By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – “The compensation of land is a settled issue, and we are not revisiting it.” Those were the words of government spokesman Nick Mangwana defending a $3.5 billion agreement to compensate white farmers whose properties were confiscated by the Mugabe regime to be redistributed to the […]
Tanzania’s Ex-President and Peacemaker Mkapa Dies of Malaria
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | DAR ES SALAAM (IDN) – Flags are being flown at half-mast for the former Tanzanian president, Benjamin William Mkapa, who passed away on July 24 after a bout of malaria. He was 81. He died in the early hours of July 24 while receiving treatment at […]
Building a Definition of Development
Viewpoint by Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir The writer is a sociologist and President of the High Atlas Foundation, a U.S.-Moroccan non-for-profit organization dedicated to sustainable development in Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) – The idea of development itself, its definition, and even the method we use for defining it, would be a good place to begin toward discovering […]
After Downing Statues, Africans Turn to Change at Home
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Africa has been pulling down statues for years – from Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town to Britain’s Queen Victoria in Kenya, to King Leopold of Belgium in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now, change is moving ahead in Sudan, Gabon and other […]
Africa’s Largest Hydro Dam Held Hostage as Horn of Africa Countries Wage ‘Water War’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Three neighbouring countries locked in a bitter dispute over rights to the precious waters of the Nile River may provide a preview of water wars around the world as global temperatures rise and droughts leave populations with insufficient water to drink or for farms. The […]
Mali Facing Worst Civil Unrest in Years
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | BAMAKO (IDN) – Protests broke out across the West African state of Mali for the third time in a month as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appeared unable or unwilling to meet popular demands. Tens of thousands of Malians filled the streets over the previous weekend in […]
‘Black Lives Matter’ Continues to Spur Changes in Africa
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – As Americans explore the renaming of army bases, statues, streets, and schools that honour racist slave-holders or portray demeaning relationships between whites and Black, Brown and Latinx citizens, similar efforts are underway in Senegal and Liberia most recently. Goree, an island in Senegal linked closely […]
Murder of Popular Protest Singer Swells Opposition Against Ethiopian Leader
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Ethiopian protest singer and revered musician Hachalu Hundessa sang about love and unity, recalled his friend Amensisa Ifa, raising issues that many would not dare to bring up. He addressed issues of marginalization – capturing the struggles and frustrations of his Oromo people who faced […]
France Returns Remains of Algerian Resistance Fighters
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – “The martyrs are returning home.” Those were the words of noted historian Malika Rahal on learning that the remains of 24 Algerian resistance fighters, killed in the Algerian independence war of 1954-62, would be flown back to Algeria after years kept by the French in […]
Huge Sahara Red Dust Cloud Reaches America’s South
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – A brilliant red sky at dusk can be seen in states along the Atlantic but the eye-popping show should be watched with some caveats. Things to consider when it comes to the dust cloud include the size of the particles, the concentration and the composition […]