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Dust and Rain
Article: Blog: They call Guinea Bissau a narco-state – so what?
In the late 1990s I visited Guinea Bissau for the first time. A civil war had just ended and it showed. Bissau had been battered. The presidential palace, proudly sitting in the middle of Nation Heroes Square, had a big hole in its roof....
Article: Blog: Is Africa too dangerous for women?
For Europeans, there seems to be two different Africas: one that is dangerous and another that is safe. How do you distinguish between the two? Well, after following the Dutch internet discussions about the events in Mali, I came up with a...
Article: Blog: The Road
You whiz past it in fifteen seconds: Niambli, a village just outside the West-Ivorian town of Duékoué. But you need to stop to see this very strange sight: the road cuts the village into two completely different parts. One...
Article: Blog - Senegal: bad news for the French language
“Salaam aleikoum.” - “Maleikoum salaam.” “Na ga def?” (How are you?) - “Magni fi rekk.” (All’s well) “Ah! Déega Olof?” (You understand Wolof?) - “Waaw, tuti...
Article: Blog - Young, male and disposable - part 4
In Senegal, there is mounting evidence of alternative job creation going on that eventually may attract Pay Yourself types. Let’s look at the figures.
Article: Blog - Young, male and disposable - part 3
This is West Point, one of the worst slums in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. The entrance is a small corridor. Come out at the other end and you are approached by two burly young guys.
Article: Blog - Young, male and disposable – part 2
Societies with an army of young male undesirables have come up with the same three basic scenarios to get them out of the way: prison, migration and warfare. Need an example? Here's an extremely brief history of Europe. Between the 14th...
