New African articles from October 2005

New African archives from October 2005

Brain drain and other matters.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... The Gold Coast gained independence from Britain in 1957. In less than 25 years, the fledgling Ghana had five coups d'etat plus one revolution, before which soldiers invaded Korle Bu Hospital compound and beat us up. I had to flee my house to...

How Africa developed Europe and America.(Black History Month)
October 1, 2005... By cancelling Africa's debts, the G8 countries are supposed to be doing Africa a favour in helping to develop the continent. While this is partly true, the other half of the truth has not been told... and it is that without Africa's wealth and...

'The colonies have been created for the metropole by the metropole': by Dr Walter Rodney--this extract from his seminal work published in 1972, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, shows how the "golden years" of the colonial era intensified the development of Europe and America by Africa.(Black History Month)(Excerpt)
October 1, 2005... In 1791, the French National Assembly debated the issue of ending the slave trade and giving freedom to the slave colonies. Bishop Maury's contribution to the debate in the House was very instructive. "If you were to lose each year more than...

Economic history that Africa must not repeat: the economic success of the Asian tigers is often held up as an example to Africa, but as Dr Lawrence Akwetey writes here, Africa should study the history of the near collapse of the Asian tigers in 1997 in order not to repeat their sad ordeal.(Black History Month)
October 1, 2005... After the G8 summit in Gleneagles and the deal on debt relief, the question that comes to the fore is whether such promises (sometimes backed by no action) constitute the real panacea for Africa's problems. Is it more aid or trade that Africa...

Africa: the 1884 scramble was for resources to develop Europe; Rotimi Sankore examines the partition of Africa and explains why Africans must appreciate its historical significance.(Black History Month)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Despite its pivotal role in entrenching the huge obstacles preventing Africa's political and economic development, the 120th anniversary of the partition of Africa by the Berlin Conference (of November 1884 to February 1885) passed largely...

Britain: the 'sex problem'.
October 1, 2005... National, regional and local archives throughout Africa, Europe and America contain a wealth of information about Africa's past. Inspired by the wisdom of the Sankofa bird, our new features column, "Tales from the Archives", written by Carina...

South Africa: land issue winter of discontent.(Around Africa)
October 1, 2005... Any radical attempt by the government to redress the vexed land issue will cause concern in the capital markets and lead to capital flight. On the other hand, the continued lack of progress on the land question will surely cause political and...

Zimbabwe: why Western donors cannot stand free speech ... new African editor banned from book fair.(Zimbabwe International Book Fair )
October 1, 2005... This year's Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF), held in Harare in early August, ended in acrimony as Western donors who fund the Fair, threatened to pull their funding at the end of this year because they were not happy with the list of...

Breathing the free air of Africa: "roaming in Africa, I encounter a customs officer at the Johannesburg airport who wants to fleece me of my money. But I was damned if I was going to help corruption to grow in the new South Africa and become a way of life, as it has become in West Africa. Besides, if I succumbed, what would happen to travellers with less muscle than I had, as a journalist?".(Under the Neem Tree)
October 1, 2005... London-Johannesburg. It's an 11-hour flight, but South African Airways makes it feel as if it's but a minor hop--the food is excellent; the business class seats recline fully; the wine is good and the cockpit service is as smooth as you like....

Africa: 'we want the world to listen to us'; African NGOs met in Libya in late August under the auspices of the Gaddafi International Foundation (GIF) and resolved to do more to improve living conditions in their countries. Samson Oduana reports from Tripoli.(Feature)
October 1, 2005... "We are not happy with the present situation in Africa" was the leitmotiv of the African NGO representatives who attended the Gaddafi International Foundation's symposium in Tripoli. "We need regular financing to be able to fulfill our various...

We were neither fish nor fowl: "our pattern of education has been aligned hitherto to the demands of British examination councils. Above all, it was formulated and administered by an alien administration desirous of extending its dominant ideas and thought processes to us. We were denied the knowledge of our African past and informed that we had no present. What future could there be for us?" Discuss.(Not in Black or White)
October 1, 2005... Extracting information from dead black males who wrote is a task unsuitable for the unprepared. Passing on knowledge gained from them becomes a dangerous minefield. But gold lies in their philosophic heels. It's real easy to grasp wisdom when...