July 01
South Africa: How Democracy Can Work At Community Level - 3 Lessons From a South African Protest Movement
Popular protests have surged around the world over the last decade. But do they work? And what lessons can be learnt from communities who have a history of militant protests? Read more »
Nigeria: Boko Haram and Western Education - the Surprising Views of Some Nigerians Who Left the Insurgency Group
The world has come to associate the insurgency in north-east Nigeria with the slogan "western education is forbidden". This is how "Boko Haram" - the name given to the insurgents -… Read more »
June 30
Africa: We Research Online 'Misogynist Radicalisation'. Here's What Parents of Boys Should Know
Many parents are worried about their children using social media. But these concerns tend to focus on privacy, exposure to explicit material or contact with strangers. Read more »
South Africa: Why Liberation Movements Fail When They Come to Power
Decreased support for the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa's elections on 29 May was expected. But a decline from 57% to 40% marked a turning point in the country's… Read more »
Kenya: Violence Is the Language of the Kenyan State - 5 Strategies It Uses to Control Citizens
Since the early 2000s, Kenya has come up with legislative changes and thrown a tremendous amount of funding at a range of reforms to improve the relationship between police and… Read more »
Africa: Fossil Insects Help to Reconstruct the Past - How I Ended Up Studying Them (And You Can Too)
When I tell people that I study fossils, many assume I am talking about dinosaurs or some equally impressive extinct creatures. But there's far more to be found in the global… Read more »
June 28
Africa: We Finally Know Why Some People Got Covid While Others Didn't
Throughout the pandemic, one of the key questions on everyone's mind was why some people avoided getting COVID, while others caught the virus multiple times. Read more »
South Africa: Ordinary White South Africans and Apartheid - Bound to a Racist System They Helped Prop Up
In South Africa, apartheid was a divisive political system entrenched by a white minority who regarded other ethnic groups as inferior, creating townships on the outskirts of… Read more »
Kenya: Hotbed of Corruption - Kenya's Elite Have Captured the State - Unrest Is Inevitable
A strong undercurrent driving the unprecedented anti-tax protests in Kenya is outrage over theft of public resources coupled with the extravagant lifestyles of public servants. Read more »
Kenya: Kenya Unrest - the Deep Economic Roots That Brought Gen-Z Onto the Streets
The generation of Kenyans born between 1997 and 2012 - the Gen-Zs - have borne the brunt of the country's slow economic growth. If a country has slow economic growth, it typically… Read more »
June 27
Africa: Mpox - What to Watch Out for, Treatment and What to Worry About
The new strain of the mpox virus is spreading quickly along the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is "the most dangerous yet", says the World Health… Read more »
Africa: A 'Trilobite Pompeii' - Perfectly Preserved Fossils of Ancient Sea Critters Found Buried in Volcanic Ash
If you've ever visited the fossil gallery of a natural history museum -- or its gift shop, for that matter -- you've probably seen the armoured body remains (or exoskeletons) of an… Read more »
Kenya: Kenyan Police Use Excessive Force Because They're Serving Political Elites, Not the Public - Policy Analyst
Public protests in Kenya have often been criminalised, leading to brutal police crackdowns. This played out in recent protests against the cost of living in Kenya, and amid an… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Protests Happened in Every Major Urban Centre - Why These Spaces Are Explosive
Kenya has a long history of protests. Mass protests took place during the colonial period and continued in the post-independence era. Read more »
South Africa: Peter Randall - a Pioneering Publisher Who Established the Radical Ravan Press in South Africa
Peter Randall, a pioneering South African activist publisher and educator, passed away on 5 June 2024 in Johannesburg. He was the co-founder of Ravan Press, which published books… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Political Monopoly Has Been Broken - Could It Help the Economy?
Over the last decade or so there has been something of a revolution in economics. The long held belief that unfettered markets deliver good outcomes for all is now overwhelmingly… Read more »
Ethiopia: Lucy, Discovered 50 Years Ago in Ethiopia, Stood Just 3.5 Feet Tall
In 1974, on a survey in Hadar in the remote badlands of Ethiopia, U.S. paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and graduate student Tom Gray found a piece of an elbow joint jutting… Read more »
South Africa: T20 World Cup - South Africa Reached Its First Final Ever - but Staying At the Top Will Take a Rethink of Junior Cricket
For the first time ever, South Africa reached the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. They lost to India in Barbados on 29 June. T20 (Twenty20) cricket is a shortened version of… Read more »
South Africa: T20 World Cup - South Africa Celebrates Its First Final - but Staying At the Top Will Take a Rethink of Junior Cricket
For the first time ever, South Africa has reached the finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, to be played on Saturday in Barbados. T20 (Twenty20) cricket is a shortened version of… Read more »
June 26
Kenya: Ruto Pulling the Finance Bill Is Unlikely to Satisfy Angry Young Protesters - Here's Why
In a move that shocked observers, Kenya's President William Ruto announced on 26 June he was withdrawing his government's highly controversial finance bill. This followed two days… Read more »
Africa: Why Won't My Kids Listen to Me? A Psychologist Explains
Have you ever asked your child to do something simple but no matter how many times you ask, they keep ignoring you? Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Cholera Outbreaks - Why They Happen and Are So Hard to Control
On 9 June 2024 the Lagos State government declared a cholera outbreak. Three days later, it announced that 324 suspected cases had been reported in the state, including 15 people… Read more »
South Africa: Shell Didn't Consult Communities Properly About Mining the Wild Coast - but How Much Legal Protection Do South Africans Have?
South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal recently dismissed an appeal by Shell, Impact Africa and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to overturn a High Court judgment… Read more »
Kenya: Kenyan Police and Protests - Researchers On a Violent, Corrupt Security Force That's Beyond Reform
Kenya's police are being criticised for their violent response to protests over the past week against government proposals to raise US$2.7 billion in additional taxes. Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Coalition Govt - Making the Case for Hope
In the aftermath of South Africa's recent election, renewed hope has made an unexpected appearance. In difficult times, even small gains can be valuable. But, on occasion, much… Read more »