Unlike in the United States, where newspapers seem to be a dying industry, in Kenya print media appears to be thriving. I am no luddite, and I certainly embrace technology and what it can do for us. But one of my great pleasures in life is being able to read a good newspaper. this is […]
Stories that have caught my eye in recent days: British journalist Andrew Jennings does not have much nice to say about FIFA and its dealings with South Africa for the World Cup. On the one hand, the people of Sudan appear to have re-elected President Omar al-Bashir. On the other hand, at least Southern Sudan […]
It appears that Zimbabwe and Iran are close to striking a deal in which Zimbabwe will share uranium with Iran in exchange for oil. Because there is no more cunning move than going from being a largely ignored pariah to engaging with a pariah that is on the west’s radar, which seems certain to double […]
South African President Jacob Zuma recently lambasted his country’s civil service sector. Zuma argues that South African civil servants are the worst in the world. He rejects the argument that the legacy of apartheid is to blame. And he believes that accountability — or a lack of it — is at the route of the […]
Nigeria’s domestic political situation might be perilous, but the country just received a foreign policy coup. Interim President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent visit to the United States resulted in his country being removed from the US’s Terrorist Watch List. Color me impressed by Jonathan’s tenure thus far, even if I am skeptical as to whether the […]
We have passed the fifty day countdown point for the World Cup. There are certainly still concerns. Crime, of course, including worries about human trafficking being exacerbated by the presence of thousands of foreign tourists, remains a major concern, though general violence is far more of a worry than any other sort of crime. All […]
In theory, the 30th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence ought to be a time for celebration. But really, is anyone feeling particularly joyous about what has befallen the country? Plenty of crises still loom, the power-sharing agreement seems no closer to bearing fruit now than it did when it was first implemented, and Robert Mugabe calling […]
Howard W. French, a long-time observer of African affairs and the author of the fine book A Continent for the Taking, has an important piece in The Atlantic Monthly on China’s attempt to establish a de facto neo-colonial empire in Africa. And while you’re looking at long-form reportage on African affairs, you may as well […]
Of all of the talk about possible crime, violence, and terrorism at the World Cup, little attention has been paid to what I believe to be one of the most likely sources of disruption: the racist radical white right-wing. The South African Police Service seems to have come around to this view as well, raiding […]
I hate the majority of celebrity activism, and so by rights I really should have loathed Bono’s op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but to be honest, I was ok with it. And this is not just because I am a pretty huge U2 fan. I think […]
Egypt has a political parody website that has been compared with a cross between The Onion and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Calling itself “Egypt’s most reliable news source” El Koshary Today pokes fun of Egyptian society and politics. Even if you do not have a great grasp of Egyptian life (I do not […]
Another marathon = more African dominance. In this morning’s Boston Marathon Kenya’s Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot won, shattering the course record by 82 seconds with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 52 seconds. On the women’s side Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkesso won by three seconds in the third-closest women’s finish in Boston Marathon history.
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