Black Panther Mellows in Tanzania

Apropos of our work this week on the colonization of eastern and southern Africa, here's a very hopeful article about an American out-law who's made a new life in the Tanzanian bush.

So as not to overwhelm you all as the semester gets more intense, I'm going to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on instead of every weekday.

Nigeria Turns 50

There is a series of interesting articles on Nigeria in the Guardian today because it's the 50th anniversary of Nigeria's independence from Britain. This article about the traditional rulers that still exist in the country caught my attention.

The textbooks mention Ibn Battuta, who was a great traveler. He lived at about the time of Marco Polo, and covered many more miles than Polo. He was intent on visiting the entire Islamic world. Of course, that included West Africa and the Sahara from 1351-1353 CE. You can read about his trip to Sub-Saharan Africa here.

Another site has a very cool google map of his entire journey.

The African Faces of American Football

This one's for Will! Here's an article about three football players with close ties to Africa and a strong urge to make the world better.

I can cheer for that!

Here's an article about Nigerian pirates attacking an off-shore oil field and taking hostages. This short article really shows just how global the oil business is there. The hostages taken were French employees working in an off-shore oil field that is operated by a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned oil producer Sinopec Group. The pirates were armed with Russian Kalashnikov rifles. What really surprised me is that Nigeria is one of the main suppliers of oil to the USA.

Why are Nigerian guerrillas attacking and sabotaging oil production?

Did you know that Nigeria has had a worse oil disaster than the BP Gulf disaster?

Somalia and Identity

Here's an interesting article that describes a small town in Somalia. It points out that Somalia has been without a functioning government for 20 years and that, unlike most of the rest of the continent, Somalia is remarkably homogeneous with everyone speaking the same language, sharing an ethnic identity, and one single religion (Sunni Islam).

How can there be war when everyone is in the same group? Another article points out that Somalis are divided by clan, sub-clan, and sub-sub-clan identities.

Best Use of Distance Learning

There's an article in the NY Times about an excellent on-line MBA program that is giving 250 full scholarships to Africans with big plans to make a positive impact on their communities.

Could you or I do something really really useful with an MBA, something that would make the world better?

Good News -- Happy Friday!

Just saw this article on the falling rates of HIV infection (25%!) in Sub-Saharan Africa. It's nice to have such welcome news help ease us into the weekend. Hope you all have a great one.

Zulu Maidens Controversy

The article that was mentioned in class today was this one from the Guardian.

What are some of the controversial issues described in the article?

How is this related to the struggle against AIDS?

No easy answers here, I think, but a lot of food for thought.

How the Elephant Got Its Trunk

If you never had this read to you as a child, or even if you had, you should settle in with some milk and cookies to reread this gem. This link includes the original text and illustrations of the 1902 publication of Rudyard Kipling's "The Elephant's Child."

This, believe it or not, is required reading. We will discuss it in class because it is illustrative of and relevant to changing perspectives of Africa.


Where is the great grey-green greasy Limpopo River?

Sudan--One Coutry or Two?

The Christian Science Monitor has an article on the proposed division of Sudan, Africa's largest country, into two states. Some more background can be found in another CSM article.

How is this relevant to our topic today of Islam and Arab culture in Africa?

This won't be on a map quiz because the referendum is not until January.

Party Time in Madagascar

Here's the article I mentioned in class today about partying with your dead relatives in Madagascar.

Madagascar has a very diverse population/culture. What do you suppose the sources of this particular tradition might be? Where would you go to find out?

On-line Map Quizzes

I have found a few free on-line map quizzes to help you learn your way around the continent. They're kind of addictive. Let us know if you find others that you like.

• http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrquiz.html
• http://www.maps.com/games/africa.aspx
• http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/africa.html
• http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html
• http://www.addictinggames.com/africamap.html

Check out good maps at http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/af.htm

Fela! on Broadway

We've talked about books, movies, and tele-novellas about Africa. Now there's a Tony Award-winning musical on Broadway about Fela Kuti, the king of Afrobeat.

Fela Kuti, a native of Nigeria, was hugely influential in music, religion, and politics throughout Africa and around the world. Check out the wiki page.

Grace, there's extra-credit for you if see the show and give us a full report! Discount tickets can be found at Half-Price Tickets at Times Square and at Travelzoo.com.

New Egyptian Discoveries

The New York Times has a very nice article on a recent set of discoveries in the Theban Desert of Egypt. It ties in well with what we're reading for class this week and has an excellent map to help you place it all in context.

Please read the article (it's short), so we can discuss it in class.

And while you're at it, here's an interesting article on study habits that could make your life a lot easier.

Welcome!

Welcome to the African Studies class blog. I'll link all of your blogs on the side so that you can find each other easily. I'm looking forward to a lively and inspiring exchange here. Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

And, hey, don't worry--this is going to be fun!