Global Voices » Abdoulaye Bah

French a Must in Nigerian Military

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:58:49 +0000

Mensah wrote on koaci.com:

For Nigerian soldiers, enlisted men, officers and even aspirants, the military hierarchy has decided that the knowledge of the French language is now a prerequisite for anyone to get a promotion.

The Idleness of African Leadership in Mali

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:10:31 +0000

Ousmane Gueye on the site Mondoblog writes [fr] about the slow deployment of African troops in northern Mali :

If we were to judge the impact of the intervention in Mali by the jubilant euphoria of liberated populations, then it should be obvious that by deploying so slowly, African countries failed Mali once again ….. All the posturing by African heads of state and yet they could not achieve a single action of their own to slow down the Islamists in Mali.

Côte d'Ivoire's ‘Elephants’ Doomed?

Abdoulaye Bah — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:42:22 +0000

What if the football history of Côte d'Ivoire was doomed in a particularly strange way? A story written in such a way that superstars cannot ever put their hands on the continental trophy ? What exactly do Didier Drogba and Laurent Poku lack to win a Africa Cup? They are both talented [..] but they fail where other less talented players have found success.

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Mali: Threats All Around

Abdoulaye Bah — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:31:30 +0000

The Malian army has committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) during the ongoing conflict against armed groups, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, according to testimonies collected by Amnesty International during a ten days mission in Mali.

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Guinea-Bissau: Suspected Coup Leader Pansau N'Tchama Captured

Abdoulaye Bah — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 11:08:52 +0000

Zenaida Machado posted on her twitter feed:

“@zenaidamz: #GuineaBissau: Pansau N´Tchama, the man who allegedly plotted Sunday attack to army barracks which killed six, has been captured”

Uganda: Getting Ready for the Second Coming of #Kony2012

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:35:32 +0000

“I didn’t pay much mind to the #Kony2012 kerfuffle when it first surfaced back in March. I couldn’t be bothered to watch the film and was a bit blasé about the re-emergence (as it seemed to me) of the Lord’s Resistance Army as a topic of wide international interest. But now Invisible Children has released another film that promises the unleashing of a new wave of activism (they’re promising to take over the US capital in mid-November) and awareness-raising”.

OLUFEMI Terry in #KONY2005 on the Africa is a Country blog. OLUFEMI unpacks the nuances that must be taken into account when approaching the stories of child soldiers in Uganda.

Democratic Republic of Congo: A Francophone Summit too Focused on the Protection of the French Language ?

Abdoulaye Bah — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:15:47 +0000

Sékou Diabate reacts on his Facebook page about the end of the fourteenth edition of the Francophone Summit, which was held from October 12th to 14th in Kinshasa. He writes:

‎So how about this great Francophone Summit in Kinsasha, where millions and millions [of Euros] were spent while people are drowning in misery? It appears its main purpose would have been to develop strategies to protect the French language? I mean, seriously ? I love the French language (as much as the next language) but not enough to put it above mine .. “

Lesotho: Defence Force Top Brass Facing Court Charge

Abdoulaye Bah — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:45:15 +0000

Commenting a post on lestimes.com about the the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) top brass facing a court charge after they allegedly ignored a High Court order to accept a junior soldier’s sick leave application, KOTOPE writes:

The answer to all this mess is very simple, LESOTHO DOES NOT NEED ARMED FORCES WHO ARE VERY VERY EXPENSIVE [TO] MAINTAIN, all we need is a MILITARY POLICE joaloka bo Swizerland who would at least benefit the Country by fighting crime and stuff.

Swaziland: The Princess show-stopper ‘virginity dance’

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:07:11 +0000

Welcome DLAMINI writes about ‘virginity dance’ in a post published on swazilive.com:

Her Royal Highness Princess Sikhanyiso performed her show-stopper ‘virginity dance’ under floodlights yesterday as the 2012 Reed Dance Ceremony progressed into the twilight

DR of Congo: Rwanda is Helping the Rebellion, says Human Rights Watch

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:31:46 +0000

Human Rights Watch wrote [fr]:

In addition to deploying reinforcements and recruits to support military operations, Rwandan military officials have been providing important military support to the M23 rebels, including weapons, ammunition, and training, Human Rights Watch said. This makes Rwanda a party to the conflict.”

United Kingdom: Helen Grant, the First Black Female Conservative Cabinet Minister

Abdoulaye Bah — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:46:14 +0000

Afro Europe wrote a post on the appointment of a black female in UK Prime Minister David Cameron's new cabinet and gave a list of black female cabinet members in Europe [Erratum: The blog post was amended to show that Mrs Grant was the first black female Conservative member of parliament and cabinet minister. Baroness Valerie Amos was the first female black cabinet minister in 2003]:

Helen Grant MP has been made a Minister in David Cameron’s Ministerial reshuffle this September. She is now the first female black conservative cabinet Minister in the UK.

Congolese-Belgian Blogger Travels to Curaçao

Abdoulaye Bah — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:47:05 +0000

Congolese-Belgian blogger Sanza traveled to Curaçao to find the African heritage and wrote a post for Afro Europe:

Food was great and actually similar to West and Central African food. We also eat beans and rice, cornmeal (what they call fungi), cassava and plantains as well. I tasted Iguana soup in Jonchies restaurant near Westpunt.

Tunisia: Racism on the Rise ?

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:00:26 +0000

Frederick Gore Djo Bi wrote [fr] on africavox.com about the rise of racism against black Africans in Tunisia. In his post, Bi quotes a testimony of Fabien Siei, an Ivorian engineering student living in Tunisia since 2007 [fr]:

Not a day goes by without a black African suffering from racial abuse. The most often-used insult is “Guira Guira,” which, according to some means in a local dialect “big monkey”. For many Tunisians, we black Africans are savages.

Africa, Turkey: Turkish Citizens With African Roots

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:21:41 +0000

Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere writes on en.qantara.de:

When asked about their self-definition, the large majority said they defined themselves primarily as Turks. Only a minority saw themselves as “Turkish citizens with African roots.” And the desire to be fully assimilated in society was more important than the maintenance of their identity.

Togo: Sex Strike to Push for Reforms

Abdoulaye Bah — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 07:45:58 +0000

Icilome.com writes [fr] about the ongoing protests in Lomé, Togo :

The lawyer Isabelle Améganvi of the ANC [National Alliance for Change] in Togo has officially stated that “the Togolese women had decided to observe a sex strike from Monday on to compel men to push for changes in Togo. “