June 25
South Africa: Abdullah Ibrahim in the 1960s - How the Famous Pianist Began to Shape an African Jazz Sound
The 1960s is a significant era in Abdullah Ibrahim's story. It's a time when the South African master's international career as a jazz pianist was gradually established and he laid… Read more »
June 24
Angola: Angola's Long War Changed the Way Farmers Used Fire - Why It Matters
Few places in Africa have been as isolated and understudied as eastern Angola, particularly the highlands of the Moxico provinces, a region rich in biodiversity, culture and… Read more »
South Africa: How a Basic Solar Grant Brought Cheaper Electricity to One Shack Settlement in South Africa
In South Africa, 47% of the national population is energy poor, meaning that they spend more than 10%-15% of their income on power and still do not have nearly enough for their… Read more »
June 23
South Africa: Johannesburg Has Taken a Big New Loan to Help Fix Its Electricity Problems, but the Results Will Take Time
Just over a third (38%) of the residents of South Africa's commercial capital, Johannesburg, reported being satisfied with their electricity services in a survey conducted in… Read more »
June 22
South Africa: Funding Boosts Postgraduate Student Success - South African Study Measures How
Postgraduate education is good for a country. Thriving economies need people with advanced academic degrees to enhance research productivity. Research and innovation capability… Read more »
June 21
South Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy Can't Be Boiled Down to a Single Factor - What We Learnt in South Africa and Brazil
Vaccine uptake has been declining in Brazil and South Africa over the last decade. This decline has reversed important gains in protecting children against vaccine-preventable… Read more »
June 18
South Africa: What's Overlooked in Student Mental Health in South Africa - Social Connection and Sexual Wellbeing
Student mental health has become one of the defining challenges facing universities worldwide. In South Africa, these concerns are often framed around reports which point to… Read more »
Africa: South African Scientists Make Breakthrough in Decoding Cancer's Most Effective Survival Strategy
In the intricate biology of the human body, organs such as the breast, the colon and the lungs are lined with a defensive barrier known as the epithelium. At the heart of this… Read more »
Namibia: Who Was Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo? the Namibian Leader Who Chose Justice Over Power
Celebrated Namibian liberation leader Andimba Toivo ya Toivo played an important role in his country's development. Beyond Namibia, however, he remains unknown to many. Read more »
June 17
Africa: Money, Food and Survival - What Drives Paid Sex Among Young Mums in 3 African Countries
Transactional sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have… Read more »
Malawi: Malawi's Education Choices in the Wake of Aid Cuts
Over a year has passed since the Donald Trump administration dismantled USAID, cutting more than 5,000 programmes and slashing US$40 billion in funding worldwide. Read more »
South Africa: Could the Roofs of Low Cost Houses Be South Africa's Secret Weapon Against Hunger?
South Africa's hunger crisis is no longer a distant warning. Millions of poor households are forced to choose between food, electricity, transport and water every month. The… Read more »
South Africa: Xenophobia in South Africa - State's Complicity With Gangs and Vigilantes Is Threatening Its Ability to Govern
Marches, Mozambicans murdered, state-sponsored evacuations, a nationally televised presidential address. Anti-immigrant mobilisation has again drawn the world's attention to South… Read more »
June 16
Zimbabwe: Great Zimbabwe - Debunking the Myth of Tyrants and Forced Labour
For more than a century, Great Zimbabwe has stood at the centre of a powerful story about the Zimbabwe culture. This remarkable African civilization flourished in southern Africa… Read more »
South Africa: Language Matters for Disaster Warnings - This Community Didn't Get Useful Flood Alerts
In an age of instant communication, it is easy to assume that everyone receives disaster warnings. Smartphones buzz, sirens sound, alerts flash across screens. But for millions of… Read more »
June 15
Africa: Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim Crafted a Magnificent New Culture for South Africa
Adolph Johannes Brand was born on 9 October 1934 in Cape Town. He would become better known as Dollar Brand and then Abdullah Ibrahim, an artist of mixed ethnic descent who… Read more »
Africa: South Africa Is Short of 2.6 Million Homes - Vienna's Approach to Social Housing Offers Useful Lessons
South Africa faces a housing backlog of at least 2.6 million units, for more than 12 million people. The state supply of new, subsidised housing has declined over the past decade… Read more »
June 14
South Africa: Ma Vesta Smith - Why This Unsung Activist Matters 50 Years After the Soweto Uprising
While many men are remembered as heroes of political struggles, women seldom get enough attention. Vesta Smith is a good example. She fought for South Africa's liberation from… Read more »
South Africa: Young, South African and Unemployed - Finding Direction Starts With Knowing Yourself - Counsellor
Thirty-two years after South Africa became a democratic state, the futures of millions of young people in the country are shaped to a large degree by uncertainty, exclusion,… Read more »
South Africa: The Story Behind Soweto Blues, Miriam Makeba's Famous Song About the June 16 Uprising
Miriam Makeba sang a famous song about the 16 June 1976 uprising in her birthplace, South Africa. The protest was a pivotal point in the fight against apartheid and white minority… Read more »
South Africa: Want to Learn a South African Language? Your Options Are Limited - Here's Why
It's 50 years since the Soweto uprising in South Africa. On 16 June 1976, tens of thousands of young black South Africans protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language… Read more »
June 11
South Africa: Foot and Mouth Disease in South Africa - How a Tracking System Would Control Outbreaks
Foot and mouth disease is common in South Africa's wildlife reserves. There are constant efforts to make sure it doesn't spread to farmed animals. But since 2019 the country has… Read more »
South Africa: How Traditional Music Helps the Elderly in a South African Care Centre
Being an elderly person in South Africa presents a range of challenges. Apartheid shaped diverse experiences of ageing and elderly care along racial and ethnic lines. In the… Read more »
June 10
South Africa: South Africa's Jobs Crisis - What 10 Years of Tax Data Tells Us
It's time South Africa faced up to an honest question: what if the formal economy can't deliver the jobs that are needed? Read more »
June 09
Africa: Anti-Foreigner Violence in South Africa Is Easily Sparked - What Hasn't Been Done to Deal With It
Threats and deadly conflict over migration are spreading fast in South Africa. This is hugely worrying and could result in widespread injury and killings, as it has in the past. Read more »
