Latest posts by Dieyna Ba
Female Entrepreneurs Give a Major Boost to the Development of Francophone Africa
Increasingly, civil society—and especially women—are keen to partake in the boom by starting businesses and joining Africa's new entrepreneurial mobilisation.
Migrant Tragedies: ‘Behind the Statistics Are Individual Life Stories and Grieving Families’
"If Africa's youth comes to believe that its future lies elsewhere, it will be impossible to solve the issue of migration," says Souleymane Bachir Diagne.
The Ebola Epidemic Isn't Only Threatening Guineans’ Health
The epidemic has lead to outbursts of violence and slowed the country's economic growth, increasing the potential for food insecurity.
Cries of Discrimination as Israel Detains Undocumented African Immigrants
Many have fled their home countries for Israel and are seeking refugee status. The detentions have unleashed a wave of demonstrations in Tel-Aviv.
Disaster Highlights Roma's Struggle for Human Rights in France
A violent fire destroyed an abandoned factory in the eastern French city of Lyon squatted by families from the Roma community, killing two women and 12-year-old child. In the aftermath, the survivors relocated into a school open only in the evenings, leaving them outside in the rain during the day. The tragedy has put the spotlight once again on France's controversial policy toward the Roma.
Inside the 2013 Central African Republic Crisis
As rebel leader Michel Djotodia solidifies his control as the new Central African Republic President and the rebel coalition of Séléka announce their control of capital city Bangui, it is important to understand why the failure of the January 2013 Libreville peace deal between the rebels and then-President Francois Bozize, was predictable.
Senegal Releases Influential Religious Leader Charged in Disciples’ Murder
Accusations of injustice are flying after a Senegal court granted provisional release to Islamic leader Cheikh Bethio Thioune, a once privileged presidential ally in the predominantly Muslim country who was arrested in April 2012 on charges of ordering his followers to beat two men to death.
Senegal Balks as President Recycles Predecessor's Pal
The president of Senegal's decision to appoint a local architect, renowned for his work but notorious for his political schmoozing with previous regimes, as the head of a proposed Senegalese cultural house in New York has come under fire.
Is Senegal's Government Spokesman Selling Out?
The reputation of former investigative journalist turned government spokesman Abdou Latif Coulibaly as a champion of Senegal's citizen protest movements took a serious blow after he forcefully distanced himself from the movements during a political speech.
Rajoelina Steps Aside for Madagascar's Presidential Race
With interim president Rajoelina announcing that he withdraws from a bid to run for the presidential elections following a similar announcement by former President Ravalomanana in December 2012, Malagasy people are likely to have a new president in 2013, provided that elections take place as planned in the electoral agenda. Many of the observers are skeptical about the elections timeline in light of the statements of Rajoelina after his announcement and his wishes to change the electoral agenda.
Homophobic Hashtag Makes Waves on Twitter in France
The hashtag #SiMonFilsEstGay made waves on Twitter on December 22, 2012, in the French twittersphere. The hashtag is basically a homophobic incitement to violence accompanied by some poor taste "humorous" tweets. The alleged jokes consisted of telling other Twitter users the punishment you would give your son if he turned out to be gay. Some posts expressed a disturbing penchant for violence.
Should Prostitution be Abolished or Regulated? Part I
Two hundred NGO's from across Europe gathered at the European Parliament in Brussels on December 4, 2012. They called for the abolition of prostitution and presented the outlines of a potential abolitionist policy for Europe. For these organisations, criminalization of prostituion is the key to counter human trafficking for sexual purposes. In Europe and around the world, sex workers disagree with the proposed measures and ask for more respect for their rights.
Italy: Governement and Immigration – plenty of words, less action
According to Stefano Femminis (popoli.info [it]), the current Monti government has shown more talk than actual action in regard to immigration, and the followings are emphasised [it]: The situation remains the same as an year ago: expensive and unnecessary “human dumps” that in fact function as prisons for people that...
Italy: Clandestines in prisons without dignity
Explaining why 35,6% out of the prison population is constituted of immigrants, according to “Without Dignity” : The Observatory report [it] of the Antigone association, the website cronachediordinariorazzismo.org writes [it]: The presence of foreigners in Italian prisons is mostly due to recent charges in immigration laws, that effected greater flows...
Entrepreneurship, Culture and Solidarity in Africa
Despite strong economic growth, the African continent is still struggling to develop a class of local entrepreneurs to manage strategic industries. Many African scholars and researchers try to better understand the influence of cultural habits on entrepreneurship on the continent.
Senegal: ‘Completely White’ Whitening Cream Stirs Outrage
Lightening the skin is a common practice in Africa where the sale of skin lightening products is legal in many countries. In Senegal, a product named 'Khess Petch' is creating controversy on the web, as its name means 'complete whitenesss'.
Guinea: Acts of Torture, Symptoms of a Country Still Divided
Guinea's transition from the notorious military regime of Moussa Dadis Camara towards a democratic political system has not gone smoothly. The country is still experiencing strong internal divisions as indicated by the attempted coup d'etat against the president. The rule of law is still under construction and there are numerous accounts of torture within the military.
DR of Congo: Controversial Sentence for Thomas Lubanga
On 10 July, the International Criminal Court convicted Congolese Thomas Lubanga Dyilo to 14 years in prison. He was found guilty of war crimes for having recruited and enrolled children under 15-years-old. Congolese bloggers lament over the restrained sentence.
Ethiopia: a Body of Legislative Acts Opposing Freedom of Speech
Reporters without Borders released a report on freedom of expression [fr] a report regarding the freedom of expression and the working conditions of Ethiopian journalists stating : “During the last three years the country has adopted a series of laws – on civil society, anti-terrorism etc. – against alleged breaches...
Syria: Emergency Refugees
With large scale violence in Syria, the exodus towards neighboring countries is increasing continuously (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey). As per Islamic Relief [it] non-profit organisation, at least 650 Syrian families (mostly from the high risk areas of Homs and Hama) are in urgent need of food, sanitation and other assistance. Currently different activities such as fundraising and other initiatives are taking place, details here....
Africa: Facebook in full expansion in 2011
Joan Tilouine of Africa Tech, on the blog.slateafrique.com blog.slateafrique.com comments [fr] upon the researches made by african internet users during 2011: ‘the most researched term on Google was ”Facebook”. The Social Network, is expanding on the continent, which counts already 32 million users, that is 27% of african internet users....
