Apr 02

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Browse Duodu, Cameron

1-178 out of 178 article(s)

Title Type Date Words
Mahama sworn in, but dust not yet settled. Feb 1, 2013 2383
Lagos still ‘na war’ oh! I love Lagos–truly! If you are a determined enough guy, you can enjoy life in the city. But you must know the ropes–and the best way to do that is by finding a good friend. Column Feb 1, 2013 1525
Mahama wins, but the opposition is not happy. Jan 1, 2013 1924
Africa’s story cannot be told in shorthand. Essay Jan 1, 2013 3035
Nigeria: Same old, same old: If Nigeria were a human being, it might well adopt a retort made by the great American humorist, Mark Twain, when he was informed that the newspapers had dispatched him to the next world. “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain said. Cameron Duodu, currently on a West African tour, reports that recent reports of Nigeria’s imminent “demise” are greatly exaggerated. Dec 1, 2012 2051
High noon in Ghana: with the forthcoming elections in Ghana less than a month away, Cameron Duodu examines if “extremist rhetoric” and allegations of corruption are doing more harm than good to the country’s stable democratic process, which is often used as benchmark of democracy in Africa. Essay Nov 1, 2012 2876
Slaves of the Internet: in some parts of Africa, the Internet behaves like a beautiful woman with whom one works in the office but whose moods one can never gauge correctly. Column Nov 1, 2012 1632
Why do we love sports so much? Its not yet even over, but 2012 has been an excellent year for sports lovers–especially black sports lovers. The displays put on at the London Olympics by Usain Bolt and Mo Farah (above) and all the other athletes of African descent reawakened the debate over whether there is a genetic dimension to black prowess in sports. Cameron Duodu explores the issues. Essay Nov 1, 2012 2693
Mind your own business: how rote learning can make people say things without realising their implications explains why political discourse in Ghana is so full of invective. Critical essay Oct 1, 2012 1535
Is the AU fit for purpose? Cameron Duodu concludes his article (the first part was published last month) on the nomenclature of the African Union and asks if the AU, based on its record in the past 10 years, is fit for purpose. Aug 1, 2012 2785
If music be the food of love: music does wonders for the soul, that is why the music of Africa’s old masters should not be lost. They should be digitalised and made freely available. Column Aug 1, 2012 1649
From OAU to AU: Cameron Duodu focuses on the nomenclature of the African Union and asks if it was really advisable for the organisation to rebrand itself from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU). Jul 1, 2012 2372
The curse of the Internet: discussions on the Internet can be either extremely depressing or inspiringly exultant. So watch out. The Internet can turn normal people who are ordinarily inoffensive into what has become known as “trolls”. Jul 1, 2012 1672
Have our lives changed for the better? Jun 1, 2012 1662
A stitch-up in Bamako? May 1, 2012 2427
In conversation with my “SoC”: in conversation with his “stream of consciousness”, our veteran associate editor reminisces on his work as a journalist through many a turbulent but satisfying terrain. May 1, 2012 1600
The uses of protocol-diplomacy: what did President Barack Obama tell president John Atta Mills of Ghana when the Ghanaian visited Washington DC in early March? Welcome to protocol-diplomacy! Column Apr 1, 2012 1469
Brass band blues: if you are not ill, don’t drink medicine prepared for someone who is ill, for even your mother might upbraid you for being too “huuhuu” (too forward) when you start to throw up. It happened to me. Column Mar 1, 2012 1610
Financial engineering 101: I have been wondering about the new “discipline” everyone in Ghana is talking about. It is called “financial engineering”, and it is such a neat way of making money that I have decided to set up an institution to teach others the science behind it. Column Feb 1, 2012 1406
What Frantz Fanon meant to African liberation (2): Cameron Duodu continues his series in remembrance of the great Frantz Fanon (pictured below), who died in December 1976, 50 years ago. In this second instalment, Duodu gives the background to why Fanon mounted a diplomatic campaign to woo the newly independent African states of the time to support Algeria’s struggle for independence from France. Jan 1, 2012 2811
A battle with the stream of consciousness: I didn’t court the stream of consciousness. It just surfaced from deep within my psyche, and only because I had read Ghana’s daily graphic on the internet. Essay Jan 1, 2012 1469
Who remembers Robert Mensah? Forty years after his brutal murder, Robert Mensah, the Ghanaian goalkeeper is still fondly missed and remembered for his mesmerising vitality and incredible bravery on the pitch. Dec 1, 2011 1404
How Edward Acquah nearly got me into trouble: a great footballer died in poverty on 5 October 2011; but during his heyday 50 years ago, Edward Acquah was dynamite! Column Nov 1, 2011 1536
What Frantz Fanon meant to African liberation: this year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Frantz Fanon (pictured right), one of the great men whose thoughts and actions hugely influenced the course of Pan-Africanism and the liberation struggle in Africa. In this tribute Cameron Duodu, who knew fanon personally trace the life and times of the great man. Biography Nov 1, 2011 2095
Africans at risk in Libya: NATO must, without fail, and immediately, save the black Africans threatened with death in Libya. Column Oct 1, 2011 1549
DSK saga: it’s the IMF that should be on trial! Digging beyond the alleged sex assault ordeal of the former managing director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Cameron Duodu says the saga has shone a light on the IMF itself and the organisation should be in the dock with its fallen leader. Aug 1, 2011 2335
Lumumba–imperial amorality in its crassest state: hardly was the ink dry on my articles on Patrice Lumumba (Na, April & May) when I was invited to a film screening in North London in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Lumumba’s death. And what a film it was! Jun 1, 2011 1374
Has Osama hung a rope around America’s neck? As the controversy about his death rages on, the mystique about Osama bin Laden will keep growing, and it is on the cards that he will become more dangerous dead than when he was alive. Tapes of his speeches; his books and pamphlets–these will gain renewed currency throughout the world, writes Cameron Duodu. Jun 1, 2011 2397
An addiction to power: the inevitable question on every sensible person’s mind is: “so, was it all necessary, Mr Gbagbo?”. Column May 1, 2011 1500
Patrice Lumumba from a mere man to a lasting symbol (2): we conclude the story of how Patrice Lumumba went from being a mere man to a lasting symbol of the idea of an independent Congo, non-aligned, and committed to African unity. Part 1 was published in last month’s issue. Cameron Duodu reports. May 1, 2011 3797
Patrice Lumumba from a mere man to a lasting symbol: Patrice Lumumba is one of the few African leaders who are still remembered 50 years after their death. Yet he only ruled for three months! And he died at the young age of 35! So why is he still so fondly remembered? Cameron Duodu examines the phenomenon. Biography Apr 1, 2011 2716
A theatre of the absurd: nothing is completely settled yet in Egypt. Nor even Tunisia, which led the way. But that has not stopped the people of Bahrain, Libya, Algeria, or Iran, Syria, and Morocco from listening to their own heartbeat. Inanity in the political affairs of nations will be ended. Column Apr 1, 2011 1666
Taking on Usain Bolt: one of these days you will hear that I have taken on Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, in a 100-metre race, his forte. Well, he is human after all. Column Feb 1, 2011 1521
In the coming year … Cameron Duodu on what is likely to happen in a number of African countries in 2011. Jan 1, 2011 1824
Tales of the unexpected–from Nigeria: in the November issue, I related a few of the unusual stories (or toli) that I have collected from a lifetime of visits to Nigeria. Especially of unexpected events! More such tolis keep popping into my head, and I know from experience that they won’t go away until I write them down, so here we go. Viewpoint essay Dec 1, 2010 1561
A life in stained glass: Cameron Duodu looks back on his long years with New African and picks the article he did after 9/11 as a reminder of the lessons the world should learn on the 9th anniversary of that tragedy in September 2001. Nov 1, 2010 1227
How long will Jonathan’s ‘good luck’ last? Events in Nigeria in the run-up to next year’s elections, are likely to test the wave of good luck that President Jonathan Goodluck has ridden to power from obscurity 10 years ago. The president has already announced his candidacy for the 2011 elections, but he has some tough obstacles to navigate on the way. Cameron Duodu reports from Abuja. Nov 1, 2010 2582
White skin, black mind … what the world learnt about Africa from Basil Davidson. In memoriam Oct 1, 2010 4342
Match-fixing and the good game: at a time when some of the Pakistani bowlers have been accused of cheating at cricket for money, Cameron Duodo reflects on what makes the game special. All the more disappointing, he concludes, if anyone blessed with the skills to play at international level, has used them just for monetary gain. Such behaviour must be firmly stamped out. Essay Oct 1, 2010 1592
Africa@50 ridding ourselves of colonial mentality: as 17 African countries celebrate the golden jubilee of their independence this year, Cameron Duodu takes a retrospective look at the continent and its place in the world, and challenges the Westerners who think it is a “Dark Continent” or even a “hopeless” one, as The Economist once claimed, to look at themselves again. Aug 1, 2010 3112
That was the World Cup that was! South Africa deserves the highest praise for seeing the World Cup through in such a beautifully magnificent fashion. And Fifa must change the rules to eliminate, once and for all, cheating from the otherwise lovely game of international football. Column Aug 1, 2010 1565
Making Africa proud: is football more important than life and death? Ask the Ghanaians in whose country “chickens and goats” join in, in goal celebrations! Who can beat that? Jul 1, 2010 1619
Lessons from “the Mother of all Parliaments”. Jun 1, 2010 2561
The grandfather of African liberation: if, as is now almost universally acknowledged, George Padmore was the “father” of African liberation, then Edward Wilmot Blyden, as Padmore’s intellectual mentor, was the “grandfather”, argues Cameron Duodu. Biography Jun 1, 2010 2961
Walking into world history. Column May 1, 2010 1693
Nigeria must not fail: from an African continental point of view, it is extremely important that Nigeria should be stable and continue to help to guarantee the integrity of vulnerable African countries. It must therefore not become a failed state, writes Cameron Duodu. Apr 1, 2010 2014
Climate change and religious hysteria. Apr 1, 2010 1709
Et tu, Brute? As South Africa is engaged in last-minute, feverish preparations for the Fifa World Cup being held there in June, Cameron Duodu remembers the man who kicked the country out of international sport, Dennis Brutus, who died on 26 December 2009. Biography Apr 1, 2010 2580
The joys of African storytelling: it’s taken me more than a week. But I still can’t find it. “It” is the opening formula for telling stories in villages like mine in Ghana. Any Akan reader who can remember it, please send it to new African at Coldbath Square, London. Mar 1, 2010 1509
Lessons from cabinda: Angola could have done a lot more to save Africa the disgrace of seeing rebels attack the Togolese team bus at the African Cup of Nations. And what about the empty stadium during the second match between Malawi and Algeria? I hope South Africa is taking note. Feb 1, 2010 1483
So, this is the Obama we’ve got. Jan 1, 2010 1878
At our somewhere safe: Can you imagine your normal English Literature graduate agreeing to retain an expression like: “We were at our somewhere when they came”? I bet that 9 times out of 10, out would come the unhesitating red pencil. Not, of course, in The Tail of the Bluebird. Book review Jan 1, 2010 1626
Who promotes corruption in Africa? Nov 1, 2009 4286
Talking to the deaf. Nov 1, 2009 1632
The father of African emancipation: 23 September 2009 marked exactly 50 years since the death of the man who quietly worked behind the scenes for the total liberation of Africa: Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, otherwise known as George Padmore. Here, Cameron Duodu, who knew him, pays tribute to the man widely known in his day as “the father of African emancipation”. Oct 1, 2009 3190
The Asamoah Boateng affair: the troubles of Mr Asamoah Boateng, a former Ghanaian minister of information, in the hands of the Ghana Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) should make him go down in history, and it is awful that the BNI should be acting as if the country were still under military rule. Oct 1, 2009 1554
Obama do something before you go. Aug 1, 2009 4591
Obama akwaaba: some things never change in Ghana, and not even a visit by the world’s most powerful man, the American president, Barack Obama, could help make the lessons in Ghanaianism a bit more palatable. Column Aug 1, 2009 1636
Omar Bongo and his worldly possessions: “[Francophone] Africa without France is like a car without a driver. But France without Africa is like a car without petrol”–Omar Bongo, president of Gabon, who died on 8 June after 42 years in power. Jul 1, 2009 1598
Where did all the money go? (Part II): what is a Ponzi scheme? And what made the difference between the collapsed businesses of the West and those that survived? Cameron Duodu concludes his two-part series on the credit crunch and the economic stimulus packages now in fashion in the West. Jul 1, 2009 2716
Pity Mr Mreku: what goes on under the neem tree? Story-telling and banter! But you cannot sit under a neem tree and tell stories without provoking others to tell their own stories. That is the whole purpose of gathering under the tree. But don’t tell one Mr Mireku of London. Essay Jun 1, 2009 1546
Where did all the money go? May 1, 2009 2732
Oh, what an education! In the sort of education we got, you were taught by a teacher; you regurgitated what the teacher had taught you in an examination, and you either passed or failed. Original thinking hardly came into it. And adventurous experiments were discouraged. And it was thought “backward” to be a “mere farmer”. And we moan that Africa is not doing well? Viewpoint essay May 1, 2009 1541
How long can football tragedies continue? Football tragedies continue to mar the African game – the latest in Cote d’Ivoire saw 19 fans crushed to death at the Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on 29 March. Enough is enough, and Fifa must act now!, demands Cameron Duodu. May 1, 2009 2111
Pupil dies after caning! A Ghanaian pupil died recently after she was caned at school, which reminds me of my school days. Excessive caning by teachers is sadism, period. Apr 1, 2009 1634
Good night, good knight: Cameron Duodu profiles the first black officer in the British army, the remarkable but self-effacing Major Seth Anthony, who faced immense racial discrimination at Sandhurst and beyond, and survived it all–and went on to live for 93 years before his death on 20 November 2008. Biography Mar 1, 2009 3132
How a teacher can create rebels: The other day someone took me to task in New African for writing that our “traditional” linguists at the kings’ courts are “illiterate”. He had assumed that I had used the word pejoratively. Nothing was farther from my mind, especially considering the kind of “formal” education I had in the Presbyterian schools in Ghana. Column Mar 1, 2009 1584
Our son: overnight, Obama has ensured that the situation in the world should change dramatically. Every black person in the world can now hold his or her head high, anywhere in the world, and without saying a word, proclaim to all and sundry, by gait and demeanour: “We are all truly equal.” Cameron Duodu reports. Viewpoint essay Feb 1, 2009 2715
Why are teachers so different? All teachers undergo training. And if they all pass the same final examination, we can expect that they will provide the same quality of teaching, right? Wrong. I discovered this answer in my very first year at school. Feb 1, 2009 1575
The British tortured Obama’s grandfather: today, the British go abroad to preach human rights to other nations. But not too long ago, they were torturing freedom fighters all over their colonies in Africa, including President Barack Obama’s Kenyan grandfather. Feb 1, 2009 1626
The geniuses who gave us such fun: oh, the good old days, what a time! Whatever you say of the generation that enriched the youthful lives of those of us who grew up in the 1950s and early ’60s, you can’t say they didn’t have initiative. Or imagination. And ingenuity. Personal account Jan 1, 2009 1549
Barack’s hope, Bush’s horror: the audacity of Barack Obama’s hope is tempered by the limitations imposed on him by the economic profligacy left behind by George W. Bush. But the fact that Obama is not going to fulfill the unrealistic expectations of anyone is no reason why we should not rejoice at his spectacular victory, argues Cameron Duodu. Essay Dec 1, 2008 2715
One in the eye for West African slavers: there are some stories that give one hope that all is not lost in our all too gloomy world. One such story is that of the 24-year-old woman from Niger, Hadjiatou Mani, who has defeated the government of Niger in a slavery case brought before the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Dec 1, 2008 1548
Another one to celebrate: they call themselves “Afro-pessimists”. And their fallacious “philosophy” teaches that the black man can never achieve anything worthwhile. Well, Barack Obama in the US, and Lewis Hamilton in the UK–after winning the Formula One championship at only his second attempt–have proved them all wrong! Cameron Duodu reports. Dec 1, 2008 2084
Think about something positive; Speak, Nana, speak. for, if we perform to our usual standards, we shall do nothing, until one day we wake up to find that we need to import water-most probably from desert countries like Libya or Saudi Arabia which have learnt to harvest water from deep underground, or from machines that turn salty sea water into potable water. Nov 1, 2008 1606
End of the free market? Nov 1, 2008 2808
Methuselah’s granddaughter. Oct 1, 2008 1731
The last mercenary? Editorial Aug 1, 2008 2966
The sense behind our nonsense; Libation is one of the most misrepresented African traditional practices. But it is extremely important because it is poured mainly to remind everyone that man is on the earth but the earth does not belong to him. “Listen and do the same!”, therefore, is the basic message of libation. Personal account Aug 1, 2008 2965
Who will save South Africa? The South Africans who are attacking other Africans should ask themselves: “What would Africans whose enormous contributions helped to free South Africa from apartheid, feel, if they could hear that South Africans were now killing fellow Africans?”, writes Cameron Duodu. Jul 1, 2008 2890
Obama has cleared the way for black achievement. Jul 1, 2008 1622
Beware the propaganda: the Western media serves as the propaganda arm of their governments. If you think this is not true, compare the number of services the BBC used to run when the Cold War was at its height, to the number of services it currently runs now that the Cold War has been “won” by the West, argues Cameron Duodu, one of Africa’s veteran journalists. Jun 1, 2008 3099
Britain should give credit where credit is due: over 374,000 Africans fought (and died) for the British Empire in the Second World War. One of them even rose to the rank of a major–Major Seth Anthony who helped the British by teaching them about jungle warfare. But have you ever heard of Major Seth Anthony? Even a high military medal recommended for him never materialised. Why? Jun 1, 2008 1575
Who will judge the judges? Essay May 1, 2008 1556
Do some blacks have a problem with Obama? Those blacks who still cling to the notion that they should stand in the way of a historic decision by America to elect a black president after 222 years, will be relegated to the rubbish heap of history, and will eminently deserve to be there. Apr 1, 2008 1669
The lonely aspect of pain: why hasn’t a single one of the guys who jumped about and drank champagne with me when Ghana was doing well in the African Cup of Nations tournament, phoned to share my pain at the calamity of Cameroon turfing us out of it? Mar 1, 2008 1591
USA: the Obama phenomenon. Viewpoint essay Mar 1, 2008 2956
Oh! That this should happen to Kenya. Feb 1, 2008 1707
So James Watson is 16% black himself? Surprise surprise, Dr James Watson, the DNA “expert” who recently claimed that Africans were less intelligent than whites, has been found to be 16% black himself!–the embarrassment that awaits all racists. Viewpoint essay Jan 1, 2008 1720
Cote d’Ivoire: how Houphouet’s house of sand collapsed (2). Dec 1, 2007 2119
Mo Ibrahim prize: a case of misplaced priorities? Dec 1, 2007 1464
Should Mandela statue be in UK’s Parliament Square (2). Nov 1, 2007 1491
Cote d’Ivoire: how Houphouet’s house of sand collapsed. Country overview Nov 1, 2007 2566
Should Mandela statue be in UK’s Parliament Square? Oct 1, 2007 1773
Lighten our darkness, president kufuor! Ghana’s main hope lies in solar power. Ironically, the very sunshine that is drying-up Africa’s rivers and making it impossible for people to rely on their hydro-electric power supply system is what can save Africans from being perennially plunged in darkness. Aug 1, 2007 1590
Give us African unity now! Forty-seven years after many African countries gained their independence, pan-Africanism is still only words on paper. African unity is for diplomats, not the rest of us. Thus, African leaders cannot leave their summit in Accra without giving us, ordinary Africans, African unity now!, writes Cameron Duodu who has seen it all–since 1958. Jul 1, 2007 2999
Water, water, everywhere and not a drop in the dam! Jul 1, 2007 1668
Lewis Hamilton is top class: Lewis Hamilton is sending a very useful and positive message to black kids that if they are talented and remain focused, their aptitude can be recognised and they could be given the chance they need to succeed. Biography Jun 1, 2007 1493
How now, Mr Wolfowitz? “Hey you guys. Have you apprised what’s ongoing in Washington? Wolfowitz is being bandoogled!”. The guy who is always saying corruption and bad governance is killing Africa. Well, he has been caught in a commingle himself. May 1, 2007 1608
How The Daily Telegraph opened my eyes to racism; If you nobble a country politically at birth by handing it to your apes, because they can read and write English, you don’t deserve to sit back in judgement over yourself and say, narcissistically: “how great we were. If only they had done what we instructed them to do!” Pure tosh!

 

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