Stories about French from April, 2009
Morocco: AIDS, Money and Sex Toys
Morocco has a reputation of tolerance, and although this is mainly a young and fairly open society there are still instances of prejudices suffered by people infected with HIV/AIDS, and the stigma attached to the disease, writes Hisham, as his country marked a nationwide day of campaigning, information and screening on April 25.
Madagascar : Transitional government is trampling on freedom of speech
A series of unfortunate decisions taken by the Andry TGV Rajoelina, High Authority for the Transition (HAT) government--the violent arrest of a protester and the shutdown or intimidation of radio stations and journalists--is seriously threatening freedom of speech in Madagascar.
World Book Day: Women's lives in the mirror of their men
Do women's lives paint themselves on- or against - the canvas "their" men provide them through the years ? A literary stroll gives us a bigger picture and takes us from Quebec, to France and finally, to some fascinating Algerian writers.
Martinique: Celebrating Aimé Césaire
It is with great reverence that Martinican bloggers celebrated the first anniversary of the death of Aimé Césaire, who passed away on April 17th 2008.
Rwanda: The unresolved FDLR issue
Last January the conflict in North Kivu shifted once again with the arrest of CNDP rebel group leader Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda and the entry of the Rwandan national army (RDF) into the DR Congo to root out the FDLR rebel group in joint operations with the national Congolese army (FARDC). As Rebecca Feeley of the Enough Said blog explains, the Congolese Minister of Defense, Charles Mwando Nsimba, even went so far as to say that the FDLR threat had been “neutralized.”
Morocco: On “Jewish Morocco”
Morocco has a long relationship with Judaism; during the spread of the Roman empire, a number of Jews settled in what is modern-day Morocco. Over time, relations between Morocco's majority Muslim population and its small Jewish population have ranged from very good to heavily strained. Following the creation of the state of Israel, the vast majority of Morocco's Jews emigrated (approximately 15% of Israeli Jews are in fact of Moroccan descent), however, approximately 7,000 Jews reside in Morocco today. Moroccans are often quick to point out that the king's top adviser, André Azoulay, is Jewish.
Guadeloupe: Sarkozy & Guadeloupe
After the 45-day mobilization in Guadeloupe, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made many promises – Mycho, who blogs at Critiqart Guadeloupe [Fr], expresses her disappointment about the President's attitude.
Martinique: Homage to Aimé Césaire
Today, Martinique celebrates its greatest personality, the self-entitled “Nègre Fondamental”: the late author and politican, Aimé Césaire. Montray Kréyol [Fr] publishes three posts about his life, accomplishments and homages paid to him.
French Caribbean: “Les Scoops d'Or” Competition
On the blog Les Scoops d'or, Lagencedecom’ and Scoop announce the launch of a new blog and website competition in the West Indies!
D.R. of Congo: Furor Over Kabila's New York Times Interview
Congolese bloggers criticize president Joseph Kabila's recent interview in The New York Times, taking issue with Kabila's stance on Rwanda, who's to blame for corruption, and the Western media's reporting of Africa.
Mali: Model village show power of investing in people
Le Pangolin writes about Teriya Bugu, a model village on the Niger river, in Mali, “proof that Africa has every opportunity to advance so long as it invests in people, especially farmers. Hope is a value Africa should invest in” [Fr]
Algeria: Bouteflika Takes On Third Term
On Friday, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected for a third term in office, extending his already ten-year tenure. Along with former Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Bouteflika changed the constitution to remove the presidential term limit, a revision that was approved by the Council of Ministers in November 2008. According...
Morocco: Crossed Loyalties
Ibn Kafka remarks [fr] on the fact that, despite long-term disagreements between the two nations, the monarch of Morocco sent a congratulatory telegram to re-elected Algerian president Bouteflika.
Rwanda: Fifteen years after the genocide
Today marks the end of a week of national mourning in Rwanda to commemorate the 15 anniversary since the genocide which killed 800,000 people. On the 7th of April ceremonies were held in the capital Kigali, and in Nyanza, where more than 5,000 people were slaughtered. At a stadium in Kigali, thousands of candles spelt out the word "hope" in three languages.
DRC: Unpaid Soldiers Pillage Civilian Homes
Last week, Radio Okapi reported that members of the FARDC, the Democratic Republic of Congo's military, pillaged several homes in Kirumba, 200 kilometers north of Goma. The soldiers, who have not been paid in three months, stole cash, telephones, and electronics.
Madagascar: Security forces harass bloggers and twitterers
Bloggers and twitterers continue to tell the world about the political crisis which has gripped Madagascar since January, but face increasing harassment from security forces.
Guinea : A Memorial for the Camp Boiro Victims
The truth about the Sekou Touré regime's repression in Guinea has long been overshadowed by his Third World leader aura. Abdoulaye Bah, a translator for GV in French, tells us about the efforts of the Association of victims of Camp Boiro towards justice and reconciliation.
Causes and Consequences of the Coup in Madagascar
After the power transfer that took place on March 17th in Madagascar, unrest is still growing strong in the island nation. 15,000 protested against the coup Saturday for the sixth consecutive day and have been tear-gassed by armed forces for three days straight. Sunday, civil protesters were shot at and wounded by police forces, resulting in 34 wounded and a few unaccounted for. Lova Rakotomalala reviews the political and economic causes of the power struggle and the consequences of the coup for the Malagasy people.
