The blood-letting in Jos, the Plateau State capital continued yesterday, with an early morning attack on another village in Barakin Ladi Local Government Area of the state. The attack left 18 people including a family of five dead. Continue reading
Daily Archives: February 23, 2011
Congo’s Kabila revises Constitution: presidential candidates now only need a plurality
By Fidel Bafilemba, Guest blogger
Congolese President Joseph Kabila altered Congo’s election laws, eliminating the run-off system and allowing the candidate with a plurality to claim the presidency.
The World Social Forum, Egypt, and Transformation
The World Social Forum (WSF) is alive and well. It just met in Dakar, Senegal from Feb. 6-11. By unforeseen coincidence, this was the week of the Egyptian people’s successful dethroning of Hosni Mubarak, which finally succeeded just as the WSF was in its closing session. The WSF spent the week cheering the Egyptians on – and discussing the meaning of the Tunisian/ Egyptian revolutions for their program of transformation, for achieving another world that is possible – possible, not certain. Continue reading
Nigeria: ‘Genuine Muslim-Christian relationship possible in Plateau’-Archbishop
All Africa.com
Summary & Comment: In support of a call addressed to people of all faiths by the Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Plateau governor said “mutual coexistence among religious faith is a major challenge globally but that it should serve as a wake up call for all to deliberately work towards building a harmonious society”. He added “one of the threats to peace and harmony in Jos is religious intolerance”. Continue reading
Black (or White?) History Month
Pambazuka News
The author traces the roots of Black History Month and reflects on its significance. The predominant focus on slavery and the slave diaspora in the United States is symptomatic of the Western-centric nature of “black” history. This trend is not just limited to Black History Month but also too much of the teaching of history on the African continent. Both Black History Month and the history of Africa in general need to be decolonized and re-oriented to reflect African perspectives. Continue reading
AU demands free, fair Zimbabwe polls
The push for elections by Mugabe could plunge Zimbabwe, still struggling to emerge from the rubble of the decade-long political crisis and economic meltdown, into a new cycle of instability and violence. The AU needs to dig its heels in deeper if it is to remain an authentic body. Continue reading
In Congo, an assassination’s long shadow
New York Times
Summary & Comment: Adam Hochschild, known for his book “King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa,” reflects on the legacy of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected president of the DRC. Hochschild traces the Congo’s history of violence, corruption and warfare, linking much of it back to Lumumba’s murder. He urges the United States to recognize their complicity in both the assassination of Lumumba and the subsequent propping up of dictator Joseph Mobutu. Ultimately, Hochschild sees Lumumba’s death as a moment that has since colored the Congo’s history, demonstrating the dangers of foreign involvement for self-interested purposes. Continue reading
Svalbard seed vault to take Peruvian potato samples
BBC
By Mark Kinver
Farmers feared that some potato varieties could have been lost forever if they were not protected
Farmers in Peru are sending 1,500 varieties of potatoes to a “doomsday vault” in the Arctic Circle in order to safeguard the tubers’ future.
Potatoes are regarded as the world’s most important non-cereal crop, and have been eaten for about 8,000 years.
But native species from the highlands of South America appear to be at risk. Continue reading
