· October, 2006

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from October, 2006

Africa: Madonna adoption debate

  22 October 2006

Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman has a Madonna opinion,”And wouldn’t you be disappointed if I didn’t? As you can probably imagine, the whole set-up is ridiculous and absurd as per maoni yangu. The boy has a father. He may not be a celebrity, a star or white, but he...

Senegal: Stargazing

  21 October 2006

Chroniques de Ndoumbelane is sad (Fr) that city life in Senegal no longer allows for the stargazing that is so cherished in rural towns.

Reunion: Blogging to Decrease Elected Official Impunity

  21 October 2006

Prolific Reunion blogger Pierrot Dupuy is happy to see a proliferation in his mostly local audience (Fr): “We beat our last record [in the number of hits] yesterday … by more than 17%! … I am happy to know that you are thousands to read the blog every day and...

South Afria: lesbian photo-activist

  21 October 2006

Sokari, who is visiting South Africa, writes about Zanele Muholi, a South African lesbian photo-activist: “Met Zanele Muholi, a lesbian photographer-activist. Progressive, radical, beautiful, challenging. Zanele took the photos behind “Tommy boys, lesbian men and ancestral wives” and is also the Community Relations Officer at FEW (Forum for the Empowerment...

South Africa: African-American muslim in South Africa

  21 October 2006

Kameelah writes about her experience as an African-American muslim in South Africa: “today i took a metered taxi to pritchard street to meet with some folks at the public affiars section of the johannesburg american consulate as a part of being a fulbrighter. i was telling them about my experiences...

Africa: Africans and victimhood

  21 October 2006

Enanga's Pov writes about Africans and victimhood: “Have you not met the kind of African who likes to detail the things that are wrong with our continent, how we have been raped and plundered over centuries, the sort of African who has all the details (real and imagined) of what...

Nigeria: economic benefits of railway transportation

  20 October 2006

StockmarketNigeria discusses the economic benefits of railway transportation in Nigeria: “The resuscitation of rail transportation in Nigeria had only been more of a political promise since the exit of the British from Nigerian governance in first October, 1960.The encouraging economic growth recorded within the colonial era due to agriculture was...

Mali: the music of Ali Farka Toure

  20 October 2006

Matsuli music remembers the great Malian musician, Ali Farka Toure: “Cancer claimed Ali Farka Toure's life earlier this year. I'm thankful we can continue to feel his presence in the recordings he has left behind. Nick Gold and the producer Jerry Boys captured some of his greatest moments for the...

Gambia: President appoints new cabinet

  20 October 2006

Following the recent Presidential election, the President of the Republic of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, appoints his new cabinet. Home of the Mandinmories writes about the appointment: “There is not a lot of changes. He move some pieces around on the titanic. Kanja Sanneh (agriculture) and Maba Jobe (foreign affairs) are...

Tanzania: blogging the Rwanda genocide tribunal

  20 October 2006

A Walk on the Wild Side writes about his experience at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, “The case I was attached to is often refered to as Military II and contains two of the biggest genocide suspects the Tribunal has nabbed so far- Augustin Bizimungu (who...

Kenya: government must protect citizens

  20 October 2006

The Xposer wonders if the government of Kenya adheres to its constitutional mandate to provide security for its people, “The Issue of which party or candidate to vote for is no longer a big problem to some. But some questions remain unanswered: Have they (politicians) educated the public to love...

Kenya: the collector of worlds

  20 October 2006

Kikumuyumoja's Realm writes about a book reading event in Nairobi, Kenya: “There was this public reading (organized by the German Cultural Centre (Goethe-Institut) & the German Department @ University of Nairobi) by Ilija Trojanow and Binyavanga Wainaina at the Goethe Auditorium (@ Maendeleo ya Wanawake House – used to be...

Video exposes child-soldier's identity

  20 October 2006

If you've seen the guidelines for this site, you'll know that there are types of footage that we wouldn't post, and circumstances surrounding the shooting of particular videos that mean we wouldn't even link to them. Today's post is about one of those videos. I was researching a possible post...

Kenya: Kenyan blogger passes away

  19 October 2006

The Kenyan blogger, Kachumbari, who wrote from a village in Central Kenya has passed away: “I just found out from Ndesanjo that Kachumbari was killed in a car accident several weeks ago. His cousin Samuel offered an obituary and explanation of his death on the blog – Kachumbari had travelled...

Africa: opening door to African cinema

  19 October 2006

“For decades, African cinema has been poised for the kind of international breakthrough that Asian and Middle Eastern films have enjoyed. There are lots of stories to be told and there have been directors willing and able to tell them, but the financial resources available to filmmakers on other continents...

Zimbabwe: woman-on-woman violence

  19 October 2006

Zimbabwean cartoonist joins the debate around the Domestic Violence Bill, “He raises an interesting issue, writing at some length about the ill-treatment of maids by their female employers, discussing this as woman-on-woman violence and asks whether this form of domestic violence will be included in the Domestic Violence Bill,” via...

Gambia: human rights violation

  19 October 2006

Home of the Mandinmories writes about torture and coercion of the alleged coup plotters in the Gambia: Browsing through the Point today, a story on the court martial of Captain Yahya Darbo caught my eye. I wish I can say I told you so, but the abuse and indignity suffered...

Nigeria: ICT literacy condition for political leadership

  19 October 2006

“As the political terrain gains momentum for the 2007 general election in the country, the immediate past-president of the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), Mr. Chris Uwaje, has said that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) knowledge and literacy should form the prerequisite for political aspirants,” writes IT Realms.

South Africa: houses with electric fences

  19 October 2006

Is Black Looks going to touch electric fences in South Africa?: “Very scary these electric fences. The house next door has one and I am so tempted to touch it just to see what would happen and if it really works. I am not sure which is more scary, the...

Malawi: Madonna, Malawi, and Baby David

  19 October 2006

Reacting to Madonna's adoption of a Malawian baby, Afrika-Aphukira writes: “For Mr. Yohane Banda, who had never heard of the pop diva Madonna until she visited Malawi last week to adopt his 13 month-old son David, the closest he could relate with the material girl was the word Dona, meaning...

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.