November 09, 2023
Morocco: Morocco's Artisans Face Uncertain Future After Earthquake
The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco's Atlas mountains on September 8 killed more than 2,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Parts of the old medina in the… Read more »
November 12, 2023
Kenya: William Ruto's First Year - He Promised to Make Life Easier for Kenyans, but Things Got Worse
It's more than a year since President William Ruto was sworn into office as Kenya's fifth president. He assumed power at a time when Kenya was beset by rising food and fuel prices,… Read more »
November 09, 2023
South Africa: Ubuntu Offers Lessons in How to Treat People With Disabilities - a Study of Bomvana Rituals
Research shows that people with disabilities have always been largely excluded and marginalised in societies across the world. Read more »
November 07, 2023
Kenya: British King Acknowledges Colonial Atrocities in Kenya - Here's What Could Happen Next
On his official visit to Kenya, King Charles III acknowledged Britain's colonial era "wrongdoings". He also paid tribute to Kenyan soldiers who had participated in the first and… Read more »
November 06, 2023
Madagascar: Madagascar's 2023 Presidential Election Is Crucial for the Island's Future, but It's Off to a Rocky Start
Madagascar is set to elect its president on 16 November 2023, for the next five years. Read more »
November 01, 2023
Africa: Some African Govts Are Spending Millions to Spy On Their Citizens
Governments around the world use surveillance technology to monitor external threats to national security. Some African governments are also spending vast sums on mass surveillance… Read more »
October 31, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Courts Were Under Political Pressure - How a Constitutional Reform Empowered Judges
Changes to Kenya's constitution in 2010 on the independence of the judiciary created room for judges to act as guardians of the electoral process. Read more »
October 30, 2023
Kenya: King Charles in Kenya - Despite Past Tensions, the Visit Is a Sign of a Strong Relationship With Britain
King Charles' visit to Kenya this week is the British monarch's first to a Commonwealth nation since his coronation in September 2022. The visit comes during the country's 60th… Read more »
October 25, 2023
Ghana: Christian Leaders in Ghana Are Trying to Reshape Govt - It May Not End Well
Ghana is constitutionally a secular state. This means religious liberty is guaranteed, and all citizens are free to believe and manifest any religious faith. No political parties… Read more »
October 24, 2023
South Africa: The Thorny Issue of 'Race' in South African Politics
"Race" continues to have much political salience in South Africa, a country where, in the past, perceived differences of skin colour were used to construct a hierarchy of "races",… Read more »
October 23, 2023
South Africa: How President Ramaphosa's Covid Speeches Drew On Mandela's Ideas of Unity
In times of crisis, leaders wield more than just political power. They harness the art of rhetoric in a bid to unite their nations towards a common goal. South Africa, with a… Read more »
October 19, 2023
Namibia: Martti Ahtisaari - the Finnish Peacemaker Who Played Midwife to Namibian Independence
Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president, died on 16 October at the age of 86. Born in eastern Finland, he was two years old when his family fled from the Russian invasion at… Read more »
Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Have a New Defence Alliance - an Expert View of Its Chances of Success
On 16 September 2023 in Bamako, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger established the Alliance of Sahel States, a mutual defence pact. The agreement was signed against the backdrop of an… Read more »
October 15, 2023
Mozambique: New Book Explores the Turbulent History of Islamic Politics in Mozambique
Mozambique is a multi-religious southern African nation with excellent relations between faiths. Relations between Muslims and the state have been good too. But the situation… Read more »
October 13, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's 2022 Census Missed 31% of People - Big Data Could Help in Future
No census is ever exact: as academics Tom Moultrie and Rob Dorrington at the University of Cape Town have noted previously: Read more »
October 10, 2023
Sudan: Peace in Sudan Is Elusive for Any Would-Be Mediators - but a New Window of Opportunity Has Opened for Outside Intervention
More than five months have passed since intense fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group also known as the RSF. In that time,… Read more »
South Africa: Economic Freedom Fighters Became South Africa's Third Largest Party in 10 Years
South Africa is drawing nearer to a landmark national general election in 2024. Based on recent electoral trends and opinion polls, the governing African National Congress (ANC) is… Read more »
October 08, 2023
Liberia: Three Things Liberia's Next President Must Do
Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, is about to choose its next president. Read more »
October 06, 2023
Ghana: Theresa Kufuor - Ghana's Former First Lady Was a Quiet and Unobtrusive Champion of Change
Flags have been flying at half mast in Ghana in tribute to Theresa Kufuor, the wife of John Agyekum Kufuor, president of Ghana from 2000 to 2008. Born Theresa Mensah, the former… Read more »
October 03, 2023
Niger: France's Decision to Leave Niger Was a Bad Move - Three Reasons Why
After about two months of wrangling between France and the new military regime in Niger, President Emmanuel Macron finally decided, on 24 September, to withdraw the French… Read more »
September 30, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria At 63 - Four Reasons for Persistent Disunity Six Decades On
At 63 the story of Nigeria can be anything from the "celebration of greatness to an act of barbaric cruelty". These are the words of Nigerian writer Dipo Faloyin in his book Africa… Read more »
September 29, 2023
South Africa: Aziz Pahad - the Unassuming South African Diplomat Who Skilfully Mediated Crises in Africa, and Beyond
Aziz Goolam Pahad, who has died at the age of 82, was a South African anti-apartheid activist, politician and deputy minister of foreign affairs in the post-1994 government. Read more »
September 28, 2023
Zimbabwe: Zimbabweans Divided on China's Influence
China has big ambitions in Africa. Between 2000 and 2020, the economic superpower loaned African governments US$159 billion to build railroads, highways, stadiums and bridges. Read more »
September 26, 2023
South Africa: Family Homes Clash With Laws in South African Townships
During apartheid, black South Africans could not own land - and therefore their homes - in what were classified as "white" cities. In racially segregated townships, living in… Read more »
September 25, 2023
Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah - Memorials to the Man Who Led Ghana to Independence Have Been Built, Erased and Revived Again
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park lies at the centre of Ghana's capital, Accra. Recently renovated, it is dedicated to the memory of Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of Ghana's independence… Read more »