Foreign Policy's 2010 Top 100 Global Thinkers

The 2010 Foreign Policy list for the top 100 global thinks includes about 8 Africans such as Mo Ibrahim (# 52), Kwame Anthony Appiah (# 46), Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I am, however, most gratified by the mention of two Africans: the first is the Botswana judge,  Unity Dow (# 97), whose work is not limited only to the courtroom but also includes fighting against HIV and AIDS and writing books. The second is Ory Okolloh of Kenya (# 59), tech guru and founder of the Ushahidi, the network that allows cell phone users to map emergency situations. I am disappointed that we do not find African scientists or economists on the lists.

Africans Dying to Reach Europe or Wherever

In spite of the recent talk about life getting better in Africa, leading to some who have been out of the continent to return home, there is a growing epidemic of young Africans risking their lives as they attempt to leave the continent for greener pastures in other climes. It is a heartbreaking story which needs to be addressed by African governments. It is a pity that little is heard of this growing epidemic in spite of the fact that scores of young people have drowned in oceans trying to leave their countries. Sometimes these migrants are shot at by Egyptian or Israeli soldiers as they attempt to cross into Israel. Any country which leads its citizens to resort to such desperate measure to migrate demonstrates its lack of regard for its peoples. Many African leaders are not people who are known for caring about the well being of their people. It is no wonder that young people are increasingly being driven to take such desperate measures to leave their countries for greener pastures. This practice brings continuous shame on the continent and it needs to be addressed posthaste.

Climate Change in Mali

Pictures of how climate change is putting stress on the lives of people in a Malian town. Plus a lesson in conflict resolution.

Debating Citizenship in African Politics

The issue of one's birth place has been crucial in running for political leadership in postcolonial Africa. Many have been disqualified or threatened with disqualification to run for a particular position because of issues surrounding their place of birth. Much of this seems to be the work of political manipulation rather than genuine concern that a country be run only by its citizens. The matter of citizenship in African politics in debated/discussed here.

Religion and Politics in Tanzania

A quiet, intricate dance between Muslims and Christians in recent Tanzanian politics is described here.

Stock Exchanges Eying Africa

The continent appears to be increasingly important in international business. If only the leaders of the continent would recognize this and make the best use of the interest being shown the continent by international businesses!

Paul Biya in Fraud Charge

Cameroon's President for 28 years, Paul Biya, is denying charges of embezzlement of public funds brought against him in France by some Cameroonians in the Diaspora. One of the best services that can be done for Cameroon is that this case be properly investigated. Considering France's shady relations with French African countries, especially Cameroon (Paul Biya once called himself the best pupil of former French President Francois Mitterrand), it is not clear that such investigation will be conducted.

An Islamic Festival in Northern Nigeria

Watch.

Doing Opera in South Africa

Watch.

Is There a Balm in Gilead for HIV?

Apparently, say news reports, even though the report card about the containment of the virus is mixed. But is the state of health care in Africa up to the task of fighting the virus?

Invention, Innovation, or Another Form of Debit Card?

A new method of transfering money making waves in Kenya. It looks like a new form of debit card to me. What do you think?

Hosni Mubarak Should Go!

Why should Hosni Mubarak not run for the presidency of Egypt again? The reason is simple: he has been there for too long already. No president anywhere in the world should be in power for more than ten years. Period. Hosni Mubarak has been there for twenty-nine years already. His other comrades in Africa are Dos Santos of Angola, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Qaddafi of Libya, and Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Each of these autocrats have been in power for twenty or more years. African leaders must stop seeing themselves as saviors.

Affirmative Action At The University of Cape Town: A Thorny Issue

The University of Cape Town, like much of South Africa, is caught in the affirmative action debate. Is affirmative action a fair system? Does it not say that black students who benefit from it are somehow inferior to their white counterpart? Does it not challenge the ideal of a non-racial society which South Africa is supposed to be? These are thorny issues. It must however not be forgotten that the very idea of affirmative action has been necessitated by the cruel system that was apartheid. Things cannot just go on after apartheid as if everything was normal during that period. While the idea of affirmative action is problematic, it must not be forgotten that it was meant to redress historic injustices. That system must not be lightly dismissed without putting in place another system that takes care of those who were historically disadvantaged by the cruel apartheid system. It must not be forgotten that South Africa is supposed to be a non-racial society but it is not yet so. Even more, the issue of class is crucial to the debate even though the injustice of class is far less critiqued than that of race. It is, however, good that South Africa is having this debate now.

African Businesses: At Home and Abroad

See how African fashion business is going global and a South African businessman who beat the apartheid odds.

On Not Copying Ethnocentrism

This piece from the East African seems to be about the call for African writers to transcend their narrow boundaries until one realizes that what it calls for - that African writers ridicule the mores of the West just as the West ridiculed ours - is, to say the least, simply stupid. Of the many productive things that African writers can do, it seems strange that a serious writer would see ridiculing others as a top priority. Why should we condemn th ethnocentrism of the West only to turn around and do the same thing? To say that Africans have not critiqued the ways of the West is to overstate the case, ignoring works such as Cheikh Hamidou Kane' Ambiguous Adventure, among others.

If This is Angola . . .

An Angolan journalist's impression of his country is that the country is suffering from rapacious plunder by members of the ruling elite - the same old story in many African countries. If that story is true, and I suspect it is because many such stories have come out of Angola recently, then the country is not going down a very promising road. A country cannot prosper when the ruling elite sit on the resources of the country and make the country a police state as seems to be the case in Angola.

China's Abuse in Africa

China carries its lack of respect for human rights to Africa. See what they are doing in Zambia. Why must foreign investment be coupled with maltreatment of African peoples? Why must African leaders allow China to maltreat Africans. Is it in fact the case that African leaders have no spine, as they have repeatedly shown from colonial to neo-colonial times? It appears that the government of Zambia is doing the bidding of the Chinese just as they did the bidding of the British during colonial times. It is a shame that African leaders cheapen the lives of their own people. Instead of pressing the Chinese investors to treat their people with dignity and respect, Zambian leaders are making excuses.

Pope Benedict's Condom Problem

Pope Benedict XVI's radical condemnation of condom as even contributing to the spread of HIV has undergone some modification, sort of.

Some Observations on Religion in Africa

Scholars have recently focused on the growth of Christianity in the southern hemisphere and how African Christianity may soon be influencing world Christianity. In my book in argued that African Christianity will continue to be marginalized even if the number of Christians increase because the continent plays a marginal role in global geopolitics and economics. This is clearly manifested in the recent appointment of new Cardinals by the Vatican. Of the 24 new Cardinals recently appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, 15 are Europeans (10 Italians) and 7 (4 Africans) come from the southern hemisphere (aka non-Western world). So much for the influence of non-Western Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church where the center is still in Italy.

Scholars have also been talking about how the religious imagination that stresses the ubiquity of the miraculous is sweeping the continent, especially sub-Saharan Africa. However, this Pew Research poll from Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo challenge that observation. Even though this is only a single poll, there may be something to be said for the views expressed in it. Click on each country and scroll down to see how many people say they have experienced elements of the miraculous in each country.

America's War On Terror to Go To Africa

"The extremist threat that's emerging from East Africa is probably the greatest concern that Africa Command will face in the near future," Ham told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, during a hearing on his nomination.

Ten Things You Can Learn From A Nigerian

With so much bad publicity going out against Nigerians, someone is standing up for the people.

New Nigeria Cinema (aka Nollywood)

Nigeria's movie industry, Nollywood, has not been taken seriously in international cinema circles for reasons having to do largely with the quality of its movies. Now, some enterprising Nigerians are planning to change all that.

Confessions Of An Aid Critic

Referring to a hard-hitting piece, William Easterly clarifies his position on aid (as he often does). The piece concludes:
"Most of us believe that humanitarian aid is a morally pure way to respond to suffering in the world. But what if our good intentions are just a newer version of colonialism? That’s what Mr. Gill thinks. “The colonial mindset of ‘we-know-best’ has surely persisted,” he writes. The trouble is that we haven’t learned the difference between doing good and feeling good. Until we do, many of our aid efforts will be worse than useless."
The position of the aid critics would appear to be supported by this story of aid workers stealing aid money.

Madagascar: Bringing Back Memories of Old Africa

With the relative quiet of the 2000s, one would have thought that the time when the military was prone to taking over power in Africa was long over. With the recent military takeovers in Guinea and Niger, and now Madagascar, one may be forgiven for thinking that the image of old Africa as a place of coups and counter-coups is not quite gone.

Interesting Links

1. Mystery: why are the bank accounts of African diplomatic missions in the US being closed?
2. Christians do battle with Muslims in Egypt.
3. South African Muslims cycle to the hajj.
4. I am an African and a Norwegian.
5. Does aid promote repression in Africa?

Coming Next to Africa: A New Country

Find out which new country may be born in Africa soon and what their needs are.

Cameroon's Budget Problem

The government of Cameroon seems to be suffering from an inability not only to make its budget transparent but also to figure out where the money for the budget will come. The government could not even take in enough revenue to cover last year's budget but its current budget is more than last year's.

Speaking of Indigenous Music in Africa

Listen to the glorious classical music made by the Orchestra of the Kimbanguist Church in Kinshasa.

African War-Mongers and Their International Ties

See some of the international ties of war-making in the Congo (DRC) here and here.

Lost In Translation

Words that are hard to translate.

8. Ilunga

Tshiluba (Southwest Congo) – A word famous for its untranslatability, most professional translators pinpoint it as the stature of a person “who is ready to forgive and forget any first abuse, tolerate it the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.” 

Eking Out A Living In Kenya's Kibera Slum

This video will take your breath away with its mixture of despair and determination.

What Politicians Would Do For Votes

It is a truth universally acknowledged that politicians would do anything, I mean anything, for votes. The latest ploy is to take up rapping. See how African politicians are doing in this new business of sucking up to voters.

Other Interesting Links

1. The Real Size of Africa.
2. Uganda's Oil. Museveni in oil.
3. Oil Destroys Nigeria.
4. Ghana's Coffins.
5. How Should Journalists Cover Aid?
6. King Tut artifacts goes back to Egypt.

Specters of Colonialism

I have in the past reported about empty spaces in Africa, those places where the government of a particular country has no sway. These places are sometimes in the hands of rebels like the LRA or Al Shabaab. This weakness of African governments have led to remorseless talk about Western intervention, as obtained during colonialism. This article from The Economist is, without any reservation, begging the US to intervene in Uganda, or wherever the LRA is, to stop Joseph Kony and his murderous pack. It is even noted, as if it is normal, that France has a permanent military base in CAR from where it intervenes in various African countries. Only about Africa can one make such baldfaced imperialistic plea without any reservations. Why can't Museveni and the leaders of CAR and DRC fight their war? Why can't they protect their people? And The Economist picked the perfect picture to make its case for the recolonization of Africa.

Following The Money

France investigating some rapacious African leaders. Is it more than just a charade?
"Quoting French police investigations dating back to 2007, it said President Obiang owned vehicles worth more than 4m euros, the late Bongo and his relations had 39 homes, and Mr Sassou Nguesso and his relations held 112 bank accounts."

Life Expectancy: The Not So Good News for Africa

Although it has recently been reported that some African countries have improved in terms of human development, the life expectancy of some countries is still akin to that of biblical times. Take a look at this.

Africa's Trade Geography

An interesting map of Africa's trade geography with the rest of the world. It is described as "the structural subjugation of Africa through unequal trade relations." Equal trade relations is never given in international relations; it is taken. Africa needs to make equal trade relations happen. That is what China and India have done, although it seems inaccurate to compare countries with a continent! (I got this story from Chris Blattman's blog.)

Should the San Be Removed From Their Homeland?

Should the San of Botswana, otherwise known as Bushmen, be removed from their homeland for purposes of conservation? Is the move for their own good or the overreaching of government?

Paul Biya: 28 Years in Power

 From left to right: Paul Biya, his wife Chantal, Pope Benedict XVI
Cameroon's dictator, Paul Biya, will be 28 years in power November 6, 2010. It is remembered as a sad milestone in the country.

Where To Do Business in Africa

The World Bank rates African countries. Go to school on how to do business in Africa here. See an example of a new business venture here.

The Diamond You Wear: Now See How It Is Made

See the complex process of putting the finishing touches to a rough diamond in Botswana.

Eto'o and Drogba Among the World's Best

The Cameroonian striker, Samuel Eto'o and the Ivorian striker, Didier Drogba, are among the best in the world. Eto'o has especially been at the top of his game this season and for this he is seen as probably being the best in the world today. One commentator put the matter best:  "if you had to choose a striker to convert a chance upon which your life depended, who would it be?" Probably a better question would be: "what is it that makes Africans excel, especially when they are outside the continent than when they are in it?"

UNDP Says Development Aid Works

UNDP, that branch of the United Nations responsible for working with aid groups, says development aid works! It is like newspaper journalists saying newspapers are helpful means to circulate the news! We should not expect them to say that the Internet or TV does a better job. Why? Saying so will put them out of business. The UNDP is itself partly dependent on aid to stay alive, so, aid works!
"The UN Development Programme's report concludes that since 1970 there has been significant progress - often underestimated until now - and that the fastest progress has been in some of the poorest countries. It also concludes that aid works." Also see this NYT report about the level of human development around the world since 1970.

Angola's Dos Santos

 The President of Angola, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, has been in power for 31 years and he will be campaigning for 8 more years in 2012. Under any circumstance, this would be a political travesty; in the context of an Angola which has not seen much progress during the 31 years, Dos Santos should resign. It is a shame that he is still politicking to remain in power.

Dos Santos

Rwanda Gets the Message

Rwanda gets the message that Africa's future lies in robust economic development. Paul Kagame is at his worst when he crushes opposition but at his best when he is putting Rwanda on the road to economic development. As I have said before, economic development must not be the opposite of other freedoms.

Contrasts in Botswana

Amazing stories of contrasting lifestyles in Botswana. Compare this story to this one and figure out what it says about the country.

Is Russ Feingold's Loss a Loss For Africa

This commentary from Africa claims that Russ Feingold's loss in the just ended congressional elections in the US is a loss for Africa. Russ Feingold is a Democrat from Wisconsin. He is said to have championed causes that are important for a flourishing Africa.

First Ladies Are Also Guilty

Much of the blame for Africa's poor performance in the modern world has rightfully been heaped on the heads of the men who have been the leaders of many African countries. It is often forgotten that their wives are sometimes also culprits in this ignominious despoliation of the continent. This recent study shows how First Ladies in Nigeria also actively participate in the exploitation to which their husbands are champions.

Should A Highway Be Built Across the Serengeti in Tanzania?

Watch this video for the debate and decide. If you have been following this blog, you can tell where yours truly stands on the matter.

In Cameroon, Oil Exploitation Brings No Benefit

See this heartbreaking story of a thrown-away village in Cameroon, living medieval life in the 21st century, in spite of the fact that the oil in their region is being exploited with the blessing of the government of Cameroon:

 "Oil exploration here comes with soil and water pollution as well as various gases. We are no longer safe because the oil in our land seems to be a curse rather than a blessing. The ecosystem is affected, our once fertile soils are going barren, yet we don't have anything. These are the words of Chief Joseph Fete of Boa-Bolondo village in Bamusso Sub-division. Boa-Balondo is a village along the Nigerian borders with an estimated population of 3 500 people.

Here the Nigerian Naira is threatening to floor the Cameroonian FCFA in a show of the legal tender strength. But trade by barter is what moves and shakes the local economy here. "We exchange cassava, plantains for fish with Nigerian Fishermen at the bench," Chief Fete told The Post. Though a border village, Boa- Balondo is at the mercy of fate. It has no police post and it is still the traditional institution, the local Epke society that handles criminal offences like adultery, abortion, murder and theft.

Malaria: The Goal Must be Eradication, Everywhere

It is being reported that the respected medical journal, The Lancet, has published a series of articles which suggest that in some contexts, such as sub-Saharan Africa, it would be better to endeavor to control malaria rather than shooting for its elimination. Some of the papers contend, it is reported, that poor infrastructure and limited financial resources make efforts at eradication of this disease somehow unrealistic. Given that there are places in the world where malaria once rode roughshod but where the disease no longer exist today, it is clear that the disease can be eliminated. To suggest that in the case of Africa the immediate goal should not be the eradication of the disease is simply irresponsible and even racist. These reports may just be sensational because some of the articles aim toward elimination of the disease. However, for news reports to stress control rather than elimination in the case of sub-Saharan Africa is patronizing, to say the least.

Killing People to Save Animals

There are those who believe that humans should be killed when the well-being of animals such as elephants is at stake. There is, however, something drastically wrong when those who are mostly killed for this reason are Africans. I have reported before how people are killed in Kenya to protect animals. It has happened again. It is a shame that there should be a strong order to shoot and kill "poachers"  while there does not appear to be any significant push to address why they go poaching. This blatant disregard for African life must stop.