Last week diplomats at the UN were amazed when Saudi Arabia did what no country had done before; turned down the seat it had just won on the Security Council.

About a month ago, the United States was poised to go to war in the Middle East. This threat of war was triggered by the allegation that President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria crossed the red line President Obama argued was set, not by him, but by the international community against the use of chemical weapons

Had the twentieth century been an African century, the kingdom of Buganda and its centuries-old monarchy located in present day Uganda might have loomed large on the world stage. Africa had seen some powerful kingdoms and empires. Who can or what can rival Mensa Musa and his Malian Empire of 14^th century?

How can higher education in Africa become more relevant in the face of the challenges and opportunities Africa faces in the 21^st century? That is the theme of a conference planned for 2014 at Dakar Senegal. In the face of growing numbers of colleges and universities in Africa, organizers note, there has been a lot of focus on numbers and too little attention paid to quality, relevance and access.

ON Tuesday, the eyes of Kenya will be firmly fixed on The Hague, where the trial of the country’s deputy president, William Ruto, and his co-defendant, Joshua arap Sang, an influential radio executive, is set to begin before the International Criminal Court.

Since Hecataeus, Herodotus, and later on, Bartholomew Dias, Livingstone, Stanley and Lugard, Africa’s stories, good and bad, have been written and told by outsiders. Explorers, missionaries, exploiters, adventurers; call them what you will. Each writer, objective or not, had their own agenda and did their own thing.

The industrial revolution of the late 18^th century that began first in England and quickly spread to other parts of the world caused a major shift in lifestyle worldwide.  New products coming out of the factories made life for those who could afford it more aboundant.

In the soft lights of the mighty hall where once dined and wined the heroes of empire, where trophies and memorabilia of empire still enjoyed the place of pride, he listened fascinated by the novelty and the flow of the new dialectics coming from the stage. What would these statesmen now staring down from the walls, covered in medals and regalia, have made of this gathering?