Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from October, 2011
D. R. of Congo: DRC Elections Watch 2011
DRC Elections Watch 2011: “In the afternoon of Sunday, October 30, with his wife Olive Lembe by his side, Joseph Kabila formally launched his electoral campaign in Kindu, in the Maniema Province, with a long speech in Swahili in front of thousands of his supporters.”
Nigeria: Waste, Wealth and the Burden of a City
Bella Naija's photo story titled “BN Photo Stories: Waste, Wealth and the Burden of a City”: “With an estimated population of 15 million, and growing at an annual rate of 6%, Lagos, Nigeria, is set to topple Cairo soon as Africa’s largest city…With increased, largely unchecked, informal economic activities, emerge...
D.R. of Congo/U.S.A: Conflict-Free: A Growing Movement
Alex Hellmuth and Tracy Fehr looks the growing conflict-free minerals movement in the US: “The progress made by Congo activists earlier this month in the state of California, the city of St. Petersburg, FL, and most recently at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is part of a dynamic conflict-free movement that...
Nigeria: Documentary: Nigeria’s Millionaire Preachers
MyWeku discusses a new documentary – Unreported World: Nigeria’s Millionaire Preachers, which touches on the issues of fraud and exploitation: “he documentary makers reported on the case of Therese, a widower who was told her late husband was a member of a devil worshipping cult and persuaded Therese that God...
Africa: On Cutting Aid to Countries Violating LGBTI Rights
Statement of African social justice activists on the decision of the British government to “cut aid” to African countries that violate the rights of LGBTI people in Africa: “We, the undersigned African social justice activists, working to advance societies that affirm peoples’ differences, choice and agency throughout Africa, express the...
Malawi: Malawi in Photos
I Love Malawi is a blog that showcases photos from Malawi: ” If you have some interesting photos about Malawi, send us an email and we will post them on this blog. The photos will be rightly attributed to you in the blog!”
Malawi: New Blog for Free and Open Source Software
The Blantyre Free and Open Source Software Users Group has a new blog: “Welcome to the blog of Blantyre Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Users group. Blantyre Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Users Group is a grouping of individuals that use free and open source software but are...
Angola: Voice of America Correspondent in Cabinda Threatened
Voice of America reported that three armed men broke into the backyard of its correspondent in the Angola enclave Cabinda, saying they were looking for José Manuel. He was not present and later sought guarantees from police that he would be protected. Angolan authorities are very sensitive about protest and...
Madagascar: New Prime Minister Omer Beriziky Arrival Tweeted Live
Twitter users in Madagascar followed the announcement of the new prime minister and reported it live. Avylavitra wrote succintly [mg] : “Omer Beriziky is the new PM in #Madagascar.”
Open Access Africa: Spreading Knowledge, Increasing Collaboration
We celebrate Open Access Week with a special focus on Open Access Africa. As the internet lowers the bar for publishing and disseminating information, print-era publishing models still keep African researchers and students separated from colleagues in different countries and their ideas. How has Open Access changed scholarship in Africa?
Botswana: Government Decides Not to Recognise Recognise Bakgatla Paramount
Lauri comments on the decision by the government of Botswana not to recognise the paramount chief of the Bakgtla: “I wrote before about the controversy around Kgosi Kgafela but since then things have grown quite tense between the Bakgatla chief and the Khama administration. Kgafela was brought before the court...
Africa: New Social Network for African Radio Broadcasters
Digital4Good and Farm Radio International have launched social network for African radio broadcasters: “Barzaradio.com helps farmers increase crop yields through connecting radio broadcasters to each other.”
Madagascar: 16 candidates for the Prime Minister Position
Valis reports that the selection of the new prime minister in Madagascar among the 16 official candidates was postponed [fr] from October 23rd to October 28 because no consensus could be found between the parties involved. Ndimby argues that the increasingly pessimistic projection for the Malagasy economy forced the transition leader to finally...
France: New Visa Restrictions for Foreign University Graduates
France has taken a legal step which makes it more difficult for foreign students who have graduated from French universities to work on French territory and thus change their student visa permit into a working visa. Julie Owono reports on reactions to the new immigration rules.
Ghana: Meet Two Ghanaian Musicians M3nsa and M.manifest
Kobby Graham introduces his readers to two Ghanaian musicians, M.anifest and M3nsa: “First and foremost though, m.anifest is a hiphop MC. Straight no chaser and when it comes to straight hiphop, there is loads to bop your head to here, especially when m.anifest rhymes over beats by his regular partners...
Tanzania: Who Killed Zinjanthropus?
TEDxDar 2011 asks, “Who Killed Zinjanthropus?”: “This year’s TED theme is “storytelling” and from this we have created our central theme for TEDxDar 2011: “Who Killed Zinjanthropus?” With Tanzania approaching its 50 years jubilee of independence, we are using Zinjanthropus – a fossil of early man discovered in Tanzania –...
Tanzania: New Blog to Connect College Students
TZCampusVibe: Life of University Students is a new Swahili and English blog in Tanzania that connects University students in the country.
China and Brazil: On anacondas and dragons
Johan Lagerkvist from ChinaRoader looks into the dynamic between the authoritarian China and democratic Brazil in the future international politics.
Mauritius: Tikoulou, Children’s Literature Success Story
Christophe Cassiau-Haurie writes about the sucess story of Tikoulou, a collection of books for children published in Mauritius, which has captivated 4 to 9-year old Mauritian children since 1998. Tikoulou has now become a best seller of Francophone children’s literature.
Discovering Paris from a Guinean Perspective
Guinean blogger @limsow who recently moved to Paris for an internship, describes [fr] a less-hostile capital than expected on Guinée Plurielle: “I already know how to take the RER (the C line) to go down to Vitry Sur Seine or to get to Avenue du Président Kennedy, in the 16th...
“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal
Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.