Global Voices Online

Blog Politique du Sénégal isn't sure (Fr) whether to laugh or cry about Gambian President Yahia Jammeh's new healer functions: “[He] has taken up a career as a marabout healer. And he is coming into some success. Commercial, that is because I can't put my hand in fire for his therapeutic prowesses… Hundreds of Gambians believe, as they line up endlessly to be healed by the therapist president. Fridays and Saturdays for asthma, Tuesdays and Thursdays for HIV.”

Sociolingo writes about solar powered internet shops in Gambia, “These multi-services shops, which are wireless and solar-powered, provide an affordable range of services for those at the lower end of the economic ladder.”

Home of the Mandinmories remembers the slain Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydra, “I don't know Deyda Hydara, never met him, but will forever respect him. He paid the ultimate price for something he believed in.”

Following the recent Presidential election, the President of the Republic of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, appoints his new cabinet. Home of the Mandinmories writes about the appointment: “There is not a lot of changes. He move some pieces around on the titanic. Kanja Sanneh (agriculture) and Maba Jobe (foreign affairs) are the only new faces in the cabinet so far with four vacancies still remaining. Lamin Bajo (ex foreign affairs) may still land another post. He has always been cool with Jemus.”

Home of the Mandinmories writes about torture and coercion of the alleged coup plotters in the Gambia: Browsing through the Point today, a story on the court martial of Captain Yahya Darbo caught my eye. I wish I can say I told you so, but the abuse and indignity suffered by the victims will make your blood boil. This was what I wrote in march when these guys were paraded on national television and forced (in my opinion) to make confessions.

Africa Unchained writes, “Karekezi, S…surveys (PDF) the dissemination of renewable technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa…and attempts to evaluate the potential for these technologies to meet the energy needs of Africa’s poor…“

Meskel Square on “Moving on from the Digital Indaba“:
“Overall it was a huge success. One way of judging that is to look at all the discussions that are still carrying on in posts and comments and Technorati links. The discussions started with the race debate which I now wish I hadn't joined (there was just something about that pig/hairless-bulldog). But it has now moved on to thinking about what should come next.”

Gambia 101, via African Shirts:
“After the 1981 coup attempt, the confederation of Senegambia was established with Senegal. The union didn't last too long, but made a lot of sense. Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, a tiny strip of land around the River Gambia less than 50km wide. It is surrounded on all sides by Senegal, except in the west, where the River Gambia opens out into the Atlantic. Basically, they Gambia is almost like an autonomous part of the Senegal which speaks English.”