Africabeat

Controversial Ugandan journalist (and TEDster), Andrew Mwenda has been arrested along with two other staffers at the Independent, where Mwenda is managing editor.

According to the newspaper spokesman quoted in the Reuters story, Bob Kasango, "We think the government is not happy with a story The Independence
published in a recent issue exposing atrocities committed by government
forces during the war."

From The Independent’s website:

In
a two-pronged operation, police and operatives from the Chieftaincy of
Military Intelligence (CMI), Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) and
the Black Mamba squad raided The Independent again, exactly a month after the first raid.  
 

 

 

It is 9.30am on Saturday April 26 and The Independent’s
Managing Editor Andrew Mwenda is driving from his home along Golf
Course Road in Kololo for the Capital Gang programme on Capital FM
radio. As he climbs up Coral Crescent Rise towards Lower Kololo
Terrace, two suspicious cars come from in front of him, the front one
towards him at breakneck speed. Thinking that perhaps the driver had
lost control, he stops and tries to reverse when suddenly three other
cars appear from behind, one knocking his rear bumper.

Read more at the TED blog

(Thanks for alerting me to this, Juliana)

I’ll stand up and shout when I think people are dead wrong or heading in a dangerous direction, but I’m generally the girl who sits back, listens and when she speaks tries to do so with conviction but hopes she won’t rock the boat too much.  The flurry of blog posts, digg, newsvine and reddit comments, del.cio.us bookmarks, and personal emails (both laudatory and critical) since the article on aid/Bono/TED was (finally) published a few days ago has taken me by complete surprise. 

I am really glad that so many people are debating these issues.  And if I’ve been able to spark interest and get people talking about TED, aid, entrepreneurship, and the media’s portrayal of Africa in a meaningful way, even if it meant being uncharacteristically polemic, then I am happy for it.

But a few clarifications:

1) Yes I’ve been to Africa and no I don’t think all African children carry AK-47s – A few lazy readers have suggested I go to Africa and see for myself  how wrong I am to take a few exceptional examples of African dysfunction to generalize for the entire continent. 

Putting aside the fact that I had to be in Africa in order to have attended a conference in Arusha, I’ve been to seven African countries and in none of them have I seen an AK-47-toting child, people dying of famine or war, or any of the other completely ludicrous stereotypes that form the opening paragraph of the article.

Continue reading

From an opinion piece from the Ugandan newspaper New Vision:

Due to Africa’s lack of understanding of the character and real
intentions of China, its relationship with the emerging Asian giant
remains largely unbalanced and unfavourable to the interests of the
African people

*  *  *

Uganda: African Governments Should Study Communist China

Dr. Kiggundu Amin Tamale
Kampala

MUCH
has been- written about China’s burgeoning global influence and
pervasiveness as well as its seemingly insatiable desire to establish
and maintain strong economic ties with several African countries. Some
top-notch analysts have also described Beijing as a new Mecca for
global trotting- cap in hand African leaders.

However,
before declaring China as a close and dependable friend, African
policymakers need to ask themselves one important and valid question,
that is, does Africa understand communist China well? If the answer is
no, then, Africans need to find a way of understanding this hitherto
insular emerging Asian economic giant.

Continue reading this piece on allAfrica.com