Friday January 27, 2012
You've probably heard of the "Big Five" (Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion and Rhino). Did you know Africa also has a "Little Five"? There's the cute little Elephant Shrew, that scientists have recently discovered is actually not a shrew at all. It can, however, leap several feet into the air and leave a nasty scent to mark its territory.
The Rhinoceros Beetle is a nominee for "strongest living thing on earth". The Leopard Tortoise can live up t0 100 years and every individual has unique, beautiful markings on its shell. The Buffalo Weaver makes notoriously messy nests, a little embarrassing for other weavers out there who are true artists. And the littlest of the "Little Five" is the Antlion, actually a larvae that sucks the juices out of its victims after trapping them in cleverly constructed sand pits. Fascinating stuff right? Click here for much more about the "Little Five"....
Wednesday January 25, 2012
This may be my shortest blog yet. There are no African films/shorts/documentaries/animation features in the final list of nominations for the 2012 Oscars. Of course, numerous films have been made in Africa in the past year. Nollywood is still booming and FESPACO 2011, Africa's best known film festival, showcased plenty of excellent films. I guess the only way to check out new African movies is to attend a festival.
Annual Movie Festivals in Africa:
There are also excellent African film festivals in Tarifa (Spain), Toronto Canada (June/July), Edinburgh, Scotland (November), Nollywood Festival in London, and Portland (Feb/Mar) USA. Universities and other world cinema supporters also host small festivals every year, so check your local listings.
More About: FESPACO l Festivals in Africa l Best Movies Set in Africa
Monday January 23, 2012
The Year of the Dragon is being celebrated by Chinese communities throughout Africa. The Chinese New Year never struck me as a festival to write about, since Chinese communities used to be relatively small and far between. But in the past decade over a million Chinese immigrants have moved to Africa (Source: The Guardian). It started with foremen, workers, and their families moving to fulfill mining contracts, and infrastructure projects. But you'll now find Chinese shops, restaurants and businesses in every decently sized town throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
From personal experience I have found that the Chinese are treated with suspicion and are not well regarded by locals. It's assumed that the Chinese gain favorable contracts by offering huge kickbacks to corrupt African officials. I hear about the Chinese being blamed for sucking out Africa's natural resources, taking jobs, treating their workers like slaves, undercutting established businesses etc. From Accra to Durban, the Chinese are a hot topic. No one speaks their language, they work very hard, they tend to marry within their own community. The Chinese are just very foreign to many people. Jokes about street dogs disappearing into cooking pots are deemed funny.
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Saturday January 21, 2012
Africa's biggest sporting event, the 28th Africa Cup of Nations, kicks off today in Equatorial Guinea. The vuvuzelas are out in force, and the fans are dancing and drumming up a storm. The home team faced Libya for the opening match in the well appointed Estadio de Bata, located in the coastal city of Bata, the country's largest city.
The Libyans were expected to win, as they were by far the strongest team on paper. They wore a new all-white team kit, since the old green outfits reflected Gaddafi's (now dead) revolution. But Equatorial Guinea squad - Nzalang Nacional (National Lightning) pulled an upset, and won 1-0. Perhaps the extra incentive to win -- a million US dollars, and $20,000 per goal offered by the free-spending son of the current president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, helped.
Senegal (Teranga Lions), faced Zambia (The Copper Bullets) in the second match of the day. It proved to be another upset as the Copper Bullets celebrated a 2-1 victory. If you're traveling in Zambia right now, you should be having a very very festive time of it!
On Sunday 22 January, Ivory Coast (The Elephants) took on Sudan (Nile Crocodiles) in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea's capital city). They were the favorites but made hard work of squeaking a 1 -0 win. The winning goal was scored by the legendary Drogba. And Burkina Faso (The Stallions) lost to Angola (Black Antelopes) (1-2) , also in Malabo. A very successful starting weekend. Next up, the games move to Libreville, the capital of Gabon, which is co-hosting the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Check back for an update on the scores, and more news about the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
More About: Africa Cup of Nations l Cup of Nation's Squads l Cup of Nations Format
