ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Hakim Balogun

AGE: 15

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: British

NATIONALITY 2: Nigerian

Journal Entry 1

Wat’s good  future me! If you're reading this then I know you must be bored. Why else would you read your own journal..hehehe? I don't even know why I’m doing this, Sebastian mentioned it would be a good idea for me and Luke to keep a journal but honestly, writing is hard work bruv.

Anyhooo..what to talk about, well today I got a B for my English test. The whole class including Miss seemed super surprised and proud of me, I didn't like that… nah scratch that, I hated it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being praised for my efforts but not when people think of me as some disadvantaged illietrate (two big words right there). Then it’s just annoying.

People in this country overhype this whole dyslexic/ADHD thing. I mean so what I’m hyperactive, so what I take longer than most people to read and write sentences. In the end I still get it done, that’s just me innit. Back in Nigeria there’s no such thing as ADHD & dyslexia. If you’re slow, you’re slow. If you can’t pay attention then you’re getting slapped. No long ting. Not saying they shouldn't acknowledge it but sometimes all these labels feel a little unnesse… unnesccer…  aaahhh told you writing was hard bruv (basically sometimes labels ain't needed innit).  With all that being said, I’m still crazy proud of my B. Don’t get it twisted fam, it’s not everyday manz gets a B innit.

PEACE

WEST PAPUA'S SILENT STRUGGLE

The Island New guinea was divided into two regions, Papua New Guinea and Papua. Netherland laid claim to the Papua region along with what is now modern Indonesia (was called Dutch East Indies back then). After World War 2, Indonesian nationalist declared independence in 1949 and claimed all the territory of the Dutch East Indies as part of the Republic of Indonesia. By 1961 this included West Papua (US president Kennedy allowed them to keep the region in an effort to gain a strong ally in Southeast Asia and stop communism from spreading).

Papua and Indonesia on the world map.

With American backing, the UN agreed to give Indonesia care taker rights over West Papua on condition that it would oversee the vote of the people of West Papua in which they would either choose to remain part of Indonesia or to become an independent nation. This vote was called the “Act of Free Choice”

West Papua in pictures from Al Jazeera

Instead of keeping their word and going along with what they had agreed, Indonesia decided to round up approximately 1,000 elders which “represented” the Papuan people (or tribes) and after threatening and intimidating them, forced them at gun point to vote to remain a part of Indonesia. Now Indonesia had acquired a nation with which they shared neither language, history, culture, religion nor ethnicity. They wanted the region because of its rich resources; West Papua has the largest gold and copper mine in the world and is the largest tract of rainforest outside of the Amazon. Plus they have natural gas reserves.

MAKING WINDMILLS OUT OF SCRAPS FOR KENYA

Night Heron Windmills being made in Kenya

A very good friend of mine once told me about her frustration with how so many students from Africa or other third world countries study overseas and graduate with good degrees but don’t take their knowledge back home to help better their nation or community. She has decided to do something to address this issue and we at KIRUcomics fully support her. We can’t reveal any top secret plans yet but be on the lookout for her. She’s something special.

The reason I bring this up is because, while I was plodding along on the internet, I came across a company called Access:Energy. This company is just so awesome. They remind me of why I got into engineering in the first place. Basically what they do is use renewable energy to provide electricity for the rural off-grid areas in east African countries like Kenya. The most innovative of their product is the “Night Heron” which is a wind turbine made completely from scraps and materials found in Kenya (no imported materials). Not only that but they also work with the local community and Kenyan universities as well as Kenyan manufacturing companies to build their devices.

Night Heron's installations 

As soon as I found out about this, my first thought was I’m sure many Kenyan engineering students could have thought of this idea and worked to deliver it, if they wanted. But unfortunately not many students think like that anymore, they’re all in that “dog-eat-dog” & “everyone-fend-for-themselves” mode. This is what my friend aims to change.

Being from an African country myself, I can testify to how unreliable electricity is in the cities of some of our countries, so I know that the villages and rural areas will be far worse. In Kenya, the rural areas rely on massive battery packs, generators, kerosene and petrol for their electricity (all non renewable sources and harmful to our environment). Access:Energy takes away all that by providing them with a cleaner, safer and cheaper alternative. They definitely get our stamp of approval.

A night heron installed in a local business

For more information on Access energy and how they are working to improve east africa visit their website or see sources.

Sources: access:energy, Windmill workshop, Dr Sam Duby, Renewable energy: made in Kenya

ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Rose Beaumont

AGE: 36

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: Almier

NATIONALITY 2: French

Journal Entry 1

I left Nepal today, a nation just learning to stand on its own feet again. Samir organized a pleasant surprise send off for me, I’m still not sure if it was wise to leave him behind. At 15 he’s the youngest I’ve ever discovered. One more year and he’ll be just old enough for G9. The Elders will be pleased, we haven’t had anyone so young since Sebastian 5 years ago. I wonder what they’ll think if they knew he had been using the flame since the age of 12. No doubt the comparison to Shinji will be inevitable.

What’s most fascinating about Samir’s situation is that his people know what he is. Yet they don’t fear, reject or even revere him. He is simply treated as just another member of the community. Moreover they welcomed me with open arms knowing full well who I was. The only logical explanation I can think of at the moment for this unusual attitude is that Nepal must have not been affected during the dark days. I must remember to look further into the matter, maybe there are other places in the world where Almier and flame users are treated as equals.

 I am still in the air, on a questionable light aircraft. We have just entered Chhattisgarh and will be landing at Bilaspur Airport in 15 minutes. There have been reports of unknown flame users in the forests around the area.

Maybe he is somehow entangled in it.

ALMIER TITLE LOGO

Been working on a title logo for the new series Almier, finally decided on one that we were happy with but we're not 100% sure on the finishing touches. Below are the two variants, we would appreciate your opinions on the one you prefer.

Almier logo with outline

Almier logo without outline

Outline & black background

No outline with black background

Or you can propose your own changes for example a different colour background and the like.

ALMIER CHARACTER JOURNAL

CHARACTER’S NAME:  Juda Al-Jazari

AGE: 32

Dual nationality

NATIONALITY 1: Almier

NATIONALITY 2: Palestinian

Journal Entry 1

G9 is my home…. Sometimes even I can’t believe it. As I sit here on the edge of Ma-Nago, I can look around at our 9 islands with a sense of pride. My nation. A nation of peace, of equality and diversity. To think during my days of gloom, I never thought in a million years I would find such a place to call home. Nablus, Jenin, father, mother, everyone, I’ve found peace… and I know that you have to.

Yet my dreams are haunted by pain filled eyes, silently accusing. What right do they have to accuse me of betrayal after the way they rejected me? I didn’t betray them… I didn’t.  But no matter how many times I tell myself that, I can’t seem to believe it.

I am here, a part of this beautiful society while they are dying, fighting for their home, for their land. I use to be one of them, deep down I still am. I could go back. The Almier are to remain neutral at all times but the 4^th law. I could use the 4^th law and go back and fight. I am worth a hundred soldiers, I could fight back, protect them and… and what? More violence won't solve anything. If I fight, they will only retaliate even harder and more will die. I cannot defeat a whole nation by myself. Besides those that I protect will only reject me again out of fear.

 No, I’ve lost Palestine. But I can still protect the Almier. I am a Guardian and I will defend my new home, my new family till my last breath. Hopefully with the ‘Almier International Security Treaty’ everyone will soon be able to find peace in their lands. I have faith in the elders, they will make the nations see reason.  

SOUTH SUDAN: THE WAY NOT TO START A NATION

So as you all know the new series Almier is about a nation of supernatural individuals that try to bring peace to the rest of the world. Well when developing this nation, I realised there was some fundamental questions I had to ask myself and there was also a lot to take into account in order to create a stable successful nation. You might not know this but building a nation (even a fictional one) is hard work *teasing grin*and once you begin the wrong way it’s very hard to set things right again.

This leads me to my next topic; South Sudan (officially the Republic of South Sudan). Now a few of you might be thinking what? South Sudan? There is no South Sudan, there’s only Sudan... well that was my reaction too when I first heard of the place, so don’t worry. What I (and I’m sure a few others) didn’t know was that Sudan had been undergoing a 50 year two part civil war in which over 2 million people died. The “black” south was fighting against the “Arab” north for independence; the war ended in 2005 and in 2011 over 98% of the black South Sudan voted to create a new nation. 

Celebration after gaining independence.