Riots sparked by the shooting of a radical Muslim cleric and renewed ethnic clashes have shattered Kenya’s fragile stability. The unrest has resulted in over 100 deaths since late August. A government-imposed dusk-to-dawn curfew has failed to stem the violence, which some link to the upcoming elections in 2013. Riots in the Kenyan port of Mombasa caught international attention in August. The death of the fiery, fundamentalist Islamic cleric Aboud Rogo Muhammad—gunned down on a main street in broad daylight—sparked outrage among the city’s young, impoverished Muslim population. Four people died in the two days of violence that ensued, leaving…
Simon Allison
Johannesburg’s gentrification South Africa’s economic capital makes a comeback after white flight, overcrowding and neglect led to the decline of the inner city Kassahun Gebrehana is sitting at a pavement table at an Ethiopian restaurant in a former industrial area in downtown Johannesburg. It is a crisp autumn afternoon. Young and trendy hipsters are sipping organic lattes and nibbling on artisan bread. He is the proud owner of this bistro, Little Addis Café, one of a half-dozen eateries on this newly-regenerated urban strip called Maboneng (“place of light” in Sotho). Mr Gebrehana is a refugee. He came to Johannesburg 13…
Central Africa’s alphabet soup Too many regional organisations with too little coordination fail to promote trade and other ties October 25th is Central African Regional Integration Day. Few people know or observe this holiday because the citizens of Africa’s poorest and most conflict-prone region have little to celebrate. The Organisation of African Unity, the predecessor of the African Union (AU), established the African Economic Community (AEC) when its member states signed the Abuja Treaty in 1991. The AEC is based on the premise that regional integration solves all manner of ills: trade imbalances and barriers, social disunity, cross-border tensions and…
Nigeria’s $9 billion oil refinery Africa’s largest producer of crude oil is the continent’s second-biggest importer of petroleum Nigeria’s oil paradox is one familiar to many African countries, where an abundance of resources often swamps the ability to use these natural gifts effectively. Nations may have massive supplies of oil, iron or gold, but lack the infrastructure and industrial know-how to process or refine these resources. Out go the raw and rough commodities, loaded onto tankers, trucks and planes and exported to far-away shores; in come the refined and finished products—petrol, automobiles and jewellery—imported at a hefty premium. In Nigeria,…
Low-end globalisation: Africa’s mobile revolution began in Hong Kong by Simon Allison Nathan Road is Hong Kong’s busiest shopping street. It is lined with skyscrapers and decorated with neon signs of every size, colour and shape. Most of the logos are familiar: McDonald’s, KFC, Samsung, Rolex, Carlsberg, 7-Eleven, Standard Chartered. This is Asia’s Times Square, a luminous roll call of the world’s biggest companies and products, a shrine to consumer culture in the modern world. Workers, tourists and others cram the neon shadows of the sidewalks, clutching engorged wallets and sleek plastic bags. The luxury goods in the shop fronts…
