Stories about French from December, 2008
From Britain to Morocco to Gaza
Reda Blog, on what connects Prince Edward's animal cruelty, the Moroccan police's crackdown on protesters, and the Gaza bombings.
Moroccan, Tunisian bloggers on the Gaza bombings: ‘Innocents pay the price’
Continuing the coverage of reactions to Israel's bombing of Gaza, translations of what bloggers in Morrocco and Tunisia have written about the recent violence.
Senegal: Domestic workers’ exploitation
Faty Dieng at Dakar Bondy Blog [Fr] denounces about the working conditions of domestic workers in Senegal, some of them as young as 16, which she describes “a form of slavery and exploitation in disguise”.
Palestine: French Blogger Weighs In On Gaza
French blogger Jeremie Berrebi writing from Israel, posted yesterday a long blog post "Gaza/Israel : Why it is starting again" with his analysis on the Gaza attacks seen from Israel.
Arab World Reacts to “Gaza Massacre”
People from across the Arab world are lamenting the fate of Gazans, after a wave of Israeli aerial attacks, which have killed more than 200 Palestinians and wounded more than 700. The silence of Arab governments in particular is hitting a raw nerve.
Guadeloupe: Why not celebrate Kwanzaa as well?
Besides the traditional celebration of Christmas, Guadeloupean people have recently taken up a new celebration: Kwanzaa, which starts on December 26 and lasts until January 1.
Is France ready for a black president?
In the age of Obama, is France ready for a Black president? and Eugene Ebode, guest blogging on Alain Mabanckou, write about political diversity in France.
Egyptian and Tunisian Bloggers against Censorship
In December 2006 frustrated Tunisian bloggers launched the "Action Blank Post" initiative in defense of freedom of speech. Supporting bloggers from all over the world posted a blank on their blogs on the 25th of December, and now bloggers have united again in this anti-censorship tradition, as Marwa Rakha shows.
DRC: Football match to raise money for war-ravaged Kivu
Tomorrow in Kinshasa, the Congolese national football and a team of Congolese footballers from abroad will play a match to raise money for victims of the violence in the east of the country, Cedric Kalonji [Fr] writes.
Martiniquan blogger remembers Eartha Kitt
le blog de [moi] notes cat woman Eartha Kitt's passing [Fr]. She died of colon cancer Thursday at the age of 81. “Talented and devilishly sexy, she saw it all.”
DRC: A “Gloomy” Christmas in Kinshasa
Cedric Kalonji writes about his "gloomy" Christmas in Kinshasa. With the economic crisis, it seemed like many kinois weren't up for celebrating.
All Quiet in Guinea After Coup, Say Bloggers
Confusion reigned following the passing of President Lansana Conte and an apparently successful coup led by Guinean General Moussa Dadis Camara. However, despite early fears of bloodshed, all is quiet on the streets of Conakry, according to bloggers.
Gaza/Sderot: Israel and Palestine together on video
The Gaza/Sderot: Life in Spite of Everything Project is one of the prime examples of the variety of ways a bridge between different cultures and world-views can be created through online media. In this project created by ARTE.tv, a French-German cultural television station, twelve people going on their day to day business on either side of a violent border were exposed on a website for ten week project which ended on December 23rd. The two minute videos documented snippets of the lives of 6 characters in Gaza, Palestine and 6 characters on the other side of the border in Sderot, Israel during two months.
A Caribbean Christmas
'Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Here's a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities...
Madagascar: Television station is forced to stop broadcasting
Following its broadcast of an exiled opponent, Madagascar television station VIVA has been ordered by the government to stop broadcasting. Bloggers debate the politics of the decision and its implications for free speech in Madagascar.
Madagascar, Kenya question wisdom of foreign land deals
Following national and international outrage, the land deal that would have let South Korean firm Daewoo Logistics lease a large swath of Madagascar's arable land, was finally rejected. However, the number of reported land deals between wealthy countries and developing nations continues to grow, and bloggers wonder if these deals will really benefit the interests of ordinary people.
Former Tunisian Diplomat Sentenced To 8 Years By French Court
Khaled Ben Said, an ex-vice-consul in Strasbourg, was convicted of having ordered acts of torture and barbary upon fellow countrywoman Zulaikha Gharbi when a police superintendent in the Tunisian city of Jendouba 12 years ago, and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment by a criminal court in this same Strasbourg, by the way the seat of the European Court of Human Rights.
Madagascar: France responds to alleged censorship of “47” play
Pierre Maury reports that French authorities have responded to the accusation of censorhip of “47” a historic independence play created by Jean-Luc Raharimanana and Thierry Bedard. Victoire Bidegain Di Rosa, advisor to the French ministry of Culture explains that the subject of the play is not necessarily of interest to...
Cameroon: Concern for freedom
Though Cameroon is not the focus of world attention, some recent blog posts question the reality of freedom in this African country. On his blog [fr], Édouard Tamba worries about freedom in his country: Le 8 novembre dernier, le sous-préfet de Yaoundé II débarque au Palais des congrès avec l’intention...
Congo: A new aggregator and a Barcamp
Africa 2.0 [Fr] reports on the launch last week of Akouaba, a news aggregator created by 22 year old Congolese blogger from Verone Mankou from Brazzaville, including an interview with him. Mankou is also the organizer of Barcamp Congo, the first Barcamp in Central Africa that will take place in...
Burkina Faso: 10th Anniversary of journalist Norbert Zongo's Murder
On the 10th anniversary of the murder of Burkinabé investigative journalist Norbert Zongo, a campain blog and a petition to reopen the case have been launched, while bloggers reflect on the anniversary.
