₦airaland Forum

Something drastic really needs to be done about these al queada wannabes. The last thing we need in Nigeria are a bunch of drug crazed suicide bombers out for their 72 virgins.

You are really trying your best to discourage Africans from migrating to Europe aren't you?

Do what you like, but remember there are well over a billion Africans (taking into account massive census undercounts), and we have the highest fertility rates in the world. Europe is currently in demographic decline, and in order to maintain economic competitiveness, they will need a young workforce. Its only inevitable that Africans will migrate to Europe in even larger numbers. Have you heard about the EU job center pilot program? Wait until they put more all over Africa, then we will really start flooding into your lily white Europe.

I've never been there, but I've read stories telling about racism against non-jews in Israel.

What a fool. Glad he's the type of fool who doesn't know when to shut up, his information will be valuable in the fight against terrorism

Finally my activation link showed up!!

NordicRace:
I judge Black people on the amount of crimes they commit, murder despoil, drug dealing, violence etc etc. I judge Black people on the minimal amount of contribution to mankinde they give. I judge them by the way they turn parts of britain into third world swamps. I judge them on their unemployment and welfare recipient rate.

Why don't you just fukk off back to stormfront and leave the judging to people who have actually done something with their lives??

oyewolejos:
About a year ago i met a guy here named BLACKSPADE he lives in Los Angeles USA.We exchanged email and he offered priceless advice about schooling in L.A.3weeks ago i got my Student Visa and on Sunday i would be on my to the USA but i need to contact him to say THANK YOU.But all effort to contact him has been in vain as emails sent to him wasn't replied.If he gets to see this he should contact me on oyewolejose@yahoo.com or if anybody knows him.

Hey man! Sorry about not replying to your emails, I forgot the password to that account, so I haven't been able to access it for a few months. I'm very happy to know that our email exchanges have helped you with your visa process. Hope you all the best with your studies, and if you need any further advice you can reach me at this email: mrblackspade@hotmail.com

Happy Holidays!!

SeanT21:
Dont worry. I'll let him know about this

Thanks dear.

oyinda.:
kid your just 17  what r u doing on NL?? it's past your bedtime!!!! your parents shld start monitoring u

ps: change the disgusting profile pic 

What's wrong with my picture? You know you looove it. My folks monitor me, but I'm waay too computer savvy for them to find out how much time I spend on nairaland.

Thank you Seun, there is another thread on the same topic that I would like you to delete, it can be found here: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-367999.0.html

LOL, exactly what I was thinking! Girl dey craze, who wan her regurgitated food??

brooknam99:
U want him to take food from your mouth,wut r u like motherbird or somn?

@ Pittbaby

KFC grilled chicken is not really grilled, haven't you seen the el pollo loco commercial where they expose them of putting artificial grill marks on their chicken?

Read them here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-547963/

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.


2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.


3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group,

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.


4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.


5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.

The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.


6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society

The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.


7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods

The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.

The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@ RSA

In your own post you said this:

I don't know if I'm making sense.

Anyways, lets not get into an argument over semantics. So while your barbaric countrymen are out raping babies, mutilating the farmers who feed your nation and getting high off everything imaginable (including antiretroviral drugs), you still want to put the spotlight on Nigerians? The only reason Nigerians are there supplying your crackhead countrymen with drugs is because there is a demand. Get rid of the junkies in your nation then you will see these drug dealers slowly disappear. It all boils down to simple economics. . .but I don't expect you to know anything about that.

If education in Nigeria is so bad then why is your government wanting Nigerian teachers?? Hmmmmmm. . . .

[size=16pt]Africans find unlikely education at Ukraine universities[/size]

https://www.thegrio.com/assets_c/2009/12/TG_Ukraine1-thumb-400xauto-5312.jpg
Nigerian Jessica Oladejo, 20, standing in her dorm room at school in Ukraine.

By Terrell Starr

7:11 AM on 12/14/2009

Ukraine is not the first country that comes to mind for many African students wanting to study abroad. It certainly wasn't for Jessica Oladejo, a third year medical student studying at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev, the capital city. In fact, the 20-year-old Nigerian had never heard of Ukraine, a former republic of the long fallen Soviet Union, until she considered attending a medical school in Ghana.

As Oladejo was deciding whether to attend the school, she learned through friends of her mother's that the professors who would teach her there had studied in the Ukraine during the Soviet era.

"I was told, 'Why do I have to go to Ghana and study when the lecturers who will be teaching me studied in the former Soviet Union,'" Oladejo recalls. "So instead of going to [Ghana] and learning from them, why don't I just go to the Soviet Union and learn from the source?"

Oledejo is one of 5,000 African students currently matriculating in universities across Ukraine, according to the African Center, a non-governmental organization which tracks racial discrimination against Africans as well as their migration patterns in the country. But the history of Africans studying in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries dates back as early as the 1920s.

The Soviet government began aggressively recruiting Africans and financing their studies in the Soviet Union in 1957, which happens to be the same year as Ghana's Independence.

Maxim Matusevich, director of the Russian and East European Studies Program at Seton Hall University and an expert on African/post-Soviet relations, says that this is no coincidence. "It is clear that at the time of decolonization [in Africa], the Soviets were trying to promote their positive image in the Third World, in large part to counterbalance anti-Soviet Western propaganda," says Matusevich.

But when communism ended in 1991, the recruiting of African students and the generous scholarships that were offered to them came to a screeching halt. While Ukraine no longer offers the financial incentives it once did during communism, it's still an appealing country for students like Oladejo.

For one, it's easier for Africans to get a Ukrainian visa than one from a European country. Tuition and fees at a Ukrainian university are also much lighter on the wallet than an institution in Britain or the United States. However, the financial and logistical advantages of matriculating in Ukraine aren't without their social challenges.

The collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War. However, a new struggle with racial discrimination soon followed. Rising xenophobic and anti-immigration attitudes across the region began to rise, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. Skinhead attacks against immigrants, especially Africans, grew in number year after year. The fall of communism forced former Soviet countries into economic depressions, a fact that Matusevich says left the region ripe for the rise of anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment.

"The press and populace at large found Africans and other representatives of the developing world residing in post-Soviet Russia [and Ukraine] to be easy scapegoats for the country's economic woes," he says. "They were routinely blamed for "sponging" on the USSR and thus accelerating its decline."

In 2007, eight racially motivated murders occurred in Ukraine, according to the African Center. The murders continued into 2008 and into this year with some of the victims being African students. However, such incidents have ebbed as of late. To Ukraine's credit, the national parliament recently passed anti-racism legislation and heads of African NGOs that track racial incidents say violent attacks have dropped significantly.

Surprisingly, many students say they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's xenophobia issues before arriving. One common complaint is that of being accosted with racial slurs and other demeaning language by Ukrainian youths on the streets.

Joshua Moses, a 21-year-old medical student from Akwanga, Nigeria, was offered a scholarship by the Nigerian government to study medicine in Ukraine. He hasn't been physically abused and generally enjoys living here although it's not uncommon for Moses and his African classmates to be called "monkey" and other names while walking around the capital. His response? "I just look at them and laugh because they know not what they do," says Moses, borrowing a line from Jesus.

Nasir Abubakar, also a medical student from Nigeria, can't recall experiencing any blatant racism during his two years here. But Abubakar, 21, admits the stares and giggles he gets from Ukrainians while walking on the street, many of whom may have never seen or had contact with a black person before, do make him a bit uncomfortable.
Yet despite the social challenges Moses and Abubakar experience, they appreciate the opportunity to live in Ukraine and praise its "high quality, low cost academic programs."

In fact, Moses says he and his parents consider it an honor for him to have been offered a scholarship to study in Ukraine. He simply asks his parents to join him in seeking help from above to avoid any challenges he might face while completing his studies.

"I came here and told them how the country was, but I told them all I need are prayers," says Moses. "So I guess their prayers are doing good."

Source: http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/africans-find-unlikely-education-at-ukraine-universities.php

What do you all think about this article?

I am having the same problem. I am trying to post a thread in the travel section (article) and it keeps disappearing. The spambot is not doing a good job at all!!!!!!

Source: http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/africans-find-unlikely-education-at-ukraine-universities.php

[size=16pt]Africans find unlikely education at Ukraine universities[/size]

https://www.thegrio.com/assets_c/2009/12/TG_Ukraine1-thumb-400xauto-5312.jpg
Nigerian Jessica Oladejo, 20, standing in her dorm room at school in Ukraine.

By Terrell Starr

7:11 AM on 12/14/2009

Ukraine is not the first country that comes to mind for many African students wanting to study abroad. It certainly wasn't for Jessica Oladejo, a third year medical student studying at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev, the capital city. In fact, the 20-year-old Nigerian had never heard of Ukraine, a former republic of the long fallen Soviet Union, until she considered attending a medical school in Ghana.

As Oladejo was deciding whether to attend the school, she learned through friends of her mother's that the professors who would teach her there had studied in the Ukraine during the Soviet era.

"I was told, 'Why do I have to go to Ghana and study when the lecturers who will be teaching me studied in the former Soviet Union,'" Oladejo recalls. "So instead of going to [Ghana] and learning from them, why don't I just go to the Soviet Union and learn from the source?"

Oledejo is one of 5,000 African students currently matriculating in universities across Ukraine, according to the African Center, a non-governmental organization which tracks racial discrimination against Africans as well as their migration patterns in the country. But the history of Africans studying in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries dates back as early as the 1920s.

The Soviet government began aggressively recruiting Africans and financing their studies in the Soviet Union in 1957, which happens to be the same year as Ghana's Independence.

Maxim Matusevich, director of the Russian and East European Studies Program at Seton Hall University and an expert on African/post-Soviet relations, says that this is no coincidence. "It is clear that at the time of decolonization [in Africa], the Soviets were trying to promote their positive image in the Third World, in large part to counterbalance anti-Soviet Western propaganda," says Matusevich.

But when communism ended in 1991, the recruiting of African students and the generous scholarships that were offered to them came to a screeching halt. While Ukraine no longer offers the financial incentives it once did during communism, it's still an appealing country for students like Oladejo.

For one, it's easier for Africans to get a Ukrainian visa than one from a European country. Tuition and fees at a Ukrainian university are also much lighter on the wallet than an institution in Britain or the United States. However, the financial and logistical advantages of matriculating in Ukraine aren't without their social challenges.

The collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War. However, a new struggle with racial discrimination soon followed. Rising xenophobic and anti-immigration attitudes across the region began to rise, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. Skinhead attacks against immigrants, especially Africans, grew in number year after year. The fall of communism forced former Soviet countries into economic depressions, a fact that Matusevich says left the region ripe for the rise of anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment.

"The press and populace at large found Africans and other representatives of the developing world residing in post-Soviet Russia [and Ukraine] to be easy scapegoats for the country's economic woes," he says. "They were routinely blamed for "sponging" on the USSR and thus accelerating its decline."

In 2007, eight racially motivated murders occurred in Ukraine, according to the African Center. The murders continued into 2008 and into this year with some of the victims being African students. However, such incidents have ebbed as of late. To Ukraine's credit, the national parliament recently passed anti-racism legislation and heads of African NGOs that track racial incidents say violent attacks have dropped significantly.

Surprisingly, many students say they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's xenophobia issues before arriving. One common complaint is that of being accosted with racial slurs and other demeaning language by Ukrainian youths on the streets.

Joshua Moses, a 21-year-old medical student from Akwanga, Nigeria, was offered a scholarship by the Nigerian government to study medicine in Ukraine. He hasn't been physically abused and generally enjoys living here although it's not uncommon for Moses and his African classmates to be called "monkey" and other names while walking around the capital. His response? "I just look at them and laugh because they know not what they do," says Moses, borrowing a line from Jesus.

Nasir Abubakar, also a medical student from Nigeria, can't recall experiencing any blatant racism during his two years here. But Abubakar, 21, admits the stares and giggles he gets from Ukrainians while walking on the street, many of whom may have never seen or had contact with a black person before, do make him a bit uncomfortable.
Yet despite the social challenges Moses and Abubakar experience, they appreciate the opportunity to live in Ukraine and praise its "high quality, low cost academic programs."

In fact, Moses says he and his parents consider it an honor for him to have been offered a scholarship to study in Ukraine. He simply asks his parents to join him in seeking help from above to avoid any challenges he might face while completing his studies.

"I came here and told them how the country was, but I told them all I need are prayers," says Moses. "So I guess their prayers are doing good."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you all think about this article?

DON'T DELETE, THIS ISN'T SPAM!!

[size=16pt]Africans find unlikely education at Ukraine universities[/size]

https://www.thegrio.com/assets_c/2009/12/TG_Ukraine1-thumb-400xauto-5312.jpg
Nigerian Jessica Oladejo, 20, standing in her dorm room at school in Ukraine.

By Terrell Starr

7:11 AM on 12/14/2009

Ukraine is not the first country that comes to mind for many African students wanting to study abroad. It certainly wasn't for Jessica Oladejo, a third year medical student studying at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev, the capital city. In fact, the 20-year-old Nigerian had never heard of Ukraine, a former republic of the long fallen Soviet Union, until she considered attending a medical school in Ghana.

As Oladejo was deciding whether to attend the school, she learned through friends of her mother's that the professors who would teach her there had studied in the Ukraine during the Soviet era.

"I was told, 'Why do I have to go to Ghana and study when the lecturers who will be teaching me studied in the former Soviet Union,'" Oladejo recalls. "So instead of going to [Ghana] and learning from them, why don't I just go to the Soviet Union and learn from the source?"

Oledejo is one of 5,000 African students currently matriculating in universities across Ukraine, according to the African Center, a non-governmental organization which tracks racial discrimination against Africans as well as their migration patterns in the country. But the history of Africans studying in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries dates back as early as the 1920s.

The Soviet government began aggressively recruiting Africans and financing their studies in the Soviet Union in 1957, which happens to be the same year as Ghana's Independence.

Maxim Matusevich, director of the Russian and East European Studies Program at Seton Hall University and an expert on African/post-Soviet relations, says that this is no coincidence. "It is clear that at the time of decolonization [in Africa], the Soviets were trying to promote their positive image in the Third World, in large part to counterbalance anti-Soviet Western propaganda," says Matusevich.

But when communism ended in 1991, the recruiting of African students and the generous scholarships that were offered to them came to a screeching halt. While Ukraine no longer offers the financial incentives it once did during communism, it's still an appealing country for students like Oladejo.

For one, it's easier for Africans to get a Ukrainian visa than one from a European country. Tuition and fees at a Ukrainian university are also much lighter on the wallet than an institution in Britain or the United States. However, the financial and logistical advantages of matriculating in Ukraine aren't without their social challenges.

The collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War. However, a new struggle with racial discrimination soon followed. Rising xenophobic and anti-immigration attitudes across the region began to rise, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. Skinhead attacks against immigrants, especially Africans, grew in number year after year. The fall of communism forced former Soviet countries into economic depressions, a fact that Matusevich says left the region ripe for the rise of anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment.

"The press and populace at large found Africans and other representatives of the developing world residing in post-Soviet Russia [and Ukraine] to be easy scapegoats for the country's economic woes," he says. "They were routinely blamed for "sponging" on the USSR and thus accelerating its decline."

In 2007, eight racially motivated murders occurred in Ukraine, according to the African Center. The murders continued into 2008 and into this year with some of the victims being African students. However, such incidents have ebbed as of late. To Ukraine's credit, the national parliament recently passed anti-racism legislation and heads of African NGOs that track racial incidents say violent attacks have dropped significantly.

Surprisingly, many students say they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's xenophobia issues before arriving. One common complaint is that of being accosted with racial slurs and other demeaning language by Ukrainian youths on the streets.

Joshua Moses, a 21-year-old medical student from Akwanga, Nigeria, was offered a scholarship by the Nigerian government to study medicine in Ukraine. He hasn't been physically abused and generally enjoys living here although it's not uncommon for Moses and his African classmates to be called "monkey" and other names while walking around the capital. His response? "I just look at them and laugh because they know not what they do," says Moses, borrowing a line from Jesus.

Nasir Abubakar, also a medical student from Nigeria, can't recall experiencing any blatant racism during his two years here. But Abubakar, 21, admits the stares and giggles he gets from Ukrainians while walking on the street, many of whom may have never seen or had contact with a black person before, do make him a bit uncomfortable.
Yet despite the social challenges Moses and Abubakar experience, they appreciate the opportunity to live in Ukraine and praise its "high quality, low cost academic programs."

In fact, Moses says he and his parents consider it an honor for him to have been offered a scholarship to study in Ukraine. He simply asks his parents to join him in seeking help from above to avoid any challenges he might face while completing his studies.

"I came here and told them how the country was, but I told them all I need are prayers," says Moses. "So I guess their prayers are doing good."

Source: http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/africans-find-unlikely-education-at-ukraine-universities.php

What do you all think about this article?

[size=16pt]Africans find unlikely education at Ukraine universities[/size]

https://www.thegrio.com/assets_c/2009/12/TG_Ukraine1-thumb-400xauto-5312.jpg
Nigerian Jessica Oladejo, 20, standing in her dorm room at school in Ukraine.

By Terrell Starr

7:11 AM on 12/14/2009

Ukraine is not the first country that comes to mind for many African students wanting to study abroad. It certainly wasn't for Jessica Oladejo, a third year medical student studying at the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev, the capital city. In fact, the 20-year-old Nigerian had never heard of Ukraine, a former republic of the long fallen Soviet Union, until she considered attending a medical school in Ghana.

As Oladejo was deciding whether to attend the school, she learned through friends of her mother's that the professors who would teach her there had studied in the Ukraine during the Soviet era.

"I was told, 'Why do I have to go to Ghana and study when the lecturers who will be teaching me studied in the former Soviet Union,'" Oladejo recalls. "So instead of going to [Ghana] and learning from them, why don't I just go to the Soviet Union and learn from the source?"

Oledejo is one of 5,000 African students currently matriculating in universities across Ukraine, according to the African Center, a non-governmental organization which tracks racial discrimination against Africans as well as their migration patterns in the country. But the history of Africans studying in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries dates back as early as the 1920s.

The Soviet government began aggressively recruiting Africans and financing their studies in the Soviet Union in 1957, which happens to be the same year as Ghana's Independence.

Maxim Matusevich, director of the Russian and East European Studies Program at Seton Hall University and an expert on African/post-Soviet relations, says that this is no coincidence. "It is clear that at the time of decolonization [in Africa], the Soviets were trying to promote their positive image in the Third World, in large part to counterbalance anti-Soviet Western propaganda," says Matusevich.

But when communism ended in 1991, the recruiting of African students and the generous scholarships that were offered to them came to a screeching halt. While Ukraine no longer offers the financial incentives it once did during communism, it's still an appealing country for students like Oladejo.

For one, it's easier for Africans to get a Ukrainian visa than one from a European country. Tuition and fees at a Ukrainian university are also much lighter on the wallet than an institution in Britain or the United States. However, the financial and logistical advantages of matriculating in Ukraine aren't without their social challenges.

The collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War. However, a new struggle with racial discrimination soon followed. Rising xenophobic and anti-immigration attitudes across the region began to rise, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. Skinhead attacks against immigrants, especially Africans, grew in number year after year. The fall of communism forced former Soviet countries into economic depressions, a fact that Matusevich says left the region ripe for the rise of anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment.

"The press and populace at large found Africans and other representatives of the developing world residing in post-Soviet Russia [and Ukraine] to be easy scapegoats for the country's economic woes," he says. "They were routinely blamed for "sponging" on the USSR and thus accelerating its decline."

In 2007, eight racially motivated murders occurred in Ukraine, according to the African Center. The murders continued into 2008 and into this year with some of the victims being African students. However, such incidents have ebbed as of late. To Ukraine's credit, the national parliament recently passed anti-racism legislation and heads of African NGOs that track racial incidents say violent attacks have dropped significantly.

Surprisingly, many students say they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's xenophobia issues before arriving. One common complaint is that of being accosted with racial slurs and other demeaning language by Ukrainian youths on the streets.

Joshua Moses, a 21-year-old medical student from Akwanga, Nigeria, was offered a scholarship by the Nigerian government to study medicine in Ukraine. He hasn't been physically abused and generally enjoys living here although it's not uncommon for Moses and his African classmates to be called "monkey" and other names while walking around the capital. His response? "I just look at them and laugh because they know not what they do," says Moses, borrowing a line from Jesus.

Nasir Abubakar, also a medical student from Nigeria, can't recall experiencing any blatant racism during his two years here. But Abubakar, 21, admits the stares and giggles he gets from Ukrainians while walking on the street, many of whom may have never seen or had contact with a black person before, do make him a bit uncomfortable.
Yet despite the social challenges Moses and Abubakar experience, they appreciate the opportunity to live in Ukraine and praise its "high quality, low cost academic programs."

In fact, Moses says he and his parents consider it an honor for him to have been offered a scholarship to study in Ukraine. He simply asks his parents to join him in seeking help from above to avoid any challenges he might face while completing his studies.

"I came here and told them how the country was, but I told them all I need are prayers," says Moses. "So I guess their prayers are doing good."

Source: http://www.thegrio.com/2009/12/africans-find-unlikely-education-at-ukraine-universities.php

I too was appalled when I learned how these heartless traffickers tricked those unsuspecting girls into prostitution (and making them pay 60,000 euro!). The evil things our people do to each other. . 

Guys, this police chief is basically saying ALL Nigerians in Sandton are involved with drug trade- there is nothing to prove this- there are many hard working Nigerians living in Sandton that have nothing to do with those things.

Don't feed the troll.

paddy_lo:
as for trafficing,if there was no demand there will be no supply

Bingo.

Thanks for posting the link. BUMP!!