Stories about French from August, 2008
Senegal: Students take to the streets over missing stipends
University students in Dakar, Senegal are protesting the government's failure to pay their stipends. Seneblog writes [Fr]: “While athletes from all over the world are vying to break world records in Beijing, the students at Cheikh Anta Diop University are trying to break the record in stone-throwing.”
Cote d'Ivoire: Didier Drogba's autobiography
Théophile Kouamouo [Fr] reviews C'était pas gagné , an autobiography of Ivoirian football star, Didier Drogba.
Morocco: Noor vs. The Olympics
BensoBlog v2.0 [fr] jokes about how the television show Noor has surpassed the Olympics in popularity.
Silencing online speech in Tunisia
Blocking web 2.0 websites (Youtube, Dailymotion, Facebook) and barring access to local outspoken websites and blogs is the most obvious way of cracking down of the online free speech in Tunisia. It should be emphasized, however, that this is only one tool in the regime’s hand. Tunisia has adapted to the web 2.0 revolution by developing a broader strategy composed of a wide range of instruments
Morocco: Olympic Hopes
Morocco began competing in the Summer Olympic Games in 1960 and has competed in every Summer Games since (with the exception of the 1980 Games, which they boycotted along with the United States and its allies). Bloggers are, of course, following the 2008 Beijing Summer Games to find out what medals the Moroccan team might take home this year.
Cote d'Ivoire: Local blogger meetings
Théophile Kouamouo proposes organizing “blogcamps” in Abidjan [Fr], meetings where local bloggers can share their experiences and train others who are interested in blogging.
Togo wins first Olympic metal
Yikpa-Au Village celebrates Togo's first-ever Olympic medal [Fr]. Benjamin Boukpeti won the bronze metal earlier this week in the men's single kayak slalom. “I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. This is truly sensational!!!! Congratulations Benjamin.”
Nigerian prostitute arrested in Italy
Le blog de [moi] posts a disturbing photograph of a Nigerian prostitute, arrested during a recent raid in Italy, laying half-naked on the floor of a jail cell, covered in dust.
Georgia's relationship with the US
Frencheagle writes about Georgia's cozy relationship with the American government [Fr]: “How can we condemn Russia's actions without also condemning America's imperialist policies which use a so-called struggle for liberty and democracy to install new pawns more in line with its own interests.”
African MSM & Sex Workers Voice Concerns and Hopes at AIDS 2008
The AIDS 2008 conference (IAC) in Mexico City drew to a close on August, 8th, 2008. The theme of the conference was “universal action now” and judging by the heavy international attendance, the focus on marginalized communities and the daily newsletter aptly called “Global Voice”, it delivered on the promise....
Michèle Pierre-Louis, Haiti's new prime minister
Bloggers discuss Michèle Pierre-Louis, Haiti's newly-confirmed prime minister and only the second woman to hold that position, and the rumors about her sexual orientation, which nearly undid her nomination.
China: More Opening Ceremony sneaked footage
An indignant French-writing journalist has, along with a lengthy rant, posted video taken this week during an opening ceremony rehearsal inside the Bird's Nest. Hong Kong entertainer Jackie Chan and Tibetan singer Han Hong can be seen on stage. Note that in the comments one reader shares the most popular...
Czech Republic: Prague Churches
Strog's Prague pictures & opinions diverses [French] has been writing about several churches in Prague, including many pictures. Most recently, he has described in great detail the Gothic church of sv. Václava na Zderaze, the Baroque sv. Jana na Skalce (in French St Jean -de Népomucène- sur le rocher) and...
Arabeyes: Mauritanian President Ousted in Military Coup d'état
Army commanders ousted Mauritania's first freely elected president in two decades, President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, in a military coup d'état Wednesday after political feuding over the firing of the country's four top generals. Jillian York sums up the reactions of bloggers in neighbouring Arab countries.
Croatia: Interview with Dubravka Ugrešić
Balkanikum [French] posted an interview with Croatian writer Dubravka Ugrešić, published by H-Alter on the occasion of the publication of her latest novel in French, Baba Yaga a pondu de oeufs (not yet published in English).
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sarajevo's New Towers
Anthony Guennegou (FRE) posted a series of photos of the newly constructed towers in Sarajevo, as a follow-up to his post on the Avaz Tower, which had been heavily destroyed during the war as it was the office of the famous Oslobođenje newspaper.
Madagascar: who is going to the Olympics?
There was a bit of confusion about the number of people who will be part of the Malagasy delegation in the 2008 Olympics. Official reports were not disclosed until a few days ago when we learned that 7 athletes will participate (fr) instead of the four initially announced at the...
Madagascar to Hong Kong: “Give us the Emerald back”
Lova Rabary-Rakotondravony explains that the government of Madagascar has sent four delegates to Honk Kong to try to retrieve one of the heaviest and largest emerald on matrix in the world currently on display at the Baoqu Tang Modern Art Gallery in Honk Kong (fr). The Malagasy government claims that...
