Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

Jonathan Demme, director of The Silence of the Lambs, dies at 73

{Jonathan Demme, the Oscar-winning director of The Silence of the Lambs, has died in New York at the age of 73.}

His publicist confirmed he died from complications from oesophageal cancer.

Born in 1944, Demme’s other features included Philadelphia, Something Wild and the Talking Heads documentary Stop Making Sense.

Tom Hanks, who won an Oscar for his performance in Philadelphia, told the Press Association Demme was “the grandest of men”.

He said: “Jonathan taught us how big a heart a person can have, and how it will guide how we live and what we do for a living.”

Demme’s own Oscar was for best director for The Silence of the Lambs in 1992.
The second film to feature serial killer Hannibal Lecter, it is one of only three films to win the so-called “big five” Oscars.

As well as best director, the 1991 film was named best picture, won a screenplay prize and saw both of its lead actors honoured.

Demme also steered Mary Steenburgen to a best supporting actress Oscar for his 1980 film Melvin and Howard.

In recent years he worked with Anne Hathaway on Rachel Getting Married and directed Meryl Streep in both Ricki and the Flash and his 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

His most recent film, Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids, showed Timberlake in concert in 2015.

{{Tributes flowed in from the film world:}}

British actress Thandie Newton, who worked with him on Beloved and The Truth About Charlie, said she was “deeply saddened” by his passing.

Fellow film-maker Barry Jenkins, who directed the Oscar-winning Moonlight, wrote: “Met tons through the Moonlight run but my man Demme was the kindest, most generous. A MASSIVE soul. He lived in love. And rests in peace.”

Director Jim Jarmusch wrote: “Inspiring filmmaker, musical explorer, ornithologist (!), and truly wonderful and generous person.”

Author Stephen King tweeted: “Deeply sad to hear my friend, neighbor, and colleague Jonathan Demme has passed on. He was one of the real good guys. I miss you, buddy.”

Elijah Wood, star of the Lord of the Rings films, tweeted that he was “sad to hear” of the director’s death.

Edgar Wright, the British director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, said: “Admired his movies, his documentaries, his concert films. He could do anything.”

In a statement, the director’s publicist said: “Sadly, I can confirm that Jonathan passed away early this morning in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by his wife, Joanne Howard, and three children.

“He died from complications from oesophageal cancer and is survived by his children Ramona, age 29, and her husband James Molloy, Brooklyn, age 26, and Jos, age 21.
“There will be a private family funeral. Any possible further plans will be announce later.

“In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Americans For Immigrant Justice in Miami, FL [Florida].”

Born Robert Jonathan Demme on New York’s Long Island, Demme began his directing career working for famed producer Roger Corman.

His earliest credits included Caged Heat, a thriller set in a women’s prison, and Crazy Mama, a road movie starring Cloris Leachman.

Source:BBC

April 27, 2017
South Africa’s Jacob Zuma down but not quite out

{The last year has been a bumpy one for South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. Mr Zuma has appeared to veer from one crisis to another. The latest being the negative effect to the economy after the controversial sacking of his internationally respected finance minister. Yet as the BBC’s Alastair Leithead finds he is far from out.}

South Africa is in for a rough ride as the ruling African National Congress prepares to choose President Jacob Zuma’s successor.

His critics want him to resign or be dismissed well before the next election in 2019, either through a vote of no confidence in parliament, or with ANC action.

But the party of struggle is protecting a president who is clinging on, despite corruption scandals, criticism from the constitutional court and street protests demanding he must fall.

So what’s the future of President Zuma and how will that impact South Africa?

On the immediate horizon is the vote of no confidence.

Demanded by the opposition and originally scheduled for just after Easter, the vote has been postponed pending a Constitutional Court decision.

The country’s top judges will decide whether the MPs’ ballot should be secret.

If it is, ANC MPs might worry less about their jobs and more about their consciences, and the long term future of the party.

This will be the fifth time Mr Zuma will face such a vote and it would take a big revolt within the ruling party for him to be sacked.

While cracks are opening, the formidable ANC machinery is once again rallying behind the president.

“Thank you comrade president,” the ANC’s deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte told the crowd at his 75th birthday party in Soweto a fortnight ago.

“Thank you for the dignity you have shown in the face of many, many years of being insulted for who you are and what you stand for,” she said, to cheers and applause.
But who exactly does President Zuma stand for?

Is it the poor and struggling masses the ANC has a commitment to help, or is his leadership more about enriching himself and his close supporters?

It all depends on who you ask.

There have been a series of corruption scandals and allegations of so-called state capture by the wealthy Indian-born business brothers – the Guptas – who are seen as having undue influence over politics and procurement deals.

The Guptas, deny having undue influence or benefitting from close ties with the President’s family.

But talk to people in President Zuma’s heartland in rural KwaZulu-Natal and the support for their man is unwavering.

“Those who say he should step down? Nooooo,” a woman at a local clinic said, a small baby tied to her back.

“Everyone does corruption. Everyone. Even I do corruption. Let’s just leave him until he stands down,” she said.

President Zuma is due to be replaced as leader of the ANC at a big party conference in December.

If the party goes on to win the 2019 election, the presidency is then handed to the anointed successor.

An ANC win has never seriously been in question, but the ever increasing criticism of President Zuma and the ANC’s falling support in last year’s municipal elections must at least be making senior figures nervous.

“To us he is an innocent man, he is a champion for economic transformation of this country,” said Thanduxolo Sabelo, the ANC Youth League provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal.

“President Zuma represents the majority of the people in this country who remain in poverty whom we believe, as our champion, will be able to uplift us from poverty.”

The rhetoric is now “radical economic transformation” to remove “white minority capital”.

While land reform is overdue, calls of “take back the land” and the president describing white South Africans as racists are popular rallying calls.

Some critics believe he is hanging on, despite the pressure and the street protests, because he wants to be able to influence the decision on who will replace him.

“The gracious thing for him to do right now is to be asked to be relieved of his duties,” said Sheila Sisulu, the daughter-in-law of anti-apartheid hero Walter Sisulu.

She is one of the struggle stalwarts who have publically raised concerns over corruption among some ANC leaders.

“I think there are a lot of vested interests around him,” she said, referring to more than 780 charges a court is deciding whether to reinstate against the president.

“He needs to play for time so that his successor, if he is successful in anointing one, would be willing to delay or protect or deflect the charges.”

Perhaps the most poignant symbol of this loss of faith among the ANC old guard was at the recent funeral of anti-apartheid hero Ahmed Kathrada.

A year before his death Mr Kathrada had written an open letter calling for the president to resign and had asked Mr Zuma not attend the burial.

Former President Kgalema Motlanthe read out that letter, over his coffin, which was draped in an ANC flag.

It would be expected that many of Mr Zuma’s opponents want to see him leave now, but even some of his allies criticised his sacking of respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan at the end of last month.

That act led the country’s credit rating to be downgraded to junk status.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has recently ramped up his criticism of the president, calling for a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture.

He has unofficially launched his bid for the presidency, to keep up with the president’s ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who already appears to be on the campaign trail.
To add to the problems, cracks are appearing in the tripartite alliance – made up of the South African Communist Party (SACP), the ANC and the trades union federation, Cosatu – which has run the country since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The SACP has taken a strong stand against the president; Cosatu was also critical, but has recently gone quiet; but the top echelons of the ANC have simply closed ranks.

Critics say it is because they are all entrenched in the system and have too much to lose.

At his birthday party there was no doubt President Zuma still oozes charisma.
Singing a rousing solo, dancing on stage and delivering a long and passionate speech in Zulu he is appealing to his base.

As long as he keeps the core support of the party, and his people, it seems unlikely any vote of no confidence will succeed or that he will be leaving a moment before his time is up.

Source:BBC

April 27, 2017
Uganda’s Punishment Island: ‘I was left to die on an island for getting pregnant’

{Unmarried girls who got pregnant used to be seen as bringing shame to their families in parts of Uganda, so they were taken to a tiny island and left to die. The lucky ones were rescued, and one of them is still alive. The BBC’s Patience Atuhaire tracked her down.}

“When my family discovered that I was pregnant, they put me in a canoe and took me to Akampene [Punishment Island]. I stayed there without food or water for four nights,” says Mauda Kyitaragabirwe, who was aged just 12 at the time.

“I remember being very hungry and cold. I was almost dying.”

On the fifth day a fisherman came along and said he would take her home with him.
“I was a bit sceptical. I asked him whether he was tricking me and wanted to throw me into the water.

“But he said: ‘No. I am taking you to be my wife.’ So he brought me here,” she reflects fondly, seated on a simple chair on the veranda of the house she shared with her husband.

She lives in the village of Kashungyera, just a 10-minute boat trip across Lake Bunyonyi from Punishment Island, which is actually just a patch of waterlogged grass.

At first, Ms Kyitaragabirwe was unsure how to greet me until Tyson Ndamwesiga, her grandson and a tour guide, told her that I spoke the local Rukiga language.

Her face cracked into a nearly toothless smile. She held my arm from the elbow, in the tight grip that the Bakiga people usually reserve for long-lost relatives.

The slender-built Ms Kyitaragabirwe walks with steady steps and estimates that she is in her eighties, but her family believes she is much older.

She was born before birth certificates were common in this part of Uganda so it is impossible to be sure.

“She used to have a voter’s registration card from just before Uganda’s independence [in 1962]. That is what we used to count backwards. We think she’s around 106,” says Mr Ndamwesiga.

In traditional Bakiga society, a young woman could only get pregnant after marriage. Marrying off a virgin daughter meant receiving a bride price, mostly paid with livestock.

An unmarried pregnant girl was seen as not only bringing shame to the family, but robbing it of much-needed wealth. Families used to rid themselves of the “shame” by dumping pregnant girls on Punishment Island, leaving them to die.

Because of the remoteness of the area, the practice continued even after missionaries and colonialists arrived in Uganda in the 19th Century and outlawed it.
Most people at the time – especially girls – did not know how to swim. So if a young woman was dumped on the island, she had two options – jump into the water and drown, or wait to die from the cold and hunger.

I asked Mrs Kyitaragabirwe if she was scared. She tilts her head to one side, frowning, and fires back:

“I must have been about 12 years old. If you’re taken from your home to an island where no-one else lives, in the middle of the lake, wouldn’t you be scared?”

In another part of the region, present-day Rukungiri District, pregnant girls would be thrown off a cliff at Kisiizi Falls.

Legend has it that it was not until one of them dragged her brother down with her that families stopped pushing their daughters to their deaths.

No-one ever survived Kisiizi Falls. But a number of girls are said to have survived Punishment Island, thanks to young men who could not afford to pay a bride price.
Marrying girls from the island meant a dowry-free wife.

After her husband took her to his home in the village of Kashungyera, Ms Kyitaragabirwe became a subject of curiosity and gossip.

Over the decades, she has become a tourist attraction – her home a regular stop for tourists on the trail of the history of the area.

While discussing her life story, she often stopped talking and starred at her hands contemplatively.

At other times, like when I asked how she lost her eye, she was quite evasive, instinctively raising her hand to touch it.

The touchiest subject seemed to be the fate of the baby she was pregnant with when she was left to die.

“The pregnancy was still quite young. I never had the baby. Back then you could not fight back to defend yourself. If you did, they would beat you up,” she says, lifting her head-wrap from her lap to wipe her face.

Even though she did not say it outright, I understood what she meant – she was beaten up and had a miscarriage.

Punishing girls – know in the local language as Okuhena, from which the island draws its local name Akampene – was an age-old practice. And Ms Kyitaragabirwe would have known about the consequences of a pregnancy.

“I had heard about other girls that had been taken to Punishment Island, although not anyone close to me. So, it seems I was also tempted by Satan,” she chuckles.
She never saw or heard from the man who led her down “Satan’s path”. However, she had heard, many years ago, that he had died.

Of her husband, James Kigandeire, who died in 2001, she said: “Oh, he loved me! He really looked after me.

“He said: ‘I picked you up from the wilderness, and I am not going to make you suffer’.

“We had six children together. We stayed in this home together until he died.”

And while it took decades, she was finally reconciled with her family.

She smiled and said: “After I became a Christian I forgave everyone, even my brother who had rowed me in the canoe. I would go home to visit my family, and if I met any of them I would greet them.”

Ms Kyitaragabirwe is believed to be the last woman who was dumped on the island, with the practice having died out after Christianity and government became stronger in the region.

Still, unmarried pregnant women were frowned upon for many years.

Condemning this attitude, Ms Kyitaragabirwe said: “I have three daughters. If any of them had got pregnant before they were married, I wouldn’t blame them or punish them.

“I know it can happen to any woman. If a young woman got pregnant today, she would come to her father’s house and be taken care of. The people who carried out such practices were blind.”

Source:BBC

April 27, 2017
The draw for group stage of the Confederation Cup is completed

{TP Mazembe of DR Congo face trips to South Africa, Guinea and Gabon as they bid to defend their Confederation Cup title.}

The five-time African champions have been draw in a pool with SuperSport United, Horoya and Mounana in the expanded group stage.

Three-time winners CS Sfaxien of Tunisia will face South Africa’s Platinum Stars, debutants Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland and Mouloudia Alger from Algeria.

Moroccan side FUS Rabat, who won the tournament in 2010, face two sides making the debuts in the group stages in Rivers United of Nigeria and Uganda’s KCCA.

The group is completed by Tunisia’s Club Africain, who were crowned continental champions in 1991 and runners-up in this competition 20 years later.

{{African Confederation Cup}}

{{Group A Group B}}

FUS Rabat (Morocco) CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
Club Africain (Tunisia) Platinum Stars (South Africa)
Rivers Utd (Nigeria) Mouloudia Alger (Algeria)
KCCA (Uganda) Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)

{{Group C Group D}}

Zesco Utd (Zambia) TP Mazembe (DR Congo, holders),
Recreativo Libolo (Angola), SuperSport Utd (South Africa)
Al Hilal Obeid (Sudan) Horoya (Guinea)
Smouha (Egypt) CF Mounana (Gabon)

Rivers United were the last team to qualify for the group stage with a 2-0 aggregate win over Rayon Sports after a goalless draw in Rwanda on Saturday.

The first leg of the tie was postponed due to the the commemorations for the genocide in Rwanda.

First group matches due to be played on the weekend of 12-14 May.

The top two from each group will progress to the quarter-finals with the final set to be played over two legs in November.

Source:BBC

April 27, 2017
DR Congo: UN seeks $64 million to tackle humanitarian crisis in Kasaï region

{The United Nations has appealed for $64.5 million to respond to the urgent needs of 731,000 people over the next six months in the Kasaï region, the latest “humanitarian hotspot” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).}

“The Kasaï crisis is an acute crisis of massive proportions in a country that is already going through one of the world’s most relentlessly acute humanitarian emergencies,” the Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC, Mamadou Diallo, said in Kinshasa.

“We are facing a new challenge that requires additional resources to respond to the needs of thousands of displaced people and host families as our current capacities are being outstripped,” he added.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than one million people are estimated to be currently displaced as the violence started in Kasaï Central and rippled across neighboring Kasaï, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami and Sankuru provinces.

Currently some 40 national and international humanitarian organizations are working across the five provinces to respond to the crisis, which was borne out of armed clashes that erupted in August 2016 between the Congolese army and a local militia group.

The appeal launched today will provide water, food, medicines and health services, basic household items, and provide protection services, among others, to minors, women who have suffered sexual violence, and other civilians who have been victim of violence.

In Kasaï Central province alone, the current humanitarian needs are 400 per cent above what humanitarian actors had planned for earlier this year.

“An effective response requires that new and fresh funding be allocated as humanitarian actors cannot afford to take away from their current operations in the eastern provinces to support the Kasaï crisis,” Mr. Diallo said.

More than four months into the year, the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan only received $66 million, or less than 10 per cent of the overall $748 million appeal.

Source:UN News Centre

April 27, 2017
Uganda:Army appeal court frees five convicts over 2014 Kasese murder

{Five people who were convicted over murder in connection with the 2014 murders in Kasese District have been set free by the appeal army court.}

In 2015, the court martial sentenced to 25 years imprisonment a group of eleven people who were convicted of murder, unlawful use of military weapons and causing harm to the innocent people over Rwenzori ethnic attacks.

However, Court martial Court of Appeal last evening ordered for the release of five people; Mumbere Julius, Kisuki Joseph, Sowedi Bwambale, Robert Baluku and Sunlight Bwambale.

The three member panel chaired by Mr Elly Turyamubona, ruled that there were inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence against the quintet.

However, court ruled that the evidence which was produced during the trial only pinned the six people; Masereka Asuman, Baluku Robert aka Liverpool, Yeremiya Kikamba, Asiimwe Mpaka Shadrack and Mohammed Kibolerya.

Mr Turyamubona ordered that the six must serve the penalty as directed by the lower court.

The eleven people had appealed to the court martial appeal court challenging both sentence and conviction on grounds arguing that the General Court Martial had no jurisdiction to try them since they were civilians.

Through their lawyer, Sibendire Tayebwa from Center for Legal Aid had also challenged the court for considering evidence from the scene of crime it never physically visited thereby contravening Article 28 (5) of the constitution.

They also told the appeal court the evidence was full of inconsistencies and hence prosecution did not prove charges against them beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.

Mr Turyamubona ruled that Section 119(1) of the UPDF Act provides that a person can be tried in the court martial on accusations of using guns of which the army has monopoly to control.

“Possession of fire arms was proved by the prosecution witnesses therefore court had jurisdiction to try the appellants,” court ruled.

Court records show that the eleven were among the 57 people who were arrested for attacking policemen guarding a weigh bridge along Kasese-Mbarara High way in Kasese District in July 2014.

Court heard that during the attack the group was armed with spears and machetes among weapons.

Source:Daily Monitor

April 27, 2017
President frees over 2,000 from prison, courtesy Union amnesty

{President John Magufuli yesterday pardoned 2,219 prisoners on the occasion of the 53rd Anniversary of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, marked at national level at the Jamhuri Stadium in the designated capital of Dodoma. Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Maj. Gen.}

Projest Rwegasira, said in a statement yesterday that the pardon was in line with powers vested on the president through Article 45 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania.

“The government hopes that the freed prisoners will return to the community and work with other citizens to build the nation and that they will avoid committing crimes that will send them back to incarceration,” the PS remarked in the statement.

Prisoners to benefit from the amnesty are those suffering from cancer, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and whose conditions are in terminal stage; these will have to be verified by a panel of medical doctors to be chaired either by district or regional medical officers.

Elderly people at 70 years of age and above are also eligible for the pardon, but their age will have be confirmed by a panel of medical doctors to be chaired by either DCO or RCO, the statement explained.

Another group involved those who after the normal reduction of a third of their sentences provided under Section 49 (1) of the Prisons Act Chapter 58, should have served at least a half of their remaining time, save for those mentioned in Article 2 (i-xxi).

Female convicts who were imprisoned while pregnant, lactating or with children have also been enjoined in this ‘presidential mercy’ by Dr Magufuli – whose amnesty also extends to prisoners with mental and physical disabilities – but who will be subjected to medical examinations by doctors as indicated in such other groups above. However, condemned convicts or whose sentences were reduced to life imprisonment and those serving life in jail will not be covered under this pardon.

The same applies to prisoners who were convicted for trafficking narcotics, corruption and robbery with violence in addition to armed robbery and attempt robbery.

According to the statement, Maj. Gen. Rwegasira mentioned the other group not eligible for freedom as the ones convicted on charges related to possession of firearms, ammunitions and explosives. The statement went on to cite the other prisoners not eligible for the pardon as rapists, defilers and those who attempted such crimes or sexual assault.

“Convicts who were imprisoned for impregnating girls in primary and secondary schools and who committed such crimes at the age of 18 and above will not be freed in the announced amnesty,” the statement explained.

Human traffickers, poachers and prisoners who were charged for possessing human body parts, embezzlers of public funds and recidivists have not been included as they are not eligible for the presidential pardon.

Source:Daily News

April 27, 2017
Kenya bans LPG onland imports from Tanzania

{Most of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers in the country are likely to be purchasing half-filled cylinders due to illegal gas refilling by dishonest traders.}

The government regulatory authorities and some dealers have confirmed to the Daily News that the problem was rampant in some areas in the country and that they are doing everything in their capacity to resolve it. As a result, such acts have since prompted the government of Kenya to ban the importation of gas from Tanzania through land routes.

On Monday, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy banned imports of cooking gas through the common border – on land only, for now. Kenyan Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau said traders will not be allowed to import gas via land borders to Kenya.

The move, according to Mr Kamau, is meant to eliminate illegal cooking gas filling plants which have popped up in various parts of Kenya, posing safety and security risks. Speaking to the ‘Daily News,’ one of gas dealers in the country who also supplies gas to neighbouring Kenya, said some dishonest traders had established illegal gas refilling stations along highways, too.

Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) Director General, Felix Ngamlagosi, told the Daily News that his office is aware of the problem and that it is dealing with it accordingly. He admitted that some dishonest traders were illegally refilling gas cylinders.

According to Mr Ngalamgosi, the practice poses safety and security risks and that it is against the Petroleum Act, 2015, which forbids gas filling without the approval of EWURA and other regulatory bodies. He said EWURA had been conducting inspections in various areas within the country from time to time to ensure there’s no illegal refilling or any practices contravening the law of the land.

The EWURA boss said illegal gas ‘dealers’ take the cylinders, fill them and return them into the market, adding that his office had since identified what it calls a “big filling station in Dar es Salaam.” “We are doing everything in our power to curb the situation, but we will only succeed if ‘wananchi’ support us in this war,” he said.

Mr Ngalamgosi asked the public to report anything related to the illegal gas refilling or any kind of criminality that involve gas business to Ewura or police so that immediate measures could be taken to curb the situation.

“I would like to call upon the public to support EWURA get to the bottom of this problem, illegal gas refilling is very dangerous … it can cause fires or any other hazards because the exercise takes place in unauthorised areas and without following safety measures,” he said.

He added that illegal refilling means disaster, especially so when the filling station running this dangerous business sits in the middle of residential areas. He asked the public to report any movements that involve trucks that carry gas cylinders for offloading in such stations. He said such illegal business denies the government millions of shillings in revenue.

Oryx gas Tanzania Marketing Manager, Mr Mohamed Mohamed said the banning of gas exportation to Kenya by Kenyan authority will in one way or another affect businesses. He said, however, that the Kenyan government measure must serve as a waking call to Tanzania authorities to find a lasting solution to illegal gas refilling in the country. He said some traders have been illegally refilling cylinders to make more profit.

He said the Kenyan government has decided to take action for interests of its people. “LPG is highly flammable and just a small leak or contact with a spark can cause an explosion, it’s very dangerous for the people and thus Kenyan government is trying to save its people from problems,” he said.

He added: “To make their business look legitimate, the gas is repackaged into branded cylinders to leverage off trusted brands before finding its way into the market through the backdoor.” He said the recent incident in which Ewura discovered an illegal filling station in Dar es Salaam, they found various cylinders with brands including oryx gas.

“So these people are killing our business, they use our brand to sell half-filled cylinders, this is unfair and unacceptable, therefore, we are asking the government to push more and make sure this bad practice is completely bunged,” said Mr Mohamed.

Source:Daily News

April 27, 2017
African fintech event to take place in Kigali

{The second edition of the Dot Finance Africa fintech conference will take place in Kigali, Rwanda on May 17-18, bringing together participants from more than 300 African financial institutions.}

The event made its debut in Nairobi, Kenya, last year, and will move to Kigali for 2017 as it aims to bring together the global fintech community.

Dot Finance Africa will bring together fintech influencers, innovators and industry leaders to define and shape the future of finance in Africa.

Keynote speakers include some of the biggest names in global fintech, such as Chris Skinner, David M Brear, Vladislav Solodokiy, Kosta Peric and Jon Matonis, with more than 50 international and regional speakers set to share insights on a wide range of subjects.

[African fintech event to take place in Kigali->http://disrupt-africa.com/2017/04/african-fintech-event-to-take-place-in-kigali/]

Source:Disrupt Africa

April 27, 2017
6 foods that can cause you to have bad mood

{There are healthy foods and there are unhealthy foods. There are foods that’ll boost your mood and also foods that will have bad effect on your mood.}

{{Below are some of those foods that can have a bad effect on your mood:}}

{{1. Processed meats }}

Foods with processed meats like hot dogs and sausages and the likes contain high levels of energy-sucking, mood-altering nitrates, food colorings, preservatives, and additives that could cause headaches, low moods and water retention (bloating). Foods like these are usually appealing but they don’t do much good to your health or your mood either.

{{2. Margarine }}

Margarine is another unhealthy choice of food that can dampen your mood. Margarine contains processed fats, which compared to natural-occurring fats causes insulin imbalances, mood swings, weight gain, and increase the risk of heart attacks.

{{3. Coffee }}

If you’re a coffee fan, then you ought to be careful with the number of cups of coffee you drink a day. Over consumption of caffeine could make you suffer the consequences of jitters, anxiety, accelerated heart rate, perspiration, lack of focus and major mood swings.

{{4. Sodas }}

Sodas are a go to option for many, especially when they need quick energy. The sugar in soda could cause a mood spike followed by a mood crash due to severely low blood sugar.

{{5. Sugar-free drinks }}

Many people opt for sugar free sodas and the lot with the hope of avoiding fat and consuming less sugar. However, these drinks contain additives and aspartame that aren’t much better than sugary sodas. A sugar-free drink habit will likely lead to weight gain in the long run and the mood swings will then be back again.

{{6. Donuts and other baked foods }}

These ‘delicious’ and yet deceptive foods contain fast-burning carbohydrates, the kind that cause a quick spike in blood sugar and a dramatic sugar crash shortly after, which affects your focus, energy, and causes equally dramatic mood swings.

So can you now examine why you just get mood swings for no cause. Your diet could be a huge part of the reason.

Source:Science Daily

April 27, 2017