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Renowned Cape-Verdian singer, Cesaria Evora dies at 70

Posted on 19 December 2011 by Codrin Arsene

Renowned West-African singer, Cesaria Evora passed away on Saturday in her native country of Cape Verde of cardiorespiratory insufficiency and hypertension. Credited for putting Cape Verde on the world map, Evora was often known as the “Barefoot Diva”. She always sang barefoot, a way for her to express her solidarity with poor women all over [...]

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African film : new forms of aesthetics and politics

Posted on 13 May 2011 by Codrin Arsene

While it is true that everywhere from Hollywood to Nollywood producers have their say in what goes into a film, nowhere are they as arrogant and paternalistic as in African cinema funded by France

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bin Laden in a Romanian church

Posted on 03 May 2011 by Codrin Arsene

As expected, the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed made it around the world in a heartbeat. In the light of this event, some Romanian journalists did some research and discovered that there is a church in the western part of Romania (Timisoara) where an image of Osama bin Laden is actually painted [...]

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In memoriam Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros

Posted on 25 April 2011 by Codrin Arsene

As a journalist, I instinctively hope that the deaths of Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were not in vain. But I also know that the products of their work are the long-lasting testimony of lives well lived.

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Modern human cultures and languages born in Africa

Posted on 17 April 2011 by Codrin Arsene

All modern languages have an African origin, recent study shows.

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Tourism and Migration in a globalized world

Posted on 14 December 2010 by Codrin Arsene

I just finished reading a very interesting report published last year by the World Tourism Organization. It’s called Tourism and Migration: Exploring the Relationship between Two Global Phenomena. As the title of the report suggests, the authors are interested in dealing with the relationship between tourism and migration, given the fact that both phenomena involve [...]

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Urban Developments in Dar es Salaam

Posted on 14 December 2010 by Codrin Arsene

Dar es Salaam, the main economic center of Tanzania, is one of the most congested cities I have ever been to and lived in. Traffic in the city is, for the lack of a better word, a real clusterfuck. If you expect to drive from Maktaba Street (downtown) to Mikoceni B, via Ali Hassan Road [...]

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African women go after hot masculine men

Posted on 09 December 2010 by Codrin Arsene

The Economist recently ran a story on women’s tastes towards men based on a series of scientific studies recently published in academic journals. To cut to the chase, Professor Lisa DeBruine, of the University of Aberdeen, published a paper in which she argues that women in developing countries with precarious health conditions (which basically means [...]

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One brain drain phenomenon you haven’t heard of

Posted on 08 December 2010 by Codrin Arsene

Brain drain and Africa are old acquaintances. For as long as we have heard of post-colonial Africa, we’ve known of people leaving the continent, willingly or not (or better said because they had no other choice), in search for a better place. And the problem with a phenomenon like brain drain is that it is [...]

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The Brenda Fassie story (2005)

Posted on 17 October 2010 by Codrin Arsene

Brenda Fassie is, arguably, one of the greatest African singers of the last 20 years. Widely considered the Queen of African Pop (in South Africa and beyond), Fassie is often seen as one of the most remarkable artists who has successfully appealed to a wide audience made of both disfranchised, poor people and middle-class Africans, [...]

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Awesome quote of the day

I’m going through my research material from Uganda as I’m preparing to write my masters thesis. I just came across one of the most hilarious quotes on my tapes. Check this out (it’s by a woman craft maker):

 

A  man who speaks and gives orders is that who has money to meet the needs of his wife. But if a man cannot fulfill those duties, then he is not a man after all, right? He’s just a nagging woman with a penis.

 

 

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This Vanguard reportage deserves to be seen.

I don’t normally post things that are not Africa-related but this young man from Taiwan is simply amazing. Lin Yu Chun participated in a Taiwanese version of the American Idol called Super Star Avenue, singing the song I will always love you by Whitney Houston. I’ll keep it short: his version of the song is clearly better than what Mrs. Houston is capable of singing right now. Some dubbed him the “Susan Boyle of Taiwan” and there might just be something of this young man. Check it out yourselves. I’m sure you’ll be surprised as well.

To all of us who have experienced the adventure that is a boda-boda (motorcycle-taxi in East Africa, primarily in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo)








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A Romanian in Africa by Codrin Arsene is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at csarsene@gmail.com.

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