Africa from A-Z: Central African Republic

Image source.

Image source.

I had a hard finding information on the Central African Republic that doesn't relate to the Lord's Resistance Army or its woeful history as a country plagued by coups and an unstable government.  No doubt we'll be hearing more about the CAR as the search for Kony wages on.

As I work with the Forest Landscape Initiative at WRI, I'll be learning more about the CAR.  Quick facts to place it: Bangui is the capital and the country and it is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the DRC and the Congo.  Read this post to learn more about forest initiatives in the region to monitor mining and logging activity.

Image source. 

I will check out this reading list to get a better understanding of the Central Africa region and the wars and instability that have crippled it recently.  Also interesting (albeit a few years old) is this article on a Central African Republic(an?) doctor who returned to the CAR to work for the Ministry of Health.  What struck me was this quote about his work within Africa for international health organizations:

Jobs with such organizations provide opportunities for African professionals to earn Western salaries while still working in Africa, but they also generate a kind of internal, transcontinental brain drain.

Something to think about.

Here's a link to a folklore book with tales from the CAR and a story from a journalist visiting Bangui.

What do you think?  Any thoughts on the CAR - I'd love hear what you think!