Archives for December 2010

So here we are - welcome to the new Focus on Africa magazine blog. The first entry coincides with our latest issue - January to March. It's on newstands now. And what a launch it has been. Hopefully you managed to catch the debate on Africa, Have Your Say about our '50 African Icons' poster on Tuesday. If not - the discussion is available online, and it's well worth a listen.

Of course, not everyone agrees with our list of African icons from the past half century. In fact, I would be very worried if they did. That's the point. The definition of an 'icon' is impossible to nail down. And there's been a lot of debate. Actually that is the aim of this blog. Yes the new magazine is out - and it will be a full three months before the next one follows. In the meantime let's discuss right here what's on our pages.

Speaking of which - I spotted this in the BBC news summary. A US government agency - the Securities and Exchange Commission - has formally proposed that companies declare whether their products contain minerals mined in central Africa. And yesterday a report was released from Global Witness on something similar - how conflict minerals are continuing to 'leak' out of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and finding their way into mobile telephones and computers around the world. A special feature in our latest issue takes a slightly different look at this. We ask how some of the big corporations are conducting themselves in not only the DRC but also Niger and Zambia. Also do governments in these countries have their eyes on profits or the well-being of their people?

Let us know what you think. Oh, and by the way, don't go quiet on us now on Africa's icons.