Articles
Is ANC the right party? Documentary and debate in Oslo Nov 22
In what direction is South Africa heading? Is the ANC the right party to lead the country into the future? Read more
Norway´s Rafto Prize for Nigeria´s Nnimmo Bassey
The 2012 Rafto Prize is awarded to Nigerian environmentalist and human rights defender Nnimmo Bassey in recognition of his long-term fight for people´s right to life, health, food and water in a world affected by complex and threatening climate change and mass environmental destruction. Read more
South Africa: Marikana - the massacre of our illusions
The story of the Marikana massacre is not just a story of violence and grief. To speak in those terms only would be to add insult to injury and to see the striking miners as mere victims and not as agents of their own future and as a source of a new movement in the making. Read more
Nigeria: Chinua Achebe on his support for "Occupy Nigeria"
In this interview, the acclaimed Nigerian author Chinua Achebe talks about Nigerian governance and why he supported the "Occupy Nigeria" movement. Chinua Achebe on Occupy Nigeria, fuel subsidy and governance
South Africa: On the lure of India, China and the global elite
In 1972 Steve Biko warned that it would be possible to create a "...a black middle class," and to "succeed in putting across to the world a pretty convincing, integrated picture, with still 70 percent of the population being underdogs". If we follow aspects of the Chinese or Indian model, South Africa will be able to produce elites that can be integrated into the global elite. But this would ha... Read more
Gaddafi splittet Afrika
Gaddafis død bør bli en vekker for Afrikas demokratisk valgte ledere. Det er på tide at de tar avstand fra despotene på kontinentet, skriver Bistandsaktuelts Jan Speed. Les mer her
Ethiopia steps up terrorism allegations against journalists
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi accuses journalists in the country of being "messengers" with "terrorist" groups. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns this campaign of intimidation against the private press. Read more
Uganda women protest against police brutality
This statement from Uganda women's civil society organisastions was received from the NCA's partner organisation, ISIS-Wicce, today: Read more
Libya: "Europe has no claim to moral leadership"
We cannot know the trajectories of the uprisings that have swept North Africa and the Middle East. But one thing is for sure. Whatever pompous claims to the contrary come out of Washington and Brussels, these are not revolts for American or European values. On the contrary they are a direct challenge to those values. They are revolts against a global power structure that is formed by an interna... Read more
Making sense of the Congo: Genocide and Continental War
Gerard Prunier’s massive historical account of the Congo wars - "From Genocide to Continental War" - deserves readers for more than one reason. To us Norwegians, the DRC has recently become the scene of a neo-colonial spectacle – a modern-day “Heart of Darkness” – through the murder trial against two Norwegian mercenaries. Newspapers and TV news have tried their best to make us believe that wha... Read more
Binyavanga Wainaina: How to Write about Africa
"Always use the word "Africa" or "Darkness" or "Safari" in your title... Never have a picture of a welll-adjusted African on the cover of your book..." Read Binyavanga Wainaina's famous Granta article here. How to Write about Africa
Guinea: Army spreads terror and violence in Conakry
“No to Dadis!” Under this slogan around 50.000 Guineans responded to the call for a pacific demonstration in Conakry on Monday 28 September. From different areas of the city and from the outskirts, people gathered in the Stade 28 Septembre -. named after the day of independence from France in 1958 - ignoring the interdiction of the military junta leading the country. Read more
Shipping company introduces Western Sahara ban
The Norwegian Council for Africa wrote in February about the shipping company Atlantic RTI which transported fish from occupied Western Sahara. The company now says they will prevent their vessels from being used for such purposes in the future. Read more