African Ties? Feel Free To Add Your Name!

[mickeydownunder]

WOW and what I great thread and idea....

thanks Molly for allowing me to find this



Hope you all have a great day!

WHOO HOO!

I one day HOPE to visit your wonderful country and see it as it meant to be seen...

for now, I will have to be an armchair traveller who revels in reading about all places exotic and interesting; creating visions of adventure in my mind

[Zurie]

Mickey, I know you're blonde , so surely your meant you wish to visit our wonderful Continent?

You're not the first one to make a continent sound like 1 country!!

More than 53 countries at last count, not including the islands we also have "under our wing"!!

[mickeydownunder]

lol...I was hoping someone would pick that up as I very vividly remembered a previous thread about someone referring to Africa as a country...

Zurie you are too quick for me ....and is good to keep on one's toes and is good to see

[Zurie]

Yep ... it was an American citizen! Maybe it was just a slip, but maybe she really DID think the Dark Continent was just one country!

[Molly53]

It's not surprising that a citizen of the US might think of Africa as one unit.

After all, the United States is a collection of 50 unique geographic areas that could well be considered individual countries under one general umbrella. Every state has it's own government/leader and a great many of them are geographically larger than some countries elsewhere. One of Texas' slogans is "It's a whole other country" and there are periodic references to secession from the US. Other states have the same independent spirit, also.

The individuality of African countries is something very seldom emphasized on the news here.

[Zurie]

Molly, you are SO right.

I have only visited and stayed in 7 American states, on the east side. Would love to visit its opposites!! My son and his then-fiancee (now wife & 2 kids!) twice travelled through the USA in a hired car and saw as much as they could, which was not enough to their taste!

Unfortunately, due to (I think) old information and political influences, many people still lump Africa together as one unit. No harm done: just a wrong impression.

LeggyPeggy made a point of that when we spoke: that every country they went through had its own "personality", culture, habits, cooking, etc.

[mickeydownunder]

Molly53 wrote:
It's not surprising that a citizen of the US might think of Africa as one unit.

After all, the United States is a collection of 50 unique geographic areas that could well be considered individual countries under one general umbrella. Every state has it's own government/leader and a great many of them are geographically larger than some countries elsewhere. One of Texas' slogans is "It's a whole other country" and there are periodic references to secession from the US. Other states have the same independent spirit, also.

The individuality of African countries is something very seldom emphasized on the news here.

OR properly taught in schools as it is difficult to keep up with what has happened in almost each and every country of Africa

One only has to watch the Olympics to say, now WHAT country is that? What country is that? etc....

no, ignorance is no bliss

[Molly53]

We are taught properly in school, Mickey. Every schoolchild takes geography at one point or another.

However, that said....our country is made up of 50 disparate and unique states under one umbrella and that's our normal. What I said was that it's understandable if some of us equate all the various countries in the African continent to states and the continent to one country.

[JoyfulCook]

Molly53 wrote:
We are taught properly in school, Mickey. Every schoolchild takes geography at one point or another.

However, that said....our country is made up of 50 disparate and unique states under one umbrella and that's our normal. What I said was that it's understandable if some of us equate all the various countries in the African continent to states and the continent to one country.

Molly, we were taught geography at school, a lot of them now are not taught the way we were. The way that America is is similar to Australia - run differently but under the one umbrella, sometimes its awkward as from one state to another, even the age limit for driving can change.

When we moved states in Australia, we had to change our drivers license and all kinds of things!

btw can you please add my name to the list as I lived in Kenya - thanks.

[Zurie]

Joy, you can add your own name if you like ... you can edit the post.

But really, I gave up in the end. Most are not African. I think Molly did a sifter search, so even if they'd mentioned an African dish they like, their names would have come up.

Molly did a great job, though; she really tried to help.

The reaction to z-mails were hopelessly disappointing, and those I found which did have African ties, however vague, never bothered to answer or come to this forum. I just don't have time to write them, all the way down the list.

Basically, I think, many of them do not visit Zaar any more.

[Molly53]

Zurie wrote:
I gave up in the end. Most are not African. I think Molly did a sifter search, so even if they'd mentioned an African dish they like, their names would have come up.

That turns out not to be the case, Zurie. If you'll notice, I re-worked the list and it's very much different from the first one.

FYI, I did review the AM pages for more than a favorite African dish when adding people's names.

Hopefully, everyone will find the revised list more user-friendly.

[Zurie]

OMG, Molly! Thanks.

I have not looked at the list again, but wil do so as soon as I have the time.

You've been very kind to even get involved in this search.

I do check into Zaar a few times a day, but writing all the z-mails do take a lot of time. However, I will check the list again.

[JoyfulCook]

Tks Molly, I did try to put it on by editing, but it ' would not let me" every time I tried i went to the bottom of the page!!! must have been me anyway thanks!

[Tina and Dave]

Hi
I couldn't work out how to add to the list, but certainly put me down for Zimbabwe. I spent a couple of months there in 1990 ... a beautiful country, great people, fab music. Heartbreaking to think how it is now.
Tina

[Molly53]

Gotcha, Tina and Dave!