Showing posts with label Chad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chad. Show all posts

August 11 - Independence Day in Chad

   Posted on August 11, 2022     


This is an update of my post published on August 11, 2011:






Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, and corruption and civil war have plagued it for decades. Because of all the political unrest and a series of undemocratic governments, Chad is extremely dangerous for travelers—and with the tourism industry now dwindling, Chad has become even poorer. Poverty and violence truly are vicious cycles.


Perhaps, though, we can be virtual tourists, and we can explore some of the sights of Chad in safety. Check out the amazing photos by David Santiago Garcia of Zakouma National Park and other sights in Chad. Here is a video of some of the beautiful people and landscapes of Chad.


And check out all the natural arches that can be seen in the Ennedi Desert! Here is a short video of tourists rock climbing in the nation - despite all the travel advisories.


 




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Birthday of Apple co-inventor Steve Wozniak







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November 28 - Republic Day in Chad

Posted on November 28, 2020

Did you know that the nation of Chad has relatively untapped reserves of oil, uranium, and gold? It seems that it would be a rich nation, with all those (and more) resources, but actually it is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world!

You can see that Chad is land-locked.


Today is NOT Chad's Independence Day. That is on August 11, and it commemorates the African nation's independence from France in 1960.

Today, instead, commemorates November 28, 1958, when Chad gained "autonomous status" and was able to set up a republican government. But the government has been run for the last 30 years by a former general who gained power by overthrowing the president he was supposed to serve. There is a lot of political instability, attempted coups, violence, and human rights violations.




One thing that might lead to some of the lack of unity is that Chad has a lot of different ethnic groups and languages. Most everybody speaks two or more languages - with one of them being one of the two official languages (Arabic or French) - and there are more than 100 different languages and even more named ethnic groups. The names of these various ethnic groups are not familiar to me: Sara, Kanembu, Masalit, Bidio, Dadjo, Tama, Tupuri, and many more!

Above, two Kanembu brothers.
Below, an Ouaddaian girl.


Of course there are natural beauties in every country!





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December 1 – Freedom and Democracy Day in Chad

Posted on December 1, 2014

The current president of the nation of Chad, Idriss Deby, was born the son of a herder. He joined his nation's armed forces and was trained as a pilot. When Chad's government crumbled, he joined forces with a man named Hissene Habre. Deby helped Habre defeat all of his rivals and take control of Chad in 1982.

Habre made Deby the commander-in-chief of the armed forces in return for his loyalty.

However, it is in the nature of people who live by force to be suspicious of others who live by force, and in 1989 Habre decided that Deby was preparing to grab control of Chad for himself.

In response to this accusation, Deby fled to Libya...and then began preparations to grab control of Chad for himself!

On this date in 1990, Deby and his forces succeeded in overthrowing Habre. Deby has been president ever since – for 24 years!

In addition to this history of leaders coming to power through violence and military might rather than through peaceful, democratic elections, you should know that Chad is considered THE most corrupt nation in the world.

So...calling today's historical anniversary “Freedom and Democracy Day” would be laughable...if it weren't so sad!

But...like every other nation in the world, Chad has its beauties:

  • Zakouma National Park








  • Lake Chad









  • Rugged mountain-scapes and desert-scapes

  • The Chadian people



To learn more about Chad, check out this earlier post.


Also on this date:



 






















Portugal's Restoration of Independence Day 






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June 26, 2012 - National Flag Day in Romania


Today is Romania's National Flag Day, the day the nation celebrates the 6-26-1848 adoption of a red-yellow-blue tricolor flag.










Strangely, in 1960 the African nation of Chad adopted a flag that was almost identical to Romania's flag. The blue of the Chad tricolor flag is supposed to be darker, but in some photos and diagrams, I can't tell the difference!

In 2004, Chad asked the United Nations to look into the issue of there being two almost-identical flags in the world—but the president of Romania said that, no matter what, Romania wouldn't be changing its flag. Well, I don't blame the Romanians! Chad adopted the same flag that the Romanians had been using for 12 years—I think that Chad ought to make a change!

The problem with tricolor flags is that there are many that are quite similar. Take a peek at all the tricolor flags of the world. It's not terribly easy to tell at a glance if a flag is Irish, Italian, or Ivory Coast, is it?

Into vexillography?

The word vexillography means the study of flags. Check out this vexillography website, which has plenty of tips about good flag design. Oh, if only someone in Chad had known all this before that nation's flag was designed! 


Also on this date:


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