Saturday, December 25, 2021

Be An Author Challenge (Part 18) – The Story of Christmas


Christmas celebration started as far back as 9th century in Rome around 336.

In Ancient Rome, there was a feast called Saturnalia – the celebration of god of Saturn which happens during the winter Solstice of the year.

Saturnalia was a major celebration by the non-Jewish people (pagans or gentiles), and it is associated with giving sacrifice to the god of Saturn and merrymaking. Gifts were also shared among worshippers and different events.

When Christianity became a dominant religion in Roman Empire, Emperor Domitian (AD 51-96) agreed with Christians to have celebration of Christ birth during the Saturnalia, and December 25th was fixed – since Saturnalia was already a popular festival in the city of Rome. There were other theories that proposed different dates and events.

Since then, Christmas (Christ mass) has become a major celebration and festive period for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus and share gifts, light candles, sing carols songs, decorate the house and share lovely memories among families and friends.

Though, there were controversies about when Jesus was born and the validity of celebrating the Christmas, many Christians believe that the primary purpose of celebrating Christmas is to believe that God came into this world in the form of man (Jesus) to atone for the sins of the world, so that man can be saved and receive eternal life.

People all over the world now celebrate Christmas, including Christians and non-Christians, and it is usually announced as public holidays in most countries.

Church attendance generally increases during Christmas season and people generally become more humane and generous towards one another during this season.

The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus. Green symbolizes eternal life. And gold symbolizes royalty.

The Christmas tree is a significant part of Christmas celebration and it was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century. He later spread it around the world. Christmas lights, banners, cards, bells, candles, songs and of course foods are all part of the traditional elements of celebrating Christmas.

Charles Dickens, a great novelist during Victorian era, was the man credited for making Christmas special as we know it today. He published a book in 1843, titled – A Christmas Carol, which instantly became a best-seller. The book changed people’s view about Christmas and made them express more love and kindness to one another and also see it as a good time to celebrate with families and friends.


The book story was chronicled in the 2017 movie The man who invented Christmas.

Do have A Merry Christmas and A Wonderful Weekend!

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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Be An Author Challenge (Part 17) – How A Boy Changed the World By Building A Water Well


Here is a boy who has a big heart for people. Ryan Hreljac was a young Canadian boy who decided to change the story of nations by his simple deed. He was in class one day, and his teacher was teaching about the importance of water and how many people in underdeveloped nations are suffering from lack of clean water.

Ryan was stunned to hear that, knowing fully well that clean water was never a problem for them where they live. But he didn’t stop there. The story touched him and he began to think about what he could do. He started saving little money from his pocket money that his parents gave him. And he was also doing extra work to earn more money.

Then, he found out how much it could cost to build a well in a village in Uganda. He was told seventy dollars. But later found out it would be two thousand dollars. He was shocked, but never discouraged. He turned to his families and neighbors for support, and they helped him raised enough money to build the well. 

Not long after, the well was built and the people in the village started drinking good water. Little or nothing did Ryan know that his simple deed had already sensitized the public. Many people were asking who did this project and how could they support. Before he knew it, this simple act has become a charity organization and started receiving donations and supports from individuals and businesses. Government of Canada soon later got to know about it and contributed their own quota.




Many children and adults also got challenged and started thinking of how they could also help with solving the world’s water problem, especially in developing countries.

With more donations and commitments, more wells were built in Uganda and the news about Ryan circulated the entire country. Not long enough, this spread to other African countries, and by the time the project was eleven years, it has already built over 800 wells and 1100 latrines in sixteen African countries, and it has benefited over 750,000 people.

The charity has now become an international organization that sees to making provision for good water supply in developing nations and advocating for sanitized environment.

Ryan, the visioneer of this great project, has received several awards, honors, medals, and have met with great world leaders and celebrities, and has had his transformational message featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Ryan was a humble, yet brilliant guy who could commit himself to sacrificing for other people while changing the narrative of many African nations. He was six years old when he built his first well with two thousand dollars and now he's thirty years old, and has grossed over six million dollars. When he was asked about his accomplishments, he said – “I’m just your regular, average kid.” Showing his humility and simplicity.

And here are some of his words- "I know that I am lucky because I was born in a country that has lots of clean water. This world belongs to all of us. I pray for clean water for not just my family, but for every single family on earth." Such an inspiring word from a young boy!

Ryan has continued to inspire more people to act and solve problems in their local and immediate environments, and has made his vision and projects increased globally by leaps and bounds.

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Saturday, December 11, 2021

Be An Author Challenge (Part 16) — The Woman Who Changed the Story of Women


Ellen Johnson Sirleaf —Maybe you’ve heard her name before. Maybe her songs have been sung in your ears sometimes ago. But this woman is a force to reckon with, an epitome of fairness and prudence. She was the first female President Africa would ever produce, and to attain that position wasn’t easy. She struggled her way through, with all the negative opposition forces trying to pull her back.

You know the challenges we have in Africa about women and leadership, this woman stood tall and changed the narrative about women in leadership. She brought unity, education, reforms, and transformation in Liberia.

You would think she started off life as a politically-inclined career woman, but no, she did not. She married at the age of seventeen and had four sons. She had to continue her education, even as a married woman. She juggled going to school with taking care of her children. When she finished her education, she entered into politics.

It’s not hard to know women who are agents of change— they are not satisfied with the status quo and don’t mind changing it. They can go as far as taking the helm of leadership and unseat injustice and inequality.

Her fairness to justice was revealed when she refused to take the legislative position they claimed she won from an unfair election. She called for the election rerun but the authority refused. So she decided not to take that position. She kept pushing and vying for opportunity to serve her country. 


Meanwhile, she had a big goal in mind, she wanted to become the number one citizen in the country. She has been unsatisfied with the way government is being run and so many things that needed to be fixed especially the issue of disunity and breakdown during and after the civil wars. She was also discontented with the issue of discrimination against women. She set up different organizations and institutions that cater for women care and empowerment, and justice for women and gender equality.

After losing couple of times, in 2005, she was elected as the first female president of Liberia and in the entire Africa. She brought reforms in both government and the lives of people. She settled most of the nation’s debts, gave free education, and increased foreign relations. She enacted freedom of speech act and fundamental human rights. She was awarded a Nobel peace price in 2011. And few days after the award, she was re-elected as the President for the 2nd term in office.

In June 2016, during her 2nd term in office, she was elected as the Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), making her the first woman to hold that position since it was created in May, 1975.

She has been named as one of the most powerful women in the world, and also one of the best leaders in the world.

In 2018, she founded the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development. An organization targeted at developing and empowering women in Africa for global impact.

She has received several awards and honors and her impact will continue to be felt all across Africa and indeed, the world.

She wrote a book titled — This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of A Remarkable Life By Africa’s First Woman President (Published 2010).

Reference: Online Resources 

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Saturday, December 4, 2021

Be An Author Challenge (Part 15) –The Story of An Exceptional Woman


Despite being born into poverty and things were difficult for her family, Wangari Maathai, was the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She was known for the Green Belt Movement; a movement that is focused on reforestation and environmental protection. Wangari faced many challenges in her bid to make this vision true.

The government, organizations, and individuals opposed her. They said her idea was too primitive and not what the country needs. But it eventually worked. Her work became recognized internationally, and made her to receive several awards.

Her goal was not only on environmental protection, but also on political freedom, women rights and nation building. She fought against tyranny in government and was arrested many times by the government and was accused of treason and inciting the public.


Despite the fact that she was divorced by her husband and was being defamed, she didn’t let that stop her. She moved on to fighting for all that she believed. She spearheaded many organizations and parties for coalition against the ruling party of the government of Kenya. In her bid to change the narrative of the country, she ran for the seat of the parliament and lost many times before she eventually won.

She became the first woman in Kenya to achieve that feat. Not only that, she was also the first woman in East Africa to earn a PhD and hold many public and political positions in the country.

Her resilience and focus-mindedness had nothing to be compared with. She left a good legacy of national reformation and environmental protection. The latter has been practiced and institutionalized in many nations around the world. She received several awards and honors before and after her death, and her name has become immortalized. 

She wrote several books including 1. The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience, 2. Unbowed: A Memoir, 3. Reclaiming rights and resources women, poverty and environment, 4. The Challenge for Africa, 5. Replenishing the Earth, and so on. She died in the year 2011 at the age of 71.

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