We already know the big names. With the advent of the global tech economy in the past two decades, two powerhouses have come to dominate the world of startup innovation: the US and, in its footsteps, China. Africa, however, is often left out of this conversation. Here’s what people don’t talk about: Africa is a […]
Africa
Canned Lion Hunting: The Brutal Truth
Over the past 100 years, Africa’s lion population has decreased by an astonishing 90 percent. One lesser known contributing factor is canned lion hunting, a process in which lions are bred to be killed.
Steal from the Rich, Kill the Poor
It is January 2015 and the rattle of heavy gunfire and the screech of motor-bikes resound from the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria’s northeast capital city. Armed insurgents of the Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram clash with Nigeria’s poorly equipped military. The soldiers are tired, discouraged, and overwhelmed by the ferocity of this terrorist insurgency. Hours pass […]
Ebola Today. Ebola Tomorrow.
When a sickness exits the body, it generally departs with some good courtesy. The symptoms eventually fade, and after an adequate amount of rest and recovery, the body falls back into its old routine. Yet, once Ebola leaves Sierra Leone and fades from the headlines, what mark will it leave on the people it once […]
Diagnosing Culture Before Treating Disease: Challenges in Fighting Ebola in West Africa
As the Ebola epidemic becomes more widespread and deadly in West Africa, some of the flaws in the current containment strategies are more evident. While Western governments are directing billions of dollars in aid, those efforts often fail to take into account local attitudes and health behaviors. Increased sensitivity and understanding of West African cultures […]
Modern Slavery in Senegal
Western media often cites Senegal as a beacon of democratic hope and stability in West Africa amidst a slew of violence-ridden, deeply impoverished neighbors. Senegal boasts one of the highest GDP’s in the region with a steady growth rate, more than a decade of peaceful turnovers of power, and a balanced, moderate Muslim society on […]
Striking Against Legacies of Apartheid
Continuous waves of strikes from South African miners have made headlines for years now, most notably the 2012 strikes that left 34 dead, as well as the current platinum miners’ strikes which continue to escalate and saw their first fatality on February 7 of this year. Both in their increasing incidence and the escalating militancy […]
Food Security
You hand a man a fish and he eats for a day. You teach a man to fish, maybe hand him a fishing pole and some waders, and he will eat for a year. So sayeth the logic of knowledge-sharing and technological inputs –the prevailing understanding of international development work as it is now enshrined […]
The Efficacy of Cash Transfers
This summer, This American Life compared GiveDirectly, a young organization that provides unconditional cash transfers to villagers in Kenya through mobile phones, to Heifer International, a more traditional charity that provides similar villages with farm animals and training. Paul Niehaus, one of GiveDirectly’s founders, made an interesting proposal: We would like to see organizations make […]