Miss Sierra Leone USA Reflects on Day of The African Child

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I am doing well, thanks to the Almighty. Today is Day of the African Child! Also known as African Child's Day in Sierra Leone, this day has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children. For more helpful information about this day, I recommend you read this article. For further understanding, I highly recommend seeing the movie, Sarafina, which stars Leleti Khumalo, Miriam "Mama Afrika" Makeba, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Print Afrikana designed and sewn by Mrs. Bola Johnson, grandmother of Ruby

I remember when I was attending school in Sierra Leone, and on this day we would bring several Sierra Leonean dishes from home to share with classmates and teachers, and we would also be fully dressed in African attires (usually sewn by my grandma Bola). It was a celebration and also a day to raise awareness about the welfare of the children in our continent. At night, Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service - SLBS (now Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation - SLBC) would play the movie Sarafina.

Map of Africa
Click to enlarge

Although this day commemorates the loss of many African children, I believe that it is also a celebration of the young African generation. MY AFRICA is the bright continent, and I know that she has been blessed with many phenomenal women and men, girls and boys with great potential that will make her future brighter! As Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Chairwoman of African Union) stated, "We must therefore harness the energy, resourcefulness and enthusiasm of our young people so that they contribute positively to our societies, nations and the continent (Africa) ... An investment in the youth is therefore an investment for the future."

Have a productive week, and do something awesome for yourself and someone else!

Ruby B. Johnson,

Your Miss Sierra Leone USA

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