Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Monday, December 15, 2014

New World University Announces Partnership with 'Sub-Saharan Monitor'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New World University Announces Partnership with 'Sub-Saharan Monitor'
Africa News Aggregator Now Hosted on Caribbean Academic Web Site

(Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, 15 December 2014) --- Sub-Saharan Monitor, an African news aggregator, will now be published on the web site of New World University.

New World University educates students through distance learning and partner organisations, building upon the resources of its Free Curricula Centre, which promotes the development of open educational resources as a way to approach one the most significant costs for tertiary students. With “brick and mortar” learning centre partners in India, Nigeria, and Rwanda, and with independent study available worldwide, New World University currently offers a bachelor's degree programme in international business leadership and will soon be launching degree programs in information systems, development studies, and professional studies.

Sub-Saharan Monitor began in the early 1990s as a print newsletter published by the International Freedom Foundation (IFF). That newsletter was edited by IFF's director of African affairs, Richard Sincere. In its newest incarnation, launched in April 2014, Sub-Saharan Monitor is a news aggregator with an aim to become a provider of original reporting and content for readers interested in events and trends in Africa south of the Sahara. Emphasis is on economic and business news with an appropriate admixture of information about politics and culture. In keeping with the educational mission of its host, New World University, book reviews will be featured prominently on Sub-Saharan Monitor.

Richard Sincere
The publication's editor-in-chief, Richard Sincere, is a senior research fellow at New World University, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He is the author of two books, The Politics of Sentiment: Churches and Foreign Investment in South Africa (1984) and Sowing the Seeds of Free Enterprise: The Politics of U.S. Aid in Africa (1990), as well as co-editor (with Zbigniew Brzezinski, Marin Strmecki, and Peter Wehner) of Promise or Peril: The Strategic Defense Initiative (1986). His articles and reviews have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Washington Star, Washington Times, and various other publications.

“We welcome Sub-Saharan Monitor to New World University as an addition to our academic and research programmes,” said Stephen H. Foerster, the university's president. “Highlighting cultural, economic, and political news from Africa in an accessible manner fits precisely in our mission to provide innovative and exciting educational opportunities in developing nations.”

The entire archive of Sub-Saharan Monitor, dating to 5 April 2014, is found at http://newworld.ac/subsaharan.

For more information, visit http://newworld.ac or send a message to info@newworld.ac.

News tips, press releases, announcements, original articles for publication consideration, and letters to the editor may be submitted directly to subsaharanmonitor@gmail.com.





Monday, October 13, 2014

Africa News Headlines - Special Ebola Edition - 13 October 2014

Male Ebola survivors: No sex or wear a condom for 3 months
Source: Detroit Free Press

9 questions you were too afraid to ask about Ebola
Source: Vox

Frequently asked questions about Ebola
Source: Chicago Tribune

Sex in a time of Ebola
Source: The Washington Post

Ebola: Statistics about the deadly virus
Source: Coventry Telegraph

Ebola may pose risk to Africa Cup of Nations
Source: Sunday World

Ebola epidemic 'could lead to failed states', warns WHO
Source: BBC News

Ebola to cost MSF nearly $60m this year
Source: News24

Another Side-Effect of Ebola: Headaches For An Ohio University Professor
Source: WOUB Public Media

How to protect yourself from Ebola: 10 top tips to avoid the deadly disease
Source: Daily Mirror

UN budget committee approves funding for UN Ebola response mission
Source: UN News Centre

Are dogs a risk for Ebola transmission to humans?
Source: Outbreak News Today

Report: Not All Ebola Patients Will Display A Fever
Source: The Daily Caller

'We are late, but not too late to fight and win this battle,' against Ebola – UN
Source: UN News Centre

Why is Ebola being treated as an 'African disease?'
Source: Mail & Guardian

UVa panel discusses Ebola; local sites have contingency plans
Source: The Daily Progress

Liberians cope with the fear and realities of Ebola
Source: CBS Evening News

Can all US hospitals safely treat Ebola?
Source WBTW News 13

Ebola deflating hopes for 3 poor African economies
Source: AP/NWI.com

University Holds Interdisciplinary Symposium on Ebola Crisis
Source: Georgetown University

The many flaws of airports' Ebola screenings
Source: Crain's Chicago Business

UVa researchers identify structure in Ebola virus
Source: The Daily Progress

Ebola in UK: 'Don't Panic' says virus expert at University of Northampton
Source: Northants Herald & Post

Letter From a Spanish Ebola Expert in Sierra Leone
Source: The World Post

Why Isn't Silicon Valley Doing More to Fight Ebola?
Source: The Daily Beast

Majority of Americans Want Flights Banned From Ebola Countries: Survey
Source: NBC News

Obama reviews foreign, domestic response to Ebola
Source: Lynchburg News & Advance

Virginia Congressman Robert Hurt discusses Africa policy, Ebola threat, and AGOA
Source: Examiner.com

Ebola Panic Is Worse Than the Disease
Source: The Daily Beast

UPDATED: UVa. Patient Tests Negative For Ebola
Source: Newsplex

5 Ugandans in isolation over Marburg virus
Source: News24

Ebola airport screenings may seem intrusive, but they’re legal, experts say
Source: PBS Newshour/AP

Liberia healthcare workers demand Ebola hazard pay
Source: Oman Tribune

UVa Is Now Banning All Student Travel to Ebola Countries
Source: InTheCapital

UN agency: Ebola cuts food in Sierra Leone
Source: AP/Townhall.com

Obama, Ban call for more 'robust' fight against Ebola
Source: AFP/Rappler

Read this to get a better understanding of how Ebola spreads
Source: Reuters

Richmond clinic evaluating whether patient is at risk of Ebola
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch



Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Menu and Guests for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit White House Dinner

Singer-composer Lionel Richie was the headline entertainer at the White House Tuesday night, August 5. Some four dozen African heads of state and government were guests of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In addition to the African guests, the dinner was attended by Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote (ranked as Africa's richest man), New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon,and New York Congressman Gregory Meeks, among others.

What was in the meal they served? The wines were from California and Virginia while the food had an Africa-infused theme:

Chilled Spiced Tomato Soup
Socca Crisps
Coriander Oil and Micro Cilantro
Black Coyote Sauvignon Blanc “NAPA Valley” 2013

Chopped Farmstand Vegetable Salad
Soured Cream Dressing
Crispy Onions
Pumpkinseed Vinaigrette

Grilled Dry-Aged Beef
Chermoula and Crispy Plantains
Braised Summer Greens
Sweet Potatoes
Coconut Milk
Vision Cellars Pinot Noir “Las Alturas” 2010

Cappuccino Fudge Cake
Madagascar Vanilla Scented Papaya
Salted Caramel Sauce
Thibaut- Janisson Brut “Monticello” N/V

Follow Sub-Saharan Monitor for more news from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit during the coming days.




Sunday, August 3, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 3 August 2014

Africa and Economic Policy: Developing a Framework for Policymakers, by Ferdinand Bakoup

Release Date: August 1, 2014
Publisher: Anthem Press

Africa and Economic Policy: Developing a Framework for Policymakers’ aims to fill an important gap in the current literature on economic policy in developing countries. Despite its richness and sophistication, the current economic literature has not yet succeeded in developing a framework for economic policy that is clear and intelligible to policymakers in developing countries, and which is capable of effectively delivering a sustained increase in citizens’ well-being. This ground-breaking study seeks to rectify this problem by suggesting a unique conceptual framework for designing and conducting economic policy in developing countries, particularly those in Africa.

Currently the lead economist at the African Development Bank, Ferdinand Bakoup is author of How integration into the Central African Economic and Monetary Community affects Cameroon's economy: General equilibrium estimates (1998) and Regional integration in Eastern and Southern Africa: The cross-border initiative and its fiscal implications (1995).





Africa News Headlines for 3 August 2014

Africa summit could slow commutes, close streets next week in Washington
Source: Washington Post

US-Africa oil trade wanes after shale revolution
Source: Financial Times

Late to the party, Obama seeks bigger U.S. Africa role
Source: Global Post/Reuters

Emirates starts daily services to Abuja
Source: Zawya

Is Morocco Leading by Example?
Source: Atlantic Council

The Boko Haram Economy
Source: Foreign Policy

Yali recipient inspired
Source: The Standard

Investing in Africa becomes attractive
Source: USA Today

Rwanda’s Unfinished Miracle
Source: New York Times

Why are ‘Mbabazi youths’ silent?
Source: The Observer

Where is human rights in the Africa summit?
Source: The Washington Post

Mobile Money Grows In Africa But Hurdles Remain
Source: Gulf Business

Outcasts and vexing guests at Obama’s Africa summit
Source: The News

Iran Ready to Train Tanzanian Red Cross Workers
Source: Fars News Agency

Congressman: Obama denying Nigeria help to fight terror
Source: WorldNetDaily

Letter to Barack Obama from a Swaziland jail cell
Source: The Guardian

Obama Looks to Build Africa Legacy Through Investment Over Aid
Source: Newsmax

US to announce billions of dollars in deals at Africa Summit
Source: Sunday's Zaman

AIDS conference delegates seek asylum in Australia
Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Obama woos African leaders to counter growing Chinese influence
Source: The Guardian

Africa's complicated, so get it right
Source: Business Day

US-Africa Summit to Focus on Stability, Youth
Source: Tadias Magazine

Kenya set to feature strongly in US-Africa talks
Source: Standard Digital

Critics are angry, but ordinary Rwandans prefer Kagame style of leadership
Source: Rwanda Eye

Uhuru force of reckoning in Obama ‘reclamation’ of Africa
Source: Capital FM

World’s Park Rangers Murdered in Widespread ‘Bush War’
Source: Environment News Service

US holds summit with African heads of state
Source: Yahoo! News UK/Aljazeera

Politics of convenience catches up with gay law
Source: The Observer

Chinese Firm Signs $478.9 Million Kenya Lamu Port Deal
Source: Wall Street Journal




Tuesday, July 8, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 8 July 2014

Continuity and Change in Sub-Saharan African Demography, edited by Clifford O. Odimegwu and John Kekovole

Release Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: Routledge African Studies

This book offers an in-depth African perspective to the major issues in demographic discourse in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides comprehensive analysis of sub-Saharan African censuses, profiling demographic changes, trends, patterns and consequences in the region. Interdisciplinary, comprehensive, accessible, simple and topical, this volume is perfectly suited to researchers, students and lecturers who are interested in understanding sub-Saharan African population dynamics and issues.

Clifford O. Odimegwu is the head of Demography and Population Studies Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand and John Kekovole is executive manager in charge of Census Inputs and Outputs at Statistics South Africa. Together they have edited Social Demography of South Africa: Advances and Emerging Issues (2014) while Kekovole is author of Components of Kenya's future population growth and population policy implications (1996).  Odimegwu also wrote a research report entitled An appraisal of the national population policy for development (1998).

Friday, July 4, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 4 July 2014

Africa Beyond the Mirror, by Boubacar Boris Diop, translated from the French by Vera Wülfing-Leckie and Caroline Beschea-Fache

Release Date: July 10, 2014
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers

Boubacar Boris Diop's latest collection of essays pushes the reader to look beyond the many clichés that are all too common currency in descriptions of Africa today. From the perspective of such diverse topics as the Rwandan genocide, African literature, and globalization, Diop interrogates the portrayal of Africa in the international media and points to truths that must be told—and heard.

Contents:

Introduction.
Rwanda: Against the Habit of Misery.
Remembering Genocide Through Art.
Yolande Mukagasana: Talking to the Killers.
Kigali-Paris: The Two-Headed Massacre.
Beloved Country, My Beautiful People!
Senegal Between Cheikh Anta Diop and Léopold Sédar Senghor.
The New Wretched Earth.
A Letter to a Friend About the Sinking of the Joola.
African Literature: Words Versus Things.
Write and ... Keep Quiet!
Mongo Beti and Us.
Exchange to Change Our World.
Carona, The Global Village.
Negro-African Identity and Globalization.
Invisible Cities and the Armchair Traveler.

Senegalese author Boubacar Boris Diop has also written Murambi, The Book of Bones (2006), La gloire des imposteurs (2014, with Aminata Dramane Traore), Le Temps de Tamango (2002, with Mongo Beti), and Louise Im Blauweiss Gestreiften Leibchen (2011).

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 10 June 2014

Africa's Third Liberation by Greg Mills and Jeffrey Herbst

Release Date: June 2, 2014
Publisher: SA Penguin [Kindle Edition]


Africa has experienced two liberations: the first from colonial and racist regimes, and the second from the autocrats who often followed foreign rule. African countries now have the potential to undertake a third liberation - from political economies characterised by graft, crony capitalism, rents-seeking, elitism and social inequality. This third liberation will open up the economic space in which business can compete - a necessary condition for expanding employment. During the 2000s, the continent had its best growth decade on record since independence. High commodity prices offer a launch pad for sustained growth and employment creation. Now is the moment for African countries to act. This book asks how Africa's political leaders and interest groups can promote economic growth in their countries. Drawing on studies of countries outside Africa, Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills identify the factors separating the performers from the laggards worldwide. Aside from the need to create an enabling environment for business through good governance, provision of infrastructure and improvements in education, most critical is the need for a laser-like development focus by governments. In Africa's Third Liberation, Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills show why a new African political debate is necessary to make progress in accelerating growth and creating jobs.

Jeffrey Herbst, president of Colgate University, is author of The Politics of Reform in Ghana, 1982-1991 (1993), The Future of Africa: A New Order in Sight (2005), and States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control (2000). Greg Mills, director of the Brenthurst Foundation, is author of Why Africa is Poor: And What Africans Can Do About It (2011).

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Africa News Headlines for 31 May 2014

Mbabazi launches anti-corruption campaign
Source: New Vision

Malawi's New President and Vice President
Source: U.S. Department of State

West Africa seeks regional effort against Boko Haram
Source: Times of India/AFP

Africa needs some positive PR
Source: The Voice

5 Devastating Religious Conflicts in Africa That Will Make You Question All You Thought About Religion‏
Source: Atlanta Black Star

Wole Soyinka’s Tribute to Maya Angelou
Source: PM News Nigeria

Negotiating Democracy in Malawi
Source: Africa in Transition

Nigerian young entrepreneur nominated for Africa’s top award
Source: Premium Times

East African alliances necessary for U.S. to combat radicalism
Source: Foreign Policy Association

I was ambitious from childhood-Kola Aluko •On Forbes radar list of Africa’s 50 richest
Source: Nigerian Tribune

How to Find Charities That Are Worthy of Your Contributions
Source: Daily Finance

Reviving tourism sector in EA requires joint initiatives
Source: Daily News

Central African President: "We Will Come Out of This Crisis"
Source: Boston.com

Einstein African search to expand to Tanzania
Source: Daily News

Presidency denies amnesty offer to Boko Haram
Source: The Sun

McIver dismisses Tutu as misinformed ‘celebrity’ on oilsands
Source: Calgary Herald


Thursday, May 29, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 29 May 2014

Ireland, Africa and the End of Empire: Small State Identity in the Cold War 1955-75 by Kevin O'Sullivan

Release Date: May 29, 2014
Publisher: Manchester University Press

In the twenty years after Ireland joined the UN in 1955, one subject dominated its fortunes: Africa. The first detailed study of Ireland's relationship with that continent, this book, now available in paperback, documents its special place in Irish history.

Adopting a highly original, and strongly comparative approach, it shows how small and middling powers like Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands and the Nordic states used Africa to shape their position in the international system, and how their influence waned with the rise of the Afro-Asian bloc. O'Sullivan chronicles Africa's impact on Irish foreign policy; the link between African decolonisation and Irish post-colonial identity; and the missionaries, aid workers, diplomats, peacekeepers, and anti-apartheid protesters at the heart of Irish popular understanding of the developing world.

Offering a fascinating account of small state diplomacy, and a unique perspective on African decolonisation, this book provides essential insight for scholars of Irish history, African history, international relations, and the history of NGOs, as well as anyone interested in Africa's important place in the Irish public imagination.

Kevin O'Sullivan is a lecturer in history at the National University of Ireland-Galway. He has contributed chapters to International Organizations and Development, 1945-1990 (forthcoming, 2014; edited by Marc Frey, Sonke Kunkel, and Corinna R Unger), Saints and Sinners: Official Development Aid and Its Dynamics in a Historical and Comparative Perspective (edited by Thorsten Borring Olesen, Helge O. Pharo, and Kristian Paaskesen), and Obligations and Responsibilities: Ireland and the United Nations, 1955-2005: Essays Marking Fifty Years of Ireland's United Nations Membership.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 21 May 2014

China's Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa by Howard W. French

Release Date:
May 20, 2014
Publisher: Knopf

An exciting, hugely revealing account of China’s burgeoning presence in Africa—a developing empire already shaping, and reshaping, the future of millions of people.

A prizewinning foreign correspondent and former New York Times bureau chief in Shanghai and in West and Central Africa, Howard French is uniquely positioned to tell the story of China in Africa. Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting—conducted in Mandarin, French, and Portuguese, among other languages—French crafts a layered investigation of astonishing depth and breadth as he engages not only with policy-shaping moguls and diplomats, but also with the ordinary men and women navigating the street-level realities of cooperation, prejudice, corruption, and opportunity forged by this seismic geopolitical development. With incisiveness and empathy, French reveals the human face of China’s economic, political, and human presence across the African continent—and in doing so reveals what is at stake for everyone involved.

We meet a broad spectrum of China’s dogged emigrant population, from those single-handedly reshaping African infrastructure, commerce, and even environment (a self-made tycoon who harnessed Zambia’s now-booming copper trade; a timber entrepreneur determined to harvest the entirety of Liberia’s old-growth redwoods), to those just barely scraping by (a sibling pair running small businesses despite total illiteracy; a karaoke bar owner–cum–brothel madam), still convinced that Africa affords them better opportunities than their homeland. And we encounter an equally panoramic array of African responses: a citizens’ backlash in Senegal against a “Trojan horse” Chinese construction project (a tower complex to be built over a beloved soccer field, which locals thought would lead to overbearing Chinese pressure on their economy); a Zambian political candidate who, having protested China’s intrusiveness during the previous election and lost, now turns accommodating; the ascendant middle class of an industrial boomtown; African mine workers bitterly condemning their foreign employers, citing inadequate safety precautions and wages a fraction of their immigrant counterparts’.

French’s nuanced portraits reveal the paradigms forming around this new world order, from the all-too-familiar echoes of colonial ambition—exploitation of resources and labor; cut-rate infrastructure projects; dubious treaties—to new frontiers of cultural and economic exchange, where dichotomies of suspicion and trust, assimilation and isolation, idealism and disillusionment are in dynamic flux.

Part intrepid travelogue, part cultural census, part industrial and political exposé, French’s keenly observed account ultimately offers a fresh perspective on the most pressing unknowns of modern Sino-African relations: why China is making the incursions it is, just how extensive its cultural and economic inroads are, what Africa’s role in the equation is, and just what the ramifications for both parties—and the watching world—will be in the foreseeable future.

Howard W. French is author of A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa (2005) and contributed photographs (with poems by Qiu Xiaolong) to Disappearing Shanghai: Photographs and Poems of an Intimate Way of Life (2012). He is a former correspondent for the New York Times and teaches journalism at Columbia University.


Saturday, May 3, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 3 May 2014

African Development Finance and Business Finance Policy edited by Atsede Woldie and Victor Murinde

Release Date: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Routledge [Kindle Edition]


Financial plans that stimulate growth and eliminate poverty in developing African countries!

African Developmental Finance and Business Finance Policy presents theoretical/conceptual and empirical articles that provide invaluable insights into successful business techniques and strategies for the African business arena—the last great frontier of international business expansion. Researchers and practitioners in the field of developmental finance discuss the design and implementation of financial policies for pro-poor growth and poverty alienation in developing countries, including Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe. The book focuses on banking, business finance, and investment, detailing strategies for coping with a small financial system, bank licensing policies, correction action rules, quality of banking services, and the revitalization of the African stock exchange.

African Developmental Finance and Business Finance Policy
features papers presented on key policy issues addressed at the April 2001 international conference of the Institute for Developmental Policy and Management at the University of Manchester in England...

Topics addressed include:

- financial regulation, interest rates
- bank ownership
- regulatory forbearance
- emerging stock markets
- determinants of capital structure
- financial reform
- and much more!

Targeted to policymakers in government and international agencies, academics, consultants, and executives, African Developmental Finance and Business Finance Policy is an essential resource for advancing and communicating research on developmental policy in developing countries.
Victor Murinde is author of Bank Regulatory Reforms in Africa (2012) and Macroeconomic Policy Modelling for Developing Countries (1993).  Atsede Woldie is principal lecturer in the faculty of business and society at the University of South Wales.



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 29 April 2014

Combating Corruption: Legal Approaches to Supporting Good Governance and Integrity in Africa by John Hatchard

Release Date: April 28, 2014
Publisher: Edward Elgar

Drawing on numerous recent examples of good and bad practice from around the continent, this insightful volume explores the legal issues involved in developing and enhancing good governance and accountability within African states, as well as addressing the need for other states worldwide to demonstrate the 'transnational political will' to support these efforts.

John Hatchard considers the need for good governance, accountability and integrity in both the public and private sector. He studies how these issues are reflected in both the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The book demonstrates that despite the vast majority of African states being party to these conventions, in practice, many of them continue to experience problems of bad governance, corporate bribery and the looting of state assets. It explores how the 'art of persuasion' can help develop the necessary political will through which to address these challenges at both the national and transnational levels.

This unique and influential book will be of worldwide interest to those studying law, politics or business, as well as legal practitioners, policymakers, senior public officials, parliamentarians, law reformers, civil society organizations and the corporate sector.
John Hatchard is co-author (with Tunde I. Ogowewo) of Tackling the Unconstitutional Overthrow of Democracies: Emerging Trends in the Commonwealth (2003) and (with Colin Nicholls, Timothy Daniel, and Alan Bacarese) of Corruption and Misuse of Public Office (2011).


ASMEA Sets April 30 Deadline for Papers and Panels

The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) has set Wednesday, April 30, as the deadline for submission of papers and panel ideas for its seventh annual conference, scheduled to take place October 30 and November 1, 2014, in Arlington, Virginia.

In an email to members, conference planners said:
ASMEA is currently seeking proposals for paper and panel presentations for the Seventh Annual Conference. Members from any discipline, tenured or untenured faculty, or those otherwise affiliated with a recognized research institution, may submit proposals to present at the Conference. Unique proposals from senior graduate students (ABD) will also be considered. Proposals on topics related to the Middle East and Africa should consist of a one-page outline of new and unpublished research. A recent C.V. with all contact data also must be included with name, e-mail, phone number, and affiliation.
The email noted separate links for panel proposals and a call for papers.

In addition to sponsoring its annual conference, ASMEA publishes the Journal of the Middle East and Africa and books, such as Political Islam from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad: Defenders, Detractors, and Definitions by Joseph Morrison Skelly.




New Africa Book of the Day - 28 April 2014

Modernization as Spectacle in Africa, edited by Peter J. Bloom, Stephan F. Miescher, and Takyiwaa Manuh

Release Date: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Indiana University Press

For postcolonial Africa, modernization was seen as a necessary outcome of the struggle for independence and as crucial to the success of its newly established states. Since then, the rhetoric of modernization has pervaded policy, culture, and development, lending a kind of political theatricality to nationalist framings of modernization and Africans’ perceptions of their place in the global economy. These 15 essays address governance, production, and social life; the role of media; and the discourse surrounding large-scale development projects, revealing modernization's deep effects on the expressive culture of Africa.

Peter J. Bloom is author of French Colonial Documentary: Mythologies of Humanitarianism
(2008). Stephan F. Miescher is author of Making Men in Ghana (2005). Takyiwaa Manuh is author of At Home in the World? International Migration and Development in Contemporary Ghana and West Africa (2005).



Sunday, April 27, 2014

Today's African Holidays - 27 April 2014

Today three African countries celebrate national holidays. It is Independence Day in Sierra Leone and Togo. It is Freedom Day in South Africa.

As the BBC reported on April 27, 1961:
Sierra Leone has become the latest West African state to win independence, after more than 150 years of British colonial rule.

The new nation was born at the stroke of midnight, when its green, white and blue flag was unfurled. A huge crowd, gathered at Brookfields Playground in Freetown to watch the historic moment, broke into tumultuous cheering.

Independence Day formally began as the Duke of Kent handed over royal instruments recognising Sierra Leone as an independent nation.
In a press statement dated April 25, 2014, U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said, in part:
We are all profoundly aware that Sierra Leone is becoming one of Africa’s greatest success stories. When I was Senator from Massachusetts, the suffering of Sierra Leone was not just an issue on the Foreign Relations Committee; it became personal because my state became a haven to so many Sierra Leoneans fleeing violence and grievous wounds. I came to know children who had lost parents and parents who had carried on after losing their children. They dreamed of a day when their home would be peaceful again.

Today, that is much more than a dream. Sierra Leone is a model post-conflict country. Although so many lost so much during the civil war, we have proudly witnessed how Sierra Leoneans summoned the will to pick themselves up and rebuild their country.
Togo was one of 17 African countries that gained independence in 1960. Most of those countries had been French colonies, and Togo was one of those.

Secretary also sent wishes to Togo on April 25, saying:
On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Togo as you celebrate your independence on April 27.

Our two countries enjoy a strong partnership. The United States appreciates Togo’s efforts to promote regional peace, expand economic opportunity, and fight transnational crime.

We look forward to continuing to work together in the years to come

Freedom Day in South Africa commemorates the first fully democratic elections held in the country in 1994, after the end of apartheid. It was that year that Nelson Mandela was elected president.

Secretary Kerry's message of congratulations (dated April 25) makes special mention of Mandela's legacy:
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I extend warmest wishes to the people of the Republic of South Africa on your Freedom Day on April 27.

This year’s celebration is especially poignant: it marks the 20th anniversary of your nation’s first democratic elections and follows the recent passing of the Rainbow Nation’s beloved son, Nelson Mandela.

Madiba was a stranger to hate. He rejected recrimination in favor of reconciliation. On this 20th anniversary, we reflect on South Africa’s transformation in these two decades as a testament to the power of reconciliation, forgiveness, and hope.

This year also marks an important milestone for the United States as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which expanded voting rights to racial minorities. Our own commemoration is yet another reminder of the work ahead in our shared struggle for democracy and human rights.

As you prepare to hold general elections next month – your fifth in the post-apartheid era – we remember the spirit of that historic election in 1994, one filled with tremendous hope, goodwill, and promise for a better future.

For further reference, David Harris's Sierra Leone: A Political History is scheduled to be published May 1. Samuel Decalo has compiled a Historical Dictionary of Togo (1996), which may be due for an update. Books about South Africa are numerous; one recent publication is The South Africa Reader: History, Culture, Politics edited by Clifton Crais and Thomas V. McClendon (2013).





Saturday, April 26, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day - 26 April 2014

Biotechnology in Africa: Emergence, Initiatives and Future by Florence Wambugu and Daniel Kamanga

Release Date:
April 30, 2014
Publisher: Springer


In this book, Florence Wambugu and Daniel Kamanga of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International bring together expert African authorities to critique various biotechnology initiatives and project future developments in the field in Africa. For the first time, African voices from multidisciplinary fields as diverse as economics, agriculture, biotechnology, law, politics and academia, demand to be allowed to set the continent’s biotech development agenda. This book argues that there is a great future for biotechnology in Africa which sidesteps western interests that do not match those of the local populace. In these diverse chapters, Africa’s political and scientific leaders demand a greater say in how research and development funds are allocated and spent. They argue that Africa’s political leaders must see both clear benefits and have elbow-room to drive the change required. This is the way that African governments can employ workable policies, suitable biosafety legislation and regulation and respond effectively to public-private partnerships. Wambugu and Kamanga show that biotechnology has the potential to improve food security and standard of living as well as mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change on the African continent.

Florence Wambugu is the CEO of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI). She has also written Modifying Africa: How biotechnology can benefit the poor and hungry, a case study from Kenya and The benefits of biotechnology for small-scale banana producers in Kenya (both 2001).

Daniel Kamanga is director of the communications program at AHBFI.






Friday, April 25, 2014

Africa News Headlines for 25 April 2014

Burundi shows how African countries can reduce their dependence on aid
Source: The Economist

South Africa State Broadcaster Accused of ‘Bias’
Source: Voice of America

Government’s Voice of Zimbabwe faces closure
Source: SW Radio Africa

Brown University to host colloquium on Africa
Source: Providence Journal

Pivot to Africa, Too
Source: U.S. News & World Report

Tsetse Fly Genome Decoded, May Hold Clues To Fighting African Sleeping Sickness
Source: Huffington Post

De Klerk hails 20 years of S.Africa democracy but scolds ANC
Source: Ahram Online

Violence in South Sudan at a Savage Turning Point
Source: Inter Press Service

South African police arrest cannibalism suspect
Source: Business Standard

Draft Internet Gaming Bill Published In South Africa
Source: Mondaq

Qatar to support establishment of a financial centre in Kenya
Source: The Star

U.N. Security Council asks for inquiry into South Sudan massacre
Source: Reuters

Value-addition: Africa’s growth tonic
Source: Southern Times

SSA Returns To The ‘Original Sin’: A Case Against African Sovereign Bonds
Source: AFK Insider

With World Watching Ukraine, Russia Makes Energy Moves in Africa
Source: U.S. News & World Report

South Sudan's President Shakes Up Army Leadership
Source: Wall Street Journal

A shocking new report highlights depth of poaching crisis
Source: Wildlife Extra

Indian mining, steel heavyweight opens up shop in SA
Source: Creamer Media's Mining Weekly

Tsvangirai appoints chief political strategist
Source: SW Radio Africa

Nigerian leaders unite against Boko Haram
Source: Reuters

United Nations: Harsh Realities and Hard Lessons
Source: Africa in Transition





New Africa Book of the Day - 25 April 2014

Statecraft and Nation Building in Africa: A Post-colonial Study by Godfrey Mwakikagile

Release Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: New Africa Press

This is a study of statecraft and nation building in Africa in the post-colonial era. Subjects covered include early years of independence, state legitimacy, constitutional primacy, institutional transformation, autocracy, quest for democracy, national integration, consolidation of the state, and others. It focuses on case studies whose relevance is continental in scope.

Tanzanian journalist and scholar Godfrey Mwakikagile is a prolific writer whose books include Uganda: A Nation in Transition: Post-colonial Analysis (2012), Burundi: The Hutu and The Tutsi: Cauldron of Conflict and Quest for Dynamic Compromise (2012), Relations Between Africans and African Americans: Misconceptions, Myths and Realities (2007), Tanzania Under Mwalimu Nyerere: Reflections on an African Statesman (2006), Life in Tanganyika in the Fifties (2009), and Economic Development in Africa (1999).




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

New Africa Book of the Day for 23 April 2014

Evocative Africa: Ventures of Discovery by Gerald Cubitt

Release Date: April 25, 2014
Publisher: John Beaufoy Publishing

Come on a journey with Africa's finest nature photographer to lands of time-honoured cultural traditions and unspoilt natural wilderness. Here is the 'real Africa' - astonishing in its diversity of wildlife, breathtaking in its natural beauty and unforgettable in its bursting floral kingdom. Evocative Africa is a visual journey taking the reader through Gerald Cubitt's selection of the 'unmissable' in sub-Saharan Africa. This extensive collection of images juxtaposes the scale and grandeur of the continent with an intimate attention to smaller, less obvious wonders. The informative commentary reveals the social, ecological and geographical context of the images. The book bursts with a multitude of images. The reader will be immersed in South Africa, will visit Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and Namibia. Just offshore, no lifetime's safari on the east coast of Africa can ignore Madagascar, perhaps the most compelling hotspot of biodiversity in the world. Four and a half years have gone into the design and preparation of this book and the endeavour of the photographer and publisher is to make Evocative Africa the best of its kind ever produced in South Africa: a book that captures the magic and character of the 'real Africa' - its timeless wildlife and wilderness, its colourful and proud ethnic heritage and, of course, its stunning diversity of landscape. It represents the culmination of many years of photographing Africa, her people, her places and her wildlife. It celebrates destinations we can all enjoy, showing them in a new light, giving us many moments of delight from places we already know to be astonishing.
Photographer Gerald Cubitt's other books include This Is Namibia (1999, with Peter Joyce), This Is Kenya (2000, with Jean Hartley, Peter Joyce, Daryl Balfour, and Sharna Balfour), Portraits of the African Wild (1993, with Mike Nicol and Anton Rupert), and Kruger National Park (1994, with David Rogers, Nigel Dennis, Daryl Balfour, and Peter Pickford).