Nbr. 492, February - February 2010

Index

• Away with Stuart.
• Federation of African states.
• Hope is fading.
• Let them stay in Africa!(READERS' VIEWS) (Letter to the editor)
• Many layers of decolonisation.
• Akua made me cry.
• Ecape from Africa?
• Kalou wanted to be Dutch.
• Party political broadcast.
• Truth and politicians.
• Dancing with the Brits; "no poor dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country--he won it by making the poor dumb bastard on the other side die for his country".
• Carving up Africa ... 125 years of the Berlin Conference.
• Licence to colonise.
• The Berlin Act of 1885; here are some excerpts from the main provisions of the General Act signed on 26 February 1885 by the 14 participating countries of the Berlin conference.
• The spoils of Berlin: Osei boateng reports on the give-and-take diplomacy that finally led to the partition of Africa. by 1902, all of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, were firmly under European colonial control.
• Remembering the dismembered continent; on the 125th anniversary of the Berlin conference of 1884-85 that fragmented Africa, Ayi Kwei Armah looks at where African society is today and where we could take it tomorrow.
• What are we really celebrating? This year, as many as 17 African countries will celebrate the golden jubilee of independence with a huge fanfare. But what is the point in celebrating independence when we can't run our economies without running to the colonial masters?
• Faure Gnassingbe a champion of change: President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, the candidate of the Togolese ruling party, Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais (RPT) is seeking re-election in February. In the five years of his presidency, he has defied expectations and made his mark by his dedication to modernise the country.
• An economy growing by leaps and bounds: President Faure Ggnassingbe's government has made tremendous progress in renewing its links with donors, consolidating its finances and initiating reforms. these are all beginning to bear fruit.
• why Haiti is poor: since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti on 12 January 2010, the world media have been repeating ad nauseam that the country is "the poorest in the Western hemisphere". But it was not always like that. The "Sugar Island", the "Pearl of the Antilles", was once the richest in the Caribbean region. Clayton Goodwin traces how it became the "poorest in the Western hemisphere".
• Anti-gay bill on course; David Bahati, the author of Uganda's anti-gay bill aiming to criminalise homosexuality in the country, says the bill is still on course despite a thunderous international outcry against it. Agnes Asiimwe reports from Kampala.
• A needless tragedy.
• Dealing with the skeptics: the attack on the togolese team bus at the African Cup of Nations finals in Angola will increase, unfairly, questions about South Africa's suitability for hosting the World Cup. Writes Piers Edwards.
• Nigeria's mister dependable.
• A mountain to climb; the below-par performance of DRCongo's TP Mazembe at the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE is indicative of the steep curve that African clubs must ascend, in order to compete against the best from Europe and South America, writes Michael Oti Adjei.
• An indomitable lion.
• Football must reform itself: the distasteful manner in which Thierry Henry, and France, earned their passage to the World Cup finals should trigger the game's guardians to change its rules and accept the help of technological aids.
• New year, new wife ... another one in waiting; President Jacob Zuma heralded the coming of the new year in grand style when he tied the knot with a long-known fiancee. She became the fifth wife, "third lady" and newest "first lady". Pusch Commey reports.
• A bewildering country! The long absence of President umaru yar'adua from his duties in Abuja, following his prolonged stay in a saudi arabian hospital, and his refusal to invoke laid-down constitutional provisions to allow Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck to take over, albeit temporarily, has angered Nigerians and threatens the country's nascent democracy. Osasu Obayiuwana reports from Lagos.
• A rising giant: outsiders may have their own perceptions, sustained by media images of hunger and poverty. But investors are focusing on Ethiopia's size and record of rapid and sustained growth. The country has Africa's second biggest population (estimated at 81 million) and five times the land area of UK, including extensive water, hydroelectric and arable land resources. Tom Minney reports.
• Africa's 'new flower': it is Africa's most important diplomatic centre and one of the continent's newest capitals. Stephen Williams provides a visitor's guide to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, a unique city that lies at the centre of one of the world's oldest empires.
• Confronting homophobia: people of African descent worldwide have suffered under the tyranny of racism, oppression, and discrimination for centuries. We fought courageously to end slavery, colonialism, and segregation. Yet, even as we continue the battle against the myriad forms of inequality that still plague our communities, some among us seem perfectly willing to mete out the same horrific treatment to the gay community.
• Nothing African about homosexuality: African culture has no place for homosexuality as a way of life because it does not fit with the view that humans should reproduce in order to be remembered for eternity. It is time African governments told the NGOs and their European and American government sponsors promoting homosexuality in Africa to take a hike; let them stick to their cultural traditions and respect ours! argues Ifa Kamau Cush.
• Malawians reject gay marriages: recent resentment towards gays who dared to wed in public has clearly shown that Malawians are not ready to accept same-sex marriages despite their existence elsewhere in southern Africa, reports Lameck Masina.
• British MP condemns Uganda's anti-gay bill.
• The sad plight of African albinos: why, in this day and age, do some Africans treat albinos with disdain and sometimes even kill them? Why do some Africans still believe that spilling the blood of albinos will yield better crops, help in passing examinations, guarantee business success, help in winning elections, drive off evil spirits and facilitate financial success? Femi Akomolafe went to find out and was shocked beyond measure.
• Albinos demand respect and dignity: Femi Akomolafe interviewed John David Tuu Yawanah, president of the Society of Albinos-Ghana, about the organisation's work and the challenges albinos face. Here are excerpts.
• Lessons from cabinda: Angola could have done a lot more to save Africa the disgrace of seeing rebels attack the Togolese team bus at the African Cup of Nations. And what about the empty stadium during the second match between Malawi and Algeria? I hope South Africa is taking note.
• Include me out: the new, subtle face of discrimination in Britain means that Africans born in Britain have to constantly decode "unspoken codes" to get on in life writes Vanessa Baffoe. "While our parents have done an immeasurable job in paving the way for us to be seen and heard, it is up to us, the younger Diasporans, to stand up and be counted.".
• Marrying within.
• Violent warnings: before new kinds of wickedness overwhelm our continent, there is an important need to revisit the limits of violence and the norms governing its use.