October 09, 2022
Africa: Cannabis Corporates Should Be Taxed to Fund Mental Health Programmes
Mental health is the state of mental well-being that contributes to individual and population health. This state of mental well-being sustains national output and labour force… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Missing Virus Hunters - University Decline Robs Country of Virologists
Nigeria's university system witnessed its golden era between the 1950s and 1980s. It produced globally celebrated academics and virologists. But the story has changed. Under… Read more »
Africa: New 'Ethics Guidance' for Top Science Journals Aims to Root Out Harmful Research - but Can It Succeed?
The British journal Nature was founded in 1869 and is one of the world's most influential and prestigious outlets for scientific research. Its publisher, Nature Portfolio (a… Read more »
South Africa: What Is Cultural Appropriation and Why Is It So Harmful?
Die Antwoord is a South African band that uses hip-hop music to create a style it calls "zef". Since it first appeared in 2009, Die Antwoord has been criticised for cultural… Read more »
October 08, 2022
Uganda: Fuel Smugglers - Are the Opec Boys (Anti-)heroes of the Marginalised?
Smuggling in the Ugandan border region of West Nile has a long and chequered history. It straddles the fine line between legitimacy and legality. Governance and conflict researcher… Read more »
October 07, 2022
Africa: Flu Is Set for a Big Comeback Now Covid Restrictions Are Lifted - Here's What You Need to Know
The flu seasons of 2020 and 2021 were mild, mostly thanks to measures people took against COVID, such as wearing masks, social distancing and using copious amounts of hand gel.… Read more »
Uganda: Uganda's Owen Falls Dam - a Colonial Legacy That Still Stings, 67 Years Later
Uganda's Owen Falls hydropower plant has a rich history that predates the country's independence in 1962. The plant is located across the White Nile and sits between the towns of… Read more »
Africa: Our Homo Sapiens Ancestors Shared the World With Other Types of Humans Whose DNA Lives On in Our Genes
When the first modern humans arose in East Africa sometime between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago, the world was very different compared to today. Perhaps the biggest difference was… Read more »
Africa: Hijab Rules Have Nothing to Do With Islamic Tenets and Everything to Do With Repressing Women
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was held by Iran's morality police for not complying with the country's hijab rules has drawn global attention to the repression of… Read more »
October 06, 2022
Morocco: 'Sea Monsters' Were Real Millions of Years Ago. New Fossils Tell About Their Rise and Fall
Sixty six million years ago, sea monsters really existed. They were mosasaurs, huge marine lizards that lived at the same time as the last dinosaurs. Growing up to 12 metres long,… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigerian Newborns Weigh Less If Their Mothers Use Biomass Fuel - a Major Health Risk
Babies should ideally weigh about 2,500g or more at birth. Birth weight is a vital indicator of foetal and neonatal health. If a newborn weighs less than 2,500g - because they are… Read more »
Africa: The Fairest Way to Tax Carbon Is to Make Air Travel More Expensive
Despite the fact that poorer people generally have lower emissions, taxes on the carbon dioxide (CO₂) our activities emit tend to affect people on low incomes more than richer… Read more »
Uganda: Uganda - an Ancient Circumcision Ritual Is Key to Imparting Communal Knowledge
Music, dance, drama and poetry are important elements of ritual in African societies. Imbalu, the centuries-old circumcision ritual of Uganda's Bagisu people, is no different. When… Read more »
South Africa: Zulu Monarchy - How Royal Women Have Asserted Their Agency and Power Throughout History
The passing away of South Africa's Zulu king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in March 2021 refocused attention on the role of royal women in Zulu leadership. After the official mourning… Read more »
October 05, 2022
Africa: On the Brink - Global Crises Demand Radical Change
We have damaged our planet through destructive exploitation of fossil fuels and the insatiable demand for things we don't need. We are cooking ourselves to death and it may already… Read more »
South Africa: Construction Waste Is Costly - What's Causing It On South African Building Sites
The construction industry contributes significantly to a country's economy through infrastructure development. The industry has expanded rapidly worldwide and further growth is… Read more »
Benin: Woman King Is Worth Watching - but Be Aware That Its Take On History Is Problematic
The Hollywood movie The Woman King, released in mid-September, became an immediate box-office success. The triumphs of the Agoodjies, the women warriors of the ancient Kingdom of… Read more »
Africa: Women in Antarctica Face Assault and Harassment - and a Legacy of Exclusion and Mistreatment
A federal report that, in the words of its key finding, "sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking are problems in the U.S. Antarctic Program community" - and that efforts… Read more »
Africa: Africa in Space - 5 Interesting Reads On the Continent's Achievements and Future
Sputnik 1 was launched by the former Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, marking the start of the space age. Since then space activity has delivered many benefits. For instance,… Read more »
Lesotho: Lesotho Bungles Political Reforms, Risking Fresh Bout of Instability After 2022 Poll
The Kingdom of Lesotho - a small landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of 2.1 million people - has failed to introduce key political reforms needed to bring… Read more »
October 04, 2022
South Africa: A Basic Income Grant for South Africa - More Money in Poor People's Pockets, but At a Heavy Cost
Analyses of the implications of extending income support measures in South Africa, including a basic income grant, have focused on one of three things: how much it will cost,… Read more »
Africa: Five Steps Every Researcher Should Take to Ensure Participants Are Not Harmed and Are Fully Heard
Academic research is not always abstract or theoretical. Nor does it take place in a vacuum. Research in many different disciplines is often grounded in the real world; it aims to… Read more »
Africa: Africa in Space - Continent Has a Lot to Gain, but Proper Plans Must Be Put in Place
Every year in October nearly 100 countries organise activities to mark World Space Week. The theme this year is space and sustainability. In this interview, Adejuwon Soyinka, West… Read more »
Ghana: Blaming Poor Labour Conditions in Transport Sector On Ride-Hailing Companies Misses the Deeper Issues
Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft have become ubiquitous in many parts of the world over the past decade. Criticism of their business model has also become commonplace:… Read more »
South Africa: Diabetes in South Africa - 60% Aren't Being Screened for Complications, According to New Study
The world is experiencing a steep rise in the number of people living with diabetes, a chronic condition of significant public health concern. Many developing countries like South… Read more »