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The last days before the Great Hunt.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.“Can the scorpion ever stop being a scorpion? “"Do we get our legally permitted weaponry back?" The bishop still held my hand."Sure. If it makes you feel better.""I would like to meet your people then," he gave my paw one last shake then released me. "Shall we go?""I will have someone take you to your car. I want to briefly meet with the President, of Havenstone, then I'll join you in the garage. We'll drive over to JIKIT and I'll make the introductions. Good enough?""That is acceptable," he nodded."What about you two?" I regarded the nun and the Swiss Super-soldier. The nun remained vigilant, and silent. The Swiss' eyes flickered to his boss before settling back on me."It is what I volunteered for," he stated firmly."Okay. Please never say I didn't give you a chance to take the sane way out. Also, Bishop Nicolö, circumstances have conspired to up my prospective wedding date to January 1st.""That will be more difficult. Why the change?" he remained grim."We are having twins. By March, this will be very visible.""That is, unfortunate," he shook his head."You have no idea," and then a brainstorm. "And I am curious about resurrecting the Order of the Dragon, the Societas Draconistarum." Technically that meant 'Society of the Dragonists' which was more appropriate than the literal Ordo Draconis."Precisely how do you plan to recreate a crusading Christian Order which was the purview of the Hungarian monarchs?" he didn't sound the least skeptical, just curious."I have billions of euros to fund such a thing," I winked. "Of far greater critical importance, I know where I can find the supernatural guidance and spiritual imperative for such an organization.""You are going to produce a dragon?" his eyes grew larger even as he fought down his fear. Good man. He was adaptive. He'd need to be."I never said such a thing. That would make me sound crazy," I smiled broadly. "Besides, when I say 'dragon', you think 'devil' and that's way too pedestrian for where we are going.""I am not a moral relativist.""Neither am I. I'm out to save lives and nurture the drive in the human spirit to reach for freedom, love and liberty. As you might imagine, I'm pretty freaking outnumbered.""I think you are crazy," he re-evaluated things."I just might be. In all honesty, you should back out now. Take your two compadres back to 25 East 39th Street (the Holy See's Permanent Observer Offices to the UN in NYC) and report 'Mission Failure'. You'll most likely live longer," I reasoned."I am not afraid to die," Sister Rafaela Sophia finally voiced an opinion."That's idiotic," I scoffed before the bishop could reprimand her for opening her mouth. "You should be.""My soul is in God's hands," she set her jaw."Does he talk to you?" I countered."His message is clear.""Not what I asked. I asked if he specifically directed you to toss your life fruitlessly away as an object lesson for the reckless, or careless?""This is uncalled for," Nicolö intervened."Nope. I bet you a phone call to my Brother to physically restore your bishopric that there are four people in this room who have murdered in cold blood," I kept eye contact with the nun, "and she's the odd one out. Right Juanita?""Yes, Ishara," Juanita slipped up. Her spycraft, like mine, needed work."You were in the military?" the bishop asked my bodyguard."Was? I am. Right now," she related. "I will be until I die."That earned me looks from the three Catholics."She is loyal," Nicolö nodded slightly toward her, referring to Juanita's declaration."Huh? To me? Nope. She's loyal to my office, which we shan't get into right now. Back to you, Sister Rafaela Sophia. Are you out to be a martyr, or has some saint, or angel, given you a directive the other two seem to be unaware of which causes you to devalue your life?""I am devoted to the One True God, Christ, our Savior," and Juanita snorted, "and the Virgin Mary," the nun stated firmly. "I don't hear voices in my head.""Juanita, that was rude. Apologize to our guest," I kept looking forward."No." Well, fuck you too."Gun," I commanded. I held out my left hand."What? No. I will not give you one of my guns," she resisted."Juanita, give me your primary weapon, or I will ask Pamela to beat you up the moment I depart for the Great Hunt. After yesterday's stunt, you know she will," I threatened. Fair, I was not. She drew a Glock-20 and handed it to me. I went through the routine, dropped the magazine then ejected the round before opening the door.Oh look, there were four SD chicks outside, ready to escort my visitors downstairs. I didn't even need to waste a phone call. It wasn't like the conference room wasn't being monitored."Excuse me," I took a half step out the door then hurled all three items down the hall. Looking back at Juanita. "Go fetch.""Fuck you," she snapped."And insulting her faith was as degrading to both her faith and her as me doing this to you is degrading to you right now," I lectured her. "It is important to her, therefore it is important to me because she is my guest in the same way it is important to me that I let my bodyguard do her job without being a total asshole all the time. Now go get your God-damn weapon," I barked. Off she went. I left the door open."Now Sister Rafaela Sophia, the point of all this is: I don't give a crap if you are willing to die for God. In fact, that makes you less than worthless to me and the team. I want to know if you are willing to put other motherfuckers in the ground so that Bishop Nicolá, or Mathias, might get to keep doing their jobs.""Murder is a sin," she declared."Go home," I sighed while shaking my head."She answers to me, the Church and God, not you, Mr. Nyilas," the bishop stepped forward."Then you can go home too," I shrugged. "I'm not asking for remorseless killers. I'm asking for people willing to kill to get the hard work done and best of all, for people who know the difference.""Everyone on JIKIT is a professional soldier, or killer?" he asked."No, but the ones who aren't don't carry guns and know to get down when things get funky," I bantered."I vouch for her," he insisted. Juanita came running back into the room."Cool beans. I don't know you either.""You apparently know my service history," he volleyed."Yeah. Ten years a foreigner in the service of France, then you went straight into a university which turns out Jesuits," I riposted."What turned your life around?" he evaded. That was okay. I'd gotten what I wanted. I was willing to bet he had read every bit of public information about me and it was rumored the heavy Catholic membership in the FBI had its benefits to the Church as well. Not so much as to give them insight into JIKIT, but,"Someone risked their life for me. It's been pretty much downhill from there," I confessed. It was the truth. After Katrina gave me the life line on Day Two, it had all spiraled to the revelation of my heritage, Dad's death, Summer Camp, the Hamptons, Romania and Aya's kidnapping."A person, a soldier, died saving my life," the bishop empathized. "Her story is similar. She seeks redemption. She is not suicidal. I am staking both our lives on it."Did he mean him and Mathias, or him and me? I wasn't certain. Still, it was good enough for now. I'd gotten a look at their emotional make up, even the relatively quiet Swiss."Very well," I agreed. "I have to go see the President about my new job description. I'll catch up with you at your car." To the SD team leader, "Take them to the garage. I will join the group of you very soon.""Yes Ishara," she nodded. I exited the room, Juanita in tow. Two SD entered. I was gone before the Papal team left. Upstairs we went, with one last chore to discharge. I had to check on Ms. French to be absolutely freaking sure it was Shawnee, because anyone else would spell disaster.{8:30 am, Monday, September 8th. Last day}A Room full of asistants:Well, there it was, the office of the Executive Director to the President, and not 'Executive Assistant', because this was Katrina's final 'fuck you, no, just her final 'fuck you' before the Great Hunt got underway. I shouldn't assume things, dang it!Anyway, according to the gray-haired matron running gatekeeper to the Office of the President, this was where I was supposed to show up. I shot Juanita a worried look. She glanced my way and shrugged, momentarily willing to not give me shit about the past 24 hours because where I was situated would determine how easily she could do her job.In we went. In the suite were three desks, the 'big' desk situated at the far end of the office space and two far more modest ones on either side of the entryway. The room expanded beyond the chokepoint formed by the two closest desks into a cluttered area. The walls were cluttered with inset bookshelves and portraits of women. Facing one another were a loveseat on my left with bookend plush chairs in an 'L' facing and a full sofa on the right. There were end tables at the ends of the sofa and the corners between the loveseat and each chair.As the door opened, I hadn't knock as this was my office, or so it seemed, the occupants, who had all been sitting in quiet conversation in the central section, began reacting. Oh look ~ Constanza! I nearly had a heart attack before I realized there were three other Amazons also in the room. Sadly, none were behind the 'big desk', so I couldn't tell who was in charge. Two of the other three choices weren't too much better. First off,"Ishara," Marilynn Saint John stood to greet me. I'd last seen her when I'd dedicated her grandmother's (Hayden's) spirit to the halls of my ancestors, not hers, after forcing the political crisis leading to Hayden's suicide ~ her taking herself to the cliffs and in doing so, destroying the Amazon Cult of Blood Purity. Marilynne was clearly still bitter with me. Umm, I could still incite passion in women I hadn't slept with, yet, woot?"Cáel," the senior-most and only friendly face in the room spoke next. Thank goodness it was Beyoncé Vincennes, Head of House Hanwasuit and House Ishara ally."Cáel Ishara," the third individual was deferential which I wasn't sure how to take as the last time I'd encountered her, yeah, things hadn't gone well either."Beyoncé," I started off with a smile. From there, I had to figure out, ah, Beyoncé's eyes flickered to Constanza then Sabia. I knew Marilynn, with her young age, had the least seniority, "Constanza, Sabia, Marilynn. How's tricks?"Glum faces by everyone except Beyoncé. I didn't ask about Sabia's particular well-being. It had been months since I'd beaten her into the mats of the Full-blooded gym. She'd attacked Yasmin, the Brazilian Hottie and my Brazilian Jujutsu sparring buddy, and I'd retaliated by ambushed her when she turned her back on us. Besides, she'd been giving me shit before I even could see straight.Constanza was minus her left eye because of her dire insult to me. If she wasn't capable of working, she wouldn't be here. If she appreciated my 'mercy' in sparing her life ~ her insult was worthy of her death ~ Constanza hid it well. I hadn't spared her expecting a change of heart. I hadn't felt words alone warranted anyone's death. I was a big boy and could take a few insults. House Ishara, as represented by me, could care less. These days, my sisters would be less understanding despite them knowing my heart."Constanza Landau of House Jaya and Marilynn Saint John of House Anahit are Assistants to President Shawnee French," Beyoncé eased things along, "so will be working closely with us, at least for the short term. Sabia Noel of House Guabancex, who I now think you know as well, has joined you as the other 'Assistant' to the 'Executive Director to the President', (that would make me an 'adept', but adept at what?), and since two of the three Regents are unfamiliar with the workings of Havenstone proper, Shawnee has asked me to perform in that role."Beyoncé was, or had been, Havenstone HQ's CFO (Chief Financial Officer). From what I was quickly piecing together, she would essentially be making all the day-to-day decisions concerning the running of Havenstone (how the Host made the majority of its money) until the Regents got up to speed.Only Buffy had actual experience with the New York office and, from what she had told me, solely within Executive Services. While ES knew 'who' did what inside Havenstone, they weren't aware precisely how those Amazons got their jobs done. That would have been an impossible task. Katrina could do it, but she knew it was beyond the ability of most of us 'mere mortals'. Since we were currently at war, the Host needed Katrina completely focused on her duties as Chief Spy-mistress, not baby-sitting the adults.Shawnee indeed had much gravitas among the other House Heads. Not only had she risen up to lead a First House, she had performed heroically during the final days of the last Secret War. Afterwards she had moved into the realm of Amazon jurisprudence and mediation. Until yesterday, she had lived in a House Arinniti freehold in Minnesota's Great Lakes region thus her desire for the 'Training Wheels' period.The Regency would not rule through telecommunication (the upper echelons feared being eavesdropped upon beyond the standard Amazon (read: paranoid) levels) and Havenstone: New York was the center best situated for the current war-fighting operations, so here she lived. I was sure a team from Executive Services was buying, outfitting/spy-proofing and fortifying a dwelling suitable for the President of a Fortune 500 company. Hayden's home would remain the domicile of Sydney thus Marilynn.The same rigmarole would be done for Rhada and Buffy (though I imaged Buffy would bitch endlessly). Publically, they were VP's of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they had to present the public trappings of such leaders.Why did the Amazons do this ~ unmask their leadership to public exposure? Legal-simple: they could request and expect all levels of public and private security for their executives who happened to also be important officials of the Host. Certainly not all executives at Havenstone were officeholders, House Heads, or House Apprentices, but the high level of competence which permitted one often led to the other.Beyonce:As an example: Beyoncé wasn't the most 'bad-ass' lethal chick in House Hanwasuit. As she was preparing to be casted, her intelligence, creativity and diligence at her future craft, finances, was noted by the Host and the members of her House. In due time her name was circulated as Apprentice and the elders approved. When her elder cousin, the prior House Head, took herself to the cliffs, Beyoncé assumed the top spot. Beyoncé wasn't even one of that woman's three daughters.Mirroring her advancement in her House was her advancement in Havenstone's Accounting, Acquisitions and Banking Divisions until she was appointed CFO Havenstone HQ ~ the supreme financial authority inside Havenstone, though the individual regional branches had a greater degree of autonomy than you might normally expect from a 21st century conglomerate, or a Bronze Age autocracy.I had to constantly remind myself, despite the near-constant feuding, Amazons exhibited a phenomenally higher level of trust than I'd ever found in any other society I'd ever witnessed, or read about, before. Though technically Beyoncé could have gone to President Hayden to enforce her decisions ~ or now the Regency ~ she was far more diplomatic in her approach in dealing with the other 'continental' CEO's and CFO's.That meant she had to wrangle the aspirations and resources from:North America (including Latin America, the 'Canadian Arctic' and the North Pacific Ocean),South America (includes both the South Atlantic and South Pacific as far as Samoa),Europe (mostly Central Europe these days plus Antarctica, the 'Russian' Arctic and the North Atlantic),Africa (mostly West-central Africa),India (the subcontinent plus the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean) and,Southeast Asia (which includes Australia)All of which suggested Havenstone hadn't redrawn the Amazons' geographic demarcations since the late 19th century. As an example, an East African venture, say in Tanzania, was as likely to be under the purview of Havenstone: India (due to its control over the Indian Ocean) as Havenstone: Africa (which traditionally had no East Coast holdings due to their constant struggles versus the Arabic slave trade).Returning to Beyoncé: initially she had held the proper 'conservative' (aka man-hating) mindset. My behavior during that first Board Meeting began to change her opinion of me and the New Directive. After the Archery Range incident, Beyoncé became a vocal proponent of the New Directive and faced challenges within her ranks. House Heads do not have to accept challenges and Beyoncé didn't, reasoning with her detractors they had no alternatives save the 'Old Ways' which spelled doom for the Amazon Race.Bing-bang-boom ~ I became the Head of a resurrected House Ishara by the Will of the Ancestors and Beyoncé was vindicated. Not necessarily in the New Directive, but in her support of me thus the rebirth of a sister First House. The purge following High Priestess' Hayden's death was her ultimate absolution. The Ancestors and Destiny had spoken and shown Beyoncé had been piloting House Hanwasuit along the proper course all along.Back to my current circumstances:Oh, why was I Assistant to the Executive Director to the President? It gave me direct access to the finances of Havenstone which was a critical leg of the war-fighting stool ~ people, morale, money and equipment. As Chief Diplomat, I helped with all four of those in varying degrees, allied troops, allied victories, allied bank accounts and allied armaments.The Great Khan, my spiritual 'Blood-Brother', was ramping up his logistic support for my Amazons in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We were 'Allies in the Struggle' and he wasn't going to wait for the Condottieri to begin coordinating with the Seven Pillars to declare them to be his enemies. They were already fighting the Amazons and 9 Clans, his allies, so their fates were sealed.In Japan, my Amazons provided small yet highly effective strike groups which the Ninja families furnished all the support services for. Everything from food to bullets to medical attention as needed. Without reservation, we shared their death-grapple with the Seven Pillars.From the dispatches I was getting back from my family members and envoys in Japan, we were making serious diplomatic inroads with the Ninja. Once again, it was the Amazons shocking capacity for violence as well as their fanaticism, professionalism and proficiency which all impressed our hosts and terrified our enemies, and this from people of a philosophical mindset which had them historically battling samurai.The Black Lotus were running around like rhesus monkeys on crack cocaine unleashed in a China Shop and given RPG's. While the Amazons couldn't help them in China, Indochina & Thailand ~ the Khanate could and was. The Amazons were of more help in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Black Lotus and Amazons were going everywhere on the offensive against the Seven Pillars while the normal tight cohesion and iron-clad confidence, traits which made the 7P's so dangerous ~ were shaken by their horrendous losses in the 'Homeland' aka Mainland China.Less we forget, the 'military intelligence' wing of their organization had been decimated by the Khanate's Anthrax attack due to members of the Earth & Sky sacrificing themselves by being injected with the toxin then allowing themselves to be captured, which always ended in torture and death.Furthermore, the People's Republic of China, while having a scary 18% of the population either captured, imprisoned, dead, or displaced due to the Khanate invasion, that had come with the loss of 63% of their landmass (they had lost all of Nei Mongol, Ningxia & Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regions, Qinghai and Gansu as well as 90% of Yunnan, 80% of Sichuan and 20% of Shaanxi provinces) to the Khanate and the 'abomination' that was a free Tibet.Then came the Russian 'stab in the back' which entailed the loss of another 10% of their people falling under foreign dominion as well as losing 8% of their most industrialized territory, Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces ~ the Nei Mongol portion of 'Manchuria' was in the Khanate's greedy clutches, from the viewpoint of a Seven P's warrior).Don't get me wrong, they weren't about to throw in the towel. If anything, they were becoming more dedicated to trying harder, digging deep into their knowledge of every atrocity, inhumanity and perversion now deemed necessary to re-chart history back onto its 'correct' path. It was this willingness to act in an even greater sociopathic manner which was being used against them. After all, the 7P's had plenty of proxy allies, who were starting to get really nervous about what their paymasters were now asking them to do,We Amazons were getting some extra special help too. The Booth-gan (Do not call them Thuggee ~ the confederate 9 Clan member based out of India though long since ensconced within various Hindi enclaves across the Globe) had created an all-female group of ultra-fanatical Kali-devotees ~ a gift for the upcoming battle fomented by the Will of the Goddess herself.While Aya was our Queen and the Regency would rule until she wished to assume command of the Amazon People, the nuts-and-bolts of the Host's activities were handled by Saint Marie as Golden Mare (our Minister of War) (technically she held the top spot due to our State of War, though no Golden Mare had ever exercised such authority over a Queen (and she definitely believed Aya was our Queen)), Katrina (as Minister of Intelligence and Security), Beyoncé (as Havenstone (the multinational corporation) ~ our Treasurer/Economic Tsarina) and me (our Foreign Minister).Saint Marie had decided to forgo a public face in order to better facilitate her moving around to various battle fronts and holding clandestine meetings with her junior regional commanders. Her Havenstone corporate title was 'Chief of Security Training and Certification'. As an extra level of deception, the head of Security Services wasn't even a Director-level position, instead being folded into the duties of the Office of the President.To my current circumstances ~ I had been given Constanza's house name which could only mean she wasn't currently assigned to the Security Detail; a fact that couldn't have made her bad attitude any better. Marilynn had completely lost her way as an Amazon when I first met her, burying her pain and confusion in endless partying and intoxicants. I believed only her grandmother's status as High Priestess kept her from the severest of reprimands, or death. I didn't even know what Marilynn's caste was. Sabia,"While I'm sure you are both far more qualified than I, precisely how did you two get these jobs?" I had to ask my two non-coworkers. Constanza glowered. Marilynn flinched."I have an in depth knowledge of Havenstone security procedures and resources," Constanza replied."Shawnee requested me," was Marilynn's comeback. "I also have intimate knowledge of the City of New York and its environs.""Actually, Buffy Ishara recommended you both to Shawnee," Beyoncé corrected their misconceptions. I knew the score. I'd be working intimately with the tight community around the President (Shawnee) and Vice Presidents (Buffy & Rhada). Buffy wanted me to be surrounded by women who hated my guts, so I wouldn't end up boinking them. It rarely worked that way. All too often ladies who hated my still-beating heart ended up punishing me with sex. I wasn't sure why that happened, but it did."Beyoncé, didn't the Chief Diplomat of the Host have her own office? I'm pretty sure Troika had one before her unfortunate collision with Saint Marie," I felt entitled to inquire."Do you feel you've earned that office space?" she riposted."Oh, fuck no!" I waved my hands one over the other to accentuate my denial. "I was just wondering where I could stick Juanita while I'm hanging around, here.""She has the desk right outside the door, Cáel," Beyoncé smiled knowingly. "So there is no way you can sneak past her.""Oh," I grunted. "Buffy again?""No. Pamela Pile put in that particular request.""Oh, Sweet Mother of God, now she is conspiring against me too?""Yes. Some of us realize the greatest hazard to your health is yourself, Ishara," Beyoncé chided me. "We'd like to keep you around, so we listen to those charged with that nigh impossible task.""Is she going to be hanging around the office often?" Constanza asked, either myself, Juanita, or Beyoncé; I wasn't sure. She = Pamela."Please, Constanza," I attempted to intervene, "don't make Pamela kill you. It will upset Mona." Constanza's scowl was accentuated by the eyepatch covering her ruined left socket, the one Pamela had carved out when Constanza had insulted me and House Ishara on our first day of rebirth. I didn't tell Juanita this, because Juanita might just shoot Constanza over the insult before Pamela got a chance to finish the job.The tension was palatable."Mona and I have talked, about Romania, and other things," Constanza grudgingly allowed. It took me a second to realize there was a hidden meaning to what she said. Mona was part of my personal Security Detail bodyguard unit. If she felt Constanza, the woman who had raised her after her birth-mother had died, was a threat to me, she'd feel duty-bound to snuff Constanza first. Amazons were hard-ass bitches alright and I think Mona had made that clear."I hope things can improve between us," I offered to Constanza. "Beyoncé, I just stopped in to say 'hey'. I'm off to JIKIT and I've got three of the Pope's people waiting on me in the garage so,""Vice President Varma requested a moment of your time," Beyoncé smirked. "She is in 2604.""Who?""Vice President Rhada Varma, a moment of your time, alone?" she clarified."Sure thing," I backed out of the office. Once I had some space, I turned to Juanita. "Give me three minutes then bust in and say, I don't know, a tsunami is about to overwhelm the city, or something. Otherwise, I won't get out for at least an hour and I think I've put the Bishop and his people through enough delays as it is.""Are you actually asking me to stop you from having an in-office liaison?" she studied me intently as we walked in the direction of Rhada's office."Yes. It's not likely to happen often, believe me.""Oh, I do, in that you won't ask me to do it often," she grumbled. I'd deal with Juanita's morale problem later. Right now, I had to gird my loins so they wouldn't do anything else with Rhada. I had work to do, damn it!Rhada was sitting at her desk, working on something, stylus raised up so she could chew on the end. Her hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, the type that captured the rear half of the hair in a ponytail while leaving the front and bangs free to flow down. Rhada's blouse was white & billowy and, as I was soon to discover, her pants were ultra-tight and contour hugging."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. "I would like a moment of your time," she relayed what I already knew. She was more than a tad nervous to boot."Vice President Varma," I started off."When in private you may call me Rhada," she interrupted."Rhada, you look more ravishing than ever."That got up her and coming around her desk, which revealed her ultra-tight pants with no sign of her wearing underwear. Yikes! My cock was preparing to do what a cock was meant to do and I just didn't have the time, Really!"Do you have any time?" she let her bosom heave."Not today, ugh," I groaned. See, Rhada took the stylus and dragged it down her chin, throat and in between her bountiful mounds.All of which exposed the top of her black bra."Are you sure, Master?" she enticed me by turning around and then leaning over her desk, point that ass in my direction. My mouth began salivating and my groin ached. I found myself quick-stepping to her and giving those buttocks two firm slaps, one on each cheek."No, damn it, though I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back," I rumbled."Master will make me wait?" she taunted me."That will cost you even more," I growled. "I have business which simply won't wait and here is my captive teasing me with the treasures of her flesh. Bad, war captive," I spanked her yet again, hard. "Bad!" and I spanked her a fourth time. With each beating, Rhada gasped in pain and then exhaled in pleasure."If I've been bad, Master must be extra harsh with me when he returns in triumph from the Great Hunt," she gloated. Rhada had gotten what she wanted, which was another affirmation of my lust for her and our 'game'. I could provide her the release she so desperately craved while allowing her the safety of remaining in the Amazon fold. It was a perfect pairing, for her.I had other problems, such as all the other baby mamas in my life plus the extra-marital affairs I was contemplating. I still took the moments we had to snuggle with Rhada, her grinding that tush into my rod while I held both her arms tightly to her side while raining kisses down onto her neck and head."Sir! A giant tsunami is approaching the city!" Juanita exploded through the door."What?" I coughed. I had a face full of hair."Huh?" Rhada pushed up and away from me. I let her go."Right now," Juanita insisted. She really needed to stop taking me so seriously when I gave her such advice."Really?" from Rhada. She shot me a curious look so I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do with such a flimsy lie forcing our separation? At least I got out of there on time?{9:50 am, Monday, September 8th ~ Last day}(JKIT HQ)"Is this a common occurrence?" Sister Rafaela Sophia whispered to the closest woman, who happened to be Wiesława, the Polish Amazon. Since she hadn't arrived with us from Havenstone, the nun might have assumed she was with the 'Americans', or British."What?" Wiesława responded evenly."Weapons combat, they look real," the nun clarified."They are real. We always practice with real weapons.""Really?""Of course," Wiesława smiled at her. "We believe a few cuts and scrapes now will save lives when the true tests come.""Oh, you are with, Havenstone?" Rafaela clued in."Yes. I am Wiesława of House Živa. I am currently assigned to Unit L, Cáel's unit within JIKIT," she offered her hand to shake. Despite being a full-blooded Amazon from a freehold, her 'human' skills were progressing nicely. The nun shook it."I am Sister Rafaela Sophia of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is a Roman Catholic Religious Order." Pause. "Do you hate Catholics too?""Yes. We have lived beside your people for many centuries and found your clergy to be much more dangerous than your pagan predecessors. Still, Cáel thinks you can be relied on and he's proven we can trust outsider women, which I was raised to believe was unlikely, and outsider men, which was basically anathema, so I'm willing to set aside my prejudices and judge you as an individual," the Pole imparted."Outsider men?" Rafaela mumbled."Well, yes," Wiesława smirked. "You are a nun, right?""Yes.""So you set aside the World of Men to live mostly among women, right?""Not entirely," the nun chose her words carefully. "We still rely on priests for religious rights and of course obey the life teachings of Christ and follow the leadership of his Holiness, the Pope, a man.""No one is perfect," the Amazon bantered back."Do you know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ?" Rafaela ventured into dangerous waters."Yes. He was the semi-historical Son of your supposed One True God. We are not monotheists. We are Polytheists. Živa is my House's matron Goddess. It is also the name of the first woman to lead the House, her birth name surrendered to Destiny so all the daughters who came afterwards would be equals.""Oh, is Mr. Nyilas also pagan?" she inquired."I am unsure. From what I have been told, he has commended the spirit of his fallen father to your Jesus in a sacred ceremony then, in the presence of your Trinity and the Goddess Ishara, brought in new members to his House. I suspect he may be both," Wiesława reasoned. "Why don't you ask him?""Because he's fighting for his life?" Rafaela looked my way.See, the entire time their discussion had been going on, I had been sparring in a spare room at JIKIT HQ with Estere Abed, the Hashashin assassin (rather redundant ~ like saying the Sahara Desert). I had two tomahawks while she had a scimitar and curved dagger. While we sparred using the furniture as obstacles, Agent-86 was briefing me on various World events to get my input.Addison Stuart (CIA) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (MI-6) were having a chat with Bishop Nicolé de Santis, verifying for themselves he was worth adding to the team. Juanita was having a similar discussion with Rikki Martin (US State Department) concerning my earlier encounter with the Papal team. Nicolé's buddy, Wachtmeister Mathias Bosshart of the Swiss Guard, was getting acquainted with the other security personnel.In comparison, those two had it easy. Both men were in their elements. Nicolé was a spook who pretended to be a diplomat for the Pope and was well acquainted with terms like 'deniable assets', 'plausible deniability' and your direct superior referring to requests concerning your identity/diplomatic status by saying 'I never heard of him and if I had, I have no idea what he was doing when you caught him doing what I don't know what he was doing', or something like that.Mathias was in the company of military-security specialists, brother professionals who were introducing him to his 'sister' professionals. Our Homeland Security gang were almost entirely former military by now. They got along with our JSOC folks and both had gained a limited acceptance with the Amazon security contingent.They bonded over the fact they were forced to work with really shady characters ~ the 9 Clans menagerie ~ who didn't always appreciate JIKIT operational security. Without going into particulars, the Wachtmeister was given the impression the abnormal was the norm and if you didn't think there was a 'down-side' to being able to carry your personally favorite bang-bang (the SG 552-2P Commando in his case) with some serious attachments (read: grenade launcher) around in downtown Manhattan, you probably didn't belong on this team.Back in the room,"He's not fighting for his life," Estere laughed. "He is fighting for mine.""Right," I responded sarcastically. We went through a flurry of exchanges, ending up with me kicking a chair at her. Estere stepped over it, colliding with me.I blocked her dagger, disarmed her scimitar and,"You are dead," she panted down at me, smiling. I was on my back, her straddling me. She had a belt-knife to my throat. I hadn't see her draw it. The scimitar 'disarm' had been a distraction."Woot!" I exhaled."But you're dead," Sister Rafaela misunderstood my good humor."He survived a minute and thirty-four seconds more today than his previous record," Estere responded. She slithered off of me, doing my arousal no good whatsoever, then offered me a hand up."And that's better?""He's a rank amateur with a few months on the job. I've been training to kill people for nearly two decades," Estere smiled. "Care to have a go?""With him, or you?""Either," Estere offered."I don't have a knife, or any hand weapons," she stated."We'll need to remedy that," Wiesława stated. "You should at least carry a knife.""Really? Why?""It is a nearly universal tool," I verbally stepped up. "Even if you are disarmed, you should be able to find one relatively easily, people are less likely to miss a stolen knife than a purloined gun, and a concealed blade could come in handy.""Do you train in knife-work?" Rafaela eye-balled me."Absolutely. It is part of my culture," I grinned."Okay. Can we spar, hand-to-hand?""Sure," I nodded. I put my tomahawks in their harnesses then put my harnesses aside. Estere gave me a wink before giving us the fighting space."So," Rafaela began to circle, "are you Christian?""By your definition, or mine?""By the definition of the Catholic Church."Oh cool, she went for a Savate stance. This was going to get ugly.My "no," was followed by her kick and my block, lunge and grapple. She wasn't nearly as good as Felix. I had her down and in a choke hold within fifteen seconds.Perhaps she thought I'd take it easy on her. She tapped out. I released her, retreated and flowed back to my boxing stance. It took her a moment to realize this was 'practice', not 'an interview'. She hadn't failed in anyone's eyes. We were both doing this to get better."See, I really, truly believe I have talked to supernatural entities ~ some who are considered divinities," I continued. This time she was more careful, trading jabs and blocks with me. "They don't claim to be the One True God. I believe in such a thing, but I also believe having been given the Message, Humanity has been left to muddle things out for ourselves."Whoops, she popped me one."The Woman-Thing this morning?""Yep," I evaded another flurry. She got cocky and I landed three blows, dropping her to the ground. I didn't help her up. Instead, I withdrew and let her get back up on her own before deciding if she wanted to continue. She did."I believe I've seen dragons and ghosts. I have felt legions of my ancestors give me quiet encouragement when I needed it. I know the dead have been brought back to life," I came at her. This time we both went for body blows, knees, elbows and fists. She was not SD-caliber and she needed to be. I grappled and she was forced to tap out again. After she regained her feet, she held up a hand for a pause."Do you believe any of that?" she addressed Estere."I am an adherent of Ismaili Islam yet nothing Cáel has encountered is contrary to my belief system. The Universe is a complex place and the Divine Light is often seen through a fractured lenses," she counseled the nun."Among the escapees were lawyer Francisco Luemba, Catholic Priest Raul Tati, economist Belchior Lanso Tati and former policeman Benjamin Fuca who are serving jail sentences of between three and six years each for supposed links to the rebel group FLEC (Frente para a Libertaé'o do Enclave de Cabinda), which carried out the attack on the Togolese football team at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, 2010," Agent-86 read off yet another bit of global minutia."We need to get to them," I half turned. Sister Rafaela punched me in the gut and I folded up."Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry.""Okay," I mumbled. I had to keep with the plan. "Those men. We need to contact our Coils people in Kinshasa and the Warden of the Mountain Ways ('she' was the Amazon Host's leader of Africa ~ in the ancient times, the mountain ways had been the routes of southern vulnerability for the Amazon tribe thus the name).""Okay," both Agent-86 and Estere answered."Why?" 86 added."The Coils and the Host have had a serious problem with no nation in Africa giving them even back room recognition so we are going to take over our own country, Cabinda. It's been struggling to be free of Angola since 1975 and, by latest estimates, we've got strike elements of over 2,000 Amazons ready and waiting next door in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.""So you are going to go to war with Angola?" Estere frowned. "Don't we have enough enemies?""Au contraire," I grinned wickedly. "The resistance movement is genuine," I ticked off my points, "they have tons of offshore oil, and after we set off some spectacular explosions in the two main Angolan ports which are just down the coast, we allow global panic to bully the UN into intervening before the Angolan military launch an effective counter-offensive ~ considering the Angolan Armed Forces (I'd been reading up on a ton of CIA & MI-6 briefings) will most likely involve attrition warfare since they can't beat us in a stand-up fight.""They, the Angolans, have no overland access, they are separated by 60 kilometers of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo over some sad ass roads Plus the Congo River itself which is freaking huge by the time it gets that close to the Atlantic, Cabinda rests on the Atlantic Ocean by the way. No bridges. The Angolan Navy is anemic. Let me think."I began pacing."Hmm, they have no paratroopers though they have some Special Forces, we will need to hit as many of them in the barracks as we can. Their last invasion was from the north, overland, from the Republic of the Congo, in 1975, not likely to happen this time, though I may have my 'Brother' weasel up a battalion of Indian paratroopers to act as convincing peacekeepers after the initial take over.""Perhaps we can recruit some Vietnamese. I'm sure they'll love fighting in someone else's jungle for a change. We'll need some of 'our' guys to seize the port of Soyo, it is on the wrong side of the river, but has the major refinery the Cabindans will need. Since the entire surrounding province are the same ethnic make-up as the Cabindans, we'll have to take that too.""Man-o-man, I bet by the time this is over they'll really wish they'd given little Cabinda independence back in 1975. As for their other refinery, it is in their capital, Luanda, a few big explosions there too will get the markets jittery. Check that ~ the complete and utter destruction of their major petroleum facility will create a stampede for Peace," I continued. I walked over as our resident computer intelligence genius worked his magic."Blowing things up, you mean killing people," the nun blanched."Yes. This is what I do," I spared her a sympathetic glance. "I've got a madman roaming around in my head who provides me truly epic military advice which normally, but not always, means blowing shit up and killing folks. Welcome to the team," then as the data appeared, "Holy Shit! Did they build their oil refinery in the midst of their ghetto?" I was staggered. The refinery in Soyo was isolated from the town so it could be easily (and safely) seized. It was the one in Luanda which was the 'Holy Shit' site."It looks that way," Agent-86 agreed nonplussed. "Hmm, yeah, here is the port facility then your neighborhood of shoddily constructed one- and two-story dwellings between the refinery and the inland storage tanks, the perimeter barrier appears to be a chain link fence. I'd hate to be their Chief of Security.""Oh yeah," I choked. Estere slipped around to get a look."Whoops," she snorted."What are these people thinking?" I continued. "The whole shebang is exposed to the northern quarter of the city. The storage tanks have residential dwellings on all four sides with numerous side streets. Two teams with RPGs and four rounds apiece, Holy Crap. Sorry Sister.""But I want to save lives," she sputtered."Limiting the collateral damage could be pretty tough," Estere frowned. She toggled throw a series of maps to multiple pictures."Oh, look (dripping sarcasm); they light up the refinery at night. You can sit off the coast in a speed boat under cover of darkness and attack from there," she noted."Damn. Those are a lot of lights," Agent-86 agreed."24-7 operation," I suspected."We will need some experts," the government agent nodded."Or we are going to kill a fuck-load of innocent people. Not just the workers, but can you imagine a fire spreading to those neighborhoods? Shit," I muttered."You can't seriously be contemplating doing something like this," the nun sputtered. "It is inhumane. Think of the families, the children.""Lady, yes I am. Do you have any idea what the Human Rights record of the Angolan Army in Cabinda is? It is truly horrific and in case you missed it, one of the guys in dire need of rescuing by me, due to him being a huge rebel leader who has managed to escape, is also a Catholic priest. He's going to be part of the new government we are going to install once we kill a few hundred Angolans ~ mostly soldiers (more like well over a thousand).""We are going to kill a few hundred so a few hundred thousand can live free, democratic lives without worrying about the local police and political establishment torturing and murdering them. It is all part of the plan.""I think I need to talk with the Bishop.""Hang on. Let me finish," I forestalled her. "He'll get briefed along with everyone else. After all, it is a majority Roman Catholic country as is Angola, so I'm sure your guy can be of immense help.""The people you are putting at risk don't deserve this," she protested."They never do," I nodded in agreement with her. "It rarely stops terrible crap from happening to them though."I felt sorry for the Sister. She thought the Bishop was going to put a stop to this. Poor girl; he was going to do the exact opposite. See, the two competing forces at play here were a communistic kleptocracy (currently ruling Angola) and Catholic liberation theology united with a Cabindan national identity dating back to 1885. At stake was 900,000 barrels a day of petroleum. That was a bunch of funding for somebody. Last I checked, the state run energy conglomerate had misplaced $32 billion, in just three years.Mind you, the Coils of the Serpent and the Amazon Host didn't want to help the People of Cabinda out of the goodness of their hearts either. They wanted cover for the importation of weapons and other war-fighting material so they could kill the Condottieri in Africa. If the rebel leaders-turned-legitimate government didn't play ball well, the Coils were in the 'assassinating people' business and somewhere along the line the survivors would figure out keeping 'us' happy kept them alive. Problem solved.It was Bishop Nicolé de Santis' job to facilitate that understanding. If certain people with Vatican credentials explained the 'facts of life' to the new regime a lot more lives could be saved, Catholic lives. In turn, he could work to make sure the new group in power wasn't nearly as corrupt as the gang we were tossing out. Better education and quality of life, improved infrastructure & security and a nice shiny cathedral, or two.We, as in JIKIT and our component members, didn't want to rule the country and dominate the people's lives. We needed the ports and the airfields with a blind eye turned to our skullduggery. Sure, there would be future considerations. Amazons and Coil members would be fighting and dying for these people's freedom ~ public recognition definitely not required. No; the Amazons wanted to be left alone in their deep jungle homes which was an isolation they basically already had. This was a future chit which said 'don't come looking'.The Coils? Let's just say in the future Cabinda would have embassies around the globe and if occasionally they wanted someone to slip through under diplomatic cover ~ they were good for it. And if the Cabindans ever needed help in the future they knew they had friends in dark places who were now invested in Cabinda's survival. It was a win-win-win, unless you were an Angolan big-wig, or one of their foot-soldier currently serving in Cabinda. Amazons weren't big on taking prisoners, or even giving the opposition the option of giving up.For me, it wasn't lunch yet and here I was plotting to overthrow yet another government in yet another country ~ though in only two, small provinces this time. Thank the Goddess I had the rest of the week

In Togo, 14 people, including an Irish citizen, accused of taking part in demonstrations against the Togolese regime are sentenced to ten years in prison. In the UK a plan to phase out diesel/ petrol vehicles by 2030 has raised alarm in the automotive industry, and Nigeria's government increases telecommunications tariffs on calls and data to 50%.

Casey and Elisha are joined by Togolese human rights activist Farida Nabourema to talk about her life growing up under the Gnassingbé dictatorships — Togo has been under single-family autocracy for more than 50 years — and the country's rampant crookedness. She also talks about how Bitcoin and blockchain offer solutions to Africa's longstanding issues with corruption and lack of trust in traditional financial institutions and how Bitcoin can offer a more transparent alternative.

Yawa Degboe moved to Paris, France as a 4yo. Years later, she moved across the Atlantic to Boston, United States. So, a second-generation immigrant during her time in France. And now a first-generation immigrant in the United States. One would be forgiven to think she would be more French than Togolese because I did. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yawa is all about embracing her French and Togolese identities. And I agree. Very often, you hear immigrants talk about discarding who they used to be so they can assimilate into the new culture. You aren't doing yourself any favors if you march down that road. The advantage of being an immigrant is the unique individual you become when you merge your old self and the new self. You create something so beautiful, so different, so special.But back to Yawa. She joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about her journey as a first-generation immigrant to the United States. We also explored:* Dealing with survival mentality* The various identities we immigrants carry with us* The advantages of being an immigrant* How she's using the lessons she's learned from her Mom to create a new future for the next generation* Tips for French immigrants looking to move to an English-speaking country, and more beautiful stuff.Integrate folks. Don't assimilate. If you've gotten this far, you should probably subscribe.Did you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

As the world gathers for another UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), a pressing question lingers: Have global climate summits lost their meaning for Africans? Eddy Micah Jr. talks to Togolese negotiator Sena Alouko and sustainability and climate journalist Zeynab Wandati.

PBS' “The Great American Recipe” introduced viewers to St. Louis' own Adjo Honsu, chef/owner of the food truck Fufu n' Sauce. Her mission to share her Togolese cuisine and culture with others put her alongside seven other home-trained chefs from across the U.S. competing, sharpening their skills, and telling their familial and culinary stories — and she won!

Food and fashion are common ways people begin acquainting with new cultures. In St. Louis, Adjo Honsou, chef and owner of the food truck Fufu n Sauce, makes both to introduce West African cuisine and her Togolese culture to locals. In just two years, Honsou has garnered a faithful following with traditional homemade meals and handmade clothing. On June 17th, her culinary reach will broaden with the Season 3 premiere of PBS' reality cooking show “The Great American Recipe.” That same day, she'll launch her line of spices and curries in collaboration with the St. Louis-based McCarthy Spice & Blends.

Vote counting continued in Togo overnight following Monday's election for members of parliament and regional representatives. Analysts say the outcome of the vote would likely be a referendum on a controversial constitutional reform adopted this month which allows the parliament to elect the president as opposed to a direct election by voters. President Faure Gnassingbe's ruling Union for the Republic party already has a majority of seats in parliament, which makes it likely he will remain in power for an unforeseeable period. Gilbert Bawara, Togolese minister for civil service, labor, and social dialogue, tells VOA's James Butty, voting went on smoothly on Monday under the watchful eye of local and international observers.

Togolese voters are casting their ballots Monday to elect members of parliament and regional representatives. The vote could become be a referendum on the controversial constitutional reform adopted this month which allows for the president to be elected by parliament. A key opposition leader told VOA last week that the opponents will resume protests because the revised constitution is intended to keep President Faure Gnassingbe in power, who, together with his late father, have ruled Togo for over 50 years. Gilbert Bawara, Togolese minister for civil service, labor, and social dialogue, tells VOA's James Butty, Togolese voters will have the final say about the new constitution when they cast their ballots Monday.

On Daybreak Africa: Flooding continues to wreak havoc on parts of Kenya. Plus, Togolese voters cast their ballots Monday in an election that could be a referendum on a controversial constitutional reform. A new digital ethics organization aims to help journalists and activists identify false and misleading information. Kenya will host peace talks between the South Sudan government and so-called holdout armed groups. Sierra Leone's president takes control of the country's Ministry of Energy amid an electricity crisis.. The UN says conflicts, extreme weather, and economic shocks are worsening global food insecurity. U.S. President Biden jokes about politics – and his rival – at Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner in Washington. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa

The leader of Togo's largest opposition party says it will never accept the constitutional reforms approved recently by parliament. The new constitution leaves the election of the president to parliament. Togo will hold legislative and regional polls on April 29. A government official told VOA recently the elections will provide an opportunity for Togolese voters to deliver a verdict on the new constitutional reform. Jean-Pierre Fabre, leader of the National Alliance for Change (ANC), Togo's largest opposition party, VOA's James Butty, the opposition will resume protests soon after the election because the new constitution is intended to maintain President Faure Gnassingbe in power who, together with his late father, have ruled Togo for over 50 years.

Everyone can agree that the best conversations happen in the barbers shop. Over the past 8 years life changing, meaningful and inspiring conversations have occurred on the styling chairs at the Locitude Studio both in Lagos Nigeria and in the US which have inspired this podcast format - Chair Convos.In today's episode Cedric shares his experiences on being African, Togolese and American; fatherhood and interesting perspective on relationships. Enjoy!

A Togolese government official says the April 29 legislative and regional elections present an opportunity for the Togolese people to deliver a verdict on the new constitutional reform approved recently by parliament. The new constitution gives the election of the president to parliament. The government last week arrested some members of the opposition who had planned to protest the changes because they say it infringes on the rights of all citizens to choose their president. Campaigning for the April 29 vote began over the weekend. Gilbert Bawara, Togolese minister for civil service, labor and social dialogue, tells VOA's James Butty, the constitution revision is necessary, especially given what he calls the chaos taking place in the West Africa sub-region.

Listen to the Sun. April 14, 2024 special edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. This episode features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the impact of the Iranian missile and drone attacks on the State of Israel; thousands of people have rallied against United States imperialism in the West African state of Niger; experts are identifying risks for infectious diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and the Togolese campaigns for upcoming national elections began yesterday. In the second and third hours we look in detail at the Iranian attacks on Israel and other events in neighboring West Asian states.

A member of a Togolese diaspora coalition is calling on citizens living abroad to turn out in large numbers on April 20 and vote out members of parliament who approved a new constitution without first holding a referendum. According to the Associated Press (AP), the new constitution approved this week gives parliament the power to choose the president without election. It also increases presidential terms from five to six years. This makes it likely that President Faure Gnassingbe would be re-elected when his mandate expires in 2025. Brigitte Akouvi Ameganvi, a member of the Board of Synergie-Togo, a Togolese diaspora organization in Europe, tells VOA's James Butty, President Gnassingbe should not approve the new constitution because it infringes on the right of all citizens to choose their president

On Daybreak Africa: Former South African President Jacob Zuma is disqualified from contesting the May 29 elections because of his previous criminal record.. A bus accident kills forty-five people in South Africa Thursday. Togolese protest against a new parliament-approved constitution. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu establishes a task force to deal with economic challenges facing the country. a Kenyan health care business is using portable, low-cost ultrasound systems to give expecting mothers

Ghana sees influx of Togolese fleeing jihadis+++Cameroon chief helps CAR refugees+++Chad on the brink before elections

In this insightful episode, Orufuo Ezaga, alongside Edem Spio and Jabu Mtwa, dives into the intriguing dynamics of the recent CAF AFCON TV rights deal. Explore the unexpected rise of Togolese newcomer New World TV, outshining continental giants SuperSport. A must-listen for those keen on the business side of sports

Togolese national Léon Kossivi, also known as Su Xin, has found both professional fulfillment and personal happiness through his involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative's infrastructure projects in Senegal in west Africa. Over his 12 years with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, he has contributed significantly to vital projects like the Dakar Bus Rapid Transit system, making a tangible difference in the lives of local communities.

On this episode of Red Carpet, we take a look inside Washington DC's U Street, Okway Osadebe keeping his father's legacy alive, and a soccer academy in Burtonsville, Maryland, founded by a Togolese immigrant is changing lives and training children to be stars on and off the pitch.

In this episode of Ventures, my guest Hans Mulders (https://obertal.com/leavenworth-wa-hotel-owner/) and I recorded a conversation while we were on-site at a demonstration farm in Togo, West Africa. We had just helped dozens of local Togolese people onboard into a progressive web application that we are building with Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), a new NGO helping to decentralize poverty alleviation via trust networks and blockchain technology. In our conversation we cover how Hans got involved in Impact Stream and how to smartly use technology and aid to sustainably help lift people out of poverty.Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-157 for more information. You can watch this episode via video here. 0:03 - Intro to the episode 1:35 - On-site intro - application we are onboarding Togolese into with Impact Stream1:57 - Who is Hans? Why is he here with Will and the Impact Stream team in Togo? Origin story how Hans and Will met.3:20 - “Can I come”? (Hans asking to come to Togo with us). Productive and effective aid in Africa.3:53 - What kinds of projects does Hans hope to see funded in Togo?4:45 - The need for basic infrastructure5:07 - How do we inject financial aid into projects in Togo that help the local economy? How do we ensure the projects are regenerative and sustainable?6:24 - Impact Stream manages the flow of money. More info about blockchain technology that Impact Stream will be using.

Nearly 20 years ago our Mercy Ship the Anastasis was in a South African port. Togolese crewmember Edith loved to go ashore in her free time to minister to others.

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) introduce a new non-profit called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), which is all about creating transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. Our first project - in partnership with Gitcoin, Supermodular, Prota Ventures, International Literacy and Development, and Primordia - will create a software application to onboard 100 Togolese (West Africa) into Web3 and allow them to create, submit, and vote on proposals to fund public goods in their community with a global matching pool. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-151 for more information. You can watch this episode via video here. 0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, audio/video options.0:29 - Introduction to Impact Stream - creating transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. https://impact.stream 1:45 - Local solutions to local problems -- with strategic injection of help from the global community2:18 - Starting in Q3 we will onboard 100 Togolese into Web3 and allow them to submit proposals, vote on them, and get them funded by the global community. 3:11 - Quadratic voting as our mechanism for prioritizing projects 3:40 - Future vision about creating fractions of validator rewards to stream into IRL impact4:15 - Give (impactstream.eth) and join our community on Discord --> https://discord.gg/we344V4QP7

When bank accounts are closed or currency devalued, pro-democracy activists have turned to Bitcoin to keep their advocacy afloat. Simultaneously, in El Salvador, populist leader Nayib Bukele has used Bitcoin to further his authoritarian agenda. In this episode, recorded at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum, activists from Belarus, Russia, and Togo discuss whether Bitcoin is compatible with liberal democracy. Featured Guests: Anita Posch, host of “The Anita Posch” Show Jaroslav Likhachevskiy, co-founder, BYSOL Farida Nabourema, Togolese human rights defender Nelson Rauda, Salvadoran investigative journalist, El Faro Leonid Volkov, Russian anti-corruption advocate

Much of France's African empire fell away during decolonization, but 15 nations still use the CFA Franc and thus remain under its control. France has historically devalued the CFA Franc to buy cheaper goods at the expense of the 183 million Africans in the CFA zone. In this episode, recorded at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, participants discuss their battle against monetary colonialism and how Bitcoin can play a role in helping change the tide. Farida Nabourema, Togolese democracy advocate Magatte Wade, Senegalese entrepreneur

Togo is trying to turn the page on putting French writers first. A growing movement is demanding that the country's rich heritage be better reflected in classes, with more focus on works by local authors. Also, for the first time, Paris gets to host the phenomenal work of Senegalese photographer Adama Sylla. His decades of snapshots capture shifting eras in his hometown of Saint-Louis.

On this week's show we talk about qualifiers for the 2023 AFCON, and we hear from South Africa forward Lyle Foster, who moved to English Championship leaders Burnley in January. Also we look back on the career of 2008 African Footballer of The Year Emmanuel Adebayor, with the Togolese forward announcing his retirement.And we analyse Crystal Palace's decision to sack manager Patrick Vieira.

In this lecture Visiting Assistant Professor of African Religions and Women's Studies in Religion Program 2022-23 Research Associate Elyan Hill discusses embodied visualities and domestic enslavement in Togolese sacred arts. This event took place on February 22, 2023. Learn more: https://wsrp.hds.harvard.edu/ Full transcript: https://wsrp.hds.harvard.edu/news/2023/3/25/video-dancing-altars

Join Holly Newton and Dina Deleasa-Gonsar as they continue conversations with guests who are moving forward fearless in their God-given missions.In this week's episode  Holly and Dina have a chat with Katie Walters.Katie Walters has been married to Josh Walters for 20 years. They have amarriage story full of God's abundance and faithfulness after goingthrough hell and back 7 years in. They love sharing this story of hopewith couples and have a book coming out, "New Marriage, Same Couple" inJanuary 2024. Katie's full-time job is serving as the CEO of Francis andBenedict. F + B is a fashion line that started 8 years ago with missionspartners named Francis and Benedict in Togo, West Africa. F + B makeswaxprint clothing designed for American women handmade by single momsand widows in Togo. What started as a non-profit to give Togolese womenspace in the American market and return profits to them has become afor-profit business with a nonprofit arm that runs alongside of it tohelp transform Togo.In this chat we talk about:How this call on Katie's life to start Francis + Benedict came aboutMarriage and restorationKatie and Josh's NEW book releasing in 2024 - New Marriage, Same Person. That title seems to carry so much meaning, Katie gives us insight into what that means!....and more!Join Katie's and Josh's free Marriage Challenge Facebook Group!Click here.Connect with Katie on her Website and on Instagram.Shop Francis and Benedict here.Connect with Holly and Dina:Instagram - @hollyanewton and @dishitgirldinaWebsite - www.hollyanewton.com and www.dishitgirl.comConnect with the She Lives Fearless Community:Facebook - @shelivesfearlessInstagram - @shelivesfearless and @shelivesfearlesspodcastWebsite - www.shelivesfearless.comClick Here to Learn More about how you can partner with She Lives Fearless making an impact on 300 Moms and Babies in El Salvador with Compassion International.

In her mind, the voice was unmistakably God.  Given what's transpired since, and the circumstances surrounding the establishment of Francis and Benedict, it's hard to see it any other way.  Our very own Katie Walters and her business/ministry partner in Togo, (and now, family) Pastor Francis, join Joey to discuss God's hand in their coming together to answer the call of Katie's compelling vision for ministry in Togo.  Together, they have employed 13 Togolese seamstresses through their 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Francis + Benedict. The partnership made with these women provides dignified and sustainable employment and the profits are used to resource other community leaders in Togo, helping to sustain their loving service to orphans, widows, and those suffering in poverty.Oh, and the skirts made and sold to supporters all over the world are also very fashionable and classy attire that's a hit with all sorts of women with all sorts of styles.Francis and Benedict, a  worldwide family born out of Seacoast Church, aims to make a lasting global impact by using love and fashion to change communities … one outfit at a time.Stay ConnectedWebsite | Facebook Discussion Page  Francis and BenedictInstagram | WebsiteIn this episodeKatie Walters, Founder and CEO of Francis and Benedict / InstagramDr. Francis Avoyi, Country Director of Francis and Benedict Joey Svendsen, co-host / InstagramJacky Hoey III, co-host / Instagram Executive Producer: Josh SurrattProducer/Editor: Joey SvendsenSound Engineer/Editor: JT PriceSound Engineer: Gabe DewalkMusic: Joel T. Hamilton Music

We're back after our lengthy break, and what a selection of global super sounds we have for you. Touching on every continent on Earth, from punk cumbia out of Mexico to spiritual jazz from Indonesia, taking stops via Egypt, Togolese funk, and whatever you would describe Fire-Toolz as. To listen to the full episode and get early access, please join our Patreon: patreon.com/independentmusicpodcast. Tracklisting Insólito UniVerso ft. Lætitia Sadier – El Chivo (Olindo Records, UK) Son Rompe Pera – Chucha (AYA Records, Argentina) Katie Gately – Fawn (Houndstooth, UK) 3Phaz – Sharayet (Discrepant, UK) Kevin Richard Martin – Above the Clouds (Intercranial Recordings, Belgium) SZLAUNCH – bankrut (Syf Records, Poland) Fire-Toolz – Mantra-ing & Golgotha: Double-Bind (Prequel) (Hausu Mountain Records, USA) Rizky Argadipradja & Wahono – Dua (Divisi62, Indonesia) Maroulita de Kol – Flying Woman – Ιπτα ́μενηΓυναι ́κα (Phantom Limb, UK) Roger Damawuzan – Need My Money (Hot Casa Records, France) This week's episode is sponsored by The state51 Conspiracy, a creative hub for music. Head to state51.com to find releases by JK Flesh vs Gnod, Steve Jansen, MrUnderwSood, Wire, Ghost Box, Lo Recordings, Subtext Records and many more Produced and edited by Nick McCorriston.

Hello, is this Pizza Hut? Excellent. My name is Ben Shapiro. Conservative thought leader. Prominent white YouTuber. The Muggsy Bogues of the intellectual dark Web. And—look, it's just a fact—I would like to order some pizza pie. If you are triggered by that request, I do not care. I truly do not. Now let's discuss conditions. First, thank you for agreeing to debate me. Typically, in fora such as this, I am met with ad-hominem mudslinging, anything from “You racist creep” or “Is that your real voice?” to raucous schoolyard laughter and threats of the dreaded “toilet swirly.” However, your willingness to engage with me over the phone on the subject of pizza shows an intellectual fortitude and openness to dangerous ideas which reflects highly on your character. Huzzah, good sir. Huzzah. Second, any pizza I order will be male. None of this “Our pizza identifies as trans-fluid-pan-poly”—no. Pizza is a boy. With a penis. It's that simple. It's been true for all of human history, from Plato to Socrates to Mr. Mistoffelees, and any attempt to rewrite the pillars of Western thought will be met with a hearty “Fuh!” by yours truly. And, trust me, that is not a fate you wish to meet. Now. With regard to my topping preference. I have eaten from your pizzeria in times past, and it must be said: your pepperoni is embarrassingly spicy. Frankly, it boggles the mind. I mean, what kind of drugs are you inhaling over there? Pot?! One bite of that stuff and I had to take a shower. So tread lightly when it comes to spice, my good man. You do not want to see me at my most epic. Like the great white hero of Zack Snyder's classic film “300,” I will kick you. Onions, peppers—no, thank you. If I wanted veggies, I'd go to a salad bar. I'm not some sort of vegan, Cory Booker weirdo. And your efforts to Michelle Obama-ize the great American pizza pie are, frankly, hilarious. Though not as funny as the impressively named P'Zone—when I finally figured out that genuinely creative pun, I laughed until I cried and peed. A true Spartan admits defeat, and I must admit that, in this instance, your Hut humor slayed me, Dennis Miller style. And, with that, you have earned my order. Congratulations. Ahem. Without further ado, I would like your smallest child pizza, no sauce, extra cheese. Hello? Aha. A hang-up. Another triggered lib, bested by logic. Damn it. I'm fucking starving.   I think that it's ok to be sexually aroused by Pokemon. More so, I think it should be encouraged in the games and anime, and GameFreak should lean into it. Firstly, some Pokemon are shown to be much smarter then humans. Kadabra has been said to have an IQ over 5000, which is gigantically more than the definition of an animal, which have an IQ between 0 (Worms and Fish) and 65 (Apes and Octopus). Thus, they are smarter then needed to be able to give consent. Secondly, the argument could be made they are not as empathetic as humans, and thus can't give consent. This is proven not to be true numerous times in the anime, by watching Meowth. In Season 2, Episode 16 of the Pokemon show, it is established that he is no smarter or different then regular Pokemon, he simply learnt to walk by watching a dance rehearsal and later learnt English through a picture book. Throughout the following seasons, it's shown how he schemes, laughs, cries and even at points, deceives people into thinking he is a human (in order to steal Ash's Pikachu of course). And the last piece of damning evidence - a folk tale in the Canalave Library (Pokémon Diamond and Pearl) literally STATES that humans used to marry Pokémon. This was removed in the English translation. Gamefreak, if you wanted us to fuck Pokémon, just say it. Conclusively, Pokemon aren't animals. They are intelligent, with empathy and kindness, and should be treated as equals. Denying them the right to have sex with humans removes their freedom, which is racist, and frankly, unamerican.   An Afghan, an Albanian, an Algerian, an American, an Andorran, an Angolan, an Antiguans, an Argentine, an Armenian, an Australian, an Austrian, an Azerbaijani, a Bahamian, a Bahraini, a Bangladeshi, a Barbadian, a Barbudans, a Batswanan, a Belarusian, a Belgian, a Belizean, a Beninese, a Bhutanese, a Bolivian, a Bosnian, a Brazilian, a Brit, a Bruneian, a Bulgarian, a Burkinabe, a Burmese, a Burundian, a Cambodian, a Cameroonian, a Canadian, a Cape Verdean, a Central African, a Chadian, a Chilean, a Chinese, a Colombian, a Comoran, a Congolese, a Costa Rican, a Croatian, a Cuban, a Cypriot, a Czech, a Dane, a Djibouti, a Dominican, a Dutchman, an East Timorese, an Ecuadorean, an Egyptian, an Emirian, an Equatorial Guinean, an Eritrean, an Estonian, an Ethiopian, a Fijian, a Filipino, a Finn, a Frenchman, a Gabonese, a Gambian, a Georgian, a German, a Ghanaian, a Greek, a Grenadian, a Guatemalan, a Guinea-Bissauan, a Guinean, a Guyanese, a Haitian, a Herzegovinian, a Honduran, a Hungarian, an I-Kiribati, an Icelander, an Indian, an Indonesian, an Iranian, an Iraqi, an Irishman, an Israeli, an Italian, an Ivorian, a Jamaican, a Japanese, a Jordanian, a Kazakhstani, a Kenyan, a Kittian and Nevisian, a Kuwaiti, a Kyrgyz, a Laotian, a Latvian, a Lebanese, a Liberian, a Libyan, a Liechtensteiner, a Lithuanian, a Luxembourger, a Macedonian, a Malagasy, a Malawian, a Malaysian, a Maldivan, a Malian, a Maltese, a Marshallese, a Mauritanian, a Mauritian, a Mexican, a Micronesian, a Moldovan, a Monacan, a Mongolian, a Moroccan, a Mosotho, a Motswana, a Mozambican, a Namibian, a Nauruan, a Nepalese, a New Zealander, a Nicaraguan, a Nigerian, a Nigerien, a North Korean, a Northern Irishman, a Norwegian, an Omani, a Pakistani, a Palauan, a Palestinian, a Panamanian, a Papua New Guinean, a Paraguayan, a Peruvian, a Pole, a Portuguese, a Qatari, a Romanian, a Russian, a Rwandan, a Saint Lucian, a Salvadoran, a Samoan, a San Marinese, a Sao Tomean, a Saudi, a Scottish, a Senegalese, a Serbian, a Seychellois, a Sierra Leonean, a Singaporean, a Slovakian, a Slovenian, a Solomon Islander, a Somali, a South African, a South Korean, a Spaniard, a Sri Lankan, a Sudanese, a Surinamer, a Swazi, a Swede, a Swiss, a Syrian, a Tajik, a Tanzanian, a Togolese, a Tongan, a Trinidadian or Tobagonian, a Tunisian, a Turk, a Tuvaluan, a Ugandan, a Ukrainian, a Uruguayan, a Uzbekistani, a Venezuelan, a Vietnamese, a Welshman, a Yemenite, a Zambian and a Zimbabwean all go to a bar.. The doorman stops them and says "Sorry, I can't let you in without a Thai." also i'm gay

Listen to the Sun. Jan. 1, 2023 special edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The program features our PANW report with dispatches on the inauguration of the Brazilian President Lula da Silva amid plans for the funeral of soccer legend Pele; Togolese traders are welcoming the reopening of the People's Republic of China; the Ivory Coast government pledges to return soldiers recently convicted in neighboring Mali;  and nine people were killed in a stampede in the East African state of Uganda during a New Year's celebration. In the second hour we continue our review of the 55th anniversary of the Massey Lectures delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in late 1967. Today represents the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 during the Civil War. We hear a lecture on the significance of the act by then President Abraham Lincoln to the outcome of the war. Finally, we look back on the 64th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on Jan. 1, 1959.  

The second of three ‘favourites of 2022' shows is here and – after the truly global excursion on part one, there's a lot more closer to home this time around, with stunning music from Alison Cotton, probable labels of the year Phantom Limb and Wrong Speed Records, and plenty more. But it wouldn't be the Independent Music Podcast without heading into different corners of the globe. We have Togolese rap, exceptional psych from Millionaire and Deus man Comité Hypnotisé, Trout Mask Replica-infused Horse Lords, and the most unique record of 2022 from the inimitable INHUMANKIND. To listen to the full episode, please join our Patreon: patreon.com/independentmusicpodcast. Tracklisting Reigns – The Hoarder (Wrong Speed Records, UK) pq – vibra_slappp (Lapsus Records, Spain) Floating World Pictures – The Village Headman Pleading With The Old Ferryman (Friendly Records, UK) Comité Hypnotisé – Flying Sword, Falling Dagger (Cortizona, Belgium) Horse Lords – May Brigade (RVNG Intl, USA) INHUMANKIND – Ginnungagap (I, Void-hanger Records, Italy) Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin – II (Drag City Records, USA) Yao Bobby & Simon Grab – Wakassa (LavaLava, UK) Alison Cotton – Violet May (Rocket Recordings, UK) Hekla – Sólin Gekk (Phantom Limb, UK) Produced and edited by Nick McCorriston. This week's episode is sponsored by The state51 Conspiracy, a creative hub for music. Head to state51.com to find releases by JK Flesh vs Gnod, Steve Jansen, MrUnderwSood, Wire, Ghost Box, Lo Recordings, Subtext Records and many more

Finalmente sono tornati anche i nostri classici episodi podcast di Diario di Campo! ▶️Rivivi con noi la carriera di Emmanuel Adebayor, l'attaccante togolese ben noto agli amanti del calcio. ⚽️Dalla “chiamata” del Dio del calcio, passando per l'approdo in Francia, fino alle ultime avventure da giramondo dopo la lunga parentesi inglese nei top club della Premier League.

Wokedje Homawoo is a Togolese and French Leadership and Development MSc student and Peace, Security, and Development Associate Fellow at the King's College London African Leadership Centre. She holds an International Management BSc from The University of Manchester Alliance Business School and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. With experiences in both the private and non-profit sectors, her research interests include food security and sustainable agriculture, education access, and digital transformation. Today we will be exploring notions of media and communications in the African context. What role do media and communications play in governance and culture? How can an intergovernmental continental institution such as the African Union openly admit their inefficiency in communicating with its constituents?

The story of wax print fabric begins not in Africa where the fabric is adored today, but on the island of Java in Indonesia. That's because, in the 18th century, a Dutch entrepreneur Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen received a curious piece of cloth from his uncle who lived on Java. It had been dyed by a Javanese artisan using a nibbed bamboo stick to create imperfect lines and dots that are set to the fabric with beeswax. Pieter sets about mechanising the technique and finds buyers in West and Central Africa. In the third episode of Torn, Gus Casely-Hayford sets out to find out if wax print fabric can really be considered African if the original design comes from Asia and the manufacturing process is the result of European industrialisation. He asks those who wear wax print in West and Central Africa what it means to them that their most recognisable fabric is a product of colonialism. From the Togolese businesswomen who set up workshops and imported printing machines to supply the region with wax print in the 1950s, to their foremothers who bartered with European fabric merchants in the 19th century, and the tailors who sew clothes for millions of people in West and Central Africa today, wax print is African. But the fact that none of the major wax print producers are fully African-owned has led some designers on the continent to shun its use in favour of indigenous fabrics. With filmmaker Aiwan Obinyan, interior designer Mablé Agbodan and historical records from the Dutch wax print company Vlisco. Presenter: Gus Casely-Hayford Executive Producer: Rosie Collyer Assistant Producer: Nadia Mehdi Researcher: Zeyana Yussuf Production Coordinator: Francesca Taylor Sound Design: Rob Speight A Novel production for BBC Radio 4

Rosine Hounakey is from Togo but she was trafficked to the US at 13 years old. Forced to work for free on both coasts of the US, she was later coerced into an abusive marriage until she was freed with her two young sons as the result of an ICE raid when she was just 17 years old. She then had to go through foster care in various American cities, waking up at 5am every day to take her kids to school before completing high school herself, after years with no formal education, having taught herself English along the way. We also discuss the entrepreneurial spirit of Togolese women, annoying stereotypes about Africa and Africans, tension and solidarity with the African American community, and moving forward with life in the US after a deeply traumatic start. Be sure to check the links below for critical facts on Human Trafficking, as well as organizations that can provide immediate assistance. This episode was originally published on December 15th, 2018. Support Latitude Adjustment Podcast on Patreon!

Nearly 20 years ago our Mercy Ship the Anastasis was in a South African port. Togolese crewmember Edith loved to go ashore in her free time to minister to others.

The Togolese government has declared a state of security emergency in its northern border region. The government spokesman says the measure will last for three months and could be extended by the national assembly. It allows security forces there to have more flexibility to deal with threats of jihadist attacks.

Molecular biologist Khady Sall returned to Senegal in 2018 after setting up Science Education Exchange for Sustainable Development (SeeSD), a non-profit organization she founded while a PhD student in the United States. SeeSD promotes science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics education to encourage scientific literacy and critical thinking in young people.Sall tells Akin Jimoh how her career experiences abroad made the return to Africa a daunting prospect. But working and living abroad has convinced her that science careers in Africa, and the cities where science takes place, should not follow US and European models.“If we're not authentic in being scientists, and not doing research that follows local problems and our local culture, then at some point, we will just become another US or another France, and that will be very boring. Hopefully that will not happen here. And then we will be vibrant and do a different kind of science. People will say: ‘Wow, why didn't this happen sooner?'”Togolese researcher Rafiou Agoro runs the African Diaspora Scientists Federation, a mentoring platform that connects African scientists based abroad with colleagues back home, from his base at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. So far, Agoro and his team of 150 mentors have supported more than 100 scientists.“I was looking for any any opportunity to have an impact back home. A lot of people who are abroad are eager to do something back here. COVID has taught us distances matter less when it comes to education,” he says.This is the sixth episode in an eight-part podcast series hosted by Akin Jimoh, chief editor of Nature Africa. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tre italiani sono stati rapiti in Mali. Secondo le prime informazioni, si tratterebbe di una coppia di Testimoni di Geova con il figlio, originari di Potenza.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has agreed to act as a mediator in the Malian political crisis, both countries' foreign ministers have confirmed. The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, has imposed sanctions on the country, including freezing its assets. Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop met his Togolese counterpart Robert Dussey in Lomé to seek Togo's support in discussions with the international community. Mr Dussey says his president and the Togolese government are ready to facilitate a fruitful dialogue between Mali and the international community.

On Episode 2 of Season 3 of the Modern Story Podcast, Cecilia Sanvick, Johanna Johnson, and Lydia Gessner talk about big moments that changed their faith journeys. Through tragedy, joy, and new experiences the hosts will explain how the foundations of their individual faiths have changed because of these stories. You might learn something about the Togolese people, collegiate cross country, and transporting yourself inside Bible stories.

In my conversation with chef and entrepreneur, Nina Sodji, we talk about her innovative take on traditional west African cuisine at https://okraafricangrill.com/ (Okra African Grill), her business ups and downs, and her passion for food and community. Nina Sodji first immigrated to America in 1994 with a business visa, hailing from Togo, a west Africa nation. She began her career as a nurse who had a growing passion for cooking. Nina ran with her heart, opened an African grocery market in Omaha in 2004, and later added a restaurant and was successful until the 2008 Great Recession. She went on to achieve a culinary degree from Metropolitan Community College, and a bachelor's in business management from Bellevue University. It was at MCC Nina that noticed the foods she grew up enjoying in Togo were derived from lots of cultures: French, Spanish, German, Indian and neighboring African countries. The flavors she grew up loving were a result of her country's complicated history of colonialization, invasion, and political unrest. But the flavors were magical together and sparked her curiosity in experimenting with her favorite Togolese dishes. Nina's restaurant, https://okraafricangrill.com/ (Okra African Grill), is her vision to bring these dishes to life in Omaha. An homage to all African cultures and the transcontinental history that have influenced Togolese foods, her cuisine tells a complex story. This show, one of a year-long series, is supported in part by https://www.omahachamber.org/ (The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce).

On this month's episode of the podcast, editor Danny Denton is joined by translator Frank Wynne, to read and discuss a short story, "Britney Spears' Sandwich", by Togolese writer Kangni Alem, which first appeared in English in our most recent issue, Summer 2021. Kangni Alem is an award-winning Togolese writer, critic and playwright. He founded the Atelier Théâtre de Lomé in 1989. He has published five novels and three collections of short stories, the most recent of which is Britney Spears' Sandwich (Lomé, 2019). This is the first time his work has been translated into English. Frank Wynne is an Irish literary translator from French and Spanish whose authors have included Michel Houellebecq, Javier Cercas and Virginie Despentes. He jointly won the DUBLIN Literary Award, and has twice won both the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. He edited the anthologies Found in Translation (2018) and QUEER: LGBT writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday (2021). During 2021, Frank is collaborating with The Stinging Fly as our first translator-in-residence. The Stinging Fly Podcast invites Irish writers to choose a story from the Stinging Fly archive to read and discuss. Previous episodes of the podcast can be found here. The podcast's theme music is ‘Sale of Lakes', by Divan. All of the Stinging Fly archive is available for everyone to read during the coronavirus crisis.

What are the various techniques used in facilitating language acquisition? In this new episode of the podcast, Ady Namaran Coulibaly engages in an enlightening conversation with Ami D. Christelle Zami, a Togolese with deep roots in Ghana. Christelle is a language facilitator, interpreter and translator. Her love for children led her into the world of language facilitation, a field which enables her to contribute meaningfully to their language acquisition. She talks about her experience in the field and the various language facilitation techniques that can be used by caregivers, parents, educators and all those involved in the upbringing of children. As usual, we invite our listeners to visit multilingual.com/AfricaLSP for a 1-year free digital subscription of Multilingual magazine. Multilingual is your go-to source for language industry news since 1987. Also, you can check the July/August edition of Multilingual to read about Bolingo's African Country Guides and visit www.localizationafrica.com to access our free Localization Guides for African Countries. Africa's LSP Podcast is brought to you by Bolingo Communications and Media Consult. Should you have suggestions about topics we should cover or want to be a guest on the podcast, please send us an email at info@bolingoconsult.com

On this episode, the guys talk to Olowo-n'djo Tchala, founder & CEO of The Alaffia Foundation, (TAF). TAF is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to empower African communities through the advancement of Fair Trade, education, sustainable living and gender equality. They execute their Alaffia Empowerment Projects in Togo, West Africa that support Fair Trade producer communities. TAF provides a platform for individuals and organizations around the world to partner with Alaffia, by sharing resources, skills, time and money. This public support is critical to Alaffia impacting more lives in Togo. Empowerment Projects are Alaffia's mission in action, funded by the sale of their products. Targeted development ensures basic needs are met for a dignified life. This allows Togolese communities to provide their skills and knowledge to the rest of the world and rise out of poverty. 01:21 – Justin shares how listeners can find GCP online, Olowo-n'djo talks about how often he gets to go back home to Togo, and talks about where he grew up in Togo. He discusses when he began to understand ways he could help uplift the African people, what life was like for him as a child in Togo, and explains how that experience has drove him to do what he is doing today. He talks about how TAF came to be, how the creation of the products was a way for them to generate money to support their mission, and how their business not only helped with creating jobs in Africa, it also created jobs locally as well. 13:13 - Olowo-n'djo talks about how he ended up in Olympia, where the name of the company came from, and the real meaning of Alaffia. He talks about what some of the difficulties are in getting out of poverty, the guiding principles of the organization, and the importance of us to see the world as one community. He talks about the importance of having to do multiple things to make an impact on poverty, the reasoning behind planting 90,000 trees, and how deforestation is contributing to starvation. 25:52 - Olowo-n'djo shares that 1 of 16 women in Togo have a chance to loose their life in giving birth, the impact that has on the children they leave behind, and discusses the schools that Alaffia has built. He talks about the other project of donating bicycles Togo, the impact that has on preventing children from dropping out school, and the amount of human trafficking that is happens in Togo. He talks about the importance of family and culture to him, how the company blew up in 2018, and the organizations intent to make their products accessible and affordable to all American communities. 39:08 – Olowo-n'djo talks about the want to give everyone the ability to give in the world, the fact that changes can be made by things as simple as being mindful about what you purchase, and what he does to relax and have fun. He talks about exercising daily being important to him and that though he knows Alaffia has made a huge stride on removing poverty, he always feels like there is more to do. The guys closedown the show reflecting on the amazing conversation. Thank you Olowo-n'djo for joining the podcast and sharing the awesome things TAF is doing! Special Guest: Olowo-n'djo Tchala.

Kess takes the reins as host this week and manages to revive TOR's signature whoop (0:13). Cel spills the tea on the Mugabe family's misadventures in South Africa (02:00), which lead to some rather extremely unfortunate consequences. Vee rates Mrs Grace Mugabe's presidential chances (4:54) while Cel reviews her academics credentials (5:12). Get the rundown on the alleged assault case at the popular Kona Bar (6:10) and on a Malawian chief championing the cause against child marriage in her little village (15:20). Our Twitter Feelings celebrates one Togolese woman's tough and courageous stance against mob injustice (20:54). On to The Sizzler: is "pretty privilege" real and are there downsides to being perceived as "pretty?" (25:37) Should a person be prohibited from speaking out against an issue if she is perceived as coming from a place of privilege? Share your thoughts with us via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or email. Song Credit : Special thanks to Adomaa & VI Music for use of their song, Traffic Jam. Find more of her work here.