Praying over Ashes

Africa is well known for its sad, tragic, and unfortunate news. What we don’t often see, or hear about is the kind of unified religious front on display in Nairobi where elephants and rhinos are being poached at alarming rates.

With the increased demand for ivory in the East, 2011 brought one of the most deadly poaching seasons for elephants and rhinos. 448 rhinos were poached last year compared to the 13 in 2007. As an illicit industry, poaching is third following drug, and human trafficking. As a result, poachers have established a $10 billion industry.

In Nairobi National safari park, 50 religious leaders stood in a circle around a pit filled with the charred remains of 13 tons of elephant ivory burned to keep it from poachers. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu spiritual leaders offered prayers of forgiveness for the harm we humans are doing to the wildlife and environment.

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Praying over Ashes Africa is well known for its sad, tragic, and unfortunate news. What we don’t often see, or hear about is the kind of unified religious front on display in Nairobi where elephants and rhinos are being poached at alarming rates. With the increased demand for ivory in the East, 2011 brought one of the most deadly poaching seasons for elephants and rhinos. 448 rhinos were poached last year compared to the 13 in 2007. As an illicit industry, poaching is third following drug, and human trafficking. As a result, poachers have established a $10 billion industry. In Nairobi National safari park, 50 religious leaders stood in a circle around a pit filled with the charred remains of 13 tons of elephant ivory burned to keep it from poachers. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu spiritual leaders offered prayers of forgiveness for the harm we humans are doing to the wildlife and environment. continue reading High-res

Keep in mind..

Please remember that all are welcome to contribute to africaisdonesuffering.com as a guest writer. From all regions of the continent, and from all countries spread throughout the world, we’re looking for diversity in voices to represent the great range of Africans and members of the African diaspora. There’s such an astounding variety in African people and descendants, and everyone’s experience is unique but relatable in some sense, so if you’re interested in sharing please do not hesitate. 

For June we explored “The African Diaspora” and the feedback was phenomenal, a concluding post is coming tomorrow. The topic of our July series will be announced Sunday, and upon reading what it’s about, if you believe you have some insight that correlates with the theme then feel free to submit your input. If you have any further questions just e-mail us at info@africaisdonesuffering.com. Thanks!

Random question... how diverse is your team in terms of what regions your team members are from on the continent or in the diaspora?

Asked by Anonymous

Not as diverse as we’d like to be! Most of are team members are either from Ghana or Nigeria. We have one team member who identifies as Black American and two members who are from Senegal. We are currently looking for people from North and East African countries. If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in helping us be a better representation of the entire continent of Africa, please give us a shout at info@africaisdonesuffering.com. If you feel as though your country or region is often ignored, dismissed, or excluded, don’t hesitate to speak up. We’re open to showcasing your thoughts and people are listening. Thanks!