History Archive
Borders and Blood
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Economy, History, Politics, Uncategorized on February 25, 2013
by Conor Godfrey I’ve been accused of being a relentless Africa booster… this is almost certainly true. To fight back, however, I am going to offer a scarier version of the continent’s next thirty years that has taken up serious mind share recently. This idea will hopefully pass muster as a research topic, so I [...]
The Great Debate in Africa
It took them longer to get the babies and kissing spouses onto the stage, but the first ever, quite spectacular Kenyan presidential debate ended very much like most of America’s primary debates: The crazies looked crazier, the ones who quoted scripture couldn’t quote GDP numbers, every pot called every kettle black, the smart drowned in [...]
Should the Past Burn Away?
The Mali war has reignited an old debate: should precious artifacts always be returned to the motherland, or should they be kept in safety by the greater, more stable powers of the world? Yesterday France returned to Nigeria in an elaborate ceremonial handover several confiscations of ancient Nok Arts, prized terra cotta sculptures of Nigerian [...]
Jump Start
In a much saner way than America, Kenya’s presidential campaign got underway yesterday. Saner, because it will be done and over six weeks after beginning! This is, of course, the big one folks. Not only will it choose the first truly democratically elected leader of Kenya, under its new and fabulous constitution, as the country’s [...]
Surge Then Peace?
When’s the last time the U.S. fought a war in a foreign land that ended with a better society and government for those people and greater peace for all the world? Yesterday. But before that, you have to go back to World War II. But yesterday the U.S. officially recognized the existing Somalia government after [...]
Waiting for March 4
The starting bell will ring and ring and ring madly throughout Kenya Thursday for the start of the awesome 2013 elections. And then deathly silence follows for 6 terrifying weeks. The economy has already stopped. Donors and outside investors alike have literally stopped all financial transactions. Schools will close so their buildings can be used [...]
Goma Solution
Starve Rwandan and Ugandan dictators of any aid, significantly beef up the UN peace-keepers in Goma, allow the “Arab Spring” to develop and let the chips fall where they may. That’s my solution for the Goma catastrophe. It surprised me that Goma has stayed in the news. I’m not sure why, as the current crisis [...]
The Democratic Challenge
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Corruption, Culture, History, Kenya, Politics on October 12, 2012
Two of Africa’s wisest old men have echoed the same cautions that America’s founders gave a young democracy about its elections. Beware: Bad elections are the greatest threats to democracy. Yesterday Kofi Annan and Ngugi wa’Thiongo focused on the upcoming Kenyan elections as a marker for world democracy and reflected on America’s distortion of elections [...]
Clash of the Faithful
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Education, History, Kenya on October 1, 2012
A colonial benchmark is struck in Kenya as Parliament considers banning religious organizations in publically funded schools. The Catholic Church has initiated a massive campaign to counter Parliament’s likely move which I doubt will be successful. The Education Bill is one of the most striking features of Kenya’s rapid move to implement its new and [...]
Black Gold
Posted by jimheck in Economy, Environment, Global Relations, History, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda on September 25, 2012
As the U.S. and Europe teeter with their economies their investors are turning to Africa where energy companies are growing rich overnight. Fed up with the failures of austerity in Europe and the even greater failures of politics in the U.S., giant multinationals are directing investment out of their home turfs to Africa. Facilitated especially [...]
Last of the Matriarchs
Posted by jimheck in Big Game, History, Wildlife Research on September 17, 2012
This month marks the 40th anniversary of a celebrated field researcher, Cynthia Moss. Ms. Moss began her field research in 1972 where she remains today, among the elephants of Amboseli in Kenya. Moss was the 4th untrained volunteer woman who turned up in the field in the 1960s and early 1970s and became famous worldwide [...]
Renewing [or not] The Strongman
Posted by jimheck in Corruption, Global Relations, History, Politics on August 24, 2012
Last week’s death (unusually of natural causes) of Ethiopia’s strongman Meles Zenawi is an unique opportunity for America to reflect on its impact in East Africa, if not the whole of the developing world. Meles was one of the most ruthless dictators in the world. He was also heavily supported (argue, “propped up”) by the [...]
Good News Somalia
Yesterday clan leaders from around Somalia adopted the first truly national constitution in 40 years. All we need now is an end to the global recession. There is a lot of trouble in Africa right now, and a lot of it is in Somalia. While the 825 delegates prepared to adopt its historic first constitution [...]
Clinton’s Congo Collapses
The UN’s actions in eastern Congo to stop the escalating war might work for the moment, but they are useless down the line without an American pivot in Rwanda. America was drawn into this mess because of the political weakness and inept statesmanship of Bill Clinton. As time accelerates off those years Clinton comes into [...]
Circumcise or Die
Kenyan rappers are being prosecuted for hate speech in the run-up to March’s election. We don’t prosecute MnM but these guys should be clamped. There is a wide range of laws prohibiting hate speech around the world. We in the U.S. are among the most liberal but developed cousins like the U.K. have rather sophisticated [...]