Stories about French from December, 2013
Malagasy Genius Seeking Happiness off the Grid
Malagasy genius decides that what he wants is a normal life, away from all the public attention..
Rebuilding Schools in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyuan in Bantaya, Philippines
Young Pioneer Disaster Response (YPDR) is a small NGO whose goal is to rebuild schools and help residents of the small island of Bantayan in the area of Santa Fe recover in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyuan. A volunteer tells his experience with YPDR on his blog. There is more...
PHOTOS: Humans of Comoros, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands
Humans of New York has inspired photographers all over the world. The Mascarene region also has plenty of great portraits to offer.
World Forum for Democracy 2013: Connecting Citizens and Institutions
Everything you need to know about the World Forum for Democracy 2013 in Strasbourg, with some personal impressions.
Innovation: A Spell Checker for Bambara Language
Fasokan in Mali reports on the creation of an app to help spell check texts in Bambara [fr] : Il est disponible sur les traitements de texte et outils bureautiques libres et gratuit : Open Office, Libre Office, Néo Office, et sur les ordinateurs Windows, Mac, et Linux. Qu’est-ce qui...
The Challenges of Family Healthcare in Apatou, French Guiana
Henri Dumoulin, Global Voices contributor, recalls his stay in Apatou, French Guiana, located in the heart of the Amazon Forest. He explains how, as the physician of Mother and Child Health Protection programme there, he had to rely on the informal colloboration with the Suriname health system and navigate the...
Votes Cast in the Madagascar Presidential Elections Runoff
Hoping for a new start after a prolonged political crisis, Malagasy citizens went to the polls to select a new president on December 20.
The Postcolonialist Calls for Submissions on ‘Sites of Home’
A recently launched online magazine and journal, The Postcolonialist, is calling for submissions for the upcoming edition of its academic journal. The Postcolonialist is an inter-disciplinary, multi-lingual publication featuring research, commentary, and creative production from and about postcolonial regions and perspectives. The About page of the website adds: We are an alternative and interactive avenue by which scholars, journalists, writers...
Ousmane Sow Becomes First Black African Member of France Academy of Fine Arts
Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow was admitted on December 11 into L'Académie des Beaux-Arts de Paris [Academy of Fine Arts of Paris]. Africa-top-talents.com reports: Une belle consécration pour ce sculpteur sénégalais connu pour ses séries de sculptures monumentales consacrées aux ethnies africaines (noubas, peuls, masaï, Zoulou). « Mon élection a d’autant plus de valeur à mes...
3 Initiatives Working to Make Niger a Better Place
Positive stories from Niger are a few and far between these days, thanks to economic hardship combined with threats of terrorism. Three projects are trying to change that.
Made in Togo: A 3D Printer Built from Recycled E-Waste
Afaté GNIKOU is an IT engineer in Togo who wanted to tackle two important goals: create the first 3D printer from Togo, reduce the alarming number of E-waste dumped into his country. Here is a presentation of the 3D printer project, called W.AFATE : A. Gnikou is a member of...
Explaining the Evergrowing Tradition of “Chanté Nwèl” (Singing Christmas) in the French West Indies
Between late November and December 25, a unique tradition is taking place every year in the Francophone Caribbean islands, especially in Martinique and Guadeloupe. “Chanté Nwel” [fr] is a time when people come together to not only sing traditional Christmas songs but also share a meal as a community. Although the...
Do You Speak Nouchi? Ivorian Politicians Would Like to Know
What is Nouchi [fr]? Let's start with what it is not: it is not Creole and it is not a dialect. Nouchi is a coded language that originated in the 70's on the streets of Abidjan, the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. It's a mix of French language and West...
Fire Destroys Basin Market in Bamako, Mali
An accidental fire destroyed the basin market [fr] located near the Wahhabites Mosque of Bamako yesterday (12/15). It is the third tragedy of such kind in market area of Bamako in 4 years. Nama explains why such incident seems to repeat itself in his city [fr] : Plusieurs plans d'aménagement de...
A French Version of NSA Electronic Surveillance Program?
Etienne Papin, a Paris-based lawyer expert in internet rights, explains the details of a bill that was approved by the French Senate on December 10: La loi de programmation militaire (Military Planning Act). He describes the bill as the French version of NSA mass electronic surveillance data mining program [fr]...
Nelson Mandela's Death: ‘Left Us in Body, But His Spirit Is Eternal’
"Mandela was about politics and he was about race and he was about freedom and he was even about force, and he did what he felt he had to do"
6 People From Madagascar You Should Know
Learn about six Malagasy personalities worth knowing for anyone wishing to better understand the island of Madagascar.
What the Situation of Street Children in Port-au-Prince is Telling a Haitian Citizen
Valéry Moise, a Haitian physician and activist, reflects upon the dire situation of street children [fr] in Port-au-Prince : Moi, quand je regarde un enfant des rues briser une vitre, je vois une promesse électorale non tenue, quand je regarde un enfant sans idéal, je vois un gouvernement sans vision,...
3,000 Students Protest against Educational Reform in Gabon
Reforms to the educational system were suspended [fr] in Gabon after teachers and students marched together in protests. In the proposed reform, the final exam to obtain the high school diploma will be done in one round instead of two and the entry into high school will be subjected to...
5 Energy Treasures in Africa You Haven't Heard About
Most African countries still suffer frequent power outages which inhibit economic growth. They are not, however, lacking in resources. This post outlines some of those least known in Africa.
Presseurop, a News Website on European Affairs on the Verge of Termination
The European Commission will stop financing Presseurop, the largest news website on European affairs on December 22. The website curates the top international news and translate it in 10 different languages. Readers can share and comment the news in the language of their choice thanks to its multilingual platform [fr]. The blog Décrypter la communication...
