I am a blogger, journalist, lawyer, digital activist and new media consultant. I am interested in the relationship between social media and development in the developing world, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa.
I am the Sub-Saharan Africa Editor here at Global Voices. Follow me on Twitter: @ndesanjo
Latest posts by Ndesanjo Macha from June, 2011
South Sudan: An Argument Against Arming the South
Here is an argument against arming South Sudan: In recent commentary, some in the advocacy community have suggested that the United States actively move to provide the new Republic of South Sudan with anti-aircraft weapons system technology, including “medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.”
Africa: On Being in a Mixed Race Relationship
Fiona discusses the challenges of being in a mixed race relationship: There are so many reasons why your family and others might take issue with your prospective partner. People will sum up your partner and make whatever assumptions they want based on their own personal biases. I confess that I...
Nigeria: President Fooled the People Again
Japheth J Omojuwa says that Nigeria's president is fooling the people again: “Those of you getting fooled by phony rankings placing Nigeria as the fourth fastest growing economy in the world (or ninth as some other agencies reported), should not be fooled. There is a paradigmatic difference between growth and...
D.R. of Congo: Reflections on Congolese Independence
Jason remembers the sword thief while reflecting on Congolese independence: “Instead of remembering Patrice Lumumba, Pierre Mulele or Simon Kimbangu, I'll choose Ambroise Boimbo this time. His claim to fame? Stealing King Baudouin’ sword when the Belgian monarch arrived for independence celebrations in 1960. What was he thinking? Was he...
Nigeria: The Morgue called Lagos/Ibadan Expressway
Nwachukwu wants to know when Lagos/Ibadan Expressway will be fixed: “Late last year, in November, a friend was strangled by the noose called Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. Last month I skipped a premature embrace with my ancestors. With the trailer gone amok, I would have ended up under it’s belly. The month...
Swziland: AFP Correspondent Phone Bugged
AFP correspondent in Swaziland says her phone is bugged: “At first I believed it must be some kind of mix up at the phone company. People who tried calling me when my phone was off told me they got through to someone else who said not to worry he would...
Malawi: Malawi News Go Mobile
Malawi news go mobile: “Just this week [post was written June 17, 2011], Malawi's leading publishing house, BNL Times, publishers of the Daily Times, Malawi News, Sunday Times and Weekend Times inconjuction with TalkAWE announced that it will soon launch an initiative to bring breaking news on your mobile phones.
Mauritania: Ending Slavery in Mauritania
Beyond abolition: Ending Slavery in Mauritania: “Slaves in Mauritania do not have a legal right to own property, let alone have a surname. Nor do they have a right to custody of their children. The 2007 law criminalizing the ownership of slaves was received with resistance and scoffing. The director...
Zimbabwe: Choosing the Lesser Devil
Thandi argues that an assessment of the range of political parties in Zimbabwe shows that Zimbabweans just have to choose the lesser devil: “It’s mediocre politicians all around, positing ludicrous policies whilst they happily take part in scandalous shenanigans…Question is, whose political thrust will be easiest to endure?”
South Africa: On Being White and Feeling Ashamed
On being white and feeling ashamed in South Africa: “Should white people in South Africa feel ashamed about being white and about the fact that we benefited in the past because of our white skins and continue to benefit from our whiteness – even if we were born after the...
Tanzania: North Mara Mine Victims Not Forgotten
Activists in Canada remember North Mara mine victims: “Approximately 70 people gathered today [June 4, 2011] at a commemoration held for the seven individuals killed in Tanzania at African Barrick Gold’s North Mara Mine.”
Nigeria: MTN Nigeria, Stop!
Christoper Akor asks MTN Nigeria to stop extortion: “For some time now, I have been receiving various unsolicited text messages (SMS) from MTN Nigeria urging me to play some games in which I may win fantastic prizes or subscribe to some products or services it or its clients offer.”
Tanzania: BarCampa Dar 2011 is here
BarCamp Dar 2011 is here: “We have watched vibrant tech events take place elsewhere in East Africa and wondered when it would happen in Tanzania. The wait is over and we’ve finally got our act together.”
Tanzania: Tanzania 2011 Scorecard
Dar Es Salaam signwriters at Kigamboni Market have put together the concise overview of Tanzania in 2011. See their work here.
Tanzania: Dar Sketches Is Now Available
A new book by Sarah Markes, Dar Sketches: street level dar – drawings and writings, is now available in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. It will soon be available in other bookshops.
Africa: The Caine Prize and Unintended Consequences: A Response
Emmanuel Iduma responds to Nigerian writer and critic, Ikhide Ikheloa’s essay “Email from America: The Caine Prize and Unintended Consequences”: “The essay which one website described as ” Wainainaesque” after Binyavanga Wainaina’s satirical “How to Write About Africa” and together with Chimamanda Adichie’s “The danger of a single story”, is...
Africa: 11 Ways For African Revolutionaries to Get Around Internet Blockades
Willemien Groot's Guide for African Revolutionaries: 11 Ways to get around internet blockades: “Internet blockades are more the rule than the exception in non-democratic countries. But there are ways to get round them, even though no censorship circumvention tool is 100 percent safe. Rule number 1: you’re clever, but the...
Botswana: Photo: So Where Do You Want to Stay?
MyWeku's image of the week is a picture taken on the road from South Africa to Gaborone, Botswana via Oddly Specific. It is titled, “So…where do you want to stay?”
Africa: Thoughts of Africa 2.0
Tolu's thoughts on Africa 2.0: “The point is this: in the emerging Africa it is harder for the government to carry on as though the people didn’t exist, or as though they existed to be deceived, because the citizens are losing the fear that once held them down. And then...
Ghana: Gays Come Under Fresh Attacks
Fresh attacks for gays in Ghana: Delivering a statement on the 30 years of the official discovery of HIV/AIDS on the floor of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, Ghana’s Second Deputy Speaker, described homosexuality as an “abomination” that must be stopped “before the human race was destroyed by something worse than...
Ghana: On Internet Connectivity in Ghana
Oluniyi shares a video of Gregory Eid, the Managing Director of TeleData ICT, a leading Internet Service Provider in Ghana, speaking to Russell Southwood of Balancing Act about some aspects of the operations of TeleData ICT, challenges of offering internet connectivity in Ghana
