Stories about French from March, 2008
Morocco: Growing Sense of Civic Activism
A Moro in America draws our attention to the “growing sense of civic activism in Morocco” as more people continue to videotape and expose corrupt officers and guards, who are notorious for taking bribes on Moroccan rural roads.
Congolese blogger Cédric Kalonji on the mixed blessings of life in Europe
Cédric Kalonji writes about the mixed blessings [Fr] of life in Europe for Africans: “I ask myself what's better, living in an African hell or all of the less-than-positive looks and judgments [Africans get] in paradise.”
Liquid assets: Bloggers on World Water Day
It's known as the universal solvent, Adam's Ale, government juice, council pop, H2O, dihydrogen monoxide, hydrogen hydroxide, has a ton of different names in Arabic and yesterday (March 22) the world was called upon to pay it special attention. World Water Day 2008 marked the start of the fourth year of the UN International Decade for Action on Water that began in 2005, and to mark the occasion the bloggers weighed in with insights and commentary from various corners of the world.
Moroccans Celebrate Eid el Mawlid en-Nabaoui, the Prophet's Birthday
Eid el Mawlid en-Nabaoui, or the Celebration of the Prophet Muhammed's Birth took place yesterday in Morocco and throughout much of the Sunni Muslim world. It's an official holiday in Morocco, celebrated with street processions and other festivities.
France: Malagasy nightclub in Marseille
harinjaka writes about a new Malagasy night club [Fr] in Marseille: “I know from personal experience that it's not easy to enter a club here (in France), especially if you are black or berber…It's not the Queen but it's a club where Malagasy people are VIP.”
Christians in Iraq
French-Lebanese blogger Frencheagle writes about the assassination of the Bishop of Mosul and the plight of Christians in Iraq [Fr].
D.R. of Congo: Radio Okapi journalist wins blog award
Congolese journalist Cédric Kalonji [Fr] wins a “Bobs” award for best francophone blog.
D.R. of Congo: Kabila says Congolese people are better off today
Le Blog du Congolais comments on President Kabila's perplexing enthusiasm [Fr] about the state of Congo. During the opening of a new parliamentary session, Kabila said the Congolese people “are better off than they were a year ago, and far better than they were fifteen years ago.”
Morocco: Bloggers React to Fouad Mourtada's Release From Prison
At 11:30 GMT, Sami Ben Gharbia broke the news that Fouad Mourtada had been freed. Mourtada, who was sentenced on February 22 to three years in prison, was released after serving only 25 days of that sentence. So far, no major news sources have reported on the story, but several bloggers have reacted.
D.R. of Congo: Werrason rewrites censored song
Le Congo C'est La [Fr] writes about the new version of the Werrason song “Temps présent,” cut after the original was censored for obscene language.
D.R. of Congo: Mbundu dia Kongo makes a comeback?
Richard Kabamba blogs at Forum Realisance [Fr] about the return of Mbundu dia Kongo, a decades’ old political-religious movement based in Bas-Congo province which “now more than ever continues to defy [President] Kabila's authority, powerless in the face of the acts of barbarism, vandalism and anarchy which destabilize the otherwise...
Municipal elections in Martinique
le blog de [moi] blogs the results of the first round of municipal elections [Fr] in Martinique.
Senegal: Karim Wade at a ‘Generation du concret’ rally
Blog politique au Senegal writes of Karim Wade's appearance [Fr] at a “Generation du concret” rally in the suburbs of Dakar: “For a t-shirt and a sandwich, these young people sell their futures.”
Togo Book Fair
Togo-iTunes has photos of a francophone book fair [Fr] at the Librairie Star bookshop in Lome.
Congo-Brazzaville: AIDS and infrastructure
Réseau sida Afrique shares the story of a 22 year-old woman [Fr] in Congo-Brazzaville, dying of AIDS in the town of Makoua, 800km from the capital and the free medicine that could save her life.
Circumcision, a vaccine against AIDS?
In recent years, scientific studies have showed that circumcised men have a dramatically lower risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Many African governments are contemplating encouraging voluntary circumcision alongside more conventional prevention methods. Zied, a Tunisian blogger and public health worker who blogs at zizou from Djerba, tackles this controversial topic.
Moroni Blues, a Comorian musical comedy
Vola, a Malagasy blogger living in Paris, writes [Fr] about Moroni Blues, a musical comedy by Comorian writer, Soeuf Elbadawi, which explores love, cosmopolitanism, and ethnic division in the island nation's capital city.
Madagascar: Lessons learned after 3rd severe tropical cyclone in a month
Since late January, 3 severe tropical cyclones have affected Madagascar tremendously, the latest being cyclone Jokwe who made landfall in the northern region of Madagascar, destroying 40 homes and leaving 400 people stranded in Nosy-be. The city of Antsiranana was also affected but not as extensively and Jokwe is now...
Africa: Vloggers, Bloggers and Movies
A few glimpses of Africa through citizen media videos. From BoB winners, to storytellers, documentaries on artists, Nigeria´s Nollywood movie industry and more.
