Recently in Reading West Africa program Category

I hadn't seen this article from USF's student newspaper:

The opportunity to travel in Africa and publish a children's book for a small village does not come by very often. For junior Elizabeth Guerra, accomplishing just that was an experience of a lifetime. Guerra traveled to Burkina Faso, a small country in the heart of West Africa that is known to be one of the poorest countries in the world, "with about 80% of its population living in rural villages and earning their livings by working as subsistence farmers," Guerra said. For four months, Guerra traveled with a group of eight other students from September to December 2009 through the Santa Clara University Reading West Africa program.

For the beginning part of her stay, Guerra took classes in the capital city of Ouagadougou, studying economic development, community development, French literature and photography. The official language is actually French, since France colonized the country until Burkina Faso gained its independence in 1960 .

During the other half of her time in Africa, Guerra stayed in the rural village, Sara, in Burkina Faso for a total of 6 weeks. There, she shared a village house with one other student, and together they worked as librarian assistants in the village's library, which was established by Friends of African Village Libraries (FAVL) and the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).

Read all....

Bonjour Michael

Le moral des bibliothécaires était bon.  Elisée a été un peu direct avec eux a propos des problèmes tel que les erreurs sur les comptes, la bonne rédaction des rapports et la conduite des activités. Il a rappelé que de telles erreurs retardent le travail et peuvent avoir une incidence sur tout le système.  Tout le monde a participé au débat, ils ont pris l'engagement de bien faire dorénavant.  Mais la question majeure était la disponibilité de l'argent pour les fonds de roulement des bibliothèques. Les bibliothécaires disent que le manque d'argent dans les caisses fait qu'il est difficile de prendre des initiatives d'animation qui peuvent nécessiter de l'argent.  

Le bureau à Hounde était bien. C'était un peu en désordre parcequ' il avait un gros paquet de  livres en boites qui prenait beaucoup de place et qu'il fallait distribuer aux bibliothécaires. L'accueil était formidable, la famille de Donkoui était très accueillante (j'adore ses enfants) et on a très bien mangée. Moi j'ai découvert un délicieux plat qui s'appelle le nionkon (boules vertes avec feuilles d'haricot, graines de petit mil et de l'arachide).  Mais dans l'ensemble tout s'est bien passé.
                                                                                                                 
Merci

Emilie
 

I finally found a movie from Ouagadougou that has the kind of quick-cut, clever, non-traditional storytelling, including a sarcastic talking donkey, lots of side references to cinema traditions, a real Verre Casse of the cinema.... wow!!!! See review from Gareth.

It must have been a promotional video for his Wassa Club, in downtown Ouagadougou, which Leslie and I used to go to... or maybe that is what it is called now? The video imagery is by Phiip Mallory Jones, who is seriously awesome!

She raps in French/Nouchi, the street language of Abidjan youth...
can you hear some French in there?
 

When I am teaching development economics, I always try to remind people of two things.  First, the economy of even the poorest developing country includes people who earn their living by drawing cartoons.  They are part of the economy too!  And second, even the poorest developing economy also has a service sector that includes beauty contests.  But one never hears mention of "beauty contest service sector government policy", and microfinance doesn't seem to include beatuy contest promoters and contestants in their panoply of deserving borrowers.  Why, though?  The beauty contest is a service sector activity, just like any other.  Or is it?

An article to make you sigh.  Why do people love money so much?  Is it because they are hoping to later do good with it?  From a New York Times article that is more about Lanny Davis than Teodor Obiang.   (And guess who Davis' special friend has been over the past years?  Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State.  And guess who has lots of oil rigs off the EqG coast?  American oil companies.  And guess who chuckles to themselves like Mr. Crab in the back office?)

CAPE TOWN -- The president of Equatorial Guinea, who has ruled the oil-rich West African nation for three decades, sought Monday to recast his reputation as a corrupt, repressive leader in a more progressive mold. Enlarge This Image Enrique De La Osa/Reuters Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Related * Times Topic: Equatorial Guinea Standing at his side to help him do that was the American lobbyist he has hired for $1 million a year: Lanny J. Davis, who served as a special counsel to President Bill Clinton.