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Rethinking Support to Local Governance
(Oct 03 2010)
To strengthen local governments across Africa, donors would be advised to spend more time and resources in researching and understanding local systems, according to Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi a key expert from the region.
Mr Mbassi, from Cameroon, is a well known expert in decentralisation and has...
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Ancient Practices with Modern Value
(May 16 2011)
The roaming farming practices of nomadic pastoralists may appear to have altered little in hundreds of years, but in today’s unpredictable age of climate change these ancient practices may hold the key to flexible farming in hostile environments and donors should do more to support them, say...
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Budget Support is Not the Only Way
(Oct 01 2010)
Funneling money into the coffers of partner countries is not the only way donors like the European Commission should offer their support. Finances should also be directed towards smaller bodies, like farmers groups, according to Mamadou Cissokho, a farmer’s representative from Senegal.
Donors are...
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Giving a Voice to the Voiceless in Zanzibar
(Mar 19 2012)
Fatm Said and her five children were forced from their home in Zanzibar at knife point. The man wielding the blade wasn’t a thief or local hoodlum but her husband wanting what he said was rightfully his – the house. And the local laws supported him.
Ms Said’s husband, a fisherman, spent long...
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Urban Video Guerrilla Units Seek to Revive Cinema in Africa
(Mar 19 2012)
As movie theatres close down across West Africa a new European Commission funded project aims to bring the movies to audiences with the help of specially adapted moped-trailers that carry a compact mobile film-screening kit.
The sale of cheap, pirate DVDs has seen a proliferation of illegal and...
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Representations of Africa - Media Can Help People be More Confident in Their Capacity
(Mar 19 2012)
International television and news reporting would be advised to focus more on what works well in Africa and inspire future generations of the continent’s youth, according to Amobé Mévégué, a well known media figure.
For years, Mr Mévégué was a well known voice on Radio France International’s...
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A Celebration of African Art in an Urban Setting
(Mar 19 2012)
Street sellers took a break from selling their wares, shoppers paused in the cool shade and kids lunched beneath dramatic photographs – all part of a special exhibition that created an unusual calm space in an African capital.
Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso was the first stop in a series...
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Lack of Education and Audiences Hobble African Arts Scene
(Mar 19 2012)
Investment in education and the building of appreciative audiences for African art in Africa are fundamental to the construction of a thriving and vibrant artistic landscape on the continent, according to video artist Theo Eshetu.
Speaking at the end of a three week residency in Burkina Faso, Mr...
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Investing in Culture to Support Growth and Development
(Mar 19 2012)
The European Commission supports a variety of cultural projects as it believes that investment in the arts, whether cinema, theatre, visual art, music or dance, can contribute positively to achieving economic and social development objectives.
Over a period of five years, the EC is projected to...
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The Power of Culture in Mali's Economic Development
(Mar 19 2012)
In Mali, the music industry is a small but significant driver of economic development bringing in much needed revenue and creating valuable jobs. With stronger political will from national governments and increased donor support, other African countries could follow Mali’s lead and harness the...
