Author: IGIHE

{Entrenching its position in Sub-Saharan Africa as a leading hospitality provider in the region, [Marriott International->www.Marriott.com] bagged two major hotel category awards at the Business Traveler Africa Awards for 2017, recently held in Cape Town. }

Voted as the Best Business Hotel Group and The Best International Hotel Group in South Africa the hospitality giant has been recognized for its strong footprint, quality and consistency of service, and range of business facilities provided across its portfolio.

“To win top honors at the coveted Business Traveler Awards 2017 in two categories is indeed a commendable achievement and a tribute to the commitment of our teams and associates who dedicate themselves to delivering the highest standards of service and strive to make every guest stay memorable,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “I am extremely proud of our teams and dedicate this award to their hard work and dedication.”

According to Volker Heiden, VP of Protea Hotels by Marriott, Marriott International, Middle East and Africa, “We are thrilled with this recognition which underpins the goals we have set for ourselves. Our strong presence in South Africa is demonstrated through the popular Protea Hotels by Marriott brand. We have focused on providing consistency in what we offer both in services as well as in the facilities together with value for money and we are truly glad that our guests have recognized and appreciated this. In the light of stiff competition, the value of our loyalty program and our diverse portfolio of brands gives us a competitive edge.”

This year’s Business Traveler Africa Conference & Awards is the 6th annual event. It is an initiative of the Future Group, held in association with Business Traveler Africa magazine. Nominations are sourced from various travel bodies and, this year, a board of experienced travel professionals was involved in the selection of the winners.

The Business Traveler Africa Awards is a further endorsement of the extensive industry recognition enjoyed by Protea Hotels by Marriott, which has previously won the World Travel Award for the Best Hotel Group in Africa, the Sunday Times Markinor Top Hotel Brand Award, and the Sunday Times Generation Next Award for the Coolest Hotel Brand. Marriott International also operates Marriott Hotels, Sheraton and Westin in South Africa.

{Rwanda’s total number of active mobile phone subscriptions increased to 8.37 million in June from 8.35 million in May, industry regulator, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority’s Active Mobile report for June indicates. This shows an increase of 0.19 percent compared to the total number of active mobile telephone subscribers in May. This rise pushed up Rwanda’s mobile penetration rate slightly to 72.58 percent from 72.45 percent over the month, RURA indicates. }

The growth was due to the positive records by all the three telecom firms MTN, Tigo and Airtel, which that gained marginally in June compared to the 0.28 decline in May. The total number of active subscribers for both Tigo and Airtel was up by 0.29 percent to 3.26 million from 3.25 million subscribers (for Tigo).

Airtel’s customers rose from 1.58 million in May to 1.59 million in June, while MTN registered a 0.04 per cent growth to 3.52 million in June. Postpaid subscription increased from 118,853 at the end of May to 121,195 at the end of June, while prepaid users inched up from 8.23 million in May to 8.25 million in June, the RURA report shows.

{The newly appointed Trade and Industry Minister (MINICOM), Vincent Munyeshyaka has pledged to use all possible means to protect Rwanda’s interests in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which is a mechanism through which Rwanda exploits opportunities to freely access US market.}

Munyeshyaka made the remark during the handover ceremony as he was receiving the office symbols and reports from his predecessor Francois Kanimba where he promised that he will peruse AGOA agreements first before eventually embarking on its promotion and ensuring full benefits.

“What is essential is to clearly define our needs as a country and then align those needs with the opportunities so availed to strengthen trade between Africa and America” he said.

He noted that they will scrutinize the agreements and identify those areas that need further assessment in need of protecting government interests.

The outgoing Minister Francois Kanimba urged Munyeshyaka to continue supporting the agreements and promoting Rwandan interests in international trade.

{Each year the Dutch government grants scholarships to Rwandan students for studies in the Netherlands. The “class of 2017” was waved goodbye during a lively farewell dinner last week. }

Last Wednesday the 30th of August, around30 Rwandan young professionals gathered for a lively farewell dinner at the residence of Mr Pieter Dorst, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Kingdom of Netherlands in Kigali. The dinner was held to give them a formal send-off for their departure to the Netherlands, as they were granted a scholarship from the Dutch government. Each scholar will be studying for about a year at one of the leading academic institutes in the Netherlands.

In his farewell speech Mr Dorst addressed the responsibility they have to acquire important skills which will help Rwanda’s development. He said, “These are the students selected among many others from countries all over the world due to their performance. We advise them to study hard because it is not about leisure but they have an important task. They should remember that they are going to represent their country”.

The Head of Scholarship Department at the Rwanda Education Board, Mr Desire Gacinya confirmed this and asked the students to create strong networks while in The Netherlands, be good Rwandan ambassadors and keep up Rwandan values when there.

Each year the so-called NFP program of the Dutch government offers fellowships to Rwandan professionals for studies in the Netherlands. Though there’s no strict number of scholarships available for Rwanda, experience shows that 30 to 35Rwandan young professionals are able to obtain the grant. The Embassy emphasizes that there’s room for more, depending on the quality of the application. That’s why Mr Dorst and Mr Gacinya urged future applicants to get prepared in advance by striving to excel in their undergraduate studies because the scholarships are awarded to best performers only.

The chairman of the NFP Alumni Mr. Alfred Byigiro gave a brief speech on how he benefited from the program. He advised the 2017 NFP awardees to make this a learning experience but also to come back home and share the skills learnt and contribute to the country’s growth.

During the ceremony, the students were also shown a movie about the do’s and don’ts during their stay in the Netherlands.

{{About the NFP program}}

The Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP) aims to help reduce the shortage of skilled workers in countries like Rwanda. The NFP individual fellowships are available for specific Short courses, Master’s degree programs and Phd studies at participating Dutch Universities.NFP fellowships are awarded to highly motivated professionals and candidates have to be nominated by their employers. After completing their training the fellows return to their original workplace. This ensures the training is embedded within the employing organization.

Candidates improve their knowledge and skills, learn about relevant global developments in their field and build an international network. The result is twofold: the employing organization has directly invested in staff development and the professional has gained a valuable asset for their further career.

Eligible courses can be found in the study programs database at: www.studyfinder.nl. Please note that every institution might have a different procedure/requirements and deadlines so it’s very important to already start checking the university you want to consider, ahead of time and prepare all the necessary requirements.To be eligible for the NFP program you must have received admission from a Dutch higher education institution that offer NFP qualified programs/courses and Fellowship application deadlines are determined by the Dutch institutions.

{It can be hard to tell the difference between someone going to a funeral, preparing for the catwalk or simply taking a stroll in a big city. Each category can involve in an all-black ensemble.
}

Over the past 50 to 100 years, the color black has gone through a major transition, according to Leatrice Eiseman, color specialist and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Black has gradually made its way from being a color associated with grief and morbidity to one known as a fashion staple that radiates sophistication, she said.

“It has that kind of weight attached to it … that now brings a sense of power to the color … beyond just funerals and grief and widows’ weeds,” Eiseman said.

Today, people wear black as a mark of expensive clothing, to minimize the appearance of their size and to exude confidence, she said.

But the color’s link to gloom still emanates across cultures, for example in American and European mourning practices as well as in fictional depictions of evil — like a witch’s hat or the cape of the Grim Reaper. The origins of this are part of our evolution.
Black is “the color of night,” Eiseman said, “the color of darkness. The color that conceals all.”

{{We fear what we cannot see
}}

You’re alone at night, cozied up on the couch and watching a movie, with the room a well-lit enclosure; your safety is not in question. There is a gust of wind outside. The trees rattle and scrape against the window. You hear a loud fizzle, and the power goes out.

You’re now engulfed in pitch darkness, and for most people, fear is probably setting in.

“Fear is just like pain. Fear is there to protect us from possible harm,” said Martin Antony, professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto and author of “The Anti-Anxiety Workbook.” “So that fear makes us more vigilant for possible danger.”
Prehistorically, people would have been more at risk of being attacked by predators or by enemies when in the dark, he said. Through evolution, humans have therefore developed a tendency to be scared of darkness.

“In the dark, our visual sense vanishes, and we are unable to detect who or what is around us. We rely on our visual system to help protect us from harm,” Antony said. “Being scared of the dark is a prepared fear.”

Eiseman agreed that “the unknown” is an inherent association that humans make with the color black, as It prevents them from seeing distinct shapes and veils potential threats.

“How we see colors in nature has such an important effect on the human psyche,” she said. “And we know that from the beginning of time, black is the color of night, and it’s the color that could hide any nefarious deeds that might be perpetrated under the cover of darkness.”

This notion is imprinted on us from the time we’re children, she said. However, thanks to modern technology, we’re now able to turn on the light and continue to have fun even at night, she said.

But some never quite shake the fear.
{{
‘Excessive fears’}}

Though fear is natural, it may become an issue if it gets excessive, Antony highlighted.
Many of us may experience a strong fear while alone at night in a dangerous part of town, he said, but it’s not as common to feel that way in a dark bedroom.
Excessive fear of the dark can be caused by a variety of factors. It may come from a negative experience such as getting attacked in a dark place. Or it can be caused by something as simple as watching a horror movie, according to Antony.

This fear can then become a phobia — specifically known as nyctophobia — when it begins interfering with relationships, work or the ability to do things they want to do. If someone is unable to leave their house at night, that would probably be categorized as a phobia, Antony said.

Aids can include nightlights or leaving a door open to allow in light from elsewhere, partially restoring vision.

These are called “safety signals,” Antony said. Having a small light on or a friend in the room helps us feel protected and more grounded in reality.

Treatments are also available, including gradual exposure to the feared situation, Antony said. Professionals have their patients rank and order a list of situations they’re afraid of and then expose themselves to each fear until they’re no longer scared.

“If right now they’re sleeping with a nightlight, for example, we might have them buy a nightlight with a slightly dimmer bulb or one with a switch that’s variable,” he said.

But just as the color black can bring fear to most, it can provide security to others — particularly in terms of fashion.

“I think more people think of it as kind of an enveloping kind of color that they can pull around them that gives them a certain degree of security,” Eiseman said. “They can kind of fade into the shadows.”

In a way, there’s an ambivalence built into black, she added. It is up to the individual to either fear what lurks in the darkness or become one with it.

When taking a look at many women’s closets, most are likely to have embraced it.

“Every woman knows that having the black dress in the closet, the black shoes, the black coat, the black anything that we put on, it will work in just about any circumstance,” she said.

So one tip could be to beat your fear by stepping over to the dark side.

{Source: CNN}