The News Review:
- Senegal ratings affirmed with negative outlook on weak public…
- Senegal-born diplomat named to new French cabinet.(FREIGN)(Rama Yade…
- New hope for long-suffering Mauritanian refugees
- Spain intercepts 180 African immigrants in single vessel
- Last Night: Baaba Maal Womad Festival Charlton Park Wiltshire
Senegal ratings affirmed with negative outlook on weak public…
Forbes – Jul 30, 2007
The outlook remains negative. ‘The ratings on Senegal are constrained primarily by the weakness of public finances which in recent years has been exacerbated by ongoing financial difficulties affecting some of the main public-sector companies’ S&P said. Meanwhile the general government deficit will remain high projected at 4. 7 pct (including grants) of GDP in 2007 S&P said.
Senegal-born diplomat named to new French cabinet.(FREIGN)(Rama Yade…
Free with registration – Jet – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jul 30, 2007
(FREIGN)(Rama Yade )(Brief article) –>CPYRIGHT 2007 Johnson Publishing Co. Nicknamed the young “Condoleezza Rice” of France 30-year-old diplomat Rama Yade was recently appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy to the French cabinet. Senegal-born Yade serves as the new junior minister for human rights an area of importance to Sarkozy. A 2000 graduate of the French Institute of Political Studies.
New hope for long-suffering Mauritanian refugees
Afrik.com – Jul 30, 2007
“We are foreigners here as well as in our own land” said one. In 1989 Moorish Mauritanians drove as many as 70000 black Mauritanians from their country. Now the newly elected Mauritanian government headed by Mohamed uld Cheikh Abdallahi says it will do all it can to help the remaining 20000 to return. In July Abdallahi sent a high-level delegation to meet representatives of the Mauritianians still scattered in more than 200 refugee camps in the Senegal River Valley bordering Mauritania.
Spain intercepts 180 African immigrants in single vessel
guardian.co.uk – Jul 30, 2007
People traffickers have begun using huge versions of the west African wooden fishing canoes known as “cayucos” built in Senegal and other countries as they seek to increase their returns on the already lucrative route into Europe via the Canary Islands. While cayucos routinely carried as many as 50 people previously the new canoes regularly carry more than 100 young Africans seeking a new life in Europe. The 180 sub-Saharan Africans intercepted today were picked up by a Spanish maritime rescue vessel off the island of Tenerife. Another canoe carrying 149 people arrived at the Canary Island of El Hierro over the weekend. The large canoes have proved to be no more sea-worthy than their predecessors many of which are known to have sunk while struggling to cross the stretch of Atlantic cean that separates the Canary Islands from Africa.
Last Night: Baaba Maal Womad Festival Charlton Park Wiltshire
Independent – Jul 30, 2007
But Maal is not grateful for such attention. He publicly attacked Live8′s presumption it could speak for Africa minus African musicians refusing to see Europe and the US as the world’s centre and his continent as a charity case. Instead he has scoured the globe Europe included for roots music to enrich his next album and with the recent Blues du Fleuve Festival in Senegal began a Womad of his own in Africa. A constitutional anti-colonialist seeking to preserve and renew Senegalese traditions he is the perfect choice to close Britain’s most radical prejudice-shattering music festival. Multiple talking drums are whipped as Daande Lenol Maal’s orchestra slowly fill the stage before Maal himself in white robes which make him exactly resemble a dreadlocked Anglican vicar arrives. Impassive as a statue at first as the drums and limber funk guitar back a wildly shaking female dancer he moves to the front to ask us for essentially for justice: “love” and “respect” to make Africa “one of the best places in the world” instead of the place of blameless destitute children it can be. Typically the song that follows is no sorrowful dirge but pure celebrations.