· October, 2010

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from October, 2010

Tanzania: Vote, don't wage war

  30 October 2010

“Today is the last day of campaigning before Tanzania and Zanzibar go to the polls to elect a new Government. Elections in Zanzibar are extremely close-fought events, though you wouldn’t guess it to look at the results over the last forty years. The ruling party, CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi, The...

South Africa: South Africans end week of “secrecy bill” protests

  30 October 2010

“On Wednesday, just before South African lawmakers were scheduled to debate amendments to the controversial Protection of Information Bill, thousands of protesters marched to the gates of Parliament in Cape Town to oppose the measure, which they called an apartheid-style secrecy bill,” Clifford Derrick reports.

Tanzania: God Bless Tanzania

  30 October 2010

God bless Tanzanians as they vote tomorrow: “Tomorrow is an important day for Tanzanians. It's the day to exercise their democratic right in the 2010 General Election. I would have loved to have been there in the run up as I know it has been quite different to the campaigning...

Tanzania: 2010 General Elections Roundup

  29 October 2010

Tanzanians will go to the polls on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. This is a roundup of blog posts written by Tanzanian and non-Tanzanian bloggers about the elections.

South Africa: Dear Government

  28 October 2010

Controversial South Africa radio personality Gareth Cliff writes a letter to the South African government: “OK, I get it, the President isn't the only one in charge. The ANC believes in “collective responsibility” (So that nobody has to get blamed when things get screwed up), so I address this to...

Kenya: Will New Constitution Improve Governance?

  28 October 2010

Will Kenya's new constitution improve governance in the country?: “There are many people who seem to believe that it will not. A prominent journalist was recently quoted in Nairobi's Daily Nation as saying that the constitution is just a piece of paper, and “a piece of paper can't transform society”....

Tanzania: Government threatens press before election

  28 October 2010

Tanzanian government threatens press before election: “As the October 31 national elections draw near, Tanzania's media is in a frenzy trying to cover the close race between the two leading presidential candidates. But government threats and draconian media laws may be getting in the way of objective coverage.”

Zimbabwe: Big Brother Africa, Mugabe and US$300,000

  28 October 2010

Big Brother Africa is a television show produced by Endemol in South Africa. The show, which has become the most popular TV reality show in Africa, entered its fifth season with Big Brother Africa All-Stars. After 91 days of stiff and exciting competition, Nigerian musician and actor Uti Nwachukwu was announced the winner of US$200,000. The final two housemates were Nigeria's Uti and Zimbabwe's Munya Chidzonga. Although Munya lost, he ended up "winning" US$300,000. Follow Zimbabwean bloggers to know what happened.

Madagascar: Village Burned Down by Highwaymen during Cattle Robbery

  28 October 2010

The villages of Ampasimbe and Ankaenihenibe in Madagascar were attacked by gangs of highwaymen [Fr] (Dahalo in Malagasy) that made away with 18 and 15 zebus respectively. As the Ampasimbe villagers retaliated against the robbers, their village was burned down entirely, partly because of the powerful wind guts at the time.

Gabon, France: Gabon-raised Frenchman to Run for Elections

  28 October 2010

Will Mael Nyamat explains [Fr] what a black candidate who was raised in Gabon like himself can bring in terms of perspective to the political discourse during the French primary elections. Nyamat also argues in his book that the historically close tie between Gabon and France [Fr] makes him as sensible...

Cape Verde: draft law passed to regulate Council of Communities

  28 October 2010

Olhofuturo [pt] reports that a draft law regulating the Council of Communities has been approved by Cape Verde's national assembly, with the aim [pt] of better tackling issues of migration and diaspora. One result looks to be improved efficiency of administrative consular tasks for Cape Verde citizens living abroad, according...

Ethiopia: On Ethiopian Intellectuals

  28 October 2010

A critique of Ethiopian intellectuals: “Ethiopian intellectuals are a sick bunch. They are wild and radical. Radical in the sense of acting together as a single unit; wild in the sense of having no focus or rather focused only on short term gains.”

Tanzania: Vote Like You Own Your Country

  28 October 2010

Elsie looks at election related news and events a few days before Tanzanians go to the polls: ” Now, to the serious business: we've got our citizen reporting work cut out for us, folks. I told you already that Vijana FM are running an election monitoring online tool based on...

Africa: Africans Turn to Each Other for Expert Advice

  28 October 2010

Google Baraza – Information for Africa: “How can I write a movie script for Nollywood? How does the stock exchange operate in Johannesburg? What is the recipe for bitter leaf soup? What is the best company for car insurance in Kenya? English and French speaking Internet users in Africa, with...

Video: One Minute Jr video nominees for 2010 Awards

  27 October 2010

The nominees for each of the 3 categories in the One Minutes Jr project competition 2010 have been selected. In each of the categories of  (Self)-portrait, Inside-Out and One Minute of Freedom there will be one winner who will be awarded a JVC Piscio HD Hand-Camera.  The nominees are all...

Tanzania: Bloggers Analyse Tanzania 2010 Election Campaigns

  27 October 2010

On 31 October 2010, more than 19.6 million Tanzanians will make an important decision for the future of their country. They will take part in the forth parliamentary and presidential elections since the introduction of multiparty politics. With only a few days left before the polls, Tanzanian blogosphere is following closely election campaigns conducted by various political parties.

About our Sub-Saharan Africa coverage

Zita Zage
Zita Zage is the Anglophone Africa Editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Jean Sovon
Jean Sovon is the Francophone Africa. Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Dércio Tsandzana
Dércio Tsandzana is the Lusophone (Portuguese) editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.