Famed rap artist Lil Jon is using his celebrity power to build new schools in Africa.
Last week the musician opened a new school in Ghana with the help of Pencils of Promise, an organization that provides educational tools for children around the world.
“I’m all about helping children,” he told CNN. “Children are our future and every child deserves to have an environment where they can learn and flourish and gain knowledge.”
Mafi Atitekpo DA Primary School will enroll 313 children and it is reportedly the second of two schools in the village of Mafi Atitekpo in Ghana. The first school, Abomayaw D.A. Kindergarten, opened in October, around the same time Lil Jon first visited the country, which inspired him to donate $70,000 to help get the two schools running.
“When I saw the conditions where these children were trying to learn — one community they had a big mango tree and two classes were sitting under the mango tree — that’s not a condition conducive with learning,” he said. “Kids are going to get distracted, plus it’s extremely hot. It compelled me to want to do more.”
Natural Hair Movement Sweeps Africa
The natural hair movement that proudly hit the U.S. is now sweeping African countries in a major way.
This year in Nigeria, top hair experts predict that natural hair trends will dominate salons, according to premiumtimesng.com, a Nigerian media organization.
As evidenced by red carpet trends and social media in the country, Afros are all the rage, alongside puffy crochet twists and “braid wigs” that help avoid damage from tightly braiding hair against the scalp.
The hair care industry is also booming, as more women invest in shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil and deep conditioners.
Trump Wishes Well to African Union
African heads of state and government officials convening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last weekend for an important AU assembly received support from a surprising source: U.S. President Donald Trump
A letter from Trump was sent to the heads of the organization three days earlier, expressing “best wishes for a successful summit.”
“The United States profoundly respects the partnerships and values we share with the African Union, member states, and citizens across continent,” Trump wrote. “I want to underscore that the United States deeply respects the people of Africa. and my commitment to strong and respectful relationships with Africa states as sovereign nations is firm.”
Trump also offered a “salute” to the leadership of Chairperson Moussa Faki and congratulated Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whom he reportedly met with at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday, on his assumption of the chair of the AU Assembly.
Trump’s letter came in the wake of an international uproar over his allegedly referring to Haiti and African nations as “s—hole countries” during a recent meeting with U.S. lawmakers on immigration.