Friends of African Village Libraries (I post regularly here)- Sortie d’animation avec la Bibliothèque Mobile Pénélope à l’école B de Houndé
- Ghana librarians do a group reading session
- Organisation d’une séance de mots croisés et d’une séance de dessin à la bibliothèque de Karaba
- Appréciations des livres CMH par professeurs du CEG de Maro
- Animation d’une séance de lecture guidée à la bibliothèque de Karaba
- Animation de l’animateur de ABVBF à la bibliothèque de Béréba, Burkina Faso
- Encouragement des élèves de l’école Sainte Thérèse de Houndé à la lecture
- Organisation d’une séance de lecture à voix haute à la bibliothèque de Koho
- Visite du coordonnateur et de l’animateur de ABVBF à la bibliothèque Lumière pour enfants à Houndé
- Une sortie d’animation de la BMP à l’école E de Houndé
Author Archives: mkevane
What does literature do?
According to some: High school students and movie stars testify that “The Catcher in the Rye” changed their lives and changed the world. Not me. I read it in high school. I re-read it a couple years ago. I remember, … Continue reading
What does literature do anyway? Provocative reality from China
HT: Deb Garvey. Much like Chinese authorities today, Lu Xun himself was conflicted about the effect his voice might have on future generations. Reflecting on whether or not to speak out, he posed an analogy: Imagine an iron house without … Continue reading
Posted in Reading
Comments Off on What does literature do anyway? Provocative reality from China
Conspiracy theories running rampant about Kosyam “attack” … who can tell?
On comprend alors pourquoi selon RFI un haut gradé de l’armée a laissé entendre « il nous a beaucoup emmerdés » parlant des événements survenus à la présidence. Ce qu’on peut retenir donc de ces témoignages, c’est que ce qui … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Conspiracy theories running rampant about Kosyam “attack” … who can tell?
Gender barriers breaking down: men pounding foutou in Burkina Faso
En effet, se disant Ghanéen de nationalité, il dit avoir été estomaqué de voir des femmes se donner à cette tâche au Burkina Faso. « Au Ghana, ce ne sont pas les femmes qui pillent l’igname. C’est généralement une activité … Continue reading
Bicycles and cash transfers
A new paper Cycling to School finds that bicycles are even better than cash transfers (HT: Marginal Revolution). We find that the Cycle program was much more cost effective at increasing girls’ enrolment than comparable conditional cash transfer programs in … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
Comments Off on Bicycles and cash transfers
The report on the Senate in Burkina Faso released
Here are the highlights of the recommendations: Reduce the size of Senate, by cutting Presidential appointees (why there are *any* appointees to the Senate is something that should be up for much more debate). – Sur la composition du Sénat … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on The report on the Senate in Burkina Faso released
Meanwhile, in Africa, heights barely budged…
The data from Africa very strongly suggests height did not improve over past 50 years. There are a number of sources. Here is a good NYTimes summary. The average height of European males increased by an unprecedented 11 cm between … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking, Gender
Comments Off on Meanwhile, in Africa, heights barely budged…
Ten novels describing what grinding poverty is really about
I started thinking about this awhile ago. When I read The Bridge in the Jungle. If I get some more good suggestions I will update… so put them in comments please. Beppe Fenoglio, Ruin, He is an amazing writer about … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
Comments Off on Ten novels describing what grinding poverty is really about
Scathing assessment of Jeff Sachs as development project implementor….
With almost every intervention, she documents the chasm that exists between the villagers and those running the project. At one point, the Millennium Villages Project persuades the farmers in Ruhiira to grow maize instead of their traditional crop, called matoke. … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
1 Comment
Exciting new development in the politics of Burkina Faso’s Senate
Shots fired at presidential palace, and President in press conference with IBK says that he was delighted that commission report (that he read over the weekend while listening to shots fired?) was such a delightful document, and he is very … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Exciting new development in the politics of Burkina Faso’s Senate
Weird news from Burkina Faso about apparent assassination attempt… the opaque semi-authoritarian regime eats its children
Des sources proches de la présidence burkinabè évoquent une tentative d’’assassinat du chef de l’Etat Blaise Compaoré par un ancien soldat du régiment de la sécurité présidentielle, dans la nuit du 30 au 31 août. Cette nuit là, des explosions … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Weird news from Burkina Faso about apparent assassination attempt… the opaque semi-authoritarian regime eats its children
Everything *is* rainbows and unicorns in “Our Sudan”….
OK, nice hopeful video… one can imagine something different, but there is a place for this too.
Because we all know that really expensive training programs work really well in really poor countries
The development objective of the Youth Employment and Skills Development Project for Burkina Faso is to increase access to temporary employment and skills development opportunities for out-of- school youth. The project has three components. The first component is labor intensive … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off on Because we all know that really expensive training programs work really well in really poor countries
What is the bilan of the MCC in Burkina?
A thought: Given expiration in July 2014 of MCC’s $480 million, and given important money newly allocated to Sahel, there should be a USAID-MCC stock-taking, examining effectiveness of U.S. spending in Burkina. I’ll go out on a limb, and say … Continue reading
Over weekend I read four short stories. You should read them too.
Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress, The New Yorker, December 2011. Just one word: Fun. Here’s the review of the story at Mookse. And here is excerpt from good review by Reader’s Quest: … I think that a possible key can be found … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
Comments Off on Over weekend I read four short stories. You should read them too.
Etienne Traoré offers tidbits of political opinion
Most of the interview is generalities that everyone knows; I am continually dismayed at how even fierce critics of the government offer only the blandest information… they blame and criticize, but themselves never appear to take the time to do … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Etienne Traoré offers tidbits of political opinion
Book groups? Edward Steed in The New Yorker
More of his cartoons are here.
Posted in United States
Comments Off on Book groups? Edward Steed in The New Yorker
Kim Stanley Robinson’s Pacific Edge
I read/skimmed Kim Stanley Robinson’s Pacific Edge, one of the “Three Californias” trilogy. I don’t know if these were written before or after Red Mars, his most famous book, but Pacific Edge deals with a favorite theme, nature and human’s … Continue reading
Posted in Book and film reviews
Comments Off on Kim Stanley Robinson’s Pacific Edge
Michael Kevane 