Stories from Quick Reads and Angola
Can Africa Really Maintain Its Own African Centers for Disease Control?
Anna K. Mwaba discusses the future of the newly established African Center for Disease Control: The establishment of such a center in Africa is not a particularly new idea; talks on the need for more effective means to combat epidemics on the continent were held in July 2013 at the...
A Plea to Pope Francis to Take Action Against African Dictators
Une pétition en ligne adressée au Pape pour demander l'excommunication des dictateurs africains de l'Angola, de la Guinée Equatoriale, du Cameroun, du Congo et du Zimbabwe.
The Africanized Experience of Lisbon
The media and racial stereotypes [pt], through the perspective and experience of two specialists in the area of the study of race, both Afroportuguese, born in Lisbon, Portugal. is the topic of a new podcast. An interview with Grada Kilomba, academic of Santomean origin at the Humboldt University Berlin, translated into...
The Last Place of Cultural Dynamism in Luanda is No More
Marissa Moorman writes about the destruction of Elinga Theatre, the centre of cultural life in Luanda, Angola: Since 1988, Elinga Theater, has anchored cultural life in the Angolan capital. On March 22, 2014 José Mena Abrantes, director of Elinga Theater, as well as poet, dramaturge, journalist, and communications consultant (read:...
10 New Documentaries at the Luxor African Film Festival
Tom Devriendt lists 10 documentaries to look out for at the Luxor African Film Festival: The third edition of the Egyptian Luxor African Film Festival again has a wide-ranging programme scheduled for next month. Selected films will be showing in different competitions: Long Narrative, Short Narratives, Short Documentaries and Long...
INFOGRAPHIC: Pursuit of Happiness in Africa
The Afrographique blog mapped the happiness index for the African continent. Topping the ranking are Angola and Mauritius who hold the same happiness index as Albania and Russia, respectively. In related news, the Pharell’ single “Happy” has been used by dancers around the world to celebrate the new year 2014....
Asking After Prisoners’ Screams Lands Angolan Journalist in Jail
A journalist passes by a police station in a town of the outskirts of Luanda, the capital of Angola, and hears prisoners screaming. He enters the police station to ask what is happening. He is arrested on accusations of slander and defamation. That is what happened to Queirós Anastácio Chilúvia, deputy editor of the...
Understanding Human Rights in Portuguese-Speaking Countries
[All links lead to Portuguese language pages, except where otherwise stated] The Portuguese language version of the educational manual for human rights “Understanding Human Rights” is available online. The website provides the complete manual in pdf format or divided into chapters, as well as training material, bibliographical references and institutional information specifically aimed at...
VIDEO: Authorities Destroy Mosques in Angola
The destruction of at least 11 mosques in the last two months in Angola is provoking reactions of outrage online. According to Voz da América [pt], Angolan authorities state that the reason for the destruction is illegal construction. Other reports add that the process of legalization of Islam and other religions in the country...
VIDEO: Angola's Kuduro as an Urban Phenomenon
A new film on Angola's frenetic music genre and dance, Kuduro (literally ‘hard ass’), follows the steps of some of the key figures that have helped this popular style turn into an urban cultural movement: Created in the discos and raves in downtown Luanda through a fusion between House and Techno beats...
Nine Signs the Journalism on Africa You’ve Just Encountered is Trash
Imran Garda identifies nine signs of trash journalism on Africa: You may already have accepted that those images of swollen potbellies underneath protruding ribs, those sticky flies sitting on the starving child’s eyebrows and lips, those panoramic views of refugee camps are not the be-all and end-all of Africa. Or...
Activists Demand Release of Angola's Youngest Political Prisoner
It has been more than a month since a 17-year-old activist from Angola was detained after allegedly having ordered the print of 20 t-shirts saying “[President] José Eduardo out! Disgusting dictator”. Manuel Chivonde Baptista ‘Nito Alves’ was jailed on September 12, 2013, and is currently at Luanda central prison, after a few days of solitary...
Re-Imagining Lusophony and Decolonizing the Mind
The Fourth International Congress in Cultural Studies – Colonialisms, Post-colonialisms and Lusophonies has a call for paper submissions open until October 15, 2013 November 15, 2013 [deadline has been extended]: To demystify, to dehierarchize, to establish a policy of difference, to allow a multiplicity of voices, to constitute so many projects of possible modernities/rationalities...
Youth Protest Scheduled in Angola Despite Police Warning
An unauthorized youth demonstration [pt] called by the Angolan Revolutionary Movement (Movimento Revolucionario Angolana) is planned for this afternoon, September 19, 2013, in the capital city of Angola, Luanda. A few hours before the demonstration is expected to begin, Mozambican journalist from BBC Africa Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) wrote on Twitter: #Angola Police say...
VIDEO: Angolan Prison Authorities Crack Down on Prisoners
A video showing what appears to be prison guards and firefighters beating a group of prisoners in Luanda (warning: graphic) has been widely shared on Angolan social media. Amnesty International reacted saying that the footage “is shocking and must be investigated,” The footage, recorded on a mobile phone and distributed...
Open Letter to Germany's Cultural Foundation
Safia Dickersbach (@ArtsSafia) challenges a new programme dedicated to foster “German-African cultural relations”: 3. The Kulturstiftung claims to support the new African initiatives in the area of contemporary and innovative art. But on the other hand: a. Africans are not allowed to apply for the funds directly. b. The African...
Amnesty Publishes 2013 Report on Angola
Amnesty International annual report on Angola is available online. The NGO highlights cases such as the problem of police repression against the opposition parties during the presidential election last year, the abduction of the activists who organized protests demanding the payment of salaries and pensions to former war veterans in...
Angola Threatens to Shut Down Media
The Ministry of Communication of Angola threatens to suspend the public license of the Radio Despertar station and of the Folha 8 newspaper, despite the measure being unconstitutional. The government says they encourage public disorder. The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 15, as reported the Voz da América [pt]...
The Voice of Africa From All Over the World
Africa on the Blog is a blog by people of African heritage: The big deal for us here is that we as Africans are telling our stories in our own words as well as talking about issues that affect us.
Kallun: A Platform of Angolan Slang
The Plataform KALLUN (meaning slang), founded by Leocarpo Mário, is a recent collaborative project with the ultimate goal of gathering in just one place all the slang with Angolan origins. Kallun enables interactive search of terms and their meanings.
State-Sponsored Violence in Angola
Blogger Claudio Silva argues on Africa Is a Country that a deeper look at state-sponsored violence (urban evictions and crackdowns on protest) is needed to put into perspective two viral videos that recently shocked the country (see Global Voices coverage). He writes “the violence in Angola comes from the very...