· February, 2014

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from February, 2014

On the 11 Wives of Convicted Zimbabwean Preacher

  17 February 2014

Following the conviction of End Time Message church leader Martin Gumbura on multiple charges of rape, Sibusisiwe Bhebhe asks whether his 11 wives are victims, villains or victors: In past weeks, Zimbabwean gossip – from the mainstream media to social media to bars and public transport – has been dominated...

The End of Zimbabwe's Kubatana Blog

  16 February 2014

Kubatana.net, an online community of Zimbabwe's activists, is discontinuing its blog: Hello everybody and anybody out there! Just a short note to say that we are discontinuing this blog so you won’t see any new posts on it. This isn’t because we’ve fallen asleep over our keyboards, it’s because we...

Revisiting the Era of Foreign Domination in Cameroon

  16 February 2014

Dibussi Tande revisits the era of foreign domination in Cameroon in the context of the Guiness Mount Cameroon Race: The first three editions of the Guinness Mount Cameroon Race were won by local Bakweri runners. By the time of the 4th edition in 1976, an aura of superstition had already...

Togolese Skier Petitjean, from Facebook to the 2014 Winter Olympics

  16 February 2014

Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean is a cross-country skier who competes for Togo at the 2014 Winter Olympics Game. The president of the Togolese Ski federation explained that they reached out to Togolese abroad via Facebook to recruit some athletes.After finishing her first olympian race, Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean said[fr]: Merci tout le monde pour...

What Happened to Creative Writing in Malawi?

  16 February 2014

Steve Sharra discusses the reasons behind the fall of quality of creative writing in Malawi: Of the many private universities that are mushrooming across the country, very few offer humanities courses where people can study languages and literature, creative writing and literary criticism. The University of Malawi has been operating...

Ending Illegal Logging and Launching Forest Carbon Credits in Madagascar

  14 February 2014

The new administration in Madagascar is seemingly making a concerted effort to curb down deforestation in Madagascar. First, new president Hery Rajaonarimampianina has made ending illegal logging of Madagascar rosewood a priority at his first executive meeting[fr]. Second, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced that the Government of Madagascar has approved...

“Another Face of Africa”: Call for Photos, Stories

  14 February 2014

A group of young volunteers from southern Germany, many of whom have lived in Africa, are calling for photos, essays, videos, blog posts or poems by locals of five major African cities: Lagos, Addis Ababa, Gaborone, Kigali and Kinshasa. With a forthcoming exhibition called “Sichtwechsel,” their goal is to show...

Examining the Post-Colonial Evolution of Francophone and Anglophone Africa

  14 February 2014

The topic of the post-colonial evolution of francophone versus anglophone African states has always a fodder for intense debate. Cheidozié Dike, from Nigeria, brings a new perspective to the subject :      While the French Loi Cadre system was mostly about integration, the British colonial system sought only exploitation. Creating an...

Video: Why Young Nigerians Leave Home

  14 February 2014

Nigerian netizen Kola Olaosebikan uses YouTube to address, among other topics, the question of why young Nigerians are running from home: This video addresses moving back to nigeria, why i left nigeria, brain drain in nigeria, and issues impacting youth and progress in nigeria all wrapped up in a nice...

What Guinea Needs Now is Peace and Stability

  14 February 2014

Serge Lamah reports on his blog[fr] that Oyé Guilavogui, the communication minister has pointed out the pressing needs for Guinea today : Vous vous rappelez, en 2011, les avions en direction de Conakry ne désemplissaient pas. Les hôtels étaient pleins à tout moment, aujourd’hui, allez-y, il y a de la place...

Remembering Dr Alison Jolly, Lemurs of Madagascar Expert

  11 February 2014

After leading a distinguished career as a primatologist at the Berenty Reserve of Madagascar, Dr. Alison Jolly has died at home in Lewes, East Sussex, aged 76. Dr. Jolly, a PhD researcher from Yale, made her name as the first scientist to do an in-depth account of the behaviour of the ring-tailed lemur, L. catta, beginning...

Somali Activist's Personal Account of Female Genital Mutilation

  10 February 2014

Somali activist Asha Ismail recounted her own experience with female genital mutilation (FGM) and her fight to eradicate it to radio Onda Vasca on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, 2014 (hear the full interview in Spanish here). Asha Ismail was born in a...

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.