Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from December, 2006
Africa 2.0: Important New Sites
Africa 2.0 shares (Fr) two new links: Makossa TV, a self-described media center for African artists and Ouestaf, a West African news site.
South Africa: South African marketing podcast
Mike Stopforth announces the launch of Amplitude: “Dave Duarte and I would like to ‘officially’ announce the launch of Amplitude – A New Marketing Podcast for South Africans (by South Africans).”
Burkina Faso: army-police dispute
The Head Heeb asks whether we are experiencing another Sahel domino: “As the year draws to a close, another Sahelian country is dealing with growing unrest. This time, the warning signs are coming from Burkina Faso, where a simmering army-police dispute erupted into pitched battles on the streets of the...
Africa: James Brown and Africa
Blake Lambert, blogging at Sub-Saharan Africa Roundtable, writes about James Brown's connection to Africa, “Yet JB’s best-known visit to the continent was in 1974 when he performed at a concert as part of the famous “rumble in the jungle” in Kinshasa. Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in one of the...
Zimbabwe: Saddam's lesson for Mugabe
The Beardedman posts links and commentary about the latest political news in Zimbabwe, “I watch the events surrounding the condemned ex-dictator of Iraq with interest. Maybe Mugabe should ‘look East’ – but not as far as he has been doing. Then, perhaps, he might realise what he has done to...
Somalia/Ethiopia: Ethiopia's invasion a good idea?
Writing about Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia, Ethan Zuckerman asks, “Does anyone outside of the Bush and Zenawi administrations think this was a good idea?”
Somalia: Islamists should be stopped
Somalia Islamists should be stopped, writes Bashir Goth, “Somalia for Somalis! Let them run their country as they please. Easy words to say but difficult to accept when it means beheading people for not praying five times a day, chopping hands of those who steal to stay alive in a...
Trinidad, Guyana, South Africa: Book talk
85-year old Guyanese writer Wilson Harris has a new novel and Nobel prize-winning South African novelist Nadine Gordimer's estranged biographer is half-Trinidadian, reports Jeremy Taylor, who also reveals his favourite Caribbean novels of 2006.
Ethiopia: angry at Ethiopia-Somali war
Arefaynie Fantahun writes about reaction in Addis Ababa to Ethiopia's war against Somalia, “It is not hard to know how people in Addis are angry at the war with Somalia, which they most say is bizarre and senseless. Many say they haven’t the slightest clue what this war is all...
Africa: “local” is the keyword
“Why not build the next eBay in Africa, then be “partnered” with for $40 million? Why not build the next PayPal, Google, YouTube or MySpace, when the success of such a venture is sure to realize millions of dollars?,” asks White African.
Rep. of Congo: Allegations of Illegal Arrests
Le Pangolin posts a letter explaining (Fr) that Sargeant Mouele and two other members of the military have been arrested and detained in the Republic of Congo without the due process mandated by the Congolese constitution of 2002. The letter alleges many violations of due process including: actions by authorities...
Senegal: Irregularities in Voter Registration Records
In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election, Blog Politique du Senegal takes (Fr) a closer look at official voter registration numbers and finds that if the current numbers are to be believed, every single person of voting age in Senegal is registered. Says the blog: “It is hard to believe...
Tanzania: president is a servant
Jaduong Metty writes a letter to the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, “Given your recent comments during an exclusive interview with the Guardian, in which you gave the following comment: “ British Prime Minister Tony Blair has invited me on January 16 to visit London. Should I say I am...
Nigeria: who is to blame?
Chxta's World discusses the tragedy that claimed more that 200 lives in Nigeria, “Concerning the avoidable tragedy that played out in Abule-Egba, it is pertinent to note that there are many factors involved, and all of them are/were totally avoidable. I will like to point some of these factors out...
Africa: global perception of Africa
The global perception that Africa sucks gathers more speed, “I have got an IQ of 132, show me how to use it”
Kenya: numbers do not lie
Bankele notes that numbers do not lie, people do, “Whether it's – Kenya to receive 5.8 billion in military aid, government creates 500,000 jobs, NGO plans to plant 1 million trees, ILO says 352 million children are economically active, SACCO’s contribute 45% to GDP, or 30 per cent of teenagers...
Senegal: lessons from the Mourides
“All these factors have helped make the Mourides one of the more successful African communities, at home and abroad. Wherever they are, they club together to acquire a mosque and community centre. Their networks help migrants leave Senegal, find work and procure documents. Far from being helpless victims of fate,...
Burkina Faso: conflict between the army and the police
What exactly happened last week in Ouagadougou?, “In Ouagadougou yesterday, there was a conflict between the police and the army, which led to several policemen killed. Apparently shooting was heard throughout the day and into the night.”
Burundi: Titanic Express massacre
Agathon Rwasa remembers the victims of the Titanic Express massacre in Burundi.
Kenya: DIY phone booth
Local innovation at work: the DIY phone booth in Kenya,”The person who modified it ripped an old Siemens C25 phone apart and installed its display instead of the one that came along with this phone. The keypad is soldered to the phone and a rechargeable battery is inside the box...
Ethiopia/Somali: a reckless war
Enset describes Ethiopia-Somali war as “a reckless war borne of bad choices”: “If the Ethio-Eritrean war of 1998-2000 was a senseless war, then this war between the radical Somali Islamist and the illegitimate Meles-led regime of Ethiopia is a reckless one for all involved.”
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