BBC Afrique

Hello all,

back at the BBC World Service's headquarter in Central London, I am currently presenting our news bulletins today on BBC Afrique. You can listen from our webpage here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/afrique/

On the top right corner of the page are our audio links:

Nos principaux journaux

• • BBC Matin 0430Umva30:00
  • BBC Matin 0600Umva90:00
  • BBC Midi 1200Umva30:00
• Le Journal de 1600Umva15:00
• BBC Soir 1800Umva30:00
• Nos bulletinsUmva05:00

Our main headlines today: Egypt's Parliament, DRC rebels leaving Ruthsuru amd Mali security issue.

Stay tuned.

"Black Out"

Just discovered the trailer of this documentary film shot in Guinea: "Black Out"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGJ0FnJwwU

Details from the producers:

Only about a fifth of Guinea's people have access to electricity. With few families able to afford generators, children have discovered the international airport, petrol stations and traffic roundabouts as unlikely places to revise. They are amongst the only places where they will always find light.

A literal and metaphorical journey towards enlightenment, "Black Out" shows the obstacles these children have to overcome to achieve their dreams in one of the world's poorest countries.

With the children's resourcefulness and determination acting as a metaphor for the country at large, the film asks whether Guinea can at last fulfill its potential and secure a better future for its people.

Directed by Eva Weber

Produced by Claire Neate-James & Kat Mansoor

A co-production between HSI London, Odd Girl Out Productions and Animal Monday in association with Britdoc, Puma, Chicken & Egg Pictures and Rooftop Films.

I spent my Saturday between Hampstead, up North, and Ladbroke Grove, in the West side of London.

What a change!

I went from a pub with friends discussing about Israel and the US, where they had almost all recently travelled or are going to, to a local youth centre where another friend from London/Ghana/Nairobi was showing his documentary film about hip hop and resistance against occupation in Palestine.

This is London!

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More about the documentary film:
  
Existence is Resistance Presents: 

Hip Hop is Bigger Than the Occupation

The film has been produced by the collective 'Existence is Resistance' and realised by my colleague from Vox Africa (among others of his activities!) Nana Dankwa.

It is about a musical tour in Palestinian territories where hip hop musicians and dancers were teaching resistance through the arts.

It features M1 of Dead Prez, Lowkey, Shadia Mansour, Marcel Cartier, Mazzi of S.O.U.L. Purpose, DJ Vega Benetton, SWYC, University of Hip Hop, Jody McIntyre and many more....

You can watch the trailer here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGvP0OREI2E

It is a very moving and dynamic documentary following artists meeting Palestinians along their tour to promote peace and resistance. 

The film was shown in Lancaster Youth Centre on Saturday, after viewing in the US.

For more information on upcoming tours and about the organisation, you can check their website:
http://www.existenceisresistance.org/
or email questions@existenceisresistance.org

From New Broadcasting House

My first week in New Broadcasting House has gone smoothly and excitingly. T

he whole of the BBC is supposed to move in the building in central London from June 2012 to January 2013, and this month it is the World Service's turn.

So here we are now all the African services together on the 5th floor of this brand new building, broadcasting to the whole of Africa for the radio programmes in English, French, Swahili, Hausa, Somali and Kirundi/Kinirwanda.

You can listen online:

For BBC Africa (English programmes):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2011/04/000000_focus_on_africa.shtml

For BBC Afrique (French service):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/afrique/

For the whole of the World Servcie:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/

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News

For our updates online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/africa/

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Check also our Facebook pages:

In French:
http://www.facebook.com/bbcafrique

In English:
http://www.facebook.com/bbcafrica

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BBC Afrique also have a new daily online video news summary, produced from New Broadcasting House, you can watch here:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/afrique/nos_emissions/2012/07/120706_1minutevendredi.shtml

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As for me, you can also follow me on Twitter for more African news, in English and French:

https://twitter.com/melissachemam

Blogging

Hello folks.

This blog has now reached more viewers than my previous one from Nairobi and it's exciting to know people are getting interested in my travels, reports and African-European stories...

Now, I would love to know who are the readers of this little blog, especially in the USA, in Africa and in Asia. 

Please, let me know if you do!!

 http://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.co.uk/

Cheers from London, UK.

Caine Prize for African Writing: Rotimi Babatunde wins 2012 award

Rotimi Babatunde wins 13th Caine Prize for African Writing

 

 

http://www.caineprize.com/news.php

 

As the Prize announced yesterday evening, Nigeria’s Rotimi Babatunde has won the 2012 Caine Prize for African Writing, described as Africa’s leading literary award, for his short story entitled ‘Bombay's Republic’ from 'Mirabilia Review' Vol. 3.9 (Lagos, 2011).

Here is where to read the text:

http://www.caineprize.com/pdf/2012_Babatunde.pdf

The Chair of Judges, Bernardine Evaristo MBE, announced Rotimi Babatunde as the winner of the £10,000 prize at a dinner held on Monday, 2 July, at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Bernardine Evaristo said: “Bombay's Republic vividly describes the story of a Nigerian soldier fighting in the Burma campaign of World War Two. It is ambitious, darkly humorous and in soaring, scorching prose exposes the exploitative nature of the colonial project and the psychology of Independence.”

Another Night on Earth (London East End Film Festival)

It's summer and it's still raining, so what more to ask for than a film festival and foreign documentaries?
Nothing according to me. So I'll be seeing this Spaning film about Cairo on Sunday in East London:

East End Film Festival: On the Road to Downtown & Another Night on Earth (UK Premiere)

Sunday 8th July | 14:00 | tickets £8.50

http://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/comingsoon.php

It's at the Genesis Cinema:

93-95 Mile End Road, London E1

Tube: Bethnal Green (Central Line)

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More on the film:

'Another Night on Earth'

http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/programme/1989/another-night-on-earth-otre-noche-en-la-tierra

East End Film Festival 2012

Ah London, source of endless culture and amazement, I'm not even back yet, and there is already so much to do, see, listen to!

Today's disovery: The fabulous Rich Mix Cinema in East London (among other theatres) will host the East End Film Festival 2012 from Wed 4 July to Sun 8 July, with a series of foreign films by independent filmmakers from India, Spain, Egypt, Canada, Uganda, the UK and more.

See the programme here:

http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/festival/east-end-film-festival-2012/

or here for film details:

http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/programme 
  
Time Out says:

Founded in 2001, the East End Film Festival is now one of the UK's largest film festivals. This year the festival coincides with World Pride and includes more LGBT films than ever before, including 'Call Me Kuchu', 'How To Survive A Plague', 'Look At Me Again', 'Riot Girls' and 'Our Story'.

The festival runs for a week at various venues including Hackney Picturehouse and Stratford Picturehouse.


Among the film presented, "Call Me Guchu" from Uganda I mentioned in a previous post:
http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/programme/1923/call-me-kuchu

It is every night at 9pm.

Hope to see you there!


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At the heart of the cultural carousal leading into this summer’s Olympic Games, EEFF 2012 will offer a dynamic, six day showcase of cinema from all over the globe.

Now established as one of the UK’s biggest film festivals, the EEFF returns for what will be its most high profile edition to date in a year where all eyes are on London’s most dynamic quarter, offering a full international programme of feature films, a selection of short film programmes and a full industry line up. Every year the EEFF supports its screenings with panels, workshops and immersive, site specific events exploring the power and meaning of cinema, and EEFF 2012 will be provocative, passionate, embracing, engaging and wholly-heartedly inclusive, in the manner of all truly great cinema.

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More on the Festival on its website:

http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/

The African Cypher

"The African Cypher" is the name of a new documentary about Stouh African sound and dancing.

 

Here is the trailer:

 

http://vimeo.com/43178378 

 

Out in South Africa this week.

More soon I hope!
I'm looking into it...

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The African Cypher

Description

Directed by: Bryan Little
Produced by: Filipa Domingues
Cinematography by: Grant Appleton
Edited by: Grant Birch
Sound design and composition by: Simon Kohler
A Fly on the Wall production in association with Red Bull Media House

Dance/Social Documentary
Running time : 89 min
English/Afrikaans/Zulu/Sotho/Totsi Taal : Subtitled in English 

RECALLING MOGADISHU

This article published today in the Guardian illustrates again what I was reporting on about Mogadishu last month: The Somali capital is learning again to live at peace.

Peace returns to Mogadishu

Liberated from Islamist militants, the Somali capital is recovering from the ravages of war Daniel Howden  - Mogadishu

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/peace-returns-to-mogadishu-7888917.html



This quote from a former doctor recently returned to his homeland from exil summarises it all: "his first impression on coming home was that he had arrived in Hiroshima".

"It was a beautiful place, they used to call it the White City," he said.

Anyone who visits Mogadishu can tell how beautiful the site is and how majestuous the city seems to have been...

It of course reminds me of another "White City", Alger la Blanche, whcih used to be sublime and is less, for some other reasons I won't develop here.

But as one of the Somali returnee Daniel Howden interviewed for this article says well, this new Mogadishu says "it's hard for outsiders to comprehend: It's half relaxing, half scary."

Very accurate.

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A new start

Mogadishu is still standing and solwly comes back to life, I heard lots of testimonies saying the very same statement while in Somalia with the AMISOM Ugandan contingent, last April.

Here are a few other photos I took to illustrate a little, while I am still hoping to publish an article on the issue on an English publication...

The view from the AMISOM compound, Mogadishu

Keeping peace...

Healthcare centre near Km4

Mogadishu Airport's police

Food centre at the Tarabunka-Dikfeer IDP (Internally displaced people) camp

Activity at Mogadishu's seaport