US removes Nelson Mandela from terror list

Just in time for his 90th birthday this month the USA has removed former South African President and Nobel Peace Price laureate Nelson Mandela from the so called “US terrorists watch list”. After the bill had been approved by the US Senate, G.W Bush has now signed it and by that bringing an end to at least one of the most visible quarrels beleaguering this “list” since a long time.

“…Today the United States moved closer at last to removing the great shame of dishonoring this great leader by including him on our government’s terror watch list…” said Senator John Kerry.

Previously Nelson Mandela like other former ANC freedom fighters required…

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Global Warming: The shrinking African lake(s)

Lake Chad as shown below is just one of the vanishing large lakes in Africa and elsewhere on this planet.

Experts are warning that the lake, which was once Africa’s third largest inland water body, could shrink to a mere pond in two decades. A recent study by Nasa and the German Aerospace Centre blames global warming and human activity for Africa’s disappearing water…
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Africa: Kenya gets world first mobile phone money transfer service

Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest mobile phone operator, has launched a service this week that will use short message services (SMS) to transfer money even from or to customers without bank accounts. The product allows the operator’s 5.8 million subscribers to use their mobile phones to send money within Kenya where often the money earner of a family is working in a city to support family members living in rural areas. “…This service is the first of its kind in the world. We have plans to take it elsewhere…the first international link, between the U.K. and Kenya, will come in the very near future…

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AIDS: Some less known facts on the disease (1)

Following below the first part of facts and thoughts on AIDS that most people don’t know…

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Henning Mankell: I Die, But My Memory Lives On

Most of us might know Henning Mankell for his Wallander crime novels but he has recently also published a non-fiction book on AIDS in Africa. The book is called “I Die, but My Memory Lives on: The World AIDS Crisis and the Memory Book Project”. Mankell who spent a substantial amount of his life in Africa, has with the “Memory Book Project” provided an opportunity to those dying of AIDS to create a record of their lives in words and pictures for the children they leave behind…

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Africa: The size of a continent

Many identify Africa with less-developed countries, disease and war ridden…
…but what almost all forget is the sheer size of that continent that will never allow one-size-fits all approaches. The map below provides a better understanding of the size by overlaying it with some of the largest countries in the world and whole continents…

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Granta: How (not) to write about Africa

UK magazine Granta has a great article online describing how many writers are exploiting cliches and stereotypes when writing about Africa.
It is titled How to write about Africa and written by celebrated Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina. Worth reading

Some quotes:…Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title. Subtitles may include the [...]

Sudan: UN envoy ordered to leave country for blogging

Yesterday official SUNA news agency reported that the Sudanese foreign ministry has given Jan Pronk, special representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Sudan 72hours to leave the country.
Last week Professor Pronk wrote in his personal blog that the Sudanese army had lost two major battles in Darfur to rebel groups, one in [...]