Why Obama Won

The dust is beginning to settle.  The best of us are still trying to figure out how a relatively inexperienced African-American senator managed to charm his way into our children’s history books. Speaking at an Obama rally in Florida this past Saturday, comedian Chris Rock seemed certain why Barack Obama would win the race to [...]

A Quick Poll on Zim’

Events surrounding Zimbabwe have certainly not gone unnoticed in the news lately. A few examples can be found here, here, and here. Not forgetting Petina Gappah’s rant here, and Michael Trapido’s sentiments here.
I am keen to gauge the mood pertaining to Zimbabwe based on the traffic passing through this blog.  Kindly spare a moment to [...]

Men’s What?

The November edition of Men’s Health magazine came through my postbox this past Wednesday.  Images of impossibly fit bodybuilders have become a fixture on the magazine’s cover each month.  Bearing this in mind, it was surprising to find a glum Barack Obama staring out of the latest edition (pictured).
November’s Men’s Health magazine is dubbed “The [...]

Essential Viewing!

I urge anyone with an interest in Africa to stop and watch this presentation by Ory Okolloh.  It was delivered last year at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Arusha, Tanzania. This is essential viewing for Africans and non-Africans alike. To listen to Ory’s fascinating talk, click the image on the right or click here.
Ory is [...]

Big Speeches and Shock Selections

Democrats in the United States must have wished the presidential election could be decided on the basis of speeches alone.  Barack Obama’s Thursday night acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was a masterclass in oratory skill. In the same token, Republicans may have hoped presidential elections could be won by candidates providing the most [...]

Remembering Mwanawasa

President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, of Zambia, passed away this morning in a French military hospital. My sincere condolences go out to his family and all Africans who may be mourning this tragic loss.
Since hearing news of his death, I have struggled to allocate an appropriate box in my mind to store Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy. In [...]

A British Obama?

For those of us following current events in Southern Africa, the week so far has not provided much to consider. For the benefit of anyone just back from Mars, I am referring to Zimbabwe’s three key political entities reportedly negotiating around a table somewhere in South Africa. The more interesting political developments have surprisingly [...]

“Sunday Shopping Banned in Croatia”

On the 15th of July 2008, The Boston Globe featured a short article on recent developments in Croatia which caught my eye. It was a report on the Croatian parliament passing a law forcing shops to close on Sunday in a concession to the Roman Catholic Church. It got me wondering if this [...]