February 17, 2023
Africa: I Bonded With Covid Vaccine Sceptics Over Saunas and Mother Earth Rituals - This Is What They Taught Me
I was standing in a forest at night, by a dark lake taking part in a Mother Earth ritual. Shaman drums echoed between the cliffs. The witch leading the ritual suddenly encouraged… Read more »
Africa: Africa's Agribusiness Sector Should Drive the Continent's Economic Development - Five Reasons Why
Africa's agriculture sector accounts for about 35% of the continent's gross domestic product, and provides the livelihood of more than 50% of the continent's population. These… Read more »
Africa: Installing a Backup Power Supply - Electrical Engineers Answer Your Questions
South Africa's electricity utility Eskom has made it clear that "loadshedding" - rolling scheduled power cuts - isn't going to end any time soon. This reality, and President Cyril… Read more »
February 16, 2023
South Africa: Four Ways That Fossils Are Part of Everyday Life
South Africa boasts some of the best fossil records on Earth. Fossils are found in strata and rocks in many parts of the country. Some are billions of years old. Read more »
Africa: What Is Marburg Virus and Should We Be Worried?
An epidemic outbreak of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, was confirmed this week, the first time the virus has occurred there. At least 16 cases have been… Read more »
Nigeria: How to Poll 93 Million Voters - the Challenge of Pulling Off Nigeria's Presidential Elections
Nigeria's registered voters, which the Independent National Electoral Commission has put at 93.5 million, are expected to come out in their numbers in what will be Africa's biggest… Read more »
Africa: Pan-Africanism Remains a Dream - 4 Key Issues the African Union Must Tackle
The African Union (AU) - made up of 55 member countries - has made significant progress with integrating the countries of the continent and giving them a voice in global politics. Read more »
South Africa: Water Cuts in South Africa Are Hurting Hospitals and Clinics - There's an Increased Risk of Infections
South Africa is a water scarce country. Changing rainfall patterns and the escalating electricity crisis are making the situation worse. Treating and distributing water requires… Read more »
East Africa: Ilemi Triangle Spat - How Resources Fuel East Africa's Border Conflicts
For decades, African states have grappled with numerous interstate border disputes, especially in resource-rich regions. In east Africa, most of these conflicts are as old as… Read more »
Tanzania: Tanzania Is Ruled With Impunity - Four Key Issues Behind Calls for Constitutional Reform
Tanzania's president issued a statement in June 2016 announcing a ban on political rallies outside campaign periods. The ban was unconstitutional. Read more »
Africa: Leo Frobenius Made African Rock Art Famous, but Is Tainted By Racism and a Lack of Understanding
Leo Frobenius was a largely self-taught German ethnologist (someone who studies societies and cultures) who undertook numerous expeditions. One of them, from 1928 to 1930, was to… Read more »
Africa: Covid-19 Restrictions Unexpectedly Reduced Islamic State Violence - Political Science Experts Explain Why
World leaders and policy experts at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic feared that the health crisis might make the world more dangerous. They worried specifically that terrorist… Read more »
Africa: Loneliness Is Making Us Physically Sick, but Social Prescribing Can Treat It - Podcast
Social isolation and loneliness are increasingly becoming societal problems, as they contribute to polarization and affect our physical health. Mental health professionals,… Read more »
February 15, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Election - Six Dangers of Mixing Religion With Politics
One of the issues that has generated great concern among voters in the run up to the Nigerian presidential elections is religion. Read more »
Cameroon: Jean-Paul Zé Bella - the Cunning Cameroonian Soldier Who Became a Global Music Legend
One of Cameroon's most influential music stars - Jean-Paul Zé Bella - passed away on 15 January at the age of 71 after a battle against cancer. The singer and drummer was a… Read more »
South Africa: Hunger in South Africa - Study Shows One in Five Are At Risk
Everyone is vulnerable in some way, whether it's to natural disasters, chronic diseases or hunger. But some are more at risk than others because of what they are exposed to… Read more »
Africa: Antibiotics Are Being Inappropriately Prescribed for Covid, Increasing the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance - Research
Antibiotics are drugs designed to treat infections caused by bacteria (for example, skin infections). They don't work on infections caused by other microbes such as viruses… Read more »
Africa: Invisible Trillions Book Review - Global Capitalism Operates Beyond Rule of Law, Threatens Democracy
Secrecy has become as important for corporations as transparent and taxable profits used to be, according to Raymond W. Baker in his new book Invisible Trillions. Global… Read more »
February 14, 2023
Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attacks in Somalia Affect Communities As Far As 900KM Away - Aid Agencies Need to Take Note
Policymakers tend to assume that the effects of conflict are felt only where violence occurs. As a result, humanitarian aid, protection efforts or asylum policies largely focus on… Read more »
Africa: When Two Elephants Fight - How the Global South Uses Non-Alignment to Avoid Great Power Rivalries
An African proverb notes that "when two elephants fight, it is the grass underneath that suffers". Read more »
Africa: What Is Mondiacult? 6 Take-Aways From the World's Biggest Cultural Policy Gathering
Culture's status in global society got a major boost in 2022 when it was recommended to become its own sustainable development goal. This happened at the Unesco World Conference on… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's Budget Plans Open Door for Growth but Only If High Interest Rates Don't Derail Them
When Zimbabwe's finance minister Mthuli Ncube presented the national budget for 2023 to Parliament in November 2022, he placed high emphasis on a raft of initiatives designed to… Read more »
February 13, 2023
Nigeria: Nigerian Elections - Eight Issues Young People Want the New Govt to Address
As Nigeria prepares for the 25 February presidential elections, it's interesting to consider what young Nigerians are expecting. Read more »
Senegal: Dakar's Clandestine Taxis Are Essential for Daily Travel - but They're Illegal
Africa's major cities are growing at a rapid pace. In Dakar, Senegal's capital, for instance, the population has almost doubled in 20 years, reaching 4 million inhabitants today. Read more »
Africa: Advantages and Challenges of Anti-Covid Nasal Vaccination - The Promises of a French Approach
Contrary to the widely shared popular belief, the primary purpose of current vaccines against Covid-19 is solely to protect against serious forms of the disease in order to prevent… Read more »