Stories from Quick Reads and Zimbabwe
Why the Start-Up Pitch in Zimbabwe Is a ‘Waste of Time’
Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha, a communications officer for HIVOS (full disclosure: HIVOS is one of Global Voices’ sponsors) explains why Zimbabwe must ditch the start-up pitch: The start-up pitch, which involves making a rapid fire presentation of an idea followed by a question and answer session involving selected judges, is increasingly a...
A Plea to Pope Francis to Take Action Against African Dictators
Une pétition en ligne adressée au Pape pour demander l'excommunication des dictateurs africains de l'Angola, de la Guinée Equatoriale, du Cameroun, du Congo et du Zimbabwe.
Is Power Too Sweet for Ailing African Leaders to Step Down?
Gershom Ndhlovu looks at the reasons why ailing African leaders wont step down: There have been rumours, innuendoes and even insinuations regarding the health, or the lack of it, of Zambia’s President Michael Chilufya Sata, in office since September 2011. These have been spread by the largely unregulated online media...
On the 11 Wives of Convicted Zimbabwean Preacher
Following the conviction of End Time Message church leader Martin Gumbura on multiple charges of rape, Sibusisiwe Bhebhe asks whether his 11 wives are victims, villains or victors: In past weeks, Zimbabwean gossip – from the mainstream media to social media to bars and public transport – has been dominated...
The End of Zimbabwe's Kubatana Blog
Kubatana.net, an online community of Zimbabwe's activists, is discontinuing its blog: Hello everybody and anybody out there! Just a short note to say that we are discontinuing this blog so you won’t see any new posts on it. This isn’t because we’ve fallen asleep over our keyboards, it’s because we...
State of Zimbabwe's Relations With West
Simukai Tinhu, a political analyst based in London, asks, “Are Zimbabwe's relations with the West warming as elections approach?”
Why Parastatals Have Failed in Zambia
Elias Munshya, a Zambian lawyer and paster, explains why parastatals have failed in Zambia since independence: Parastatals have never made a profit since 1964. Parastatals have been run not on a business model but on a political model. Parastatals have not had professionals running the boards but they have been...
The State of Torture in the World in 2013
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]: “A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to...
A Zimbabwean Salute to Hugo Chavez
Zimbabwean blogger Takura Zhangazha salutes the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “In mourning Chavez from Zimbabwe and from Africa it is key that we remember him for his principled global leadership example and his people centered policies and politics.”
Her Zimbabwe: A Platform for Women to Share Views
Her Zimbabwe is an online platform for women to share their views, discuss issues and carry out open debate about the things that affect them.
When Bob Marley Went to Africa
The film opens on the Ghanaian coast at the remnants of a slave post, the camera then pans over the Atlantic, finally settling on the green hills of rural Jamaica (Marley’s birthplace Nine Mile) from where it picks up Bob Marley’s story, thus cementing a link between the continent and...
Africa is a Woman's Name
MyWeku shares a documentary titled “Africa is a Woman's Name“: Synopsis: The lives of three extraordinary African women from different social levels and origins determined to bring about radical transformations in their day to day realities: Kenyan attorney and reputed lawyer Njoki Ndung’u, Puthi Ragophala the committed school principal of...
Zimbabwe: Hashtag #263Chat to Crowdsource Opinions on Pressing Issues
Zimbabean blogger Sir Nigel introduces on his blog the hashtag #263Chat, an informal chat organised weekly on social network Twitter, to allow zimbabwean users to discuss pressing issues related to the country: Earlier this year, I suggested we organise a regular informal chat on Twitter regarding our beloved – Zimbabwe....
Zimbabwe: My Zimbabwean Sheroe
Amy Tsanga is Rumbidzai Dube's Zimbabwean sheroe: Here was a woman who lived through an era when the education of girls was not a priority yet she had done it and done it well too. She was my lecturer and I idolised her or was it, uh, hero-worshipping. Gentle, yet...
Africans in China about China in Africa
Tom from Seeing Red in China has two interesting posts about the perception of Africans in China on China's presence in Africa. The second post is a follow-up discussion by his friends from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ghana.
Zimbabwe: On “Look East Policy”
Rumbdidzai Dube discusses “Look East Policy” in Zimbabwe: “I am told the “Look-East Policy” is a lucrative alternative to the West, it is supposed to be about fighting neo-colonialism and resisting Western Hegemony over our sovereign affairs and welfare as a society.”
Africa: Southern Africa Needs an ECOWAS
Following moves by ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States) to defend democracy in West Africa Rumbidzai argues that Southern Africa needs an ECOWAS: “The Southern African Development Committee [Community] (SADC) on the other hand has increasingly displayed its inadequacy to address similar issues. In 2008 when Robert Mugabe...
Zimbabwe: The “E” Word and Future of Democracy
Beven Takunda talks about the “E” word and the future of democracy in Zimbabwe: “Election continue to haunt Zimbabweans to the point that when any politicians mention the “E” word, people start to quiver and shake. There is no sense of celebration that should come with exercising our democratic rights....
Africa: African Arguments Online
African Arguments Online is “a multi-blogging site that covers both contemporary African events as they unfold, and develops debates on themes we believe are centrally important to an ever-changing continent.”
Zimbabwe: Preventive Circumcision for Ministers and MPs
A post published [fr] by senegal.senego.com states that: “The Zimbabwean ministers will be circumcised as part of a campaign to curb the spread of HIV, to set an example, said Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, stating that the idea has met some disapproval. Members of Parliament should follow suit”.
Zimbabwe: Connecting to God Through Airtime Recharge Card
Lenard discusses Zimbabwe's Pastor Makandiwa’s innovative idea of getting linked to his followers through recharge airtime card: “Pastor Emmanuel Makandiwa…recently launched an airtime recharge card called Christian Spiritual Link. With this recharge card one can communicate directly to the prophet by calling him to get over-the-phone prophecies and spiritual messages....