Friends of African Village Libraries (I post regularly here)- Daytime session at Sherigu Community Library
- La deuxième journée des activités de café littéraire à la bibliothèque de Boni
- Échanges avec la nouvelle gérante de la bibliothèque de Koho
- Reprise des activités de la bibliothèque mobile Pénélope
- Sortie de la Bibliothèque Mobile Pénélope à l’école Sainte Thérèse
- Bonne nouvelle pour les amoureux de la lecture à Niankorodougou
- Bibliothèque communautaire de Zimtenga ! Les livres attendent patiemment le retour des communautés
- Bilan des activités du mois d’août de la bibliothèque de Bougounam
- Bilan des premières journées du café littéraire
- Nyariga community library, daytime activities
Author Archives: mkevane
I think I may be done with Iain Banks: Against a Dark Background
I finished Against a Dark Background earlier this week. A basic adventure space opera with a sympathetic android and a fairly obvious bad guy who is slowly revealed. It moves quickly and occasionally the settings are interesting but quite often … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
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Legacy of slavery in the United States: a few readings and perspectives
Heather O’Connell and Robert Reece find sizable correlation of extent of slavery with public school enrollment and attendance in the present (see summary here): Drawing from our regression analysis, we argue that slavery history shaped the local social structure in … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso, United States
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Sexual harassment in factories in Indonesia: extraordinary short documentary
Posted in Gender
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Tariffs and trade wars, some comments
We are having an informal Civil Society Institute discussion on the tariffs and trade war issue this week, so I thought I would do a little round-up. My friend Tom Prusa summarizes some of the basics for a New Jersey … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching international trade, Teaching macroeconomics
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Photo of readers in Sheigu library in Upper East, #Ghana
Posted in Reading
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Some recent news on the American economy
The Census Bureau a couple of weeks ago released an update on the U.S. economy for 2017. The headline was that real median household income had increased by 2.6 percent, and was about $61,000, and the poverty rate was 12.3%. … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso, United States
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Good interview regarding recent dozo- koglwéogo confrontation in Karangasso-Vigué in #Burkina Faso
Le 12 septembre dernier, des affrontements ont éclaté à Karangasso-Vigué, causant la mort du fils aîné du chef de canton et de deux koglwéogo. Dites-nous ce qui a bien pu conduire à un tel drame.Yacouba Drabo (Y.D.) : Avant d’entrer … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Loyola University New Orleans student newspaper article on Jesuit presidents
Despite the shift in lay presidents, Dziak said that the men and women taking over these leadership positions were not chosen on a whim. They are qualified to represent these schools and that there is no lack of qualification or … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Excellent articles on Peulh (Fulani) mobilization in central Mali
These are in a book Biographies de la Radicalisation: Des messages cachés du changement social edited by Mirjam de Bruijn that just came out in 2018. (Gated on project Muse, here.) The first is by Modibo Galy Cissé and traces … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso, Politics, Sahel
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Opposition march in #Burkina Faso set for September 29
The leader of the political opposition in Burkina Faso, Zéphérin Diabré, has called for a march of protest on 29 September against what the opposition characterizes as the failed policies of the presidency of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, at the … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Good background on Katiba Macina, Fulani rebel group in central Mali
A nice summary by Manon Elissa Murray, nothing new but clearly written and organised, if the English grammar leaves a little bit to be desired. The full text is here. The purpose of Katiba Macina was originally the restoration of … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso, Politics, Sahel
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Reading and French movies on trip to Burkina Faso
On the Air France flight I enjoyed (the standard on a 10 hour flight is low, but they were all better than Deadpool 2) several films (that incidentally I has never heard of): Les derniers Parisiens: A low-budget film about … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
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American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Read this on the flight to Burkina Faso and then over a few days. Entertaining and occasionally compelling but the writing was just not edited enough to really shine. I appreciated the central idea, but the execution left me unsatisfied. … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
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Why Steve Bannon is an incoherent blowhard who The New Yorker should disinvite
I’m in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,doing good things hopefully, talking with interesting people, learning about how our programs to support village libraries are going, and this Steve Bannon-The New Yorker thing comes up and I’m sooooooo disappointed. And pissed. Why? Because … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso, United States
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Never forget this is how people died: Mrs. Fanny Longfellow in 1861
From the New York Times July 12, 1861 A sad accident,which proved fatal yesterday forenoon, befel Mrs. FANNY LONGFELLOW, wife of Prof. HENRY W. LONGFELLOW, at their residence in Cambridge, on Tuesday afternoon. While seated at her library table, making … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Sad television on situation in Arua, Uganda
No charges, tortured and beaten, and possibly disappeared. Justice in its most elementary form. Listen the the lawyers at about 22:00.
Posted in Development thinking
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Key leader in the Burkina Faso tri-border area interviewed about… how to spend lots of money!
Great interview with Le Pays. L’Emir du Liptako est l’autorité coutumière suprême dans la province du Seno. Sa Majesté a bien voulu nous accorder une interview à travers laquelle il nous fait remonter dans l’histoire de l’Emirat du Liptako. Vu … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Who would have thought in other countries there is also demand for protectionism? Ghana’s footwear manufacturing industry
“We are no longer able to compete with the influx of imported and inferior products on the Ghanaian market, and this is a worry to all stakeholders,” he noted, adding that this called for prompt intervention on the part of … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Recent reading and viewing recommendations
The Hydrogen Sonata, a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks, was a long but good read. Infused with Banks’ theme (in all the novels of his I have read so far) of loneliness and, well I have to say … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
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Great quote from Teju Cole, “Every Day is for the Thief” about markets!
“One goes to the market to participate in the world. As with all things that concern the world, being in the market requires caution. The market – the essence of the city – is always alive with possibility and danger. … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
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