-
Recent Posts
- Notes on 12 days in Bora-Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti
- Reading Feb 2026
- Reading Nov-Dec 2025 and Jan 2026
- AI as an existential threat – Kevane preliminary draft
- “What can it do?” A living list of computational problems that deep learning/AI/neural nets can or seems likely to “do” (at varying cost and efficacy)
Archives
Categories
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
Bongnessan Arsène Yé justifies the Senate
D’abord, la création du Sénat permettra de faire participer les collectivités territoriales à l’élaboration des lois. Cette option de faire participer les entités locales rappelle l’esprit du bicaméralisme dans les Etats fédéraux. A cet effet, la représentation des régions se … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Bongnessan Arsène Yé justifies the Senate
A witch is killed by machete in eastern Burkina Faso
Gruesome, but this is the opportunity cost of few books and bad education… Omandibiga Tenihala a été lynchée à mort parce qu’elle a été déclarée sorcière par la population du secteur n° 3 du village de Logobou. Selon la version … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on A witch is killed by machete in eastern Burkina Faso
Do you need riding boots to ride this thing?
Posted in Burkina Faso
Comments Off on Do you need riding boots to ride this thing?
«Grigris» de Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, trahir pour rester humain – 66e Festival de Cannes – RFI
Seul réalisateur africain en lice pour la Palme d’or, le Franco-Tchadien Mahamat-Saleh Haroun est appelé par certains à représenter toute l’Afrique au Festival de Cannes 2013. Après le prix du Jury pour Un homme qui crie en 2010, il présente … Continue reading
Posted in Culture
Comments Off on «Grigris» de Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, trahir pour rester humain – 66e Festival de Cannes – RFI
I want this in our house in the village….
“I re-built the gazebo in the garden, installed hammock hooks and Malian hammocks, and thatched the roof. After some weeks of searching, I found a man who came with a lorry load of grass from the Gambia, leapt on the … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
Comments Off on I want this in our house in the village….
A nice story leading to a great quote about trust… West Africa and Other Notes
I’ve been friends with Abass since Christmas, when he sold me a length of cloth with the letters ‘VIP’ printed in green bubbles. There was something very straightforward about him and especially I liked his choice of cloths, a small … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
Comments Off on A nice story leading to a great quote about trust… West Africa and Other Notes
Afrobarometer results for Burkina Faso
From Afrobarometer. Majorities against extension of presidential term limits and against creation of the Senate. Selon l’enquête menée en décembre 2012, environ 6 personnes sur 10 sont favorables au principe de la limitation du nombre de mandats présidentiels. Cette proportion … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Afrobarometer results for Burkina Faso
“Scientific” approach to philanthropy
Here’s how it works, apparently: (1) Start with tiny mistake of not recognizing that you got really really rich because you were lucky. (Right place, right time, born in U.S. not in Colombia, father not a drug addict or violent … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking
Comments Off on “Scientific” approach to philanthropy
In a semi-authoritarian democracy, you just have your legislative super-majority do your bidding
In the case of Burkina Faso the super-majority CDP packs the house by creating a Senate (which many of them will enjoy the air-conditioned privileges of) and displays some false modesty by stripping away apparently the part that says that … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on In a semi-authoritarian democracy, you just have your legislative super-majority do your bidding
New favorite phrase: jirané nyimi
I may have the spelling wrong. Three Dioula speakers I’ve talked with may all be saying the same exact thing but I swear I am hearing three different sounds. It literally means griller, manger in French which means “Grill, Eat” in … Continue reading
Posted in General
Comments Off on New favorite phrase: jirané nyimi
Our book launch at U.S. Embassy on leFaso.net
Thanks to all the friends and supporters who came out, and thanks to the Embassy for hosting. Les conclusions du livre ont été partagées par l’assistance. Le Dr Yves Dakuyo, enseignant à l’Université de Ouagadougou parle de son expérience : … Continue reading
Posted in General
Comments Off on Our book launch at U.S. Embassy on leFaso.net
Debate over specifics of the new Senate in Burkina Faso
In December 2011 the National Assembly revised by 3/4 vote the Constitution. One of the changes was to introduce bicameralism, with a Senate. Who is in the 90-person Senate? (Well, for starters older people only please… you have to be … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Debate over specifics of the new Senate in Burkina Faso
Good growth in Burkina Faso… all those children are working in the gold mines instead of tending goats.
Ms. Laure Redifer, IMF mission chief for Burkina Faso, issued the following statement in Ouagadougou today: “Despite external shocks, economic activity in 2012 was robust, with estimated GDP growth reaching 9 percent, due to a strong 2012 agricultural harvest, stronger … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off on Good growth in Burkina Faso… all those children are working in the gold mines instead of tending goats.
Chantal Terrasson de Fougueres and Blaise Compaore
They keep a very, very low personal profile in the press. Neuf juillet 2008. L’antenne française de Transparency International dépose à Paris une plainte pour recel de détournements d’argent public visant les conditions dans lesquelles un important patrimoine immobilier et … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Chantal Terrasson de Fougueres and Blaise Compaore
Now that’s entertainment…. a Michael Jackson DJ-Dancer-clown at a first communion party in Ouagadougou
Posted in Burkina Faso
Comments Off on Now that’s entertainment…. a Michael Jackson DJ-Dancer-clown at a first communion party in Ouagadougou
Mining industry and transparency in Burkina Faso
Shocked… the whole point of EITI is that civil society push government and industry into more transparency… this news story on a meeting yesterday (notice the prominent World Bank logo on the banner… another 200.000 FCFA wasted on a banner)…. … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off on Mining industry and transparency in Burkina Faso
George Packer Whining about Celebrity
George Packer’s Togo Peace Corps memoir is known as “In the Village if Whining” but if you didn’t know that you’d think he was a sharp, insightful person (which he is, I’m just being mean and snarky) … but this … Continue reading
PM in Burkina Faso visits construction projects
State-led development still has its place…. government organizes planned urban development, building 1500 housing units in Bassinko north of Ouagadougou on road to Yako then selling them to individuals (chosen at random supposedly in a lottery) who have to obtain … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off on PM in Burkina Faso visits construction projects
Joe Penney on Burkina Faso and Mali… beautiful photos, but the accompanying sentence is disingenuously wrong
Not sure what metric Joe Penny uses for the “no development” criteria. Burkina Faso is still way at the bottom on the global scale of human development, but that is not the same as no development. There has been very … Continue reading
Posted in Economy
Comments Off on Joe Penney on Burkina Faso and Mali… beautiful photos, but the accompanying sentence is disingenuously wrong
Huh? Discovered in Burkina Faso?
Who knew it would take me to come to Burkina Faso to first hear Girlfriend by Jesus and Mary Chain. I missed a decade of music, you know. So that means there will be lots of gems like this out … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
Comments Off on Huh? Discovered in Burkina Faso?