Another (relatively) Awesome AfriCAN week 20190905

It's been a tough week for our beautiful continent. When one country hurts, we all hurt. 

In all of this craziness we sometimes need to be reminded that there is still a lot of good people out there and incredibly inspiring things are happening on the continent. Here are some of the awesome things that happened this week:

#Rwanda

Picture via Business Daily 

At this year's Mombasa Tea Auction, two Rwandan tea companies fetched first and second highest premium prices thanks to the quality and grade that was presented. (story via CNBC Africa).

#Senegal

Senegal is planting millions of mangrove trees to fight deforestation. It has planted 79 million mangrove trees, which will help protect vital arable land, preserve aquatic habitats and absorb around 500,000 tonnes of carbon over 20 years. [via World Economic Forum]

#SouthAfrica

Picture via Food Business Africa

Congratulations to Spier for being the first winery in the world to receive Control Union Vegan Standard certification by the accredited certifying body Control Union. Spier Seaward, Creative Block, 21 Gables and Frans K Smit ranges will all bear this vegan-friendly seal from 2019 vintage onwards for white wines and the 2018 vintage onwards for reds.

#SouthAfrica

Creating Safe Spaces for South African Men to Talk ~ Kabelo Chabalala launched the Young Men Movement, a nonprofit support group creating safe spaces for men to talk about their feelings. Members participate in open discussions designed to restore "a safe environment for women," he says. This involves having open debates around self-awareness, exploring how the men behave and how they carry themselves. They learn that "you are not less of a man if you say 'I am sorry,'" said Chabalala. "We play board games, Scrabble, chess. We also try to make it fun." These safe spaces have now been rolled out in schools and other community venues such as local churches and gardens in the town. According to Chabalala, the Young Men Movement is a direct response to the crisis of masculinity today as societal norms, such as those around sexuality, demand conflicting behaviors from men. 

#Zambia

Zambian Cassava farmers in the AB InBev value chain are able to keep a record of their produce sales and receive cash through the Blockchain mobile money solution. Another benefit to AB InBev’s smallholder farmers, which has recently been made available by BanQu, is the integration of mobile money, which means that farmers do not have to walk around with cash that could be stolen, and can, instead, store money, pay bills or send remittances online directly through the free, secure platform. 

Photo via African Celebs