Thursday:
Free Sweet Corn At Studio |  | |
First Thursday gallery opening this thursday! Besides over 150 open studios, free roasted corn on the cobb for everyone sweetens the deal! Get your free corn and visit us at the Amias Project Studio.
Studios open from 5-9 pm, August 4. |
| Amias Project on Facebook |  | | The Amias Project is on Facebook! Here you can find exclusive information on our upcoming deals and discounts available only for Facebook users.
In addition, the Amias Project Fan Page features a Store Tab that allows you to shop right from Facebook! Our Facebook Store is convenient and easy to use. Also, the items we make available on the Facebook Fan Page are generally less expensive than the same items available on our website, so shopping on the Amias Project Fan Page saves you money!
We would like to encourage you to "Like" our Facebook Fan Page and become one of our valued Fans. And don't hog all the great deals! Share these great savings with your friends by passing the message on and telling them to "Like" us too! |
| The Story of the Honeyguide |
Our periodic email newsletter is named after the Greater Honey Guide, a bird that has developed the remarkable habit of leading tribespeople to wild bees' nests, with the promise of honeycomb and grubs once the humans have opened the nest and taken the honey.
The complementary relationship shared by bird and human represents the newsletter's goal - to periodically lead readers to new and timely bits of information about East African wildlife, culture, and travel. |
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Catch up on past issues in the Honeyguide Archives |
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Updates From East Africa:
Serengeti Highway, Gorilla Tracking Changes and Homophobia Debate
Greetings!
Use it or lose it! So in these lazy, final days of summer, I give you a newsletter that gives your mind plenty to chew on. Today's East Africa travel and wildlife safari update covers glimmers of hope on the Serengeti Highway controversy, changes in gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, and the politicized homosexuality debate in Uganda and what it could mean for visitors.
Another Land and The Amias Project
The Story of Africa: Live it, Watch it, and Wear it.
Warmly,
Nichole Smaglick
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The Proposed Serengeti Highway: Glimmer of Hope
About a year ago, the government of Tanzania unveiled a plan to build a commercial highway linking communities along Lake Victoria to Arusha. Unfortunately, the line for this paved, commercial highway cut right across the Serengeti's 53 km wide northern corridor. The expected barrage of commercial vehicles on the highway would essentially cut off the wildebeest migration from their annual circular migration, which takes them from the short grass plains in the southern Serengeti to the Mara region in Kenya to are sustained during the dry seasons. Wildebeest are not the only animals that would be affected by the highway, as animal deaths by vehicle on even the dirt roads are higher than acceptable.
Local and international conservationists raised a global alarm and extreme pressure was put on the Tanzanian government to re-route the road. The World Bank even offered to fund an alternative southern route that would not intersect the Serengeti (see green line on map). All offers were rejected and plans to begin road construction on the original Serengeti slicing path in early 2012 were full steam ahead. Yet, on June 23rd, the Tanzanian government sent a letter to the UN stating that it would not build a commercial highway through the Serengeti. Too see the letter, click here.
While fantastic news, the letter left many questions unanswered, mainly regarding the composition of the road. The road in the park is currently soil, but the letter stated gravel, which can handle larger numbers and sizes of vehicles. For a month, the international community buzzed with distrusting editorial. Last week, President Kikwete of Tanzania announced that the road in the Serengeti will remain soil!
 | | Current Soil Road in the Serengeti |
While this is a great victory for one of the world's greatest eco-systems that generates over $1.7 billion annually and 600,000 jobs, the Serengeti is still at risk. If the alternative route bypassing the Serengeti to the south is not adopted by the government, plans to build paved roads just up to the borders of the Serengeti's northern corridor will continue. The number of vehicles on the soil road within the Serengeti will increase and the pressures to convert the road to gravel or tarmac will intensify. Learn more about the Serengeti Highway debate at Save the Serengeti or like them on Facebook for weekly updates.
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| | Gorilla Trekking News!
Rwanda just announced that there are two new groups of gorillas that can be visited as of August 1st. It is unclear whether visits to these two groups will be offered beyond September of this year. If you are up for a last-minute adventure to trek gorillas, now is the time as the permits typically sell out 9-12 months in advance for the summer months. There are  16 more permits per day available in August and September on a first-come-first serve basis.
Uganda has announced that they are REDUCING the price of gorilla trekking permits from $500 to $350 during the low travel seasons of May, October, November, March and April.
Interested in Gorilla Trekking?
Another Land offers a variety of options for gorilla trekking, and can create a custom plan for your trekking adventure and trip. If you would like to learn more about traveling with us, please visit our website, call our office at 888-334-7559 or 612-821-6465. Or you can email us! |
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Homosexuality Bill in Uganda
In October of 2009, a private member bill was submitted to parliament that would further expand the criminalization of homosexuality in Uganda by introducing the death penalty for homosexuals with previous convictions or HIV. It also extends its reach to Ugandans living abroad who, with the bill's passing, may be extradited for punishment back in Uganda. Furthermore, if passed, the bill will require anyone who is aware of an offense or an offender, including individuals, companies, media organisations, or non-governmental organisations who support LGBT rights, to report the offender within 24 hours. If an individual does not do so he or she is also considered an offender and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 250 "currency points" or imprisonment up to three years.
The bill is so extreme, that even the three original American evangelists who were the catalyst behind the homophobic movement in Uganda reject it. The bill has garnered strong international condemnation from the governments of the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Sweden, Germany and the US, many of whom linked the reduction of aid to any passing of the bill. We are proud to say that even our home city, Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is the sister city of Kampala, Uganda passed a resolution opposing the bill.
In Uganda, the reaction to the bill has been mixed. The President of Uganda, while originally supporting the bill, has asked for the death penalty portion to be removed. Whether that will happen has yet to be revealed. Here, at Another Land, we have had many conversations with our friends who live in the villages where we have programs and nearly everyone shakes their head in disbelief at this "imported homophobia." Also via the Uganda Tourist Board, the government of Uganda has issued a statement that it:
"condemns any form of discrimination against Ugandan citizens and all other nationals for their religious, cultural and sexual orientation. We would also like to clarify that the anti-homosexuality bill that was tabled in the Uganda parliament last year was in fact a private member's bill which the government of Uganda withdrew. Uganda Tourism Board welcomes all intending visitors to Uganda regardless of their sexual or cultural orientation and will continue to work with the Ugandan police and other agencies to ensure that their stay is peaceful and enjoyable."
If this bill passes, besides a deepening infringement on human rights, it will make travelling to Uganda for any member of the LGBT community very dangerous. Remember that (if the bill passes) if someone is AWARE of an "offender" and does not report it, they can be imprisoned for three years. This includes safari drivers, park rangers, and hotel staff.
What is the future of the bill? Parliament ended its session in May without discussing the bill. Some considered this a victory. Yet parliament has reopened in June and it is believed that the bill will be re-introduced by the end of this month. We hope that the parliament proceeds with wisdom to make Uganda a safe, inviting country for EVERYONE. |
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