April, 2008

Stories from April, 2008

South Africa: Should South Africans boycott Chinese products?

  30 April 2008

Sarah asks, So, could South Africans boycott Chinese products with any justification?: “Consumer boycotts have long been a means for ordinary consumers to express their anger with a country and hit regimes where it hurts most, in their wallets – even if only indirectly.”

Zimbabwe: Election humour on YouTube

  30 April 2008

Ethan writes “Dark humor about Zimbabwe”: “You might have missed it, because I buried it at the bottom of the last (long) post. What follows below is a very funny radio segment from a South African morning comedy show.”

Ethiopia: Teddy Afro denied bail

  30 April 2008

Nazret links to an article about the Ethiopian musician Teddy Afro: “The Federal High Court of Ethiopia has this morning denied bail for the release of Tewodros Kassahun (Teddy Afro). The 30-year-old sensational singer, who is accused of a hit and run homicide, will spend the duration of his trial...

Nigeria: British Airways must apologise

  30 April 2008

The British Airways must apologise for mistreating Nigerians: “yes, I think its time for the Nigerian government to take seriously the issue of how Nigerians are treated in the international scene. They should take it so seriously to the extent that the next Nigerian seen at any airport will receive...

Kenya: ICT and democratic processes

  30 April 2008

ICT, democratic processes and empowerment in Kenya: “There were varied topics and speakers, but I was very impressed by the presentations of two Kenyan women who are at the forefront of impacting ICT policy and enhancing innovative ways of using the Internet for networking. They are Alice Munyua and Ory...

South Africa: Be a guest blogger on SA Rocks

  30 April 2008

Do you want to be a guest blogger on South Africa Rocks?: “I am looking for someone to take control of the theme for SA Rocks for a week. I’ll need you to motivate why you want to blog on SA Rocks. What posts you might have in mind, lined...

D.R. of Congo: Penis Theft

  30 April 2008

Penis theft in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “It's pretty amazing that nobody commented on Penis Theft in Kinshasa, but despite the lack of popularity of this topic, I have more to say about it…”

Cuba: Passing Sentence

  30 April 2008

Child of the Revolution, Uncommon Sense and Ninety miles away…in another country all comment on Raul Castro's decision “to commute most death sentences to 30 years to life in prison.”

Bahamas: Abuse of Power

  30 April 2008

In the Bahamas, Womanish Words blogs about an environmental fundraiser gone awry: “The Royal Bahamian Police Force needs to know that we the new and awakened public doesn’t sit by silently anymore when bad cops are allowed to run rampant, to violate our human rights in raids like this one.”

Nigeria: Mobile TV

  30 April 2008

Yomi writes about Mobile TV in Nigeria: “Subscribers on the MTN Nigeria network can now watch up to 10 DSTV television channels on mobile phones. The channels include: SuperSport, Channel O, Africa Magic, and Cartoon Network, among others.”

D.R. of Congo: Kinshasa Soundtrack

  30 April 2008

A musical gift from the Democratic Republic of Congo: “To celebrate a couple of years in the Congo, here’s a mixtape just for Extra Extra readers. (Songs should stream when clicked. If they don’t, please let me know and I’ll scratch my head and bleat a bit.)”

Zimbabwe: 16 flavours of mutilation

  30 April 2008

Bev Clark's 16 flavours of mutilation in Zimbabwe: “So if independent monitors and Mugabe’s allies agree that neither candidate got over 50% then announce the results already! On the up-side we have Tsvangirai and Mutambara joining forces; Zimbabwe’s version of the dream ticket? We have had numerous SMS’ and emails...

Jamaica: Bob Goes Home

  30 April 2008

Montego Bay Day by Day reports that a controversial statue of reggae icon Bob Marley has finally found a home in Ocho Rios, but insists: “I have looked at this piece of ‘art’ several times from many different angles and I still do not like this statue…not even a little...

Barbados: False Pride?

  30 April 2008

“Tourism has become the life blood of most of the Caribbean countries and it needs to be re-energized”: Living in Barbados wonders whether the region can be proud of its tourism offering.

Uganda: Ten Things I want Explained

  30 April 2008

Ten Things Ugandan Imsoniac wants explanation: “Why Andrew Mwenda is arrested and it makes international headlines and yet when 13 journalists in radio stations around the country were (between January and March this year) arrested for doing their jobs, publicly threatened by politicians and sacked for speaking the truth it...

Jamaica: Elections – Take 2?

  30 April 2008

As dual citizenship laws dictate that certain ruling party Ministers are ineligible to sit in Parliament, Jamaica and the World wonders whether the Prime Minister can avoid calling another general election…

Uganda: Ugandans spend $18 million on Internet access

  30 April 2008

Scarlett Lion discusses the cost of Internet access in Uganda: “Internet in Uganda is prohibitively expensive. At a fast internet cafe, it will cost about Ush 3,000 per hour ($1.70). It may cost less per hour somewhere else, but the speed of the connection may be so slow that the...

Brazil: Orkut vs Facebook

  30 April 2008

Raquel Recuero [pt] has a long post explaining why Brazilians love Orkut so much that they have paid no attention whatsoever to facebook – at least so far.

Kazakhstan: Bloggers Discuss Elites and Economics

  30 April 2008

Plitical intra-elite battles and anti-corruption crusades both remain hot topics on the agenda of Kazakhstani blogosphere, but speculations over the looming global food crisis and its implications for Central Asia made the bloggers cover this issue in their discussions. Ehot wonders, what will Kazakhstan be looking like if the food...