The new website One Africa (www.one-africa.com) made a modest debut on the Internet this past January, creating a new social media outlet for people with the goal of connecting themselves to others in Africa and the African diaspora. After nine months of steady progress — gaining over 40,000 members in 125 nations, organizers are reaching out for more users, and will be visiting Detroit to educate the public on how to use the website for networking.
“We want to give power to African citizens and Africans in the diaspora to get their ideas known,” says Alhousseynou Ba, a founding member of the One Africa team.
The One Africa meetings will include guided website demonstrations, and attendees will get a chance to create a user profile with assistance, while enjoying complimentary Senegalese food.
The meetings are scheduled as follows:
Oct.11, 1p.m.at Alkebu-lan Village, Inc, 7701 Harper, Detroit;
Oct. 25, 1 p.m. at Nandi’s Knowledge Cafe, 12511 Woodward, Highland Park;
Nov. 12, 7 p.m. at Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, 3800 Puritan, Detroit.
The rise of social media has changed the world, shaping recent political events and creating new global economies. Africa and the world diaspora, including African Americans, continue to grow through social media connections, with Africa making a dramatic rise as a world power.
“We looked to Africa to see if there is a social media out there … made by Africans and from Africa, and we didn’t see any of that. So we ask ourselves, ‘why is that?’” says Alhousseynou Ba, who is originally from Senegal and currently resides in Ann Arbor. “We have a lot of people who need to know each other, and the reality of many of our problems is Africa is a big continent, and people are not aware of all the resources and all the potential. …(T)he connections are not there for people to interact.” Understanding the continent’s big potential for economic growth, Ba set out to create such a social network.
A primary goal of One Africa is to create a site where citizens of African nations can openly evaluate leadership and voice their issues against themost problematic conditions created by their elected government officials.
“How can we get awareness, how can we get the leadership to be aware that we are watching you now? …(T)he best way to do that is rate and review leaders. …(W)ho is best to review and rate leaders? The citizens of these countries,” he says.
At One Africa, members post photos to their profile, describe professional skills, list affiliated organizations, and connect with other people. Pages can be also created for businesses and organizations to promote internationally.
“Africa and America not only have a history linked, but America has a people who are truly connected to Africa,” he says. “We are one humanity, one race, one people. That kind of connection is the kind of feeling I want to get from people, to see that we are a community of one, and when we’re connected, when we know each other, we will love each other,” Ba says. “When we love each other, we can do great things.”
michigancitizen.com
Good job bah housaynou