6 January 2006

Stories from 6 January 2006

Sierra Leone: refugee band

  6 January 2006

The Refugee All Star Band was formed by Sierra Leone refugees living in a camp in neighbouring Guinea. SoundRoots reports that the band who toured other refugee camps has now released an album “Living like a refugee”.

No Longer a Bridge to Caracas

  6 January 2006

This graphic links to a study developed by Cecal-ULA (a research center at the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela) on the likelihood of the collapse of Viaduct 1 and how the problem could be solved before the road falls down. Yesterday at 7 in the morning, the Viaduct 1...

Nigeria: Lagos State bans street traders

  6 January 2006

Naijablog reports on the banning of street trading by the Lagos State Government which he describes as another “outburst of fantasy politics.” He asks: “Where are these people supposed to go? How are they supposed to find an alternative means of living? No doubt a certain percentage will be forced...

Zimbabwe: Disgraceful Bishop

  6 January 2006

This is Zimbabwe comments on the corrupt activities of the Bishop of Harare, a supporter of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. “In short, the conduct of this delinquent bishop raises very serious questions for the Anglican Church. Given that the incitement to murder and other charges against Kunonga have now been dropped...

Nigeria: census 2006

  6 January 2006

Grandiose Parlour comments on the upcoming Nigerian Census – despite having 4 census over the past 50 years, the population of Nigeria is still a mystery! “The 2006 census will be an acid test for Nigerians, if we can successfully conduct the census and able to demonstrate agreement between 2006...

Zimbabwe & the African Union

  6 January 2006

Black Star Journal comments on the African Union finally taking a stance against Mugabe's government…”Last month, the African Commission on Human and People's Rights adopted a resolution denouncing the lamentable human rights’ situation in Zimbabwe.”

Ghana: Dodgy water company

  6 January 2006

The Trials and Tribulations of a Freshly Arrived Denzian has a rant over Accra's water supply and the South African/Dutch water company brought in to manage Ghana's water supply.

Africa: Aid & NGOs

  6 January 2006

Africa Unchained asks what exactly NGOs are trying to achieve? “If the purpose of aid work is to diminish poverty, the past decade looks like a dramatic failure.”

Kenya: Un-affirmative action

  6 January 2006

Bankelele comments on the affirmative action programme that enables rural children to enter schools with lower scores than their urban peers. Parents of urban children are now considering allowing their kids to take their exams in the rural areas thereby ensuring them places at “coveted national schools”

South AFrica: AIDS orphans

  6 January 2006

Mzansi Afrika reports on an orphanage in Soweto for children whose parents have died of AIDS. She challenges the South African and world community to think beyond the “days of public awareness” such as World AIDS Day…”There seems to be a tendency for people in our community to show their...

Jamaica: Maroon festival

  6 January 2006

The Caribbean Beat Blog notes that the Accompong Maroon Festival is being celebrated today in Jamaica. The maroons are “the descendants of slaves who were freed by the Spanish and fled to Jamaica's untouched South Coast in the pursuit of freedom, and who live there to this day.”

From the Ethiopian Blogosphere

  6 January 2006

Ethiopia’s growing band of bloggers continued to pile coals on to the heads of their political leaders as 2005 turned into 2006. The country has been in the headlines for a number of reasons over the past few weeks with worrying signs of “pre-famine conditions” in its southern Somali region...

Jordan: Who is dead?

I wonder how does one go about prioritizing who gets the #1 headliner spot? Is it based on the most amount of people dead? Or most important death? I know if I die today I won’t be seeing my face on the BBC or CNN website. But if I were...