As the Kenyan government continues its plans for multi-billion dollar port, oil and transport project, Zahra Moloo considers the socio-economic and environmental effects on Lamu and the absence of news coverage on the topic.

Amira Ali's 'Speak no more – let us just make music', originally published in issue (491) – – is now available as a [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.

Gado on WikiLeaks and the US…

The latest UNESCO figures show just five out of ten Liberian women over the age of 15 can read or write. For men it is six out of ten. The West African country now has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, ranked in the bottom fifteen according to UNESCO. 'Standing before you, my name is Erica. I am nine years old. I go to the Christian Ministry Fellowship international school,' says Erica proudly. Erica is among a new generation of students in Liberia who are being taught to read using new techniques not seen in West Africa before.

While the UN nears the beginning of the celebration of the International Year of Afro-Descendents, the Brazilian state should face fierce criticism for its willingness to distribute a ‘classic’ children’s book featuring stereotyped black characters in schools, writes Eliane Cavalleiro.

Like Chief Nanga in Chinua Achebe’s ‘A Man of the People’, today’s politicians in Zimbabwe ‘preach one thing and practice another’, writes Levi Kabwato.

While wanting to identify itself as a 'failed state', the Irish government discovers that this is a reserved phrase, suggests Gado.

Zimbabwean authorities have admitted that they are having serious problems issuing new passports to tens of thousands of nationals in South Africa, just a few weeks before a deadline to get proper documents in place runs out. Co-Minister of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone, said this week that they may need to enlist the help of the South African government, because Zimbabwe is unable to process enough passports on its own. Makone said, after holding talks with her South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, that Zimbabwe could only process 500 passports a day.

As the UN Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opens in Cancun this week, Subhankar Banerjee explains why an agreement on the UN’s REDD programme would spell disaster for indigenous forest communities. ‘Is this the time to tinker with trading carbon by taking away the forests from the indigenous inhabitants and then selling the credits to the polluters – or is it possible to develop a common global vision of moving away from fossil fuel altogether and working with forest dwellers on sustainable solutions?’ Banerjee asks.

Writer Chuma Nwokolo recently launched a creative venture that mixes the power of blogging with story-telling. He published a brand new story on his blog, but the story was told in six letters, each of which he published daily throughout this week, with the final letter published on Saturday. The catch was that if the six parts got a hundred comments between them, he'd promise his readers to start a brand-new serial on the following Monday. 'So if you want a new tale next week - or if you simply want to put me through the torture of writing one under pressure - get commenting and send this link around your friends too!' he wrote on his blog. Visit the blog to find out how the story went.

Vali Jamal writes about his forthcoming book on Ugandan Asians. The book is called ‘Ugandan Asians: Then and Now’ and should be available in July 2011.

Peter W. Vakunta reviews Benjamin Kwakye’s ‘The Other Crucifix’, a book which he regards as ‘the handiwork of a literary virtuoso’.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter's talk of cleaning up the world's governing body belies its inherent corruption, suggests Gado.

The 'Dialogue among Civilisations' project forms the basis for a new initiative by Art for Humanity. It involved collaboration between artists and poets from across Africa. A collection of the art is available for viewing on the website of Art for Humanity.

Gado suggests that the pope's assent to the use of condoms may encourage further demands on the Catholic Church.

From football rows to images of love and affection, a variety of messages find embodiment on Tunisian walls. People of various ages and social classes dedicate effort and money to turn the walls of Tunis into a random mosaic of letters and figures, understandable only to their peers. 'I find a space where I can move around with my black lines, away from the eyes of censors, to write whatever I want,' said Semer Idoudi, a 20-year-old student.

Black London’s Film Heritage invites submissions from any organisation or individual holding film material which depicts an African?Caribbean presence in London. To be considered for inclusion in this project, submissions for previewing will be accepted on all formats, but if possible preferably digital or VHS tape.

A new generation of activists is being inspired to find creative ways to ‘manage diversity and promote pluralism’, thanks to an annual arts and culture festival aimed at promoting protest, writes Deep Roots.

Why don't royal divorces attract the same media fanfare as weddings, wonders Gado.

Discussing the works of Maaza Mengiste, Tsitsi Dangarembga, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Solomon Gebre-Selassie explores the characters and plots of three African novels by female writers.