Ndesanjo Macha · November, 2011

Latest posts by Ndesanjo Macha from November, 2011

South Africa: Sci-Fi Novel “Zoo City” to Get Film Adaptation

  30 November 2011

South African science fiction novel “Zoo City” will soon be a movie: “After winning several literary awards and garnering global acclaim for its clever originality, South African author Lauren Beukes’ science-fiction novel, Zoo City, recently saw its film rights awarded to producer Helena Spring (Red Dust, Yesterday, The First Grader),...

Kenya: Meet Kenyan Innovator Daniel Njuguna

  25 November 2011

John Karanja blogs about Kenyan innovator Daniel Njuguna who has managed to integrate his mobile phone with home made appliances and gadgets that perform a number of domestic functions: “This innovation is a precursor to what has been described as the internet of things where appliances and gadgets will soon...

Kenya: Mapping Mobile Money

  25 November 2011

Mapping mobile money in Kenya: “CrowdPesa is a Web and Mobile application with a mapping system that allows businesses to locate themselves in a map and facilitate users to find the location of the nearest financial service on their mobile phone.”

Zambia: Should “Tujilijili” be Banned?

  24 November 2011

Zambian Economist asks his readers, “Should Tujilijili be banned?”: “Tujilijili is a strong alcohol sold in a sachet for about K1, 000 [Zambian Kwacha] per sachet. The alcoholic content is over 40 per cent, equivalent to whiskey and other known spirit brands like vodka and brandy.”

Ghana: Startup Weekend Accra

  23 November 2011

Mac-Jordan blogs about Startup Weekend Accra: “Startup Weekends are 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketeers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startups! Startup Weekends are weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs find out if their startup ideas are viable.”

Ghana: Visual Artist Meets Nicest People on Earth

  22 November 2011

Christine M. Rose, an actor and visual artist from upstate New York, writes about her trip to a Ghanaian village: “They were literally the nicest people on earth…They literally fed, clothed, and sheltered me with no expectation of recompense.”

Tanzania: How Not to Launch a Data.gov

  21 November 2011

Mbwana Ally explains how not to lauch a Data.gov: “Checking my twitter stream I saw that the Tanzania Government had launched a Open Data website initiative (Kiswahili)…The complaints on twitter started mounting and I gladly participated. Where is the data? The SMS no. set up does not work. The site...

Africa: Open Doors 2012: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa

  21 November 2011

Open Doors 2012 focuses on Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: “Following on from India in 2011, the next edition of Open Doors, the Festival del film Locarno’s co-production lab, will be devoted to francophone Africa…Application forms for Open Doors 2012 are available on www.onopendoors.pardo.ch and are restricted to projects from francophone Sub-saharan...

Kenya: Africa’s Story of Mobile Conquest

  21 November 2011

Africa’s story of mobile conquest & why utility beats ‘coolness’: “Why was MPESA [mobile-phone based money transfer service] such a success? Simply put – it was a necessity. Pre-MPESA (sounds like when someone asks ‘how did we ever survive without Google?’), people still had to do all the things that...

South Sudan/Sudan: Refugee Narrates Her Emotional Story

  21 November 2011

Amanda Hsiao talks to Miriam, a Sudanese refugee in Ethiopia. The post is part of a series based on Enough interviews with Blue Nile refugees in Sherkole refugee camp and Kurmuk, Ethiopia. Details of these testimonies are impossible to verify, but accounts Enough heard have been generally consistent.

Kenya: The Maasai Flame

  18 November 2011

Learn about the Maasai flame from the Wandering Trader: “One of the unique aspects of visiting the Maasai in Kenya is they perform many of their rituals while you are there. After seeing the way they typically dance and getting a taste of what life is like inside their homes...

Liberia: For the Liberiaphiles

  9 November 2011

A post for the Liberiaphiles from Chris: “Yesterday’s vote was marred by violence the day before. It looks like badly-trained and led police are to blame, but we will see.”

Malawi: Women in Prison

  9 November 2011

Sonya Donnelly writes about the plight of Malawian women in prison: “Prison is often a very expensive way of making vulnerable women’s life situations much worse. Once a woman is incarcerated miles from her home, sometimes for months or years without the case progressing, she may lose her home, her...

Ghana: Shame and Praise Service Providers

  9 November 2011

Have any companies driven you to the wall lately to the point where you felt like burning down their premises? Kuzima is your answer. Kuzima is “A platform that allows anyone to SHAME and PRAISE service providers. Comments eventually end up with the companies’ customer service departments, so, you don't...

Africa: An African Voice Telling the African Story

  6 November 2011

'Africa: What’s Your Story?' is a citizen media project that seeks to highlight the common problems that the people of Africa share, as well as promote transparency and accountability. Asif Sheikh, the CEO and co-founder of A24 Media, talks to Global Voices about the project.