Latest posts by Alice Backer
Mayotte: En Route to the Farmer's Market
Expat blog Mayotte L'Ile au Lagon posts (Fr) annotated pictures of a stroll to the farmer's market of Labattoir. Says the blog: ” Wild mint grows along the road and invades the atmosphere with its tonic smell. Toothpaste in the outdoors…!!!”
Africa: Toko Blaze Live Video
Arkayog posts (Fr) a video of a performance by Ivoiro-Cameroonian French reggae artist Toko Blaze who — if you aren't yet confused — was born in Niger.
Madagascar: A Win-Win Solution to Deforestation
Harinjaka posts and cites (Fr) a video by CommerceEquitable.com: “[The organization] … decided to create the cooperative Equimada which put in place a project of tree planting coupled with an equitable commerce project. The project seeks to create an economic alternative to deforestation. This encourages peasants to plant trees rather...
Martinique: The Dangers of Nationalism
Le Blog de [Moi], deploring the emergence of a movement led by novelist Raphaël Confiant in Martinique, cites the words of Guadeloupean Professor Jacky Dahomey (Fr): “Nationalism, a political ideology of social linkage invented in Europe, especially in its excessive form, is what we should not copy here. But be...
Guadeloupe: Criticizing the French Socialist Party
Toto criticizes (Fr) the French Socialist Party: ” Blinded by their ideological rage from another time, they can't stop wanting to instaure a so-called social justice. A social justice which has for main ingredient and main weakness … its tendency to attack property.”
Senegal: Candidates Should Declare Assets
Blog Politique du Sénégal writes(Fr):”Ïnstead of telling us for the umpteenth time that they believe in ethics and morals … [candidates] should declare their assets. The law doesn't require it but who made the laws?… After all no one is forcing them to run for the highest office! ”
Senegal: President Wade Wants A Nuclear Plant
Blog Politique du Sénégal writes (Fr): “ [President] Wade … announced that he wants a nuclear power plant. Just what we needed! … Senegal doesn't even have the means to pay for the plant's enclosure, never mind the plant itself! “
Haiti: Cité Soleil raids and judiciary
Jojo at Collectif Haiti de Provence reacts to a story about a recent UN raid in Cité Soleil, alleged siege of the gang leaders who have terrorized the capital with kidnappings: “We acknowledge with emotion and desolation the total blackout on the judiciary activity that should end the process begun...
Haiti, France: Benefit for Haitian Schools
Collectif Haiti de Provence posts (Fr) pictures of a benefit for Haitian Schools held in France.
Congo-Brazzaville: How Long for Sassou Nguesso?
Hot afternoon in Pointe-Noire, Congo. Photo by Kaysha. As Guinea has started a process that may lead to the dismantling of its 50-year dictatorship, bloggers from the Republic of Congo (not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo), a country with its own dinosaur dictator Denis Sassou Nguesso...
Senegal: Historic Landmarks in Danger on Gorée
Blog Politique du Senegal posts (Fr) pictures of Goree including certain “endangered historical landmarks.”
Guadeloupe: Upcoming French Election Detached from Local Realities
Convention Pour Une Nouvelle Guadeloupe reacts (Fr) to French presidential candidates Segolene Royal and Nicola Sarkozy's presidential platforms. According to the blogger, neither candidate “really takes into account the real situation of Guadeloupe which by international law is a non autonomous territory whose identity [France] has not managed to suppress....
Guadeloupe, Senegal: Remembering Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Jean-Claude Halley of Guadeloupe Attitude writes (Fr): “Ardent defendor of human rights and engaged abolitionist, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges was the first composer of African ancestry of classical music to the court of Louis XVth in France and a reputed invincible fencer. At the end of 2006, for Mozart's bicentennial...
Martinique: Is a Local Referendum on Potential Same-Sex Marriage Law Feasible?
A local Martiniquan gay rights site claims that Raymond Occolier, a local official known for past homophobic statements, has announced that he will hold a local referendum if a same-sex marriage law passes in mainland France. Le Blog de [Moi] (Fr) responds, after protracted analysis of relevant laws, that “none...
Martinique: Babe in Total Control of Herself
Le Blog de [Moi] writes (Fr): “If being a witch is being a woman who is able to say ‘no’ but also to say ‘yes’ sometimes … than yes I am a witch. And I spend my life running into nothing but witches because this definition perfectly fits the majority...
Kuweit: What's in a Video?
Tunisian blogger Sami Ben Gharbia writes (Fr): “Shams, the Kuweiti singer just released her video “Ahlan Ezzayak” [Welcome, how are you?] which has become popular in Arab countries. The video which caricatures the American administration (Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney) mocks American policy in the middle east arab-style.” The blogger goes...
New Caledonia: 6.65 Times More Expensive Than France
Expat French blogger Katuali complains (Fr) about the ridiculous markup in prices on French products in New Caledonia, an Oceanian island which is technically part of France: “That there be taxes and custom fees is fine but from there to selling a product 6.65 times more than what it costs...
Haiti: What democracy?
Ailleurs Vu D'ici reflects on democracy in Haiti (Fr): “Today, the institutional crisis in its different expressions reminds us that the rule of law is not just about more or less successful elections.”
Foreseeing South Africa's Future Hegemony over Africa
Togolese origined France-based blogger Kangni Alem comments on a recent series of workshops on collective knowledge and practices in Africa organized by the Africa Centre in Cape Town, South Africa (Fr): “The Africa Centre is a project which foretells the future hegemony of South Africa on the rest of the...
Guadeloupe: Dengue Fever/Chikungunya a Threat
Guadeloupe Attitude highlights (Fr) the story of Alexandre, a 6-month old Guadeloupean infant who passed away recently from dengue fever (one of two in the last month) and adds: “Authorities fear a resurgence of the dengue virus, chikungunya version. Transmitted by female mosquitoes, it is not mortal in its primary...
DRC: Taximan Assassinated
UDPS Liege writes (Fr): “A taximan was just cowardly assassinated in his own house, in front of his wife and children by the GSSP who had requested money from him. It is on Avenue Bikela in the town of Ngaliema, in UPN-Kinzonzi. This all happened around midnight.”
