Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from May, 2014
GV Face: Freeing Ethiopia's Zone 9 Bloggers
Nine bloggers and journalists -- four of them Global Voices members -- are currently being detained in Ethiopia because of their work. Learn how you can support the #FreeZone9Bloggers campaign!
Meet Joshua Beckford Who Attended Oxford University at the Age of 6
Omg Ghana reports about Joshua Beckford's outstanding academic achievement: At age 8, you were probably practicing a sport or was preparing for the third grade. Well, meet an 8 year old with a twist, Joshua Beckford. This particular young boy is by far not your average 8 year old. He studied...
Civil Society Resumes Watchdog for Guinea-Bissau's Presidential Run-Off
Getting set for Guinea-Bissau's presidential run-off on May 18, 2014, the Group of Civil Society Organizations for the Elections (GOSCE) resumed its monitoring activities of the electoral process on May 14. Live updates from the ground can be followed in the website bissauvote.com, which provides a map of reports that are being collected by a...
Madagascar to Start Distributing Crude Oil Locally and Hope to Boost Job Market
L'Express reports that the Madagascar Oil Group will start testing distribution of 55,000 to 73,000 barrels [fr] of crude oil from Tsimiroro, Madagascar onto the local market. It is part of the new government strategy to ingnite economic recovery and strive for energy independence [fr]. The oil exploitation is also expected to create new jobs for local...
Ugandan Bloggers Demand the Release of Ethiopian Bloggers
Ugandan bloggers Prudence Nyamishana, Javie Ssozi, Florence Naluyimba, Muwonge David and Chris Igune delivered a letter to the Ethiopian ambassador in Uganda demanding the release the jailed Ethiopian bloggers and journalists: #Ugandan #bloggers demand for the release of #Zone9Bloggers in #Ethiopia. We went to meet the ambassador but he's out...
Two Activists Arrested During Electoral Crackdown in Algeria
Mohand Kadi and Moez Benncir had the misfortune of sipping a coffee on a terrace at the same time as opposition movement Barakat! staged a demonstration ahead of presidential elections.
Join the #FreeZone9Bloggers Tweetathon on May 14
Join Global Voices bloggers for an Africa-wide tweetathon in support of the nine bloggers and journalists arrested in late April and currently being detained in Ethiopia.
Commuters Don't Love Mozambique's Haphazard ‘My Love’ Trucks
Demand is growing for transport in Maputo, but the local government can't keep up. Enter the so-called "My Love" trucks, open-air vehicles in which passengers travel shoulder to shoulder.
It is a Tough Job Being an Opposition Leader in Zambia
Gershom Ndhlovu explains why it is a tough job being an opposition leader in Zambia: It is really a tough job to be an opposition leader in Zambia. You have to daily face the police, risk being teargased or even locked for doing the job that you must do —...
Why Blogging is a Threat to the Ethiopian Government
Beza Tesfaye explains why blogging is a threat to the Ethiopian government following the arrests of nine Ethiopian bloggers: As I write this, I am eerily reminded that in Ethiopia, expressing your views can get you a first class ticket to prison. From April 25 to 26, 2014, nine Ethiopian...
Mauritanian Police Clamps Down on Black Protest
On May 4, 2014, Mauritanian police broke up [ar] a massive gathering in Nouakchott. People were commemorating [ar] the return of a group of Mauritanian blacks [ar] from Senegal in 2008 [en] , after being subjected to forced displacement in the aftermath of the bloody events [en] which occurred between 1989 and 1991. On April...
Erykah Badu Still Plans to Perform for Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh
US singer Erykah Badu has become the target of criticism over a planned performance for President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia.
Caribbean Joins Fight to #BringBackOurGirls
If our own children were to go missing we would want the world to come to a standstill and help us find them. We…ask that…you consider why so often women’s bodies become the battlefields upon which wars are fought. This is not a problem that involves a small town in...
#BringBackOurGirls: Statement from Concerned Nigerian Bloggers
Nigerian bloggers have added their voice to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign: We, the under signed Nigerian bloggers, view with grave concern the continued detention of the innocent school girls who were abducted from Chibok on April 15, 2014. We are of the strong view that no amount of social grievance either against...
When Is Imperialism Actually Imperialism?
The media have been quick to sling the accusation of imperialism at Europe, the U.S. and Russia over their involvement in other countries' conflicts. But what does imperialism really mean?
Zimbabweans Mock Suspended Opposition Leader on Twitter
What is the best title for a hypothetical book about the embattled Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai? Twitter users have a few ideas.
4 Ways You Can Join the #FreeZone9Bloggers Campaign
Join the campaign to free nine bloggers and journalists detained in Ethiopia: Write a letter, sign a statement, or organize an event in your city!
#BringBackOurGirls: Nigerians Demand Release of 200 Abducted Girls
People are mobilizing under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls to pressure the government to do more to find more than 200 teen girls kidnapped by jihadist group Boko Haram.
Nigeria: A Campaign to #Bringourgirlsback
In mid-april, over 200 school girls were abducted from a secondary school, in Chibok, Nigeria by Boko Haram, a terrorist group based in the northern region. Although some 57 of the girls have managed to escape, there are still many others at the hands of the kidnappers. On April 30,...
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