Hello:
For this first assignment, please find an interesting article about Africa and write a synopsis of the main argument, evidence used, and what perspective the writer is taking on the subject. How is Africa portrayed? In a positive or negative light? Can you make an assumption about what the article is attempting to prove/disprove? You can choose anything involving Africa, from either/or a modern and historic perspective. Also list the url for where you got your information, so that your colleagues can view the site as well. Your comments here will be the basis of our discussion on Friday. Cheers.
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2012/09/17-africa-education-crisis-van-fleet
ReplyDeleteThe main point of this article is to shine a light on the education crisis going on in Africa and how this will negatively affect the social and economical growth for years to come. The writer references the Africa Learning Barometer throughout the article which gauges the quality of learning in 28 African countries. A statistical approach is used to prove that although there have been great improvements in the education system, there is a deeper rooted issue in the quality of education that African children receive. Africa is portrayed as a country in need of help to further their economical and social growth which can only be achieved through proper education. The writer seems to look at Africa in a negative light concerning the education system but more so at the rest of the world for not properly addressing the issue.
This makes me think of how the media looks at 'education' from a very western perspective.
Deletehttp://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/special-edition-women-2012/taking-violence-against-women-africa
ReplyDeleteThis article analyzes the cultural beliefs and lack of policy which permits Africa to have one of the highest rates of domestic and sexual violence against women. For example, 71 % of women in Ethiopia and 56% of women in Tanzania have reported being physically abused by a male significant other. Along with domestic violence African countries have high rates of forced marriage, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, sexual harassment and sex trafficking. Numerous countries throughout Africa have no laws prohibiting sexual harassment or domestic violence against women. The article argues that one of the main reasons for the high rates of violence against women is that inferiority of women is deeply rooted in African culture. As a result of this cultural belief, most societies in Africa condone or overlook violence against women. But women throughout Africa refuse to remain victims of abuse by participating in activism. In 1981, The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was established which pushed to end customs that encourage domestic abuse, enforce public education for women and create safe houses and rehab faculties for women. While the article does begin with a negative tone regarding Africa’s high rates of violence against women it shifts to a more positive outlook when discussing the progress made enforcing new policy. Counties, like Rwanda for example, are working on properly training social and medical workers to correctly handle domestic violence cases. While the article does have a relatively positive and hopeful tone it still addresses the issue that many countries in Africa are resistant to implement and enforce new policies to help protect and educate women.
I went to a conference last year with several African female scholars who were really trying to move the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault to the forefront of African politics, but it was super difficult to get many male politicians on board. This is a great article.
Deletewww.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jan/13/africa-oil-giants-anxious-times-commodities-boom-oil-metals
ReplyDeleteThe article documents the effect(s) that the current crash of oil and other "extractable" natural resources are having on the economies of the countries in Africa most dependent upon the income they bring. Slowing growth, debt, and percentages of exports affected are presented as evidence to back the claim that the drop in crude is having a large impact. As a whole, the article seems to be taking a mildly negative stance towards the governments of the affected countries. They are chastised for what the author perceives to be failures to plan for a drop in crude prices, as well as a lack of investment in essentially anything outside of crude production. The article seems to be advocating for better economic planning more than anything else. Continual references are made to a lack of planning on the part of the governments concerned, and it also demonstrates the dangers of depending on an export based economy, rather than a balanced one. It strikes a somewhat downward looking tone, but also does give the impression that there is still hope for the affected countries to fix their problems, but again it really doesn't provide any evidence (or speculation) that this will happen any time soon.
Interesting how we don't invade African countries for their oil. Maybe it's because of their poor government planning!
Deletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35308743
ReplyDeleteThis article was published on BBC News and it addresses the potential end to the West Africa Ebola outbreak. The article seemed to coordinate its arguments based on research released by the World Health Organization which detailed the process through which an outbreak can be dismissed as well as the death count that the ebola virus has taken so far. If the initial results are true and the virus is finally contained, then this news will come as a relief to the people of Africa for thousands of people have died and/or gotten sick since the initial reports in 2013. The writer of this article seemed to have a optimistic viewpoint for the people of West Africa moving forward, however, he or she does point out that various other diseases such as malaria are still a major concern in the region.
Those damn Bats! They are always transmitting viruses!
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/world/africa/a-tumultuous-housing-program-in-algeria.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis New York Times article by Carlotta Gall reports on the dismal condition of a popular government housing program in Algiers, Algeria crafted by a government plagued by impenetrable Authoritarianism and corruption. Gall begins the piece with an optimistic tone. The government of Algeria has implemented a vastly popular program to create government housing and secure these benefits for the people of Algiers. Gall explains that of the 70 percent of Algerians living in cities, many subscribe to the government housing and nearly all seem to desire its benefits. The problem, Gall explains throughout the argument, is that the program is poorly executed, plagued by corruption, and seemingly a grab for control by a government who has implemented such harsh controls of the housing market so as to require such an extensive program. Gall explains that the construction of the apartments, rather than being used as a key to expand Algeria's oil-oriented economy, has been the product of Chinese companies. Aside from the lack of use of this resource, the execution of the program seems to have faults. Gall explains that the government destroys slums after families move out into government housing, leaving people from the slum who didn't receive the benefits homeless or suicidal, as is demonstrated by an anecdote about a sixteen year old boy killing himself after not gaining access to housing. All of this, along with more anecdotal evidence from interviewing those most affected by the inadequacies of the government program, is used by the writer to portray the Algerian government in a negative light. By turning the article from joyful to quite dismal, the writer unveils the hidden monstrosities of the program, ultimately criticizing the Algerian government for its corruption in selection of tenants, strict controls on the economy creating a need for housing, and poor planning in executing the seemingly well-intended program. All in all, the writer is pessimistic about the true nature of the Authoritarian government and the piece is used as a criticism of the "tumultuous" program.
Algeria has a crazy history in regard to its colonization by France in the 1800s and then its super violent independence movement. A bit of historical background could have set this up better!
DeleteIn a CNN World News article, Ann O’Neill’s main argument is that the child soldiers of Africa are becoming an ever increasing problem that demands more international attention. O’Neill writes that in Africa, “brainwashed” children are perpetually turned into “terrifying killers”. Recruited at a young age, these children are then exposed to warfare, coming out of the experience having seen atrocities that we cannot dream of.
ReplyDeleteIn her argument, O’Neill uses reliable facts from the United Nations as well as powerful testimonies from former child soldiers on their experience. In the article, of the former soldiers, Angela, recounts how she was forced to kill a friend when joining in with the warlord.
This article, by Ann O’Neill, portrays Africa in a negative light by using terms such as “across Africa” to describe the location of child soldiers. The article acts as if these child soldiers and warlords are in control of Africa, and that it is up to the United Nations and international aid to do something.
In my opinion, the facts that she uses in her argument are reliable, so I can assume that children becoming soldiers does occur in Africa. As to the extent, the author was very ambiguous. It is far more likely the case that children experiencing such violence are concentrated to a few of Africa’s countries.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/02/12/child.soldiers/
There is a movie called Beasts of No Nation that takes this subject on and it is brutal. I couldn't even finish it.
Deletehttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jan/11/uganda-elections-political-intimidation-having-chilling-effect-media
ReplyDeleteThe main argument of this article is that the Ugandan government is using intimidation to control what is published about the current president, Yoweri Museveni, who has been in office since 1986. The political scene in Uganda is tense right now, because they have an election coming up next month. The government is intimidating journalists by threatening to have them fired or that their whole company could be shut down if anything which portrays Museveni in a negative light is published. The government has used intimidation on civil groups trying to shed light on the issue of controlling the press, as well. The intimidation tactics have involved increased confrontations with police. A news crew covering Museveni's opposing candidate was attacked by police, and their equipment was destroyed. The writer of this particular article is writing from the perspective that basic rights are being violated. This article portrays Africa in a negative light. It confirms many peoples' beliefs that Africa is a dangerous place with no room for freedom of thought. I feel that this article is trying to prove that even though Uganda has elections, there is no democracy. Critical information about the candidates is being withheld from the citizens who will cast their votes. Therefore, the only reason the current president has been in power for thirty years is because he abuses his power to control the political climate in Uganda.
I think that the fact that this guy has been rigging elections is a pretty good evidence that democracy in Uganda is a joke. Good article.
Deletehttp://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21678907-deadly-style-suicidal-gun-assault-has-spread-across-globe-how-respond?zid=304&ah=e5690753dc78ce91909083042ad12e30
ReplyDeleteThe main point of the article that I found is to inform readers of the dangers of terrorism and their new tactics that they are implementing. Terrorists have evolved their style in which they carry out their attacks. In Africa, bombs were the primary form of weapon until the governments put a tighter control of the ingredients that could purchased. The terrorists evolved to using guns as their primary weapon. You do not have to be very skilled in using a gun but could still kill a lot of civilians with little effort. The author is arguing that if the governments would put a tighter ban on guns then the attacks would decrease. Currently, there is virtually zero control on weapons in Africa and the author says that the large majority of the illegal weapons comes from Somalia and West Africa. The author provides several examples of the violence in Africa, i.e., on April 2, 2015 the Shabab attacked the Garissa University College in Kenya killing 148 people. This article portrays Africa as a very violent place that people should avoid and puts a negative light of the entire continent. The article is trying to prove that the reason all these terror attacks are occurring in Africa is because of the ease of obtaining assault weapons.
What is interesting is that Somalia and West Africa do not have gun manufactures...they are getting their weapons from the US and Russia. Interesting how our gun debates actually effect the rest of the world.
Deletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35317293
ReplyDeleteThe Article that I have done my synopsis on is an article that neither has a positive nor negative connotation. It is merely an article that provides details into the prolonged incident of the Chibok Girls. The Chibok girls are the women who made worldwide news when they're school was raided an they were held hostage and married off to Boko Haram islamists. The article seems to be trying to accentuate the point that the government has not forgotten about this incident, and that the government is actively trying to resolve this transgression and return all of the involved parties safely. The article even goes so far as to say that the government was willing to negotiate with the extremists that proliferated this tragedy. The article comes off as a beacon of hope for the finding of the girls who's lives have been unimaginably altered due to this incident. The article also has links to explain further relations thats have lead to the tragedy of the taking of these women. Hopefully this story will end without any more turmoil or bloodshed.
There are some people in Nigeria who argue that the girls were never taken and this was just a media ploy to hurt Jonathan Goodluck's presidential election campaign.
Deletehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/23/pope-francis-africa-visit-kenya-car-uganda
ReplyDeleteThe main point of this article is Pope Francis visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic to bring unity to the religious practices as a whole to solve conflict. Most of Africa seems to go along with the program in order to resolve problems, except for extremist against Muslim groups. So the writer hopes that the Popes visit with the country can bring light to these extremist in order to continue on with unity. Which in return should give the Muslims a chance to stand put for themselves in order to defeat their enemies and succeed in the popes agenda on achieving the goals set for this religion. Also the pope hopes to solve the issue on making sexual orientation a norm and not something to be punished for due to sexual preference. As of right now the writer says it is still frowned upon and africans being imprisoned for sexual orientation, while the pope saying that it should not matter what they choose in life as long as the will to search for God is still in their hearts.
You know things are crazy if the Pope is advocating for Gay Rights and African Catholics are against it!
Deletehttp://news.trust.org/item/20151223114020-grams/?source=fiPartnerNews
ReplyDeleteThis article was published by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the Thomas Reuters' Foundation website. It details the FAO's recent efforts, alongside members of the European Union, to set up 25 Fish-Aggregating Devices (FADs) along the Somalian coast. The devices consist of a buoy which carries a mat several meters across that accumulates vegetation which attracts small fish which in turn attract larger fish such as tuna. The article argues that such artificial "high-density fishing grounds" create a new, sustainable source of food for the Somalian population. In support of this argument, the article states that approximately 1 million people face "severe food insecurity" in Somalia, with 307,800 children under the age of five identified as "acutely malnourished." Besides providing a source of food, the article argues that the FADs, by engaging local populations in their installment, use, and upkeep, provide a solution that is both environmentally and culturally sustainable. The article hopes that such efforts will help alleviate the problems of food-shortage by creating local interest in the usage and survival of the FADs as well as further initiatives by the FAO to provide roads and storage systems for the fish that the FADs produce.
Super awesome and interesting. I had no idea about this, but I wonder if they should be messing around with nature like this, and I am thinking specifically of the Potato Famine in Ireland.
Deletehttp://money.howstuffworks.com/african-diamond-trade2.htm
ReplyDeleteThis articled is concerned with blood diamonds in Africa and how they affect the diamond industry of the world. The article places a large significance on the Revolutionary United Front, a group that killed and mutilated thousands in Sierra Leone in quest for diamonds. As a result millions fled. Due to all the atrocities associated with blood diamonds the article talks about the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme and how it aids in combating the sell and distribution of blood diamonds. The article is trying to make people more aware of the horrors associated with blood diamonds so that everyday people will step up and ask for diamonds that are acquired rightfully. Africa is neither portrayed badly nor good, somewhere in the middle. The bad is all the killing and forced slavery but the article also sheds light onto how Botswana is rapidly improving their economy with a legitimate diamond industry and trade.
One thing that seems to be missing is the European/rest of the World connection here. There has to be a market for blood diamonds for them to be worth all this killing.
Deletehttp://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/live-news/articles/2015/8/10/important-week-for-global-wildlife-preservation-efforts.html
ReplyDeleteThis article shows the facts that wildlife hunting in Africa has become a serious problem for en-dangerous animal species. Because of the rise of poaching, lots of animals are over killed. For instance, the article shows the population of elephant is approximately 1.2 million, and now it is less than 500,000. That means an elephant was killed in 15 minutes. Some countries like Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zimbabwe can earn $100 million per year from big hunting game.However, it is only a tiny percent of their total GDP.Another true story about poaching is an American dentist named Walter Palmer paid $ 50,000 to kill a lion named Cecil to fit his vanity. A a former Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Interior also point out that countries like Zimbabwe and Tanzania didn't enforce the animal conservation law as they supposed to do.Those facts portrays that Africa in a negative light due to high rate of poaching.
By my understanding of this article, I think people as the ruler as the world should keep the balance of species. Just like the wildlife biologist said at the end of the article. If human being are killed so easy like those animals, we will go extinct too. Therefore, we should cherish other species as ourselves.
Poor Cecil! There have been some new laws passed in Tanzania due to this lion killing due to the tourist lost revenue.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/us/politics/us-sends-twoguantanamo-detainees-to-ghana.html?ref=africa
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses the United States working with Ghana and other Sub- Saharan African nations to transition towards closing Guantanamo Bay Prison. Two Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay are being transferred to Ghana and are scheduled to be incarcerated there for two years. This move by the U.S places African countries like Ghana in a positive light because it shows that the United States have a trusted confidence in some of these nations capabilities. The assumption is that with the help of African countries, the U.S will be able to successfully close down Guantanamo and build stronger military relations with these countries.
I had no idea that there was a coalition of African countries working to help close Guantanamo. Super interesting.
Deletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/fashion/africas-new-fashion-influence.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteThere are many negative misconceptions about the continent of Africa ranging from how people live, the poverty levels and even the Fashions of Africa. When Western and European designers take inspiration from African countries in their collections, they may use animals that are widely popular in Africa such as giraffes, lions, and elephants. They use bold prints that are "afrocentric." The main argument of this NY Times article is to get designers to broaden their horizons and truly learn and understand the plethora of Fashions on the continent of Africa. African fashion does not make up one theme and idea. The author also stated that designers and journalists should cease using the word "ethnic" and "tribal" to popularize their collections and ratings. They are using another one's culture to gain profits. The author, Simone Oliver, gave evidence with Yves Saint Laurent's 1967 "African and Safari" collection. Yves Saint Laurent's collection consisted of feathered and tribal patterns. His inspiration was the "Exoticism" of traditional African culture. In this article, Africa is portrayed in a positive light.because African fashion is more than tribal prints and animal motifs. When it comes down to it, westerners appropriate many things from Africa. I believe cultures can be shared, but we must learn about one another's culture, and not degrade it. Simone Oliver includes more evidence from professionals, some who say African fashion has not been documented well and one lawyer-turned designer who says you will not see masks and leopard prints in his collections.
Very interesting! I do wonder though, is talking about Africa as 'exotic' a way of diminishing the reality of modern day African life? Something to think about!
Deletehttp://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2002/TheStatusoftheHIVAIDSEpidemicinSubSaharanAfrica.aspx
ReplyDeleteThis article seeks to prove that the huge AIDS epidemic in sub- Saharan Africa is at the center of the entire World’s AIDS epidemic. It should be noted that this article is from 2002 and is based on research around that time to help prove the argument as sub-Saharan Africa the epicenter of this deadly epidemic. One interesting fact that helps prove the author point is that “at the end of 2001, there were 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS, 28.5 million of them from sub-Saharan African” (Goliber). Although it notes that this region in Africa contained about 11% of the world’s population at the time, it is strikingly alarming because this region accounts for nearly 75% of all people living with this deadly disease. I feel Africa is portrayed in a negative light throughout this problem by showing how badly sub-Saharan is effected by HIV and AIDS. However, I also believe this article and the statistics presented in it can persuade one to further research this problem in this portion of Africa to help find a solution to bringing down the percent of human beings in this area affected by this deadly disease.
So crazy! I also think that we need to understand the regions that they are discussing and look at how much govt or ngo control there is to educate about HIV/AIDS, which is very minimal.
Deletehttps://africacheck.org/reports/are-30000-kids-trafficked-into-south-africas-sex-trade-every-year-the-claim-exaggerates-the-problem/
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses the sex trade/trafficking in South Africa. It says that claims of 30,000 young women, with 50% being under the age of 14 are being trafficked in South Africa in the sex trade industry. This obviously is an insanely high number of girls being sold into the sex trade, but what is even worse is they are, according the statement, as young as 14 and lower. The writer of the articles perspective is actually trying to clear these claims up. The author is not trying to disprove this, but bring it into better light. The author writes that those claims may be SLIGHTLY over exaggerated. The number of women in the sex trade is high, but they do not think it is 30,000. They also explain that the South African government is being very deliberate and organized in the way that they handle the situation, so I would say that they are shedding a positive light on the African government.
Scary article! The economy of South Africa must be pretty bad if there are that many girls begin sold (by their parents?) into sexual slavery.
Deletehttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/race-stop-africas-elephant-poachers-180951853/?+Nature+%7C+Smithsonian.com%29
ReplyDeleteThis article brings to light the alarming rate of illegally poaching elephants in Africa, particularly Chad. A sample size in the Zakouma National Park provided researchers with accurate data of how terrible this crisis is, with an already dwindled populationof 4500 elephants shrinking to just 400 in the span of just a few years. The article clearly depicts the bands of poachers and Chinese who demand the ivory as the bad guys, but also puts reasonable blame on the park rangers who took bribes from poachers in exchange for revealing elephant herd locations. When dealing with endangered wildlife, it is easy to jump on the elephants side. Africa just happens to be the lace where this all happens, a land with lots of big animals and groups of evil people wanting to kill and sell them.
Now let's not make value judgments about people who poach. What would you do if your family was starving and that was the only way to get money for food? We could focus more on the people who are purchasing the ivory because they are creating the market.
ReplyDeletehttps://news.vice.com/article/gambias-president-revokes-headscar-order-for-female-government-employees
ReplyDeletePresident Jammeh, of Gambia, who has harshly governed the African nation for over 20 years now, has lifted the requirement for women in government to wear head-dresses to work. Although the seemingly liberal move to lift the mandate has benevolent tones at face-value, the country is still led by a militant dictator who has declared Gambia an Islamic state, and came to power through a military coup.
Glad you finally made it, Nick!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/world/africa/burundi-forces-gang-rape-united-nations.html?ref=africa&_r=0
ReplyDeleteThis article is about Burundi's security forces gang raping women in an attempt to crackdown on political opposition. Burundi's Hutu leadership is mainly targeting the Tutsi population. The recent attacks, which include killing, torture, rape, and disappearances, put the Burundi crisis on the United Nations' agenda. The UN attempted to send in 5,000 peacekeepers last month, but was rejected by the Burundi president, who stated that any troops that entered the country would be killed. This poor, small African country is portrayed in a negative light, which I believe is correct. The injustice of a leadership group to target a population due to ethnicity is morally wrong. As many as one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda in 1994 in a similar situation between the Hutu majority and Tutsis.The United Nations interfered little in Rwanda, but they will attempt to halt the wrongdoings in Burundi.
This is all over some basic racism, too. The Hutu's think that they are ethnically superior to the Tutsi and are attempting to exterminate them. If this isn't genocide, then I don't know what is!
DeleteThis article is about the lack of security for teachers in Mandera County in Kenya, and what those teachers are doing about it. Because of a massacre in 2014, almost 700 teachers left the area to protect themselves from future similar instances. It's a heartbreaking article about the teachers and about the communities they abandoned. They asked to be placed elsewhere in the country, and eventually were granted that request. Government employees, including teachers and policemen are all frightened to be placed in such a dangerous area. But the question then becomes who is going to take care of it, and help prevent further attacks? Who is responsible to risk their lives everyday? When the community is left alone, the children suffer. Their education suffers, they are left with the scars of witnessing a massacre, and the community's poverty increases. Africa is suffering in this region of Kenya, along with other places. It is so sad to hear of their suffering by no fault of their own, but because of the unlucky targeting of their community by these terrorists.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/kenya-has-become-the-most-perilous-place-on-the-planet-to-be-a-teacher-resulting-in-empty-classrooms-a6801311.html
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/03/11/five-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-african-politics-today-2/
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses the bias view Americans see Africa. The first of which being how civil conflict in Africa is actually on the decline. Secondly, voter turnout is similar in the average African country to turnout in the United States. Thirdly, parliaments in Africa have greater representation of women than the U.S. Congress. The article touches on how African democracies have begun holding and televising presidential debates to address the idea that candidates buy voter support. Lastly, it says governments must adjust accordingly because remittances from abroad are projected to surpass foreign aid as the major source of external funds in African countries.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35291150
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses a recent proposal of the Kenyan Government that would require the registration and effectively formal recognition of religious workers, groups, and centers of worship. With testimony from majority and minority religious sects as well as those governmental officials responsible for the proposition, the author of the passage presents the issue and various perspectives surrounding it, also providing analysis of competing interests therein. However, there isn't any overarching agenda of the article or attempted message other than to inform; though, it could be argued that an assumption the article alludes to is one of severe religious and political tension in Kenya. This notion is perhaps the only empirical piece of the report: that Kenya, and perhaps Africa in general, is to this day deeply intrenched with religious turmoil, especially in the context of the rule of government.