About Us

Vivian Birchall- Africa2U

Throughout history, indigenous societies have survived by passing on knowledge from one generation to the next.  Knowledge was shared through storytelling, folklore, music, dance and poetry, as well as training in household skills and key specialized skills such as blacksmithing, surgery, and midwifery.  Many communities in Africa still preserve their indigenous knowledge and practices, which have historically defined their cultural identity and moral values.

African ways of life have made significant contributions to human civilization.  Innovative approaches to conservation have ensured the survival of plant and animal species that would otherwise be endangered by environmental degradation. Some of the earliest mathematical tools – the Ishango and Lebombo bones, dating to the Paleolithic era – have been found at the Uganda-Congo border and in Swaziland. And of course, Africa is home to many natural resources that are significant in global trade, such as cobalt, gold, diamonds and coffee.

Unfortunately, western cultures have often made little effort to understand African ways of life and their contributions, or labeled them as primitive. Over time, some Africans have discarded indigenous knowledge and skills and adopted “modern” western ways, at the cost of cultural identity.

I was born and raised in Uganda. I earned a degree in Development Studies at Makerere University, and a graduate certificate in Good Governance from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. I worked to promote good governance and combat corruption, and traveled to several other countries across Africa as a member of country delegations, experiencing vastly different cultures.

I moved to the United States several years ago, and have continued to practice “cultural diplomacy” in my work with the public sector and non-profits, encouraging cross-cultural understanding and identification of strengths and areas for collaboration. I believe learning about others’ history, culture and traditions helps us understand how those things influence their lives and their relationships with others.  In particular, I desire to bring more awareness of Africa, its nations, its people, and their wealth of culture, to communities in the United States.

With this background, I created and host a cultural education TV program, Africa2U, in which I take a culturally pluralistic approach to compare and contrast traditional indigenous knowledge and practices in Africa with their modern-day equivalents in America. The program is cablecast by ActonTV, a local non-profit community TV station in New England, which also uploads each episode to YouTube. I also maintain a blog (www.africa2u.org) about information covered in the show, and plan to expand into providing cultural education experiences in classrooms and extracurricular settings.
 

Vivian Kobusingye Birchall

Contact us:

P.O.Box 2203
Westford, MA 01886

E-mail: Africa2U.Vivian@gmail.com


Follow us or Subscribe:

Acton TV: www.actontv.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Africa2U.Acton

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Africa2U_Home

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6SStjsaQsFe3_lQbD_UfbA

Thank you for visiting our page

Vivian Kobusingye Birchall
Founder