Jan. 21, 2013

Race and Identity in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Crush-Hopper: Story of a Girl’s Journey Through Post-Apartheid South Africa

Salem Solomon

Crush-Hopper: Story of a Girl’s Journey Through Post-Apartheid South Africa Crush-Hopper is South African Mandisa Haarhoff’s autobiographical story about a young girl. This is a girl who first learned about beauty by playing with dolls who had long blond hair and blue eyes. She is a giddy and joyful girl who has a soft spot for... Read more »

Jan. 4, 2013

Africa trade with Tampa businesses matures, potential widens

Salem Solomon

Terence McCulley, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, and Rebecca Armand, Senior Commercial Officer for the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, spoke to the Tampa Bay area business community on December 12. The event was hosted by the Tampa Port Authority and presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The story below is a follow-up and was originally... Read more »

Nov. 14, 2012

Building Bridges: An Ambassador Reflects on U.S.-Africa Relations

Salem Solomon

In the last blog entry, I wrote that Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger was visiting the University of South Florida as part of an event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies. Amb. Ranneberger gave a lecture titled “U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa: Lessons, Challenges, and Opportunities” through the center’s “Lecture Series on National Security.”... Read more »

August 7, 2012

Malawi’s Activists Turned Politicians: What Standards Should Joyce Banda’s Administration Be Held To?

Salem Solomon

In the wake of the death of Malawi’s former president, Bingu wa Mutharika due to cardiac arrest, the country’s political leadership has welcomed a new guard. Joyce Banda, an outspoken activist and leader of the People’s Party, became the president of the country making her the second female president in Africa. In the relatively short period of time until... Read more »

May 19, 2012

World Bank Group’s New Approach: Pragmatism in, Ideology outCan Africans Believe in It?

Salem Solomon

“I am a socialist and I take part in the ‘Occupy Tampa’ movement” said one of the students opening the first question at an event sponsored by the USF World, at the University of South Florida’s International Program in Tampa, Florida. The question was directed at the Executive Director of the World Bank Group, Ian Solomon,... Read more »

April 7, 2012

Rising from the Ashes: Rwanda Celebrates the 18th Anniversary of the Genocide

Salem Solomon

In 2010, Rwanda held an election which came under scrutiny for a media crackdown and the arrest of some opposition candidates. For incumbent, Paul Kagame, however, it was an undoubtable win with an overwhelming 93 percent of the votes. Shortly after that, concerned about the treatment of the media in Rwanda, I met professor Rangira Gallimore, an... Read more »