· January, 2011

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from January, 2011

Africa: Has African Union become a group of jokers?

  31 January 2011

Mac-Jordan wonders why Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is included in Cote d'Ivoire's mediation?: “Instantly, I become very angry and annoyed at the decision of the African Union in appointing a dictator to mediate in the on-goings in Ivory Coast. Has the African Union become that much of a group of...

Africa: This is Africa website

  31 January 2011

Kajsa discovers This is Africa website: It is a spanking fresh culture site that trumpets “Africa for a new generation!” and sports subheadlines like “city life”, “music” and “art&fashion”.

Sudan: “Facebook Revolution” with the help of Twitter as a side kick

  31 January 2011

Today we are witnessing a new trend in Sudan. Young Sudanese are growing up digital and are well aware of how the world is changing around them. Young people in Sudan are using social media tools to voice their opinions and challenge the regime. In this post, we are looking at how social media tools were used to help organise, document and report January 30 demonstrations.

Sudan: Tweeting #SudanJan30

  31 January 2011

Using the social networking site Facebook, Sudanese students called for a street demonstration on January 30 to protest against the government of Omar al-Bashir. The protests have claimed the life of Mohammed Abdulrahman, a student at the Ahaliya University. This is our latest roundup of #SudanJan30 tweets.

Guinea-Bissau: Ready to face the truth?

  31 January 2011

Journalist Helena Ferro de Gouveia, in her blog Domadora de Leões [Lions Tamer, pt] reflects on what could be the impact if Guinea Bissau decides to create a Truth and Reconciliation Comission. She adds that “when the present is not resolved it is not easy to heal the past”.

Liberia: Improving Liberian Education

  30 January 2011

Jenny discusses the works of Concern Liberia, which involve constructing classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls, providing furniture, textbooks and other essential learning items like blackboards, pencils and copybooks.

Malawi: Meet Malawi's studio wizard

  30 January 2011

Gregory Gondwe writes about Malawi's studio wizard: “Tapiwa Bandawe is a producer who can lionise a musician none of us have ever heard of and how he does this is a subject of conjecture.”

Sudan: People's Revolution in the Making?

  30 January 2011

Following mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt, a group Sudanese activists have chosen January 30, 2011 to be the beginning of peaceful demonstrations to bring down Omar al-Bashir and his government. Here is a roundup of latest tweets using the hashtag #SudanJan30.

South Africa: Honor Madiba with your actions

  28 January 2011

Mike Stopforth calls on South Africans to honour Nelson Mandela with their actions: “Soon, Nelson Mandela will die. As I write this post traditional and social media channels are rife with rumours of his ill health and deteriorating state.”

Uganda: Homosexuality not a European concept

  28 January 2011

Mark notes that homosexuality in Uganda is not a European import: “The irony is that homosexuality existed here long before Europeans had ever set foot on the African continent and it is, in fact, Christianity, a true European import, that has demonized homosexuals.”

Swaziland: My work with social centers

  28 January 2011

Josh writes about the project he is working on in Swaziland: “Basically, my office operates 4 Social Centers in my town. There are 6 wards but only 4 Social Centers. The basic duties of the Social Centers are first it is a pre-school that operates during regular school days, second...

Kenya: New site ranks serial over-lappers

  28 January 2011

Bankelele writes about a new site using Ushahidi platform – Overlap.co.ke ( #overlapKE ) – to rank serial over-lappers and point out over-lapping hot-spots for over-lapping in Nairobi, Kenya.

Burundi: Nation-wide forum on media and ICT next month

  28 January 2011

Burundi plans to hold nationwide talks on the press and the new information and communication technology next month: “Its objective would be to look into the big challenges of material, financial, legal and administrative challenges facing media professionals in the country.”

Cote d'Ivoire: Lessons for international community

  28 January 2011

Laura's thoughts and links on Cote d'Ivoire: “After a nearly two-month stand off between former President Gbagbo, who refuses to admit defeat, and newly-elected President Ouattara, who is sequestered in a U.N.-fortified hotel, the situation for civilians is grave and looks likely to become even more dire.

Nigeria: A humorous take on kidnapping

  28 January 2011

Solomon says that Nigerians have managed to find humor in something as troubling as kidnapping: “Laughter is simply a way of dealing with this most serious issue in Nigerian society. But, this video makes me think of something help.”

Uganda: Gay Rights Activist Found Murdered

  27 January 2011

Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato was found murdered yesterday, just weeks after winning a court case against a local newspaper that had called for Ugandans to “hang” homosexuals. Kato was an advocacy officer for gay rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda, which published a press release reading: David was brutally...

Lesotho: My visit to Lesotho

  27 January 2011

Sue blogs about her visit to a school in Lesotho called Leseli (the light) begun by Kieke Van der Zwaal. Leseli School started in Kieke’s gara

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.