The title of William Boyd’s book could have been invented for Desmond Tutu and I make no apologies for this rather personal review of his contribution to South Africa, Africa and the world.
The former Archbishop of Cape Town and one of the most important public figures in South Africa has announced that he is stepping [...]
As heads of state gather in Kampala this week for the African Union summit my mind wandered back to 1975 when heads of state also gathered in Kampala for the OAU (Organisation of African Unity as it was then known) Summit. This was by any measure a remarkable meeting, not least for the presence [...]
Since President Goodluck Jonathan assumed political office early this year, the ailing Northern Political class have gone into a frenzy, issuing threats, organizing showcase meetings and grand standing, all to frighten a minority from staking for federal power. Yet, none of them have bothered to consult the people of the north to get their feelings [...]
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has praised South Africa for its ‘wonderful’ hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and suggested that Brazil had much to learn from their predecessors. ‘We (Brazil) now have a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders but we are confident that we will present a World Cup as beautiful [...]
While watching ‘An African Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby’, the latest series in the reporter’s extensive coverage of the continent, one cannot help but notice the overly positive perspective from which it comes. Seemingly one-sided, it is a far cry from the images of hunger, poverty and corruption that have for some time been ubiquitous in [...]
A British engineering company, Mabey & Johnson Ltd has admitted involvement in corruption in Ghana. The management of the company appeared at London’s Westminster magistrates court Friday 10th July to answer to charges of corruption.
This is the first prosecution brought in the UK against a company for overseas corruption. The company, which is a supplier [...]
The joint Congo (DRC)-Rwanda military push against the Rwandan Hutu rebels has ended with scant results. Fifteen years after the Rwanda genocide and the establishment of those rebels in the eastern Congo, they have not yet been disarmed and remain a source of extreme violence against civilians. While they are militarily too weak to destabilise [...]
Freetown:
The police have refused a peaceful planned demonstration for Mon 13th July by the Sierra Leone association of journalists (SLAJ).
The planned protest is against the failure of the Supreme Court to rule on SLAJ’s case calling for the repeal of the criminal and seditious libel laws from the law books of Sierra Leone. The Police [...]
Mogadishu:
Two foreign journalists have been kidnapped from a hotel by gunmen in the Somalian capital.
About 10 gunmen disguised as government security forces arrived at the hotel in the south of the city and took them.
A BBC Somali Service journalist says African Union military officials are aware of the report. It is not clear who the [...]
Banjul:
The six journalists who were returned to the capital’s Mile Two prison Fri 3rd July were released again Tues 7th on bail of 400,000 dalassi (10,800 euros).
The court did not immediately demand payment of the bail but it asked fellow-journalists to act as guarantors. All six were told to report to the capital’s high court [...]
