Category Archives: Africa

Well, At Least It’s Over

Posted on July 3, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I’ve got an op-ed circulating out there now looking for a home that combines my critique of the new African-American history course in Philadelphia with some politely negative comments on Live 8. My critique of the course really is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Popular Culture | 8 Comments

A Last Straw

Posted on June 25, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I think most people understand why making hundreds of thousands of people homeless overnight is a humanitarian disaster. (As an aside: I’m seeing wildly varying numbers of people involved, no doubt a consequence of the near-closure of the country to … Continue reading →

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More on the AU

Posted on June 25, 2005 by Timothy Burke

In the comments on my AU post, Bradley Reuhs asks what I think is going on with the AU/South African position on Zimbabwe. My frustration with the AU on this and many other issues is fairly terminal, but obviously there … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 1 Comment

The African Union’s New Political Platform: Whatever Pisses Off Whitey

Posted on June 24, 2005 by Timothy Burke

Ah, the African Union has “many more serious problems to consider than Zimbabwe”. Plus South Africa’s government finds it irritating that they’re expected to say something about Zimbabwe. Bheki Khumalo says that South Africa will do things that are “correct … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 2 Comments

African-American History and the Philadelphia Schools

Posted on June 23, 2005 by Timothy Burke

[cross-posted at Cliopatria] Back from a long trip, I read with interest in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer of a debate over the plan to make African-American history a requirement in Philadelphia’s high school curriculum. The debate has been particularly ignited by … Continue reading →

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Don’t Pet the Hyena

Posted on June 23, 2005 by Timothy Burke

The main question with Zimbabwe now is the question we used to ask about Sani Abacha’s regime in Nigeria: namely, how bad can it get? As low as Zimbabwe has sunk lately, there are still further depths to mine. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 1 Comment

It’s a Good Good (Bad Bad) World

Posted on June 6, 2005 by Timothy Burke

A quick thought that I may try to rework more thoroughly later. Boulette’s Larder pleased me partially because the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food influences there were so deep and so obviously the product of thorough study and understanding. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Food, Politics | 9 Comments

Spies Like Us

Posted on May 24, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I’m enjoying the new group blog Savage Minds. I particularly admire that they’ve been able to keep the blog fairly focused on their own discipline, something that I think we historians at Cliopatria struggle with from time to time. Oneman’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Africa | Comments Off on Spies Like Us

Trope Trove, or Colonial Fairy Tales

Posted on May 17, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I’m teaching my “Image of Africa” course again next semester, and I’ve decided to try and work some more on a pedagogical strategy that has had pretty good results in several of my cultural history classes. Basically, I take a … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Popular Culture | 14 Comments