Stories about French from June, 2007
Haiti: Laid-off Teleco Haiti workers compensated
Collectif-Haiti-de-Provence writes about Haitian president Rene Preval's decision to compensate workers (Fr) who were illegally laid off from the state-owned telecom, Teleco Haiti. The government plans on privatizing Teleco, a move that will undoubtedly bring violent demonstrations from those who stand to lose out, Collectif writes, but that those who...
Martiniquian blogger on “Fleurs du Mal”
Le blog de [moi] celebrates the 150th anniversary of Fleurs du Mal (Fr) by posting “Le Vampire” and explaining her attraction to Baudelaire's poetry: “Baudelaire speaks of death and women like no other. I really understand his fascination with the two…I open [the book] rarely because it always brings out...
Manu Dibango's “Soul Makossa,” the original “Thriller”
Alain Mabanckou writes about famed Cameroonian musician (Fr) Manu Dibango, whose Soul Makossa has “all the rhythm, all the atmosphere” of Michael Jackson's album Thriller, although it debuted 11 years before.
CAR: Amnesty International calls for UN troops
Amnesty International is calling for the immediate deployment of UN troops (Fr) to the Central African Republic to address the worsening security situation in the north of the country highlighted in a new UN report (Fr), Alliance Pour La Democratie et Le Progres writes.
NGO worker on Darfur
Alliance pour la democratie et le progres interviews an NGO worker (Fr) on the situation in Darfur. “Things won't get better quickly.”
Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine: “Mashreq is imploding”
Watching events in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine (Fr), Stroobia writes, “Mashreq is imploding” (Fr).
D.R. Congo: Who profits from underdevelopment?
“A half-century of mistakes and political instability has pulled the rug out from under one of the potentially richest countries on the planet,” Du Cabiau à Kinshasa writes of D.R. Congo. Du Cabiau à Kinshasa blames 30 years of Mobutu and those who benefit from underdevelopment (Fr), namely state monopolies...
Tahitians can dance!
See photographs of over seventy Tahitian dancers performing in costumes fashioned from pandanus leaves.
Tahitian dance
Fenua blog has photographs of a traditional Tahitian dance performance (Fr).
HIV-positive women abandoned by their husbands
Reaseau sida Afrique writes about HIV-positive women who have been abandoned [Fr] by their husbands or families, and are left to raise their children on their own.
French Guiana: Noni and turtles in season
In French Guiana, it's the season for noni and for turtles. Cafe Creole has pictures (Fr).
First Night Against Françafrique
Vous reprendrez bien un peu d'humanisme? announces “‘First Night Against Françafrique” (Fr) on Zalea TV.
Haiti: Reflections on the beauty of life
Note d'Or writes about a new-found appreciation for the beauty of life after a nine day hospital stay. “As I greet each tree, each bird, each blade of grass and my square of flowers, I thank the rusty beds for being there to make me aware of these beauties that...
Central African Republic: Rebel soldier executed for shooting MSF volunteer
The young rebel soldier responsible for the death of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) volunteer has been executed, Alliance Pour La Democratie et Le Progres writes. The director of MSF was shocked. “A tragic death is followed by an absurd one.” (Fr)
Congo: Small business important for economic growth
Congopage writes about the importance of small and medium businesses (Fr) and private initiative for economic growth.
Benin's fans get rowdy at the Togo-Benin match
Togo played Benin in Cotonu this Sunday, the fifth day of qualifying matches for the 2008 Africa cup. Benin won (4-1), but not before their supporters engaged in what Togo-iTunes calls “gratuitous violence” (Fr). Togo-iTunes has photographs of the match and the rowdy fans, taken by a Togolese journalist posing...
Togo: Possible avian flu outbreak
Togo iTunes writes about a suspected case of avian flu in Togo [Fr]. On a semi-commercial farm 45 km outside of Lome, 2,000 of 3,000 chickens died in two days.
Phénix, Défi Liban, a collaborative blog for Lebanese and French middle school students
Phénix, Défi Liban is a collaborative blog between two middle schools, one French, one Lebanese, that seeks to “symbolize and make concrete the desire for peace that animates us.” [Fr]
New Caledonia by aerodrome
5 minutes en Nouvelle Caledonie: Sebastian took a tour of New Caledonia by aerodrome and has the video to prove it.
Bookcovers from Tahiti
Tahiti: Litterature, Musique et… has been posting retro covers of Tahitian novels and books about Tahitian history, culture and society.
Gabon: Libreville mermaid hoax (via St. Petersburg, Florida)
Association des gabonais d'Amiens dispels a mermaid hoax [Fr]. Photographs of a mermaid supposedly discovered dead on a beach in Libreville were actually downloaded from an eBay auction for a mermaid sighting in St. Petersburg, Florida. The St. Petersburg photographs sold for US$1500 to a French natural history museum.
