Stories about Benin
Global Voices in Dutch Looks Back on 2011
While the year 2012 is already well on its way, the translators of Global Voices in Dutch look back on 2011. Which posts stood out and what makes Global Voices so special?
Africa/Caribbean: Vote for the YoBloCo Awards
Public evaluation is now open for the “Youth in Agriculture Blog Competition” (YoBloCo) : “We received more than 90 entries for the competition, among which we shortlisted a total of 36 blogs for the Individual Category and 16 blogs for the Institutional Category.”
Africa: Open Doors 2012: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa
Open Doors 2012 focuses on Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: “Following on from India in 2011, the next edition of Open Doors, the Festival del film Locarno’s co-production lab, will be devoted to francophone Africa…Application forms for Open Doors 2012 are available on www.onopendoors.pardo.ch and are restricted to projects from francophone Sub-saharan...
African Women Striving to be Heads of State
Since Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became President of Liberia in 2006, several other African women have decided to run for the continent's top level political jobs. The increase of female candidates is undoubtedly a step in the right direction; Lova Rakotomalala introduces some of the rising stars.
Togo: 3rd BarCamp Selects the Translation for “Blog” in Ewé Language
In its presentation of the third edition of BlogCamp Togo, togocouleurs explains that [fr] the Togolese blogosphere coined a new word for “blog” in the Ewé language (spoken in Togo, Ghana and Benin) : “with the vote taking place directly on the ETTIC [fr] (‘Togolese Space for Information and Communication Technologies’)...
Africa : Delicious Peanut
Nadia Khouri-Dagher writes a post on afrik.com [fr] where she praises the peanut, a condiment that has been integrated in most African cuisines: “Senegalese Chicken Mafé, Malian Peanuts Tiguadegue sauce, Ghanean Inkatse-abè sauce, Togolese Azindéssi sauce, Beninese Aziin nusunnu sauce, Congolese moambe chicken, Peanut rougail from Reunion Islands,… : The peanut...
Benin: Meet Benin's Rising Star
Chale writes about the rising star of Benin's music: “Kiinzah is certainly one of the rising stars in the African music scene. We discovered the Benin singer recently through a Gabonese Youtube channel, that alone signifies how she's crossed over her country's borders and is making a mark on the...
Lebanon: Story of a Migrant House Keeper, Georgette
To mark Labor Day, the non-governmental organisation Migrant Workers Task Force has published a video, in which Georgette, a house keeper from Benin working in Lebanon, relates her experiences and speaks of the changes she would like to see in migrants’ working conditions.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Surge in Use of Mobile Phones
André-Michel Essoungou writes the following on the site reseautelecom.com: “According to the ITU [International Telecommunication Union], investments in the African mobile phone sector, the prime mover of information and communication technologies, went from US$8.1 billion in 2005 to nearly US$70 billion today. These technologies are about to become the driving...
Côte d'Ivoire: Where Are the African Personalities When They Are Needed?
A few months ago, Marième Jamme asked Bono and Bob Geldof to take less prominent roles as speakers for Africa in the media and leave space for Africans to speak for themselves. Today on the Africa Rising blog, bloggers wonder where have the African personalities gone when they are actually needed to get the world's...
Libya: Sub-Saharan Africans in Serious Danger
The crisis in Libya since the uprisings against Colonel Mouammar Gaddafi has not only had dramatic consequences for Libyans, but also for Sub-Saharan African citizens residing in Libya. Thousands of refugees are exposed to terrible conditions on journeys to the nearest borders, and numerous black Africans currently do not dare to leave their homes.
Africa: Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou
Boukari Ouédraogo wrote [Fr] on his blog: ” The 22nd edition of the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou will take place in Ouagadougou from February 26th to March 5th. This year's theme is “African Cinema and Markets.”
Tragedy bookends Year 2010 for Francophone Citizen Media
It appears that tragedy will bookend yet another year rich in remarkable events in the world of francophone citizen media. The month of January set the tone with the fallout from the earthquake in Haiti and December saw the elections in Cote d'Ivoire take a dramatic turn. Here is the year 2010 reviewed through the lenses of francophone citizen media users.
Benin: How to help flood victims
How to help flood victims in Benin: “So people are homeless, kids aren’t going to school, and disease is rampant. What can we do from our armchairs? I checked with the USAID director and several other international donors to find out what they’re doing. The relief effort is being lead...
Benin: One of the Most Affected by the Floods in Western Africa
Blaise Aplogan posts a photo of floods in Benin [fr]. He adds a table that summarizes the number of casualties and people affected by the floods in several western African countries, noting that Benin was one of the most severely hit [RFI report in French].
Evacuation of The Former “House of West African Students” in Paris
Ménilmuche writes on his blog [fr] about the evacuation of “La Maison des Étudiants de l’Ouest Africain” [fr]. In 1950 [Colonial period], French West Africa (AOF) purchased this building to house the elected West African representatives. The building became a student dormitory in the 1960's when the countries reached independence....
Benin: Text Messages to Help Protect Children Against Violence: Lessons Learned
The Violence Against Children (VAC) project is an initiative co-implemented by PLAN and Save the Children in West Africa and takes place over 4 years in seven countries. The project explored the idea of setting up a text message based system that will collect and map out reports of violence against children. The following is a discussion about the impact and lessons learned on the implementation so far.
Africa: Ajami Writing System
Do you know Ajami writing system?: “Ajami writing system has been used for at least at least a thousands years in parts of Africa. As I understand it, the script is a modification of Arabic incorporating local languages such as Hausa [mainly the northern regions of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana]...
Benin: Traveler Recounts Experience at Porga Border
Toyin Ajao recounts his horrific experience at Porga border in Benin:”When it was my turn, the officer in charge asked me to pay 5,000cfa to get my passport stamped and I asked why it was so. He did not bother to answer me but commanded me to leave his sight...
Benin: President Boni Yayi In Impeachment Row as MPs Switch Strategy
Le Blog Visage du Benin writes that The head of Benin's parliament has rejected a request by 48 MPs to impeach President Boni Yayi on charges of fraud [fr]. It adds that the MPs have decided to switch strategy and move the impeachment motion to an emergency procedure to be...
Benin: Interior Ministry Repudiates Wolosso Dance Before His Dismissal
Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji reports that the Interior Ministry Armand Zinzindohoué ordered that night clubs in Cotonou curbed down the excessive practice of a dance called Wolosso [fr]. Unrelated to the previous matter, Zinzindohoué was dismissed and arrested later in the week for fraud.
