Upfront Africa-(Voice of America-blog)

Technology and Society--the evolving African narrative

2012-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Technology use is not entirely a novel idea on the African continent. Many pre-colonial societies are known to have harnessed and perfected their own forms of local technology--all for the purpose of making life easier. Researchers like Professor Gloria Emeagwali say that the general history of science in Africa is rich and often diverse. But it is always overlooked. A closer look at African technological evolution in the past century shows a system that has evolved; sometimes into complex systems and practical technologies-farming,communication,governance etc.

In the past decade as the continent strives to reach some of the millennium development goals, many recognize that there is a need to shrink the development gap between African countries and the developed countries. This will require enhancing our scientific and technological capacities. If our past is any indiction,we know that this won't be hard as some suggest,but that in many cases we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Still it is important that the continent strives to gainfully adopt technologies to reflect the social contexts within which they will operate.

So on the show this week,we looked at the how new technologies are transforming life on the continent.From engagement,to mobilization,commerce etc. We also talked about technology being gender blind on a continent that tends to have parochial and often patriarchal attitude towards innovation and entrepreneurship.

I hosted Marieme Jamme of Apps4Africa an initiative that seeks to encourage the millions of young developers in Africa to come up with applications that provide solutions to a local or continental issue. I also spoke to Stone Atwine a young tech enthusiast based in Nairobi. We look at some of the changes attributed to new technology-from education to consumption in the last decade.

Marieme Jamme

How does Media influence our body image?

2012-02-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

On the show this week, we discussed the impact of media on body image. Even though today’s media landscape is diverse, it is has one thing in common—it perpetuates a consistent value system that image is everything. By doing so, our media becomes a driver in the way people see themselves in this uniform yet askew physical construct. Many agree that media messages—subliminal or not help our cultures define what is beautiful. In turn it affects our development in terms of self-esteem and body image. Here is an interesting statistic:
-A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is or is not attractive.

Dowry and Conflict--South Sudan Youth using guns to meet cultural expectation

2012-01-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

Like most post conflict societies, South Sudan faces a set of challenges including having to deal with high levels of insecurity. After more than 20 years of war, the new country is still fighting battles with renegade soldiers who broke ranks with the ruling SPLM and disarming
different elements that are a by-product of the protracted conflict. But there is another cause of insecurity that has roots in the social-economic constructs of a deeply cultural society. Many young men have access to guns and are using them in cattle raids across the country. The young cattle raiders seek for cows in order to pay for their dowry. Marc Sommers who spent time researching this phenomenon says that there is an increasing inability by South Sudanese youth to meet rising dowry (bride price). This has led to many of them enlisting in militias to carry out cattle raids. Here is our chat below.

Marc Sommers is a 2011−12 fellow with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a visiting researcher with Boston University's African Studies Center. He is the author of Islands of Education: Schooling, Civil War and the Southern Sudanese (1983−2004), as well as Stuck: Rwandan Youth and the Struggle for Adulthood. Sommers is a former Jennings-Randolph Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

Single or Coed education--which one prepares you for the real world?

2012-01-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

Many Parents and educators attribute success to intense focus on passing exams and moving on to the next level. Ultimately your success is measured by whether you completed high school and went on to college.What follows is not their business. But what happens in the real world is often different from what you learnt in school. There is no telling if the knowledge you gained will help you navigate life successfully. This brings into question another factor--the type of interactions with your peers--boys and girls. How much does that affect your future relationships? Listen to the full show below.

American Designer Has Confidence in African Product Quality

2012-01-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

...says American consumers should be motivated by quality products not solely by altruism.

African garb and accessories were in fashion from as far back as the 80’s and ‘90’s – from Eddie Murphy’s film Coming to America to hip hop artists using Afrocentric themes in their videos--wearing Kente cloth and dashikis. Young people adopted Africa-influenced clothes and jewelry to celebrate the continent’s culture or to stand out among their peers.
American fashion designer Erika Freund says that enthusiasm for African fashion waned in recent years, but is making a comeback among U.S. consumers. Initially, she said, renewed interest was initiated by successful advertising campaigns that linked the purchase of African handicrafts and “fair trade” teas and coffees with emergency relief from poverty and hunger.

But Erika Freund, who operates her own successfully jewelry venture called Mituki, said most consumers today buy goods based on their beauty and quality – and that African garments and accessories are good enough to hold their own in the international marketplace.
“We see a lot of marketing around poverty…women’s groups,” she said. Instead, she said the background of the product, like the story of the artisans who create jewelry and other goods, should be “an added bonus.” And, those stories should not always conform to the current narrative of conflict and disease.

By focusing on the story alone, she said people tend to compromise on quality and thus spend little time in product development.
“The average consumer is not necessarily looking for a background story..or interested in altruism,” she said. The best way to create a sustainable image and reputation of Africa in the mind of the American consumer is to give them great products.

Erika started her own venture into the jewelry business after a stint as a volunteer social worker in Tanzania. She formed what has become a “socially active company”‘that creates jewelry from the innovative use of common resources, like banana bark, recycled aluminum and local textiles.

The banana tree is one of the most Africa’s most visible symbols. It has been used in many ways, but few thought that fashion—and jewelry would be one. But it’s the inspiration behind Erika’s brand name Mikuti—or “dried leaf,” in Kiswahili.
For almost two years, Erika has been working with artisans in Tanzania and Kenya to produce fashion accessories. She stressed that she pays fair trade prices for her products—providing jobs for the communities where the workshops are located. Erika said women who buy her signature bracelets, earrings and necklaces are motivated by two things: inspired craftsmanship and design.

Hip Hop Connextion on VOA #Jackson and Meraf Week 3

2012-01-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

In our third episode of HHC on the Voice of America,we decided to pay homage to JayZ and Beyonce--hip hop royalty in their own right. This dynamic duo welcomed a bouncing baby girl--Blue Ivy Carter. The newborn daughter already making history after Billboard magazine officially declared her the youngest person ever to grace the Billboard charts.Baby Blue Ivy Carter is credited as a collaborator on Jay-Z's newly recorded song, "Glory," which the rapper wrote about her.Blue's little baby cries can be heard at the end of the track. But we also paid homage to other artists that celebrated their children in song--including Will Smith whose memorable hit 'Just the two of us' was about Jaden Smith--all grown up--whose acting chops have earned him critical reviews and signs that he might following in his father's footsteps.

Changing Attitudes and Providing Access Critical to Family Planning in Africa

2011-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Experts say rapid population growth in Africa undermines economic development and hampers efforts for families to create a better standard of living. In the next decade some sub-Saharan African countries are projected to triple their population. Poverty persists in these societies, where many people live on less than a dollar a day. Part of the solution may lie in new efforts to ramp up education on family planning.

Womancare Global is trying to provide access to affordable reproductive health technologies. CEO Saundra Pelletier said her organization works to get family planning to markets where its shortages could potentially endanger entire families and communities. Many women in Africa as in the world over still lack access to contraceptives and other family health services, she said. An international conference on family planning in Senegal brought together participants to share research on how to best deliver family planning. The conference was co-sponsored by a number of international organizations, including USAID, UNFPA (U.N. population fund), WHO, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “The unmet need is still significant,” said Pelletier. “250 million women still have an unmet need for modern contraceptives -- so the conference was a call to action to look at every piece of the puzzle and how all these organizations can better integrate together.” Family planning is slowly becoming an accepted practice in many developing nations, but in Africa the rate is still low.

In some parts of the continent, however, the percentage of women in rural areas with access to maternal health intervention is relatively high. Location should not be a factor is a woman’s ability to receive important health services, Pelletier said. “Our fundamental core belief is that no matter where a woman is her access to reproductive health should be easy.” Experts say many factors, including a large rural population, have contributed to population growth in Africa. Cultural values stress the importance of large families, putting pressure on women to have children, even if it endangers their health. “When women are empowered about how many children they can have…and the spacing of those children, it’s not just her that benefits. It the other children in the family, it’s her significant other,” she said.

It is not just women who need education. In many rural and urban areas, men still maintain a strong control over family health decisions. Pelletier says they must be involved in any strategies that affect the family. “You also have to make sure you talk to the male constituents…. All these men dominate the decision making around healthcare for their families.” In 1994, delegates to an international meeting agreed that family planning should be an integral part of reproductive health.

The International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo issued a program of action that called for “the provision of universal access to reproductive health services, including family planning and sexual health.” But almost two decades after the conference, advocates say that there has been little progress. Experts say family planning services are needed now more than ever as the world population soars. It’s expected to reach nine billion by 2050.

Should we ban corporal punishment in African Schools?

2011-12-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Africa 50 years later--are we on the right track?

2011-12-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

A new Africa Development Bank commissioned report says that African countries are poised to become a dominant economic force in the next 50 years. The report however cautions that our economic future will depend on if we innovate around new technologies and natural and human resources. So are we on the right track,on the show we had a discussion with Mthuli Ncube chief economist at the ADB and radio/TV veteran reporter and African analyst Vincent Makori.

Blogging about US policy toward Africa

2011-12-06T08:41:00.001-08:00

My colleague Nico Colombant's mini documentary about US blogger Scott Morgan--who blogs exclusively about US policy toward Africa.

30 years later-should we even be talking about AIDS related Stigma?

2011-12-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Click to listen to the show!

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon says:

"Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world" ....

This week on Upfront we discussed the issue of AIDS-related stigma. We had some interesting guests from the continent including Rodrick a South African AIDS activist and counselor who has been living with HIV for almost two decades.
I also reached out to my friend Kenyan professor and women's rights activist Dr.Pauline Muchina. We explore the issue with the view that women as caretakers are often at the receiving end of much of AIDS related stigma. AIDS Stigma refers to the prejudice and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS.
Stigma makes dealing with HIV/AIDS much harder because it leads to rejection and discrimination.

In most societies including developed countries, stigma comes in many forms and manifests itself differently between communities and individuals.

Health experts say that stigma makes it more difficult for people trying to come to terms with and manage their illness on a personal level, but it also interferes with attempts to fight the AIDS epidemic as a whole.
Clarence Rodrick says that progress has been made in the attitudes of people since 1999, the year he went public about his HIV status. He says that one of the biggest setbacks in South Africa's fight against AIDS has been the public officials who are responsible for making health policy decisions. These individuals often lack the knowledge about HIV and some are guilty of the stigma that they should be fighting. The result is a government that takes slow, ineffective action against the epidemic.

One of the biggest problems in the HIV fight is the reluctance of people to go for HIV testing, treatment and care. They fear to be ostracized by their communities if they are found to be HIV positive. Thus many are not aware of their status until it is late and the retro viral treatments are less effective. Importantly,they risk spreading the virus to their partners.

Birame Sock--Africa's very own Steve Jobs?

2011-11-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

Starting a successful business sure has its own perks but resting after a ten hour flight across the Atlantic is not one of them. Many business owners say that the success comes from maintaining a hands on approach to business management.Moreso when the company is in a growing phase and things are looking good. Birame Sock is aware of the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur--who is an innovator at the same time. But it helps that this is not her first foray in the ever changing field of technology. She is known as one of Africa's youngest technology innovators--developing new ideas from conception to deployment and profiting from them.

When I call her office in Miami Florida at 8am,she has just returned from Paris speaking at a woman's conference. She is busy working on her new venture myreceipts.com under the company she started a few years ago-Third Solutions. Birame came to the US for college over a decade ago. After graduation she started working for technology companies at the time when the wireless industry was witnessing unprecedented growth.

After selling her first company-Musicphone,Birame returned to the drawing board. Four years later she started myreciepts, a potentially ground breaking concept. Birame traces her entrepreneurial spirit to her childhood in West Africa,selling frozen juices to make a quick buck. She started Musicphone at the time when digital music was still a new technology. "It was sort of trying to prove things to myself...and learning throughout the process, i didn't necessarily have big goals" she says. But in a few years later we are all listening to music on our cellphones and ipods. So is Birame Sock our very own Steve Jobs? Here is our conversation!

Is Climate change a priority for African Youth?

2011-11-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

There is a consensus that global climate change presents one of the greatest challenges of our generation. On the show we wanted to start a conversation on some of the important questions around this issue. Do we talk about climate change; do we understand the urgency of our action on climate change? Etc. In a few weeks, all eyes will be focused on Durban—that is where the big COP17 U.N. Climate Change Conference will take place. It is expected that high-ranking officials—mainly policy makers-- from the community of nations will meet to discuss solutions and secure a global climate agreement. Our listeners sent us some comments and messages intended for their representatives going to Durban. We feature many of them, and pictures from our correspondent in South Sudan Mugume Davis Rwakaringi.
On the show we had Teddy Ruge—a social media expert working with a World Bank led initiative Connect4Climate. He discusses his efforts to leverage technology in getting African youth to be part of this important conversation. On the show we also had my colleague Henok Fente, recently returned from a long trip to the horn of Africa. He saw firsthand the effects of climate change in the region.

Street Children in Africa--Are we failing our future generation?

2011-11-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

Street children are a common sight in many African cities. They usually have no permanent home or family support. They move from place to place, living in shelters and abandoned buildings. Many agree that this is largely an urban phenomenon caused in part by urbanization. In many developing cities, economic growth often means that children who are not protected by social safety nets, will flock to the streets in search of means for survival. It comes in form of the few bucks they beg or pinch on the streets, or the shelter in makeshift cardboard boxes on the side of a high rise. Some are lured into the lifestyle by the easy money and drugs, but most have no other means of survival. On the show today we looked at the mental, social and emotional effects of such a nomadic lifestyle. Most importantly, what does it mean to our continent that part of a generation--of its backbone--is living on the streets? How can we pressure our governments to develop social safety nets to provide security for the poor. Listen to the full show below

Paul Rusesabagina addresses the controversy surrounding his Tom Lantos Award

2011-11-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice recently announced that Paul Rusesabagina will be the 2011 recipient of the Lantos Human Rights Prize. The formal presentation of the award took place today in Washington DC.
The decision to give the award to Mr Rusesabagina was criticized by some people including Genocide survivors who say that his role in their survival was in effect exaggerated by the Hollywood movie. They say that people praising him are basing it on the fiction portrayed in the movie. In effect many petitioned the Lantos Foundation to rescind the award that is named after Former US Representative Tom Lantos—a Holocaust survivor. Mr Rusesabagina counters that opposition to his award is without merit, because it is orchestrated by the Rwandan government and thus politically motivated.

The Tom Lantos foundation decided to proceed with the award and recently released a statement saying that it did not intend to cause any controversy, but wanted to reward a man “purely based on his heroic actions during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, not for his work since then through the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation” .

One of the people who was with Paul Rusesabagina in Milles Colline is Professor Egide Karuranga, a scholar based in Canada. He says that genocide survivors are against Rusesabagina presenting himself as a ‘savior’ and have no other political motivations to oppose the award. Listen to our discussion below!

Tweeter,donkeys and the war against Alshabaab!

2011-11-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Kenya's military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir is using Twitter to warn Somalis and Kenyans that the new threat in the war against Alshabaab is Donkeys. Yes, that slow overburden, domesticated member of the Equidae—whose wild ancestor is the African Wild Ass--has taken on a new role of arms carrier. The price of donkeys is said to have risen by over 100 percent in a region which uses it primarily for Agriculture and transportation.

In one of the tweets the spokesman warns that : "Selling Donkeys to Al Shabaab will undermine our efforts in Somalia."
So if you are a Kenyan donkey salesman with a twitter account be warned, “any large concentration and movement of loaded donkeys will be considered as Al Shabaab activity.” tweets Major Chirchir.

A drive thru system of Justice-Kenya's answer to Alshabaab?

2011-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

It was reported today that the man responsible for last week’s grenade attacks in Kenya was sentenced to life in Prison. The accused Elgiva Bwire Oliacha is said to have confessed to his connections with the Al-Shabaab and consequently pleaded guilty to the Nairobi grenade attack. The express nature of this trial breaks records in any society with a modern functional justice system. I do not doubt the guilt or punishment for the crime; I just can’t get how fast the process works.

The African Union post-Gaddafi...

2011-10-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

No more safe haven for Africa's dictators...and their stolen riches!

2011-10-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

It was announced today that the U.S. government filed complaints against the son of Equatorial Guinea's president Obiang Mbasong. The US government seeks to take over approximately $70.8 million in real and personal property, which are proceeds of ‘foreign corruption offenses’ laundered in the United States.

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A.Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. According to the complaints, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (Nguema) used his position and influence as a government minister for Equatorial Guinea to acquire criminal proceeds through corruption and money laundering. Nguema's father has been president of Equatorial Guinea for over three decades. The country is rich in natural resources and exports millions of dollars worth of oil to the west. Under Equatoguinean law, the natural resources belong to the people of Equatorial Guinea.

“The complaints announced today allege that, on a modest government salary, Minister Nguema amassed wealth of over $100 million…while his people struggled, he lived the high life – purchasing a Gulfstream jet, a Malibu mansion and nearly $2 million in Michael Jackson memorabilia.
US officials say that despite an official government salary of less than $100,000 per year, Nguema amassed more than $100 million during a period in which he and an inner circle of individuals who hold critical positions of political and economic power in Equatorial Guinea were the near-exclusive beneficiaries of the extraction and sale of that country’s natural resources.

The complaints allege that Nguema used intermediaries and corporate entities to acquire numerous assets in the United States, including more than $1.8 million worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia, a $38.5 million Gulfstream G-V jet, a $30 million house in Malibu, Calif., and a 2011 Ferrari automobile valued at more than $530,000.

In 2003, ICE HSI established the Foreign Corruption Investigations Group in Miami to target corrupt foreign officials around the world that attempt to utilize U.S. financial institutions to launder illicit funds. The group conducts investigations into the laundering of proceeds emanating from foreign public corruption, bribery or embezzlement. The objective is to prevent foreign derived ill-gotten gains from entering the U.S. financial infrastructure, to seize identified assets in the United States and recover these funds on behalf of those affected by foreign official corruption.

Read more at http://africangreed.blogspot.com/2010/12/equatorial-guineas-sons-35m-malibu.html

Hip Hop Connection with J.Mvunganyi and Meraf Asfaw

2011-10-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

American Teenager Collecting Running Shoes for Ethiopia

2011-10-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sara Kebede is not your regular 16-year-old American. She gets perfect grades and is a champion runner for her school. Now she’s using her interest in running as a way to help children in her father’s homeland, Ethiopia.

Kebede lives in California, where she recently started an effort to collect shoes for Ethiopian children. She calls it Shoes for Sheba, and its goal is to send running shoes to poor children who can’t afford to buy them. Many have to run bare-footed on the rough terrain of Ethiopia’s hilly countryside.

Kebede relates to them, since both she and her parents run. “Since I was five I have been running races…so running has always been part of my life.” Among her heroes is international icon Haile Gebreselassie, who ran his way to superstardom. Kebede has met him and says he is her inspiration. Her interest in helping began when she visited Ethiopia as a 10-year-old. Kebede says she was impressed by children who would approach her to ask for pencils for school instead of money.

Currently on the high school track team in Orange County, California, Kebede watches with surprise as teammates throw away running shoes that are still in good condition to get the latest pair on the market – even when their old ones still have many miles left in them. She has placed collection points at schools and around town to gather shoes for her project.

Kebede hopes the contributions will help improve the situation for many Ethiopians who turn to running to escape poverty. Shoes would also encourage female runners in a country where men have long dominated the sport. Some Ethiopian women are taking the international stage and are winning international races. “If I could provide them with the basic tools -- just shoes -- they could better their situation.”
Readers can contact Kebede on the Internet at: www.shoesforsheba.com

or e-mail her at: shoesforsheba@yahoo.com

Society and stereotypes...

2011-10-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Human beings-regardless of location or background have one common vice. We all tend to stereotype others who are different from us. You might even call it a common human instinct or flaw. We take certain attributes about people and make them the ultimate identifiers of their race,group,sex etc. Even in the face of evidence that we are wrong. So on the show we talked about this tendency and how it affects people who are the source or victims of stereotyping. Listen to the full show below:

Nigerian Scholar Blames Underdevelopment on Outdated Ideas of Governance

2011-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Political scientist says in many African countries, including Nigeria, resources used to enrich leaders, not population as whole

Nigeria’s reputation as one of the most corrupt countries in the world is widely regarded as one of the reasons why more than half its people live in poverty. Observers say its political leaders have made it impossible for Nigeria’s vast wealth in fossil fuels to benefit Nigerians as a whole. Instead, he said, they use it to enrich themselves or their friends and family.

Professor Richard Joseph is the director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University, in Chicago, Illinois. He said Nigeria suffers from “prebendalism,” a system of governance that he said exists in many other African countries as well.
He coined the term about 30 years ago from the word “prebende” – a term that describes some early European forms of governance, including religious ones. A prebende, he said, is an elected or appointed office in which the officeholder uses its resources for personal needs.
“I adapted it to Nigeria,” said Joseph, “because…[politicians] were looking at offices they had – elected or appointed – as a way of generating revenues for themselves that they could allocate and distribute as they chose, rather than looking at the office in terms of the services to be performed and how the funds for the office would be used (to accomplish that goal).”

He said the term is still relevant to Nigeria today. “Why are the roads in such bad shape, why electric power, water production. You name it, in any area of governmental activity there has been underperformance.”

Prof.Joseph notes that when people are elected to public office, they owe allegiance not to the electorate but those in their party, tribe or clan. Joseph warns that “Nigerians need to realize that the reason they don’t have any progress in all the critical areas is because we have been so locked into that system.”

Analysts have always blamed Nigerian government officials for corruption that is endemic in the oil rich Nation. They say that croynism has gotten to the levels where its almost tolerated by a resigned public. Nigeria always ranks low in terms of political transparency and is often a target of criticism from major donor organizations like the World Bank.

Joseph said the cycle can be broken if there is a willingness on the part of the electorate to demand that those they put in public office are held accountable. But he adds that each society has to find customized solutions to its problems. “Every country has to find a path out of that system…its own approach.” He gives the example of Scandinavian countries, where officials “will be thrown out of office for what will be considered very minimal abuses. In Kenya or Nigeria, the opposite prevails.”

Joseph said governments should emulate the private sector and some state governments in Nigeria that have instituted major reforms in creating more transparent systems. He said countries need to make a transition to a rules-based system, so the use of government is governed by laws and accountability.

Leymah Gbowe awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

2011-10-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Nobel Prize winner Leymah Gbowee is one of the founders of The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa). The organization was founded in 2006 as 'a women-focused, women-led Pan-African Non-Governmental Organization with the mandate to promote women's strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance in Africa'.I spoke to her two years ago in DC--on the day she received the 'profiles in courage award' by the Kennedy Library Foundation.

Post-Gaddafi Africa: Discussion with Vincent Makori

2011-09-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are continuing our discussions on a post-Gaddafi Africa. For many observers and analysts who are following the events of the last couple of months,it is still hard to believe that the man who had been at the helm of power for over four decades is finally gone. Forty two years is a pretty long time--in a continent where 40 is considered the average life expectancy.

Gaddafi's omnipresence in Subsaharan is visible in the different monuments to his rule--from all forms of infrastructure that bore his name to his not so subtle 'political' investments stretching from North to South to East Africa. He was known to have sponsored many a political insurgence at the same time bankrolling the political establishment in power. Such was the enigma of a man who had lots of oil money to flaunt. His departure therefore leaves many wondering what will the post-Ghadaffi Africa look like.

In our second discussion on this topic,we feature veteran radio and TV reporter Vincent Makori.