Not that I have died before to profess on death, but events in my life and those I know have convinced me that death can be sweet and something to look forward to. After all if there is one thing we all are privy to, it is that one day we will die. Death is […]
Bhekinkosi Moyo
Bhekinkosi Moyo is trained in political science and currently shuttles between Southern Africa and West Africa. He works for TrustAfrica-a Pan African oriented foundation that works to secure the conditions for democratic governance and equitable development. In 2007, he edited a collection of chapters: Africa in Global Power Play. He has just completed editing an 18 country book on DisEnabling the Public Sphere: Civil Society Regulation in Africa.
Posted inNews/Politics
Ballots, not bullets
It wasn’t guns and bullets that woke me from my writing slumber, it was the ballots cast peacefully across SA today, May 18, which made me jolt from my seat and announce myself once again on these pages. Dear reader, nothing makes me happier than a peaceful, free and fair election in Africa. This because […]
Posted inLifestyle
Disorganised by my ‘organisation’
In his book, The Black Swan, The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb furthers the argument (he introduced in Fooled By Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets) that in life there are rare events, normally outliers, with impacts that are decisive and often irreversible. Such events happen […]
Posted inGeneral
Zimbabwe: A nation in need of healing
The decade-long crisis in Zimbabwe has affected the psyche and social fabric of the nation. There were senseless and callous murderous acts that today dominate the news headlines and community talks. From Beitbridge to Victoria Falls, Gokwe to Zaka, stories abound about rampant killings and general decay in morality. Not only have these been normalised […]
Posted inGeneral
The tired, absurd and uninspiring in Zim’s political amphitheatre
Inside the Zimbabwean political amphitheatre are scenes of the tired, the old and the uninspiring. These are scenes not too gladly and willingly watched but forcefully shown to the audience. It sounds really absurd but in reality no one is spared from the ever-disappointing drama coming out of Zimbabwe. Like many, I have watched with […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Some thoughts on African representations in the media (foreign and local)
This might not be a topical area today given the global excitement around Obama and other developments in the continent. However, I have been hoping to put my thoughts on paper on African representations and interpretations in the media for some time now. The following are just thoughts and must be treated as such. The […]
Posted inNews/Politics
‘Power sharing’ and not ‘shared responsibility’ is the problem with African politics
The dirty face of politics in Africa is the abnormal fixation on sharing rather than distributing responsibilities in managing the resources and the sovereignty of states. This seems to be the main underlying problem in the current Zimbabwe impasse, for instance. The same is still true of Kenya, and other hot spots in the continent. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Can the new African foundations level the playing field?
This article first appeared last month in Alliance Magazine (Volume 13, No.3, 2008). Since its publication, I have received many requests to reprint it. The article has since appeared in other media houses. In order to get more feedback, I am reproducing it here in its original form. This article attempts to answer three related […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Regulation or strangulation? NGO laws in Africa, part 1: South Africa
I am introducing a “series on civil society laws” across the African continent. Some may ask why civil society? It is a subject very close to my heart but more importantly, civil society is perhaps the most effective platform we have to further our democratisation and development agenda. But as most of you would know, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
As Zimbabwean politicians sign a power-sharing deal, expectations build for the new prime minister
They have no choice but to work together if indeed they believe in ending the political deadlock and ending a decade-long recession. It is supposed to be a landmark agreement ending a decade of political crisis and economic downturn. It is September 15 2008 and the venue is the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare. The […]
Posted inLifestyle
Trends and issues in local philanthropy in East Africa
A review of: Rose Lukalo-Owino, A Legacy of Giving: The Story of Mohamedally and Maniben Rattansi Educational Trust, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. — In Trust for Tomorrow: Kenya Community Development Foundation, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. — One Woman At a Time: The Kianda Foundation, Allavida, Nairobi: 2008. Connie Ngodi-Houghton, Promoting Philanthropy in Kenya: The Case for Tax […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zimbabwe’s answer lies beyond MDC, Zanu-PF
Disclaimer: This is a reprint of an article I wrote in 2005 and was subsequently published by an online newspaper, NewZimbabwe.com. In re-reading it, I noticed that it still applies to the current situation surrounding negotiations. One needs only replace a few words such as “elections” with “negotiations” and everything will read as if it […]