July 13, 2011
Defeat: We found charms in our dressing room – Nigerian captain creates all sorts of questions about the ongoing impact of magic, superstition, voodoo, etc. in African societies. The Nigerians are accusing the Ghanaians of putting juju charms in their dressing room, which then filled the young players with fear and explained their loss. Nigeria professes to be 51% Christian and 45% Muslim, with 3% belonging to ethnic religions. But the reality is always more complicated. As Operation World notes, “actual practice of traditional religions can be as high as 10% of the population.” Use of charms as offensive weapons to [...]
Read more →
May 9, 2011
A recent report from the World Bank notes that 25 tons of cocaine, valued at US$1 billion, was shipped from Latin America through West African countries (including especially Ghana) to reach Europe, where its street value was estimated at $6.8 billion. Worldwide value, heroin: $65 billion Worldwide value, cocaine: $88 billion Heroin, % of global total consumed by Europe/North America: 53% Cocaine, % of global total consumed by Europe/North America: 67% Organized crime, annual revenues: $120 billion to $330 billion See GhanaWeb.com.
Read more →