My area of interest is centered on francophone Africa, the status of minorities and immigrants in Europe & media biases. Raised in Madagascar, I hold a Master of Public Policy from Princeton University at the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs with a focus on international development & international relations and PhD in Medical Sciences from Purdue University. I can be found on twitter at twitter.com/lrakoto.
Latest posts by Lova Rakotomalala from June, 2014
Revenge from the “Disgrace of Gijón” as Algeria and Germany Face Up Again at the World Cup
Algeria and Germany national teams are set to face up on June 30 in Porto Alegre in the knock-out round of the FIFA World Cup. The match will revive plenty of strong emotions from both sides because of their previous game in 1982 at the World Cup in Spain. In their...
The Story of Famine Refugees from Niger in Eastern Algeria
In the past few weeks, hundreds of Sub-Saharan immigrants from Mali or Niger have migrated to Algerian cities by the Eastern border. Liberté Algérie narrates the stories of those who made the choice to immigrate and why [fr] : Les conditions de vie au hangar de la cité Bourroh sont inhumaines....
Mapping the 567 Ebola Cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
On June 16, 49 new Ebola cases, 12 of them deadly, were reported by the WHO. Bart Janssens, director of operations of The international NGO Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF)) released a statement saying that: The epidemic is out of control, with the appearance of new sites in...
Debunking Rumors that Algerian Fans Burned Down a Church in Lyon, France after World Cup Win
On June 22 at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil, Algeria defeated South Korea 4-2 to keep its chance of qualifying to the knock-out round alive. Scenes of joy were numerous in Algeria [fr] but also in France where a dynamic Algerian community resides. The joy was tempered by rumors that...
The Impact of Climate Change on the Rural Population of Benin
Alain TOSSOUNON of Benin posted on the West African Network of Journalists for water and sanitation (WASH) blog a summary of the report on the evaluation of post disaster needs in Benin after the recent major floods. The disaster caused the death of nearly fifty people and caused damage estimated...
44,000 Malagasy Children Die Every Year for Lack of Care. How Can We Stop It?
Children's healthcare is dismal in Madagascar, but some organizations are doing their best to change this terrible reality.
Meet Valentin Agon, Pioneer of Local Cures Against Infectious Diseases in Benin
Valentin Agon is the creator of the Api-Palu pill, a locally produced remedy based on endemic plants. He was just awarded [fr] the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Award for his new product against malaria. Pascal Hounkpatin reports for La Presse du Jour: De la cueillette des feuilles au produit fini (gélules...
Why You Should Pick France as Your 2nd Favorite Team at the 2014 World Cup
Graham MacAree at SB Nation posts an entertaining comment on why one should pick the French national team as their 2nd favorite team after their home team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil : You'll want to watch France games because if they're on, they'll be lovely to watch,...
Heartbreak for Ibrahim and Djouma in the Central African Republic
Djouma and Amadou Moussa are Ibrahim's parents. Djouma and Ibahim are the two lone survivors of an incredibly violent attack by militiamen that took the lives of 5 of Ibrahim's siblings in the Central African Republic, near the border with Cameroon. The militiamen came while Amadou Moussa was away. Djouma, 30, recalls...
Peacekeepers Involved in the Disappearance of 11 Rebels in the Central African Republic
Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, reports that African Union peacekeepers were involved in arresting at least 11 anti-balaka rebels on March 24. The detained rebels have not been accounted for since their arrest : Since March 24, there has been no news about the people who were...