Global Warming: Africa’s New Chains of Poverty?

Author: Adeline T. Massima

Global warming could put Africa on the back foot after the continent has managed to make some lost ground. Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario, according to the science, could snuff this nascent progress. In fact, it could bind Africa in a new cycle of poverty and aid dependency to the West.

What’s in a Name? Burkina Faso: A Model of Tolerance

Author: Sam Gradess

Sam Gradess analyses the uniqueness of Burkinabé. Drawing from everyday life experiences, he explains how a stranger would be hard-pressed to find a place as welcoming as Burkina Faso. Its people and their way of life spells nothing but tolerance and an appreciation for the humanity that almost spells paradise.

Let’s Talk About Sex: Being a Girl in Tanzania

Author: Christopher Guess

Sex is still a taboo subject in Tanzania. The ignorance that stems from not being able to talk about it is proving costly to the future of too many teenage girls. Chris Guess highlights one program’s effort to make a difference.

Giving Unto Jonathan What Belongs to Caesar

Author: Tundé Oyateru

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria has lived true to his first name, for he may be the luckiest politician in Africa. And, according to Tundé Oyateru, his luck may have extended into his administration’s efforts. Good things are happening in Nigeria, one may not be able to conclusively say it’s all due to President Jonathan’s vision, however.

In My Country: A Letter from the Repressed

Author: Kombeh Jobe

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Dear Reader,

My country is not a free country, nor is it a free society. Life there is hard, terrible, stifled, and short. There is no rule of law. Democracy is a joke, a farce, performed by amateurs and the illiterate.

The individual, or the idea of the individual, is almost nonexistent. His or her power and opinion are irrelevant and even a threat to the state. Fact and truth, even basic truth, are not allowed to be expressed. The government is the only entity that knows or can tell what is true and what is not. For words are powerful in my country. Words are the basis of truth and of course lies. And those outside of the state who know how to use it and who use it with great strength and clarity are a danger. They will be threatened, attacked, tortured, imprisoned, exiled, killed, murdered - any means necessary to silence them.

Dementia: Not Just The “White Man’s Disease”

Author: Staff Writer

Dementia is soon to be a problem in African countries. This class of diseases is not well diagnosed because much of the continent’s health systems lack the tools. But the biggest problem is that little attention is being paid to dementia’s potential cost in the near future.

I Went to Zanzibar and I Saw…

Author: Lina Marie Dyur

Zanzibar’s Stone Town is a UNESCO world heritage site and I couldn’t wait to wander along its narrow alleys touching fabrics, smelling spices and trying on clothes in quaint shops. In spite of assurances that Zanzibaris spoke English over and above Swahili, I saw embarrassed looks and heard smatterings of Swanglish when I engaged people in English. Suffice to say that language was only one reason this trip was memorable.

Mugabe vs. Obama: The Talking Match at the UN General Assembly

Author: Edson Charikinya

There is always something to say when the UN General Assembly gets together. Global security is always a huge topic, though not everyone agrees who is the threat and whose responsibility it is to stamp it out. Edson Charikinya gives President Robert Mugabe’s opinion on the matter.

Loneliness at the Foreign ‘Bureau’

Author: Justin D. Martin

In an attempt to make their overseas operations appear larger than the reality, international news organizations exaggerate the size of their overseas presence, often using the word “bureau” to describe single-person operations in foreign countries. Foreign bureaus are closing down rapidly, especially in developing countries. Should news organizations use pompous titles to describe their overseas missions that are limited in capacity and scope? The author expands on the issue, and underscores the need for news organizations to use more plain-spoken language.

South Africa’s Mine Workers’ Strikes: It’s the Economy, Stupid

Author: Tseliso Thipanyane

Tseliso Thipanyane analyses the Marikana mineworkers strike in Rustenburg, South Africa, and outlines its possible implications to the economic emancipation of the continent’s workers in general. Tseliso explores how, in compliance with the mining companies' economic agenda, the South African government has been directly responsible for the struggles of black South Africans, who constitute a majority in Africa's biggest economy. Today, what are mining workers fighting for, and can they expect going forward?