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.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir might be loathed and excoriated throughout most of the world and in vast swaths of his own country, but because his tenure has seen the country hit unprecedented heights of economic growth, he is reaping many of the political benefits of prosperity: According to the International Monetary Fund, Sudan’s gross domestic […]
Tired of politics and crises and stories of greed and corruption? Sit back, relax, and imagine a little vacation in Mauritius.
This Friday, April 23, at 3:30 I will be giving a talk, “Stopped at the Try Line: Rugby, Race, and Nationalism in the New South Africa,” as part of the Newberry Library’s Seminar on Sport & Culture. The seminar is co-sponsored by Northeastern Illinois University and the Dr. Wm. M. Scholl Center for American History […]
At Pambazuka News Briggs Bomba and William Minter question the purpose and efficacy of imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe, and their larger implications certainly extend beyond Zim. From the article abstract: In debates about Zimbabwe’s political crisis and the role of the international community, it is difficult to sort out reality from rhetorical smoke and mirrors, […]
A few years ago a new music group swept over South Africa, taking over the pop charts and representing a high point in the vaunted but only episodically uplifting process of reconciliation. Freshlyground (whose biggest hit remains the catchy “Doo Bee Doo”) represents an optimistic multi-racial South Africa that so many have hoped for after […]
I cannot possibly add anything to this: “Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked militia on Thursday banned the ringing of bells in schools because Christian churches also sound bells.”
Recent scuttlebutt around Zimbabwe had the government abandoning its ill-conceived recent laws demanding that at least 51% of all businesses in the country be owned by Zimbabweans. From whence did the scuttlebutt come? A spokesman for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. On Wednesday that rumor was squashed. Who did the squashing? President Robert Mugabe. This tells […]
Two recent news stories out of Nigeria continue to keep me on edge about the near future of that country. First, the United States has called for the removal of Independent National Election Commission (INEC) chairman Maurice Iwu. Basically, the Obama administration thinks Iwu is incompetent. But more to the point, they worry that he […]
The African National Congress continues to meet with coalition partners the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), to try to smooth over some rough edges revealed in a series of techy exchanges last month. It sure seems as if the ANC and COSATU are in a permanent state of assessing the status of their […]