- De grootste verliezers van 2011 zijn ongetwijfeld Ben Ali (Tunesië), Hosni Mubarak (Egypte), Moammar Gaddafi (Libië) en Laurent Gbagbo (Ivoorkust). Zij werden afgezet, gearresteerd, vermoord ....De grootste winnaars zijn Centrale Bank directeur Lamido Sanusi en miljardair-zakenman Akilo Dangote (Nigeria), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf en vredesactiviste Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), toekomstig ICC Openbare Aanklager Fatou Bensouda (Gambia) en voormalig President Pedro Pires (Kaap Verdië). Zij kregen internationale onderscheidingen en prijzen en werden geëerd. Lees meer over hen en over andere Afrikaanse winnaars en verliezers in 2011 op mijn blog Liberian Perspectives…

- Last month, in October, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had every reason to be optimistic about the future. On October 7, she was awarded the prestigious 2011 Nobel Peace prize. On October 11, she won the presidential elections. And on October 29 the ‘Iron Lady’ celebrated her 73rd birthday, in good health. Then came the second round of the presidential elections Political opponents turned into allies: Prince Johnson, Charles Brumskine, Moses Blah. More followed. But the main oppositional party, the CDC, boycotted the second round. President Ellen Johnson's Sirleaf's victory was bittersweet because... More on Liberian Perspectives www.blog.liberianperspectives.org

- Tuesday, April 12 Which Way, Ivory Coast? April 12 is a date to remember. Liberians immediately think of April 12 1980, the day Master Sergeant Samuel Doe seized power and the country made a U-turn from which it still has to recover. Ivorians now have their own 'April 12', the day Alassane Ouattara finally got hold of the presidency, after the arrest of his opponent, the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo who refused to give up power peacefully after losing the elections. Early December 2010 both men were sworn in as the country's new president. For the past four months, the country has been on the brink of a civil war - and it still is. Alassane Ouattara got 55% o…