Things Fall (Falling) Apart: One Man's Take on Nigeria's Dramas (Part 3)

Author: Alan Titley

Alan Titley spent two years in Africa (1967-69) as a young Irish teacher during the Nigerian Civil War. He also traveled throughout West Africa in those years and witnessed much of what was going on in the regions politics and social life. These brief essays attempt to tell some small part of his experience and his reflections on African, specifically Nigerian politics today.

“Shale Gas” Is Africa’s Game-Changer: Let’s Forget About Climate Change For Now

Author: Edson Charikinya

Shale gas could transform Africa into a power giant. It can provide the continent’s energy requirement now and for the longterm. Edson Charikinya looks at how this form of energy can keep the light on for a long time to come, in addition to the environmental opposition to this known hydrocarbon energy form.

Straight Talk on the International Criminal Court in Africa

Author: Declan Galvin

The ICC has been a source of controversy in Africa. On many occasions it has been the court of last resort for Justice. However, many criticize what appears to be its target list, which chiefly has just African countries. Declan Galvin argues that the continent’s justice gap is what the ICC has always tried to cover.

Africans Get Financially Fit | Part 4: Stretch It Out!

Author: Aisha Lelouma Diallo

Every year, according to the United Nations, 20,000 highly skilled Africans leave Africa for a better life somewhere else. Their financial health often determines their remittances back home to their loved ones. Aisha Lelouma Diallo's financial series provides a playbook for African immigrants on how to survive the convoluted labyrinth that is modern day personal finance and build some wealth in the process. This is the fourth installment in a series titled "Africans Get Financially Fit." To read the first, second, and third installments, follow the links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Africa and China: Sorry Hillary, Africa Knows Who Its “Responsible Partners Are”

Author: Edson Charikinya

Edson Charikinya explores the geostrategic context of U.S. secretary of state Hilary Clinton’s 11-day visit to Africa. He opines on how increasingly America finds itself in the cold in Africa. America has “pushed” for democracy on the continent, though it has also been found to be double-faced when political expediency demands it over its higher principles. China, however, has no scruples, and African governments are much keener on dealing with the new kid on the block with more money than Crassus.

Things Fall (Falling) Apart: One Man's Take on Nigeria's Dramas (Part 2)

Author: Alan Titley

Alan Titley spent two years in Africa (1967-69) as a young Irish teacher during the Nigerian Civil War. He also traveled throughout West Africa in those years and witnessed much of what was going on in the regions politics and social life. These brief essays attempt to tell some small part of his experience and his reflections on African, specifically Nigerian politics today.

Kenya's Lake Turkana: A Big Stride To Cover The Country's Energy Gap

Author: Christopher Guess

With the potential to produce more energy more efficiently than any of the nation’s other energy sources, Lake Turkana, in Kenya, will truly make an impact on the continent. It will help Kenya cover ground on its road to being a developed country. Christopher Guess provides insight into how a project will turn this lake into a renewable, clean energy source for Kenya.

Things Fall (Falling) Apart: One Man's Take on Nigeria's Dramas (Part 1)

Author: Alan Titley

Alan Titley spent two years in Africa (1967-69) as a young Irish teacher during the Nigerian Civil War. He also travelled throughout West Africa in those years and witnessed much of what was going on in the region’s politics and social life. These brief essays attempt to tell some small part of his experience and his reflections on African, specifically Nigerian politics today.

Security That Stinks!

Author: Declan Galvin

Africa’s security matters are serious, but could one provide insight into some of the continent’s current security sagas from a not-so-serious vantage point like, say, fish?  Well, that’s what Declan Galvin did. Fish can explain a lot, and in this piece he writes about how Africa’s fish is a crucial element to the politics of the continent.

Militant Islam: How Africa’s Political Reform Could Make A Difference

Author: Staff Writer

What could stop militant Islam in its tracks? Political Islam. The author argues that extremists given a chance to fully participate in the democratic system of governance are often forced to include popular and secular elements into their platforms. Since in order for them to gain a majority or be part of a controlling block, extremist groups often have to negotiate away the most extreme aspects of their ideologies; democratic governance lures them further into the mainstream. The alternative, excluding these groups, he argues, is what forces extremist to become radicals.

Cotonou by Night

Author: Lina Marie Dyur

The first time I heard about Benin’s capital Cotonou was when my friend Roc took the train there from Accra. By the time he narrated it to me, I was mesmerized by the wonders and charms the city had to offer. Of all the West African cities I’d heard about even in Nollywood’s films, this was the most interesting one, the one that most reflected in my mind, the true beauty and nature of West Africa. So when I finally got the opportunity to go to Cotonou I was excited about the prospect of shopping at the market, and seeing what beauty lay therein.  Never did I expect the nightmare I was about to face as a foreigner in a foreign land—including arrest, hostile government officials, language and cultural barriers, all in one day.

No Country for Young Men

Author: Tundé Oyateru

Tunde Oyateru opines on the failure of Nigeria to encourage it's citizens, especially the youth to aspire and reach for a better Nigeria. This is no explicit failure of the state, but by continuing to function or dysfunction how it does Nigeria limits its future leaders and generations. He delves into this further by examining the nature vs. nurture argument, people do not become better than the system that breeds them.

Africans Get Financially Fit | Part 3: Lift That Weight!

Author: Aisha Lelouma Diallo

This is the third installment in a series titled "Africans Get Financially Fit."

To read the first and second installments, follow the links:
"Part 1: Warm Up!" and "Part 2: Work It Out!"

In my first two financial advice features, I discussed ways to assess your financial situation, and how to implement steps to improve it. This week, I will move on to the next phase in the process, but before moving on, I would like for you to take a moment to reflect on the changes you have made, and what you have accomplished thus far.

If You Get Malaria, Stay in Africa

Author: Christopher Guess

I was walking through my old university campus a few years ago on assignment to cover a student group for a regional newspaper when I heard the standard call of a pedestrian: “Excuse me, do you have a few spare minutes?!” I turned around and a very nice undergraduate explained to me that they were raising money for World Malaria Day and asked if I was familiar with it.  I told her that I was and that I had, in fact, almost died from the disease a year earlier.  The students were stunned.  They began bombarding me with questions and, after answering as many as I could, I apologized and ran to meet up with the subjects of my story.

This encounter has always left me thinking.  Malaria, a disease which impacts more lives than almost any other disease in human history, is still shrouded in such a blackout of information.  Honestly, I cannot attest or speak conclusively to what most Westerners know or think of malaria.  I won’t rehash the fatality rates, the infections rates or the benefits of mosquito nets. Thanks to the likes of the Bill and Melinda Gate’s foundations those realities are becoming well known.  But it seems to me that most people don’t realize how utterly common malaria is in most of the developing world and how it isn’t the death sentence that it appears to be in the West.