· February, 2012

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from February, 2012

Zambia: Ban Ki-moon Calls on Nation to Respect Gay Rights

  29 February 2012

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Zambia on 24 February; he addressed parliament, met key political figures and visited the Victoria Falls. None of these events have made as much news as his call on the nation to respect gay rights.

Video Highlights: Defending Human Rights

  28 February 2012

A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories on video advocacy including indigenous rights and recent news from Latin America, East Asia, Western Europe and Sub Saharan Africa selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.

Africa: Vote for the Most Influential African Thinker Alive

  28 February 2012

Africa is a Country blog wants readers to vote for one influential African thinker from a list of 12 candidates. The list includes Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), Mahmood Mamdani (Uganda), Mamdouh Habashi, (Egypt), Kwame Anthony Appiah (Ghana/United States), J M Coetzee (South Africa/Australia) and Issa Shivji (Tanzania). Voting is open until 5 March, 2012.

Haiti: Joining the African Union

  28 February 2012

Mackendie Toupuissant writes [fr]: “The news went almost unnoticed. Until now,  Haiti was a mere “observer” in the African Union.  Since early February, the first black republic in history became  a” full associate member “of the African Union (AU).  This decision, the first of its kind for a country of the African Diaspora...

Kenya: Kenya Blogger Wins Annual World Media Awards

  27 February 2012

Kenyan blogger Collins Mbalo is the winners of the first Annual World Media Awards in Best African Blog category: “Collins Mbalo tells the African story from a different perspective. This blog covers issues and topics concerning the everyday African person. A recent interview of ” Sue” a Kenyan prostitute inspired...

Cameroon : Say No To Tribalism

  24 February 2012

Princess Akeelah talks on her blog [fr] about an online campaign launched to fight against Tribalism in Cameroon. In a country where it is estimated that 280 different ethnic groups live together, she explains that this diversity is a wealth and should be “the foundation of a National Union”.

Greece: Athens, 1st African Film Festival Week

  23 February 2012

The first African Film Festival will take place in Athens, Greece, from February 23 to 29, 2012, with the collaboration of various African countries’ embassies and consulates. Twenty one films from Angola, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia will be screened. The event is hosted by the Greek Film...

Sierra Leone: Postcards From Freetown: Then and Now

  23 February 2012

Babak uses old postcards from Freetown, Sierra Leone to compare what was then to what is now: “The series of “Once Salone: Freeown’s then and now” is a photography project that sent him sometimes to the most unlikely places to identify the locations.”

Sahel: Islamic Fundamentalist Organisations Tighten Their Grip

  22 February 2012

For a few months now, two religious Islamic fundamentalist organisations, Boko Haram and AQIM (Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb), have intensified their war against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the surrounding nations. The regional blogosphere has quickly reacted, showing concern and providing thorough analyses.

Angola: Anti-Corruption Initiative Urges CNN to Refuse Advertising Deal

  21 February 2012

Maka, a website that monitors corruption in Angola, launched an online campaign petitioning CNN International to stop accepting advertisement from the government of President Dos Santos. The presidential budget for 2012 allocates about US$17 million for promoting a positive image of Angola on CNN International, through a company run by...

Africa: African Arguments Online

  21 February 2012

African Arguments Online is a multi-blogging platform that covers contemporary African events and develops debates on themes that are important to an ever changing continent. The platform has 6 blogs: Making Sense of Sudan, African Politics Now!, Rethinking Zimbabwe, Business Africa, The Central Africa Forum and Diaspora Debate.

Mali: The River Niger in Pictures

  20 February 2012

Boukary Konaté, a member of the Global Voices community in Mali, recently toured rural schools on a traditional Malian boat as part of a digital literacy project. This boat trip was an opportunity to explore his own country and to illustrate the many aspects of the 2,600 miles-long Niger river. Here are some snapshots, taken during the journey.

Africa: Weaving the African Dream Through Social Innovations

  19 February 2012

Gamel identifies social innovations that weave the African dream: “Tech in Education: This project is the main motivation behind today’s post. Tech in Education is a 48hr gathering of ideas, people and digital tools aimed at creating novel web and mobile solutions to improve learning amongst primary and secondary school...

Africa: Colonial PR Films Provide a Window to Africa's More Recent Past

  19 February 2012

African Urbanism discusses the UK's Colonial Film Catalogue, a database of more than 6000 films, which provides a window into British colonial period: “…these videos find their value in providing a fantastic trip through time into life in these places — showing people as they were (or, rather, how the...

Madagascar : Why Malagasies Cannot Use Paypal

  18 February 2012

The Malagasy blogger Sam bemoans on Reflexium the absence of an electronic payment system in Madagascar  [fr]: ” It is ludicrous that Malagasy people can open accounts on Paypal but cannot withdraw money from their accounts or credit it. Madagascar launched a few initiatives to have Paypal services in the country. Yet, the...

About our Sub-Saharan Africa coverage

Zita Zage
Zita Zage is the Anglophone Africa Editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Jean Sovon
Jean Sovon is the Francophone Africa. Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Dércio Tsandzana
Dércio Tsandzana is the Lusophone (Portuguese) editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.