Past Features

• Niger: Who’s in and out in the Regions?
  13 March 2010 | 1:58 am

  As I noted on the 10th of March, the CSRD junta in Niger has replaced all the civilian Region Governors with military men to administer local affairs during the transition. We now have the full list, and while I for one hate to see any military governing, a careful look at the men (all men) coming and going in Niger's Regions gives us an opportunity to examine what's going on behind the scenes, and what it augurs for the future. More ...

• Niger: Even good coups get the blues
  6 March 2010 | 12:22 am

  Nigeriens were - are - undoubtedly pleased that the army stepped in to end a newly installed dictatorship. But criticisms of this so called "good coup" are beginning to appear even amongst its strongest supporters. With many months of transitional rule ahead, these whispers give us some idea of the problems the junta will soon face.

• African Cup Final ’56
  2 March 2010 | 10:33 pm

  One doesn't see much film, let alone color film, of colonial era African football. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across clips of a French colonial propaganda newsreel featuring the my favorite African club side wining a colonial cup final from 1956.

• Niger: Is 2010 just 1999 backwards?
  23 February 2010 | 5:28 pm

  The new military Junta in Niger has released their first real vision of their promised return to democracy. Niger's expectations, a redux of recent history, are being played to by the soldiers.

• Niger: Coup against Tandja
  18 February 2010 | 10:20 am

  After a day of confusion, President Tandja and his supporters are under arrest by the military. I have maintained the live updates from the 18th, and added an in depth analysis of the new CSRD junta.

• Niger: The Poetry of Adamou Idé
  3 February 2010 | 8:23 pm

  "Poets are feared by those in power that use violence, who are prosperous at the expense of the collective suffering." - Adamou Idé

• Ch-ch-cha-changes
  28 January 2010 | 12:12 pm

  a dinosaur comic about about potable water conservation in sub-Saharan Africa?

• US Arrests Malians in Terror Drugs “Link”
  20 December 2009 | 12:11 am

  The US government will make much of the arrests of three Malians who they say were part of a West African criminal network, devoted to drug smuggling and Osama Bin Laden. So far all we have is hype and what looks like the entrapment of low level criminals.

• Niger: Republic Day opens Danger Week?
  18 December 2009 | 4:49 pm

  The December 18th anniversary of the Nigerien Republic begins a series of dates which may bring the political crisis to a boil, just as mediators think they've made a breakthrough.

• Centrafrique: When a neocolony collapses
  17 December 2009 | 5:31 pm

  A brief look, if one is possible, at the simmering crisis in the northeast Central African Republic. As commentators try to come to grips with this often ignored nation, here is some recommended reading for Anglophones interested in the République centrafricaine.

• Niger’s 6th Republic stumbles on, looking for the door
  3 December 2009 | 5:39 pm

  Niger's rulers would have expected this to be wrapped up by now, with the previous legal deadline for a new president to pass on the 22nd with a shrug. But fears (or hopes) remain that some of those most loyal to the project are looking to abandon their President

• Guinea: Dec. 8th March in NYC
  30 November 2009 | 4:10 pm

  Join the second march on the UN by Guineans and their allies in New York City, Thursday December 8th. If you can't make it, there are ways to get involved, so please do!

• Football Heartbreaks: Thierry Henry Handball
  19 November 2009 | 12:33 am

  "If you watch it frame by frame you can pinpoint the exact moment his heart rips in half..."

• “A Gentle Bonecrusher”
  18 November 2009 | 4:49 pm

  Anti-fascist activist Ivan "Bonecrusher" Khutorskoy was murdered in Moscow this Monday.

• Niger:Piling on the Pressure
  11 November 2009 | 11:27 pm

  As the "Abuja I" talks begin with ECOWAS, President Tandja of Niger is increasingly backed into a political and financial corner. Will his "6th Republic" be sacrificed as a way out?

• Strange News on my Computer
  4 November 2009 | 12:02 am

  The local elections are odd enough. But "Claude Levi-Strauss" is the 4th most popular search on Yahoo? Right between "Dancing With The Stars" and "H1N1 Symptoms".

• NYC: Tuesday Protest (/) Vote!
  2 November 2009 | 4:53 pm

  I know all the debates about voting not changing anything, and while I tend to agree, I'm not asking you to overthrow capitalism with a vote. It won't do that. But it is a splendid soapbox.... So Vote Reverend Billy for NYC Mayor, Greg Pason for NJ Governor, and Debbie Rose for City Council.

• Dance Craze and Moral Panic in Bamako
  28 October 2009 | 2:03 pm

  Popular sound systems blend traditional sounds with DJ beats, and keep people across Bamako on their feet. But will Mali's capitol ban the "Balani Show" dance parties?

• West Africa: Awash in First World Weapons
  9 October 2009 | 4:37 pm

  A recent seizure of US arms in Nigeria highlights the profit and loss of small arms supplied to West Africa.

• Guinea: Bloody Repression Marks Independence
  28 September 2009 | 5:01 pm

  Blood on the streets of Conakry is a price the Junta is willing to pay for power.

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