It’s been a crazy few years for WordPress’s mobile projects. In 2008 we launched the first version of the WordPress app so you could blog on the go with your shiny first-generation iPhone. Since then, we’ve added other platforms as well, including BlackBerry and Android. Today we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve expanded our mobile [...]
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“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” Those wise words are from celebrity chef Julia Child, who was never shy about following her passions in life. Child was passionate about many things, but especially food — and she shares that in common with WordPress.com bloggers, who publish thousands of mouth-watering recipes [...]
Today’s new, feature-packed Theme has a really polished design that can give your blog a more technical look—without appearing too cold. I think you’ll really like it. Let’s take a look at zBench. zBench has a lot of great features that make personalizing your blog a snap. Features like custom background images and colors, a [...]
Give your site a unique look with our newest theme, Elegant Grunge. With a touch of faded grunge the design gives your site a textured, hand-made look while remaining crisply artistic and structured. Elegant Grunge features a widget-ready footer and an optional full-width page template that removes the sidebar. Make it your own by choosing [...]
I’m happy to introduce Spectrum, a fine new addition to our ever-growing collection of themes. Spectrum comes as a colorful and fresh theme sporting a clean layout with one main column and a sidebar on the right. It supports custom menus, background, and header image, so you could configure the look to your liking. The [...]
Sometimes, you can’t always get to your computer, but you may really need to handle something important on your blog. That’s when a new feature we’re launching today — WordPress.com Text Messaging — steps in to help. Through our shiny new 77377 (PRESS) shortcode, you can manage your blog using SMS messages. No computer? No [...]
Last night, I had the chance to see Vieux Farka Toure play for a sold out crowd at le Centre Culturel Francais in Bamako. It goes without saying that it was an incredible show. For those not familiar with his story, Vieux is the second son of Malian blues giant Ali Farka Toure. Few thought [...]
Friday night, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba performed at a fundraiser for the American International School in Bamako. Tickets prices were steep by Malian standards ($20), but it was well worth it to see such a world-class act. Bassekou Kouyate has long been revered within Malian musical circles but only recently has he broke into [...]
You thought Gravatar Profiles were cool? Wait until you see them on your WordPress.com blog. Today dawns a new era in Gravatar awesomeness: Gravatar Hovercards. It’s now easy to find out about who is behind your favorite comments simply by moving your mouse. This new feature is now enabled by default across WordPress.com. What’s a [...]
“You say goodbye, I say hello.” – The Beatles Needless to say, we hope you never want to leave WordPress.com. But, should the day arrive that you decide to strike out on your own and set up a self-hosted WordPress blog with the free, open source WordPress software available at WordPress.org, we’ve got you covered [...]
Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré made a visit to the town of Kangaba today to commemorate the establishment of the Kurukanfuga Charter. For those of you who flunked 11th century West African history in high school, the Karurkanfuga Charter, also known as the Charter of Mande, was developed in 1236 as the first constitution of [...]
You may have noticed a change to your stat charts a couple of weeks ago. We ditched Flash in place of a more robust charting library called Flot. If you didn’t notice, go check it out because you can view all of the new charts with modern browsers including mobile devices such as iPhone and [...]
A coworker sported an outfit made from traditional Burkinabe fabric this morning. As the ladies in the office cooed, she boasted about finding great bargains at “La Foire“. She elaborated that as part of La Foire du Cinquantenaire de l’Independance du Mali, merchants from far and wide had come to Bamako to sell goods, and [...]
We’re excited to announce that WordPress.com is now the default blogging platform for Windows Live Spaces users. We’ve worked with our partners at Microsoft to create a simple migration service for Spaces bloggers to easily bring all their posts, comments, and photos to WordPress.com. Over a six month period, beginning today, Windows Live Spaces users [...]
Le Fida, located in the neighborhood of Lafiabougou, is quickly becoming one of my favorite boites de nuit in Bamako. Like most watering holes in Mali, a backlit “Flag” sign provides the only indication that this nondescript building just off the rond point Cabral is a bar. Upon entering, there is an outdoor patio with [...]
First things first, I’m no longer a PCV. As of August 12th, I’m a “Returned Peace Corps Volunteer”. RPCV status is a bit of a misnomer in that I haven’t actually “returned” from Mali. In fact, I’ll be in Mali at least until March 31, 2011, working as a consultant for the United States Agency [...]
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of Malian independence. Most observers misinterpret September 22 as the date that Mali freed itself from the yoke of French colonial rule. In actuality, the Mali Federation, a union between Senegal and what was then the Sudanese Republic (formerly French Sudan), unilaterally withdrew from the French Community on June 20th, [...]
I’m proud to introduce you to Fusion, our newest theme. The versatility of this theme makes it great for a variety of uses including technical blogs, long-form writing, posting code samples, and displaying large images. You can use Fusion just like any other WordPress.com theme or, if you prefer a wide layout, this theme is [...]
Earlier this week, AQIM claimed that Paris tried to negotiate for the release of French hostage Michel Germaneau. A tape attributed to AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droudkel claims that the Franco-Mauritanian raid on an AQIM base in northern Mali took place while negotiations were under way. France patently rejected all of these assertions, while El Khadim [...]
At Aid Watch, Bill Easterly writes on the prospects of tourism in West Africa and to what extent the industry could be a vehicle for regional development. In a seperate post, Easterly wonders why it is so common for women and girls to be manual porters in Africa and what, if anything is to be done about it. The comments in response [...]
Despite living in Bamako for over a year, part of me feels like I have barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. The other day, for example, I attended the finals of La Coupe du Mali, where to Bamako teams squared off to determine the best soccer team in Mali. The match [...]
In a previous post, I hinted that AQIM has been quite successful in exploiting the differences between Mali and its neighbors to great effect. Adam Vogl, highlights some of these divisions on the BBC website: In February Mali released four prisoners it was holding accused of links to al-Qaeda, to secure the release of another [...]
There are two pieces from the last ten days that address security in the Sahara-Sahel. Both are by authors who are supremely qualified to comment on AQIM and Africom respectively. While they do not quite constitute a point/counterpoint debate, they do offer competing analyses. Both are sure to be labeled propaganda and though both are [...]
Only one day after AQIM killed Michel Germanau, a French national who had been held hostage by the group, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Mali to meet with President Amadou Toumani Toure (known locally as “ATT”). Kouchner also made visits to Mauritania and Niger, reiterating that France will help combat Al-Qaeda in the [...]
Last month, Pierre Englebert wrote a fascinating op-ed in the New York Times in which he proposed that the best way to force the worst performing African states to shape up is to derecognize them. Per usual, I have been meaning to comment on this for weeks, but am only now getting around to it. [...]
There was a troubling article this week regarding water availability in northern Mali. IRIN reports from Kidal, where water scarcity is threatening to destabilize the region: Local and national authorities – backed by international agencies – have sent truckloads of water and thousands of tons of rice and fodder to Kidal, where animals are dying daily and water for drinking [...]
Texas in Africa is pleasantly surprised to see celebrity aid done right. Apparently Ben Affleck > Bono when it comes to aid. Meanwhile, Alanna Shaikh at Aid Watch writes about the aid community’s affinity for impact evaluation and how it skews funding and programming away from rule of law/government -type programs. Her basic question: We’ve spent the last few [...]
Al Jazeera, Voice of America and BBC are all reporting that Michel Germaneau, the French hostage being held in Mali, has been killed by AQIM. The entire ordeal is sure to divide opinion regarding anti-terrorism policy in the region. As reported by the BBC: Al-Qaeda’s North African offshoot has said it has killed a French [...]
Food Security is a trendy topic in development right now, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel. Though it is by no means a new issue, there appears to be a concerted effort accross the board to incorporate food security into project design. There is also an increasing body of research helping practitioners better understand the driving factors behind what makes a community food insecure. [...]
Al Jazeera reports: France provided technical and logistical support to a recent Mauritanian military operation against al-Qaeda’s North African wing, the French defence ministry has said. “The terrorist group targeted by the Mauritanian army is the one that executed a British hostage a year ago and has refused to give proof of life or engage in negotiations [...]
Texas in Africa has Nicholas Kristof on the defensive, and he doesn’t look comfortable. France is still messing up Africa, or so thinks Boubacar Boris Diop. Yves Gounin begs to differ. Laura Freschi comments on Clash of the Counter-bureaucracy and Development, a recent essay critical of USAID’s reporting system by former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios. Bill Easterly [...]
This paper, by Maxim Pinkovskiy and Xavier Sala-i-Martin, sparked a huge debate earlier this year. I meant to post it months ago, did so on facebook, and then completely forgot to add it here. I stumbled across it again as I was looking over some notes that I had scribbled during a meeting in February. One of [...]
Cities like Accra catch me off guard, partially because they are not the Africa I am used to. Don’t get me wrong, Accra is just as much “Africa” as Timbuktu, and I resent people who claim that which is “modern” to be inauthentic and non-African, but cities such as Accra are common gateways for westerners [...]
Our transport from Cape Coast to Accra dropped us off in the middle of a very crowded street. It was evening and we knew the situation was less than ideal when Ghanaians were complaining about the neighborhood. We got out of the tro and immediately found ourselves surrounded by aspiring bag carriers and taxi drivers. [...]
I know this is a bold claim based on purely anecdotal evidence, but I am going to make it anyway: Cape Coast has the most taxis per capita in the world. When we arrived in Cape Coast, every other car was a taxi. In West Africa, it is standard that a taxi courts your business [...]
I don’t have much to say about Busua, other than the beaches are idyllic, the seafood is bountiful, the local juices are mouthwatering and the people are as friendly and accommodating as any you will ever meet. We stayed our first night in a non-descript, beach hotel. Since it was off-season and Busua is not [...]
One of the more common modes of transportation in Mali is green vans known locally as sotrama. They tend to be elderly vehicles with hollowed out insides. Once stripped down to their bare minimum, wooden benches are installed around the perimeter of the interior. A sotrama is not considered full unless there are twenty people [...]
It was evening when we arrived in Kumasi, and predictably, we had no idea where we were. We took a taxi to our hostel. The accommodations were modest, but considering that it was the first time in 36 hours that we were not on a bus or waiting for one, a shower and a bed [...]
The border-crossing process from Burkina Faso to Ghana was similar to the transition from Mali to Burkina save for a few subtle differences. West African authorities seem to relish any chance to make those they encounter aware of their status, a habit that can only foster resentment. If you want to understand why West Africans [...]
The trip from Mali to Ghana hit a minor snag when we arrived in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. We reached the city just before midnight and were told that a bus to Kumasi (Ghana) would not leave until 6 am. As broke Peace Corps Volunteers, finding a hotel room for only 5 hours was a non-starter. [...]
One of the most salient legacies of European colonialism is the borders it bestowed upon West Africa. These borders may be ill-conceived, but any overland traveler knows that they are far from arbitrary. Encounter a West African border, and expect your journey to come to a grinding halt. These borders matter. I recently traveled with [...]
Readers of this blog know that I work on a USAID-funded democracy and governance project called, Programme de Gouvernance Partagée (PGP2). Parts of this project are linked with the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), an extension of the Pan-Sahel Initiative (PSI) which had focused on Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. The goal of the TSCTP is to increase [...]
Food Security in the Sahel is a vast problem with multi-dimensional challenges. When a family becomes food insecure the effects are cascading and reverberate for generations. What begins as a village-wide problem gradually festers, infecting entire regions. Thankfully, the international community is beginning to grasp the global repercussions of food insecurity. Peace Corps is one [...]
A friend of mine, who has lived in the West Bank for several years, posted the following on his Facebook page today:
Dear Europe,
Sorry about the cloud of ash over your heads and that you can’t travel anywhere. We feel just the same.
Sincerely,
Gaza
I have no desire to start a discussion/debate/polemic regarding Israeli policy towards Gaza. I [...]
Earlier this week, AQIM released two Italian hostages who were kidnapped in eastern Gao in mid December. The BBC reports:
An Italian couple who were being held hostage in the west African country of Mali by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have been released.
Local officials said Sergio Cicala and Philomene Kaboure were picked up by an army patrol in the eastern Gao [...]
Anyone who has lived in northern Mali knows about the drug trade, but few appreciate the deleterious effects that drug trafficking through the Sahara has on local governance. James Traub, writing for New York Times Magazine, offers an insightful exposé on the corrosive nature of the West African drug trade:
Just as the efficient marketplaces of the [...]
Cartography is an art, not a science. Take a minute and look at this political map:
It shows that Mali is a landlocked country. What this map does not illustrate, however, is the vast Sahara desert separating Mali from the Mediterranean ports of North Africa. It does not depict the few (and often derelict) roads that [...]
MEND (the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) has always fascinated me. Originally, it was an umbrella organization made up of recalcitrant militant groups from the Delta. Since 2006, it has gone through several iterations, each time increasing in sophistication.
Estimates vary as to how many members it has or to what extent it [...]
Over at the blog Aid Thoughts, Matt Collin has a post on the phenomenon of internal brain drain and provides links to other commentators who have offered their opinion on the effects of the “development industry” on local governments and private sector development. He writes:
Donors and NGOs typically have a mandate to hire local staff [...]
Thanks to everyone who sent me the link to Joshua Hammer’s account of his hike into Dogon Country from last week’s New York Times. As someone who has hiked the area a few times and failed to write about it descriptively, I am humbled by Mr. Hammer’s writing skills. He does an excellent job of capturing the beauty [...]
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