Written by Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira · Translated by Alison Writer, human rights advocate, and French resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel [1], whose bestselling manifesto on peaceful uprising inspired the disenchanted of Europe and the United States to organize into protest [2], died on the night of February 26, 2013. He was 95. Hessel came to the worldwide recognition […]
Senegal: No Slack for President Wade After Peaceful Election Defeat
Written by Jea While the outside world appears unanimous in its praise for outgoing Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade [1] and democracy after a peaceful election outcome [2] in March 2012, the Senegalese blogosphere has been more critical of former President Wade’s record. Bloggers have not forgotten the victims of pre-electoral violence [3], the violation of press […]
Madagascar Delegation Barred from UN General Assembly Stage
The political impasse in Madagascar has taken on new dimensions. In an attempt to legitimize the military-backed government on the international scene, Madagascar’s current leader, Andry Rajoelina, was scheduled to take the floor at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, only to be barred from speaking. He was later rescheduled to address […]
Gabon: On President Omar Bongo’s death
Sunday night, French media announced the death of President Omar Bongo of Gabon, who had spent 41 of his 73 years in power. French newspaper Le Point reported that they received news of his death, by cancer, in a private clinic in Barcelona, through a “source close to the President’s entourage”. AFP, on the other […]
Moroccan Blogger Mohammed Erraji Acquitted
The Blogoma, or Moroccan blogosphere, was buzzing today over news of Moroccan blogger Mohammed Erraji‘s acquittal. Erraji was arrested for writing, in the Arabic publication Hespress, that the king’s charity toward his people encourages them to remain helpless rather than work hard. Erraji’s case inspired a bit of a renaissance within the Blogoma, reminiscent of when bloggers […]
Pro-Israel Tunisian Gets Bloggers Buzzing
Posted by Jennifer Brea to Global Voices Online Zizou from Djerba recently introduced his readers [Fr] to Souheil Ftouh, whom he describes as “surely the most pro-Jewish and admiring of Israel of all Tunisian Arabs :-)”, a man whose perspectives, unorthodox for a Tunisian, left Zizou‘s readers respond a bit appalled. Zizou links to several […]