John Pombe Magufuli, was elected President of Tanzania on October 25, 2015. Backed by Chama Cha Mapinduzi, Tanzania’s dominant political party, Magufuli secured the election with 58% of the votes to Edward Lowassa’s 40%. About the Bulldozer Growing up as the son of a peasant farmer, Magufuli found it important to pursue education and…
Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, rose to power following his party’s victory in 2009, and was recently reelected in the 2014 elections. President Zuma is no stranger to controversy. In 2005 he was charged with rape, but was quickly acquitted. He has also battled legal allegations of racketeering and corruption. His main…
Following the upending event of September 11th in New York City, and the ensuing global campaign against terrorism, the broader security dynamics of almost every region of the world have transformed drastically. Tactics employed by splinter groups today have taken on a new face – one dominated by intense guerrilla warfare aimed at instilling…
Somalia was at one point one of the most beautiful and peaceful countries in Africa, prior to the civil war. After 1991, the entire landscape changed as the central government collapsed and the warlords began a battle of attrition to appropriate the resources of the country. Piracy off the coast of Somalia soon became…
Ghana is a culturally-rich country, with many different ethnic and racial groups living in harmony together. Unfortunately, its economy is in a less harmonious phase, due to many developmental issues. Natural Resources & Poverty Ghana is prosperous in several natural resources, including gold, silver, salt, fish, petroleum, limestone, and timber. Unfortunately, in spite of…
As the world reels from the ISIS led attacks in Brussels carried out on Tuesday, and while still not yet recovered from the Al Queda assault in the Ivory Coast just over a week ago, it seems that citizens globally are living in a new reality where cold, heartless terrorists strike with impunity. In…
“…a master of language, and [your] commitment as a dramatist and writer of poetry and prose to problems of general and deep significance for man, modern or ancient.” – presentation speech by Professor Lars Gyllensten, of the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1986 Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright, author, poet, essayist, teacher and…
On February 18, 2016, Election Day in Uganda, Ugandan voters had the opportunity to change the nation, or so they thought. But, with a less than smooth voting process which resulted in the re-election of Yoweri Museveni, Ugandans are left with many questions. Eight candidates ran in the presidential election but the main contenders were Museveni and Besigye.…
As people all over the world fight desperately to eliminate wage gaps and gender based violence, it can be tempting to think that the gender rights war is in vain. But, we need not look further than Namibia for hope that men and women everywhere will soon attain equality. Those in this Southern African country are…
Thankfully, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa’s Senegal is over. But, the virus took a toll on the country’s tourism and economic sectors. To help improve the GDP (gross domestic profit) as well as the agricultural and economic sectors, Senegal’s president Macky Sall launched the PSE or Plan Sénégal Emergent (Emerging Senegal Plan) in 2014. About the PSE …
