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Showing posts with the label Development

BloGHome: Contribute to Ghana's First Social Media Hub, Generate #MoreStories

The current wave of African storytelling is largely driven by access to social media and citizen journalists who literally break the news as it happens. But there's still a lot of content yet to be created - especially in Ghana, Africa. BloggingGhana  has been at the forefront of social media and citizen journalism in Ghana since it's inception in 2009 by a group of 8 friends. Now, the organization has hundreds of active members who contribute to news, information on Ghana, Africa, from the ground up. After five years of meeting and working in cafes, auditoriums, schools, and so on, BloGH is finally coming home. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to BloGHome. With the launch of its #MoreStories fundraising drive, BloGH hopes to raise $10,000 to furnish its newly procured office in Accra (see below). Per it's Indiegogo fundraising page , BloGHome will include a training area for training students, civil society, government actors and organizations on using social media ...

The Letter Writing Project: Truth and Deniability

Source:  The Black Narrator Dear President Mahama, It's me again. The lady who wrote you an  open letter about Ghanaians living in darkness , yeah that one. Once again, I'm writing to you, because although I strongly believe that any real change in Ghana's state of affairs will ultimately have to come from the fabric of our society - we Ghanaians - the fact is that you are our president, our chosen leader for this era of our national existence. And so, for the second time, I'm addressing you, with all due respect. What do I know about politics? Not much besides what I learned in school, hear on the radio, or see from Ghana's politicians. Oh, and of course, from the oh-so-awesome TV show Scandal which captures DC politics. So yeah, I know very little about the political game - which I hear isn't so endearing to begin with - and probably much less about being president of a nation of almost 25million. Point is, what I'm about to say might just sound l...

Kenya and the Complex Question of Islamist Extremism in Africa

Kenya. Who would have thought that one of Africa's brightest would be in the news for other than economic prowess and technological advancements? And yet it happened. On Saturday, September 21, members of the Somali extremist Islamist movement Al-Shabab attacked Nairobi's popular WestGate mall , killing an estimated 62 people and injuring up to 150 others. The victims and injured comprised of both Kenyans and non-Kenyans, with some as young as 2 years. One of Ghana's own - renowned poet and former statesman Kofi Awoonor - was caught in the crossfire as well. The fact that this happened is heartbreaking and still unthinkable; no amount of empathy could make it possible to understand the why behind such an unacceptable act.  That said, anyone who limits this unfortunate incident to an act in the name of religion is sorely missing the point in this recent attack as well as past terrorist acts by known Islamist groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Qaeda. Africa...

Recap: The China-Africa Debate [Video]

China’s engagement with Africa has made the headlines in recent times as more African countries turn East for financial and technical assistance with business and development. There is increased commodity trade between the two, and last year, China surpassed the US as Africa’s largest trade partner with trade flows equaling an estimated US $200 billion. Many African governments have expressed their support for the so-called Chinese model which they regard as being more rooted in partnership than in the traditional donor-beneficiary relationship that characterizes foreign assistance from the West. However, critics have warned that China's engagement reeks of "neo-colonialism" and have denounced China’s poor record of human rights and environmental protection. Despite the increased economic engagement between China and African governments, the level of dialogue at the grassroots and amongst citizens has been at a minimum. Chinese and Africans regard each another with...