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
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Book groups? Edward Steed in The New Yorker
More of his cartoons are here.
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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
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Ou sont les moustiquaires promises ?
An incredibly important public health issue. A description of the 2013 campaign (10 million bednets) is here. Alizeta Ouedraogo’s companies had some of the contracts for the distribution I believe. An article in Bendré by Jean Paul Bamogo reviews … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
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Traditional chiefs of Koudougou area get organized…
The brief article via Baromètre du leFaso.net doesn’t give much context. Les chefs traditionnels de Koudougou ont décidé de se mobiliser pour “Œuvrer pour le maintien de la paix, agir pour aider au développement de la ville de Koudougou, revaloriser … Continue reading
Burkinabè photographer (to the President!) Warren Saré visits U.S. and my colleague David Pace
Le dynamique artiste-photographe, Warren Boureima Saré, est de retour au Burkina Faso après un séjour studieux aux Etats-Unis. Dans ses bagages, il est revenu avec de nouvelles connaissances photographiques et des projets pour ses pairs notamment les membres du Centre … Continue reading
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Harsh words from Le Reporter on the elite presidential guard
Pour rappel, avant l’assassinat de Norbert Zongo, la seule évocation du nom du RSP ou de leur quartier général d’alors (le Conseil de l’entente) ou encore de certains de ses éléments pouvait susciter une peur bleue. Les «commandos à la … Continue reading
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Great video of the Burkinabe in San Francisco region
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