Stories about French from October, 2011
Cameroon: Biya Tipped to Win After Temporary Results Are Leaked
Weekly newspaper Le Messager has published a leak of Cameroon's temporary presidential election results in an article, which tips current incumbent Paul Biya to win. Julie Owono reports on netizens' reactions and the fear of post-election violence.
France: Tunisian Diaspora Set to Vote
Tunisian residents in France will vote ahead of their compatriots, from Thursday, October 20, until Saturday, October 22, whereas polls in Tunisia open on Sunday 23 October. There are an estimated 600,000 Tunisians living in France. Les cahiers de la liberté (Notebooks of Freedom,) [fr, ar] has published a guide to the...
Cameroon: Retrospective on the 2011 Presidential Election Candidates
So much has already been said about the recent presidential election in Cameroon: too many candidates, strange promises, unflattering political slogans, and so on. Philippe Menkoue provides a retrospective of the candidates prior to the results being announced.
France: The Twittosphere Pokes Fun at the Presidential Election Campaign
As can be seen on social networking sites like Twitter, the 2012 presidential campaign is well and truly underway in France. The left wing Primaries have animated the media landscape over the last couple of weeks, and resulted in François Hollande being named the Socialist Party (PS) representative. On Twitter, many Trending topics make reference to the up coming elections and are provoking amused reactions.
France: Violence Erupts in French Overseas Departement Mayotte
Violence has erupted during demonstrations against the rising cost of living in Mamoudzou, the capital city of the French overseas departement Mayotte, where one man has died and another is reported wounded [fr]. Events can be followed on Twitter via the #mayotte hashtag. Rue89 has published testimonies [fr] from Mayotte citizens, while Politis...
Tunisia: Democratic Test for Tunisians on October 23 Election Day
Tunisians will head to polls on October 23 to elect a national constituent assembly which will write a new constitution for the country that was the spark of the so called Arab Spring. Though, the election is much anticipated, about half of Tunisian voters are still undecided, and there are fears of a low turnout rate.
France: A Criticism of the “Imperialist Consensus”
“The televised debate between (presidential candidates) Hollande and Aubry showed us that, for the most part, the Socialist Party shares the opinions of the right on foreign policy,” writes [fr] the blog Le Petit Blanquiste, for whom the positions of the Socialist Party on Afganistan, Palestine, Iran, nuclear strategy and arms, and...
France: Towards an Admission of the 17 Octobre 1961 Suppression?
The blog Le Petit Blanquiste recounts [fr] the peaceful demonstration by Algerians in Paris, on 17 October 1961, which was suppressed in blood, and the media reactions of the time. After 50 years of near silence, there are emerging signs of an admission of fault.
Poetry Slam Activism in Francophone Africa
Poetry slam is a well-known channel of expression for many activists in North America but the rest of the world has now embraced this unique blend of poetry and rhythmic oral story telling. Here are some examples from Francophone Africa and the context in which they arose.
France: Global Voices in French Recommended in Volunteers’ Guide
Global Voices en français [fr] is happy to see the work of its volunteer translators highlighted and recommended in a recently published book in France, Impliquez-vous ! (Get Involved!) [fr]. Translating foreign blogs into French as part of the Global Voices Lingua project is one of “101 acts of solidarity” listed by...
Worldwide: Dialogue and Peace Through Sport
Joël Bouzou, a bronze medalist during the 1984 Olympic Games and World Champion of modern penthathlon in 1987, is the founder and president of Peace and Sport, an NGO created in 2007 whose motto is "Building sustainable peace through sport".
Cameroon: Diaspora Fail to Participate in Elections
Seven million Cameroonian voters were called to elect their next president on October 9, 2011. However, the question of the abstention seems to be the great winner of this ballot, in particular that of Cameroonians living abroad. Julie Owono reports.
African Bloggers Review the French Primary Elections
Mengue M'Eyaà review the proposals [fr] outlined by the French presidential candidates towards the African continent during the primary elections. She notes that all the proposals centered around how France can exit the Françafrique paradigm and that the candidates have a more nuanced understanding of several African issues such as...
Guinea: Another Bloody and Violent September 28
September 28 is a date feared by all Guineans whether they live in their country or abroad. This year opposition activists demonstrated peacefully to denounce the government's unilateral acts, but suppression was fierce.
France: Discussing the Merits of a “Robin Hood” Tax for the Europe Union
A. Rousseaux discusses the merits of a potential Robin Hood tax for the European Union with economist Dominique Plihon [fr]. Plihon argues that such a tax could have a real impact on curbing down excessive speculation on the European market.
Cameroon: Questions and Doubts Over Upcoming Election
On October 9, Cameroonians will be called on for the sixth time in the country's history to choose a president for the Republic. The election is characterized by the large number of candidates and voters - and by questions about the practices of the commission responsible for organizing elections.
Cameroon: Controversies Around the Electoral Campaign
The Central African Republic of Cameroon has entered the last week of the presidential campaign. While international election monitors arrived in the country to observe the elections, the electoral campaign activities failed to convince most Cameroonians of the importance of what is at stake.
Mauritania: Black Mauritanians Fear for their Citizenship as Census Proceeds
Bakari Guèye in Magharebia reports that the city of Kaedi erupted into violence on September 24 and 30, 2011, because the black community feared that the census would be used as a discriminatory tool to relegate them to second class citizen status. Babacar Justin Ndiaye explains that only Black Mauritanians...
Cape Verde: Cesaria Evora Retires
Momar niang posted on their blog: “Following the advice of her Paris doctors to cancel her upcoming tour, Cesaria and her manager and producer José da Silva have agreed that she should retire once and for all. In doing so Cesaria is relinquishing the itinerant life that has taken...
Equatorial Guinea: 11 Luxury Cars Belonging to Obiang's Son Seized in Paris
11 luxury cars belonging to the son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea were seized [fr] on September 28 in Paris, as part of the undergoing “Ill-Gotten Gains” investigation. Tokinambo reacts to the news on the togocity blog [fr] : “O Africa, a president's son can own 11 luxury...
Morocco: French Made TGV Rail Project Causes Controversy
On Thursday, President Sarkozy of France visited Morocco to oversee the launch of construction work on a new TGV rail link between the cities of Tangier and Casablanca. Moroccan bloggers are questioning the relevance, political significance and the motives behind the costly project.
