· December, 2012

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from December, 2012

New GV e-book: African Voices of Hope and Change

  30 December 2012

"African Voices of Hope and Change," gives you an intimate perspective into the stories and people of Africa's Sub-Saharan region, through our best English-language posts from 2012 - a perfect gift to salute the new year.

Mauritanians Find a Voice Online in 2012

  29 December 2012

Few people know about Mauritania, that African state. Even fewer know that it is a member of the Arab League, thus part of the Arab World. But too much has happened in 2012 in Mauritania. Despite the low rate of internet penetration, young people and activists are resorting to social media platforms in an attempt to say: We exist and to draw the world's attention to their country.

Kenya: Teaching Ethnic Tolerance Through Science Fiction

  29 December 2012

Kenyan children are taught ethnic tolerance through science fiction: “Attack of the Shidas:AKAs Save the Planet” is the story of three communities who live in a desert town which depends on a lone borehole for all their water. But the people are threatened when they discover that the water is...

South Africa: Local Device for Selling Prepaid Mobile Services

  29 December 2012

Zafir Khan shows how cloud computing is enabling entrepreneurship in Africa: “Nomanini, a startup based in South Africa, built a device that enables local entrepreneurs like Vuyile to sell prepaid mobile services in their communities. The Lula (which means “easy” in colloquial Zulu), is a portable voucher sales terminal that...

Earthling – Sexuality in a British Somali Family

  29 December 2012

Sokari writes about Earthling, a short story by Diriye Osman: “Set in Peckkahm south London, Diriye explores sexuality and sister to sister relationships in a British Somali family where desires to be married and to live out of the closet are set against each other. Mental illness and death, two...

Opposition NPP Takes Ghana Presidential Election Results to Court

  29 December 2012

The largest opposition party in Ghana, NPP, has refused to accept the presidential election results. On 9 December 2012, the Electoral Commission declared President Mahama winner by 50.70% of the votes, beating his main challenger Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP. NPP formally filed a petition at the Supreme Court on 28 December, 2012.

Macedonia: Beer Belly Blog Anniversary

  27 December 2012

The “Beer Belly” blog celebrated [mk, mk] its first anniversary. Its author @Twibi thanked members of the Macedonian Twitter community who have been bringing him beer samples from their trips all over the world to review. So far, he has made 198 posts about beers from 20 countries, including Kenya...

Africa's Tainted Global Media Coverage

  27 December 2012

The #Kony2012 campaign contained quite a few over-simplifications about Africa. African media itself is not immune from this sort of criticism either. Here is a summary of the gems, errors and other inaccuracies in media coverage of Africa.

Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic

  26 December 2012

These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave of attacks, which caused significant civilian displacement, has rendered the peace agreements signed in 2007 definitively obsolete.

Kenyans Wake Up to ATM Fraud Scare on Christmas

  25 December 2012

Kenyans woke up on Christmas day to fraudulent bank activity alerts alleging that there were "unusual withdrawals" from Standard Chartered, Kenya Commercial Bank and Stanbic accounts. However, some Kenyans were skeptical about the authenticity of these claims. So far there has been no official communication from bank officials about the alerts.

Transparency in Extractive Mega Projects in Mozambique

  21 December 2012

Mozambique's richness in natural resources has placed the country at the centre of large international investment in the African continent. While the economy is growing at 7% per year, the opportunities for social development are few. An "Open Terrace" in November, in Cabo Delgado, brought citizens together to debate the lack of transparency in the mega projects.

Guinean Journalist Mysteriously Disappears in Angola

  21 December 2012

Where is Milocas Pereira? The question echoes through social networks on the disappearance, six months ago, of the journalist and university professor in the Angolan capital city Luanda, where she has lived since 2004. On the Internet a petition directed to the UN High Commission of Human Rights has been launched.

Zambian President Orders Killing of “Rebels” No One Can Find

  20 December 2012

It remains difficult to confirm the existence of the Barotse Liberation Army, the supposed paramilitary wing of various groups calling for the secession of Zambia’s Western Province. After President Michael Sata’s ordered the army to kill the rebel activists, some have accused the government of fabricating lies.

The Elusive Quest for Peace with the M23 in the DRC

  18 December 2012

The current conflict in the Kivu Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens to linger on despite an international effort to broker a truce between the M23 rebellion and the Congolese government. The conflict is difficult to grasp, because the M23 rebellion has been a shifting movement, both geographically and politically.

Increasing Risks of Humanitarian Disaster in Masisi Territory of DR of Congo

  18 December 2012

Much suggests Masisi territory being the neuralgic point, both in terms of politico-military contest and its humanitarian consequences.Any extension of the M23 conflict farther into Masisi territory contains immense potential of escalation. Christophe Ethuin reports that there is much reason for concerns in Masisi Territory as the conflict with M23...

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.