VEGAN CULTURE DURING THE CULTURAL WEEK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOME/TOGO:March 22nd to March 28th, 2010

VEGAN CULTURE:

VEGAN PRODUCTS EXHIBITION DURING THE CULTURAL WEEK A THE UNIVERSITY OF LOME/TOGO.

The cultural week at the University of Lome is an open-to-public cultural festival during which every social ethnic group composed by students celebrate their cultural dances. Individuals or groups may choose to show their ethnic cuisine, cultural dressing, and etc., things that they could sell cheap so that student may afford.  It is in this perspective that Vegan Students seized the day to open a stand, similar to fair, a place where students could discover their association and its objectives.

In 2010, the Cultural Week started on March 22^nd and ended on March 28^th. During all the seven good days that we had, we display vegan products such as  soy milk, vegetarian seasoning, dried mushrooms, black mushrooms, chunks (soy meat), Gluten Flour, soy oil, etc where among many vegan products that we show to students and other visitors from the town.  We informed people about the benefits of a vegan diet. But this we were really active because we organized cooking demonstration whereby we taught students how to cook vegan soup as you will see it in the pictures. We showed them how to cook gluten from wheat flour and chunks from soya.  We cooked hot Kebabs from soya and gluten and our fellow students liked it so much. We also taught them how to make vegan mayonnaise (by using a cooked potato, soy milk, mashed garlic, sugar, salt and two or three tablespoons of oil).

 Next to our stand was a lady selling chicken sausages. The second day she her cooking because everybody wanted to try vegan kebabs. She abandoned her business because she saw how people from all races were flushing to our stand for either getting the kebab, chunks or any vegan product of their choice or having information about veganism (how to begin, where to buy vegan products regularly, how to cook). Students were eager to know how the animal-based food that we eat imbalance the imbalance our environment, and causes the global warming.

We were happy that many students know and understand the benefits of vegan diet and the necessity of joining the trend. The cultural week ended March 28^th, 2010 by 9 pm.

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MEATOUT DAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOME/TOGO: March 20th, 2010.

Sunday, March 20^th, 2010, was the International Meat Out Day. On Friday 19th, before that special International day, we, members of the Vegan Students’ Association at the University of Lome/Togo went out to introduce the Meat Out Day to all the students of the University. Students to whom we came across as we organized a tour in groups all around the campus discovered the vegan diet. By asking us questions, we seized the day to introduce the vegan diet and its benefits to them. Our fellow students understood that eating animal-free food is better for the studies and a better future for themselves, for animals and for the planet. They already know that it is very good to go vegan because some of the students mentioned some of the benefits of the vegan healthy lifestyle whereby they can avoid sickness and meat-related diseases. We informed them about the other benefits such as:

Lower blood pressure
Lower cholesterol levels
Reduce Type 2 diabetes
Prevent stroke conditions
Reverse atherosclerosis
Reduce heart disease risk by 50%
Reduce heart surgery risk by 80%
Prevent many forms of cancer
Stronger immune system
Increase life expectancy up to 15 years
Higher IQ
Conserves up to 70% clean water
Saves 80% of the cleared Amazonian rainforest from animal grazing
A solution for world hunger:
Free up 3,433 billion hectares of land
Free up 760 million tons of grain every year (half the world’s grain supply)
Consumes 1/3 less fossil fuels of those used for meat production.
Reduces pollution from untreated animal waste
Maintains cleaner air
Saves 4.5 tons of emissions per US household per year
Stop 80% of global warming
PLUS MORE…

Students who could not easily digest meat and were often constipated were happy to know that there is a way to get rid of all that. Some students have sick parents at home and it is mostly Diabetes, Hemorrhoids, diarrhea, colon dysfunctions of all kinds. It is quite clear that the youth in Africa, need to define health by themselves and learn how to build it because health does not always mean to go to the hospital and take pills or get injections all week long. Because we are the elite of the days to come.  Only healthy elite can really be useful to Africa.

To give a chance to our fellow students who heard of the vegan diet for the first time to have an idea of what to eat if quit meat-eating, we cooked soya and gluten kebabs for the special occasion. We had the students taste it. We told them that they could choose to live a healthy lifestyle. All the students and even some University authorities who tried the kebabs said it was fantastic to have such alternative food for people around. We closed our tour by 4 pm.

Every year vegans and vegetarians increase in Togo thanks to our association and other national and internation groups and events, and we are happy. The number of veg students increase too and some join the Vegan Students' Association, many come to our gatherings to learn more about a healthy lifestyle. And many are waiting to see new activities we will undertake in a short future.

Erick Mokafo-Brhom Yeleneke

The President of Vegan Students' Association of Togo/West Africa.

contacts:

aev_vegan@yahoo.fr

erickyeleneke@yahoo.fr

Tel:+2289826505 (The President)

P.O.Box: S/C Aboua Kpatcha BP 4854--Lome/Togo (West Africa)

You want to donate money to support vegan students:

      Name of the Bank: UTB(Union Togolaise de Banque),

 ACCOUNT NUMBER: 177880025000

swift Code: UNTB TG TG

Thank you

FRENCH REPORT

Rapport: 19 Mars 2010, Club Végétalien de l’université de Lomé, Togo

            AEV-Togo (Association des Etudiants Végétaliens du Togo)

L’Association des Etudiants Végétaliens de l’Université de Lomé se joint à la communauté mondiale pour la Journée Sans Viande

 A l’occasion de la Journée Internationale Sans Viande du 20 Mars 2010, le club végétalien de l’université de Lomé, Togo, a organisé dans l'enceinte du campus universitaire, une distribution de prospectus et de nourritures végétaliennes avec la communauté universitaire. Ensuite, le club a tenu un sitting d'échanges près du restaurant universitaire.

D’une porte à l’autre, de la cour aux espaces couverts (bureaux, Espace restauration- Loisir, mini marché du campus, etc.) les étudiants végétaliens ont circulé, la main dans la main en donnant à chacun des prospectus portant :

2     en premier lieu, l’appel à la Journée Sans Viande ;

3     en deuxième lieu, des informations sur les effets néfastes de la consommation de viande, les bienfaits du régime végétalien, des paroles d’éminents auteurs, et une liste d’élites végétariennes et végétalienne.

Grâce à une communication conviviale de pair, une atmosphère de bonne humeur et d’échange, les étudiants ont célébré cette journée végétalienne avec des brochettes de soja spécialement préparées pour l’occasion. Après avoir goûté les brochettes, beaucoup d’étudiants se sont rendu compte qu’il serait aisé de remplacer la viande par ce substitut. En considérant l’aspect logique du végétalisme, beaucoup de membres de la communauté universitaire ont montré leur intérêt à une alimentation sans viande. Il semblerait qu’ils attendaient un petit encouragement pour commencer le régime végétalien ou du moins devenir végétarien: certains ont, de manière enthousiaste, noté des informations sur les endroits où ils pourraient se procurer des produits végétariens, d’autres se sont renseigné sur la manière la plus simple possible de  préparer les plats végétariens.

Finalement, le club végétalien a organisé une exhibition publique près du restaurant universitaire, invitant tout le monde à se joindre à la manifestation.

Pour clôturer la journée, l’affiche portant le thème de la journée sans viande 2010 «  Mangez en respectant la Vie- Vivre Végan» a été collée sur un panneau pour inviter quotidiennement la communauté estudiantine à diminuer ou voir arrêter complètement de la viande.

Le club végétalien est reconnaissant pour l’intérêt positif de la communauté estudiantine à l’égard du régime végétalien et il espère voir bientôt l’Université végétarienne.

Association des Etudiants Végétaliens du Togo.

Voir nos contacts ci-haut.

WHO ARE VEGAN STUDENTS OF TOGO??

Who are vegan students of Togo ?

Vegan students’ Association of Togo (Association des Etudiants Vegetaliens du Togo, AEV-Togo) are a group of students, who enjoyed the benefits of a vegan diet for for many years. Now that they are acquainted with the benefits of THE HEALTHY LIVING LIFESTYLE, they have decided to share the benefits with their fellow students and the whole Togolese population. To do so, they came up with an association in 2008, which they registered at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Local Government (Ministere de l'administration territoriale et des collectivités locales) in 2009.

Vegan students hold regularly their activities such as presentations on the topic of the vegan food that we are supposed to eat the health that it begets (health), climate change, environment etc. We also distribute pamphlets to inform students about the benefits, organize commented cooking demonstrations before audiences, organize TVT shows, organize the Meat Out Dayevery year, and two-week exhibition where we widely open to everydoby.

We can be reached 24/7. We are open to all and are ready to assist any beginner by giving our counsels, helping with a tour to show vegetarian and vegan restaurants and places where one could get vegan product supplies.

We are also rooted in the animal advocacy and helping our Togolese population to understand the importance of protecting our fellow animals.