June 05, 2023
South Africa: Major New Research Claims Smaller-Brained Homo Naledi Made Rock Art and Buried the Dead. but the Evidence Is Lacking
On September 13 2013, speleologists Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker descended deep into South Africa's Rising Star cave system and discovered the first evidence of an extraordinary… Read more »
June 04, 2023
Africa: 'Good Soup Is One of the Prime Ingredients of Good Living' - A (Condensed) History of Soup, From Cave to Can
Hot soup on a cold day brings warmth and comfort so simple that we don't think too much about its origins. But its long history runs from the Stone Age and antiquity through to… Read more »
June 05, 2023
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Musicians Fled the Country After the 1974 Revolution - How Their Culture Lives On
The overthrow of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 led to violent conflict that had a particularly heavy impact on musicians. Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the… Read more »
June 01, 2023
South Africa: Harry Oppenheimer Biography Shows the Mining Magnate's Hand in Economic Policies
In Harry Oppenheimer: Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty, his outstanding biography of the South African mining magnate who died in 2000, Michael Cardo shows that there is still mileage to… Read more »
May 24, 2023
Africa: Male Video Game Characters Speak Twice As Much As Females, Largest Study of Its Kind Reveals
Video games are played by nearly three billion people worldwide and make more money annually than the film industry. Around 50% of gamers are female but gaming has chronic problems… Read more »
May 28, 2023
Africa: Before Disney's Little Mermaid, These Creatures Existed in Mythologies From Around the World
Mermaids are multicultural mythical figures, reflecting the continuing human fascination with the sea in stories echoing thousands of years into the past. Mermaids are found in… Read more »
May 23, 2023
South Africa: World's Oldest Homo Sapiens Footprint Identified On South Africa's Cape South Coast
Just over two decades ago, as the new millennium began, it seemed that tracks left by our ancient human ancestors dating back more than about 50,000 years were excessively rare. Read more »
South Africa: Sign Language Is Set to Become Country's 12th Official Language
Sign language is on its way to become the 12th official language in South Africa after parliament recently agreed to amend the constitution to this end. The move will bring to… Read more »
May 17, 2023
South Africa: Winnie and Nelson - New Book Paints a Deeply Human Portrait of the Mandela Marriage and South Africa's Struggle
A powerful new book on Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has just been published. Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage is at once a double biography of South… Read more »
May 16, 2023
South Africa: National Anthems - How Composers in South Africa and India Are Reimagining Them
The rousing notes of the British national anthem God Save The King rang loudly in London's Westminster Abbey when King Charles III was crowned - and in official and informal… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Ghana: Black and Bold Queens Is a New Children's Book Celebrating Women in Ghana's History
A new children's book, Black and Bold Queens: Women in Ghana's History explores the lives of 16 notable female pioneers and leaders in the West African country, with a strong focus… Read more »
May 14, 2023
Africa: Souleymane Cissé Is Honoured As One of Africa's Boldest and Most Pioneering Film-Makers
Souleymane Cissé is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest African film-makers of all time - and the world's most prestigious film festival, Cannes, agrees. The… Read more »
May 11, 2023
South Africa: Zulu Vs Xhosa - How Colonialism Used Language to Divide South Africa's Two Biggest Ethnic Groups
South Africa has 12 official languages. The two most dominant are isiZulu and isiXhosa. While the Zulu and Xhosa people share a rich common history, they have also found themselves… Read more »
May 05, 2023
Africa: Queen Cleopatra - Experts Save This Poorly Scripted Netflix Docuseries
The trailer for Netflix's new four-part documentary series, Queen Cleopatra, was deliberately provocative. Promoting the show as executive produced by actress Jada Pinkett-Smith,… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Egypt: Cleopatra's Skin Colour Didn't Matter in Ancient Egypt - Her Strategic Role in World History Did
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra. Much debate has raged about her… Read more »
May 05, 2023
Africa: The Empire Sings Back - the Deep History Behind South African Soprano Pretty Yende's Triumph
Among the invited artists at the coronation of Britain's King Charles III is the South African soprano, Pretty Yende. Coronations are not events that take place often. What makes… Read more »
May 03, 2023
Ghana: Accra - the Ga People's Annual Ban On Noise Restores a Spiritual Connection With the Sea
Accra, Ghana's capital, is a noisy cosmopolitan city of almost three million people. Its active nightlife, commercial markets and factories create a deafening mix of sound trails… Read more »
April 26, 2023
Africa: Harry Belafonte Leveraged Stardom for Social Change, His Powerful Voice Always Singing a Song for Justice
In May 1963, as civil rights demonstrations rocked the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Harry Belafonte was at a cocktail party in Manhattan, scolding the then-attorney general of the… Read more »
May 01, 2023
Ghana: Amma Darko Uses Fiction to Portray the Real Plight of Women and Street Children in Ghana
Amma Darko is one of Ghana's leading novelists, known for exploring gritty social issues and the lives of women. There is much to be unearthed in the childhood narrative of… Read more »
April 27, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Hidden Jazz History Is Being Restored Album By Album
It's fitting that Johannesburg is among 12 cities featured in the 2023 Unesco International Jazz Day, themed "jazz journey around the world". The day, established in 2011 to… Read more »
Africa: Slavery's Historical Link to Marriage Is Still At Play in Some African Societies
Governments and religious institutions regulate marriage. Such regulations are heavily laden with specific moral ideas and cultural taboos. There are heated debates around what… Read more »
April 25, 2023
Nigeria: Tender Photo - the Newsletter That's Creating a New Conversation About African Photography
Nigeria's Emmanuel Iduma is many things: writer, editor, publisher, critic and photographer. In 2022 he combined these skills to introduce a newsletter, Tender Photo, sent to… Read more »
April 20, 2023
Uganda: Ghetto Kids - What's Behind the Moves of the Ugandan Dance Troupe That Stormed the World
A group of young dancers from Uganda, Triplets Ghetto Kids, went viral across the world when they earned the "golden buzzer" mid-performance on the TV show Britain's Got Talent.… Read more »
April 18, 2023
Africa: Diseases Gave Us the Rise of Christianity, the End of the Aztecs and Public Sanitation. How Might Future Plagues Change Human History?
"Every once in a while a book lands on your desk that changes the way you perceive the world you live in, a book that fundamentally challenges your understanding of human history."… Read more »
April 13, 2023
Africa: Drawing Pictures Is Great for Children's Development - Here's How Parents Can Help
When the weather's bad and there's no prospect of a trip to the park, we might well reach for crayons, pencils and paper as a way to keep our children entertained. But drawing is… Read more »