Read an article in a recent edition of The Economist, write a short summary of the article’s main points, analyze the article in the context of what you have learned about Sub-Saharan Africa.

Topic: News Summary

Paper details:

Read an article in a recent edition of The Economist, write a short summary of the article’s main points, analyze the article in the context of what you have learned about Sub-Saharan Africa.

Answer some questions regarding the map that accompanies the article.

1. Read the article entitled either “Nigeria: When things fall apart” (in the table of contents of the digital edition) or “Nigeria falls apart” in the Middle East & Africa section of the October 23, 2021 edition of The Economist. In the print edition it is on pages 44-46.

Write a brief summary of important points in the article. Answer the following basic journalistic questions: Who? Where? When? What? Why?

2. Analyze the content of the article in the context of facts and concepts about Sub-Saharan Africa presented in the foundation notes and video slide lectures.

Pick at least three distinctive ideas about Sub-Saharan Africa from the class materials and point out examples from the article that support the ideas.

Be clear about which idea is being supported by which example.

3. Answer the following questions by referring to the map of numbers of people either killed or kidnapped that accompanies the article.

a. The map uses six different colors to indicate six regions within Nigeria with six different causes of the intense violence the country is experiencing, with each cause identified in a color-coded rectangle near its region.

Make a numbered list of each of these six causes as stated in the rectangles and for each one use general geographical descriptors such as northeast, southwest, central, etc. to identify the general location of the problem.

For example, the correct geographical descriptor for Boko Haram and ISWAP is northeast.

b. In which region is the problem of kidnapping most pronounced?

c. In which state have the deaths due to conflict been greatest so far this year.?

d. Nigeria is fairly dangerous everywhere, but if we divide the country in half at the capital of Abuja, which half seems more dangerous, the north or the south?

 

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