· April, 2012

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from April, 2012

Nigeria: Virality is a Cause

  16 April 2012

Emannuel Iduma discusses #SaveOke campaign in the context of Kony 2012: “I am interested, in joining my voice to #SaveOke, in telling ways in which KONY 2012 implicate readings of virality…If a #SaveOke video is made, and it goes viral, the complex questions of white supremacy and black inactivity will...

Kenya: Kenyan Films in Africa Movie Academy Awards

  16 April 2012

Hot Secrets blogs about Africa Movie Academy Awards: “The list of nominees for this year’s Africa Movie AcademyAwards (AMAA) has been released. Kenya has a total of 14 nominations. The organizerand founder said, “Our theme this year is Africa Rising. Africa’s economies areconsistently growing faster than those of almost any...

Ethiopia: PEN Awards Top Prize to Jailed Journalist and Blogger

  16 April 2012

Ethiopia journalist and dissident blogger is the recipient of 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award: “Nega, a leading advocate for press freedom and freedom of expression in Ethiopia, was arrested on September 14, 2011, and is currently being tried under the country's sweeping anti-terror legislation…. He could face the...

Ethiopia: Teddy Afro's New Album Stirs Up Online Discussion

  16 April 2012

This is a roundup of reactions to Teddy Afro’s new album, Tikur Sew, which pays homage to King Menelik II, whose victory over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 made him a pride of Africa. Teddy Afro is a popular Ethiopian musician and critic of the Ethiopian government.

Chinese Africans in Hong Kong

  16 April 2012

The Republic of the Gambia has no consulate in Hong Kong. But the city has a population of Mainland Chinese Gambian passport holders seeking residency in HK via the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES). More from David Webb.

Mali: Timbuktu, a Cultural Treasure in Peril

  16 April 2012

The name Timbuktu conjures up a majestic, stately image. However, the war in northern Mali and the presence of small terrorist groups constitute a serious threat to the fate of Timbuktu. This treasure of humankind is in danger and numerous groups have raised the alarm.

Guinea-Bissau: Military Attack Citizens in Demonstration

  15 April 2012

According to Simão Mendes National Hospital [pt], the military attacked citizens in a demonstration this morning, April 15, in front of the National Parliament of Guinea-Bissau. On Facebook they have posted a picture of a stabbed patient who arrived at the hospital, “before they [the military] come and take our...

Spain: King Juan Carlos and the Elephant in Botswana

  15 April 2012

Days after Felipe Juan Froilan accidentally shot himself in the foot during shooting practice, his grandfather, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, fell while he was hunting and broke his pelvis. This would have been minor news, had it not been for the fact that he was hunting elephants in Botswana on...

Guinea-Bissau: Hospital Suffers “Collateral Damages” from Coup d'Etat

  14 April 2012

Simão Mendes National Hospital employees have been posting photos and reports [pt] on their Facebook profile [pt] which illustrate “collateral damages” from the coup d'état that took place on April 12 in Guinea-Bissau. Power cuts, lack of medicine and fuel shortage for ambulances jeopardize the work of doctors, whose moves...

Africa: Southern Africa Needs an ECOWAS

  14 April 2012

Following moves by ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States) to defend democracy in West Africa Rumbidzai argues that Southern Africa needs an ECOWAS: “The Southern African Development Committee [Community] (SADC) on the other hand has increasingly displayed its inadequacy to address similar issues. In 2008 when Robert Mugabe...

Mozambique: First African Board Book Gathering

  14 April 2012

Maputo is playing host to the first ever African meeting of publishers of board books. These are sturdy books, published on a small scale (often for children) with strong covers and resistant bindings. Culture reporter Inocêncio Albino wrote about the event [pt], and has been tweeting photos of books by Kutsemba Cartão, the first...

Guinea-Bissau: Coup d'Etat and the Angolan Military Mission

  13 April 2012

At nightfall on April 12, the military started yet another coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau. In recent weeks, allegations of "generalized fraud" in the presidential elections, and the announcement of the withdrawal of the Angolan military mission in the country, had raised the tension levels in the military and political arenas.

Tanzania: Farewell to a Film Star

  12 April 2012

Tanzania bid farewell to one of its most popular film stars, Steven Kanumba, with an emotionally-charged funeral on 11 April, 2012. He died early on Saturday morning, aged 28, after an altercation with his girlfriend Elizabeth ‘Lulu’ Michael.

Senegal: No Slack for President Wade After Peaceful Election Defeat

  12 April 2012

While the outside world seems to celebrate Abdoulaye Wade's peaceful election defeat in Senegal, the Senegalese blogosphere is still critical of Wade's tenure as a president. Bloggers recall the victims of pre-electoral violence, the violation of press freedoms and the multiple examples of bad governance

Mali: Silence of the Local Blogosphere

  11 April 2012

While the internet is inundated with blogs, tweets and videos from other countries, Malian internet users remain silent. The capital, Bamako, is still affected by serious power cuts as the fuel required for power stations runs out. Under these circumstances, the priority is not sending messages, but finding information about the new leaders of the north.

Africa: Access to Water and Sanitation Services Still a Burden

  10 April 2012

Babatope Babalobi, Secretary General WASH-JN [Water, sanitation and Hygiene journalists network (WASH)] discusses two meetings on water and sanitation held in Marseilles last month: “It seems that the organisers of the two events wrongly assumed that all citizens are able to access water and sanitation services through public or privately...

Mali : Opinions of a Blogger on the Military Coup

  10 April 2012

On his blog Askia Mohamed [fr] reviews the military coup of March 21, 2012 and in a post entitled Un peuple-Un but-Une foi [fr] (‘One people – One Aim – One Faith’), following a brief summary of the current situation, puts the Tuareg rebellion in an historical context.

One Day on Earth: Worldwide Collaborative Music Video Released

  9 April 2012

A new music video has been released in preparation for the worldwide screening of the Global Collaborative film One Day on Earth, which will take place in locations all around the planet on Earth Day (22 April, 2012). The video features musicians, poets and dancers captured on film all during the same 24 hour period in 10 October, 2012, artfully recut and remixed by Cut Chemist.

Kenya: Young Man Invents Wooden Extension Cable

  9 April 2012

Kenyan young man invents wooden extension cable, AfriGadget reports: “A young man from Kiandutu slums in Thika had always wanted to be an electrical engineer, but lack of fees denied him a chance to further his studies. And yet this has not dampen his resolve to put his mark on...

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.