Africa News blog
African business, politics and lifestyle
No place like home
If there really is no place like home, then for many Africans in France the Chateau-Rouge neighbourhood of Paris is the next best thing.
At the open air market fish and vegetable vendors sell produce that reminds their African customers what they are missing.
Aurelie Robert owns a store called Togo Exotique. She came to France when she was 16 years old.
“The majority of my produce comes from Togo, Ivory Coast and Cameroon but I also get some supplies from wholesalers,” she said. “My customers are happy because here they can find fresh produce from Africa and they can eat the food they miss from back home.”
Alassane Camara from Ivory Coast works at Togo Exotique. When he came to Paris 11 yearsago, he came straight to Chateau-Rouge. He knew it wouldn’t be hard to find work, and he could relate to people.
“Honestly, it helps when you’re abroad and you meet people from your community. They’re in the best place to give you advice on what you should do, where you should go. It makes you feel good. This is a friendly neighbourhood. I’m Ivorian, and if I meet a Senegalese, a Guinean or a Malian, it’s as if we were from the same country. We’ve all left Africa for another land, so when we meet it’s as if we knew each other.”
Alassane often comes to Chateau-Rouge to hang out. Though he is comfortable living in France he told Reuters Africa Journal how he dreams of the day he will return to Ivory Coast.
what exactly is the role of the US embassy in Mauritania if not to promote democracy. With military rule in place why are US tax payers paying for its upkeep there? Apparently US presence isn’t benefiting the people…
Malawi: the economy, stupid?
On May 19, voters in Malawi will go to the polls to elect their next president. The Democratic Progressive Party has been in power for the last four years and is fielding President Bingu wa Mutharika as its candidate once again.
Despite facing a strong alliance of the main opposition leader and a former president, the incumbent is expected to win on the back of an economic boom.
Though critics accuse Mutharika of rigging his way into office, he is credited with helping to improve Malawi’s economy. Since he took over, the country has experienced an average economic growth of 7 percent.
“He inherited a very politically and economically mismanaged legacy … and it was a very tall order to get the country running, to try to get the confidence of very important external players in Malawi,” said Dimpho Motsamai, a political analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa who specializes on Malawi.
“So his vision was one of economic rejuvenation, stricter physical management of economic resources — very prudent management of economic resources — and one that would deal with socio-economic inequalities in Malawi,” she told Reuters Africa Journal.
Malawi has also experienced severe drought. 2005 was its worst year and nearly half of the country faced starvation and a lack of maize, the local staple. Wa Mutharika’s government implemented fertilizer and seed distribution programmes. Last year the country produced a surplus of 1.3 million tones of maize — the highest in 10 years — and became an exporter of food rather than an importer.
Though 7 other candidates will challenge the president, his stiffest competition is expected from John Tembo of the Malawi Congress Party, who has been endorsed by the country’s former president Bakili Muluzi.
When was the last time in Africa a sitting president and the educated masses were on the same wavelength?
As I recall, NEVER!!!
Bingu woyeee…….
What’s the best way to fight malaria?
Nine out ten of malaria deaths occur in Africa – that’s nearly 1 million fatalities a year. The World Health Organisation estimates the financial loss to Africa because of malaria at 12 billion dollars a year.******And yet it’s an illness that’s preventable: the cheapest and easiest method is to stay under a mosquito net during the night.******In South Sudan, a mosquito net costs around $2, still too expensive for many here, where income per capita is just 25 cents per day. So the government and private charities have launched a campaign to distribute 75 million dollars’ worth of nets to 6 million people in the south before the rains start in July. With only 14 km of paved roads in the entire region, it won’t be easy.****** (more…)
One of the best way to eradicate Malaria is by educating the public.Currently, VPWA (Volunteer Partnership for West Africa) is running a campaign Kick Malaria Out (KMO) 2009 West Africa. Campaign KMO outreach will run for two weeks by the combined volunteers as part of a month long KMO campaign by VPWA and it grass root partners through out the following countries: Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, & Liberia.Campaign KMO will start in Ghana with Volunteers from all over the world, including professionals from all fields, students etc. Volunteers will receive a training, conducted by VPWA’s Executive Director, to facilitate cultural understanding and to teach Volunteers how to address each community i.e. community customs, habits, etc. Volunteers will then be divided into two groups (Volunteer Group A & Group B). A Volunteer Team Leader will be assigned for each group of volunteers.Between 20th August 2009 and September 3rd 2009, Volunteer Group A will travel to the countries east of Ghana i.e. Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Volunteer Group B will travel to the countries West of Ghana i.e. Ivory Coast and Liberia. VPWA partner organizations in these countries, will be awaiting the arrival of VPWA volunteer groups to facilitate any community needs. Each group will:Conduct community workshops on Malaria by disseminating people-friendly statistical information on the spread of Malaria and providing preventative measures to prevent being infected by the diseaseConduct clean-up training exercises designed to show communities how to prevent and clear water stagnation which is the breeding source of mosquitoes and caused by a) uneven floor b) clogged drains c) poor gradient of gutters and drains. e) rain accumulation f)overflows g)leakages from pipes h)roof gutters chocked with leaves or silt i)misalignment of rainwater downpipes with elbow joint, resulting in blockages. j) Collected water in discarded receptacles.For more information please visit http://www.vpwa.org/kick-malaria-out-200 9-campaignPhone: 233243340112Email: kmo2 009@vpwa.org
Zuma: some views from abroad
Jacob Zuma is cruising towards the South African presidency and the main question now is the size of the ANC’s majority.
So what do people from other African countries think of the man who will take over the continent’s most powerful economy?
Reuters Africa Journal asked a few.
“South Africa is one of the biggest democracies that we have and I have got a lot of confidence in their election process and what I think about Zuma,” said Phaenius Mushayi from Harare.
“I think Zuma is a very integral leader. I mean he has been there in ANC and he has stood behind the people, he has stood for the people and a lot of people have confidence in him.”
Another resident of the Zimbabwean capital, Mbuso Makodza, took a less rosy view.
“I think the future of South Africa, for me, they have got a lot of challenges. Of course they have got the independence in terms of ruling, but in terms of the economy, the economy is still controlled by a lot of whites and I still believe the black man doesn’t have a say in the economy.
I will be surprised if Zuma turns to the very left during his mandate and it is not fair to say that he is negative about the foreign investment. People have sympathized with Zuma because they viewed his corruption case and his sacking from the government as a harsh punishment; it is within those lines that people voted for him. Furthermore in a country so structured such as this, there is no much to change than to have the right policies to respond to people and investors expectations.
Rwanda: legacy of a genocide 15 years on
This April marks 15 years since the Rwandan genocide, an event that still casts a dark shadow over the region. It was a killing spree that lasted just three months, but that left 800,000 people dead, most ethnic Tutsis, killed by soldiers and civilians from the majority Hutu ethnic community.
It took an army of exiled Tutsi Rwandans, led by Rwanda’s current president Paul Kagame, to stop the killings. That government, still in power 15 years later, has vowed that a Rwandan genocide can never happen again. It’s a policy that has had a deep impact on the whole region, especially on Rwanda’s bigger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Brendon, unfortunatly your wish will never come true, way congolese with the entire international community against it has prevented the balkanisation of it country. despite the death of millions of congolese parts of congo has not becoming Rwanda or Uganda. one thing you need to understand that the west wants to keep congo on it knees becausse a strong and powerful congo will translate into a strong Africa something that the west does not whish to see. hence they are using heavily depandant countries such as Rwanda and Uganda to carry out their mission.With regard to the Rwandan genocide they are many question about who participated and who was responsible, some claim they current Rwandan president and his cronies open the door for the genocide to commence by shooting down the plane that was carry former president Habyarimana. So why should some be punished and other enjoy impunity.
Going organic in Kenya’s biggest slum
A group from east Africa’s biggest slum has proved that you don’t need a big farm in the countryside to produce food crops for sale.
They’re planting organic vegetables on a small allotment in the middle of Nairobi’s Kibera slum that his been cleared out of an old rubbish tip.
A year ago, nothing grew on their patch of land. Today, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and kale flourish.
Kibera is home to nearly one million people, who mostly live in corrugated iron shacks with no running water.
Victor Matioli grew up a tough inner-city kid. He never imagined that one day he’d be a farmer with a passion for plants and for the soil they grow in.
Getting children into school in Ghana
More than a million children in Ghana don’t go to school because they have to work to help their parents pay the bills.
One woman in the capital, Accra, is trying to persuade working kids to give up their jobs and go to school instead.
Two little girls, 11-year-old Agnes and 13-year-old Hannah, spend their days breaking stones at the Gbaawe stone quarry a short distance outside Accra.
Their mother, 38-year-old Afua Mansah, has seven children and no husband, and the stones that Hannah and Agnes break into tiny pieces are added to her own and then sold to construction companies.
Asked whether she would like to attend school, Agnes told Reuters Africa Journal: “Yes I will stop breaking stones and come to school. I want to be a hairdresser when I grow up.”
Ghana’s constitution forbids children under 15 from working, but you wouldn’t know it looking at the Gbaawe quarry. That’s why Lila Macqueen Djaba visits the quarry whenever she can. The 28-year-old runs a school funded by private sponsors and her aim is to get as many Ghanaian children as possible out of employment and back into the classroom.
Primary education is free in Ghana but parents have to buy school uniforms and books. At Lila’s school, all the learning materials are paid for, and there is even money to send some children to private schools once their level is advanced enough.
am a young guy of 23yrs of age, who is a computer engineer after reading this profile i am so down and unhappy about the situation and i will do what i can to see what i can also do to help this needis.
i will like to know who should contact for this issue
thanks
Welcome to Ugawood
Welcome to Ugawood, Uganda’s fledgling movie industry.
The country’s film-makers may only have limited production skills and equipment but they’re determined to grow the industry until it can compete with Nigeria’s Nollywood and other more established film industries in Africa.
“We’ve just started, I believe Nigerians are somewhere … but we will get there as time goes on,” film director Joseph Mabirizi told Reuters Africa Journal.
About 30 movies are released every year in Ugawood compared to 70 every week in Nigeria’s Nollywood. Government investment in Ugandan film is still lacking and most movies are shot on digital cameras with tight budgets.
Sought-after actors like Aisha Kyomuhanji make about $260 per movie. She works on various projects at a time, to make more money.
“I’m not satisfied the way they pay me but I am someone that can wait until I get what I want because I know if I go on acting the demand will increase, people will come looking for me,” she says.
Until Ugandans started producing their own films many people here watched Nigerian movies. But local productions are popular because viewers can easily relate to them.
I finally watched some “Ugawood”(are there other suggested names?, it just doesn’t sound the best). I couldn’t stop laughing at a lawyer cross examining a witness, ” did you see him with the buvera’s{plastic bags}” Do they actually use such vocabulary in a Uganda english court session? I thought that was funny.
How about someone asking the doctor what her patient’s “position”( for condition i guess) is. That is not funny, whoever was responsible should have corrected it.I’m not trying to be mean but these are the small details that make the difference in the product. I really hope to see this industry do better.
Can shea nuts help the women of Mali?
By Rainer Schwenzfeier
How can African countries earn more from their raw materials. And how can the women of Mali improve their ability to trade with buyers in the West?
Korotouma Doumbia, a 29-year-old from south-west Mali, has no education or formal skills but she manages to earn the family income. She harvests shea nuts and turns them into shea butter, a popular ingredient in many western cosmetics.
The shea tree grows wild in nearly 20 countries in Africa and Mali has more shea trees than any of its neighbours. They are often cultivated for their oil and Korotouma’s village has some planted trees, but they also harvest the wild trees further from the village.
“The trees belong to all of us, because nobody has planted them. All the women from the village can harvest wherever they like,” she told Reuters Africa Journal.
The women collect as much as they can carry. But about two thirds of Mali’s shea harvest stays on the ground. The trees are spread out and the women have no other means of transporting their harvest than carrying it on their heads.
One organisation that has tried to help Mali’s women earn more from their shea butter is the Development Trust Association or ACOD, a non-governmental group based in Bamako.
Women in Africa who are producing shea butter might benefit by forming an organization/union (?) whereby their product is 1) better produced – quality shea butter, 2) to generate better pricing, 3)develop business plans, becoming entrepeneurs, 4) open bank accounts, 5) participate in reinvesting in the local economy/villages, by perhaps 6) developing/building schools for children, paying the teachers well, whom in turn teach finance and business management to the children, as well as English, etc.
Mali women have phenomenal potential to market their product worldwide; westerners should help these women, free of charge, to develop sound business plans which would sustain their villages/culture now and in the future. The women could then participate in microfinancing other women in other villages to get projects started….
Being a westerner, this next comment may seem out there, but instead of the women carrying the nuts/product on their head, how about starting a program that builds bicycles, narrow wheelbarrows for narrow paths, rickshaws, etc. to get the product to the market easier? Maybe not…maybe sauntering down a path with a basket on their heads, after laboring all day, is a way to unwind and relax their backs from so much bending. Perhaps pushing a wheelbarrow would bring on more back aches. I do think bicyles, wagons, rickshaws would be beneficial… a cooperative could start, creating a business plan for these vehicles, as well as making them onsite….developing skills, becoming self-sustaining, and entrepeneurs all at the same time! Ya-hoo!
