Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with africa

Cost of Living in South Africa

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:13:48 -0800

Is USD$1,800/month enough to live comfortably in South Africa? Sorry for the anonymous question, I do not want people connecting my name with this post.

I am relocating to South Africa for 18 months to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine of writing a novel. I have enough savings in the bank to spend $1,800 per month on living expenses while in South Africa, probably Cape Town.

Is USD$1,800/month enough to live comfortably in South Africa?

Durban for a Year

chrisalbon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:20:16 -0800

In two months, Wife and I are moving to Durban, South Africa, for a year. What should we know? Background:

My wife was just accepted to a one year masters program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, starting Feb 1st. She has a very generous scholarship to attend the program. I will be working on my dissertation and other projects the entire year.

We have arranged to stay in a poolhouse in a nice neighborhood near campus. We have researched all the visa options and are 75% through the process of getting a pair of long term visas. This is not our first time outside the US, or first time in Africa. However, this is our first time living in South Africa and, more specifically, in Durban.

Question: What should we know about packing for, moving to, and living in Durban for a year?

Thanks Hivemind!

What would it take to set up a scholarship prize?

jonesor — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:33:25 -0800

What would it take to set up a scholarship prize fund for a particular school in a developing country? I was recently in Africa, where I visited a community school in Lesotho.

I learned that the cost of sending children on to high school there is prohibitively expensive for most kids' families (~US$60/yr). To me this is a small amount of money, so it got me wondering about the logistics of establishing a self-sustaining scholarship prize, or fund of some kind, to send, for example, the 5 brightest kids per year through school.

This is all just a vague idea at the moment, but what would be involved in setting up such a scheme?

I'd be interested in examples both from the developing world and from elsewhere.

It would all need to be self-sustaining and above-board legally-speaking, and run from the UK.

Be there square?

msittig — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:01:31 -0800

"Later that day, Arthur Mgqweto, a math teacher, strode into the classroom, jauntily wearing a township take on the fedora called a square." A square? From a New York Times article, can somebody point me to a more complete description or better yet a picture of a (South African) square? This Arthur Mgqweto guy sounds like a cool cat.

Do you have a psychotherapist recommendation for Pretoria/Joburg South Africa?

bluesky43 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:06:27 -0800

Do you know a good psychotherapist to recommend in the Pretoria/Joburg area of South Africa? My daughter, age 18, is volunteering in South Africa (near Bella Bella about two hours north of Pretoria). I'm in the US. A close friend and fellow volunteer was drugged and raped. My daughter is understandably very distraught about these horrific events and wants some professional counseling. Her sponsoring organization in South Africa is sitting on their hands and of no help. Do you have a psychotherapist that you would recommend that she could contact in either Pretoria or Joburg? Feel free to memail me and many thanks.

Freedom in Freetown

iamck — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:44:51 -0800

Moving to Sierra Leone, or thereabouts. Freetown? Bo? Where to go? Any first hand suggestions? I've been in Africa for 10 months, and I'm looking for a change from the oppressive desert and the cultural conservatism.

I want to go someplace where I can live cheaply, focus on my writing, music. I've been to a lot of the big African capitals, and I'm normally put off by the crushing chaos. How is Freetown - or the other, semi, mid sized cities? How is the ambiance? Is there much of an arts scene? What would be a good quarter to live?

Sharlto Copley stars in "My Left Claw"

TomSophieIvy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:17:23 -0800

District 9 has infected me, so to speak. I can pick up on the cinematic influences and the overt South African references, but surely there are more South African influences that elude me. Help! D9 has overtaken my brain for the last day. I picked up on Enemy Mine, The Fly, Independence Day, Starship Troopers, The Office, RoboCop, and ET (among others) as cinematic references. However the references to South Africa namely refer to apartheid and District 6, but I also felt there were references to the mercenary movement in South Africa, witchcraft, shantytowns and underground economies. I'd like to know what other South African references I am missing...other than the obvious reasons already stated, what makes the location such a vital part of the movie?

Suggestions for a trip to Senegal & Cameroon?

Kololo — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:41:06 -0800

Have you been to Senegal and/or Cameroon? Do you have any tips for super awesome things to see n' do there? A friend and I are heading to Senegal and Cameroon for a three week trip, beginning September 27th. We're both female Canadians, in our early 30s, and we met and became when friends when we both lived in Uganda for a couple of years.

(i.e. We are not 'africa newbies', so please no "africa-scary/malaria awareness/don't feed the 'pen pen pen' habit" type warnings, please, unless it is something unique to the region/countries.)

We'll be flying into Dakar on the 27th, and then flying to Douala (Cameroon) on October 10th. Our home base in Cameroon will be with an American friend living in Yaounde. We fly home, from Douala, on the 19th. We have an 'upper budget' budget. (That

We want to have fun! We want to do the awesome tourist stuff, and we want to get off the beaten path to find the hidden gems. We want to do some physical activities, but we don't want to center our trip around major multi-day-hike type things. We want to stay in fun/cool/interesting hostels or guesthouses that are clean, have single rooms, and tend to host backpackers over the age of 25. We want to eat some good local food. We want to go to fun nightlife - the kinds of places that are full of both locals and expats. We want to hear some live music, especially in Senegal.

So, suggestions?

Which color for which region of the world?

ekf — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:31:28 -0800

I leave for West Africa a week from today and am having a voltage converter issue. Which plug will work? I own this converter that I haven't used for a few years. Each plug has a colored triangle (green, black, orange, blue, black outline)... presumably those colored triangles indicate in which the part of the world the plug will work. But how do I tell what each color means? I've tried Google but haven't had luck... partially because I'm not entirely sure what to search for.

Netbook for lengthy stay in Ethiopia

Lemurrhea — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:12:01 -0800

Netbook for Ethiopia: narrow down the choices. My sister is moving to Ethiopia for 2 years or so, and is asking for advice on which netbook to buy.

Requirements:
Windows or Mac [I know. Probably don't have time to install Hackintosh, either]
cheap - less than $500, prefer less than $400
Reliable - the most important feature. For use when travelling in East Africa & if her laptop breaks. Can't count on repairs while she's there.
Good battery life, obviously.
webcam/mic, would accept usb-based ones but not preferable.
wifi & a usb port or two.
Wired capability is preferable.

She's in Ottawa, but will be in Toronto & New York if there's better selection/price.

Mainly used, as I said, for travel in East Africa. Pretty much email / moderate uploading of pictures, Word, Skype/gtalk.

Further, it needs to work with her Time Capsule [note: I assume that'll require some fiddling, I'm going to help her with that ahead of time, as long as it's known to work].

Is the Atom N270 any good?

Thanks!

Globetrotting.

the NATURAL — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:54:08 -0800

TravelFilter: What are the cheapest (but best) travel destinations in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia (specifically, Southeast Asia)? Just got back from a two-week trip to London (which, incidentally, I loved) and Paris (which, incidentally, gets a big meeeh). Unfortunately, the trip cost somewhere between three arms and four legs not only because of the exchange rates, but also because of the pricey nature of our accommodations (not sacrificing quality for price, etc.). I'm thirsting for more... just as soon as my wallet recovers.

Now, obviously, the specific affordability of a trip to any nation depends on how strong the dollar is against the given currency at that point in time -- that much, I get. But past that, aren't there destinations that are, at their essence, cheaper to go to and stay at? You know, places that are off-the-radar but stunningly beautiful? (Sorry, I made it a little complex with that last one, I know.)

I dug a "previously..." up, and it was good... but centered around South America, and the consensus seemed to be on Peru. (You probably know the one I'm talking about.) Hence, the specific phrasing of my question.

Thanks!

Non-U.S.-centric web content and design

kalapierson — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:20:24 -0800

Non-U.S. residents: Aside from language issues, what issues can U.S. web designers keep in mind to make their sites ideally usable for you? I'm U.S. born/based and I'm working on a new version of my website. For the moment, it will be English-language-only (when I can afford it, my first priority is to get my short-form bio and a little practical info translated into as many languages as possible). I'm a classical composer and my non-U.S. projects & performances so far have mostly involved people in Europe and Australia/NZ. I want my site to welcome all users as much as possible, especially from regions I haven't dealt with much yet (Asia, Africa, South America).

This is oddly hard to Google (because in most cases, web internationalization = language encoding issues), but below are some things I've thought of so far. Please add your ideas. Thank you!

MATERIAL ISSUES:

• make any downloadable PDFs available in both A4 and Letter;

• be sure I'm not embedding (or linking to) media from any sites that only work for U.S.-based users;

• when offering anything for sale, use a payment/shipping method that excludes as few countries as possible (and on my site, mention the approximate prices in at least USD, EUR and UKP).

EDITORIAL ISSUES:

• use words, not numbers, for the month in all dates (10/11/2009 is bad notation -- is that in Oct or Nov?);

• in any random list of cities (e.g., when listing my upcoming events), name the country in every case so USA doesn't feel like the default assumption ("Lisbon, Portugal" / "Chicago, USA" / "Tokyo, Japan" );

• include free alternatives to phone numbers (email, Skype, etc.) wherever possible;

• express U.S. phone numbers without default-USA assumption (start with +1, not just the 3-digit area code).

[• this is just symbolic welcoming, but the front page will include a decorative list of non-English words for composer, with as many non-European words as possible.]

what to expect in Durban and Port Elizabeth?

nanhey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:03:30 -0800

What can we expect when we travel to Durban and Port Elizabeth for the World Cup? Looking for info on transport, safety, lodging, etc. i found lots of info on Cape Town on AskMefi, but nothing on Durban and Port Elizabeth -- what are these towns like? are they safe? cheap/expensive? how should we get from one to the other? We (my boyfriend and I -- both 24 yr old white kids, in case that is relevant) are planning to be there during the World Cup.

any info you have would be greatly appreciated!

What bulk item will satisfy the mobs of children and my guilt?

BusyBusyBusy — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 07:42:54 -0800

What bulk item can I bring with me to Ghana to hand out to begging children? Toothbrushes? Food? Toys? Soon I'll be traveling to Ghana (West Africa) to work with a sexual health organization doing HIV awareness stuff. The last time I was there, I felt very guilty and overwhelmed by all of the children (generally ages 4-10) who would follow me and ask for things.

I'd like to bring something with me to give out. No, I can't give them condoms. Requirements:

-Can be bought in bulk online or in person (Indianapolis)
-Lightweight
-Can be taken on a plane
-Not ultimately destructive e.g. sugary candy harms teeth, choking hazards, something so valuable its taken and sold by others.
-Low cost, max $1 per item as I'd like to have at least 100 of them.

Thanks, MeFites!

A day in the life of an explorer in Africa?

El Curioso — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:20:46 -0800

How can I find out what a typical day was like for a European explorer in Africa in the latter half of the 19th century? I'm interested in as much day-to-day detail as possible: cooking, breaking camp, marching with porters, surveying, setting up camp, guard duty, etc.

I know a lot of explorers' accounts are available online at places like Gutenberg.org (Stanley, Burton, Livingstone, etc). I just don't know where in those specific accounts, or elsewhere, I can find an overview like this.

A practical gift

blithecatpie — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:52:16 -0800

What are some useful items I can give to my friend as a gift for when she leaves to study abroad in Zambia? My dearest friend will be leaving in about a month for Zambia and I want to give her a gift of things that would really come in handy when she's there, only, I'm not sure what to get. I thought about a travel guide to the area, but what else would she find useful?

Thanks everyone!

tia

bardic — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:35:06 -0800

Help a newb explore African pop music. I really lurve the pop tracks on The Last King of Scotland OST.

Where should I look to go deeper? Compilations and "best of" discs would be preferred, but any suggestions of seminal or watershed albums appreciated too.

NGOs in Francophone Africa?

totalbs247 — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:43:00 -0800

I'm looking for a human rights NGO to work for in the Francophone world. My preference is for a Francophone Arab country, but I'm open to any option that would be a good work experience. Does anyone have experience or other knowledge of NGOs they would recommend? I'm about to graduate from Harvard Law School. I was supposed to go to a law firm this fall, but because of the economy, they want to defer my employment until January 2011. In exchange, they will pay for me to work for a non-profit until then.

I'd like to get involved in human rights work anyway, so I'm very excited about this possibility. I have studied and worked a bit with human rights issues, so it would not be completely new to me. I am fluent in French and might be interested in starting to learn Arabic (thus the preference). I am very healthy, am fully vaccinated, and have spent several months in developing countries; I would prefer a higher quality of life (e.g. Tunisia), but can deal with whatever.

I have looked at Human Rights Internet and the FIDH network, but it's hard to get a good sense of the organizations online. I really appreciate any information or recommendations anyone can give.

Africa as a country

Dr. Send — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:53:25 -0800

I'm looking for instances of Africa being referred to as a country, or at least as culturally/nationally homogeneous. Pictures/diagrams/video clips would be ideal.

Diamond Heist Help Needed!

xz — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:01:02 -0800

Diamond Heist Filter: I'm writing a crime story and I could use some technical info so things sound realistic -- do you know gems or security systems or African languages? The first thing I'm trying to find out is how much the stolen diamonds in the story could be worth. I understand that the value would be affected by many variables, I'm just looking for a guide. If you were offered a million dollars worth of uncut diamonds of varying quality and size, how big a package would you expect that to be?

The second thing I'm looking for is a technical term for a device one would use to disable/crack a keypad alarm system. Do those thingys actually exist or are they just a figment of cinematic imagination?

And, uh, I don't suppose anyone speaks either Lingala, or Luganda, or any other Central/West African language? Obscure is fine. I'm looking for a translation for anything like the following dialogue:

"I don't remember. What did you want me to say?"
"Don't worry. Just pretend to kick him."
"Thanks for hiring us. I hope this was scary enough."

Should I go to South Africa to take care of the baby baboons?

Maisie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:48:27 -0800

I am thinking of volunteering at a baboon rescue in South Africa () and am wondering if anyone has any experience/wisdom/whatever to share. Do any MeFites have experience at this particular organization or any like it? If so, what was it like? Would you go back? Is there a better program? Was it a complete nightmare? What should a mildly-adventurous 39-year-old American woman expect? What sorts of things should I take with me?

Also, I've never been to South Africa (or anywhere else in Africa for that matter) and don't know much about it. The website doesn't really say much about the facilities other than noting that it's really humid in the summer and in general they relocate poisonous snakes (!) and ignore the spiders, rats and scorpions (!!!). If I go there, what's the best time of year (1) weatherwise, and (2) when snakes, spiders and scorpions are at a minimum? What other things should I be concerned about? What sort of vaccinations (or whatever) should I make sure I have (I know you're not my doctor)?

Mr. Maisie, my sister and my boss all responded to this notion with stunned silence and then the question about whether this was really such a great idea. Mr. Maisie, who has no interest in going, cautions that South Africa is riddled with crime, but then followed-up that he'd miss me. Is that really so (the crime part, I mean)? I'm worried about taking a leave of absence from my job (I'm a database administrator at a large outsourcing-happy company), but I'm generally well-regarded at work and I don't think I'd have many negative repercussions. But they do love their off shore IT people. Am I on glue and this is obviously the worst idea in the world?

MeFites, let loose with your experiences, thoughts, ideas, concerns, whatever. Thanks in advance!

How hard is it for a country to sign a UN statement?

rebekah — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:38:20 -0800

How much effort does it take for a country to become a signatory to a UN declaration? In January, South Africa refused to become a signatory to a non-binding UN declaration calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality. SA is a leader in the gay rights movement in Africa, and the SA ambassador to the UN said the country "supported the statement, but was not a signatory to it."

According to this article, another member of SA's UN delegation "said that after 'weighing the priorities' South Africa had decided that to become a signatory would require effort better utilized elsewhere."

So my question is this: How hard is it, really, for a country to sign a non-binding statement? What sort of "effort" is required, and who makes the actual decision?

Condoms in Africa

jsonic — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:25:12 -0800

Is this Harvard researcher citing reputable studies when he claims that: "The accepted wisdom in the scientific community is that condoms lower the HIV infection rate, but after numerous studies, researchers have found the opposite to be true. We just cannot find an association between more condom use and lower HIV reduction rates in Africa."

What is the name of this animated movie?

gwpcasey — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:01:54 -0800

Please help me identify this animated movie: set in Africa, possibly Zanzibar, about a hippo or elephant... I used to watch this film on video in the late '70's, early '80's and it was one of my favourites. I've always thought it was about a hippo that had to leave Africa and go to Zanzibar but Googles etc in this area have been fruitless.

The only scene I can remember clearly is of a line of men stretching from the shore to the boat in the distance and passing the goods to be loaded over their heads.

Inspired by MeFi's ability to identify movies based on the flimsiest bits of information I come seeking your help in restoring this childhood memory.

Thanks,
G.

Days, I dive by the wreck. Nights, I swim in the blue lagoon.

mykescipark — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:18:03 -0800

Socotra. Djerba. Ascension. Recommend other remote, Africa-proximate getaways, please. So, I'm going on a DXpedition for a week with my shortwave radio sometime this year in order to collect field recordings of Middle Eastern and African signals. Hence, I want to find a remote, electrically quiet, sparsely populated place to raise my antenna.

I have absolutely no interest in touristy places like Ibiza, Sicily, or Malta. Any place that has a remotely metropolitan feel is completely off the list. I want a shoreline view with the bare minimum amenities, no power grids or endless streams of tourists, and - most importantly - the ability to do my radio for days on end with a minimal likelihood of being suspected of espionage.

My "wish list" is above the jump, but I'd like your thoughts and additions. Locations must be proximate to the Middle East and Africa - I have no interest in South American stations and the like, so (for example) the much-vaunted Easter Island is out of the running.

I'm flexible on dates - I know monsoon season starts on Socotra in May, for example. And I'm willing to jump through some administrative hoops, such as the Entry Permit process for Ascension. Ah, yes, and I'm traveling alone.