The people of Equatorial Guinea were ecstatic with the qualification of their national team, languishing in the midst of one of the most ferocious dictatorships. According to Human Rights Watch, journalists who have visited the country to report on the human rights situation have been detained, interrogated, censored and deported.

In the fervour surrounding the 2012 African Cup of Nations, there are two key points that attract attention. The first is the absence of some of the higher achieving teams in African football.

Michael Dodje's blog explains [fr] the unusual goings-on in this year's Cup of Nations:

Imagine a Euro competition without Germany, Spain, Holland and England. Impossible you say, even though Ukraine or Poland would not have to participate in the qualifying rounds as host nations. And yet, this is what happened in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Indeed, for the first time in ages we will not see Egypt, Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria or even South Africa in this championship. How did this happen?

Remembering that the five teams mentioned above have won 15 out of 27 previous Cup of Nations tournaments. Nicholas Mc Anally on le229.com responded [fr]:

…If these teams do not qualify then there will be others to replace them. It's a breath of fresh air seeing teams like Botswana, Niger and Equatorial Guinea making their debuts in the Cup of Nations.

Another novelty in this year's Cup is the way that the thorny issue of bonuses has been resolved. A post on the blog plat du pied explained [fr] what happened on the 15 November, 2011:

After the cancellations of the matches against China, Gabon, Salvador and Mexico, Cameroon has again cancelled a friendly match at the last minute for the fifth time since the start of the season.  The players went on strike, once again, in protest against the federation over their bonuses for the match.

On the same blog, a statement issued by the Cameroon players, known as the ‘Indomitable Lions', said:

Due to the absence of attendance bonuses, the players have decided not to travel to Algiers and to not play any part in the match against Algeria scheduled for the 15 November.

Different solutions to the problem have been found by building on past negative experiences. A post [fr] on the blog marocfootball.info, concerning the Moroccan national team, the ‘Atlas Lions' stated that:

The President of the highest court in Moroccan football announced that a deal has been made with the Atlas Lions in that they accept that they will not receive any form of attendance bonus if they fail to reach the quarter finals of the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Côte d'Ivoire, not long out of a prolonged and disastrous civil war, will pay their national team the ‘Elephants' a bonus of 5 billion CFA francs (1 million US dollars) if they win the final. The blog afrik11.com states [fr]:

The 23 players in the side receive 5 million CFA francs (10,000 USD) in attendance bonuses. This amount will be paid if the team is eliminated in the first round. In the quarterfinals, the bonus of each player will rise to 8 million, rising further to 10 million in the semifinals and then to 20 million in the final (40,000 USD). The coach, Zahoui François will also enjoy his share of the pie, receiving double the bonuses of his players.

afrik11.com also comments [fr] on the bonuses paid to the Mali national team, the ‘Eagles of Mali' at the beginning of January:

Earlier this week the Malian football team received their bonuses for qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. Two hundred million CFA francs (40,000 USD) were given in cash to the players and coaching staff before the national team left Lomé (Togo) for the final stage in their preparations for the competition.

The Equatorial Guinea team in training by @FlorianK_Sport

Equatorial Guinea, co-hosts of the event, is a country unable to build a stadium capable of hosting a match due to the frequent rains. Yet abidjan.net posted a blog surrounding their first victory [fr] in the competition:

Teodorin Obiang, the Minister for Agriculture presented a cheque for 500 million CFA francs (760,000 euros) to Francisco Pascual Eyegue Obama Asué, the Minister for Sport, in the absence of the national team in Mbini (mainland Mali). He added a cheque for 20 million CFA francs (30,400 euros), 10 million that had been promised for each goal scored ; the team only won the match 1-0 but he explained that the goal disallowed by the referee deserved to be credited with a bonus.

This blog points out that the actions of Teodorin, tipped to succeed his father as president, are under scrutiny by the Americans.

The generosity of petrodollars being used for the bonuses for the Equatorial Guinea football team makes the Republic of Guinea look like a poor relation. In Conakry, the first problem was in trying to find the money to pay for the bonuses. As reported by lejourguinee.com, the country set up a National Committee for Support, led by General Mathurin Bangoura, Minister for Housing and Urban Development with the aim of raising funds for the bonuses. Notably, the first contributions came from the Indian community settled in the country.

The least well-spent money during the tournament, without doubt, has to be the bonuses awarded to the ‘Teranga Lions', the Senegalese national team, who had entered the competition as strong favourites and fell at the first hurdle. Yet, at the beginning of the competition the blog can.starafrica.com stated [fr] that:

There are some concerns surrounding the bonuses given to the Senegalese side.  On Wednesday the Sports Ministry gave the squad bonuses amounting to 140, 650,000 francs in full for their qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Chellsy Alis Manning · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
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The Black Stars of Ghana finished the match with ten men following a red card for John Mensah in the 66th minute. They did all they could to win [fr], and were not phased, according to FourFourTwo, who tweeted:

#Ghana show no remorse over Mensah red bit.ly/xkpul2 #AFCON2012

Botswana fought bravely during their first ever appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. A video summary of the Ghana-Botswana match is available here [fr], courtesy of Direct 8 Sport.

Mali met Guinea for the other opening day Group D game, which saw the Eagles off to a promising start in the tournament, beating Guinea 1-0. Boukary Konaté, a Global Voices author who tweets under the name @Fasokan [fr], posted reactions from the stadium in Macina, Mali:

@Fasokan: Grand bruit et applaudissement à Macina pour le but malien #can2012

and also [fr]:

@Fasokan: les supporters de Macina espèrent sur un deuxième but malien

On Wednesday 25, the first match on Day 2 of Group A, Zambia versus Libya, resulted in the first nil-nil draw of the competition. Torrential rain caused kick-off to be delayed by an hour and a quarter with the match finally starting at 6.15pm, after some doubt as to whether it would go ahead.

Zambia were anxious to secure their place in the quarter finals against a Libyan team who seemed re-energised following their defeat on the opening Saturday of the tournament. The match was played on a waterlogged pitch, as can be seen in this photo posted by Alexandre Nakbi (@Alex_Nak), showing its condition moments before kick off [fr]:

@Alex_Nak: Voila l'état du terrain actuellement. #CAN2012 #Libye #Zambie pic.twitter.com/MSHrD1ae

Rain also delayed the Day 2 Group A match between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea. Tournament favourites Senegal were eliminated in a surprise 2-1 win for Equatorial Guinea, assuring a place for the latter in the quarter finals. The defeat of the Lions of Teranga greatly disappointed [fr] their fans:

@observateurs: Le Sénégal sort de la CAN. “On aurait dit des jeunes de centre de formation” #can2012 fb.me/10kgX5eNf

@founseni_soro: Sénégal Grande nation de football, . mais aussi grande déception de la CAN2012. Allez les zelephants #civ2010

In Day 2 of Group B, Angola could not overcome Sudan, one of the weakest teams in the Cup, despite two goals from Manuchi on Thursday 26 January in Malabo Stadium, Equatorial Guinea. If they had won, Angola would have qualified for the quarter finals. The four goals from the match can be seen in the following video [fr]:

Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso met at Malabo later that day for the second match in Day 2 of Group B. The Elephants of Ivory Coast beat the Stallions 2-0, qualifying for the quarter finals while Burkina Faso were eliminated.

Fans of Ivory Coast watching the match against Sudan by @FlorianK_Sport

Day 2 of Group C on the Friday saw Gabon beat Morocco 3-2 and Tunisia beat Nigeria 2-1, securing quarter final places for the Panthers of Gabon and the Eagles of Carthage.

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations can be followed on the BBC website and on Twitter using the hashtags #CAN2012 and #AFCON2012.

Written by Francois-Xavier Ada-Affana · Translated by Jane Ellis · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
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The Africa Cup of Nations began in Bata, Equatorial Guinea this Saturday January 21, 2012, kicking off three weeks of fierce competition. The Cup of Nations, the most important international football competition in Africa, is taking place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea between January 21 and 12 February.

Supporters in Africa and around the world have been enjoying the build-up to the two opening matches; dancing, light and sound were all part of the spectacle:

GaGuie the Mascot! With GAGUIE : GA as in Gabon, GUI as in Guinea and E as in Equatorial! Image from fr.cafonline.com with permission

Here is a round up of the first three days of the tournament.

Matchday One

Libya took on Equatorial Guinea in the curtain raiser on 21 January, and it was co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, making their tournament debut, who took a surprise 1-0 win.

With just six minutes remaining, Balboa, the Equatorial Guinea number 11 finally opened the scoring after a one-on-one with the Libyan goalkeeper. The score stayed 1-0 until the final whistle, to the delight of the Equatorial Guinea fans who had packed the stadium.

The Senegalese fluffed their entry to the competition with a 2-1 defeat inflicted by Zambia on the same day. Senegal fans took to the web to place the blame on coach of the national team.

Touy wrote on Seneweb News [fr]:

le souci avec un entraîneur local c'est que même s'il se rend compte que le capitaine par exemple Niang n'est pas au niveau il aura la crainte la peur ou la pudeur de le faire sortir au détriment de la victoire bien sur!!

Amara Traoré [fr] on RFI sheds some light on the subject for us:

Tout le monde savait avant même le début de la CAN que les zambiens sont très vifs et utiliseraient cette vivacité pour gérer les sénégalais beaucoup plus costauds. Alors lui l’entraîneur et son staff devraient trouver un bon système pour les contenir avant de les attaquer.Donc je trouve kil n'a pas fais son boulot qui était de voir les choses venir et de jouer avec des joueurs rapides mais surtout de ne pas trop bourrer cette attaque ou personne ne se retrouve .

Matchday Two

The second matchday saw the entry of one of the competition favourites: the ‘Elephants' of Côte d'Ivoire. A magnificent strike by Didier Drogba in the 39th minute secured the victory for Côte d'Ivoire over Sudan. The win for the Elephants wasn't enough for every Ivorian fan on the net however. Many felt that they could have done better.

Phox Hermann [fr] said:

la vérité est bonne à dire heinnn. ELEPHANT ke moi jai vu là c N'IMPORTE KOI

Bi Tia Vincent Toh [fr] added:

la conservation d'un unique but nous a donné des sueurs froides.
Que Mr Gervino soit un peu plus réaliste devant les buts,
Que Mr Yaya Touré regagne sa place au milieu et joue effectivement comme à city
Que la defense cesse d etre trop permeable,

Angola also played their first game and overpowered Burkina Faso with a 2-1 victory.

Matchday Three

Gabon, the second co-host team of the 2012 Cup of Nations showed their strength with a 2-0 win over Niger, the opening Group C match of the tournament played in a fantastic atmosphere in the Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville.

Rodrigue Magaya [fr] commented on Aubameyang's goal on Facebook:

que dire?!!!merci aux gars, il fallait ça pour la beauté du spetacle et naturelement monter a tt nos adversaires que nous sommes la!!bien en place et on a pas peur!!!vive la can, et vive encore plus nos pantheres;que Dieu benisse le gabon!!!!!!

The 2012 Cup of Nations can be followed on TV5 Monde, Canal+ Afrique and on Twitter and Google+ via the hashtags #CAN2012 (in French) et #ACN2012 (in English).

Written by Francois-Xavier Ada-Affana · Translated by Dan Horlor · View original post [fr] · comments (1)
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Writing about the tournament on FourFourTwo, Jonathan Fadugba (@JustFootball) shows how Africa's 41st best footballing nation, Equatorial Guinea, came to host the AFCON:

As one of the smallest countries in continental Africa, what do you do if you cannot play your way to a major international tournament? In Equatorial Guinea's case the answer was simple. You buy your way in.

Aided by the discovery of vast oil and gas reserves that prompted huge economic growth in the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea found the resources possible to mount a joint bid with neighbours Gabon. After seeing off competition from Nigeria, in 2006 they were named joint hosts for what will be their first ever African Cup of Nations.

In a sense, therefore, the challenge is already won for the Nzalang Nacional. As a nation with just 2,300 registered players merely competing on such a stage is impressive enough.

He continues to describe what Equatorial Guinea’s Head of State is expecting:

 

2012 Africa Cup of Nations logo. Image source: cafonline.com

President Obiang has boldly declared that he expects Equatorial Guinea to go all the way at this Cup of Nations. “Not only do we want the national team to display attractive football and sporting values, we also want them to win the Cup. The trophy must remain in Equatorial Guinea,” he stated. But really this is a pipe dream. The squad is arguably the weakest in the competition 

Krobea D’Bee (@kwame_amoh), a Ghananian sports columnist, roots for his team the Black Stars – the nickname for Ghana’s national team. He starts by saying:

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations will be one of the keenly contested continental showpieces irrespective of opinions making rounds that it will not live up to the billing as a result of the absence of nations like Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria

He goes on to say:

Truly, the joint-favourites tag carried by Ghana and Ivory Coast is deserving though it puts pressure on the two West African neighbours. For Ghana’s Black Stars, the pressure is doubled some sort because of their performance at the global showpiece before this tournament

Erick E. Cleves, a blogger based in Venezuela, predicts a Ghana-Ivory Coast final:

Although the tournament has many interesting and powerful sides, the favourites are surely the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Both teams have a strong base of experienced European-based players, and both have experience of international tournaments at the highest level.
My support and heart is with the Black Stars! And I hope to be able to watch some African football from here in South America!

A 15-year-old blogger (@NathSalt1) notes the ‘headache’ that teams in the English Premier League have to undergo while losing their players for a month or so to the continental competition:

Every Premier League manager’s nightmare, but spectators and a scouts dream. With some of the best and hottest worldwide talents on display the African Nations Cup is always a delight to watch. The tournament illustrates the strength of talent Africa can offer top clubs around the world. With competition in the tournament improving hugely every two years that it’s staged a lot of teams will feel they can make a push to win it.

Mark (@twoht) has quite a detailed preview of the 2012 showcase:

Sudan are no longer a nation, after partition in July 2011, although the fledgling South Sudan national side still has international affiliations to sort out. While Libya are a very different nation indeed after the bloodiest of cabinet reshuffles last spring… Libyan football was hugely complicated by the fact that Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saadi could play the game properly – even if his career was boosted by the predictable “helping hands.” So “politicised” was almost a euphemism.

Libya’s pre-uprising captain, Tariq Ibrahim Al-Tayib, openly declared his and his team’s support for Gaddafi. But that was probably why he was captain. Others thought differently as they metaphorically battled on at neutral venues while real battles were fought at home (never were metaphors of war to describe football more inappropriate)….

Gabon’s qualification as co-hosts comes two years after they were squeaked out of a quarter-final place in the Angolan tournament’s tightest group. However, Equatorial Guinea have no such competition tradition and are internationally-ranked lower than the earth’s core – the lowest Fifa-ranked team (and by some distance too, at 151) in the tournament

He also discusses an article that looks at the relationship between the tournament and ‘oil-rich” nations:

A thought-provoking article by Sam Wallace in the Independent newspaper likened Equatorial Guinea to Qatar – in the “lots of lovely oil” sense, as much as “the only way Equatorial Guinea were going to play in the African Nations was by hosting it”. But this blazed no trail, as Austria and Switzerland showed in Euro 2008. Wallace was also scathing of the African Confederation (CAF) for selecting politically “unsuitable” tournament hosts (Libya were due to be 2013 hosts until their “regime change”)… Wallace’s basic point was a good one, well-made. The event has become “the target of oil-rich nations with dubious track records and in need of a PR-stunt.”

Finally, a popular sports analyst, Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) looks at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations through Sex, Love and Magic:

 

AFCON trophy is the most coveted trophy in African soccer. Image released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Shasta

The sex tales are applicable to Botswana as well. First-timers at the tournament, they reek of naiveté. 

Why else would the team have to order (not suggest) grown men not to ‘boink’?

The Zebras [the Botswana national team] have been warned to stay away from sexual activities, with boss Stanley Tshosane warning that “sex drains energy from a player and I expect my players to abstain till end of the tournament”. He’s also issued drug abuse warnings, touting “face-to-face and group talks with the players.”
—

While some of the methods were based in medical science, rumour mongers accused Ghana of jinxing their Group D opponents by using ‘charms.’
Magic is not new to the African Cup. From the failure of South Africa to qualify being blamed on non-payment of a sangoma to the assertion that Michael Essien’s injury at Angola 2010 was caused by psychic powers, there are countless stories.

Ask players with Cameroon why there never seems to be peace between their star-studded lineup, and you may get whispers of how there are “too many marabouts working for the same team”, thereby cancelling out the efficacy of their powers. Is there any truth to these stories? That is certainly open to question.

—

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the hosts, will use every trick in the book – fair or foul – to get as far as they can. After all, it’s what hosts do. Equatorial Guinea have offered $1 million USD to the team for every victory, in addition to $20,000 for every goal.

Outrageous amounts of money have been splashed before but not like this.

He ends the post by saying:

As ever, there are bound to be many subplots in the tournament which starts (on January 21st) and ends on February 12. Here’s hoping there isn’t too much boinking in obscure places

Written by Richard Wanjohi · comments (0)
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Portuguese language and culture

In February we covered several blogs that gave voice to their love of the Portuguese language, paying tribute to the great variety of dialects spoken by more than 200 million people worldwide.

Hau nia lian, hau nia rain (My language, my country). Photo by Sapo Noticias Timor Leste (public domain)

In May the newspaper @Verdade, our partner in Mozambique, described Portuguese as a language that is bound up in what it means to be Mozambican.

In its coverage of Timor Leste, Global Voices examined the role of languages in asserting the identity of a country which has 16 national languages and dozens of dialects. Some blogs on Cape Verde also suggested that there are “distinct social functions” for both the language spoken by the people, Crioulo, and the official language, Portuguese.

Online demonstrations brought a more political dimension to bear on this issue, with heated reactions to the proposal for Equatorial Guinea to become a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, despite having a poor track record on human rights.

Brazil: Paths towards Development

In spite of the current global crisis, Brazil is experiencing a period of economic optimism fuelled by domestic consumption. In order to maintain this growth, ongoing development policy in the country has been putting pressure on the environment and human rights.

The social cost of the rising demand for biofuels: the indigenous Guarani Kaoiwa community of Laranjeira Nhanderu were expelled from their lands 14 months ago to make way for sugarcane plantations. Photo by Annabel Symington, copyright Demotix (10/21/10).

The Amazon rainforest is seen as potential land for agriculture and as a source of raw materials and energy. Brazil's new forestry code, which regulates the use of the country's forests, has led to concerns and public demonstrations against the encouragement of farming and deforestation. “Green” agribusiness focused on biofuels and the replacement of felled trees with eucalyptus plantations have been shown to be unsustainable practices in both social and environmental terms. The dispute for land provoked by agribusiness led to the killing of activists and indigenous leaders during 2011. Yet Brazil is persisting in exporting its agribusiness model to other countries, such as Mozambique, regardless.

Coverage of events surrounding the Belo Monte Dam certainly caused the greatest outcry this year, uniting environmentalists, indigenous people and Brazilians living alongside the affected rivers. Protests in the immediate area of the dam and in major cities attracted international attention and challenged the human rights policy of Dilma Rousseff's government. This action did not wane after construction of the plant began, but rather took on different forms, including an Occupy protest by the Tupiniquim people and court cases.

These and related issues have been organised into four special features: Forest Focus: Amazon, Dossiê Belo Monte [only in pt], Indigenous Rights and Global Development.

Portugal: Crisis, Austerity and Protests

From the “Scraping-by Generation” protest in March to participation in the global protests on 15 October, Portugal has seen its political and economic crisis reach unprecedented proportions in 2011, with the fall of a government and the EU committee coming into the country to effect the financial “rescue” of public debt.

Keep calm and protest: outraged protesters outside Porto Town Hall. Photo by the protest organisers, 15 October.

Netizens took to social networks to mobilise action against severe austerity measures and to speak out in opposition to the racket conducted by the rating agencies, but also to gain inspiration from other countries, such as Iceland, on other forms of public participation.

Having launched a page devoted to special coverage of the current situation, Europe in Crisis, in September, Global Voices has acted as a bridge between different languages and has facilitated greater dialogue between outraged citizens from European countries that are suffering similar problems.

Angola: 32 Years in Power sparks Protests

In Angola the sense of revolt against the 32-year government led by José Eduardo dos Santos is becoming increasingly palpable in the streets and on the internet. Protests would have begun in March had the government not been successful in pre-empting them.

In September the police used heavy force to break up a protest, resulting in at least 18 protesters receiving prison sentences. Against all expectations, the movement has regrouped, while the number of citizen reporters in the country is also on the increase.

Video uploaded to the post Angola: Videos of Repressed Youth Protest in Luanda

Internet and the digital culture in Brazil

The fruits of increasingly widespread access to the internet in Brazil were borne out in 2011 by many creative, collective and effective examples of action. One such case was the mobilisation of social networks to take down a paedophile blog, and the call put out on Facebook to join in the unique “Different People's Big Barbeque Protest” in an upscale São Paulo neighbourhood.

Protest poster which reads "We want to be Maria Bethania", organised by Leon Prado on Facebook.

The online arena has also been the scene for a number of less auspicious episodes related to digital culture. In January the Ministry of Culture announced that it was abandoning Creative Commons licensing on its site, a blatant step backwards in public policy on the internet and copyright. Shortly afterwards, in March, the same ministry allowed the famous signer Maria Bethânia to raise 1.3 million reais tax-free for the creation of a poetry blog, thereby rousing the ire of bloggers, the twitterati and activists involved in the cultural sphere.

Cases of online censorship continue to crop up and, on occasion, overflow into the non-virtual world, with attacks on bloggers who are critical of the authorities.

In December we became aware of renewed death threats made against Ricardo Gama, who blogs against cases of the abuse of power and other irregularities by the Brazilian police. Gama had already been shot in an attack in Rio de Janeiro in March. Towards the end of this year, many were not convinced by the reason of “suicide by hanging” given for the death of Hamilton Alexandre, a controversial blogger from Santa Catarina, and social networks are being used to call for a thorough investigation of the case.

In 2012 we will continue to listen to the stories that are being told by the citizens of the world through the internet, and to amplify them so that they reach a global audience. Our doors are always open to anyone who wants to get involved in what Super magazine earlier this year dubbed “one of the 10 coolest projects on the internet”.

Written by Sara Moreira · Translated by Maisie Fitzpatrick · View original post [pt] · comments (1)
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The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, appeared more offended than concerned to find himself listed among 30 leaders, four of them from Africa, who have stolen from their people assets estimated at several billion dollars. This is according to a report published in 2009 by the Catholic Committee Against Hunger and for Development (CCFDT - Terre Solidaire)  entitled “Ill gotten goods, who does crime profit”?

According to Reporters without Borders, the Equatorial Guinean president, who is presented by the national radio in his country as an “Equatorial Guinean God”, lodged a complaint against the authors of the report.  However, the 17th chamber of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, dismissed the case on October 7, 2011.

A blog from an association called Survie, reports:

Teodoro Obiang complained particularly about certain passages in the report, indicating that he established a “real authoritarian regime” and that his clan amassed a fortune estimated between 500 and 700 million dollars, from the diversion of oil revenue.

As far as the tribunal was concerned, the cautionary wording, the abundance in testimony and references in the incriminating report, demonstrated the honesty of the writers of the report. Moreover, the tribunal ordered the president of Equatorial Guinea, to pay 2,500 euros to each of the four he accused, for the abusive nature of his complaint.

Further down on the same post, the following remark appears:

At the outset of the hearing, President Obiang's lawyers, lamented the present day climate in France as being unfavourable towards African leaders.

Afriquejet.com published the following story from PANA (Panafrican Press Agency):

Moreover, the report affirms that this wealth was derived from the diversion of oil revenue and that 80% of the national income would have been monopolized by the oligarchy in power in Malabo. In its document, the association accuses the leader of Equatorial Guinea and 10 members of his family, of having laundered 26.5 million dollars in real estate purchases between 2000 and 2003.  The president would also have acquired a mansion on Avenue Foch in Paris.

This decision took place within a few days of the Paris police seizing 11 luxury cars belonging to 43 year old Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, also known as “Teodorin”, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and son of the president.

France-Guineeequatoriale.org states the following specifics:

The eleven vehicles seized at the time of the search, were 2 Bugatti Veyrons, 1 Maserati MC12, 1 Porsche Carrera GT, 1 Ferrari Enzo and 1 Ferrari 59 GTO, 1 Aston Martin V8 V600 LM, 1 Rolls-Royce Phantom, 1 Drophead Coupe, 1 Bentley Azure and 1 Bentley Brooklands Coupe, from 500 to 1001 horsepower and from 200,000 to approximately 2 milion euros an item.

The operation decided upon by the French justice system, took place right in front of residents and passersby at 42 Avenue Foch, in the beautiful districts of Paris, a stone's throw away from the Arc de Triomphe.

The blog mentions that the opulent-looking building of more than 2,000 m² could also belong to Teodorin, adding that:

Last September 21st, the two judges Roger Le Loire and Rene Grouman, in charge of the case of “ill gotten goods ” (BMA,) had already ordered a search of the mansion.

Caradisiac.com published a letter from Patrick Garcia showing a video of the 11 vehicles.

Contrary to what the powers in Malabo might suggest, this action is not deemed a persecution.  It had to do with new developments in the “ill gotten goods” affair and is dificult to disociate from French media revelations, the dubious accumulation of wealth regarding the financing of political parties by African dictators.

According a letter published on Afrik.com:

The public prosecutor's office in Paris, proceeded Wednesday with a search of the offices of lawyers and notaries within the context of the investigation of the “ill gotten goods” in France, of African heads of state, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo, Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea and the late Gabonese president, Omar Bongo Ondimba.

The powers in Malabo, felt compelled to publish a press release to voice their protest.  The site afreekelection.com published a letter citing:

According to Malabo, the seizure of several vehicles on Wednesday, belonging to the Equatorial Guinean president's family, took place just two days prior to a new meeting that was to be held in Paris to deal with the cost of the creation of Unesco-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The presentation of this award, created in 2008, was suspended in 2010 following protests from NGO human rights activists and high profile personalities such as Nobel Peace prize winner Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

The denunciation of this initiative, started bearing fruit because after lengthy discussions the case was postponed until the following spring.

With a per capita income estimated in 2010 at $14,540, the 668,225 inhabitants of Equatorial Guinea are classified as being among the wealthiest populations among non-OCDE countries. This is only according to the statistics. In reality, the wealth attributed to its leaders is quite different from that of the population.

Even though this country is the third largest producer of oil in Sub-Saharan Africa, its people live in poverty. Access to drinking water and electricity is a dream for many.  Life expectancy in 2009 was 62.37 years, classifying it at 180th place in the world, behind other African countries of lesser wealth, that are better managed.

Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Theodora Rowlands · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
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Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Carol Bidwell · View original post [fr] · comments (1)
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Written by Abdoulaye Bah · Translated by Lova Rakotomalala · View original post [fr] · comments (0)
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Robert Bourgi, a shady lawyer and advisor for “African affairs” has confessed [fr] to French media he acted for years as a go-between for French politicians and Francophone Africa heads of states, delivering approximatively $20 million in cash to former President Chirac, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin, and extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, to finance past election campaigns.

Screen shot of Lawyer R. Bourgi on BFM TV

“Not exactly breaking news”

Despite the storm of denials and libel suits, Mwona Mboka in Congo echoed a widely shared feeling [fr], in France and in Africa:

Ce n’est pas un scoop, tout le monde le sait. Il a tout simplement oublié de nous révéler le montant des commissions qu’il prenait au passage.

Françafrique, a generic name for French neocolonialism and the plundering of  natural resources in its former colonies, has been investigated  for years, though books, articles and documentaries (video). However, this is the first time that a key player of  the “Françafrique” network, on a first-name basis with African presidents, have revealed insider information.

His confession reads like a mafia-film script: wads of cash stuffed in suitcases or even in African drums delivered to the Elysee Palace, codenames such as “Mamadou” for Minister De villepin, and “Daddy” for late Gabonese President Omar Bongo.

The cast of alleged funders, all African presidents, include: the late Omar Bongo in Gabon, Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso, Laurent Gbagbo in Cote d'Ivoire, President Wade and his son Karim in Senegal, Denis Sassou Nguesso in the Republic of Congo, and even President of Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony, Teodoro Obiang.

A close aide of ex President Gbagbo [fr] in Côte d'Ivoire has confirmed Bourgi's allegations.

'50 years of Françafrique is enough!' - Demonstration poster (2010) from website Survie.org

Reactions from African blogospheres

Thousand of comments and reactions have flooded African blogospheres. In the Republic of Congo, an oil-rich country riled with poverty, 216 Congolese expressed on Mwinda.com [fr] the anger, humiliation and exasperation shared by netizen accross Francophone Africa.

René Mavoungou Pambou [fr]:

Voilà qu’on nous flanque en plein visage les méfaits ou crimes dont est capable la prétendue douce France, berceau des droits de l’homme.

Mouk writes [fr]:

tant que la France sera en Afrique, il n y aura ni paix ni développement. la classe politique française étant l'une des plus prostituées au monde, la démocratie et les libertés pour les africains ne la concernent pas.

Ata Ndele, on the same comment thread, is thinking ahead [fr]:

Les spécialistes africains du droit peuvent-ils nous dire si nous pouvons , nous aussi, porter plainte en tant que partie civile ?

A number of commentators, like Yacobi, turn their anger toward their leaders [fr]:

Vous hommes politiques africains, commencez à mieux traiter vos peuples, les blancs vont vous regarder différemment.

Mame Diop, on his Facebook page [fr], links the money sent to France and the widespread underdevelopment:

Combien de mères vont encore mourir ce soir en donnant la vie, faute de dispensaire, d'ambulances, de routes praticables, de médecins! Combien? […] Débarrassons nous de cette bande de macaques!!!

'When will we quit?' - Anti-Françafrique poster

In Senegal, Seneweb [fr] site is bursting with reactions to the alleged implication of President Wade and his son, as the 2012 presidential election looms:

Lune: Je crois que laisser une minute de plus Abdoulaye Wade et sa maudite famille à la tete de notre pays releverait de la lacheté

Mooo [fr]:

je pense que le temps est venu de limiter nos relations avec ces puissances occidentales voyous qui nous ont maintenu dans la pauvreté,les guerres civiles,les dictatures pendant des siècles.Le moment est venu pour l'Afrique de s'ouvrir aux autres puissances et pays émergents tels:La Chine,Le Japon,le Brésil et certains pays arabes.Nos relations d'avec les puissances occidentales pendant des siècles ne nous valu que tristesse et misère.

Senegalese Ahmadou Fall thinks it is already the case [fr] on Afrique en ligne:

Le choix des dirigeants (chefs d'États) n'est plus une prérogative de la France au gré de ses intérêts et de sa stratégie géopolitique.La France qui reçoit ces valises de la honte, remplies de billets destinés au financement occulte de partis politiques est cette même France qui perd sa place dans cette Afrique qui s'oriente vers d'autres partenaires…Le Rwanda de Paul Kagame l'illustre assez bien avec la destitution du français comme langue officielle, au profit de l'anglais. La percée des pays asiatiques en lieu et place des anciennes puissances coloniales montre qu'il faut plus que jamais changer d'attitude et de stratégie…

Adopt a French presidential candidate!

In Burkina Faso, a country troubled by violent mutinies in the army, Leyla M. Diallo launches a tongue-in-cheeck appeal to her president, on opposition Facebook group Blaise Campaoré doit partir (Blaise Campaoré must go) [fr]:

Toi qui es assuré de gagner ton élection à 80% des suffrages exprimés, partage un peu de ta béatitude avec un candidat perclus de sous-financement aigu sévère. Toi, dont les dépenses courantes sont moins contrôlées que dans les pays du Nord: parraine un présidentiable français!”

Faso.net has republished a column from Le Pays, urging civil society to come forward [fr]:

les Africains doivent comprendre qu’ils sont les vrais perdants dans cette histoire. Il est temps qu’ils fassent preuve de maturité et prennent à bras-le-corps leurs responsabilités. L’obligation de rendre compte, inhérente à toute gouvernance démocratique, doit cesser d’être un simple discours. La balle est, pour cet aggiornamento, dans le camp de la société civile africaine. Elle doit sortir de sa torpeur et prendre le relais, pour demander des explications à tous les gouvernants

In France, where a judge has scheduled a preliminary hearing of Robert Bourgi, Survie.org, the pioneer organisation who filed a lawsuit against African leaders and their “ill gotten gains” in France, urges French voters to demand a thorough parliamentary investigation, on the eve of their own presidential election:

un tel audit devra poser toutes les questions qui fâchent, qu’il s’agisse du soutien aux dictateurs africains et aux contreparties obtenues, du financement occulte de la vie politique française, du rôle de l’armée française et de ses multiples ingérences, des multinationales, du franc CFA, etc.Au-delà des mallettes et des millions d’euros évoqués dans cette affaire, il est utile de rappeler que l’Afrique est victime d’une prédation économique et financière particulièrement sophistiquée

Written by Claire Ulrich · comments (1)
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Written by Ana Lúcia Sá · comments (2)
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In June in Angola, in the Sixteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Countries of the Portuguese Speaking Community (Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa or CPLP), the membership of Equatorial Guinea to the community will be considered. A report written by the CPLP mission that visited the capital Malabo on May 4-5 will be the basis for this step in the membership process for the country governed since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang.

According to the page of the CPLP, the conditions to be proven [pt] were the effective use of the Portuguese language in the education system of the country and the orienting principles of the organization, such as “the primacy of peace, Democracy, the Rule of Law, Human Rights and social justice”.

Luanda 2010 - Eighth Meeting of Countries of the Portuguese Speaking Community. Photo by MRE Brasil on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Does language create ties?

O único território verdadeiramente humano é o da Língua. Deixemos pois este espaço livre da opressão dos interesses, deixemos comunicar as línguas, os homens, os povos.

Commented Joana Ruas, on the blog O que fica do que passa (What remains of what goes on) [pt], in an article entitled “CPLP, Guiné Equatorial Guinea & Ca; Petroleum or Platonic Love?”.

Justino Pinto de Andrade of the blog Angola Resistente [pt] tells how “the Portuguese were the first European navigators to arrive, in 1471, to the territory which today constitutes Equatorial Guinea”:

acharam a ilha de Bioko, a que depois chamaram Ilha Formosa, e também Fernando Pó. (…)
do ponto de vista histórico, houve, sim, um contacto da Guiné-Equatorial com a língua e a cultura portuguesas. Poderão, pois, ter restado ainda ténues reminiscências desse contacto, que justifiquem alguma nostalgia da língua e da cultura desaparecidas. Mas, depois, impôs-se o espanhol. A presença da língua francesa como língua oficial deve-se, sobretudo, às ligações fronteiriças que a Guiné-Equatorial tem com o Gabão e os Camarões – países francófonos – e a uma presença remota dos franceses nos seus territórios, também por ocasião do tráfico negreiro.

Brazilian journalist Michell Niero, of the blog O Patifundio [pt], adds that “Equatorial Guinea, a hispanic country, 'speaks' Portuguese since 2008 by decree”:

tornou[-se] membro observador mesmo com uma população ínfima falando fá d’ambô, idioma crioulo com base lexical portuguesa.

So if it isn't language, what is it that Equatorial Guinea brings to the community of Portuguese speaking countries?

The “Petrodictatorship”

In the opinion of the blog Debates e Devaneios (Debates and Daydreams) [pt] of Mozambique:

A entrada da Guiné-Equatorial como membro de pleno direito para a Comunidade dos Países (ditos) de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP) tem apenas a ver com o petróleo, sendo outras questões basilares, como a língua, a democracia e os direitos humanos uma farsa. (…) A Guiné-Equatorial é uma ditadura? É sim senhor. Mas o que é que isso importa se tem petróleo, que é um bem muito superior aos direitos humanos?

The idea is reinforced by Henrique Sousa, from the blog O que fica do que passa, for whom the membership “makes no sense”, given that it “is not a Portuguese language country” but instead a “petrodictatorship”. He agrees with writer and politician Manuel Alegre who used these same words.

Luba Beach Boys. Photo by John & Mel Kots on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The blog El Bonsai de la Información (The Information Bonsai) [es] in 2008, disdains “the historic and linguistic arguments” that convinced the “three strong members” of the CPLP - Portugal, Angola and Brazil - and described the ease with which petroleum interests drown out human rights:

Con la valiosa ayuda de Libia, autorizada por el líder Muammar Gaddafi, aliado histórico de Obiang Nguema, a inicios de este año una delegación portuguesa visitó Malabo, capital de Guinea Ecuatorial. Angola celebró los primeros convenios hace cinco años y Brasil comienza a explotar un bloque promisorio en off-shore.

The orienting principles: #FAIL

The CPLP is ruled by the principles of “the primacy of Peace, Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights and Social Justice” (Article 5), in an article highlighted in the CPLP website in relation to the eventual admission of Equatorial Guinea in the community.

Even in 2010, the possibility of Equatorial Guinea becoming the ninth country affiliated with the CPLP - together with Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, São Tomé and Principe and East Timor - led to the mobilization of citizens and civil society organizations in Portuguese speaking countries against its inclusion. At issue was the disrespect for the orienting principles of the organization, as constant violations of human rights in the country are well known.

National Commission on Human Rights of Equatorial Guinea. Screenshot of a video about poverty and rights abuse amid oil wealth, on Youtube by CSMonitor100 (The Christian Science Monitor)

The petition “Guiné Equatorial na CPLP não!” (No to Equatorial Guinea in the CPLP!) [pt], created in 2010 and recently recalled in Blog 19 [pt], that of Amnesty International in Portugal, asked for the imposition of:

condições relativamente aos abusos flagrantes da liberdade de expressão e à comprovada repressão da sociedade civil do país.

The non-existence of freedom of expression, the human rights violations or the disrespect for rule of law were the subject of reports by  Freedom House and of Amnesty International this year.

Celestino Bacale, of the Convergencia Para a Democracia Social (Convergence for Social Democracy) [es] the only opposition party with representation in parliament, confirmed that the regime continues to violate human rights with or without entry into the CPLP. In a press release [es], the Movement for Self Determination of the Island of Bioko, maintains that President Teodoro Obiang hopes to “injuriously use this dignified institution as a personal service that can help him to suffocate the echoes of barbarism and the human rights which he holds prisoner in his country”. And he makes an appeal:

Admitirle en la CPLP es animar al dictador guineano a seguir perpetrando daños contra los pueblos de Guinea Ecuatorial.

The decision to include the country can be concluded at the Ninth Conference of the Chiefs of State and Governments of the CPLP, to take place in Mozambique in 2012. Justino Pinto de Andrade, of the blog Angola Resistente [pt], believes that “the problem of Equatorial Guinea's entry can serve to cause a rethink of the true purpose of the CPLP”:

Que tipo de Comunidade a organização persegue: Será um qualquer modelo de integração? (…) Será a CPLP apenas um palco de concertação política e diplomática, para facilitar a tomada de determinadas posições comuns na arena internacional? Será uma via para a promoção da língua portuguesa e de culturas afins? Será um mecanismo de protecção dos interesses de cidadãos de uns países dentro dos outros países membros? Será um expediente para a facilitação da promoção de negócios?

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.

Written by Sara Moreira · Translated by Janet Gunter · View original post [pt] · comments (1)
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Written by Ana Lúcia Sá · comments (0)
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Written by Ana Lúcia Sá · comments (0)
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Written by Ana Lúcia Sá · comments (0)
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