Category: APO-OPA

OTTAWA, Canada, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, we commemorate and honour the memory of Nelson Mandela. His extraordinary legacy in dismantling apartheid and leading national reconciliation in South Africa as its first elected black president is a testament to the values of democracy, human rights and freedom that can endure despite oppression.

As Canadians, we are privileged to live in a society built on these tenets. Our international development work, including our efforts in poverty reduction, is a clear reflection of the values of democracy, human rights and freedom that are fundamental to Canadians. Nelson Mandela paid tribute to these values when he became an honorary Canadian citizen in 2001: “Your [Canada’s] respect for diversity within your own society and your tolerant and civilized manner of dealing with the challenges of difference and diversity had always been our inspiration.”

Nelson Mandela championed respect for children’s and women’s rights as intensely as he fought against apartheid, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS. Thanks to his tireless work and campaigning to reduce mother-to-child transmission, significant progress in reducing the number of new HIV infections has been made. “Give a child love, laughter and peace, not AIDS,” he said. Canada is continuing this work. At the Saving Every Woman, Every Child Summit Prime Minister Stephen Harper released the Toronto Statement, which laid the groundwork to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under the age of five within a generation, and committed an additional $3.5 billion in funding support.

Nelson Mandela also firmly believed that education is the foundation of democracy and that it is one of the most powerful tools for changing the world. That is why, on December 11, 2013, in memory of Nelson Mandela, Prime Minister Harper announced the creation of the African Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarships Fund. The fund, co-sponsored by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada and The MasterCard Foundation, will provide sub-Saharan African professionals with masters-degree-level scholarships to access high-quality academic and professional training in Canada to prepare them to assume leadership roles in key social and economic sectors in Africa. Proposals to manage the fund are currently under consideration.

Prime Minister Harper also launched the Canada Graduate Scholarships, which will be awarded to Canadian graduate students studying subjects, such as freedom and human rights, that marked the South African leader’s life. As the Prime Minister stated, “Nelson Mandela’s lasting legacy is the example he gave on his long march to freedom…his grace and humility throughout that walk…ensures that his remarkable example will inform others for generations.” Indeed, we should all continue to do our part to create a more secure, peaceful and equitable world—not just today, but every day hereafter.

Christian Paradis

Minister of International Development and La Francophonie

NEW YORK, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Eugène-Richard Gasana (Rwanda):

On 17 July, the members of the Security Council heard a briefing from Tarek Mitri, Special Representative of Secretary-General, about the situation in Libya. The members of the Security Council also took note of the statement from the Libyan Foreign Minister, Mohamed Abdulaziz.

The members of the Security Council condemned the recent violence in Libya, including the fighting around Tripoli International Airport, noting that this follows a deeply concerning prolonged pattern of politically motivated and inter-militia violence, making it even more difficult for the Libyan authorities to govern effectively.

The members of the Security Council stressed that violence and the threat of violence is unacceptable and should not be used to pursue political goals. They reiterated the need for all sides to engage in political dialogue and refrain from violence and actions that challenge the stability of the State.

The members of the Security Council welcomed Libya’s successful parliamentary elections on 25 June, despite ongoing security challenges. They called on the democratically elected parliament to meet quickly, agree upon a government and urgently seek to progress Libya’s democratic transition.

The members of the Security Council stressed that an inclusive dialogue is the only way to achieve a lasting political settlement and to enable the State to ensure security and rule of law throughout the country. They expressed their support for the Constitutional Drafting Assembly’s important work to draft a constitution that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people to pave the way for a secure and prosperous future for Libya.

The members of the Security Council took note of the temporary reduction of the staff of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya due to the prevailing security conditions in the country. They expressed their support to the Mission and urged the Libyan authorities to ensure the safety and security of the Mission’s staff.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the efforts of neighbouring countries to promote the stability of Libya.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya.

NEW YORK, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Said Djinnit of Algeria as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region. He succeeds Mary Robinson of Ireland, who has accepted new responsibilities as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.

Mr. Said Djinnit served as the first African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, after holding various positions in the Organization of African Unity, including as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. From 2008 until recently, Mr. Djinnit served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA). He also served as the High-Level Representative of the Secretary-General to Nigeria, in support of efforts against Boko Haram.

Mr. Djinnit served in various diplomatic missions of his home country, including as Chargé d’Affaires of the Algerian Embassy in Brussels, as well as Deputy Head of Mission in Addis Ababa. He holds a diploma from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration – Diplomacy, in Algiers. Mr. Djinnit is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

Born in 1954, Mr. Djinnit is married and has three children.

* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1121-BIO/3964 of 28 February 2008.

NEW YORK, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — General Assembly Meeting,

Community Service to Mark Nelson Mandela International Day

The United Nations General Assembly will mark Nelson Mandela International Day with an informal meeting on Friday, 18 July, honouring the South African leader’s contributions to democracy, racial justice and reconciliation.

Speakers at the meeting will include the President of the General Assembly; the Secretary-General; Baleka Mbete, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa; Reverend Jesse Jackson; and Gay McDougall. The establishment of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize will be formally announced at the meeting. The prize, recognizing an individual who embodies the spirit of Mr. Mandela, is the initiative of the current President of the General Assembly, John W. Ashe. The meeting starting at 10 a.m. on 18 July — Mr. Mandela’s 96th birthday — is part of a series of events to take place in New York and around the world that day.

“Last year, the world lost one of its greatest leaders when Nelson Mandela passed away,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for the day. “Nelson Mandela Day is a call to action. Each of us can celebrate the Day by helping to address real problems in our communities. Together, we can give great meaning to our celebration by paving the way for a better future.”

Every year on 18 July, individuals around the world are encouraged to devote 67 minutes to helping others — by volunteering in a hospital, tutoring a child, providing food for the homeless, or any other community service. The 67 minute campaign — “Take Action, Inspire Change” — is based on people devoting one minute of their time for every year that Nelson Mandela devoted to public service — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and President of South Africa.

On 18 July, the Secretary-General, staff from the United Nations Secretariat, the United Nations General Assembly President’s Office and the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations will partner with MillionTreesNYC to care for dozens of newly planted trees near the United Nations Headquarters and in the community of East Harlem, New York City.

United Nations offices around the world are organizing events in honour of Nelson Mandela.

Background on Nelson Mandela International Day

In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly declared 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day” in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom. General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Mr. Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity in the fields of conflict resolution, race relations, the promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups.

To view the live webcast of the General Assembly meeting at 10:00 a.m.: http://webtv.un.org/.

To request media accreditation: +1 212 963 6934 or +1 212 963 6937; e-mail: malu@un.org.

For further information, photos, videos and other resources: www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — AFRICAN UNION TOWN HALL MEETING TO ENGAGE THE DIASPORA MEDIA ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AU COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND 2063 AGENDA IN SIDELINES OF US-AFRICA SUMMIT

INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

WHEN: 4th and 8th of August 2014

WHERE: The event will hold in two phases as follows:

4th August 2014 – the Town Hall Meeting will hold at the conference room at the World Bank MC4800 at 18181 H street NW Washington DC. USA

8th August 2014 – the Town Hall Meeting will hold in the New York, meeting room of the AU Mission, NY. USA.

WHO: Organised by the Directorate of Information and Communication (DIC) of the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Citizens and Diaspora Organizations Directorate (CIDO), AUC

WHY: The Diaspora is being considered as the 6th Region of Africa. Therefore engaging the Diaspora media to take ownership of the different thematic issues for the development of Africa is a legitimate call by the African Union in view to reach out to the majority of the Diaspora through their respective media outlets.

The Town Hall meeting will be a catalyst to ensure the ownership and involvement of the African media in Diaspora for a more vibrant, positively visible and people centred African Union, supported by more effective communication structures. This will not only raise awareness on AUC activities but also engage the Diaspora journalists and the international media interested in covering the activities of the AU to the development agenda of the continent.

OBJECTIVE: The main objectives of this Town Hall meeting is to narrow the gap between the AU Organisation and its citizens through enhanced advocacy and popularisation of the activities of the AU with the view to building networks with the Diaspora media. This will enable the African population abroad to be informed timely on the development agenda of the Union through the different Diaspora media channels.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

The Town Hall Meeting will be a platform to present to the Journalists of the Diaspora, the African Union Communication, Advocacy and Marketing Strategy 2014 – 2017 Strategic Plan. An essential instrument that will enable the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Union, in the spirit of the AU Constitutive Act, which establishes the need to assemble the key internal and external stakeholders of the Union as well as the African Citizens, and include their voices in devising its strategic operations.

There will be a presentation of the African Agenda 2063: the role of the media to achieve the goals of the Agenda so as to create awareness in the world on the activities of the Union through the Diaspora media.

METHODOLOGY:

In line with the Communication Strategy of the AUC and in order to raise awareness on the activities earmarked in the African Union the two Town Hall Meetings will be a side event to the upcoming United States–Africa Leaders Summit billed for 5 and 6 August 2014 in Washington DC, USA. Given that this event is an international conference seeking to widen US trade, development and security ties with Africa, with an expected participation of over 50 world leaders and African Heads of States, there will be a considerable number of the Diaspora journalists as well as international journalists interested in covering African issues at this summit.

To this effect, the DIC, in collaboration with the AU Missions in New York and Washington, is planning to seize this opportunity to have the African Union leadership address the Diaspora journalists on Monday 4 August 2014, just before the Summit in Washington and on Friday 8 August 2014, just after the Summit in New York.

The Town Hall meeting will discuss the communication component of the Africa 2063 Agenda so as to invite the Diaspora media to contribute to this important agenda through their respective channels and update them on the ongoing consultation which the AUC has embarked on, with the view to involving all the classes of people so that African citizens can take ownership and be part of the process through the popularization of the vision by the journalists. The Town Hall Meetings will also feature a questions and answer session to enable the AU leadership address some of the inquiries of the participants.

PARTICIPANTS:

The participants of the workshop will include:

• Representative office of the AUC Chairperson;

• Representative, CIDO, AUC;

• Representative SPPMERM – Strategic Policy, Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Resource Mobilization, AUC;

• Head and officials of AU Missions Abroad;

• African journalists in the Diaspora;

• Journalists covering African issues based abroad;

• Communication Officers from UN and other Organisations based Abroad;

• Diaspora Civil Society in the area of advocacy

• Focal persons dealing with communication in Organisations;

• Other Stakeholder and partners organisations representatives.

EXPECTED RESULTS

o Outcome of the Town Hall meeting will be to engage the Diaspora media to the implementation of the communication activities listed in the AU Communication, Advocacy and Marketing Strategy 2014-2017 ;

o Ensure that the DIC through the Diaspora journalists raise enough awareness on activities of the AU through their respective media channels.

o Create a network of Diaspora journalists who can be invited to cover AU major events and know more about the AU.

o Create a data base of journalists of the Diaspora interested in covering AU activities; they can be invited to attend workshops organised by the DIC inline with the AU Communication Strategy.

o The report of the meeting will further enrich the AU Communication Strategy on how to engage the Diaspora through their media channels.

BACKGROUND:

The African Union (AU) and its precursor the Organization of African Unity (OAU) were founded on the ideals of Pan Africanism. The main objective has always been to consolidate African unity and foster continental development and progress. The inception of the African Union, following the Sirte Declaration of 9 September, 1999, of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, generated tremendous interest about the prospects of Africans finally taking control of their collective destiny.

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM Uganda has launched a report: “HIV Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices and Population Size Estimates of Fisher Folk in Six Districts in Uganda.”

In Uganda, some 130,000 people live in fishing communities and estimates suggest that HIV infection rates in these communities are almost 3-4 times higher than the national average for adults.

“Most of the fishermen are not aware of the risks of HIV. It is a dangerous disease and we have lost many people here,” explained Joshua Nununule, a fisherman from Kasensero fish landing site.

Covering 42 fishing communities from six Ugandan districts, the study looks at the level of knowledge and its relationship with the attitudes and practices of people in the fishing communities.

“High HIV prevalence rates in these communities are the result of a complex interplay of factors including vulnerabilities caused by the high degree of mobility, as well as a failure to address the knowledge, attitudes and practices of these communities through HIV prevention programmes,” says IOM Uganda Chief of Mission Gerard Waite.

The study also points to the pressing need of HIV/AIDS services in fishing communities. Most of these communities are located in remote parts of the country and have gaps in HIV service provision. In most of the villages HIV counselling and testing are not available. When people get infected with HIV, they have to travel long distances from their village to a hospital.

“There is a still a need to do more HIV counselling and testing in these communities. We also need to make it easier for those who are HIV positive to get care and treatment,” says David Mudooba, IOM’s HIV focal point in Rakai district in south western Uganda.

The report was compiled with the support of the Joint UN Support Programme for AIDS (JUPSA).

For a copy of the report please go to http://uganda.iom.int/publication/hiv-knowledge-attitudes-practices-and-population-size-estimates-of-fisherfolk-in-six-districts-in-uganda/.

To see a video on HIV/AIDS and fishing communities in Uganda please go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyqEpEvBjnE

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM’s 6th return intention survey of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Bangui, Central African Republic indicates a continuing decrease in the number of people intending to return home and a continuing struggle to meet daily needs.

The return intention survey was based on interviews with 601 IDPs carried out at 31 displacement sites from 17-19 June. The survey has been conducted on a monthly basis since January 2014 to track the needs and return intentions of IDPs in Bangui.

Compared with the previous survey, IDPs indicated that in order to return home, their needs would remain in almost the same order. Security is the highest priority (33 per cent), followed by housing (31 per cent) and non-food aid items (13 per cent).

Just over half (56 per cent) indicated an intention to return home within the next four weeks. This figure has been decreasing since the January survey when 74 per cent of IDPs indicated an intention to return within a month.

The number of IDPs who wanted to stay at their displacement site increased from 27 per cent in May to 36 per cent in June. This is a significant increase from February, when only 19 per cent wanted to stay at their site.

In December, soon after the violence that displaced people across Bangui, there were more than 390,000 IDPs in the city. Since that time the IDP population, despite fluctuations, has been gradually decreasing.

Over 70 per cent of IDPs in Bangui have now left and there are currently 105,300 IDPs at some 43 sites in the city. In June the IDP figure was just over 117,300. Overall IDP figures countrywide are now estimated at 535,000.

IDP return rates have slowed in the last few months and those remaining at the sites are the most vulnerable. The most frequently cited reason for not returning home was that all their belongings had been stolen (74 per cent). “Lack of authorities” (68 per cent) was the second most frequently cited reason – up from 58 per cent in the May survey. Additional reasons included lack of financial means to return (66 per cent) and not feeling safe in their area of origin (66 per cent).

Food continues to be a critical issue: 97 per cent of IDPs reported a reduction in the number of meals consumed per day, 97 per cent a reduction in family members’ food consumption and 89 per cent a reduction in adults’ food consumption to be able to feed children. Some 92 per cent had experienced interruption of livelihood generating activities due to displacement.

The Return Intention Survey is part of IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), which is designed to monitor population movements and inform the humanitarian response to crises.

To access the CAR IDP Return Intention Surveys, please visit: http://carresponse.iom.int/.

OTTAWA, Canada, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement following Hamas’s rejection of Egypt’s ceasefire proposal and Israel’s initiation of a ground operation in the Gaza Strip:

“Canada stands by Israel’s right to defend itself, by itself. Israel will be forced to continue defending itself as long as Hamas continues its rocket attacks against civilians.

“These operations could have been avoided if Hamas had not rejected the Government of Egypt’s ceasefire proposal—a proposal that was accepted by Israel and welcomed by the Palestinian Authority. This proves that Hamas has no interest in peace and bears responsibility for the further tragic loss of life.

“Egypt is the best-placed country in the region to help end the current hostilities. It is a historic leader in regional peace efforts, having successfully brokered numerous ceasefire agreements over the years, and Egypt’s ongoing initiative is the only serious ceasefire proposal on the table.”

OTTAWA, Canada, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, today issued the following statement following reports of a terrorist attack in Tunisia:

“On behalf of all Canadians, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones in the terrorist attack that took place on July 16 in the Mount Chaambi region of Tunisia.

“Up to as many as 15 members of Tunisia’s security forces lost their lives while bravely defending their country, fighting against terrorism and extremism.

“Canada commends the counterterrorist campaign that the Tunisian government has been leading and calls for the perpetrators of this senseless attack to be held accountable for their actions.”

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Remarks

Evan Ryan

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs

Dana Hughes, ABC News Digital Reporter

Washington, DC

July 15, 2014

This video is available with captions on YouTube.

MS. HUGHES: Good afternoon, or evening if you’re joining us from Africa. I’m Dana Hughes. I’m a digital journalist with ABC News, and I’m very excited to be here moderating this Google Hangout featuring four of the first class of fellows from the Young African Leadership Initiative. It’s a program President Obama has championed, which has allowed 500 of the best and brightest across 49 different countries in sub-Saharan Africa to come to universities and participate in a program for six weeks.

I would like to first introduce the fellows. With us we have Cyrus Kawalya from Uganda. Cyrus, do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself?

MR. KAWALYA: My name is Cyrus Kawalya. I’m from Uganda and I’m studying currently at the Goldman School, which is the University of California, Berkeley.

MS. HUGHES: And now we’ll go to —

MS. PREMPEH: I am Afua Prempeh. I am representing Ghana. I am currently taking my institute at the Florida International University, and I am an environmentalist who is passionate about sustainable development and local assets-based development, community development.

MS. HUGHES: Okay.

MR. ALONGE: So my name is Adebayo Alonge. I’m from Nigeria studying the business and entrepreneurship track at Yale University. I distribute health care solutions in rural areas in Nigeria.

MS. TOUGOUMA: My name is Sylvie Tougouma. I’m from Burkina Faso. I am a law teacher in a private school in Burkina Faso, and I’m very passionate about women participating in politics. And I’m currently studying at the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary. And I’m very excited to participate in this Hangout.

MS. HUGHES: Thank you. We did have a fellow from Kenya who unfortunately was unable to participate because of technical issues. And joining us are Assistant Secretary of State of African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan. And they’ll each give brief remarks before we open it up for questions.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Shall I start?

MS. HUGHES: Sure.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, thank you, everyone, for being here. I’m really delighted to be in this Hangout with you and with Assistant Secretary Ryan and with Dana. This is my first Google Hangout, so I have to tell you I was a little bit nervous about doing this. I wasn’t quite sure what we would be doing, so hopefully this will go well for all of us so that I won’t be so nervous about doing it the next time. But I’m really, really excited to have the four Washington fellows. All of you who are here represent the best and the brightest that Africa has to offer, and we’re really thrilled to be a part of the incredible program and to share your incredible talent and your drive, and the drive of all of the 500 Washington fellows who are around the United States.

The impact that you will have on your communities and on your countries and on the world is just amazing, so I look forward to hearing from you directly about all of your experiences as you go through this wonderful program.

I also want to take a brief opportunity to mention one other thing. The week after the YALI Summit in Washington from July 28 to 30th, on August 4th, the President will be welcoming heads of state from 49 countries – 50 countries in Africa, plus the AU. The President, the Secretary of State, John Kerry, and all of us who work on Africa are really, really looking forward to this summit. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to talk about where our partnership with Africa stands and where we want to go in the future together.

So I thank all of you for joining us, and I know that all of you will be part of the future that we are all dreaming and wishing for for the continent of Africa.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: And hello. I’m Assistant Secretary of State Evan Ryan with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. And we have really enjoyed working closely with Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield and her team on the Young African Leaders and the Washington Fellowship in particular. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs oversees the State Department-funded exchange programs, exchanges where we bring people here to the United States, just like our fellows who are here with us today. We bring them on academic, professional and cultural exchanges. We also send Americans overseas on exchanges in the same tracks.

The YALI Fellowship has been particularly exciting, as Linda said, because it’s all about the exciting future of Africa, and the leaders that are joining us today are just an example of the 500 that are here with in the United States right now at 20 different universities across the country taking part in these six-week seminars. And it’s really been an exciting time for us, culminating in the summit, as Linda mentioned, in just a couple of weeks. So we’re really pleased to be with you today.

MS. HUGHES: Great, thank you very much. Now I just want to ask each of the fellows to give us a brief overview of what their experiences have been like in their universities.

MR. KAWALYA: To begin with, I must say that I feel very blessed to have come all the way from Africa to the university at Berkeley, the Goldman School, and already I feel it has a huge effect for my – the foundation for my next creative work back at home. And I’ve learned a lot within a very short time. First of all, I’m not a student of public policy, but I’ve learned to realize how important public policy is when you’re a change maker, and it’s something that I feel that now I want to work with and it has also shaped my new direction where I want to focus and what I want to do in the coming few years.

So it is quite a lot. I’m still digesting most of it, and I know much of the plan will fall into place as we get closer to go back home and – but it’s generally been very, very wonderful and I’ve learned a lot within a very, very short time.

MS. PREMPEH: Okay. I’m very happy to be here. I’d like to welcome everyone who’s joining us, and greetings from the Sunshine State. There’s a lot of sunshine here, so it reminds me of home. I have learned a lot within a short period of time, not only about the United States but about 15 other African countries. Because before this, I hadn’t been – had the opportunity to be with so many people from different African countries. So it’s been a good learning experience. And the institute has been going very well. We’ve been learning about (inaudible) public management, issues like ethnicity, and how to harness the good that comes from diversity.

MR. ALONGE: It’s been a great experience here at Yale University on the business and entrepreneurship track. Three years ago, I started a pharmaceuticals distributions company, and on coming to the program here my focus was on scaling the distribution business across Nigeria. But the training on the program has actually opened my eyes to what is known as the concept of the theory of change. And this emphasizes on the need for you to experiment on particular models and then work with coalitions and work with public space and the private sector to scale that theory of change model across the continent. So one big learning point for me on this program is that I’m not just thinking anymore about just bringing about the change in the healthcare industry just in Nigeria, but I’m now thinking across all the rural communities across the continent.

In addition, I’ve also been able to discover that youths can actually bring about their own change through the concept of innovation hubs. The New Haven community where Yale is located has seen multiple periods of change in the economic status. And one way the government here is trying to reduce unemployment is by promoting start-ups and a culture of entrepreneurship. And one looks at back in Africa where we have a large population of over 40 percent unemployed, it’s one particular theory of change that I intend to take back to Nigeria, and which I also expect that the other fellows from the 17 other African countries here in Yale will do across the continent.

MS. TOUGOUMA: Greetings to everybody. I really want to first thank the Secretary of State Ryan for recommending me for this Hangout. I’m very grateful. (Laughter.) For these five past weeks, I’ve been studying in the UVA and the College of William and Mary. And I want to emphasize of what I’m learning about the program, the institute and about what I’m discovering as touristic sites. And I came in the United States with in mind that I would like to get more experience, more skill in order to more fully promote women’s rights in my own country and specifically the promotion of women participation in politics.

But since the first day of the institute that I’ve been introduced to the concept of design thinking, it started to change my mind in that I started to – wanted to make real change not only in politics, but in other area in women’s lives. And I remember one of our session about sustainability development, and the teacher was talking about the connectivity of every subject. And it’s opened my mind and I realize that I was narrow-minded and I started to broaden my mind, and I think that even promoting technology, water and sanitation, food security, it’s somehow contributing to improve women’s life, because if women do not have much food or something like that, they cannot fully invest in politics.

And I came also to learn about my leadership skills, and during the training, it’s a kind of resurrection. I discovered that I have lot of skill in me, and I needed to rebuild them. And I’m very excited in this program because I came to know that I’m really the definition of perseverance. Because perseverance always works. You can notice it with my English; I’m always persevering in speaking in English.

And what I’d also like to share with my fellow is that I have discovered the history of the United States by visiting the homes of the three founding fathers of the United States. I have been in Monticello and I have visited the house of Jefferson, and also at Montpelier and visited the mansion of James Madison, and I’ve also been in Ash Lawn-Highland and I also visited the home of Monroe. And —

MS. HUGHES: Oh, that’s great. That’s wonderful.

MS. TOUGOUMA: Yeah. (Inaudible) things, it’s changed my mind because when the tourist was explaining aspects of Jefferson, Monroe, they was very activist in defending the equality of rights between human beings, and at the same time they owned more than 500 slaves. And it was a kind of way to reflect on how we can have an idea. This idea is becoming reality today in that I can see my ideal president, Barack Obama, at the White House. And I have seen the (inaudible) to history. And I’m really excited in this program, and I came to discover myself – what I am and —

MS. HUGHES: That’s wonderful.

MS. TOUGOUMA: Yeah, thank you.

MS. HUGHES: Yeah, that’s great. And actually – that actually speaks to my first question, which – as you may know or may not know, today marks the 100 days that the 200 girls in Nigeria, northern Nigeria were kidnapped by Boko Haram. And around that issue, actually it speaks to a lot of the things that you guys as fellows are talking about here and in your home countries. It speaks to issues of education, of unemployment, of leadership. So my question to you guys, particularly to Adebayo and to Sylvie, are: Do you think that as Young African Leaders, a program like this, long-term could have influence in countries like Nigeria or other countries where there is that kind of marginalization and disconnect between the area where the girls were kidnapped from and those that are really succeeding in Africa? What are your thoughts about that?

MR. ALONGE: Talk about the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria is actually underpinned by a severe social disconnect from the federal government. If you look at how the country’s structured, you’d realize that the area where – in the northeast of Nigeria where the Boko Haram crisis is at its worst has the lowest indices in times of government support and education and other social indicators.

And if one looks deep within, it actually gives a reason why the vast number of people who are unemployed in that region are easy recruits for the Boko Haram group. There is no doubt that a program like this, this program here in the U.S. that helps to open the minds of African – young African leaders into the possibilities of creating businesses and growing across their value-creation structures and models across the continent, will lead to a situation where jobs will created as these businesses are formed. And also in areas like health care, water, solid waste management, and many of these other areas by which the livelihoods of individuals are measured, we actually see that young people can actually create private sector models to actually provide the solutions to underserved communities.

There’s no doubt that a program like this, especially with the focus on scaling, on also ensuring that every for-profit business that any young person goes into also has a social impact side, would actually help to provide some of the services that the government has failed to provide over the last 50 years on the continent. And no doubt people who are well fed, people who are well catered for, people who have a reason to live in their lives will not want to be involved with any sort of terrorist activities, and to reduce the input in terms of the numbers of people who actually give form to terrorism (inaudible) Nigeria or in Kenya or anywhere on the continent.

So it’s actually a very useful program to improve stability across the continent.

MS. HUGHES: Does anyone else want to weigh in?

MS. PREMPEH: If I could add to that. I – numbers vary according to research, but it’s known that about 200 to 300 million people in Africa fall into the age bracket of 15 and 24. This present a good opportunity to groom people and then build a better Africa, but also presents a challenge. The endless resource is not tapped into and well groomed. They are going to have problems, like my brother said, because other things are going to convince people to do, well, the negative.

I think that one of the beautiful things that this fellowship does is that it recognizes that good needs balance. And so there is the business track, because private people need to invest, economies need to grow, and then there’s the public management track for people who are in governments who are going to make the decisions, and there’s the need for them to understand the rule of private sector and then their rule. And then there’s the civil society that sort of acts as a check for government and for private sector, and it is only when the balance is gained that development can work. And I think this program very cleverly finds a way of bringing us together to network now and to build a better future for Africa.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I would love to comment on this as well because I do see this program as contributing to providing opportunities for young leaders in Africa to get the training so that they can serve as catalysts to other populations. The situation in northern Nigeria where you have thousands of young people who are uneducated, who are unemployed, who are not vested in the future of their countries, of their communities, and they are enticed by the extremist ideology that Boko Haram preaches – or anywhere else on the continent where extremists are preaching an ideology of violence and terrorism. This program provides an opportunity for young people to see the future, to start preparing for the future and see where their place is in the future.

I was so impressed with what Sylvie said about finding herself and finding that she has leadership skills that she didn’t know she had. And I think – I’ve been so impressed listening at all four of you talk about your visions for the future. And I know that if the other 496 YALI participants are anywhere near as impressive as you are, when you return home and start to have impact on the lives of the people around you, we’re going to see major change on the continent. So thank you for your participation in this program.

MS. HUGHES: Sylvie, did you have something you wanted to say?

MS. TOUGOUMA: Yes. I do believe that a program like YALI can contribute to resolving the crisis in north Nigeria, because for me, sometime people act by ignorance, and I can notice that the conflict is somehow influenced by poverty, lack of a job, lack of education. And through the Washington Fellowship there are some fellows who are getting trained and getting more skill on how to develop their business, and they can employ some people in this area. And I strongly believe that education is a powerful arm to resolve – in contributing to resolve this crisis, because many people do not have access to education and this program can help us to go and educate, like civic education, and contribute to involve many people with us to resolve this problem. I do believe that this is a great program that can contribute to resolve the crisis.

MS. HUGHES: And Cyrus?

MR. KAWALYA: Yeah. Just to add on from my personal experience of the program is that I’ve realized that now I start to see things from a global perspective instead of just seeing them as a Ugandan. I realize that we share quite a lot of similar problems around the world, only that in some places of the world they’re escalated and in others they are lower. So it kind of gives us a chance as African people to go back and try to start to set measures and rules and regulations so some of these things don’t kind of fall apart. So I feel that if many people can go through this program, it will be something that will create a very powerful change in the long run.

One, I’ve come to obviously meet very many African people that I didn’t know before, and I’ve learned more about my continent. And we’ve learned different things during our discussions and class sessions that kind of create the need for us to come together and be able to solve most of our problems. So I think the program is generally very wonderful and very powerful and will have a long-term profound effect on us.

MS. HUGHES: Well, that actually leads me to my next question, which – some of the questions on the Google Hangout that we got from the public spoke to this. And that’s that when you all talk about when you go back, this could be a catalyst for change. But do you anticipate problems with the reality on the ground? You have in some countries – in Uganda, Museveni’s been president for almost 30 years – you have politicians and a way of doing things that have been in existence for decades in some cases. How do you think that this program or your experiences can influence that? And do you expect pushback and challenges?

MR. KAWALYA: I personally expect a very huge challenge when I go back, no doubt about that. I don’t expect anything to be easy, but there’s one thing I’ve learned from my dean (inaudible) here at school. She’ll say that the only way you can make change is work with the people that are there. And it’s something that I didn’t before. I came here; all I thought was, like, “Can I go against this? Can I go against that?” But now the whole idea has shifted to a point that you have to work with these people, you have to find a way of working with them.

So I expect a lot of challenges, but more than ever I’m confident and ready now to deal with what is going to come after this.

MS. HUGHES: I’d be curious to hear from someone else. Adebayo, Afua?

MS. PREMPEH: I’d just like to add to that.

MS. HUGHES: Go ahead.

MS. PREMPEH: I think one thing that we’ve learned through our leadership training is that change must start with us and with understanding ourselves, and that is the only way that you can influence other people by also understanding them, of course. It’s not going to be overnight. There will be resistance. Change is not easy for anyone. But it starts with one person and it starts with understanding other people and pushing the point across. And eventually, I’m sure a movement will start across Africa that is going to cause real change, yes.

MR. ALONGE: Well, I find this question particularly interesting, because just yesterday and on Friday, we had this discussion around the resistance that we expect to face when we go back to start some of these laudable projects in systems that are almost ossified in how they conduct business and how the society is run.

And one of the professors here, Ian Shapiro, mentioned on Friday that one of the key things that we as private sector young leaders need to do is to find a means to create coalitions with the public sector. And one way for us to present the ideas that we have is not for us to come and say, “This is the idea we have,” but more like to look at how – what are the current projects that government and the other key stakeholders are currently pursuing that is similar to what we have, and then give them the ability for them to also own the projects, so we are not the ones saying, “Take these projects from us,” but more like asking them what questions they would like us to ask them so that they have space within the solution that we are trying to create, and that they also kind of share from some of the credit that derives from the project. So in specific terms, this program is actually – Yale has actually tried to prepare us for some of this resistance.

At the program yesterday, we had somebody from IBM who also took us through the part of building an ecosystem. It’s easier for you to be able to get key stakeholders in the economy to buy into your idea if you are more than one person, if you have a coalition of – an ecosystem that’s built around other youth groups, built around the local government, built around a key movement who can then push forward a voice. And obviously, it’s so very important for us to be able to say, “These are examples in other places – I mean, evidence-based proposals. These are examples of this idea that we are bringing forth that have worked in several countries similar to ours.”

So there’s a process through which, yes, there’s going to be resistance, but there’s a process that this program has actually prepared us for, and to go through working with those who resist the change so that they also have ownership of the solution that we propose.

MS. HUGHES: Great.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Dana, if I can just add, an important part of this program for us is ensuring that we stay connected with these fellows when they return, and we want to make sure that whether it be through networking, mentoring, seed funding for programs that they propose, community service opportunities with our embassies and with USAID and here at State, we’re going to stay connected to make sure that we can continue to provide guidance and support in any way we can.

MS. HUGHES: Well, that actually leads me to a question that I wanted to ask the two of you, which is that you’ve planted this seed. Is the United States, is the Administration prepared to then have policies that will support this sea of change that these young people are asking for? If it’s a question, for example, of national security, how will you – how does this program influence the policies that you will have for Africa going forward?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I’ll take that question. First and foremost, we see youth as the future of this continent, and we’re hosting a heads of state summit that is about investing in the next generation. The next generation are these young people we’re talking to today and the others who are in this program, and the tens of thousands who applied for the program who were not selected. Our policies are directed, and in fact, we see as a priority for our policies in the coming years to focus on building societies that support their youth. We’ve asked that African leaders come to the summit in August to discuss what kinds of investments they are making in their youth, and we’ve had an enthusiastic response from the leaders we’ve spoken to about some of the investments they’re making, but also new ideas that they have.

So I think many of them have bought into this. They see the benefit of investing in their youth, with countries with – I think I heard Sylvie or one of the speakers talk about the large population of young people. The figures we have are that 60 percent of the population are 35 and under. Majority of them are unemployed, many of them undereducated, so we have to have policies that focus on education, policies that focus on job creation, policies that focus on investment, and policies that focus on providing opportunities for young people.

And this is what YALI is about. We’re hoping that we can bring a thousand young people to the United States next year. But it’s not about the ones we bring to the United States; it’s the ones who are impacted at home, because there are tens of thousands who are interested. As we noted, 50,000 applied for this program. We had almost 80,000 attempted applications for the program. We’re setting up a YALI network so that they can connect with each other across the continent, so that they are engaged with each other and they’re learning from each other. In fact, I have told the group that I met with from Howard that they are the best mentors to each other, that they will be contacting each other about issues that they are addressing in their country and see how it’s handled, and maybe learn from the experiences of each other.

So I think this is the beginning of what is going to be a major change, and it certainly will be reflected in the policies that we have toward Africa.

MS. HUGHES: When you do discuss – when you have discussed these policies with current leadership in African countries, is there a discussion of measureable outcomes that the United States is looking for? Is there a discussion of aid or assistance that would be helpful for that? Or conversely, is there a discussion of consequences? Is there anything sort of tangible that the Administration is looking at in terms of supporting this program and Africa – and the youth of Africa being the future?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Yeah. So, as I mentioned a little bit before, we are looking at – currently, we have a robust alumni program in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, so all of our YALI fellows will now be a part of our ECA alumni. But we also are going to have a real separate track for them as well where they can apply for seed funding. If they leave here with a very good idea of what can be transformative and something that they really want to work on developing when they return, we have alumni grants and seed funding that we really are looking to work with them on.

And we are hoping – as Linda just mentioned, there’s no better mentors back on the continent than these fellows for the members of the YALI network, the 49,000 other applicants. So we’re hoping that this has a real multiplier effect and that they can work with each other, share these ideas, share these experiences. And we’re also, to the extent that we can, really hoping that our other alumni – we have Fulbright alumni on the continent and other alumni of our exchange programs. We want them to be engaged with the fellows and with the YALI network when they return.

So our hope is that networking, working on community service projects together, a community service project that a fellow might come up with while here as part of our program – that everyone can work together in concert to make the changes that they all have identified while here on this program. And our hope is that our embassies and alumni can play a big role in that.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: And we’re encouraging African leaders themselves to engage with these young people, that they have so much to contribute to their countries, and they need to engage with them to get ideas from them. And again, we’re getting an enthusiastic response.

MS. HUGHES: Great. Okay. Oh, sorry. Cyrus, do you have a question?

MR. KAWALYA: Just to ask a question: When the African leaders come to the States, there’s going to be a bunch of YALI fellows that are still going to be around. Will they be invited to interact with them or the conference or something that will be going on?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: There are some events in which some of the YALI fellows who are still in the United States will participate in with the heads of state. We’ve been told that YALI fellows will be invited to a number of events around the city during the visit of the heads of state. We also know that some embassies are inviting their nationals to the embassies to meet heads of state. So again, I think there will be opportunities. It’s not broadly organized, but there will be individual efforts.

MR. KAWALYA: Yeah, thank you. I think it’s a very important part for us to be able to also engage with them while they’re still in the States, to just show our cooperation and our willingness to also work with them so that when we go back, we don’t – they don’t feel like the United States took us away to come back and kind of rebel against them. You know this is the talk that has been going on.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: It is. So you can reach out to your countries. I would say send a note to your heads of state that you’ve had this amazing experience and you want to come and share what you learned from that experience. And we’ll encourage them to accept hearing from you.

MR. KAWALYA: Thank you.

MS. PREMPEH: And I think I’d like to add that the experience we are having here is a learning experience. It is not sort of a copy-and-paste or a cut-and-paste experience. We are learning from the experience here how things were done, the process. And then we’ll go back home and then try to apply the ones that work, sort of like benchmarking. So it’s not – because our societies are different, conditions are different, so what works in the United States might not necessarily work in the same way back home. The idea is to know what to do and make the right choices.

MS. HUGHES: Great. And going back to the Africa summit, so I just want to be clear that you – these YALI participants will have some – or have the opportunity to have some interaction with the heads of state?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: The YALI summit is from the 28th through the 30th and the heads of state summit is from the 4th through the 6th. There will be some YALI participants who will still be in the United States after the YALI summit, and our expectation is that they will have some engagement with the heads of state.

MS. HUGHES: And is that something that – not just here, but in the – but when they go back home, that the United States has been trying to foster?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We have encouraged leaders to reach out to their youth. Several countries that I met with when I was in Africa the last time told me that they actually have youth councils and that they already engage with their youth. We’re encouraging more youth activities on the part of government. And as I mentioned, we’ve been encouraging governments to share with us their commitments that they’re making to their youth so that we can compile all of that and share it broadly. There’s some countries that are committed to education programs for their youth. There are countries that are committed to volunteer programs for their youth. There are others that have committed to creating new youth councils and engaging with those youth councils. So it’s not always about money. It’s about engagement, it’s about communicating with each other, and it’s about sharing new ideas.

MS. HUGHES: And – so then I want to ask you and then each of the fellows to talk about this as well. Are you also engaging with civil society in these various countries? And has there been a discussion within the fellows and also with – at the State Department, at the Administration, about how civil society – human rights organizations, humanitarian organizations – fit into the idea of YALI, and then how they will play a role in this future that you’re talking about building?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Yeah. Civil society is a huge component of our engagement on the continent of Africa. We support vibrant and strong human rights organizations and civil society organizations in countries, and we’ve engaged with African leaders across the board about the importance of supporting civil society. And as you know, a component of the YALI program is civil society building. There are a number of fellows who are here to build their capacity on how to work in communities and promote civil society. So again, I think that’s going to be an important component for them when they return.

MS. HUGHES: And Sylvie, would you like to weigh in?

MS. TOUGOUMA: Yeah. I would like to mention that right here, we are making lot of connection, and especially at UVA and William and Mary. We are working with the Presidential Precinct, which is a consortium of the two first universities of Virginia and the three home of the founding fathers. And it’s a big network that connecting us with many teachers, member, leader of organizations. And we have been planning of what we are going to do after the fellowship. And even last week, we have a post – some posts in the Presidential Precinct network looking for some fellows to apply for some research at the Monticello architectural site.

And I think there is a future for the YALI program. It’s – institute is not the end. And I think we will be measure – measure it after the institute and not only during the institutes. We are making a lot of connection, and I think in six month, one years you are going to see the effects and the practical effects, and – I’m sure.

MS. HUGHES: So there’s a question that we got from the Google Hangout page from a young woman. She’s 16. Madeleine Barrett (ph), she’s from Washington D.C. And she asks – she says that it seems that many young people in the U.S. tend to think of Africa as one country, rather than individual countries with their own separate governments. Why do you think that is, and how do you think countries in Africa interact with each other? Do most African countries have good international relations with one another, and what can be done to improve international relations between different African countries?

MS. PREMPEH: Okay, if I can just answer that. I think that last week we had a meeting with the university president, and he asked us what our experience has been like. And the first thing I said was that I thought it was only in the movies that people thought Africa was one big country. But I think that is the beauty of this cultural exchange. It’s not just we learning from Americans, but Americans learning from us. There is a very component of our program, which is community service. And at first we didn’t quite understand why and the form it took, but the first time we went to a park there was a girls’ empowerment summer camp going on. And we got to interact with them, and they asked questions about Africa, like, “Do you speak African?” And it’s an opportunity for us to explain that there are so many countries in Africa with their own unique identities. So we are enjoying it. We are enjoying learning about America, and we are enjoying teaching people about the beautiful diversity and all the good things that are in Africa.

And yes, I think that there is a promising future for international relations between Africa as a continent, not as a country, and the rest of the world. Like President Obama said when he came to Africa – I think that was his first sub-Saharan visit, when came to Ghana. He said that what – in the 21st century, the future of the world is not going to be determined by what happens in Rome or Moscow or Washington. It’s also going to depend on what happens in Accra. The world is a global village now, and what affects one part affects the other.

MR. ALONGE: Okay. I find this question quite interesting, because last week we were discussing in the library for African-Americans, and one thing I noticed is that most young Americans actually know quite a lot about the continent. In fact, just two days ago I was speaking with a young lady – she’s aged 19 years – and she was reading out to me off the top of her head over 30 countries in Africa. So it appears people who actually think as Africa as one country seem to be over a certain age. Most young Americans are actually quite aware about the continent.

Also, as to her question as to how Africans relate with one another, I would come to it from the point of trade. It’s well known that Africa is a market of one billion people, but less than 10 percent of its trade is between African countries. If you look at China, over one billion people, India, most of Asia and Europe, and even the North America states, what you see is that trades amongst these continents is – within these continents is over 30 percent on average. So it’s something that she has identified very well. Africans are not trading well with one another. We prefer to import and trade with Asia and the other more advanced economies. And it’s actually an imperative for the African Union and all our political leaders to begin to bring down the barriers to trade across the continent. We need to be able to promote the economic – the regional economic groups across the continent, from the SADC to ECOWAS, so that we can integrate more and achieve scale economies for the various businesses located on the continent.

And one thing I always tell people, the reason why we see a lot of conflict in Africa is because we don’t trade with one another. There’s no reason why I would want to harm somebody who accounts for most of my income. So the more trade we have, the more stability we will see across the continent. So I must say thank you to the young lady who asked that question.

MS. HUGHES: Great. So we are just about out of time. I wanted to see if Sylvie wanted to say something as well.

MS. TOUGOUMA: Yes. I think that this young girl raised an important questions, and what came in mind is that this question called for African unity, African union. Because for a long time, our leaders are trying to come together, and I think it’s time for our leaders to break barriers between our countries and to work like United States. We can be united without conformity. I took the example of the United States’ 50-state model – 50 states, but they are together. And I really think that’s – it’s a call. This question of the young lady is a call of unity between African countries.

MS. HUGHES: Great. If Assistant Secretary Ryan and Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield would like to say a few closing remarks, that would be great.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you so much. This has been really exciting for me, and we’ve looked forward to this program for a long time. To be able to be on a Google Hangout right now with four of our fellows who are actually at the academic institutions makes it all the more exciting. And I just think it’s really wonderful to hear how it’s resonated with everyone, because our idea through this fellowship is to really offer the best that we have to offer in the United States, and that for the fellowship, it’s our academic institutions. And it sounds like you’ve had really wonderful experiences at your universities, and robust discussions about challenges that you all face and ways that we can all work together.

And the other thing that I think is so interesting to hear is this idea of how not only has this experience of the academic institutions been very fulfilling, but also this chance to network with Africans from other countries and to really network with one another. When you do return to your countries at home, to be able to have this network of connections from people all over the continent we hope will be as helpful as our continued work with you in terms of the embassies and our alumni. So I just think that this for us has been really heartening to hear, that we think all of our goals in terms of what this is offering – it seems like we’re right on track with you. So we just wanted to thank you all for your hard work and your participation in this program, because it really is exciting to listen to you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: And let me also thank you as well. Thank you for helping me get through my first Google Hangout experience. I’m looking forward to the next one. But I have just been really impressed by everything that all of you have said, and one of – the last conversation on the fact that you are also advocating in America for Africa, because my job as Assistant Secretary for African Affairs is made doubly difficult because Americans don’t know a lot about Africa. They see the bad things. So you have been great ambassadors for the continent in the communities that you are living in, to share your experiences, to share your knowledge with the communities about Africa. And I don’t think we realized that you were going to have that impact as well.

So again, I want to thank you; I want to encourage you. I will look forward to meeting all of you when I visit your countries over the next year. I know that you are on an exciting adventure and that your futures are bright, and that the continent is bright because of you. Thank you.

MS. HUGHES: And I would like to thank both Assistant Secretary Ryan and Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield and all of the fellows for participating, as well as all of you who have logged on and watched. If we did not get to your question, feel free to continue to submit them, and someone at the State Department will get back to you with an answer. Thanks so much for joining this Google Hangout on the YALI Network, and it’s been really fun.