TresSugar

Birth Control Rises Among Muslim Women, Don't Tell the Men

TresSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:10 -0800

Nothing in Islam forbids birth control, but like Christianity the religion does extol procreation. So as the pill becomes more accessible in Afghanistan - a country with a fertility rate of six children per woman - it's no surprise it's controversial. Now that many women have access to it, they are forced to take it behind their husbands' backs.

Afghanistan is not the only third-world country (or any-world country, really) where women hide birth control. The trend became apparent when a Double X writer traveled through Kenya this Summer and interviewed more than 100 women and 25 medical professionals about contraception use and women's health. One doctor said the number of women asking about contraception, without their husband’s knowledge, has increased from around 100 per year to 100 per month in just a year. Yet, there are still doctors who refuse to prescribe the pill (that happens in the US!), nurses who report its use to husbands, and conspiracy theorists who believe those promoting it are on the "Americans' payroll."

Consider the ramifications of a woman lying to her husband in a Muslim country, and this all sounds like a bittersweet victory. Yet it's not all that different from how the US spent the better part of the 20th century, when, even after the pill became legal in 1960, doctors refused to prescribe it, black nationalists believed it would lead to race suicide, and the women who did take it often did so in secrecy, behind their husbands' backs.

Kenyan Man Sues Group For Telling His Wife: No Sex

TresSugar — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:00:00 -0700

A Kenyan man is suing activists who urged women to deny their partners sex for a week in protest against their country's political impasse.

In a move that echoed Aristophanes' Greek comedy Lysistrata, a group calling themselves the Women's Development Organization called for the boycott to get political leaders to end their rivalry and work, as the wife of Kenya's prime minister, Raila Odinga, described it, for "the common person."

James Kimondo told reporters outside a Nairobi courthouse that his wife's refusal to have sex with him caused him "anxiety and sleepless nights." (Who can I sue for a similar problem?) He continued, "I have been suffering mental anguish, stress, backaches, lack of concentration." He is seeking general damages against the Women's Development Organization.

Lysistrata, performed in Athens in 411 BC, was a play by Aristophanes about a woman's mission to end the Peloponnesian War by convincing the women of Greece that the only way their men would negotiate peace is if they stopped having sex with them.

I'm trying to imagine if such withholding would affect women as much. Is your sex drive high enough that you'd be able to be blackmailed into changing your ways in exchange for the return of sex from your significant other?
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Obama Inspires Kenya, Spurs Tribal Reconciliation

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:30:08 -0800

My college roommate who now works in a school in Kenya was telling me about a recent teacher strike at her school. She said all the children believed that Barack Obama would soon come to the rescue, and pay the teachers so all the children could go back to school.

Obama's Kenya connection has transformed the outlook of many in the African country, who feel pride in the American president's Kenyan roots, and subsequently their country.

The Associated Press recently tested the level of enthusiasm by questioning Kenyans living in America. Wilfred Nakundi who lives in Jersey City said that when his relatives call from Kenya "the first thing they ask you these days is 'How is Obama?' - before they ask 'How are you?' . . .They think since we're here, we're experiencing things directly."'

Another Kenyan living in the states described the situation back home: "Everybody wants to be his tribe now, even those fighting his tribe. The Luos lost the presidency in Kenya, but they got the presidency of the US so it's like compensation; he's brought tribe reconciliation." Can Obama count that as a foreign policy accomplishment?

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Obama Brand Goes Global Perhaps Lifting American Brand

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

From Europe to South America to Asia to his father's birthplace in Kenya, Barack Obama's candidacy has made an impact. Black Europeans are pinning their hopes for more representation in their government on a persuasive example set by the election of Barack. Citing his charisma and ideas, black community leaders say his race is not the only reason for the transatlantic support.

Meanwhile, Colombia has adopted a more spirited way to show support - making Obama the mascot of their lottery. Colombia's Metal region placed Obama's face on its Oct. 22 ticket. In a country whose president strongly supports President Bush, the lottery officials explained the mood of the people: "We picked Obama's portrait for our lottery because we're always looking for somebody people are raving about. He's ahead in opinion polls and right now he's the most popular guy around here."

In his NYT's column today, Nicholas Kristof recounts the disbelief a friend in Beijing shared when he told her there's a good chance America will elect a black man president. To see how he explained the potential of an Obama presidency, read more.

Kristof wrote:

We’re beginning to get a sense of how Barack Obama’s political success could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American “brand” to be less about Guantanamo and more about equality. This change in perceptions would help rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s or that John Kennedy’s presidency did in the early 1960s.

Are you excited by the possibility of global Bush hatred being replaced by Obama mania?

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Jerome Corsi, Author of Obama Nation Is Being Held in Kenya

CitizenSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:45:02 -0700

The author of the controversial book Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality has been detained by Kenyan authorities. Jerome Corsi is being held under the claim that there's a problem with his work permit papers - he had been in the country to unveil his best-selling book to a Kenyan audience. Obama Nation has been accused of being a smear against the candidate, whose father was from Kenya.

According to the press release issued before Jerome Corsi's trip to Kenya, the author intended to, "expose deep secret ties between between US Democratic presidential candidate Sen Barack Obama and a section of the Kenyan government leaders." A police official contradicts the notion the arrest is political saying, "We have nothing to do with the book or whoever it's about. It's about the law of Kenya."

What's the tie to Kenya? To find out, and the Obama campaign's response, read more.

In the book (here's the first chapter) Corsi lists a claim that Obama contributed $1 million to Kenyan Prime Minister Rail Odinga, a claim the Obama campaign refutes in a 40-page PDF entitled "Unfit for Publication."

The campaign pulls a quote from the Chicago Tribune earlier this year (pg. 12 of the PDF) saying, "Obama said President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga should sit down and talk 'unconditionally,' and he urged them to welcome the assistance of your concerned friends." The disputed Kenyan elections in December of 2007 led to deadly violence and over 300,000 people displaced.

Is Corsi being held for political reasons? Have you read Obama Nation?

All in the Family: Barack Obama's Brother Found in Kenya

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:47:43 -0700

Far from the hustle of the campaign trail, in a patchwork town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, Italy's Vanity Fair says they've tracked down Barack Obama's brother. He shares a father with Barack though not a mother. Living in a hut measuring six-by-nine feet, the 26-year-old named George Hussein Onyango Obama, survives on less than a dollar a month.

Plastering the walls of his hut are football posters and one front page newspaper clipping of Barack. This detail topped my heartbroke-list this morning: he says he's embarrassed by the poverty in which he lives and shies away from any Obama connection:

I live like a recluse, no one knows I exist. . . If anyone says something about my surname, I say we are not related. I am ashamed.

That makes my insides cry. To see a picture of George, read more.

George says he's met the Obama we know so well, twice - once as a young boy, and once when Sen. Obama visited Nairobi in 2006. George said it was like meeting a stranger - indeed George gets one brief mention in Barack's autobiography, described as a "beautiful boy with a rounded head." George has had a rough go of it, but is working on setting things right - he's starting classes at a local technical college.

Reading this, I can't help but be amazed. When Obama said, "he doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency, he’s a got a funny name," stories like this bring that wealth of diversity he was talking about into focus. The US might have a president who has a brother who lives in a hut in Africa. Wow. Are you fascinated by this too?

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Kenyan Council of Elders Cuts Off Support of Circumcision

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:15:00 -0700

Despite its ability to help prevent the spread of HIV, the Luo Council of Elders in Kenya is not down with male circumcision because the practice conflicts with the community's culture.

But more than culture informs the influential council's decision to reject a widespread initiative which would offer free circumcision. Some elders do not believe it actually prevents HIV infection, while others worry that circumcised men would stop wearing condoms. Thus, the elders oppose the effort by the Kenyan government to make circumcision more culturally accepted.

Resistance to circumcision is not the only cultural practice inhibiting HIV prevention in Kenya, where 2.5 million people (out of 35 million) live with HIV or AIDS - the practice of wife inheritance doesn't help either. When a husband dies, the widow often marries her brother-in-law or another man chosen by the elders. As you might imagine, this too facilitates the passing of the deadly disease.

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Landmark Victory! Kenyan Court Says No Firing For HIV Status

LibertySugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:00:49 -0700

An HIV positive Kenyan woman made history by winning a settlement against her employer for unfair dismissal, a decision that should bring relief to 2.5 million (out of 35 million) Kenyans living with HIV or AIDS. The Court ruled that one cannot be fired for being HIV positive.

A doctor administered an HIV test when the woman went to the hospital complaining of chest pains. The doctor passed on the positive results to her employer, despite the fact that the patient had not consented to the test nor disclosure. The woman said that her co-workers knew she was positive before she did.

The Kenyan High Court ruled that testing employees, or prospective employees, without consent is unlawful, along with disclosing results to employers without permission. This landmark ruling - that one cannot be terminated for HIV status -undoubtedly boosts the rights of those living with HIV. Yet, I'm not sure how some of the consent protections will practically play out. If you want a job, and an employer asks you to consent to an HIV test, would you feel comfortable denying consent?

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Arrests Made After 11 Kenyans Are Burned For Being "Witches"

CitizenSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:00:02 -0700

Burned at the stake isn't just an ancient expression. Nineteen people have just been arrested in Kenya in connection with the burning of 11 people accused of being witches - this week.

A police spokesman said those arrested may not have been involved in the killings but possibly incited the attacks. The victims accused of witchcraft - eight women and three men, were aged between 80 and 96 - and were burned to death in the western Kisii district.

The district has a history of similar attacks in the past. People suspected of engaging in witchcraft have been killed or ostracized before. This time, the gang had a list of the victims and sought them out individually. The attackers dragged those accused from their homes and burned them individually before setting their homes on fire. The victim's families are now in hiding, afraid for their lives.

The gang apparently found a notebook at a local primary school that looked to contained the minutes of a "witches" meeting" with details of who was going to be bewitched next, using this as motivation to fuel the attacks.

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Out of Africa: Kenya Hits Two Finish Lines

CitizenSugar — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:16:55 -0700

In Kenya today President Mwai Kibaki named rival Raila Odinga prime minister. The power-sharing deal became official after lengthy negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago.

The two became locked in heated debate over the governing of Kenya following disputed elections between them last December. The official announcement of the agreement is a welcome finish line as deadly violence spurred by the election has left more than 1,000 people dead and around 300,000 displaced.

Another Kenyan crossed a triumphant finish line this morning at the London Marathon. Martin Lel won the London Marathon for the third time in four years, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds.

Other Africans running in the marathon today included a group of Maasai warriors, hoping to raise money to build a well in their village, Eluai, in Tanzania. To see the distinctive athletes in action, read more.

The warriors ran dressed in red toga-like wraps and sandals made from old car tires, carrying cowhide shields and sticks. They hope to raise awareness for the drought they're suffering, as well as $120,000 to solve their water woes.

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