Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician who has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990's. Obiang was Chairperson of the African Union from … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: Africa’s Worst Dictators
Africans
Tuesday Open Thread: Africa’s Worst Dictators
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is the president of the Gambia. As a young army officer, he took power in a 1994 military coup. He was elected as President in 1996; he was re-elected in 2001, 2006, and 2011. President Jammeh joined the Gambian National Army in 1984, was commissioned a General in 1989, and in 1992 became Chief commander of the Gambian … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: Africa’s Worst Dictators
Monday Open Thread: Africa’s Worst Dictators
I re-watched "The Last King of Scotland" this weekend and then read some extra information on Idi Amin and his rule. European conquests really screwed up the landscape and some of the culture in Africa. I also believe that European colonization played a role in creating terrible African dictators. Idi, for example was molded as leader by watching European rule. This week's … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: Africa’s Worst Dictators
Saturday Open Thread: Making History-Black Men and Women in Swimming
This week's open threads highlighted the impact that blacks or people with African descent have had on swimming. Alia Shanee Atkinson (born December 11, 1988) is a Jamaican swimmer and Olympian. She competed at the 2004 Olympics, and four years later in the 2008 Olympics she finished 25th in the women's 200-meter breaststroke. She carried the flag for her native country … [Read more...] about Saturday Open Thread: Making History-Black Men and Women in Swimming
Wednesday Open Thread: Making History-Black Men and Women in Swimming
Maritza Correia (born December 23, 1981), also known by her married name Maritza McClendon, is an Olympic swimmer from the United States. When she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2004, she became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team. She also became the first black American swimmer to set an American and world … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: Making History-Black Men and Women in Swimming