Temi Iwalaiye

Many African countries are still known by their colonial names, while others have changed them.

Names hold great significance, often speaking to a country’s past and cultural identity. While many African countries were named by colonial powers, some have since reverted to names that better represent their heritage.

Botswana renamed itself after colonialism [travelnoire]

Botswana was known as Bechuanaland after British colonisation began in 1885.

After independence in 1966, the country's name was changed to Botswana, after the Tswana, the majority ethnic group.

Before its 1960 independence from France, a West African country was known as Haute-Volta, then the Republic of Upper Volta. In 1984, it became Burkina Faso, meaning "the land of upright and honest people.

Zambia and Zimbabwe [discoverafricasafaris]

The British protectorate of Rhodesia, named after Cecil John Rhodes a miner and politician in southern Africa.

The British protectorate was formed between Southern African countries, Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia.

Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony in 1923, while Northern Rhodesia became a British protectorate in 1924. In 1964, Northern Rhodesia declared independence and changed its name to Zambia, derived from the Zambezi River.

Southern Rhodesia was known as Rhodesia until 1979, when it became Zimbabwe Rhodesia. In 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence from the British and dropped the Rhodesia part of its name, derived from Great Zimbabwe, a mediaeval city.

ALSO READ: <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/nigeria-and-other-countries-in-the-world-former-names/05hbxym">Do you know the former names of Nigeria and other countries in the world?</a>

In 2018, the country that was formerly known as Swaziland changed its name to the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Although the country was referred to as Eswatini by King Mswatti III since 2014, the formal name was revealed during the celebration of its 50th Independence Day.

Renaming the country was considered a symbolic move to distance it from its history of British colonisation and to avoid confusion with Switzerland.

ALSO READ: <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/5-african-countries-without-clean-water-in-2024/5qb07s1">Top 5 African countries without clean water in 2024</a>

It was called Portuguese East Africa until 1975. Mozambique got its name from "Musa Al Bik," the name of a prominent Arab trader who lived on the island of Mozambique in the early centuries.

Mali's former name was French Sudan during the colonial period. It was part of French West Africa, a federation of French colonial territories.

After gaining independence in 1960, the country initially joined with Senegal to form the Malian Federation, but when that dissolved, it became the Republic of Mali, named after the historic Mali Empire.

However, Nigeria still goes by its colonial name.

African countries that renamed themselves [sonambulas]

Do you know what African countries were called post-independence and colonialism?

7 African countries that renamed themselves after colonialism

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a procedure that can save one's life. It helps to ensure that blood and oxygen flow through a person whose heart and breathing have stopped.

Knowing how to perform CPR is important because you might not know the situations when the skill would come in handy, and you would save a life.

You might be in a restaurant, playing football or in an airplane when someone collapses <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/beauty-health/heart-attack-symptoms-and-lifesaving-first-aid-tips/lkqncw4">due to a heart attack or stroke</a>. You might also happen to be around when a person who drowned is rescued. These are crucial times when CPR is needed.

Performing CPR within the first six minutes of an incident can be the difference between life and death.

<h2>Here is how to perform CPR on a person 12 years and above</h2>

<ol><li>Make sure the environment is safe, there are no smoke, fumes or harmful smells in the air.</li><li>Call out to the person by gently tapping them and see if they will respond to you.</li><li>Send someone to call an ambulance or medical help.</li><li>Lay them flat on the floor.</li><li>Check if they are breathing or showing signs of life. Watch their chest and put your fingers in the jugular vein around the neck. Do this for just 10 seconds before you begin CPR.</li><li>Put your one palms at the centre of the adult’s chest and the other on top of it.</li></ol>

Interlock your palms like this {healthline}

7. With your hands locked and your arms straightened, compress the adult’s chest for about 2 metres 30 times.

8. After 30 compressions, give two breaths.

Raise their head up to give breaths {healthline}

9. Tilt their head back, lift the chin, close their nose, put your mouth on theirs and give two slow gentle breaths.

This is how to give rescue breaths {healthline}

Continue with the chest compression and breaths until an ambulance arrives or a doctor comes on the scene.

Performing CPR is an emergency first aid skill everyone should know.

How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency

A recent auction in June 2023 saw a four-and-a-half-year-old Nelore cow named Viatina-19 FIV Mara Emovis become the world's most expensive cow, fetching a staggering $4.3 million.&nbsp;

Nelore cattle are known for their high auction prices.&nbsp;The high cost of these cows often leads to joint ownership by individuals or corporations.

<h2>Why the world most expensive cow was sold for that price</h2>

They are believed to be the future of Brazil's beef industry for a few key reasons:

<ol><li>Good genes for breeding:&nbsp;Their desirable traits make them ideal for breeding future generations of cattle.</li><li>Environmental friendly:&nbsp;Nelore cattle might have a lower environmental impact compared to other breeds due to their unique characteristics.</li><li>Heat tolerance:&nbsp;Their slow metabolism makes them resistant to the hot climate.</li><li>Low-quality pastures:&nbsp;They can efficiently digest even low-quality forage.</li><li>Pest resistance:&nbsp;Their tough skin helps them ward off parasites and insects.</li></ol>

Brazil's dominance in the beef market, with its massive herd of 225 million cattle (including Nelore), is likely to continue. This is partly due to the Nelore breed's exceptional ability to thrive in Brazil's challenging environment and China's battle with African swine fever, which killed and reduced their pig population and created a massive demand for Brazilian beef.

The record-breaking prices paid for Nelore cattle reflect their outstanding genetic makeup due to their awesome metabolisms and strong adaptations to the Brazilian landscape. No doubt, they will be a valuable asset for the future of the country's beef industry.

The world's most expensive cow [X/interestingfact]

A record-breaking $4.3 million (roughly GHC56.5m) was paid for a Brazilian Nelore cow

The world's most expensive cow was sold for GHC56.5m - Here’s why

In Nigeria, there is a big market for bleaching creams as evident by the sheer number of people engaged in ‘mixing’ creams.&nbsp;

Bleaching is using harmful and strong chemicals to have a lighter complexion.

Perhaps this signals a deep colourism problem in the Nigerian psyche because some people (especially women) prefer to be light-skinned.

According to the World Health Organization, 77% of Nigerian women use bleaching creams and skin lightening products.

On Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms many people sell these bleaching creams they mixed in their homes.

These one-woman skincare manufacturing factories are not regulated by any agency or body.

The makers are not dermatologists, they never got any license to produce skincare but still get patronage from a lot of people.&nbsp;

What is even scarier is the ingredients that are in some of these so-called bleaching creams.

Research carried out in another African country, Ivory Coast by a group of authors revealed that the makers of homemade bleaching cream makers sometimes use household items like toothpaste, laundry agents and even car battery acid to make bleaching creams.

Other active ingredients in bleaching creams are hydroquinone, corticosteroids, and mercury salt.

Hydroquinone is so harmful it is banned in some countries; in other countries, it is regulated and only two percent ss permitted to be used.

Bleaching has a lot of negative side effects.

<ul><li>Epidermal atrophy – This is a condition that reduces the thickness of the skin (dermis) and causes it to loosen up and become glossy, elastic and frail.</li><li>Ochronosis – This is the discoloration of the skin typically looks like dark spots under the eyes and other parts of the body.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Acne</li><li>Dermatitis – This is when skin looks inflamed, dry, and red.</li></ul>

In some cases, bleaching leads to more severe consequences like diabetes, skin cancer, fetal toxicity, and renal failure.

One must be careful the creams and lotion used in a bid to have a lighter complexion so as to avoid permanent skin damage.

There is a superfluity of homemade bleaching creams in the Nigerian market with a lot of negative effects.

Homemade bleaching creams and their negative side effect

Yemi Alade is a judge on the current season of The Voice Nigeria and there are many times she left us in awe of her outfits.

Yemi Alade stunned when the season started in a red bedazzled tux by Mai Atafo.

Her entire glam squad deserves a big ups for this look. This pink gown with a dramatic sleeve was created by Xtrabride.

Yemi had us saying 'wow' in this black sheer outfit by Lanre Da Silva.

Here Yemi looks like a flower opening up in summer in this pink ensemble by Weizd Hurm Franklyn.

Yemi Alade has been killing it on The Voice Nigeria.

Style Inspiration: 4 stunning outfits from Yemi Alade's appearances on 'The Voice Nigeria'

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