Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from October, 2012
Zambian Watchdog Website in Jeopardy
The government of Zambia has threatened to de-register the online investigative site, Zambian Watchdog. In May 2012, the Watchdog reported that its website was a target of a sustained attack allegedly by the government after visitors to the site were met with “page not available.”
DR of Congo: Tension Between Kinshasa and Paris as Summit Commences
Le Potentiel writes that [fr] French president Hollande's assessment of Human Rights violations in DR of Congo were not taken lightly by the Congolese government as the Francophone Summit is set to...
Political Exile On Board the Eritrean Presidential Jet
The blog “les Erythréens” has this report [fr]: Yesterday morning (October 3rd) two Eritrean pilots defected—in their Eritrean Air Force jet—to Saudi Arabia, requesting political exile upon landing at the...
Lesotho: Defence Force Top Brass Facing Court Charge
Commenting a post on lestimes.com about the the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) top brass facing a court charge after they allegedly ignored a High Court order to accept a junior...
Zambia: MP Suspended for Criticising President's ‘Jokey’ Speech
An opposition MP in Zambia was recently suspended from the House for overly criticising one of President Michael Sata’s official speeches. While addressing parliament, a presidential annual tradition which is supposed to be a solemn occasion, President Sata kept on cracking jokes which made him divert significantly from the prepared speech.
Uganda Marks 50 Years of Independence
On Tuesday 9 October, 1962, Uganda got its independence from Britain. As the country celebrated its Golden Jubilee recently, Ugandans online have been using Twitter and Facebook to share their opinions about Uganda@50.
France, World Bank to Help African Nations Negotiate Mining Contracts
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Franc Zone monetary cooperation agreements, the president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and the French Minister of Finance, Pierre Moscovici, have published a joint text advocating the establishment of an initiative to end "the excessive exploitation of Africa’s reserves". African bloggers have been giving their opinions on this development.
Côte d'Ivoire: Employees of Health Institutions Strike after Four Months without Pay
S.B comments on the start of health workers’ indefinite strike in Abidjan. On Connection Ivorienne, he states [fr] that: From the total no-fees for healthcare initiated by the state of...
France, Africa: Black Fashion Week Marred by Visa Problems
Two renowned African fashion designers and several models have been denied entry to France for Black Fashion Week October 2012. This event was created by Senegalese fashion designer Adama Paris to show the world the diversity and influence of African creativity on contemporary fashion and has been held in Dakar, Senegal for the past ten years. The first show outside Dakar took place in Prague in November 2011, since then, it has travelled from place to place. The designers made public statements on their struggle to obtain short stay visas.
Swaziland: The Princess show-stopper ‘virginity dance’
Welcome DLAMINI writes about ‘virginity dance’ in a post published on swazilive.com: Her Royal Highness Princess Sikhanyiso performed her show-stopper ‘virginity dance’ under floodlights yesterday as the 2012 Reed Dance...
Kenya: Money Can Buy Us Declare ‘Campus Divas for Rich Men’
‘Campus Divas For Rich Men’ is a Facebook page dedicated to hooking up female Kenyan university students under the age of 26 with rich men of any age. This bold move in a predominantly conservative society has prompted significant online public debate.
Russia: Crowdmapping Corruption with Bribr Mobile App
Bribr is a newly-launched iPhone/iPad app that allows anonymous users in Russia to submit the locations and the amounts of the bribes they pay. Later, it will be possible to report on the bribes taken as well.
The Breakthrough of Films in Local Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nicole Gillet, General Delegate of the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, now in its 27th edition, was interviewed by Falila Gbadamassi [fr] on afrik.com: In the past, Senegalese films...
Mauritania: Destructive Gold Mining
From Mauritania, Ahmed Jedou writes [ar] about the the abuse of multinationals of gold mining in his country. Despite having the world's second largest gold mine, he says government corruption...
Mauritania: Quran Teachers Turn Children to Beggars
Across the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, you will see children known as Al Mudat, aged between 4 and 14 years, begging for money. These children are not asking for themselves - instead they want the money to pay their Quran teachers.
African Viewpoints on the US 2012 Election
The US presidential election will be held on November 6 and the campaign is entering the home stretch. African bloggers have various takes on how the election will unfold and what they can expect from each candidate.
France, Africa: The Debate on Genetically Modified Organisms Grows Contentious
A two year scientific study studying the effects of genetically modified organisms on laboratory rats has been conducted by a team of French researchers. The researchers arrived at conclusions which have reawakened debate on the effects of GMOs.
Burkina Faso: Architect Innovates with Sustainable Primary School
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has designed a sustainable primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso, using mud bricks and corrugated iron. The innovative design allows much needed light and ventilation in a village...
Madagascar & Reunion: Maraina, The First Opera from the Indian Ocean
Marie-Clémence & Cesar Paes present a trailer of Maraina, a film that showcases, in their words, “the first opera to be created in the Indian Ocean region” [fr].
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