Burkina Faso

We just learned about the country of Mali

Burkina Faso is a country on the north west part of the African continent.
The name of their country means honest people.

(from: wikipedia - burkina faso)

The flag of Burkina Faso has a red stripe above a green stripe, with a yellow star in the middle.
The red, green and yellow colors represent the continent of Africa all working together. They are called the Pan-African colors, and are found in some other African countries' flags.
The red is for the fight for freedom, the green for the riches from plants and land, and the yellow is the light of the fight for freedom.

(from: wikipedia - flag of burkina faso)

To drink in Burkina Faso you might have Bissap, which is like a tea made from flowers called Rosell.

(from: wikipedia - roselle (plant))

Ouagadougou (pronounced wah-gah-doo-goo) is the capital city in Burkina Faso.

(from: wikipedia - ouagadougou)

The dogon people are a group of people that have traditions where they dress up in masks and dance around.

(from: wikipedia - dogon people)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ukraine

Mali

We just learned about the country of Niger.

Mali is a country in the north west part of Africa.


(from: wikipedia - mali)

The flag of Mali is green, gold and red.
The green is for the plants growing in the country.
The gold is for purity and the precious metals in the ground like gold.
The red is for the blood of the Mali people who fought for freedom.


(from: wikipedia - flag of mali)

To eat in Mali you might have millet, which is a type of grain.

(from: wikipedia - millet)

The city of Timbuktu is in the country of Mali.
Since it has a silly sounding name, and was part of many stories written by a famous person named Leo Africanus, many people thought it was just a made up name and not a real place!

(from: wikipedia - timbuktu)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Netherlands

Niger

We just learned about the country of Zambia.

Niger (sounds like "nah-ee-jer") is a country in Southern part of Africa.


(from: wikipedia - niger)

The flag of Niger has an orange stripe at the top, then a white strip with an orange circle in the middle, and a green stripe at the bottom.

The orange stripe is for the desert, the white stripe is for purity, the green stripe is for hope and the plants and trees, and the orange circle is for the sun and freedom.

(from: wikipedia - flag of niger)

To eat in Niger, you might have jollof rice which is rice, tomatoes, onion, salt and red pepper, with some meat added.

(from: wikipedia - jollof rice)

The Erg of Bilma is a large desert in Niger.

(from: wikipedia - erg of bilma)

There is a festival in Niger called Guérewol, where men dress up in outfits, get their faces painted, dance and sing to try to get young women to marry them.

(from: wikipedia - guérewol)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Finland

Zambia

We just learned about the country of Angola.

Zambia is a country in the southern part of the African continent.


(from: wikipedia - zambia)

The flag of Zambia is mostly green, with an orange eagle in the right corner above three smaller stripes of red, black and orange.

The green is for the country's natural beauty like trees and animals, the red is for the battle for freedom, the black is for the people of Zambia, the orange is for the minerals like gold in the land, and the orange eagle means the people can rise above the country's problems.

(from: wikipedia - flag of zambia)

To eat in Zambia you might have nshima, which is corn ground up into flour, then rolled into a paste kind of like mashed potatoes.

(from: wikipedia - nshima)

Victoria falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the whole world.

(from: wikipedia - victoria falls)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Denmark

Angola

We just learned about the country of Ivory Coast.

Angola is a country on the Southeast coast of Africa, on the Atlantic ocean.

(from: wikipedia - angola)

The flag of Angola is a red stripe above a black stripe, with a wheel, knife and star in the middle.

The red stands for the blood of the people fighting for independence.
The black is for the continent of Africa.
The wheel is for the machine workers and the knife is for the farmers.

(from: wikipedia - flag of angola)

To eat in Angola you might have calulu, which is dried fish with vegetabls and rice.

(from: wikipedia - angolan cuisine)

There is a place called Miradouro da Lua which means viewpoint of the moon that many people go to visit.

(from: wikipedia - angola)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sweden

Ivory Coast

We just learned about the African country of Cameroon.

Another African country is Ivory Coast.

The Ivory Coast is a country on the West coast of Africa, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - ivory coast)

The flag of the Ivory Coast is three vertical stripes. Orange for the land, white for peace, and green for hope and the forest.

This flag is interesting, because it is just like the flag of Ireland, except Irelands is green-white-orange instead of orange-white-green.
(from: wikipedia - flag of ivory coast)

To eat in the Ivory Coast, you might have yassa, which is a spicy food cooked with onions and lemons.

(from: wikipedia - yassa (food))

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a huge church in the town of Yamoussoukro.

(from: wikipedia - basilica of our lady of peace of yamoussoukro)

The Ivory Coast was given it's name because they used to sell lots of ivory there. Ivory is made from the tusks of elephants and other animals.
In the past many things were made from ivory, like piano keys. We now have new ways to make piano keys, and we know that killing elephants for their tusks is wrong, so it is against the law to kill elephants for their tusks.

(from: wikipedia - elephant)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Norway

Cameroon

Cameroon is a country in Africa on the West coast, right on the Pacific Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - cameroon)

Just like Ghana, the Cameroon flag has the colors green, red and yellow..
These are sometimes known as the Pan African colors, and countries in Africa share them to show that they are all together in Africa.

The flag has a green stripe for the forests, a red stripe for unity (which means working together), a yellow stripe for the sun and desert, and a yellow star in the middle which also stands for unity.

(from: wikipedia - flag of cameroon)

To eat in Cameroon you might have ndolé, which is a stew of nuts, bitter leaves, and fish or beef.

(from: wikipedia - ndolé)

There is an active volcano called Mount Cameroon that erupts from time to time. The last time it erupted was in 2012.

(from: wikipedia - mount cameroon)

A musical instrument in Cameroon is called the Bamileke drum.

(from: wikipedia - bamileke)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Greece

Madagascar

We just learned about the African country of Mozambique.

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the Southeast coast of Africa.

(from: wikipedia - madagascar)

The flag of Madagascar is white, red and green.
The red and white are for an old kingdom called the Merina kingdom, and the green was the color of the poor people in the country.

(from: wikipedia - flag of madagascar)

To eat in Madagascar you might have voanjobory sy henakisoa, which is a type of groundnut cooked with pork.

(from: wikipedia - malagasy cuisine)

A musical instrument in Madagascar is called the valiha, which is like a long tube with guitar strings strapped to the outside of it, that you play like a guitar.

(from: wikipedia - valiha)

In Madagascar they have a custom called famadihana, where every seven years families dig up the bodies of their famiy members who died long ago, wrap them in fresh cloth, then dance around their burial tombs.


(from: wikipedia - famadihana)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Poland

Mozambique

We just learned about the country of Ghana.

Mozambique is a country in Africa on the Southeast part of the continent, right on the Indian Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - mozambique)

The flag of Mozambique has stripes of green, white, black, white, yellow.
The green stands for the riches of the land, the white is peace, the black is the African continent and the yellow is the country's minerals.

There is a red triangle that stands for the country's fight for freedom, a gun that stands for defense, a book that stands for learning, a garden hoe that stands for farming, and a star that stands for their government.

(from: wikipedia - flag of mozambique)

There are many fruit farms in Mozambique, so a big part of every meal is fresh fruit like mangoes.

(from: wikipedia - mango)

Since Mozambique is on the ocean, it has some beautiful beaches like Ponta Do Ouro which means Point of Gold.

(from: wikipedia - ponta do ouro)

Some of the people in Mozambique have dances they do to scare away evil spirits, and they paint their faces like a scary mask.

(from: wikipedia - mozambique)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Italy

Ghana

We just learned about the country of Uganda.

Ghana is a country in Africa on the West side of the continent, on the Atlantic Ocean.
Ghana's motto is Freedom and Justice

(from: wikipedia - ghana)

The flag of Ghana has horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green, with a black star in the middle.
The red, yellow and green colors are also on many other flags of countries in Africa.
The red is for the blood of the people who died fighting for freedom, the yellow is for the gold and other minerals that make a lot of money for the country, and the green is for the forests and nature of the country.
The black star is for the freedom of the African people.
The Ghana soccer team is nicknamed the black stars because of their flag.

(from: wikipedia - flag of ghana)

To eat in Ghana you might have koobi, which is salted dry tilapia fish.

(from: wikipedia - ghanaian cuisine)

The Kintampo Waterfalls are a popular place for tourists to go visit.

(from: wikipedia - kintampo waterfalls)

A special type of dance and music in Ghana is called kpanlogo, and uses a special type of drum.
It was created by young people who liked American rock and roll, and wanted to create their own type of music.

(from: wikipedia - kpanlogo (drum))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Scotland

Uganda

We just learned about the African country of Algeria.

Uganda is a small country in the middle of Southern Africa, just West of Kenya.

(from: wikipedia - uganda)

The Ugandan country motto is For God and My Country.

Uganda's flag is has six stripes, in a black yellow red pattern.
The black color represents the African people, the yellow is Africa's sunshine, and the red is the blood through which all Africans are connected.
In the middle of the flag is the grey crowned crane, which is a bird famous for its gentle nature.

(from: wikipedia - flag of uganda)

To eat in Uganda you might have Nsenene, which is cooked fried katydids, or maybe Nswaa which is fried termites!

(from: wikipedia - tettigoniidae)

(from: wikipedia - termite)


The Rwenzori Mountain range in Uganda is the highest mountain range in Africa.

(from: wikipedia - rwenzori mountains)

One type of music in Uganda is called Kadongo Kamu, which means little guitar.

(from: wikipedia - barnard kabanda)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ireland