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nPostednon August 3, 2015
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nEvernsince 1960, August 3 has been Independence Day, a day to celebratenthe African nation’s independence from France.
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nEvernsince 1975, August 3 has also been Arbor Day, a day to plant treesnand thus fight against desertification.
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nDesertification,nas you might realize, is the natural process when rather dry landnbecomes increasingly drier and drier. This is usually accompanied bynfewer plants and animals living in the habitat (or some species beingnreplaced by hardier species that can live in a desert). n
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nMostnof the nation (more than 80%) is already covered by the SaharanDesert. This land wasn’t always a desert, and it can be verynconcerning to see more and more land change from fertile to desert!
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nHerenare some other problems (just a few of many) that Niger has to dealnwith:
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nThen literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world. Less than 30% ofn the population can read – and that includes the shocking statisticn that only about 15% of women and girls can read!
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This young woman wears
ankle bracelets that show
she is enslaved.n
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n Upn to 870,000 people (nearly 8% of the total population) in Niger aren enslaved. This shocking statistic needs to change! Apparently, whenn the French were colonial rulers over Niger, they largely ignored then problem, and some of the major slave owners are the ones who aren wealthy and powerful enough to become political leaders.Again,n women are more vulnerable and even more likely than men to beingn enslaved.
I read that slavery was outlawed in Niger in 1960, prohibited in 1999, and criminalized in 2003 – but the laws have not been adequately enforced!
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nThen enormous population growth – one of the highest in the world –n puts pressure on the increasingly non-fertile land. The farmingn practices necessary with large families on subsistence farms end upn causing desertification to speed up. This feedback loop creates an deepening problem.
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nOfncourse, there are amazing beauties to be seen in Niger, as well.nDeserts usually have stark beauty, and of course the precious oasesnare often gorgeous. The people, the Niger River, and the canyons cutnby the river are some other gorgeous sights to see…
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| Above, dunes; below, oasis |
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| Above, mother and child; below, men in a beauty contest |
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| Above, the Niger River; below, a beautiful canyon |
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| These are salt flats seen from space! |
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nChecknout this andnthis other earliernposts about Niger.
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nAlsonon this date:
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Anniversary of the “discovery” of the La Brea Tar Pitsn
Anniversary of the “discovery” of the La Brea Tar Pitsn
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nNationalnDoll Day
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WatermelonnDay
WatermelonnDayn
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nAnniversarynof the discovery of a Neanderthal
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nAnniversarynof the first watercraft to reach the North Pole
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nPlannahead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nAugustn holidays
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nAugustn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in August
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nSeptembern holidays
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nSeptembern birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in September
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