A mixture of praise and criticism was voiced on Twitter when news broke of the Africans included in the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world Thursday.
Most comments surrounding the inclusion of South African human rights lawyer Thuli Madonsela were filled with praise:
Yet some complained that Madonsela was the only one from her country to make the cut:
Others pointed out the irony of the tribute to her being penned by the apparently disgraced Nigerian bank governor Lamido Sanusi:
The South African news agency SA Breaking News and other supporters on Twitter quoted Madonsela’s statement saying she was “humbled” to have been included:
Twitter users also heaped praise on Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was included in the list along with her fellow countryman, the business magnate Aliko Dangote, whose profile was written by U.S. philanthropist Bill Gates
The Kenyan lawyer, blogger and activist Ory Okolloh sent out a brief message of thanks in Swahili to TIME on her Twitter feed for her inclusion in the list:
Others tweeted their thanks to the American author and pastor Jim Wallis for penning tributes to the religious leaders Imam Omar Kobine Layama, Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga and the Rev. Nicolas Guerekoyame-Gbangou. The men were involved in peace-making efforts in the war-torn Central African Republic, and Wallis was applauded for drawing attention to the contributions of the country’s faith leaders:
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