Earlier today, the New York Times published a very interesting article by Michael Wines in which he discusses China’s large investment in Afghanistan’s Aynak copper mine, which is located in Logar Province.  He also analyzes China’s commercial strategy, which is part of its overall foreign policy, and its efforts to secure mineral resources abroad.

One aspect of China’s investments in Afghanistan that Mr. Wines largely ignores is the Chinese  government’s attempt to gain political influence in Afghanistan to counter India’s recent development efforts there.  In fact, five countries are jockeying for power in the war-torn nation: China, India, Pakistan, Iran and the US.  China and India have economic motives for their financial investments, but the geopolitical rivals are also trying to limit the reach of their traditional enemies.  India and Pakistan are even greater rivals, and those two states have political motives for their involvement in Afghanistan; in the case of Pakistan, it seeks to maintain ties to the Taliban in case the group regains power in Kabul, and it also wants to check India’s encroachment into a country that Pakistan considers to be of vital interest to its national security.  Iran meddles in Afghanistan, and it is trying to thwart  US efforts to encircle and contain the Islamic Republic.  America’s presence in Afghanistan is primarily for counterterrorism purposes; it wants to prevent the Taliban from retaking control of the country and giving Al Qaeda a safe haven there, and it needs airbases in Afghanistan from which to launch drone strikes into the tribal regions of Pakistan where anti-American militants are based.

The ongoing geopolitical competition in Afghanistan is complex.  How it plays out will largely depend on the government in Kabul and its ability to establish and maintain security with the help of the US.

Gabon is a country in west central Africa. It borders on Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea.

With a vast sprawl of virgin rainforests and teeming wildlife, Gabon is The Ghost Who Walks territory. Its major cities, however, are a sophisticated bustle of glitz, lights, and casinos. Gabon offers a little of everything to just about everyone.

Gabon is an average as far as equatorial climates go hot, humid and cloudy. Throughout the year temperatures hover around the 30 mark and rarely drop below 20 June to August provides slightly cooler days and some respite from the rain.

Libreville with its big ocean view hotels, office buildings, wide highways, fancy shops and cavalcade of taxis, Libreville looks more like a Miami Beach than a major African city. Libreville is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Theres no lack of nightlife, either. The African quarters are full of fairly cheap places to eat and drink. Theyre easy to get to, not half as dangerous or rough as some other African capitals and the hard partying locals are always up for a beer.

The Musee des Arts ET Traditions is one of the best in Central Africa and definitely worth a visit as long as you can find it. The Fang, Teke and Mitsogho masks are some of the best examples around, complemented by the wonderful collection of carved harps, baskets and an authentic Mitsogho temple.

L Eglise St Michel is a landmark church because of its 31 unusual wooden columns, carved by a blind Gabonese craftsman, each with a biblical scene.

The Palais Presidential overlooks the heart of town and is as much Bongos paean to Western culture as it is to Gabon might. Unfortunately photographs are forbidden, and visitors arent allowed inside.

The oil town of Port Gentil is built on an island at the mouth of the Ogooue River. The northern part of the island, Cap Lopez, is full of expatriates, top end hotels and the only decent beach. Port Gentil has more restaurants, stores and clubs per capita than any other African city.

Mayumba would be Gabons premier beach resort if it werent so hard to get to.

The Reserve de la Lope is Gabons most accessible wildlife reserve, where you stand a good chance of seeing forest elephants, buffalos and a variety of primates. Recently the reserve has initiated gorilla walks in an attempt to habituate the gorilla population to the presence of small groups of humans.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Normally Gabon is known as land of rainforest, rivers and beaches, with a glitzy urban backdrop and a distribution of wealth uncharacteristically even . The per capita income of Gabon is some four times the average of sub-Saharan Africa. With significant oil wealth the economy has tended to be rather mono-dimensional, but with so much to offer the nation’s tourist industry has since the turn of the century enjoyed the impetuous of determined government investment and support.

The care with which the natural heritage of Gabon is being preserved is an example to the rest of the continent, and vital to the success of these efforts is vibrant eco-tourism industries. It is these that help provide some of the economic incentive for such efforts to be undertaken at all. Gabon has 13 national parks covering the complete spectrum of the nation’s diverse natural heritage.

Being on the equator, however, the temperature variant is minimal, and for most of the year daytime temperatures hover around 30ºC. Between June and August the days are slightly cooler and the rain somewhat diminished.It therefore makes sense to avoid the period between September and May when rainfall and humidity are at their most intense.

Gabon have three international airports . These are Libreville Leon M’ba International Airport, M’Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport serving the port city of Franceville and Port-Gentil International Airport.

The only viable inter-continental connection with Gabon is via Europe. The two main flights are Air France via Paris and Gabon Airlines from Marseilles and Paris.

Regional connections including Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, Air Ivoire from Abidjan, Interair South Africa from Johannesburg, Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca, South African Airways from Johannesburg and Virgin Nigeria from Lagos.

A handful of local domestic airlines offer a comprehensive service to some 34 individual regional airports and landing facilities.

There are number of airlines offering cheap flights to Gabon.Airlines like Kenya Airways , Ethiopian Airlines , are all destined to Gabon from major Uk airports.These are the ones known for Cheap flights to Gabon . These airlines have good ratings among customers , offer great services and very helpful to their passengers.

Book online with Travelhouseuk.co.uk and receive access to discounted air fares and hotels and flight . Watch out for our regularly updated specials.

Un juge d”instruction parisien a décidé mardi 5 mai 2009, contre l’avis du Parquet de Paris, de lancer une information judiciaire contre trois leaders africains pour le motif de “recel de détournement de fonds publics” concernant le patrimoine détenu par ces présidents. Ces derniers sont à la tête de pays producteurs de pétrole dont les principaux revenus sont dépensés dans des appartements de luxe à Neuilly, ancienne mairie (1983-2007) de l’actuel président français, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Une juge contre des présidents

Omar Bongo, président du Gabon (à gauche), Teodoro Obiang, président de la Guinée équatoriale (au centre) et Denis Sassou-Nguesso, président du Congo-Brazzaville. (Reuters)

Françoise Desset, doyenne des juges d’instruction du pôle financier de Paris, a décidé d’ouvrir une information judiciaire à l’encontre de Omar Bongo, président du Gabon, Teodoro Obiang actuel président de la Guinée équatoriale et Denis Sassou-Nguesso, président du Congo-Brazzaville et de leurs proches. C’est la première fois qu’une telle procédure est lancée, Me William Bourdon, avocat des plaignants, a déclaré à Reuters, “C’est une décision sans précédent parce que c’est la première fois qu’une enquête judiciaire est ouverte concernant le détournement d’argent public imputé à des chefs d’Etats en exercice. Est désormais possible l’identification et la poursuite de ceux qui, inlassablement et sournoisement, appauvrissent leurs pays”.

En cas de poursuite judiciaire, l’instruction portera sur les ”39 propriétés et 70 comptes bancaires détenus en France par Omar Bongo, président du Gabon et ses proches, les 24 propriétés et 112 comptes bancaires du président du Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou-Nguesso”. De plus, le dossier devrait également faire la lumière sur l’achat de limousines pour un montant avoisinant les 4 millions d’euros, par le président de la Guinée équatoriale, Teodoro Obiang. La juge a considéré recevable la plainte déposée par l’Association Transparency France qui avait constitué une partie civile, le 2 décembre 2008. Les accusations sont “recel de détournement de fonds publics, blanchiment, abus de bien social, abus de confiance et complicités”. Transparency International explique au journaliste du Monde, “Il n’y a aucun doute sur le fait que ce patrimoine n’a pu être constitué grâce aux seuls salaires et émoluments de ces chefs d’Etat au sujet desquels il existe de sérieuses présomptions de détournements de fonds publics”.

Ces fortunes d’or noir

Leurs statuts de producteur de pétrole, leur permettent une vie digne des oligarques russes, des rois du pétrole saoudiens ou encore des stars d’Hollywood. Mais d’où viennent ces millions? La première ressource de ces trois pays est le pétrole qui attire de nombreux investisseurs étrangers, dont la France. Troisième producteur de pétrole en Afrique Sub-Saharienne, la Guinée équatoriale est ”l’un des plus grands receveurs d’investissements étrangers en Afrique”. De son côté, le Congo est un allié de poid pour la France, car le pays est le quatrième producteur de pétrole en Afrique noire, les groupes Total et Bolloré y investissent en masse. D’autant plus que, le pétrole, dont le raffinage est réalisé à Pointe-Noire depuis 1976, fournit 90 % des recettes de l’État, et a le même pourcentage des exportations.

Au Gabon, le pétrole représente depuis 1970, environ 80 % des exportations, 60 % des recettes de l’État et 40 % du PIB du pays. 37ème pays producteur de pétrole et cinquième d’Afrique noire, l’économie gabonaise compte principalement sur cet or noir et les matières premières. De ce fait, ces trois pays font des bénéfices “assez importants” pour que leurs citoyens puissent obtenir un système de santé et d’éducation efficace ainsi que des infrastructures fiables. Au lieu de cela, Omar Bongo, Denis Sessou et Teodoro Obiang se rendent à Paris pour dépenser des milliers d’euros dans des magasins de luxe, des appartements, des maisons et hotels de luxe en plein Paris. Mais ils créent également des comptes aux Etats-Unis ou à Monaco sous le nom des membres de leur famille.

La France a pourtant enquêté

Ce n’est pas la première fois que la France mène des investigations sur les fortunes africaines. Mais à cause des relations entre la France et l’Afrique noire (Françafrique) et particulièrement avec le Gabon, Paris n’a pas poursuivi les plaintes. Entre juin et novembre 2007, 34 procès-verbaux ont été rédigés par les policiers de l’Office central pour la répression de la grande délinquance financière (OCRGDF) mais aucun d’eux n’a aboutit. Les intérêts français passent avant la justice, la politique de “Françafrique” porte donc ses fruits pour les dirigeants africains.

Les accusations déposées sont basées sur les rapports d’insitutitions telles que l’Organisation des Nations Unies, l’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economique et l’Union Européenne, mais particulièrement le rapport “Biens mal acquis…profitent trop souvent, La fortune des dictateurs et les complaisances occidentales”, document de travail d”Antoine Dulin, sous la direction de Jean Merckaert et publié par la Direction des études et du Plaidoyer du CCFD en mars 2007. Omar Bongo est alors la cible. En janvier 2008, le journal Le Monde révèle la liste des “Biens mal acquis” et la justice découvre plus de 33 appartements et hôtels particuliers pour plus de 150 millions d’euros.

Les plaignants sont encore aujourd’hui, l’Association “Sherpa”, réseau international de juristes, présidé par William Bourdon, “Survie”, qui dénonce la politique française en Afrique et la “Fédération des Congolais de la diaspora”. Tous ont à coeur de faire aboutir une plainte, notamment depuis que celle de 2007 qui a été classée sans suite. Cette affaire avait été très médiatisée et les dirigeants africains n’avaient pas hésité à remettre en cause les relations entre la France et l’Afrique.

Sources:

• “Enquête en France sur les biens de trois présidents africains“, Par Reuters, publié le 05/05/2009
• “Une juge française ouvre une enquête sur trois chefs d’Etats africains“, par LeMonde.fr et AFP, le 05/05/2009
• “La fortune des chefs africains” par Tiptop, le 1er février 2008 sur Grioo.com

Warren Ellis loves music! People, not so much

PREVIEW: VISIT Warren Ellis’s website/blog

This was news to me, but apparently when Warren Ellis isn’t lovingly insulting half the world on Twitter or writing some of the most acclaimed comics of the past two decades (Astonishing X-Men, Planetary, Transmetropolitan, The Authority, Stormwatch, etc.), he’s critiquing relatively unknown music for the benefit of the greater blogosphere.

For anyone who’s initiated in any way to Ellis’s writing (notorious for meticulously layered plots, course dialogue and biting social commentary), it comes as no surprise that he would have just as strong opinions on music in 2009 as he does on everything else he writes about.

In his latest blog post, some highlights he discusses include Zola Jesus (“a beautiful ghost moaning from the shadows of a bombed-out cathedral”), High Wolf (“wet lo-fi tropical dreamstates”), British Sea Power (“the best piece of classical building/soaring postrock I’ve heard since ‘Raise Yr Skinny Fists.’ I mean, flat fucking out…”) and Gary War (“A gorgeous gurgling gargoyle of a thing”).

Sometimes it’s just cool to know that a 40+ year-old misanthrope — who introduced you to higher science fiction and colored your opinions of establishment politics — digs some of the same genres of music.

To ape Ellis’s own words and his tendency to close with brevity: “It is really bloody good, yes.”

– Eric Vilas-Boas, Managing Editor

[NOTE: This post pertains to Warren Ellis the writer. There is another Warren Ellis, a musician and composer who has collaborated with Nick Cave, info on him here]

Ali Bongo, fils aîné du président Omar Bongo décédé en juin 2009  après 41 années au pouvoir, effectue  une visite de travail de trois jours en France.

Le président Ali Bongo et le président Nicolas Sarkozy

Omar Bongo était un pilier de la “françafrique”, un concept qui recouvre les relations opaques mêlant les affaires et la politique de la France envers ses anciennes colonies africaines. Les adversaires d’Ali Bongo ont accusé la France, qui conserve  au Gabon une base militaire permanente, 10.000 ressortissants et 120 entreprises, d’avoir influé sur l’élection en sa faveur. Paris a démenti à plusieurs reprises.

Reporters Without Borders wrote to President Nicolas Sarkozy on 19 November 2009 on the eve of his meeting in Paris with his visiting Gabonese counterpart, Ali Bongo, asking him to raise the issue of press freedom in their talks. This is the text of the letter:

Mr Nicolas Sarkozy
President of France
Palais de l’Elysée
Paris – France

Paris, 19 November 2009

Dear Mr President,

You are due to meet tomorrow with your Gabonese counterpart, Mr Ali Bongo. Reporters Without Borders would like to express its deep concern about the state of press freedom in Gabon and urges you to raise this issue in talks with you interlocutor.

In fact nine media have just been sanctioned by Gabon’s National Communications Council (CNC) which accused them of “wholesale relaying of public rumours” and writing articles “spreading ethnic divisions, insults and slander”.

We for our part consider that these sanctions are aimed only at penalising pluralist forms of expression. It is obvious that the new authorities do not accept that the results of the presidential elections should be commented on or that members of government and the ruling party should attract criticism.

The spokesman for the Minister of Foreign and European affairs minister said on 12 November in answer to a question about the CNC sanctions, “We underline the importance that France attaches to the principle of freedom of expression. It is one of the fundamental principles of any democracy”. This statement seems to us inadequate. Freedom of the press is not just a principle and France should, through you, ask the Gabonese president to observe it more fully.

Punishment of the nine media is just the latest in a worrying series of incidents. Several journalists found themselves in trouble with the authorities in the aftermath of the presidential election on 30 August, which the press had great difficulty in covering normally. Among them was the editor of the daily L’Union, Albert Yangari, who was questioned for several hours on 25 September. On the same day, police arrested the cartoonist, Patrick Essono, known as “Pahé”, and held him for nearly 48 hours. Very explicit death threats were also made against a journalist on L’Union, Jonas Moulenda, author of a report headlined “Je reviens de Port-Gentil” (I return from Port-Gentil), condemning the role of the military in a clampdown on post-election protests.

Omar Bongo governed Gabon for 41 years without allowing the press any breathing space. We believe it is the duty of France to persuade his successor, Ali Bongo, to choose change. That is why we would be grateful if you could insist with him on the need to protect journalists and to allow for criticism.

I trust that you will give this matter your careful consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Jean-François Julliard
Secretary General

Close to 100  African tribes make and use masks.

African tribal mask makers are not free to make any mask they want.  They must follow religious and spiritural rules.

Before cutting down a tree,  the mask-maker has to visit a wizard to undergo a purification ceremony and make a sacrifice to the spirit of the tree.  This purification ceremony protects the mask-maker against the rage of the tree spirit.

Once the first blow is struck with the axe, the mask-maker puts his lips to the tree and sucks out a small amount of sap.  This makes him become a part of the tree’s “family.”  After the tree is cut down, it must be left alone for a few days for the tree spirit to find another dwelling.  Even after the tree is chopped down, it continues to have miraculous powers, requiring the mask-maker to follow specific rules and practices.

When the mask-carver starts carving, he cannot freely make whatever shape he wishes.  The first rule is that the mask must represent his own ethnic group (of which there are over 1,000 ethnic groups).  If  not, he risks the anger of his entire village, and the rage of the tree spirit.  While the mask is taking shape, it is believed that the powers of the wood are increasing.

When the mask is finished, the wizard must hold a consecration ceremony which turns the mask into a dwelling place for the spirit to which it is dedicated, and afterward, the mask can be used in religioius ceremonies.

African masks vary in shape and appearance.

Ancestor masks have a serene look, while masks of non-human spirits have a bizzare face.  Masks with horns are used in exorcism ceremonies, while protruding eyes and cold expressions represent spirit posession.

White masks represent the dead looking in on the living, and round faces represent high degrees of spirituality.  C heckerboard patterns represent separations.  These can be separations between good and evil, men and women, or intelligence and stupidity.

Religious ceremonies with masks are allowed to be viewed almost excusively by men.  Regardless of the sex of a mask, the wearer is always a man.  Some villages even believe that if a woman sets eyes on a mask, she will die.  The mask represents a supernatural living person.  The person wearing the mask is considered to be in direct contact with the mask’s spirit. A mask offers a chance to a supernatural being for incarnation.  Because a mask is sacred, violating the rules of its use is punished severely, even by death.

Le président Ali Bongo

Le président de la république du Gabon, Ali Bongo assistera au prochain sommet mondial de la FAO sur la sécurité alimentaire qui debute le 16 novembre 2009 à Rome en Italie.  L’oganisation onusienne espère engager les chefs d’état à mettre en place de véritable politique afin d’éradiquer la faim dans le monde. Actuellement plus d’un milliard d’individus souffrent de malnutrition sur cette planète. La FAO a déjà mise sur pied un site internet http://www.1billionhungry.org/fr afin de faire prendre conscience à un large public le problème mondial de cette malnutrition. Jacques Diouf, directeur général de la FAO, a décidé de faire une grève de la fain durant une journée à compter du 13 novembre 2009 au soir, tout comme le secrétaire général de l’ONU, Ban ki-moon.

23 teams are in. Nine more to go before the field in South Africa is complete. There’s going to be a lot of drama this weekend. In Africa, this weekend’s games will determine the three country that will advance to the finals. New Zealand and Bahrain will be playing a winner take all game since the first leg ended in a 0-0 tie, while European qualification begins the two-legged playoffs. Costa Rica and Uruguay will also kick off a two-legged playoff.

Teams already in: Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, United States, Mexico, Honduras, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast

Saturday’s qualifiers (11/14)
AFRICA
Mozambique vs. Tunisia
Togo vs. Gabon
Morocco vs. Cameroon
Rwanda vs. Zambia
Kenya vs. Nigeria
Burkina Faso vs. Malawi
Côte d’Ivoire vs. Guinea
Egypt vs. Algeria
Sudan vs. Benin

EUROPE (1st leg)
Russia vs. Slovenia – 10:55 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Ireland vs. France
Greece vs. Ukraine – 1 p.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina – 3:25 p.m. ET/Setanta (Live)

NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA/SOUTH AMERICA PLAYOFF (1st leg)
Costa Rica vs. Uruguay

ASIA/OCEANIA PLAYOFF (2nd leg)
New Zealand vs. Bahrain – 2 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Kudos to Adam Nossiter, the New York Times’ man in Dakar, for today’s piece on mixed feelings about the French across Francophone Africa. (He even pulled it off without mentioning Rwanda, whose relationship with France is so troubled it skews the curve.) France is often seen as quietly backing, well, the bad guys — Mobutu comes to mind, as does Habyarimana, the president whose underlings committed the Rwandan genocide. And those are just two countries….Adam has more.

It’s a great piece that takes the temperature of a compelling question…which, alas, has no easy answer. To strong man, or not to strong man? C’est la question.

Reporters Without Borders today condemned what it called Gabon’s “persistently repressive impulses” after the National Communications Council (CNC) suspensions and final warnings on eight privately-owned publications.

Private television channel Canal Espoir was also suspended in the CNC’s clampdown announced at a plenary session on 10 November, when it accused the offending media of “wholesale relaying of public rumours” and some articles of “spreading ethnic divisions, insults and slander”.

“While the Gabonese press is already operating in a difficult climate – some journalists report pressure and threats – the CNC’s decision is distressing because it is only aimed at punishing pluralist forms of expression”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

“Evidently, this regulatory body, whose independence from the Libreville government is doubtful, does not accept that the results of the presidential elections should be commented on, or that members of government and the ruling party should attract criticism.

“With these albeit temporary sanctions, the opposition press, critical or satirical has ended up being drastically cut back”, said the organisation, which voiced its backing for Gabon’s privately-run press.

Norbert Ngoua Mezui, founder and leader writer on the newspaper Nku’u le Messager, told Reporters Without Borders of his concern about “the deteriorating climate” for the media. He said he feared that the CNC decision might be only the first in a raft of measures aimed at gagging the press. He said the punishment was aimed at “the outspokenness of the media during the presidential campaign”.

The most severe punishment was meted out to the bi-monthly Echos du Nord, which was handed down a three-month suspension for an article it carried on 29 October headlined “The first fruits of a hooligan state”. Three publications, Le Scribouillard, L’Ombre and La Nation were banned from appearing for two months. The weeklies Nku’u le Messager and Le Crocodile were suspended for one month. The weekly Le Temps and a newspaper that appears irregularly, Gabon d’abord were both given last warnings to comply with the current rules on journalistic ethics.

Finally, the highly popular daily programme “Entre nous”, that gives live airtime to ordinary people, was also suspended. The CNC accused the television station Canal Espoir of “numerous failings in the mastery of techniques for live broadcasting”, but did not specify the length of the suspension.

Attempts by Reporters Without Borders to contact the CNC for an explanation of its decisions were unsuccessful.

Picture : copyright Gaboneco