afrol News, 11 February - No talk of a Tunisia or Egypt-style revolutions in Equatorial Guinea. These were the orders given to media in the country, which all are controlled by the state or the family of President Teodoro Obiang Ngeuma.
Equatoguinean Information Minister Jerónimo Osa Osa is reported to have given direct orders to the staff at the Radiotelevision of Equatorial Guinea (RTVGE) to stop mentioning the events in Tunisia and Egypt, according to the Madrid-based Association for Democratic Solidarity with Equatorial Guinea (ASODEGUE).
Noting the sudden lack of updates from the revolutionary events in Egypt, eagerly followed throughout Africa, members of the marginalised Equatoguinean opposition had contacted staff working at RTVGE. They were told that "the Minister of Information personally has given orders that we shall say no more about it."
Equatorial Guinea thereby joins the few countries worldwide, including China and Eritrea, that prevent the population to learn about the dynamics of revolution in North Africa.
Parallel to China and Eritrea, the government of Equatorial Guinea has total control of the information that reaches its population. Access to foreign media is strongly restricted, with even radio broadcasts from the ex-colonial power Spain being blocked and foreign magazines being censored.
Contrasting China, Equatorial Guinea however does not have an active internet censorship, probably due to lack of resources and due to the low impact of the web in the country. According to recent research published by afrol News, only 2 percent of the Equatoguinean population has access to internet, representing the - mostly pro-government - elite in the country.
Meanwhile, Paris-based Reporters sans frontičres (RSF) recalls that "in Equatorial Guinea, no private media exist in practical terms. Journalists in state media are obliged to reproduce government propaganda." RSF has disclosed how state journalists are fired from one day to another just for not showing enough enthusiasm praising President Obiang.
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afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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