country:africa

Chimurenga signale sur FB

The African Imagination of a Borderless World:

▻https://www.facebook.com/BardeAmu/posts/2053819831377429?__tn__=-R

▻https://www.dropbox.com/s/m2ahiylwb2rfv00/afrique%20festac%2077.pdf?dl=0

The debate that started in Manchester 1945 when the leadership of a movement founded by “concerned black people” in the West (Garvey, du Bois, CLR etc) was taken up by Africa-born poet-philosopher-politicians like Nkrumah and Nyerere - and accelerated when these poet-philosopher-politicians took charge of independent states (or “mini-states” as Walter Rodney liked to call them) and reduced pan Africanism to OAU bureaucracy (which Mbeki subsequently re-branded AU). Not all were poets or philosophers..

Anyway, this debate was still in full swing by the time FESTAC came around - the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, held in Lagos/Kaduna in 1977 (note the “Black AND African”)

This is Kongi speaking his peace for Abibiman (his prefered name for Africa) at the FESTAC Colloquium - btw we’re working on a publication on FESTAC, soon come!

(And this vid is courtesy of the Centre for Black Arts and Civilisations in Lagos - part the legacy of FESTAC. Check them out)

Bright Moments!

FESTAC’77 - the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture - YouTube
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzAIGgWNHbY

Festac ’77, also known as the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (the first was in Dakar, 1966), was a cultural jamboree held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 15 January 1977 to 12 February 1977. The month-long event celebrated African culture and showcased to the world African music, fine art, literature, drama, dance and religion. About 16,000 participants, representing 56 African nation and countries o

People undernourrished in 2015
▻https://visionscarto.net/people-undernourrished-in-2015

Title: People undernourrished in 2015 Keywords: #Climate #Food #Agriculture #Africa #Famine Author: Philippe Rekacewicz Date: 2015

#Map_collection

As new drought hits Ethiopia, UN urges support for Government’s ’remarkable’ efforts
▻http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56063
/News/dh/photos/large/2017/January/Ethiopia_2016_Oromia_OCHA.jpg

Commending the Ethiopian Government and humanitarian partners on the response to last year’s El Niño drought that left 10.2 million people needing food assistance, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN aid chief Stephen O’Brien today said the international community must show “total solidarity” with country as it faces a new drought.

“This High-Level event must express our total solidarity with the Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian Government. And let’s be clear: that solidarity is not a matter of generosity. It is a matter of justice and of self-interest,” the Secretary-General told those gathered for the event, held earlier today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on the margins of the 28th Summit of the African Union.

#Éthiopie #sécheresse #climat #alimentation #malnutrition #faim #famine

Why China’s Plan to Build a New Silk Road Runs Through Singapore - Bloomberg
▻http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-14/why-china-s-plan-to-build-a-new-silk-road-runs-through-singapore

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/igvuAELJ21aQ/v3/1200x-1.png

The venture underscores Singapore’s potential as a gateway to Southeast Asia for China as President Xi Jinping seeks to export excess industrial capacity while building influence overseas. Lured by shared cultural bonds and the former British colony’s legal and financial systems, the number of Chinese companies registered locally has almost doubled in the past five years to more than 7,500.

Exploiting Singapore’s regional familiarity could help Chinese companies navigate local politics complicated by tensions over China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. It could also help them avoid pitfalls from prior investment in Africa and Latin America, where China has faced criticism at times for a heavy-handed approach, insisting for example its companies and laborers carry out the bulk of a contract.

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/i9Z_Ef2VRCfA/v2/-999x-999.gif

(l’animation est un peu trop rapide, hélas…)

Dynamic Maps and Graphs | ACLED
▻http://www.acleddata.com/visuals/maps/dynamic-maps

The dynamic maps below have been drawn from ACLED Version 6. They illustrate key dynamics in event types, reported fatalities, and actor categories. Clicking on the maps, and selecting or de-selecting options in the legends, allows users to interactively edit and manipulate the visualisations, and export or share the finished visuals. The maps are visualised using Tableau Public.

#conflit #cartographie #Afrique

#AFRICA_IS_A_RADIO : Season 2, Episode 6
▻http://africasacountry.com/2015/10/africa-is-a-radio-season-2-episode-6

Africa is a Radio show for October 2015. Sean and Elliot are on a break from the show, so Boima fills in with some new tunes from around the African.....

##FeesMustFall #Brazil #Caribbean #Colombia #South_Africa #Student_Protests #UK_Afrobeats

US Inflating Threats in Africa to Justify Expansion
▻http://antiwar.com/blog/2013/10/17/us-inflating-threats-in-africa-to-justify-expansion

The U.S. has deployed “200 Marines to a naval base in Sicily for possible operations in Libya,” according to UPI, the latest in the establishment of “a network of bases in Italy as launch pads for military interventions in Africa and the Mideast.”

The UPI report adds: “U.S. operations in Africa are growing as the Islamist threat expands.” Not quite. U.S. operations are indeed growing in Africa, but it isn’t being driven by an “Islamist threat” to America.

This has been a long time coming. The Obama administration has been slowly – and very quietly – getting America militarily involved throughout Africa. While extreme poverty and governance problems still plague Africa, many countries have been improving infrastructure and developing their economies like never before. And this has grabbed the attention of more advanced economies, especially given several areas of untapped oil and gas.

“China-Africa trade grew 1000% from $10 billion in 2000 to $107 billion in 2008,” according to Zbigniew Brzezinski’s recent book Strategic Vision. Uncle Sam would be damned if he let that competition slide without a response. Since 2007, when #AFRICOM was established, the U.S. has been trying to up its game, except that usually means militarily. Washington has been increasing its support for African regimes, many with records of human rights violations, and boosting efforts to train African militaries to keep them dependent on the Pentagon.

#Afrique #Etats-Unis

GM crops: African opposition is a farce, says group led by Kofi Annan
▻http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/05/africa-gm-genetically-modified-crops

Concern in Africa over genetically modified crops has been dismissed as fear of the unknown by an environmental group chaired by Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general.

“This report clearly indicates their full support for GM crops, and their intention to use their influence to open African doors for Monsanto’s and Syngenta’s patented GM crops,” said Teresa Anderson, international advocacy co-ordinator for the Gaia foundation, an advocate of food sovereignty that asserts the right of people to define their own food systems.

“Characterising the refusal of most African countries to commercialise GM crops … as ’fear of the unknown’ is patronising and shallow. Agra has wilfully chosen to insult farmers’ concerns in their aim to expand corporate agribusiness into Africa.”

#ogm #lobbying #corruption

Counterfeit medicine from Asia threatens lives in Africa | The Guardian
►http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/23/africa-counterfeit-medicines-trade

Though it may seem like an immense amount of trouble to counterfeit a £3 packet of malaria pills, Lulukay noted that the global trade was estimated at £46bn a year. Counterfeiters know their markets well and target medications accordingly. Efforts to combat the activity are in their infancy. (...) India has stepped up oversight, “China is only now just catching on”

#pharma #médicaments #contrefaçon #malaria #paludisme

Who Owns Lake Nyasa?

►http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/198-natural-resources/51849-who-owns-lake-nyasa.html

By Courtney Meyer
Think Africa Press
August 21, 2012

Disputes between Malawi and Tanzania over the ownership of Lake Nyasa, which borders the two countries, were rekindled recently when Malawi awarded a contract to British Surestream Petroleum to start gas and oil exploration on the eastern part of the lake. The 1890 Heligoland Agreement between colonial Britain and Germany defined that the border of Lake Nyasa lies along the Tanzanian side of the lake. This was reasserted at the 1963 Organisation of African Unity summit. International law, however, designates that borders are generally in the middle of a body of water, implying half of the lake belongs to Tanzania. Explorations for oil and gas are likely to endanger the current negotiations between the two countries to resolve the border issue and even pose a security threat.

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania has insisted that war with Malawi is not a feasible outcome of ongoing disputes between the two countries over the ownership of the lake which borders the two countries.

Lake Nyasa, known as Lake Malawi by Malawians, has been the source of disagreements since colonial times, which were rekindled recently when Malawi allowed gas and oil exploration to begin around the lake’s border. Rhetoric has escalated over the past few months although it seems both sides are now attempting to calm tensions.

#frontières #différend-frontalier #tanzanie #malawi #afrique

Africa Should Slap Sanctions on Morocco
►http://www.globalpolicy.org/security-council/index-of-countries-on-the-security-council-agenda/western-sahara/50839-africa-should-slap-sanctions-on-morocco.html?itemid=id#880

Picture Credit: guardian.co.uk

The Pan African Parliament called on African Union members to impose sanctions on Morocco until it respects the UN mandate that affirms the right of the Saharawis to self-determination. Morocco has recently proposed the region’s autonomy while keeping it under Moroccan sovereignty. The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) rejects this plan and asks instead for full independence.

#Sahara_occidental #Maroc #RASD #Polisario

Libya’s NTC accused of detainee abuse - Africa - Al Jazeera English
►http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011101220717966780.html

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) is holding about 2,500 detainees in the capital Tripoli alone, many of whom have been beaten and subjected to other ill-treatment and not given access to lawyers or judicial proceedings, Amnesty International, the London-based human-rights watchdog, says.

Did anyone see the Horn of Africa drought coming?
►http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/07/did_anyone_see_the_horn_of_afr.html

The Horn of Africa has been struck by the worst drought in 60 years. According to the UN’s World Food Programme 9 million people will be affected, and the situation is worsened by rising food prices and conflict. But were meteorologists able to give any warning?

►http://blogs.nature.com/news/Africa%20map.jpg
#climat #famine #cartographie #prévisions