Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from March, 2008
South Africa: Suggestions for Muti
Mike blogs about Muti: “On Muti one can also vote items down if one disapproves of the content. This is my only concern with Muti. It means that people can club together to vote content down the organic hierarchy resulting in what is being perceived as an elitist ‘clique’ owning...
Sudan: The definition of a blogger and an open letter to the president
We begin this latest round-up of Sudanese blogosphere with, among other topics, a proposed definition of what a political blogger is and news of blogger Sudanese Returnee finally returning to the blogosphere after his three months long absence.
China and Africa: Fusing Through Design
Shanghaiist has a feature story on the fusion of China and Africa culture through fashion design.
D.R. of Congo: Werrason rewrites censored song
Le Congo C'est La [Fr] writes about the new version of the Werrason song “Temps présent,” cut after the original was censored for obscene language.
D.R. of Congo: Mbundu dia Kongo makes a comeback?
Richard Kabamba blogs at Forum Realisance [Fr] about the return of Mbundu dia Kongo, a decades’ old political-religious movement based in Bas-Congo province which “now more than ever continues to defy [President] Kabila's authority, powerless in the face of the acts of barbarism, vandalism and anarchy which destabilize the otherwise...
Senegal: Karim Wade at a ‘Generation du concret’ rally
Blog politique au Senegal writes of Karim Wade's appearance [Fr] at a “Generation du concret” rally in the suburbs of Dakar: “For a t-shirt and a sandwich, these young people sell their futures.”
Togo Book Fair
Togo-iTunes has photos of a francophone book fair [Fr] at the Librairie Star bookshop in Lome.
Congo-Brazzaville: AIDS and infrastructure
Réseau sida Afrique shares the story of a 22 year-old woman [Fr] in Congo-Brazzaville, dying of AIDS in the town of Makoua, 800km from the capital and the free medicine that could save her life.
Circumcision, a vaccine against AIDS?
In recent years, scientific studies have showed that circumcised men have a dramatically lower risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Many African governments are contemplating encouraging voluntary circumcision alongside more conventional prevention methods. Zied, a Tunisian blogger and public health worker who blogs at zizou from Djerba, tackles this controversial topic.
Moroni Blues, a Comorian musical comedy
Vola, a Malagasy blogger living in Paris, writes [Fr] about Moroni Blues, a musical comedy by Comorian writer, Soeuf Elbadawi, which explores love, cosmopolitanism, and ethnic division in the island nation's capital city.
Rwanda: Buying your stolen rear-view mirror
Is your rear view mirror stolen? What if you buy it back?: “So how does one handle the rear view mirror situation in Kigali? Well first, I ask the owner of the restaurant to ask his cooks whether they can’t buy the mirrors straight back from the thieves at a...
Africa: Howard's African Fashion Show
Recently, there was an African fashion show at Howards University in USA: “Part of the conference included Howard's 4th Annual African Fashion Show. Ladybrille fashion contributor Mojisola Akinyemi gives us a succint summary of her impressions of the looks off the runway.”
Ghana: Dear Kwame Nkrumah…
Nwia writes a letter to the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah: “I haven't celebrated this huge day in Ghana for a long while. I don't even know how I am going to celebrate it. As you guessed, it's a holiday so most of us are staying at home. Not...
Madagascar: Lessons learned after 3rd severe tropical cyclone in a month
Since late January, 3 severe tropical cyclones have affected Madagascar tremendously, the latest being cyclone Jokwe who made landfall in the northern region of Madagascar, destroying 40 homes and leaving 400 people stranded in Nosy-be. The city of Antsiranana was also affected but not as extensively and Jokwe is now...
Zimbabwe: Women beaten on the International Women's Day
Zimbabwe women were beaten in the streets in Bulawayo on the International Women's Day, reports This is Zimbabwe: “Please visit the WOZA website and tell them via their comments section how incredible they are, and let them know that you are watching and noting the injustices being perpetrated against them.”
Nigeria: Do you want to buy a blog?
Who wants to buy the blog Yomi Says?: “Yes; you read right: Yomi Says is up for sale. Back in August last year, I found out how much my blog was worth then, and the figure was $8,468.10 (N1.05m). Not bad. Well, I just checked again, and the value of...
Kenya: A conversation between Kibaki and Raila
A conversation between Raila and President Kibaki (Emilio) of Kenya: “Raila: So, what’s your … er … handicap? Emilio: (Nervously) A bit of flatulence. Yourself? Raila: Snoring”
Nigeria: First African to win heavy weight championship
My Pen and My Paper writes about Samuel Peter, the first African to win World Boxing Heavy Weight Championship: “We must not forget that Samuel Peter is (was previously promoted) a Commissioner of Police rank in the Nigerian Police Force. If only he can come home and deal some blows...
South Africa: Web 2.0 on Carte Blanche was horrific
Nic is not satisfied with Web 2.0 piece on South African TV program, Carte Blance: “Their piece on Web 2.0 was horrific. Congratulations to Rafiq and Dave for cracking the nod and showing some sense in a show filled with rambling and jumping from topic to topic.”
Malawi: Wireless Networking for Developing Countries
Clement writes about a new course at the University of Malawi: “The Short Course on Wireless Networking for Developing Countries which I announced last month was officially opened today by the University of Malawi’s Dean of Engineering, Dr Ben. This course has attracted participants from all over Malawi.”
Zimbabwe: The fight for rural votes
Who will win the rural vote in Zimbabwe?: “With an estimated 350-to-400-hundred thousand farm laborers and hundreds-of-thousands more in their families, that fear could cost the opposition votes in rural areas, where ZANU PF's hopes of retaining a parliamentary majority appear to rest.”