Apr
27
On April 27, 1950, the Group Areas Act was passed in South Africa. The Group Areas Act forced non-White people out of the most developed parts of South Africa and created a formally segregated society. Oddly enough, this act stayed on the books until June 5 1991 when it was finally repealed.
Apr
6
On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down. Elements with Rwanda’s majority Hutu tribe blamed the minority Tutsi tribe and a tragic massacre began.
Over the course of 100 days, over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in Rwanda. If you are interested in learning more about the Rwandan genocide, I encourage you to watch the disturbing BBC feature presentation, or consult http://www.rwanda-genocide.org which serves as a great collection of information.
Mar
30
In this intensely interesting article, Mo Abrahim decided to present the bright face of Africa – its bright lights, its strong, talented governments, and its success stories. However, he did not let this focus on the positive keep him from discussing some of the things that Africa’s leaders must do to lead more of its 967 million people out of deplorable poverty.
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/mibrahim1/English
For example, Ibrahim does a truly wonderful job of discussing why African nations must work together and form regional partnerships in order to compete internationally. He also recommends that aid be invested in infrastructure so that African economies can grow.