The famine in the Horn of Africa has revived the debate about “starvation photography.” The blog of the Irish NGO, Dóchas, has compiled the different viewpoints in one place.

* Related: What groundbreaking images of ‘Africa’ can we expect this year from The International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France?, asks Duck Rabbit. Sadly, more of the same.

*  Jonathan Faull sent in this item on parachute journalism at its “best” featured on CNN’s website: “Photographer captures ‘unbreakable spirit’ in West Africa”

Photographer “Thomas Nybo has captured images of some of the toughest issues facing Africa, from child mortality to access to education” presumably during his indepth understanding of the continent gleaned from his extensive understanding of the “five countries he recently visited in 11 days.”

Nybo also takes the obligatory photo of himself posing with children. (What is it with foreign correspondents posing with children all the time. The adults don’t like you?) As Jonathan remarked: Watch the video for some spectacularly patronizing nonsense.

* Mohammed Keita, Africa coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, writing in Washington D.C.’s political newspaper, The Hill:

In a White House meeting last week, President Barack Obama praised four recently elected heads of African states as “effective models” for democratization who are “absolutely committed” to good governance and human rights. Yet, as the New York Times noted, ambitious promises and lofty rhetoric in Washington glossed over troubling, but all too familiar, reports of coup plotting, an assassination attempt, and fresh human rights and press freedom violations.  With the exception of President Boni Yayi of Benin, three new African leaders, Presidents Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, and Alpha Condé of Guinea, have each been in office for less than a year after emerging from some of the most contested ballot tussles on the continent. Yet, in their short time in office, two of the leaders Washington has most embraced in “building strong democratic institutions,” Ivory Coast President Ouattara and Guinean President Condé, have already been implicated in rights abuses.

* More democracy: The Morroccan King may be reconsidering the annual”King’s Allegiance Day Parade.” The people keep turning up and telling him he has no clothes.

* South African culture blog, Mahala.com has two must-read posts about what’s considered normal in South Africa: white writing (what’s out for our longer post on Monday on this) and white insurance.

* And staying with whiteness: white advertising executives in Cape Town heart each other.

* Brooklyn Rail–which a while ago featured a shortlived series about African immigrants in New York City–have two articles with continental themes in the latest issue. First editor Theodore Hamm’s account of protests in Senegal (he was there with his small child and wife who was doing research) and a second by Hawa Allan about child soldier lit.

* CNN on the growth of radio stations–including in Pidgin–in Nigeria.

* The New York Times has a story listing all the people charged in Zimbabwe with insulting President Robert Mugabe. The latest perpetrator:

… A security guard faces up to 12 months in jail because of remarks on the Zimbabwe president’s health and a taunt over a snack of biscuits and a fruity milk drink. After years of acute shortages of food and confectionary, the guard allegedly told a colleague that President Robert Mugabe ruined the economy and empty store shelves were only restocked by the former opposition party with cookies and soft drinks that his pro-Mugabe colleague ate for lunch.

* Remember in 2008 when New York Magazine‘s annual “Reasons to Love New York” included  (at no.17) the story of King James Oladipo Buremoh, a Nigerian King who moonlights as a Gray Line tour bus driver in New York and is a former pro-wrestler?

New York Magazine’s editors were of course more into novelty of King James’ life. But now the King is the subject of a short documentary film that takes him more seriously:

* Rhodes University academic (and decent writer) Richard Pithouse in CounterPunch on the case of the “Kennedy 12”

* Al Jazeera English has a new series about African immigration to Europe:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rnZ3gNhZzw&w=600&h=373]

* Some hipster humor:

* Talking about hipsters. Reggie Watts now sells chickens for South African fast food giant, Nandos:

* Oh and blogs/tumblrs to #FF: Uganda Be Kiddin’ Me! (her real job), The Africa They Never Show You and A Spare Thought.

* Finally, some good hip hop to ride out the weekend:

H/T’s: Kiss My Black Ads, Duck Rabbit, Jon Jeter, Sophia Azeb, Ntone Edjabe, and many others we can’t name or did not want to be namechecked.

See you Monday.