 Fatima Jibrell, Photo Courtesy of Goldman Prize By DAWNer Solome LemmaBorn into a nomadic, pastoral family and motivate by love for the fragile, semi-arid landscape and the pastoral way of life, Fatima Jibrell of Somalia has dedicated her life to the preservation of the natural environment in Somalia. 1n 1993, Fatima founded Horn Relief, a non-profit organization, to mobilize local and international resources for protection of the fragile pastoral environment in Somalia. In the late 1990s, Fatima organized and advocated against unrestricted use of charcoal in Puntland. Through Fatima's powerful advocacy, the Puntland regional government of northeast Somalia was persuaded to prohibit export of charcoal through the port of Bosasso in 2002. This has reduced charcoal exports by 80 percent. In 2004, Fatima established Sun Fire Cooking to promote solar alternatives to charcoal cooking. Bender Bayla in Somalia is the first solar cooking village in the world. By 2007, Sun Fire had distributed over 1,000 solar cookers to villages. I nominated Fatima for the National Geographic Conservation Award, which she received in 2008. When we met then, she told me she had just completed a first-hand assessment of the environmental degradation along the Somali coastline. She walked the coastline-a journey of about 100 miles, I believe-for days for this assessment. She was 60 or so at the time! In an era when Somalia's public image has been reduced to conflict and piracy, Somalis need and deserve recognition of someone that represents their very best efforts in working for peace and restoring their ravaged natural, social, and political environments. Fatima Jibrell has shown through her life and work that she represents the best aspects of Somali pastoralist culture, peace building, love for the natural environment, and belief in Islam as a religion of caring and commitment. A true African heroine!
The original posting of this blog can be found here at The Source Magazine's Politics Blog Pag e. January 6, 2011 - The buzz in Washington on Africa these days is growing, so I had to wonder what would happen in Hip-Hop to reflect that – musically and culturally. Please believe that with anything “Africa” I turn to my girls at the Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN) to make sense of my politics. So when I needed someone to give me the business about the biggest story this week – Sudan – I reached out to DAWN Founder and Executive Director, Semhar Araia. My sista specializes in conflict resolution, international law, humanitarian affairs and the development of effective advocacy and organizing strategies for Africa policymaking. Hell yeah. Ms. Araia had this to share about Sudan in the context of Hip-Hop activism: The first time I met Emmanuel Jal was five years ago when he came to Capitol Hill to share the release of the film “ War Child”, which documented his travels from Sudan as a child. Soft spoken and careful with his words, he shared an incredible story of his life as a child soldier, who narrowly escaped death and found his way to freedom. Today, he’s a global superstar, rapping his way for Africa and its people and for his beloved country Sudan's quest for peace. What peace you ask? Well this weekend, Sudan is set to hold a landmark referendum that will determine if the southern half of the country will break away and secede to become a new state. Just days away from this historic event, Jal debuted his new single telling the whole world that “ We Want Peace” for Sudan. From the heart of Africa to the bright lights of New York and Hollywood, Jal has called on the most influential celebrity activists to draw attention to Sudan including, Alicia Keys, George Clooney, former head of the United Nations Kofi Annan, and Former US President Jimmy Carter. After a deadly 20 year war between North and the South Sudan, where two million people were killed and four million were uprooted from their homes, both sides agreed to commit to peace and let the people speak for themselves on the fate of their country. Jal was about seven years old when he suddenly found himself a victim to this – running for his life and being forced to become a child soldier. So this weekend’s referendum is a pivotal moment for the future of Sudan and Africa. After years of insecurity, struggle, and bloodshed, the country’s 44 million residents are holding on to the hope and promise of peace but all to weary of the reality of war. This weekend, the entire world will be watching Sudan. Will you? By Semhar Araia Photo By Kemi Davies
 After a college degree and several months of working in the political capitol of the Western world, I know a bit about power. Daily, I experience the power of crisp black suits, sleek cars, and boldly colored heels clicking their own new rhythms into the echo of marble halls.
However, Washingtonians may encounter an affront to this idea of power, through the advertisements of CARE, a nongovernmental refugee organization. In its trademark public campaign, CARE portrays a refugee woman, very young or very old, dressed in the tradition of her country and looking deep into the camera's eye. The universal caption: "I Am Powerful."
In the midst of Washington, D.C., this may seem more a wistful ideal than reality. Reality teaches that even the most educated and top-earning women only make 72 cents on a man's dollar, and that women around the world are most vulnerable to illiteracy, poverty, domestic abuse, and a lack of access to the handbag of characteristics which we call "power." Yet these women stare out evenly from photographs and billboards to silently declare that they, even in a displaced state, are powerful.
Read the original posting here
Last week, I attended the first African First Ladies' Leadership Health Summit in Los Angeles, California where over 400 participants from the private sector, public sector and Hollywood came together to discuss maternal health and child survival, HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, and girl's education. The event was hosted by African Synergy and US Doctors for Africa.
To say it was impressive is an understatement. For two days, we sat through panels, luncheons, and in-depth breakout sessions that ended with an extravagant evening gala and a sense of accomplishment with actionable goals and pledges for new commitments. For the first time, a summit was held focusing on the role of the First Ladies and the international community towards improving Africa's development. Various high-profile speakers delivered remarks, including the First Ladies, as well as Melanne Verveer, the US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International, actress and activist Maria Bello, and the First Lady of California Maria Shriver.This historic gathering went above and beyond the expectations of many with a balanced mix of policy expertise, pomp and circumstance, and constructive engagement on serious issues. It was an important first step towards the kind of global exchange that is needed. What most impressed me was the passion and conviction that each First Lady spoke with. One by one, they introduced their own country's policies and new approaches to improve women's health, such as Mozambique's drafting of gender equity laws and Nigeria's "Mama Kit".
It's even more important, however, that this dialogue be expanded to include more African voices, particularly from civil society and the diaspora in future exchanges. To improve the health and well-being of women and girls in Africa, all stakeholders must be at the same table, to the same summit, with the same opportunity to participate in these discussions. Civil society's role in peace and development cannot be overemphasized. It is my hope that at the next African First Ladies Leadership Health Summit, the First Ladies will have the opportunity to meet with more African civil society organizations from Africa and the diaspora and engage with them on the most critical issues affecting their beloved Africa.
To view more pictures from the Summit, click below: African First Ladies Health Summit April 2009
Semhar Araia is the Founder and Executive Director of the Diaspora African Women's Network and resides in Washington, DC.
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