· September, 2012

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from September, 2012

Cape Verde: Blogging for Soul Healing, Facebook as a Catwalk

  28 September 2012

Capeverdean blogger Jorge from Diário de um Thug notes [pt] that the country's blogs are dying everyday. Should Facebook be blamed? for the ones who enjoy writing, that problem is not an issue. Writing is an act of mourning and of memory healing; a soul cure has many more advantages...

Africa: Arranged Corporate Marriages

  28 September 2012

Bankelele points out corporate marriages of note in Africa: Barclays of UK and South Africa’s Absa Group are in talks to merge their African operations – but this is not really new as the plan was set in motion six years ago.

Zambia's “Imaginary” Terror Plot

  28 September 2012

Zambia appears to be on the brink of ethnic conflict after a separatist group from Southern Province claimed to have killed members of the President’s tribe. However, many Zambians regard the threat posed by the Tongas Under Oath as the latest attempt by the government to discredit opposition parties.

Chad: Challenges to Freedom of Expression as Social Protests Grow

  27 September 2012

The recent arrests in Chad of three union officers and the editor of an independent newspaper are symptomatic of a disintegration of freedom of expression in the country. These arrests have come after protest movements against the impoverishment of Chad’s population and the privatization of the country’s resources.

A Ghanain App at TechCrunch Disrupt

  27 September 2012

Erik writes about a Ghanaian tech team that pitched at TechCrunch Disrupt event: Saya is an app for texting. That mixes SMS, Facebook chat and hyperlocal findability to get in conversations with those near you. They’re on Android, Blackberry and waiting for their iPhone app to be approved.

Kenya: Safari 7s Rugby Tournament Excites Fans

  27 September 2012

One of the biggest sporting events in East Africa came alive between 21-23 September, 2012, in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi - the Safari Sevens, a rugby seven-a-side tournament which started in 1995 but has grown into a fixture in the Kenyan sporting calendar.

Zimbabwe: My Zimbabwean Sheroe

  27 September 2012

Amy Tsanga is Rumbidzai Dube's Zimbabwean sheroe: Here was a woman who lived through an era when the education of girls was not a priority yet she had done it and done it well too. She was my lecturer and I idolised her or was it, uh, hero-worshipping. Gentle, yet...

Guinea-Bissau: Impact of Tourism in the Bijagós Islands

  26 September 2012

Tourism doesn't always mean wealth and development for the Southern countries. The statement comes from a report [pt] on “Dynamics and impacts of the expansion of tourism in the Bijagós islands”, a protected sea area in Guinea Bissau. Cape Verdean blog Morabeza shares [pt] the study by CETRI (Centre Tricontinental)...

Africa: Mountain Gorilla Conservation Data

  25 September 2012

Over 5,000 days of Mountain Gorilla conservation data in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Fifteen years ago, ranger-based monitoring (or RBM for short) was initiated as a tool in the conservation of mountain gorillas. Whether patrolling the park for law enforcement or tracking mountain gorillas for health...

Why Mali's Army is Hesitant about Foreign Intervention in the North

  25 September 2012

Tiékorobani goes to great length explaining why Captain Sanogo and the Malian Army are hesitant about foreign intervention [fr] in Northern Mali. He argues that Sanogo fears that he will lose control the global military operations and that in turn, his officers might rebel against him because of his loss of...

Cabinda: Black Gold of Angola

  25 September 2012

Cabinda, the eighteenth and most disputed province of Angola, has been waging an ancient struggle for its independence. The majority of the Angolan population says that Cabinda is part of Angola, but others defend the opposite position. The enclave produces around 70% of the oil exported by the country.

Burundi: A Political Will to Provide Universal Education

  25 September 2012

The proportion of children in school increased from 59 per cent in 2005 to 96 per cent in 2011. The fact that Burundi is just emerging from war and that its schools were then often targeted makes the progress even more remarkable. Africa Renewal Online reports that government in Burundi...

DR of Congo: Rwanda is Helping the Rebellion, says Human Rights Watch

  24 September 2012

Human Rights Watch wrote [fr]: In addition to deploying reinforcements and recruits to support military operations, Rwandan military officials have been providing important military support to the M23 rebels, including weapons, ammunition, and training, Human Rights Watch said. This makes Rwanda a party to the conflict.”

Africa: Controversy over the Presidency of the Confederation of African Football

  24 September 2012

Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou wrote the following on mondoblog.org : The Confederation of African football adopted a shameful regulation during its general meeting on Monday, September 3, 2012, stipulating that only members of the Executive Committee may run for President of the governing body of African football. A settlement which eliminates, in...

Mauritania: March to Commemorate the Passing of Rights Activist

  24 September 2012

Civil rights organisation Touche pas à ma nationalité TPMN ( in English: Do not interfere with my citizenship) has called for a large march to commemorate the passing of anti-racism activist Lamine Mangane, killed a year ago by authorities in the town of Maghama during protests against a census that marginalized black citizens of Mauritania.

Chinese ‘Soft Power’ Expands in Africa with CCTV

  23 September 2012

Chinese state-controlled media, China Central Television (CCTV), launched its African regional bureau in Nairobi, Kenya on January 11. While its presence has diversified the media landscape in Africa, some have been rather skeptical of its journalistic independence.

Uganda: Teenage Girl Becomes Africa's Youngest MP

  22 September 2012

Africa is truly rising and African women are rising with it. Currently, Malawi and Liberia have female presidents. Now Uganda has elected the youngest Member of Parliament in Africa - she is 19 year old Proscovia Alengot Oromait.

Angola: Police Puts End to Protest

  21 September 2012

The Angolan collective @Central7311 informed on Twitter that some of its members were detained on September 20, 2012, “for holding a peaceful demonstration” which intended to “pressure the opposition not to take their place in parliament after clearly fraudulent elections”. The demonstrators were released six hours after the detention, Maka Angola...

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.