Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from April, 2008
Uganda: Ugandans spend $18 million on Internet access
Scarlett Lion discusses the cost of Internet access in Uganda: “Internet in Uganda is prohibitively expensive. At a fast internet cafe, it will cost about Ush 3,000 per hour ($1.70). It may cost less per hour somewhere else, but the speed of the connection may be so slow that the...
Mozambique: On unemployment and the government responsibility
Basilio Muhate [pt] expatiates on the high unemployment rates in Mozambique and the role government play in it. “Bureaucracy also causes many problems in the labor market, mainly because of decisions that are not consistent with reality and real economy, where public spending (government spending) is often determined by political...
Zimbabwe: Will Malawi clear Zimbabwe's arms?
Will Malawi clear Zimbabwe's arms?: “The Nyasa Times has this report today and it seems a lot more plausible to me than yesterday’s Hollywood-style information regarding Venezula…”
Nigeria: The Next Fela
Ladybrille interviews the Nigerian musician, 9nice: “A self proclaimed “artist, poet and custodian of tradition and the Nigerian culture,” 9ice, like the great African musical icon-Fela Anikulapo Kuti, is dynamic, authentic and uncompromising, especially when it comes to his decision to sing in his native language.”
Africa: Measuring Internet Connectivity
Measuring Internet connectivity in Africa: “ICTP Science Dissemination Unit has been monitoring and testing internet connectivity to 45 universities in Africa for the past 12 months. Using at tool called PingER Africa, they track real-time network performances in terms of response time (for a succession of pings) and packet loss...
Zimbabwe: Government of National Unity?
Zimbabweans speaking about Government of National Unity: “We’ve received a flood of replies, particularly via SMS, with voices against a government of national unity out numbering those in favour of it by about 10:1.”
Zimbabwe: Truth and Justice Coalition
There is Truth and Justice Coalition in Zimbabwe: “The Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe (IDAZIM) has initiated, with full support from civil society, labour and legal organizations, the Truth and Justice Coalition on Zimbabwe. Its objectives are to identify perpetrators and seek legal redress for the victims of...
Uganda: Mwenda, 3 others arrested in newspaper raid
(UPDATE: Andrew Mwenda has been freed on bond, see his letter to supporters on the TED blog.) Bloggers and independent media outlets in Uganda are reporting that three journalists and a photographer at The Independent, an opposition newspaper based in Kampala, have been arrested and that the paper's offices have...
Angola: The voting weapon
Cazimar [pt] echoes the news that the Chinese An Yue Jiang ship was allowed to dock in Luanda only to unload merchandise destined for Angola. The blogger asks Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos why he wants weaponry and call people to react: “Be careful with this delivery of weapons....
Zimbabwe: Post-election violence on the rise
The election crisis in Zimbabwe continues: there are reports from the mainstream media, bloggers and human rights organisations about state organised post-election violence against supporters of the opposition, the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has left the country for Botswana fearing for his life and the “ship of evil” continues to draw bloggers' attention.
Ethiopian bloggers defend charged pop star
Ethiopian bloggers rushed to the defence of their country's top pop singer Teddy Afro, after he appeared in court charged with the hit-and-run killing of a youth in capital Addis Ababa. Many writers were convinced Afro was being framed by Ethiopian authorities who, they said, resented the singer's huge popularity and veiled anti-government lyrics.
PangeaDay: Videos to change the world on May 10th
On May 10th 2008 at 18:00 GMT, 24 films will be broadcast during a 4 hour event. What makes this different is that this event, PangeaDay will be broadcast from six locations worldwide in seven different languages worldwide to be viewed through internet, television or cellphones with one unique purpose: to make each other know about the lives of others and focus on what makes us similar, instead of what makes us different and let us work together towards peace.
Lusosphera: Remembering the Carnation Revolution
On April 25 1974, 34 years today, Portugal's 40-year fascist dictatorship, the longest in the history of Western Europe, came to an end with the Carnation Revolution, which also brought independence for the remaining colonies in Africa and Asia. Today Portuguese speaking bloggers from all over the world comment and celebrate.
Angola: Remember April 25
Many Angolan blogs, such as Kitanda [pt], bring today videos, articles and posts about the anniversary of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, the military-led coup d'état that changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy and brought independence to overseas territories.
Barbados, Jamaica: Up In Arms
“Twenty-eight years after Bob performed ‘Zimbabwe’, Robert Mugabe is still holding on desperately to power and it seems that he will use any tactic necessary to continue his dictatorship. Now the Chinese are involved”: Both Bajan Global Report and Jamaican Geoffrey Philp blog about an alleged Chinese arms shipment to...
Israel: Modern Day Exodus, on African Refugees and their Right for Medical Care
Around 6,000 African refugees escaped the horrors in their countries, and seek refuge in Israel. Many of them live in harsh conditions and can be spotted shivering cold on the streets of southern Tel-Aviv. The insensitive behavior from the side of the Israeli government comes only tens of years after the holocaust, when Jews came to the same plot of land, seeking refuge from the horrors of Europe, writes Gilad Lotan, who shows us how a group of bloggers are volunteering to draw a smile on the faces of countless of destitute refugees.
Zimbabwe: Politics of change or change of politics?
Zimpundit blogs for Pajama Media discussing the political situation in Zimbabwe: “While journalists, bloggers, and activists chronicled the dilemma of a nation that voted for the politics of change, the more significant undercurrent — that of Zimbabweans voting for a change in Zimbabwean politics — seems to have been lost...
Zimbabwe: The Inconvenient Truth
The Inconvenient Truth is a report by The Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) about elections in Zimbabwe: “The 15 page report is titled ‘The Inconvenient Truth: A complete guide to the delay in releasing the results of Zimbabwe’s presidential poll.’, and can be downloaded in .pdf format from...
China: Netizens defend Zimbabwe arms sales
As China's latest shipment of weapons and ammunition sits stranded off the coast of southeastern Africa and president Mugabe of landlocked Zimbabwe digs in against accusations of a fixed election, the majority of Chinese netizens are defending their government's arms sales to the country, at the same time accusing the US and its allies of double standards.
Green Global Voices on Earth Day 2008
Bloggers celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by posting their thoughts on what the day means, others did a roundup of articles, some shared reading lists and others mused about climate change. In this brief roundup we get a glimpse of these blogger's views on Earth Day 2008. Starting with...
What's Carter Doing in the Middle East?
Former US President Jimmy Carter just concluded talks with Palestinian Hamas leaders in Cairo, Egypt. First, it was the turn of the US Presidential elections to snub the visit. Now, bloggers from the region join them to rebuff it.
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