central african media blackout, redux

in the wake of hotel rwanda, many in the media have been doing mea culpae for how they ignored the rwandese tragedy as it unfolded in 1994. but it seems like the story is not being told again in central africa as another conflict roils the heart of africa. per the new york times, the war in congo, having taken an estimated 3.8 million lives, is the most deadly conflict since world war II. that makes it the largest humanitarian disaster in the world right now.

stunningly, only 2 per cent of those souls were lost directly from the conflict. the vast majority of people scattered across the countryside by the actions of a few thousand militia die from malaria, diarrhea, malnutrion and not from bullets and machete cuts. is that why there is minimal reporting on this story? the deaths are not occuring en masse in cities with piles of bodies to document, but out in the forest, in refugee camps 5, 10, 50 lives at a time. or maybe i am not the one paying attention. again.

[source: new york times sunday march 20 section 4 page 1.]

africa watch on nyt

there were a number of articles of note in nyt this weekend

african artists raise voices against malaria “As he prepared for his final performance, which would end the show, Mr. N’Dour said musicians held a special place in the African imagination, making them the best agents of progress and change.

“We are guardians of Africa’s diamond, its shining jewel, our culture,” he said. “It has sustained us for so long, and now it can move us forward.”"

the other side of paradise lamu has become the playground of the super-rich since princess caroline of monaco and her husband prince ernst of hanover bought some propery there. yeah, i know that it a story aimed at the wealthy or those who want to be, but nothing on the character of the swahili character of the island.

next stop, africa.
“This spring’s fashion is intriguing precisely because, for once, there are influences from Africa and its diaspora. Prada looked to the continent itself for its exotic peacock skirt and shades of burnt orange and blue; and to England, by way of Jamaica, for the knit Rasta caps. Intimations of Africa could also be found in the accessories at Donna Karan, and the Fendi bags made of barklike python. Antonio Marras’s collection for Kenzo had an African beat, and Gaultier’s spring couture show was an African watershed.”