Stories from and

What We Know and What Is Still Up in the Air After the Alleged Coup in Burundi

  13 May 2015

Celebration and jubilation near Presidential offices in Bujumbura after the overthrow of Nkurunziza. #BurundiCoup pic.twitter.com/WhJzXKfS69 — Robert ALAI (@RobertAlai) May 13, 2015 Following incumbent Burundi President Nkurunziza's candidacy for a third term, General Godefroid Niyombare announced that he has dismissed the current administration and that he is taking over until...

The Humanitarian Crisis You Haven't Heard of in Burundi

  10 May 2015

Following Burundi President Nkurunziza's announcement of his candidacy for a third term (unconstitutional by Burundi's existing law), a massive humanitarian crisis has hit the country as at least 50,000 refugees have fled the country after scenes of violence were reported in several cities. The occurrence of violence were often posted...

2015 Presents an Opportunity for Free and Fair Elections in Africa

  18 February 2015

Wekesa Sylvanus hopes that 2015 will be a year of free and fair elections in Africa: https://wekesasylvanus.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/will-2015-be-a-year-of-free-and-fair-elections-in-africa/ Since the advent of multi party democracy in Africa, electoral contests have become a do or die affair in majority of African countries. Elections in Africa are a high risk affair and in...

Should Africa Learn From the Crimea Referendum?

  28 March 2014

“Is Crimea referendum a good model for Africa?” asks Richard Dowden: Africa’s arbitrary borders, mostly drawn by people who had never set foot in the continent, have always been an obvious target for renegotiation. But Africa’s first rulers, who foresaw chaos and disintegration if the nation states were reconfigured, ruled...

TZHhiphop – Necessary Noise in Tanzanian Music Scene

  10 March 2014

TZhiphop is a project that promotes Tanzanian hip hop online: We are the necessary noise in Bongo’s music scene advocating for Tanzanian Hip Hop. This project is focusing on reconnecting Hip Hop fans and the conscious poetry in the lyrics that reflects the apparent hustles of our society.

Follow AfricaHackTrip Online

  7 October 2013

A group of developers and designers from Europe who are curious about the emerging African tech hubs are on hack trip of the continent. Check out their blog or Tumblr and follow discussion about the trip on Twitter.

Song, Video Shed Light on Congo War

  19 June 2013

‘In the Congo’ is a song and video that shed light 20 year conflict over minerals used in mobile phones and electronics: The video is produced and directed by Zavara Mponjika, the respected hip hop pioneer and filmmaker from Tanzania and features New York based female hip hop group Rhyme...

The Team Tanzania TV Drama Series

  7 May 2013

The Team Tanzania is a TV drama series about: […] Ms. Wito, a dynamic civics teacher, who turns the world of 3 teenagers upside down when she challenges them with controversial questions like “Who are you”? The three 16-year olds, who have known each other all their lives. On the...

Dar Sketches: Art for Sustainable Development

  7 May 2013

Dar Sketches is part of the Street Level project in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania initiated by artist and illustrator Sarah Markes: It is a celebration of the cultural and architectural heritage of Dar es Salaam as well as an effort to raise awareness of the threats to this heritage posed...

Tanzania: Building Collapses in Dar Es Salaam

  30 March 2013

Pernille shares photos of a building that collapsed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on Friday, 29 March 20013: “Nearby is a football field used by children. Over 60 persona, including children, are reported missing according to ITV. No confirmations at this early stage.”

African Presidents Active on Social Media

  21 March 2013

Dapa Arnaud gives a list of the 10 most active african presidents [fr] on social media. At the top of the list is  president Paul Kagame in Rwanda: In place since 2003, the president of Rwanda is the most active on the internet.  According to the Ecofin agency, Paul Kagame interacts...

The Future of E-Commerce and Mobile Payments in Africa

  4 February 2013

Mbawana Alliy says that e-commerce & mobile payments in Africa will not scale without business process integration:”As I tell the startups in our accelerator who are exploring integrating payments, its not just about accepting payments its about a business process and even business model rethink and in turn convince both...

Africa: Contemporary African Artistry Online

  28 July 2012

Usanii Afrika is a blog that showcases contemporary African artistry: “Usanii Afrika (meaning Artistry Africa in Swahili) is a blog born out of passion. Innately creative herself, blogger, Kirsty Macdonald has had a life long love affair with the arts and self expression.”

Tanzania: Community Mapping and Open Development

  3 April 2012

Learn about community mapping and open development in Tanzania: “With facilitation from Ground Truth, the creators of Map Kibera, students from Ardhi University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) and residents of Tandale spent much of August using GPS units to collect a wide range of public data points,...

Tanzania: Support Operation 365

  6 March 2012

Be part of Operation 365, a project idea from Marisa Ranieri who is taking her first post-graduate job as a high school teacher in Tanzania: “To defray some of the financial stress on my part, my hope is to have 365 different friends and family members donate $10 towards the...

Africa: Do You Need a Handbook For Bush Flying?

  7 February 2012

“Low timer pilots handbook to bush flying?,” Bush Pilot in Swakopund asks: “I was wondering if any of you would be interested in an e-book that has all the information about the where's, how's and what's of the job hunt in Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania (and also some other information I...

Africa: Startups in Africa 2011 and Beyond

  4 January 2012

Erik believes that 2011 was a great year for startups in Africa: “The past few years have been about building an infrastructure that improves the chances of the technology startups in Africa to succeed. Seeing this buildout in action in 2011 was exciting, but it should be recognized for what...

Tanzania: Tanzania@50: What do we have to show for it?

  7 December 2011

Ahmed reflects on Tanzania at 50 by asking, “Tanzania at 50 what do we have to show for it?”: “We have immense challenges and, as the saying goes, do Tanzanians feel they are better off today than they were ten years ago, let alone 50 years ago? The answer is...

Tanzania: Blog It: Tanzania at 50

  7 December 2011

Celebrate Tanzania@50 by writing a blog post: “The Mainland part of the United Republic of Tanzania, Tanganyika, is celebrating 50 years of Independence on December 9 2011. The Dar es Salaam Bloggers’ Circle encourages bloggers to mark this event by a blog post on December 9th 2011.”