall, like that which encircles the town. It is divided into many magnificent palaces, houses, and apartments of the courtiers, and comprises beautiful and long square galleries, about as large as the Exchange at Amsterdam, but one larger than another, resting on wooden pillars, from top to bottom covered with cast copper, on which are engraved the pictures of their war exploits and battles, and are kept very clean. Most palaces and houses of the king are covered with palm leaves instead of square pieces of wood, and every roof is decorated with a small turret ending in a point, on which birds are standing, birds cast in copper with outspread wings, cleverly made after living models."

Erin Ijesa Waterfall

This waterfall is located in Osun State and is made up of about five steps. The beauty of this place is a sight to behold. The water from the fall is cold and refreshing. The fun of your visit will not be complete if you do not climb to the top of the mountain where the source of the fall is. This is a two-hour mountaineering exercise, risky but exciting. when ever you visit Osun state of Nigeria be sure to visit the wonderful work of nature.

Life in Abuja

Living in Nigeria certainly has its uniqueness. Nigeria's weak institutions and its lack of social amenities and infrastructure will make anyone especially one from a more developed country to think twice and thoroughly before coming to visit or reside in Nigeria but when they do, there is certainly no regret. This is because life in Nigeria is an adventure. Life in Nigeria varies from place to place: every city has its peculiarity and its people their mentality. The two most cosmopolitan cities in Nigeria are the metropolitan city of Abuja and the commercial city of Lagos.

Abuja is a land-locked capital city located at the geographical centre of Nigeria and it is the most beautiful city in Nigeria with good and modern social amenities and infrastructures. Its beauty can be compared to that of many big cities in developed countries but life in Abuja is incomparable. Been the seat of power Abuja is a home to these classes of people: honourables, senators, ministers, ambassadors, expatriates, bureaucrats and all that are into power business. The city was planned and built to accommodate them (excluding low income bureaucrats) and big business owners alone without provision for small business owners, their employees, low income bureaucrats and other very low income earners who work in the city. This is evident in the daily mass movement of workers into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening. These workers cannot afford the houses in any of the districts (Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Central, Wuse, Gwarimpa, Apo, Utako) in the city so they have to live in the suburbs like Kubwa (which is the largest), Karo, jikwoyi, Yanya, Gwagwalada, Zuba, Kuje etc Many even come to work from towns in neighbouring states like Keffi and Mararaba in Nasarawa state and Suleja in Niger state. Traffic on roads inside Abuja is light due to the good roads but it is not so on the three roads that connect Abuja and the suburbs which experiences heavy traffic at morning hours and evening hours on working days. Driving inside Abuja can be a problem; drivers in Abuja are among the most reckless in the country. The reason is because of the good roads which they see as race tracks and a lot of kids on the road driving their parent's car without the necessary driving training.

The way of life in Abuja is so much influenced by the power-play that goes on in the city. The major employer of labour in the city is the government and so majority of the people work for the government. The people of Abuja show less entrepreneurship or inventive tendencies when compared with the people of other major Nigerian cites. They believe more on the use of connections and public office to get what they want (the national cake mentality). The youths in Abuja lacks energy and social vibe when compared to those in Lagos, Kaduna and Benin this can be seen in their poor representation in the entertainment industry. Outside the federal capital territory most people believes living in Abuja means affluence and connections, which in most cases is not true. Life in the city is very expensive yet you need to see the way the politicians, the senior bureaucrats and their family squander money - easy come; easy go. For this class of people Abuja is a good place to live but for those that cannot afford the pleasures that this beautiful city offers, their perception may be otherwise. Night life and clubbing in Abuja is fun most especially for those who live in any of the districts which are close to where the big clubs and lounges are situated. Those in the suburbs may find it stressful and uncomfortable to hangout or club in the city because of the distance from their home. The suburbs however can boast of some small and relatively cheap clubs and hangouts where the residents can have fun. Despite all these, Abuja is a place where most people love to visit or may love to live in. Life in Abuja is an experience worth having.

Facebook and Twitter in Nigeria

Are you on twitter or facebook? The answer to this question varies base on age, exposure or the profession of the person been asked. In Nigeria, facebook and twitter is fast becoming a trend especially among the teeming youths but the rate of its awareness and usage is very poor when compared to that of other African countries. According to the analysis carried out by Social Bakers, there are about 4​244​100 facebook users in Nigeria which puts Nigeria at 35th position in the ranking of countries with the highest number of users behind Egypt and South Africa which are smaller country with far smaller populations. With this figure only 2.79% of Nigerians are on facebook and only 9.65% of its online population are on facebook.

When it comes to twitter the patronage is worse. Statistics from Portland Notes shows that Nigeria (1,646,212 tweets) is far behind South Africa (5,030,226 tweets) and Kenya (2,476,800 tweets) as the next most active country during the 4th Quarter of 2011. This poor patronage can be blamed on high computer illiteracy, poor infrastructures and low social media awareness. Despite these fact facebook and twitter was very evident in the fuel subsidy struggle between the Nigerian people and the Nigerian Government. They were used to mobilize demonstrators and speedily spread facts exposing government's shady deals.

Nigerians are more into facebook than twitter and almost all twitter users are facebook users. Majority of people that are into social media do not know how to use twitter though they may have been facebook users for a long time. Facebook users may not like twitter at the onset but when they start using it with time they become so addicted that they stop or reduces their usage of facebook. Many twitter users complain that facebook is boring and annoying. This may be because of facebook's numerous unwanted newsfeeds generated from every single activity that friends or business associates perform, unwanted picture tags e.t.c

Majority of facebook user in Nigeria are within the range of 18 – 35 years of age while twitter has younger users of 18 – 29 years of age. Social media users in Nigeria are mainly university students, followed by small business outfits, people in the entertainment industry and the media. The government or the politicians have little or no presence in the social media world. Twitter is becoming an important source of information in Nigeria. Most users uses twitter to monitor news and job seekers use it to search for employment opportunities. With less than 3% of Nigerians using social media and with a lot of people now owing Smartphones Nigeria is one of the world's largest potential social media communities.

Syria Crisis: the response

"UN political chief says 'well over' 7500 people have died in Syria violence", this is a tweet posted by Associate Press which has about 824488 followers at about the time of that post and I wondered how many of these followers were shocked when they saw the number of those that have died or felt sad about the continuous killing of Syrian demonstrators by the Syrian government. I am sure majority of these followers do not care. The Associate Press twitter community is an example of the big picture (the global community) though as it has always been known that the global community is a far more complex community with a lot of selfish and conflicting interest.

While killing is still going on in Syria, the number of dead people are increasing daily and the news of the increased use of military forces on armless civilians is now been widely known, it is interesting to know that more people, NGOs and countries are showing concern. More people are giving in the form of charity; more NGOs are getting involved in their own corporate capacity and more countries in their own sovereign capacity but sadly even more people, NGOs and more especially countries are been indifferent to this issue.

Sympathy for the Syrians or empathy towards their struggle; love for equity, justice, peace and mankind should be the core reasons to show concern in this crises but as the game of international politics always go national gain always dominates. The majority of people, corporate bodies and countries that are involved got involved to protect and/or to pursue their personal interest. This can give a good reason for one to say the apathy of some in this crisis does not make them all less their brother's keeper than others as it may seem. The position of China, Russia and America who are some of the big players in this crisis and other world issues is a clear indication that the cold war between the west and the east is still on.

The Arab world which for decades has been battling with insurgency, militancy and religious extremism already have their hands full with internal problems and so are not putting much in the crisis. The United Nations which in itself is powerless is only playing diplomacy pending when the big players come to a consensus which I do not think is close by. The systems that man created around himself and the selfish ways of man has always been a barrier in conflict resolutions which this Syria crisis is not different. While the big players are busy playing the game of international politics and the United Nations is busy doing nothing and the others minding their own business, the big question is how many more people will have to die before president Al Assad will be forced to step down and reap what he has sown.