By a coincidence of delayed timetables, neighbouring West African countries Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire are likely to go to the polls on consecutive Sundays, starting in Cote d’Ivoire on the 31st. In both these countries, delays have raised the spectre of civil conflict, but so has the prospect of finally holding the polls, states this International Crisis Group article. 'Why is this so? The feverish atmosphere flows partly from people’s hopes, the belief that democracy can really work this time and the desire to be vigilant against spoilers. But the answer also lies at elite level – in countries where economic opportunity is overwhelmingly dependent on official office, the stakes are simply too high.'

people of the motherland!
from now on
for the sake
of balancing
our patriotism
with our loyalty
to our art
we will ask
you to be patient…

Firoze Manji

Mariam Sankara

Luca Bussoti

Paulo Rogério Nunes

Luíz Araújo

Rafael Marques de Moraes

Dr Boubacar D. Badiane

Dani W. Nabudere

Claude Ribbe

Cynical observers among the international media will be disappointed by the relative calm accompanying Tanzania's elections, suggests Gado.

The ETC Group, an international civil society organisation dedicated to the conservation and sustainable advancement of cultural and ecological diversity, hails a decision by the 193-member UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to agree to a moratorium on geoengineering.

Following a meeting in Japan between members of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Mariam Mayet says there ‘is a huge disconnect between the rather timid, insipid and potentially dated work of the Protocol and the huge biosafety challenges presented on the domestic level in many countries’.

The focus of a new paper from the African Centre for Biosafety is the emerging field of synthetic biology, in particular its implications for the African continent. Synthetic biology combines a number of scientific disciplines and is generally understood to involve the deliberate design of biological systems, using standardised components that have been created in a laboratory. The conclusion of the paper leaves more questions than answers because of the emerging and secretive nature of the field, but highlights the very significant implications of this new technology and the need for a precautionary and vigilant approach towards it.

With only weeks to go before regional and local elections, Namibia's ruling Swapo Party is coming under tremendous pressure from the civil servants who plan to march on the government unless the entire management of the state pension fund is dismissed and millions of Namibian dollars in unpaid empowerment loans are recovered.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) urged newly appointed Cabinet ministers on Monday to bring down 'unacceptable' levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. 'We urge the new team to remain fully united so that we can move forward together to deliver on our promises and bring down the unacceptable levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality,' a Cosatu statement said.

Tanzania grants high levels of tax exemptions relative to what it collects in revenue. This raises concerns about whether the practice is justified for a country that can barely raise enough to finance its budget. Analysis by civil society organisation Uwazi at Twaweza shows that tax exemptions have increased sharply during the second part of this decade (2006-2010) compared to what was granted in the earlier half of this decade (2001-2005). The analysis, presented in a policy brief titled, 'Tanzania’s Tax Exemptions: are they too high and making us too dependent on foreign aid?' suggests that Tanzania could make significant savings in revenues if it granted tax exemptions less liberally.

Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa and the United Kingdom have called for devolution of powers and the slashing of provinces by more than half in submissions to the Constitutional Select Committee that is leading the drafting of a new charter for Zimbabwe. The proposals by the exiles - some which echo the views of the opposition ZAPU party and the two MDC formations - appear tilted towards whittling down the powers of central government.

Zimbabwe’s economic recovery programme is unlikely to get full marks from a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) team amid allegations that the Bretton Woods institution is unhappy about policy slippages by Harare’s fragile coalition regime. A six-member IMF team, which arrived in Zimbabwe last weekend, has been meeting government officials, bankers and business leaders and is expected to issue a statement on its findings at the end of this week.

The ‘failure of finance, insurance and real estate as the basis for economic recovery' is compounded by the reality that as ‘the foreclosure crisis continues, not only will millions in the USA lose their homes, but many countries who have been keeping their reserves in the US dollar will find that their foreign reserves are worthless,’ writes Horace Campbell.

The African Union (AU) has asked the United Nations Security Council to approve a no-fly zone and naval blockade of Somalia. Ramtane Lamamra, the AU's commissioner for peace and security, said the move would deter pirates operating off the country's coast and prevent fighters and shipments from reaching the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group, and other groups fighting to topple the largely powerless UN-backed government.

Jean-Martin Tchaptchet

Jacqueline Scott Lemoine

A poem dedicated to Ethiopia’s 2010 parliament members.

A poem for voices, dedicated to those who teach and to the .