News Desk (West Africa Update) Monday, December 7, 2009

Guinea's military leader, Moussa (Dadis) Camara, talks to troops before the arrival of Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, at the airport in Conakry, Guinea, on Oct. 5. (Schalk van Zuydam/Associated Press)
Guinea president awake in hospital after shooting
Guinea's military strongman, shot last week in an assassination attempt and airlifted to a hospital in Morocco, is able to speak but is unlikely to return home soon, a government official said Monday. Guinea's foreign minister Alexandre Cece Loua said President Moussa (Dadis) Camara is alert and in possession of his mental faculties and his condition is "encouraging," an upgrade from earlier in the day when Camara reportedly was uncommunicative. READ MORE...


FELA! to Appear on 'The Colbert Report' 12/7

Fela!, the new musical based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, will perform on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" on Monday, December 7 at 11:30pm EST. Host Stephen Colbert will interview Fela! Tony award-winning director & choreographer Bill T. Jones, followed by a performance of "Zombie," led by Sahr Ngaujah and accompanied by the world renowned Afrobeat band Antibalas. This booking marks the first Broadway production ever to appear on the popular satirical pundit show. Fela! is currently in performances at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Tickets are available through www.Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200 or in-person at The Eugene O'Neill Box Office, located at 230 West 49th Street. READ MORE...

Africa Confronts Unchecked Piracy on Both West and East Coasts
Almost all the attention on and, hence, resources for combating piracy in African waters have of late been focused almost exclusively on the waters off the Somali coastline. But a recent bloody attack is a reminder that the Gulf of Guinea on the opposite side of Africa can be equally dangerous – if not more so – even if it does not grab headlines as have spectacular heists like last week’s capture of the Greek supertanker MV Maran Centaurus. The Greek ship was transporting more than two million barrels of oil destined for the United States.

UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs Must Raise $368 Million

The United Nations says it needs $368 million for humanitarian work in West Africa in 2010. The West Africa division of the U.N. Office of Humanitarian Affairs has launched an appeal for $368 million to continue its work in the region in 2010. The money will go towards financing 129 projects, as diverse as child malnutrition in Sierra Leone and sanitation in flood-prone areas of Senegal... READ MORE...