Stories about French from October, 2009
Haiti: National Anthem Singing Contest
Sammuel from Thanks for loving Haiti has launched [En/Fr/Fr Cr] a video contest for the best Haitian National Anthem singer. The best video will be chosen by the readers and the winner will probably be announced on January 1st 2010, National Independance day in Haiti.
Martinique: Free your mind, free your hair
Blogger Imaniyé from Martinique reports the creation of a Facebook group [Fr] by people who are eager to defend the rights of Martinicans to comb their hair as they want and above all to twist it into dreadlocks, without being discriminated against.
Guadeloupe, Martinique: Soccer & Religion
A video showing an interview of the famous French soccer player Thierry Henry in which he expresses his affiliation to Islam, has caught the attention of Martinican blogger Bondamanjak [Fr/Fr Cr] and triggered impassioned comments from readers.
Martinique: Debating over the statutory change
Martinican MontrayKreyol discusses the popular debates [Fr] over the change of institutional status of Martinique as a French overseas department.
Reunion: Creole becomes second official language
In the midst of the International Creole Month, Guadeloupean blogger CaribCreoleOne discusses [Fr] the now official use of Creole language alongside French in all the administrative procedures and places, in the city of Le Port in Reunion.
Morocco: A Lenient Sentence
In September, we learned about Zineb Chtit, the young Moroccan girl who was severely beaten while working as a maid. Last week, it was announced that Zineb's attacker Nawal Houmin, the wife of the couple who had hired her, was to be punished for the crime with a sentence of 3 years imprisonment and a $13,000 fine. Jillian C. York shares reactions from the blogoma.
Western Sahara: Hunger Strike in Support for Separatists
Solidarité Maroc [Fr], an online forum regrouping some Moroccan human rights activist, publishes an appeal (video) by French national Jean François Debargue who's on hunger strike in solidarity with Sahrawis whom he says are living in “dire conditions” in Western Sahara – a territory administered by Morocco and contested by...
Guinea: In the aftermath of a massacre
Amid widespread international condemnation of Guinea's military regime, the United Nations announced Friday it would launch a formal investigation into the September 28th massacre of opposition protestors in Conakry. Meanwhile, Guinean netizens continue trying to process and assess the meaning of the tragedy.
Guadeloupe: The Water Days
In The French-speaking Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, also dubbed “the Island with Beautiful Waters”, water is vital. Bloggers share their thoughts on the recently concluded les Journées de l'Eau en Guadeloupe (Water Days in Guadeloupe) conference.
Tunisia: Watching Arab Media on HIV/AIDS
Zied Mhirsi is a Tunisian doctor and blogger, based in the USA, who is dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa. Last year, he started a blog to monitor Arab media coverage of HIV/AIDS.
Morocco: Praise for Islamic Finance
In a recent blog post, Paris-based Moroccan blogger Larbi (Fr) takes a closer look at Islamic finance. He writes: “While global finance has collapsed and the world was plunged into a financial crisis like no other, a little village still resists to this wave. It is called: “Islamic Finance”. Crisis?...
Morocco: Banking fees uncovered
In a recent post, moroccan blogger Omar El-Hyani [Fr] explores banking fees in Morocco. He conducted a comparative review of major banks in Morocco based on the most common operations a bank customer is likely to perform.
Morocco: Blogoma participates in Blog Action Day
Moroccan bloggers expressed their concern for the environment on Blog Action Day 2009, which focused on climate change this year. Water scarcity and energy dominated the conversation, reports Anas Alaoui.
Morocco: Next Earth Day to be held in Morocco
The next Earth Day, which falls on the 22nd of April, will be held in Morocco, reports Dominique Lagarde on the blog Nomades Express.
Guinea: A soldier's testimony on the massacre of September 28 in Conakry
The interview below is the testimony of a Guinean soldier who took part in the repression of the opposition demonstration in Conakry, in Guinea, on September 28, 2009. The interview has been recorded over the phone and broadcast by French journalist Olivier Rogez on Radio France Internationale on October the...
Gabon’s bloggers struggle to take hold
Adriankoto Harinjaka Ratozamanana, a Global Voices in Malagasy translator, went to Gabon to help report the presidential election on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs in a country where journalists are at risk. Here is his story.
Guinea: Outrage, Grief After Brutal Massacre
Still under tight police surveillance, Guinea ended several days of official mourning today for those killed in the sudden and shocking massacre of opposition protesters by soldiers on Monday.
Morocco: From Censorship to Seizure
The Moroccan Interior Ministry has decided to sue Arabic-language daily paper Akhbar Al Youm for publishing a cartoon lampooning the newly wedded Prince Moulay Ismail. Issues of the magazine have also been seized. Bloggers react to these latest developments in this post.
