Rap For Life

Rap is a genre of music popular with young people worldwide.  It’s unique in the way it allows the singer to express himself almost like talking.  Considering its popularity and the place of young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the U.S. Mission to Nigeria organized a rap contest for secondary schools in Abuja to commemorate this year’s World AIDS Day.

International Education

To recognize the benefits of international education, U.S. Embassies around the world plan and hold programs every November to celebrate the International Education Week.

This year, the Embassy in Abuja participated in the first-ever virtual college fair which turned out to be the largest ever online international college fair.  This is in addition to outreach programs to some institutions within the city.

Becoming an entrepreneur

One concept that is reverberating today in Nigeria and especially among young people is that of entrepreneurship.  This might be a response to the escalating rate of unemployment but also due to the successes of some young American entrepreneurs.  In fact some higher institutions have started offering programs in entrepreneurship.  Recently the U.S. Embassy hosted an entrepreneurship program with U.S. Speaker Saul Garlick.

What Happens After Elections

With the votes still being counted on November 4, 2008, the two leading candidates for the U.S. presidency played their roles in the concluding act of an established political drama. The first to speak was the defeated candidate, John McCain.

His concession speech followed a time-honored rhetorical formula: “My friends, we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him … on being elected the next president of the country that we both love. Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Election Day: Democracy in Action

U.S. Elections

Bright balloons bob above a sea of rainbow-colored signs as loudspeakers blare music and announcements, and people in hats and shirts emblazoned with slogans hand out fliers, stickers and buttons. Election Day in the United States often arrives dressed as a carnival, ready to attract attention and excite voter interest.

The day begins early on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in villages, towns and cities across the United States, as thousands of volunteers rise before dawn to lend a hand during the elections. Some will line up outside campaign headquarters, eager to pick up the flyers, pamphlets and signs they will distribute at polling places in the hope of still influencing voters’ decisions.

American Scholar Finds Art, Love, Connections in Nigeria

On the bustling streets of the mainland Lagos neighborhood of Palmgrove, the children know her as Mama K.

American scholar Karen Marguerite Wilson-Ama’Echefu first came to Nigeria as a Fulbright Scholar in mid-2011. After earning her PhD in American history from the University of California, Riverside in 2007, Wilson-Ama’Echefu, who is also a singer and storyteller, set out to explore the reflections and roots of African American diasporic culture in African culture in Nigeria and Ghana over the 9-month duration of her grant.