It’s Good To Be the King
Ruling parties in Africa face little electoral threat from weak and divided oppositions
A Year of Checks on Ballots
At least 10 African countries are scheduled to hold presidential or parliamentary elections between April and December — ballots that could affirm the maturing of democratic practice on the continent and mark a critical turning point in the political evolution of key states.
Malawi’s Young Democrats: A View From Inside the Ranks
IN 2001, Malawian Journalist Peter Banda was assaulted by a band of UDF youth militias while working on a story.
Ghana and Civil Society Clash Over Allegations of Corruption
WITH a stroke of chutzpah or very bad timing, the government of Ghana has provoked a feud with civil society organisations just as Accra becomes the first to fall under the lens of the African Peer Review Mechanism.
A Posse of Guns for Hire
Discharged and jobless, Africa’s former combatants find dubious work as mercenaries.
Editorial: Where the Contract Begins… Or Unravels
This should be the year when democracy becomes a bona fide tradition in Africa.
Psst… Mind the Sell-by Date
ON THE euphoric eve of their independence, Zimbabweans queued enthusiastically to cast their ballots for change.
Opinion: Who Owns the Fruits Of the Struggle to be Free?
‘Even if the armed struggle has been symbolic and the nation is demobilized through a rapid movement of decolonization, the people have the time to see that the liberation has been the business of each and that the leader has no special merit.
How to Return A Phone Call
JOURNALISTS can’t present government’s side of the story without asking questions. Too often though governments interpret inquiry as opposition and act to block rather than assist the journalists who are necessary adjuncts to democracy.
No Comment – But Please, That’s Off the Record
POOR communications strategies undermine the credibility of African governments AFRICAN states pour billions of dollars into information and communications technology on the assumption that being fit for globalization requires a high-fiber-optic diet.