Mr.President, we have a letter situation…and then Obama
Three months ago a letter supposedly authored by a little known member of opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Catherine Ddembe caused a buzz among Ugandans on social networks.
Category Rights and Society
The Real Housewives of Harare
Memory Gumbo is a mother, an “ordinary woman”, living in Harare, Zimbabwe. Tsitsi Dangarembga is an internationally recognized writer and filmmaker, living in Harare as well. Both agree on at least one thing: That “No to loitering,” sold to the public as a ‘crackdown’ on sex workers, has nothing to do with sex workers. In plain language: The current campaign against loitering has nothing to do with loitering. It’s an attack on women, and it’s part and parcel of Zimbabwean history, colonial and post-colonial.
African soil diversity mapped for the first time
A team of international experts has drawn up the Soil Atlas of Africa — the first such book mapping this key natural resource — to help farmers, land managers and policymakers understand the diversity and importance of soil and the need to manage it through sustainable use.
It Takes a Village to Educate a Girl
Niamey (Niger) – A decade ago, less than a third of school-aged girls in Niger were in class. Today, though significant cultural and religious opposition remains, nearly two-thirds of girls are enrolled in school.
The Cartography of Bullshit
With the gutting of foreign coverage by most U.S. newspapers and the need to populate infinite Web space with content, a new creature has emerged: the foreign affairs blogger. Max Fisher, who hosts the Washington Post’s WorldViews page, is a leading exemplar of the species.
Swaziland: Wither absolute monarchism?
Swaziland has retained and continues to indefinitely retain its controversial status as an absolute constitutional monarchy. It is the only country in Africa with such a ‘distinctly maverick’ political order. The country’s political establishment is regarded by many critics as ‘archaic.’
