The African Union (AU) is gathering in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. For the last year the AU has been led by Moammar Gaddafi, to the discomfort of many. And while there were fears that he was going to try to seek re-election to a second term, Gaddafi stepped aside, yielding to Malawi’s President Bingu […]
South Africa continues to gear up for the World Cup. While some fear crime or terrorism FIFA and the local organizing committee have finally said enough with the negativity. Meanwhile it looks like all stadiums will be ready well ahead of time, and boosters hope that the world-class facilities will help change the views people […]
The Committee of Experts Investigation of the April 6, 1994 plane crash of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana is complete and you can access The Mutsinzi Report and supporting material here. The shotting down of Habyarimana’s plane is widely seen as the precipitating event for Rwanda’s genocide.
Because I honestly do not even know what to say about this: . . . I’ll let the BBC do my talking for me: South Africa’s ruling African National Congress is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to inspire a sense of “identity” in its members. Its latest venture? A range of leather jackets […]
Egypt has won the Africa Cup of Nations on a header in the 85th minute. They have become the first-ever nation to win the tournament three times in a rown, having taken the cup when they hosted in 2006 and in Ghana in 2008. This was Egypt’s World Cup, since they did not qualify for South […]
As most of you know, on the eve of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations football tournament the team from Togo faced the unimaginable when their bus was shot at by rebels seeking independence for Cabinda. Naturally, after suffering death, injury, and considerable emotional trauma Togo chose to withdraw from the tournament. Well, the tone […]
Here is a host of stories tied to African politics: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf plans to run for a second term in 2011. Despite her country’s Truth and Reconciliation advising against such a decision based on her early (and apparently scant) support for Charles Taylor, Johnson Sirleaf will almost certainly win re-election and deservedly […]
Eugene de Kock, the notorious Apartheid Security Force Member known even among his colleagues as “Prime Evil” for his efficacy as a killer, is pursuing a pardon from South African President Jacob Zuma. Though he was granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for every single instance for which he applied, de Kock will […]
In May 2008 South African President Thabo Mbeki commissioned four retired South African generals to visit Zimbabwe and report back on the violence that swallowed parts of the country in the wake of that country’s March 2008 presidential elections. The South African History Archive and the Southern African Centre for the Survivors of Torture now […]
Is Nelson Mandela perhaps more disengaged from contemporary South African politics than most of us realize? Madiba is 91 years old, and so obviously is enjoying his sunset years. But if Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is to be believed (I know, I know — consider the source) Mandela is pretty disconnected from the current state of the […]
As you know, I am skeptical of Omar al-Bashir’s assertion that he would willingly allow southern Sudan to secede. Recent news about political repression in Sudan helps to explain why. Sudan’s security forces, recently granted even more powers to harass the enemies of the state (and that seems to be their main purpose), have been […]
Sean Patrick Murphy of the FPA’s Global Film Blog has posted another review of an African-themed film. His latest post looks at the 2007 film War Dance, which tells the story of internally displaced Ugandan children who make their way to a national music festival. He gives it two thumbs up.
I usually have mixed reactions to the bulk of travel articles on Africa, which too often tend to re-enforce various stereotypes and present cardboard views of the continent (does the world really need another breathless travel section article on safaris in Kanya, Tanzania, or South Africa?). But this Helene Cooper piece on surfing in Liberia […]
I am not certain if the decision of a British company to market “stab-proof vests” for those folks planning on attending this year’s World Cup in South Africa qualifies as racist or merely as run-of-the-mill fear mongering. I suspect that making a distinction would not be worth anyone’s time. I suppose it is best not […]