Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from September, 2008
Environment: Powering our way to Extinction
Rory of Carbon Copy considers the decline in biodiversity and includes thoughts on the role of humans as animals within the ecosystem.
Uganda: Forest Destruction by the Government
Blogger Moses Sserwanga calls on MPs not to allow forest destruction by the government in the form of allocations to companies.”Parliament should not give free rein to government to do as they please; to destroy what remains of the country’s forest cover.”
Angola: MPLA wins over 80% of votes and secures 191 seats
Angola's National Electoral Commission has disclosed the final results of the first Parliamentary Elections in 16 years and they confirmed victory for the ruling party, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which won 191 of the 220 parliament seats. See some of the reactions.
Nigeria: Another beast in power
Who is “another beast in power” in Nigeria?: “It’s so sad that under a useless arrangement called democracy, the leadership of Yar Adua will shut down a media house.”
Africa: People will work on their mobiles
Joshua Goldstein looks at the future of mobile technology in Africa: “As I mentioned in a recent post, one of the most striking aspects of the African Internet economy is that we don't know what the mobile Internet will look like when it is proliferated in Africa, much the same...
Nigeria: House of Rainbow Takes a Brave Stance
Sokari writes about the House of Rainbow, the church for LGBTI people in Nigeria: “Rev Jide Macaulay who founded the Rainbow Church (part of the Metropolitan Community Church network) has taken a brave step in opening up the church amidst the rampant homophobia in a country where religion is all...
Young Egyptian Women Do Not Want to Work!
While some women are still struggling to prove themselves in the workplace, the young generation of Egyptian men and women seems to be taking different route. Marwa Rakha brings us the story of how young Egyptians told a television show that they did not want their wives to work.
Nigeria: Arabian GSM lands in Nigeria
A new investor enters GSM market in Nigeria: “The poor network service infested Nigerian GSM market has a new kid on the block. Estisalat the new kid in the exploitative GSM market is headed by Keem Bello-Osagie, former MD of United Bank for Africa (UBA).”
Five Minutes to Midnight: Let the Youth Be Heard
Since June 2003, Five Minutes to Midnight (FMM), a non-profit organization, has been trying to give youth's a voice on human rights and international issues, especially in developing countries. Leonard Chien has the chance to talk to Wojciech Gryc, FMM founder and director, about its past, future and views towards online tools.
South African Cartoonist Takes on ANC President
ANC President, Jacob Zuma, was recently back in the headlines as his trial on charges for corruption, amongst other things, was thrown out of court to the dismay of many South Africans but also to the cheer of his millions of supporters, particularly from parties allied to the ANC. Parallel to this, Jonathan Shapiro a.k.a. Zapiro, South Africa's foremost political cartoonist had Zuma in his sights as he published a controversial cartoon in the Sunday Times.
Zimbabwe: Full Text of Agreement
Sokwanele posts the Agreement between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-Pf) and the two Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) Formations: “It is a lengthy document and difficult to read on screen, so we have added jump-links to the top of the document to help you navigate to different sections.”
Cuba, South Africa: Castro Wins Award
Uncommon Sense cannot believe that, according to a mainstream media report, Fidel Castro has won the South African Ubuntu award for his contributions to “humankind beyond boundaries.”
Africa: Citizen Journalism, Journalism for Citizens
Last week, 700 journalists, bloggers, researchers, students and policymakers from more than 40 African countries took part in three days of discussions, debates and training at the 12th edition of Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa. Highway Africa is the largest annual gathering of journalists and other media practitioners on the continent. This year's themes was Citizen Journalism, Journalism for Citizens.
World Bank Film Competition – Social Dimensions of Climate Change
The world bank has a call for submissions of short 2-5 minute documentaries that show the social effects or aspects of climate change. The deadline for the competition is October 24th 2008. They would like submissions from developing countries (particularly from the youth), covering any of the following categories. -...
D.R. Congo: Several television and radio stations shut down
Mediatic [Fr] writes about the recent ban on five unauthorized television stations and two radio stations in Kinshasa and suggests this is just a preview of the big “housecleaning” of the government has been promising. (via Réseau International de correspondants francophones)
Senegal: President Wade, man of the people
Blog politique au Senegal [Fr] gives a tongue-in-cheek account of President Wade's visit to areas of Dakar affected by recent floods, made all the more hilarious by some clever photoshopping: “In a grand spirit of soldarity with those stricken [by the floods], [Wade] didn't hesitate to “get his shirt wet”…he...
Ivorian television goes global
According to Le Blog de Yoro [Fr], TAM TAM, Cote d'Ivoire's first private television station, is set to start broadcasting content over the internet via GlobeCast, a subsidiary of France Telecom in a deal that also includes satellite distribution.
Cote d'Ivoire: Deforestation and the booming housing market
Y-Voir-Plus and readers discuss the alarming rate of deforestation in Cote d'Ivoire and the explosion of the housing market.
Cote d'Ivoire: New blog on web and mobile tech
Blogger Cartunelo, who studies web programming in Abidjan, launches Monde Techno, a new blog dedicated to “decrypting, analyzing, exploring and showcasing” the best in internet and mobile technologies in Cote d'Ivoire and across Africa [Fr].
BAO, a news aggregator for francophone Africa
L'observatoire des médias links to BAO, a new user-driven news aggregator for francophone Africa. Users submit links to news content from around the web and vote on their favorite links. “A great initiative for our dear continent, a step toward rejecting mediocrity and laxness” [Fr], L'observatoire writes.
Africa: Your Majesty, Stop Marrying!
Several Malawian journalists joined many others in attending a three-day Highway Africa conference at Rhodes University in South Africa under the theme Citizen Journalism: Journalism for Citizens. The conference which is the largest annual gathering of African journalists (over 700 in attendance) focuses on new media issues and is also the forum for critical reflection on journalism, media and technology and a celebration of Africa.
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