Latest posts by Jennifer Brea from February, 2008
Cameroon: Will the widespread unrest bring political change?
Cameroon was besieged this week by the worst violence in fifteen years, as a transportation strike formally ended by unions on Wednesday expanded into a more general protest against rising food and oil prices and President Biya's attempts to alter the constitution and extend his 25-year rule. Bloggers and netizens describe the situation on the ground and what it means for Cameroon's future.
D.R. of Congo: Plane wreckage has become part of the urban landscape
In October, Du Cabiau Kinshasa wrote about an Antonov plane which went down in Kinshasa, killing three dozen people. This week, he posts a photograph of part of the wreckage, which casually sits somewhere along the road to the airport. “No one is interested in it anymore. The urban jungle...
French immigration minister: ‘France isn't racist’
Forum Realisance summarizes French immigration minister Brice Hortefeux's recent interview [Fr] with Jeune Afrique in which he discussed DNA testing for immigrants, immigration quotas, expulsion and other controversial issues, finally stating, “No, France is not racist.”
Burkina Faso: Comedy Festival in Ouagadougou
QuophyBlogeur writes about Burkina Faso's first comedy festival [Fr], and its “magic to break from the monotony of life and overcome life's most difficult situations.”
San Francisco Gay Choir, in Arabic
Zizou from Djerba blogs about the San Francisco Gay Choir‘s performance of Safeer El Layl, quite possibly the world's first gay-themed choral number to be written and sung in Arabic.
Martinique: Dockworkers on strike. Again.
In Martinique, le blog de [moi] writes that the port of Fort-de-France is completely blocked [Fr], and has been for a week, by dockworkers on strike. She's not too sympathetic, noting, according to one report, that dockworkers’ salaries have doubled in the last five years, and that they last went...
African Intellectuals Critique Sarkozy's Dakar Address in New Book
Anandoo.net announces L'Afrique répond à Sarkozy [Fr], a collective critique of Nicolas Sarkozy's infamous Dakar speech by prominent African intellectuals, published in Paris this week.
Imad Moughniyeh's execution without trial
Lebanese blogger Frencheagle discusses the assassination [Fr] of Hezbollah leader Imad Moughniyeh, described as an execution without trial, and its impact on Lebanon.
Why the Senegalese government likes anti-gay protests
Blog politique au Senegal writes a searing critique of the government's attitude toward public protest in Senegal. Bad: protests against the forced marriage of young girls. Good: protests calling for the extermination or expulsion of homosexuals.
Echoes of Orwell in Senegal
Blog politique au Senegal discusses George Orwell [Fr] and sees echoes of 1984 in Senegal's political system.
The ‘historical reality’ of homosexuality in Africa
Blog politique au Senegal reposts an article about the “historical reality” [Fr] of homosexuality in Africa.
France mute on detained opposition leaders in Chad
Le Pangolin writes about the extrajudiciary detention [Fr] of opposition politicians in Chad and France's conspicuous silence.
Kidnapping in Haiti
NoteDor writes about kidnapping in Haiti [Fr]: “Kidnapping has entered our morals and seems to be ingrained in them. The authorities are powerless, or rather indifferent; often it is they who organize [kidnappings]…Those who orchestrate these horrors must hate our country with all their heart…Love to them all, for they...
Spreading the word about indigenous rights in Republic of Congo
indigenouspeoplecongobrazza writes about efforts to educate [Fr] Congolese about the new UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights.