Out of Egypt’s Chaos, Musical Rebellion
One washed towels in a barbershop. The other sold fast food. Some nights, they would grab the microphones at outdoor weddings and try out raps they had written, only to earn a hail of stones. Now they are among the fastest-rising stars in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation and its largest music market. Under the names Okka and Ortega, they play sprawling shows in Egypt and abroad. In just a few years, these and other young musicians have created a new genre of youth-driven, socially conscious music and forced it on the Egyptian soundscape. Their music predated the political revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, and most of the musicians did not join the uprising in Tahrir Square. But the turmoil since has left Egypt’s huge youth population searching for voices that address issues they care about.
Writer: Ben Hubbard
Length: 1218 words
Source: The New York Times
Published: May 11th, 2013
Robert Mugabe: From Liberation Hero to Villain to Redeemed Father of a Nation?
In 2010, Prof Ian Scoones of Sussex University published a study that claimed the seizure of white-owned farms, which smashed food production a decade ago, had also bequeathed a positive spinoff in the form of thousands of small-scale black farmers. It has been followed this year by a book, Zimbabwe Takes Back its Land, which concludes: “In the biggest land reform in Africa, 6,000 white farmers have been replaced by 245,000 Zimbabwean farmers. These are primarily ordinary poor people who have become more productive farmers.” Agricultural production is now returning to its 1990s level, they argue. The reappraisal is hotly disputed. The MDC says that Zanu-PF cronies and supporters are the main beneficiaries, and the new farmers are still easily outnumbered by agricultural workers who lost their jobs – but the mere fact that land reform’s consequences have moved from conventional wisdom to a debate worthy of airtime is another step towards making Mugabe’s legacy less unpalatable.
Writer: David Smith
Length: 1401 words
Source: The Guardian
Published: May 10th, 2013
Bi Kidude, Songstress Who Breathed Life Into Taarab
Yes, Fatuma Binti Baraka was that tiny, and that kidude description stuck on her until her death last week, only that this time it was not used in the quasi-derogatory manner of her formative years, but as a stage name for a woman who had become the face and voice of Zanzibari music. Bi Kidude travelled the world using the name, and wherever she went the crowds related it Tanzania’s rich cultural heritage. Despite a career that span across decades, much of Bi Kidude’s life story is uncorroborated. There are numerous fables about her exploits in Oman and other Arab countries as she toddled her first steps in the world of music and entertainment, but few of these have been backed up by material evidence. Also worthy of note is the fact that her age, estimated at about 100 years, had not been confirmed by the time she died and was only based on her accounts and the guesstimates of Swahili historians.
Writer: Edward Qorro
Length: 1010 words
Source: The Daily Nation
Published: April 26th, 2013
Final Issue: How Poor Management Destroyed [Egypt’s] Leading Voice
Even though the paper broke even in an impressive 20 months, Kassem says a series of poor decisions failed to capitalize on this success and dragged it into a financial crisis. The investors approached the paper mainly as a prestige project, aiming only to have it finance itself and not to turn into a profitable investment. “I don’t believe in this view: that in order to produce a good paper, it has to be bankrupt. No, I believe in the saying that there is no press freedom without a business plan. Subsequently, he says, the investors adopted a policy in which a steady stream of revenue was prioritized over the continued growth of the paper. Since its inception in 2004, the revenues of the paper increased steadily until investors in 2007 decided to contract an advertising company in the hope of guaranteeing regular returns. This, Kassem argues, put a ceiling on the paper’s growth.
Writer: Heba Afify
Length: 1185 words
Source: Egypt Independent
Published: April 25th, 2013
Inside Camp Farah: The Making of Marathon Man Mo
It has been over 18 months since Farah’s colours were lowered. He won all his races in 2012, and 13 out of 16 in 2011, but until he joined Salazar he was consistently a notch below the super elite. He finished sixth in the 5,000m at the 2007 world championships and seventh in the same event in 2009. Not bad but not exceptional. That year his agent, Ricky Simms, suggested he move up to the marathon. Dave Bedford, then race director of the London Marathon, agreed. They sought out Salazar, a former world record holder in the event, believing he would persuade Farah. But Salazar reckoned Farah’s future was still on the track – if not entirely on track.
Writer: Sean Ingle
Length: 2501 words
Source: The Guardian
Published: April 19th, 2013
