By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | PRETORIA (IDN) — “We cannot breathe, comrades. We cannot breathe when today it costs more than $277 to buy food for a family of just four people. No!” That was Moalusi Tumane, a schoolteacher in Palm Ridge, east of Johannesburg, speaking to some 1,000 workers who […]
High Prices Spark Rare Street Disturbance in Sierra Leone
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | FREETOWN (IDN) — The crisis of inflation taking a toll on the poor and middle class has spread to Sierra Leone, where rare protests shook the capital of Freetown. Workers have been clearing broken glass from downtown restaurants. “It was an explosion of violence,” said Mohamed […]
Japan Strengthens African Ties with Generous Pledge of Investment
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — African heads of state and a Japanese delegation are meeting to discuss “African-led” development at a meeting in Tunisia. Financial aid was discussed. Tunisian President Kais Saied welcomed the participants to the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development—or TICAD— from August 27-28 in Tunis, […]
Newly Elected Kenyan Leader Ends Voting by Tribe, Analysts Say
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Is the two-party system a thing of the past? Low voter turnout in the US seems to reflect disenchantment with a single choice between Democrats and Republicans. Kenya is no different. This month, Kenyans tossed the traditional toss-up between the Luo and Kikuyu ethnic groups […]
Militants Take Lives at Somali Hotel as US Special Ops Deploy in Somalia
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Government forces say they have put down a siege at the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu that began on August 19 and has reportedly left over 20 casualties. It is the largest siege in the country since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president […]
Somali’s Shakespeare Passes After A Long Illness
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, better known by his pen name Hadrawi, has passed away in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, after a long illness, according to family members. He was 79. “We have lost an icon in Somali literature,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said. “A […]
Son Of ‘Goodwill Zwelithini’ Ascends to Zulu Royal Throne
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — In the traditional ceremonies of the Zulu people, Misuzulu Zulu, 47, was crowned the new king of the country’s richest and most influential traditional monarchy. Thousands of people gathered at the Zulu royal palace in South Africa to witness the ceremony. Misuzulu Zulu ascended to […]
Rising Prices, Low Incomes Bedevil Sierra Leoneans
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | FREETOWN (IDN) — Americans aren’t alone in turning purple over the car’s skyrocketing costs for housing, food, medical care and fuel. Last month in Sierra Leone, women street vendors gathered peacefully to protest the soaring cost of living. A few days later, the number swelled to […]
Kenyans Select Presidential Winner but Not All Agree
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — What began as a quiet voting exercise with a low voter turnout ended with an upset victory for Kenya’s Deputy President, William Amolo Ruto, who becomes the nation’s fifth president. The race had taken a worrying turn since polls were shut down several times after […]
Asians Recall Expulsion from Uganda 50 Years Ago
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | LEICESTER (IDN) — It remains a bitter memory for Asians, some life-long and others more recent residents of Uganda, of their sudden, unexpected expulsion from the African country they called home 50 years ago this month. They had just 90 days to pack up and leave, […]