Think Africa Press Weekly Newsletter 08/08/2011 August 9, 2011

Dear Reader,

  This week, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi will make his country’s first official visit to the world’s newest state, South Sudan. Yet while oil will no doubt be a key topic for discussion Think Africa Press reports on how maternal mortality rates in the country keep many women from having cause to celebrate their country’s independence. Meanwhile, as our Nigeria Weekly feature highlights, Shell's past malfeasances in the country's Delta region will again be brought into the spotlight as the company faces class action lawsuits filed in the UK.

  And while reports surface of a torture camp operating in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields – two weeks ago Think Africa Press examined how the Kimberley Process continues to be undermined – we analyse how Zanu PF reforms are threatening Zimbabwe’s timber industry.

  Also available this week are a review of Jay Bahadur’s book on Somali piracy, Deadly Waters, an interview with Honduran singer Aurelio about his new album Laru Beyu and his desire to reconnect with West Africa, and an interview with Zakaria Ibrahim of Egyptian band El-Tanbura, credited with providing the “soundtrack to the revolution”.

   
Below are a few highlights from the past week:

	Rape accusation shake the “Harvard of Africa”
	The Mouride Brotherhood now runs a transnational network that extends from Touba to New York
	Is Namibia’s “Vision 2030” development plan just a pipe dream?
	Is a minimum wage the solution for Nigeria?
	A petition from Ghana’s Western Region chiefs shows a desire to resurrect the chieftaincy institution and highlights questions about how the spoils from the oil boom will be distributed

All the best,

The Team at Think Africa Press