Tag: natural-resources

Kenya’s first Sci-Fi film hits Sundance

Made by writer/director Wanuri Kahiu, Kenya’s first science fiction film to hit Sundance, Pumzi, takes place “thirty-five years after World War III, the “Water War,” and tells the story of a woman from East Africa who flees an enclosed community in hopes of once again restoring life outside its walls. The film which screened last…
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Morocco’s desert region a widescreen backdrop for Hollywood films

Speaking about the Ouarzazate region in Morocco, The Global Post reports: Chances are you’ve unwittingly seen this region’s wild vistas in any number of movies. Among other locales, the desert was billed as Iraq in “Body of Lies,” dressed up as Jerusalem in “Kingdom of Heaven” and transformed into ancient Egypt in “The Mummy Returns.”…
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Maker Faire Africa edition 2009 (video)

Below is an excellent video documenting the recent inaugural Maker Faire Africa event held in Accra, Ghana. The event was organized as a a celebration of African ingenuity, innovation and invention, with strong participation by local makers. Find out more about the event and the upcoming 2010 Kenya edition at the official website here. A…
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Annansi notes: Brangelina buys Ethiopia, Africom, MTV Africa awards begins, (RED)washing at Gap

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought Ethiopia. (Not the African country itself, but the island which represents Ethiopia in Dubai’s island phenomenon The World) American general seeks to play down fears over new Africa command. (Uhhh… sure. No worries.) Africa’s nuclear hopes. (Could this be the solution to the electricity shortages?) MTV begins Africa Music…
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Why Africa’s oil riches don’t make Africans richer

Here’s an interesting read from Wharton School’s Knowledge network. But most Africans are seeing little benefit from this influx of oil drillers and investment. In fact, because of an economic paradox known as the “Resource Curse,” they are often hurt by exports of their countries’ oil. “Between 1970 and 1993, countries without oil saw their…
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Tanzania launches first ever US television campaign on CNN

Two weeks ago I attended the African Travel Association‘s Second Annual Presidential Forum on Tourism at New York University. The forum, organized by the ATA – a global travel trade association promoting tourism to Africa – and hosted by NYU’s Africa House, was put together to provide African leaders from Tanzania, Ghana, Cape Verde, Lesotho,…
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More oil found in Ghana

The headline says it all. Tullow Oil has made another “significant” oil discovery in Ghana, in a block adjacent to one where it made a big discovery in June, supporting investor hopes that the country will become a major profit centre for the firm. London-based Tullow said in a statement on Wednesday that the Hyedua-1…
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Climate change threatens Ghana’s economic future

Speaking to people living in Ghana recently, I had become worried by the ongoing power problems. While power outages are nothing new to many of us in developing countries, I have started getting worried about the effects of Ghana’s ongoing power issues on the country’s looming economic growth spurt. While power shortages are an inconvenience…
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