What the price of Zanzibari coconuts says about African development
Islanders are chopping down trees as cities expand
Musa Haidar holds a coconut to his ear and shakes it from side to side. Its sloshing pleases the market trader, who puts the large brown ovoid back atop the pile at his stall on the outskirts of Zanzibar City, the main one on the east African island.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Shell companies”
From the December 24th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Nigeria seeks to restore pride in its artefacts, ancient and modern
A new museum in Benin City will showcase “a cauldron of creativity”
Donald Trump’s new Arab pal
Will a Lebanese-American businessman influence the incoming administration in the region?
Israel and Hizbullah strike a fragile deal to end their war
Joe Biden makes a last push to bring peace to the Middle East
The arrest warrant is a diplomatic disaster for Netanyahu
But may also undermine the International Criminal Court
Israel’s hardliners reckon Gaza’s chaos shows they must control it
Only 11 out of a recent convoy of 109 aid trucks managed to get in
Why GM crops aren’t feeding Africa
Despite decades of research, few countries grow them there