Aunt Aggie: 90 Years a Slave

Her mother was born free. She was snatched from her native land and brought to a place that was strange and the climate not to her liking. The ship docked in Virginia and all of the captives were unloaded like cattle to be sold. I don't know what year that was, but I read that it was before the Revolution.  

The Campbell's were rich and the government sold them a lot of land at a cheap price.  They needed help to develop the land.  Aggie was about 10 years old when she came to live with my 9th Great-Grandfather back in Virginia.when the Revolution began. The Campbell family lived in Virginia until 1796 and then made their way to Jefferson County, Tennessee with a land grant under their belt. Archibald Campbell died in 1801 and Aggie was passed on to James, Archibald's son.  When James passed away in 1826, Aggie went to live with Robert Fleming Campbell. In 1851, Robert and his family, with Aggie, moved to Dallas County, Texas. By this time, Aggie had children: Fay, Jim, and Archie.

Robert Fleming Campbell

Aunt Aggie witnessed another war. When the Civil War broke out her sons fought along side the rest of the soldiers for freedom. A freedom that they wanted more than life itself. Then came the Emancipation Proclamation.  She had been a slave for nearly 90 years.  She was finally free. Robert offered to care for her the rest of her life, but freedom was what they fought for. Just to taste it, like a forbidden fruit was all she wanted. Aggie's time wasn't long for this earth and she knew it. Along with Jake, her grandson, they left the farm to make their own way in the world. She is free at last...

Africa's Painted Dog

When I was a girl, I remember watching a television program about the wild dogs of Africa.  They were beautiful to look at but lived such a hard life.  They never knew where the next meal was coming from nor were their pups safe from predators. I cried as my favorite pup struggled to survive.

 

Females leave their packs as young as 14-30 months and will join a pack that lacks sexually mature females so that a male will help raise the pups. The females will compete for the strongest male in the pack. Sounds a bit like what women do now, but that is my opinion.  On the other hand, males generally never leave the pack to which they were born.   

But don't let their cute little faces fool you.  These dogs are wild and could literally rip you a new one with a bite force quotient of 142 of all the carnivores except the Tasmanian Devil.  There is so much more information about these dogs on the web that I cannot begin to write all there is to know about them.  Click on the link above and it will help you to get a small bit of facts regarding these animals. 

Here is a video that was taken at the London Zoo.  Sorry but no killing of animals involved in this video. 

Eritrea: Where in the World is it?

Have you ever heard of Eritrea?  I haven't either if you are one us poor Americans who didn't pay attention in Geography class.  It is in Africa, located in the horn of Africa to be exact. Asmara is the capital of this tiny country and the largest city in Eritrea with beautiful Italian-style architecture and fascinating historical sites for sightseeing. Asmara has breathtaking scenery and excellent opportunities for trekking. It is also the only place to visit in Eritrea that does not require a travel permit to travel in. Islam is the primary religion along with Eritrean Orthodox and Roman Catholicism.  There are about 650,000 people that inhabit this small country and only 59 % are literate. 


Street Scene in Asmara


The desert areas along the coast of the Red Sea is hot and dry. The highlands have a Mediterranean-style climate. The best time to visit Eritrea is from October to March when the weather in Eritrea is dry and pleasant. 


Wedding in Eritrea

Eritrea has been inhabited for at least 8,000 years by African tribes that had strong trading relations with the neighboring areas. Eritrea is a former Italian colony and the Eritrean culture, cuisine and architecture has been influenced by the Italian culture.


A house in Asmara

Colonized by Italy in 1890, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, after a 30-year struggle of independence from the Ethiopian rule. The traditional Eritrean way of life can be experienced in the tribal villages where people live by farming and herding.  Isn't this the best way to get to know a country by visiting the country folk? 

I am currently reading a book called, The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia who is from Eritrea and I will be giving a book review very soon. 

Maruge: 84 Year Old First Grader

There is never a time that it is too late to learn or have your dreams come true. Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge was a Mau Mau fighter in the war of independence against the British. In Kenya, in 2002, the government announced that primary education was free to everyone. Maruge wanted to learn to read and write.  So, he enrolled in the first grade.  He didn't know that he would cause so much controversy in the community. I watched the National Geographic movie about him called, The First Grader, a few days ago. I was inspired. Why would an 84 year old man want to learn to read and write at his age anyway? Education shouldn't be wasted on the old but on the young.  After all, it is the young people who are the future of any country.  Correct?

When he approached teacher Jane Obinchu about coming to school she said that he couldn't come because he didn't have a uniform.  Maruge made his own uniform and approached the teacher again.  After much persistence from Maruge, teacher Jane allowed him to attend class. 

As word spread about the old man going to school, parents and the school administration tried to have Maruge ousted. He fought for education in the war of independence. Education equals freedom from poverty. Maruge has rekindled ambition in people who did not think that they had hope. I love these kind of stories.  Maruge passed away in 2009, but his inspiration lives on.

An African Find in America

I love to find bargains and I am not ashamed to spend hours looking for just the right thing.  Here is my new find.  It is a bowl from Rowanda.  Can you believe that?  It was love at first sight. 

I bought it at the GW, short for Goodwill.  I think that I paid two dollars for it.  Not bad huh?

The Kanga of Zanzibar

Slavery is an ugly thing.  Clothing for slaves was even worse.

The women of Zanzibar wrapped themselves in plain white cheap cotton cloth while they were in captivity.

Once they were free, the women began decorating their garments with hand painted designs inspired by the clothing of free Swahili women.

  

They painted their clothing to let the world know that they were free.

Did you know that the "official" outdoor garment for village women in Zanzibar is the Kanga?  Traditional clothing is what makes each country unique. I am envious.