Month: November 2015
Pope tours Africa, but Dalai Lama won’t be visiting anytime soon
Pope Francis has been on African tour this week, getting an ecstatic welcome by Kenyans and Ugandans, as both countries have large Catholic population, as well as other Christian denominations.
An African visit by another notable religious leader, Dalai Lama, seems much less likely nowadays. That has nothing to with religion, nor the fact that few Buddhists live in Africa. It is all about politics, namely Chinese influence in Africa. China will strongly oppose any attempts by Dalai Lama to visits China’s partner states in Africa. These countries, largely dependent on China-relations, will most likely heed to the Chinese advise.
Botswana, the country you should visit in 2016 if haven’t yet
Lonely Planet, best known for large selection of travel guide books, has released its “Best in Travel in 2016” lists. Botswana was named the number one country to be visited. This is a great recognition to Botswana that has steadily improved its popularity among tourists over years.
Botswana businesses and industries, driven by mining, concentrate in southwestern parts of the country. In contrast, major tourist attractions – game parks and Okavango Delta – are mostly located in northern Botswana. Maun is the local tourism capital. It is a relatively small town, without much to do in itself, but is considerably more pleasant than big congested cities in other countries. Another small touristy town is Kasane, in the northeastern corner of the country. Both towns are connected to Johannesburg by direct flights.
New Tanzania president sworn in while CCM clings to power
Tanzanian general elections were held a fortnight ago. The incumbent president, Jakaya Kikwete, has served his two terms and steps down now. This won’t mean the end of rule by Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which, counting in its predecessor Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), has held the power since the 60’s. This despite the restoration of multi-party system 20 years ago.
The new CCM flag-bearer is John Magufuli, who beat two female candidates in the preliminaries. It comes as no surprise, that after a sluggish tallying, Magufuli of CCM was declared the winner of the presidential election. Nevertheless, for the first time, CCM had to face a strong opposition candidate, Edward Lowassa of CHADEMA, who garnered 40% of votes, against Magufuli’s 58%.
Africa this time 