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Polygamy Fading Out Of Fashion For African Muslims, Men And Women Alike – All News Is Global |

February 7, 2013

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Polygamy Fading Out Of Fashion For African Muslims, Men And Women Alike – All News Is Global |.

GOMA – Young Muslim men in the Democratic Republic of Congo are less interested in having several wives than their fathers were. Facing rising prices and feuds over inheritance, the new generation doesn’t see how the benefits outweigh the costs of having multiple spouses in the same household.

As for the women of the current generation coming of age, they see that wives are often the victims of polygamous customs, and reject this form of marriage. It’s also worth noting that it is no longer legal under Congolese law.

“If you want to end up like me, embrace polygamy…” This is how 70-year-old El Hadji H.E warns his grandchildren. In the middle of his large parcel in Magendo, the popular neighborhood of the eastern city of Goma, a large, old house occupies much land. In the garden are two wrecked Volvo trucks, the latest symbols of yesterday’s prosperity for this family of 40 children and eight wives…

Can the AU Deliver Pax Africana? | Think Africa Press

February 7, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Peace & Security, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Can the AU Deliver Pax Africana? | Think Africa Press.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:

Last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African Union (AU) leaders celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) – the AU’s predecessor. They spoke of the OAU’s leadership in past liberation struggles and offered lofty visions for the future.

But, in his final speech as AU assembly chairperson, Benin’s President Yayi Boni took a more critical look at the present.

Referring to France’s recent military intervention in northern Mali, he asked: “How can we understand that when danger threatened its very basis, Africa, which has the means to organise its own defence, continued to wait?”

Boni’s frustration speaks more broadly of the AU’s continued difficulty in achieving Pax Africana: a peace kept in Africa, by Africa…

Gambia’s GDP among fastest growers – Economist – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia

January 17, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Gambia’s GDP among fastest growers – Economist – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia

via Gambia’s GDP among fastest growers – Economist – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of The Gambia has been identified among the fastest growers and ranked fourth after Macau, Mongolia and Libya, and not among the shrinkers.

This was revealed in the publication of The Economist 5th January 2013, Economic and Financial Indicator of the world in 2013…

Don\’t mind the mosquito in 2013 | The Africa Report.com

January 6, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Malaria, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Don\’t mind the mosquito in 2013 | The Africa Report.com

via Don\’t mind the mosquito in 2013 | The Africa Report.com.

Scientists across the world and in Africa are making vast advances on vaccinations and treatments for diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.

The University of Cape Town’s Science Department is working on a single-dose cure for malaria that kills the parasite instantly.

It is due to complete trials of the aminopyridine-class drug in late 2013.

Read the original article on Theafricareport.com : Don’t mind the mosquito in 2013 | The Africa Report.com
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Guilty Pleasure: Slavery and Child Labour in the Production of Chocolate

December 30, 2012

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Guilty Pleasure: Slavery and Child Labour in the Production of Chocolate.

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Thomas Hauschildt

For many, Christmas is upon us once again. And like every other year chocolate will be sold in vast quantities. But unbeknownst to most consumers, some of the chocolate they buy will have partly been the product of slavery and child labour in West Africa.

A bittersweet product

West Africa was responsible for nearly three quarters of the 4.24 million tonnes cocoa beans produced worldwide last year – the Ivory Coast alone produced roughly 1.5 million tonnes, or one third of the world’s production, while Ghana produced over 1 million tonnes. According to some research, these two countries also rely on around 1.8 million child labourers…

Dakar mosque decked in Christmas lights as mostly Muslim Senegal joins in holiday cheer – The Washington Post

December 26, 2012

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, People & Society, peter singhateh, Senegal Leave a comment

Dakar mosque decked in Christmas lights as mostly Muslim Senegal joins in holiday cheer – The Washington Post

via Dakar mosque decked in Christmas lights as mostly Muslim Senegal joins in holiday cheer – The Washington Post.

It looks a lot like Christmas in Senegal, where 95 percent of the 12.8 million residents are Muslim. Even the Grande Mosquee, a mosque that dominates the city’s skyline, is aglow in holiday lights.

“When they go to school, the children learn about Santa,” says Lo, wearing a flowing olive green robe known as a boubou. “We are born into the Senegalese tradition of cohabitation between Muslims and Christians. What is essential is the respect between people.”

Senegal, a moderate country along Africa’s western coast, has long been a place where Christians and Muslims have coexisted peacefully. Most Christians here are Catholic and live in the south of country and in the capital…

Africa, Sovereignty and International Law | Think Africa Press

November 6, 2012

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, peter singhateh, West Africa Leave a comment

3: Africa, Sovereignty and International Law | Think Africa Press.

Sovereignty is not solely a European invention that was extended and exported; its origins are mired in encounters with the rest of the world – a history of subjugation. This article will seek to identify key turning points in its evolution, comparing and contrasting various classic and contemporary qualities, in order to provide the necessary context in which to understand current projects in international law….

IRIN Africa | MADAGASCAR: Sex for survival | Madagascar | Children | Economy | Gender Issues | HIV/AIDS (PlusNews) | Urban Risk

August 28, 2012

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment

ANTANANARIVO, 28 August 2012 (IRIN) – About one in seven residents of Madagascar’s main port city of Toamasina are sex workers.

In less than 20 years, the number of registered sex workers in the city of about 200,000 residents has climbed from 17,000 in 1993 to 29,000 in 2012. The increase has been driven by rising poverty levels as well as the city’s proximity to the recently opened Ambatovy nickel mine.

Construction of the mine, coupled with recent improvements to the port, saw an influx of thousands of foreign workers. The billion-dollar investments also resulted in an escalation in living costs and the collapse of traditional commercial activities like the collection and sale of cloves and coffee, pushing more young women into sex work.

“Girls come from the countryside to work as maids. Then, when they have a problem with their employer, other girls from their region introduce them to prostitution,” Germaine Razafindravao, the president of the local sex worker collective FIVEMITO (‘Fikambanaina Vehivavy Miavotena Toamasina’ or Women’s Future), told IRIN…