Ahmed Sékou Touré Biography

Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà © (born January 9, 1922, died March 26, 1984)  was one of the foremost figures in the struggle for West African independence, the first President of Guinea, and a leading Pan-African. He was initially considered a moderate Islamic African leader  but became one of Africas most oppressive Big Men. Early Life Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà ©s was born in Faranah, central   Guinà ©e Franà §aise (French Guinea, now the Republic of Guinea), near the source of the River Niger. His parents were poor, uneducated peasant farmers, though he claimed to be a direct descendant of Samory Tourà © (aka Samori Ture), the regions 19th-century anti-colonialist military leader, who had been based in Faranah for a while. Tourà ©s family were Muslim, and he was initially educated at the Koranic School in Faranah, before transferring to a school in Kissidougou. In 1936 he moved on to a French technical college, the Ecole Georges Poiret, in Conakry, but was expelled after less than a year for initiating a food strike. Over the next few years, Sà ©kou Tourà © passed through a series of menial jobs, while attempting to complete his education through correspondence courses. His lack of formal education was an issue throughout his life, and his lack of qualifications left him suspicious of anyone who had attended tertiary education. Entering Politics In 1940 Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà © obtained a post as a  clerk for the   Compagnie du Niger Franà §ais while also working to complete an examination course which would allow him to join the Post and Telecommunications Department (Postes, Tà ©là ©graphes et Tà ©là ©phones) of colonys French administration. In 1941 he joined the post office and started to take an interest in labor movements, encouraging his fellow workers to hold a successful two-month long strike (the first in French West Africa). In 1945 Sà ©kou Tourà © formed French Guineas first trade union, the Post and Telecommunications Workers Union, becoming its general-secretary the following year. He affiliated the postal workers union to the French labor federation, the Confà ©dà ©ration Gà ©nà ©rale du Travail (CGT, General Confederation of Labor) which was in turn affiliated to the French Communist party. He also set up French Gunieas first trade union center: the Federation of Workers Unions of Guinea. In 1946 Sà ©kou Tourà © attended a CGT congress in Paris, before moving to the Treasury Department, where he became the general-secretary of the Treasury Workers Union. In October that year, he attended a West African congress in Bamako, Mali, where he became one of the founding members of the Rassemblement Dà ©mocratique Africain (RDA, African Democratic Rally) along with Fà ©lix Houphouà «t-Boigny of Cà ´te dIvoire. The RDA was a Pan-Africanist party which looked towards independence for French colonies in West Africa. He founded the Parti Dà ©mocratique de Guinà ©e (PDG, Democratic Party of Guinea), the local affiliate of the RDA in Guinea. Trade Unions in West Africa Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà © was dismissed from the treasury department for his political activities, and in 1947 was briefly sent to prison by the French colonial administration. He decided to devote his time to developing workers movements in Guinea and to campaign for independence. In 1948 he became the secretary-general of the CGT for French West Africa, and in 1952 Sà ©kou Tourà © became secretary-general of the PDG. In 1953 Sà ©kou Tourà © called a general strike which lasted for two months. The government capitulated. He campaigned during the strike for unity between ethnic groups, opposing the tribalism which the French authorities were promulgating, and was explicitly anti-colonial in his approach. Sà ©kou Tourà © was elected to the territorial assembly in 1953 but failed to win the election for the seat in the Assemblà ©e Constituante, the French National Assembly, after conspicuous vote-tampering by the French administration in Guinea. Two years later he became mayor of Conakry, Guineas capital. With such a high political profile, Sà ©kou Tourà © was finally elected as the Guinean delegate to the French National Assembly in 1956. Furthering his political credentials, Sà ©kou Tourà © led a break by Guineas trade unions from the CGT, and formed the Confà ©dà ©ration Gà ©nà ©rale du Travail Africaine (CGTA, General Confederation of African Labor). A renewed relationship between the leadership of the CGTA and CGT the following year led to the creation of the Union Gà ©nà ©rale des Travailleurs dAfrique Noire (UGTAN, General Union of Black African Laborers), a pan-African movement which became an important player in the struggle for West African independence. Independence and One-Party State The Democratic Party of Guinea won the plebiscite elections in 1958 and rejected membership in the proposed French Community.  Ahmed Sà ©kou Tourà © became the first president of the independent republic of Guinea on October 2, 1958. However, the state was a one-party socialist dictatorship with restrictions on human rights and suppression of political opposition.  Sà ©kou Tourà © promoted mostly his own Malinke ethnic group rather than maintaining his cross-ethnic nationalism ethic. He drove more than a million people into exile to escape his prison camps. An estimated 50,000 people were killed in concentration camps, including the notorious Camp Boiro Guard Barracks. Death and Legacy He died  March 26, 1984, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he had been sent for cardiac treatment after becoming ill in Saudi Arabia. A coup detat by the armed forces on April 5, 1984, installed a military junta that denounced  Sà ©kou Tourà © as a bloody and ruthless dictator. They released about 1,000 political prisoners and installed  Lansana Contà ©Ã‚  as president. The country was not to have a truly free and fair election until 2010, and politics remain troubled.

A Meaningful Romantic Period - 1176 Words

Jonathan Turpin Professor J. Mendel Literature 211 30 September 2017 A Meaningful Romantic The English Oxford Living Dictionary holds three distinct definitions of the word romantic. Among them is the one most commonly thought of in society, today – that warm, fuzzy feeling inside when in the presence of a beloved partner. The Romantic period, however, is referenced by the third definition on the page, â€Å"relating to or denoting the artistic and literary movement of romanticism† (â€Å"Romantic†). This definition will be the focal point of this paper, which will discuss the trend of the Romantic period to include its characteristics, historical considerations, and sociopolitical factors. This paper will also analyze a literary example of the†¦show more content†¦Blankenagel notes that â€Å"restless movement† and a â€Å"longing without goal, limit, or aim† (p. 3) were other characteristics of romanticism. The romantic believed that such divine beauty could not be found in passivity, but rather in fervent communion with nature. Historians note that the Romantic Movement was a sort of call to arms against the sovereignty of logic. Their modus operandi was to invade â€Å"pure reason †¦ with free-flowing fantasy[, a]n emphasis on the free† (Gasparov et al.). The imagination was to become the new lens through which life was viewed. In terms of time, the Movement is placed into three periods: The first phase, which ranged from the mid-1790s to 1800s; the second phase, from the 1810s to 1840s; and the third phase, said to be post 1848 (â€Å"Romanticism†). The first phase, known as the â€Å"early period,† set the stage for the rise of the â€Å"romantic consciousness† that would saturate the lives of the romantics. The second, or â€Å"mid period,† denotes the timespan in which romanticism spread throughout Europe. The third and final phase, the â€Å"late period,† comes as the values and beliefs of the movement become commonplace (Gasparov et al.). In the social and political realm, romanticism and the ilk therein showed interesting behavior. Romantics portrayed the common day extroverted introvert. They would at times take to a public forum to have themselves heard, either in voice or in letter, but this was usually to promote and further their cause with regard toShow MoreRelatedFriendship, Love, And Love1401 Words   |  6 PagesFriendship and romantic love are two of the most fundamental relationships that human beings engage in. As social animals, most humans are naturally drawn to form bonds of affection with other people. Both friendship and love, however, are difficult to fully define and conceptualize. The fundamental meaning of each has changed throughout the course of human history and appears in different forms among different cultures. 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The term Renaissance over the years, has become synonymous with ideas of expanding, rebirth and culturalRead MoreWilliam Wor dsworth And The Creation Of The Romantic Movement1524 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Wordsworth and the Creation of the Romantic Movement William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was a English Romantic poet. Wordsworth’s earliest poetry was â€Å"published in 1793 in the collections An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches. In 1795 he met Samuel Coleridge† (Encyclopedia.com), and produced Lyrical Ballads first published in 1978, it is largely credited as the work that begain the English Romantic movement. 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The first great literary generation in the U.S. were Romantic novelists and included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, and the Transcendentalists (5). The novel, The Scarlet Letter, has been called â€Å"Gothic Romance.† This novel represents a turning point in American romantic literature as part of the Romantic MovementRead MoreEssay on Introduction to Romanticism1656 Words   |  7 Pages For many years, this period and these writers were known as the American Renaissance, a coin termed by F.O. Matthiessen in his book of that name in 1941. This book set the parameters of how to read and connect these writers until relatively recently, when its limitations, especially in terms of defining the quot;canonquot; of literary giants and what made them (all male) quot;giantsquot; have been recognized and challenged. However, the term is still useful to some degree. It is a misnomerRead MoreMary Shelly and the Romantic Era939 Words   |  4 Pagesreflects the mood of the Romantic era in numerous ways. Some of these themes include views on science, changes in the weather across Europe, mistrust of advancements in science and the role of disease and death and the loneliness that resulted. The experiences of Shelly and even the setting and location where she formed the idea for Frankenstein display interesting themes of the time period. Disease and death were a common theme throughout the Romantic era. Not only did it affectRead MoreThe Age Of Manufacturing That Preceded The Romantic Movement1387 Words   |  6 PagesThe age of manufacturing that preceded the Romantic Movement was characterized by industrialization and scientific, professional thinking. The philosophy of the era teaches that thoughts and assertions are only meaningful if they can be confirmed with evidence or valid reasoning. 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Odysseus versus Spaz free essay sample

Everyone needs a hero to look up to. People idolize heroes simply because of their admirable character traits. Examples of heroic characters would be Odysseus from Homers epic poem The Odyssey and Spaz from The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick. The Odyssey is about the arduous Journey home of Odysseus after the Trojan War. The Last Book in the Universe is about Spazs strenuous Journey to see his sister, Bean, who has terminal cancer. Though both of these fgures are honorable, Odysseus is the better epic hero than Spaz because he ossesses more traits of an epic hero. The first example of why Odysseus is the better hero is because he gets help from gods and goddesses, which is a traditional characteristic of an epic hero. Spaz does not get actual help. One of the times Athena helped Odysseus was when he was stuck on Calypsos island. We will write a custom essay sample on Odysseus versus Spaz or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She urges her father, Zeus, to help him get free. Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso on his behalf telling Calypso to release him. Also, Aeolus, the god of wind, helped them get home by using the power of winds. I think that in The Last Book in the Universe, Philbrick portrays Lanaya as a symbol of a goddess. She is a genetically improved person, or proov, that helps out Spaz to save Bean. The way that Philbrick described Lanaya having beautiful gray sky-colored eyes, and perfect skin, and short hair that sort of glows, like the sun is always shining on her, makes her sound almost goddess-like (22. ). Although she is not an actual goddess, Odysseus definitely better possesses this trait of an epic hero. The next example supporting the thesis of Odysseus eing the better hero would be the fact that, unlike Spaz, Odysseus completes a final task alone at the end of his Journey. An epic hero can have help from others in the rising tasks, but they must always accomplish the last task on their own. Odysseus exhibits bravery in his Journey alone throughout the book. He takes control of the situations and faces conflict alone. On the other hand, Spaz is accompanied by Ryter and Lanaya who advise and assist him the entire time. Spaz was incapable of grasping the conditions he was faced with, whereas Odysseus received help hroughout the story but alone completed the final task; a trait of an epic hero. Epic heroes face many obstacles in their path to completing the Journey at hand. In The Odyssey, the main character was faced with new difficulties throughout each new location traveled. Along the way, many battles were fought, blood was shed, and enemies were made in the process. For example, Odysseus enraged several of the gods; most of whom was aggravated was Poseidon, god of the waters. This anger was shown when the writer explains that, all the gods had pitied Lord Odysseus, all ut Poseidon, raging cold on through against the brave king till he comes ashore at last his own land (1. 29-32). In The Last Book In The Universe, Spaz, too, encountered a handful of issues and obstacles. He is forbidden to leave the latch to see his sister, Bean, by Billy Bizmo. Spaz goes anyways, and when in the pipe, gets captured by the monkey boys. The last fortunate event that the main character faces unfortunate event is when Spaz and his crew are found by Lottie, and told that they will be able t o see Bean: f they find the probe runner. In order to be considered an epic hero, many traits must be exhibited such as: tacing enemies, having their journey threatened by those enemies, getting help from others who are usually gods or goddesses, and completing a final task alone at the end of their travels. Odysseus strongly portrays all of these traits more than Spaz does. The main character, Odysseus, from Homers The Odyssey, is the greater epic hero as opposed to Spaz from The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick.

Financial Analysis of Singtel free essay sample

As my research and analysis project topic chosen is the ‘Topic 8: An analysis of business and financial performance of an organization over a three–year period’, I have selected Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) to be my research organization from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2010. Business analysis is the discipline of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement or organizational change or strategic planning and policy development. It focuses on the needs of the business to achieve its corporate objectives and develop the strategy. Financial analysis refers to the finance function of the business and examines its historical data, such as financial statements, to gain the information about the financial health of the business. And it can be used in a wide variety of ways to help managers to make their critical decisions, just as Alan S. Donnahoe wrote in his book What Every Manager Should Know about Financial Analysis. In a very real sense, finance is the language of business. Goals are set and performance is measured in financial terms. Plants are built, equipment ordered, and new projects undertaken based on clear investment return criteria. Financial analysis is required in every such case. † In summary, the analysis of business and financial performance reflect a clearer picture of the organization about its activities, strength, weaknesses and potential problems and also can provide more useful and wider information to the users who are interested in. 1. 2 Reason for choosing the topic and the organization This topic allows me to get deeper and better into the understanding of business and financial analysis. With the availability of annual report, I can apply my theoretical knowledge of P2 and P3 in real practical organization. Furthermore, it is also helpful to improve my skills in financial analysis areas as my dream position is CFO of my future career. The reason to choose SingTel as my research organization is that this organization is familiar to me as I am currently the client of SingTel which I have a better understanding of it than other organizations. And nowadays, the telecommunication industry plays an important role in our daily life that everyday we need to contact our family and friends by using phones and internet. In fact, SingTel is the largest company by market capitalization listed on the Singapore Exchange (Wikipedia2010) and I am interested in its success that I want to know more about it. 1. 3 Objectives of report This project’s objective is to evaluate the business and financial performance of SingTel over a three-year period by applying the accounting knowledge and skills from ACCA learning. By doing this, it is not only to improve my studies and gain confidence, but also make the information from financial statements easier for users to understand and make decisions. 1. 4 Research questions My report aims to solve and analyze the following concerns related to SingTel’s success: †¢ How is the probability and liquidity analysis of SingTel in these three years? †¢ What factors helped SingTel to become one of the most successful international companies in Singapore as there are not many international companies in Singapore? †¢ What are the challenges faced by SingTel? What are the future prospects of SingTel affected by the economic downturns? †¢ What are the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat of SingTel in its business environment? 1. 5 Research and Analysis Methodology Secondary source is my major approach to gather research information which is mostly available in SingTel annual report and other author’s analysis of it that can b e searched on internet and in the library. My research and analysis section has four parts: Firstly, the ratio analysis of the financial performance of SingTel during three-year period is compared among each year. Secondly, SingTel will be compared with M1 which is also in the telecommunication industry for the benchmarking for the past three years which can enhance the overall analysis of the report. Thirdly, PESTEL analysis model is used to analyze the macro-environment of the company for the business performance. Finally, there is a SWOT model used to have a deeper analysis both in the internal strength and weaknesses and in the external opportunities and threats. Chapter Two: Information gathering analysis method used 2. 1 Source of information Information gathering is the first step during the process of my project. Learning to develop effective information gathering strategies will help me understanding the organization in a number of different ways. And all the sensible judgments and effective techniques depend on that sufficient and quality information. Generally, there are two types of information sources: †¢ Primary source: it refers to a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied (Wikipedia2010), i. . it can be collected by interviews, surveys, observation or questionnaires. It serves as an original source of information about the topic. †¢ Secondary source: it collects from a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere (Wikipedia2010). It can be collected both externally and internally. Internally, it can be gained from records or documents within the organization. Externally, the information from relevant reports in newspapers, magazines or journals has been gathered for you. It is less timely cost than primary data, but it has risk once these information collected by others which are lack of judgments or appropriate sampling. 2. 2 Collection of data As we know, the primary source is more reliable than secondary source. However, it is timely consuming and costly whereas there are constraints of time and confidentiality which it is unlikely to obtain sufficient information in a short time. This report is an analysis of business and financial performance of SingTel which can get relevant information from annual report of the company from website. Therefore, I use secondary source for information gathering during my RAP. 2. 3 Source of data My main source of data relies on secondary source. The methods use to gather information as following: †¢ Internet †¢ Newspaper †¢ Relevant books †¢ Library 2. 3. 1 Internet Nowadays, internet is regarded as one of the fastest and most convenient method to gather information. We can access the information by search engines, such as Google and yahoo, which can facility us to locate all the relevant websites. With the help of internet, I downloaded the annual reports of SingTel and M1 from their company websites which are very useful for both financial and non-financial analysis. In addition, I also visited other websites to gather more information about the backgrounds, history and activities profiles of SingTel. 2. 3. 2 Newspaper In Singapore, it is easy to get information from newspapers which every weekday there are free newspapers to allocate in the MRT station during the lunch time which is convenient to know about the big news happened on time. And I also bought some other newspapers to gather relevant information to further the business and financial knowledge of my report, such as and . 2. 3. 3 Relevant books Relevant books play an important role in the process of information collection. They help me to clear my thoughts and ideas by the guidelines provided, such as text books. 2. 3. 4 Library The National Library in Singapore provides a large amount of information about the techniques and applications of financial and business analysis that make me have an in depth knowledge. The different opinions and perspectives by other authors also help me to enhance the understanding of the financial and industry environment of SingTel. 2. 4 Limitations of information gathering As above, my information gathering mostly depends on secondary source due to some limitations of time and cost which may not as reliable as primary source. And, even though SingTel is one of the most transparency companies in Singapore stock market, there are stills some limitations during the gathering of information because of the confidentiality. 2. 5 Ethical issues I am strictly following the requirements by Oxford Brooks University that all students undertaking research need to comply with the University’s Code of Practice ‘Ethical standards for Research involving Human Participants’ and rules, policies, and regulations for information gathering. During my process of information gathering, I selected information from the reputable websites and books with clear reference in my RAP which is transparency to the public. Any sensitive and confidential information against ethical and professional issues is not disclosed in this report. 2. 6 Accounting and business techniques used In order to have an effectively and completely analysis of business and financial performance of the company, the accounting and business techniques used are important to adopt: †¢ Ratio analysis: an analysis of financial performance of SingTel from profitability, liquidity, long-term insolvency and investment ratio to reflects its financial condition, its attractiveness and its operations as an investment. It enables the manager to spot the trends in the business and compare its own ratios for several successive years, watching especially for any unfavorable trends that may be starting. Benchmarking: It is the process of comparing ones business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries (Wikipedia2010). It is a good tool to improve the business to identify its comparative strengths and weaknesses. †¢ PESTEL: it describes a framework of macro-environment factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic ma nagement affected the company as political, economic, social, technology, environmental and legal. It will help the company to understand these external factors to respond if there is any changes, even they cannot control them. †¢ SWOT: it summarizes the key issues from the business environment and the strategic capability of an organization that are most likely to impact on strategy development (JSW). This enables users to recognize the strengths and weaknesses within the organization to take the opportunities or to overcome the threats outside the organization. 2. 7 Limitations of accounting and business techniques used During the process of ratio analysis, it is based on historical data which the future performance may not be in line with the trends analyzed from past information since the changes always exist. Due to the constraints of time and confidentiality, there may not have sufficient information gathered for making a good PESTEL and SWOT analysis. In benchmarking, different companies may have different accounting techniques and policies used which may affect the reliability. Chapter Three: Research, Analysis, Conclusion and Recommendation 3. 1 Background of organization 3. 1. 1 History Singapore Telecommunications Limited, commonly known as SingTel, is a telecommunications company, providing a diverse range of communication services and solutions, including fixed, mobile, data, Internet, info-communications technology, satellite and pays TV with a combined mobile subscriber base of 285 million customers from its own operations and regional associates at the end of December 2009. The history of SingTel can be traced back to 1879 when the Singapore became one of the first cities in the east to have telephone services; three years after Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention. In 1988, a subsidiary, Singapore Telecom International, was formed. This marked the beginning of SingTel’s expansion into overseas markets. In 2005, SingTel launched its commercial 3G services in February. And then Mio TV was launched commercially on 20 July 2007 and began its services on 21 July 2007. On July 10 2009, Apple Inc. and SingTel announced that they are launching iPhone 3GS commercially. In Singapore, SingTel has 130 years of operating experience and has played an integral part in the development of the country as a major communications hub in the region.