September 05, 2022
Southern Africa: How Migrants Who Move Between Zimbabwe and South Africa Access Healthcare in Border Towns
Zimbabwe and South Africa share a 225 km common border. There is only one official border crossing, at Beitbridge. An estimated 15,000 migrants and refugees from Zimbabwe and other… Read more »
Africa: Antarctic Stations Are Plagued By Sexual Harassment - It's Time for Things to Change
In October 2017, Antarctic science had its own #MeToo moment. Science magazine published a piece on allegations of abuse of female geoscientists in Antarctica - the most remote… Read more »
Kenya: Examining the Use of Social Media As a Source of Evidence in Election Petitions
The conduct of Kenya's elections has repeatedly come under close scrutiny in the courts. Petitions were lodged challenging the outcome of presidential races in 2013 and 2017, as… Read more »
September 04, 2022
Africa: The Webb Telescope Has Released Its Very First Exoplanet Image - Here's What We Can Learn From It
Did you ever want to see an alien world? A planet orbiting a distant star, light years from the Sun? Well, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just returned its first-ever… Read more »
Africa: Better Covid Vaccines Are On the Way. What Do They Do? And What Technology Might We See in Future?
Regulators in Australia and the United States last week approved Omicron-specific boosters, following approval in the United Kingdom in mid-August. Read more »
East Africa: East African Footballers Are a Rarity On the Global Stage - We Analysed Why
When Tanzania's national football hero Mbwana Ally Samatta signed with Aston Villa in 2020 this was far more than just another move of an African player to the top of the global… Read more »
South Africa: Only Elite Benefits From Black Economic Empowerment - and Covid-19 Proved It
More than two decades ago the South African government put in place a policy designed to redress racial imbalances in the country's economy. But, as I suggest in a recent paper,… Read more »
September 02, 2022
Ghana: Modern Slavery - How a Drama Project Educates Communities Through the Stories of Survivors
An estimated 40.3 million people around the world are trapped in slavery. One in four victims are children, with women and girls affected most. Modern slavery occurs when people… Read more »
Africa: Gorbachev's Legacy in Africa Remains Ambiguous
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He presided over the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States as well as… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Health System Is in Intensive Care - How It Got There
Health systems are, at their core, meant to promote, restore or maintain health. Their objective is to improve the length and quality of citizens' life from the cradle to the… Read more »
September 01, 2022
Africa: Seahorse Fathers Give Birth in a Unique Way, New Research Shows
In seahorses and pipefish, it is the male that gets pregnant and gives birth. Seahorse fathers incubate their developing embryos in a pouch located on their tail. Read more »
Africa: Wolf Warrior 2 - What the Blockbuster Movie Tells Us About China's Views On Africa
The Chinese film Wolf Warrior II (2017) has been a runaway success - even though it contains controversial expressions of Chinese nationalism and racist stereotypes of Africans. It… Read more »
Africa: Four Lessons From Serena Williams for Sportswomen in Africa
US icon Serena Williams, considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is retiring from professional tennis. Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles, more than… Read more »
Nigeria: Environmental Impact Assessments Don't Work in Nigeria - Here's Why
Since 1972, when the first world conference on the environment was held, there have been various responses to environmental problems. One of these is the introduction of… Read more »
Africa: Macron Is Pushing the French Language in Ways Not Seen Before
From the start of his first term as France's president in 2017, Emmanuel Macron made the relaunching of French as a world language his prime cultural project. Read more »
Africa: Will Omicron-Specific Booster Shots Be More Effective At Combating Covid-19? 5 Questions Answered
On Aug. 31, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of updated COVID-19 booster shots that are specifically tailored to combat the two most recent and contagious… Read more »
August 31, 2022
Southern Africa: Mikhail Gorbachev - Southern Africans Have a Special Reason to Thank Him
The whole world has much to thank Mikhail Gorbachev for. As many have pointed out since his death in Moscow earlier this week, Gorbachev - the last leader of the Soviet Union - did… Read more »
Africa: China Has Waived the Debt of Some African Countries. But It's Not About Refinancing
In mid-August, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs surprised the world with a series of announcements. Wang Yi, Beijing's most senior diplomat, promised extensive debt relief for… Read more »
Nigeria: Waste Pickers in Lagos Tell Their Stories About a Dangerous Existence
Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, with a population of more than 15 million, generates an estimated 12,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, which comes to about 4.3 million tonnes of… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid - How Researchers Zero in On Self-Targeted Immune Attacks That May Lurk Behind It
For almost three years, scientists have raced to understand the immune responses in patients who develop severe COVID-19, with an enormous effort aimed at defining where healthy… Read more »
South Africa: Foot-and-Mouth Disease - the Gaps in South Africa's Efforts to Keep It Under Control
In mid August, South Africa's minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Thoko Didiza responded to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease with a nationwide ban on the… Read more »
Angola: MPLA Has Been in Power for Nearly 50 Years. The Big Challenges They Must Fix
Angolan president João Lourenço, who has been returned to power with a greatly reduced majority, faces the challenging task of turning around the economy and… Read more »
Southern Africa: Southern African Countries Can Do Better At Infrastructure - What the Choices Might Look Like
Countries in southern Africa are under a crushing burden brought about by a confluence of factors. These include the unprecedented growth in the number of young people, the… Read more »
August 30, 2022
Africa: Major Group of Flowering Plants Are 150 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought
A major group of flowering plants that are still around today, emerged 150 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study published today in Trends in… Read more »
Ethiopia: Haacaaluu Hundeesaa - Sublime Singer Who Inspired Oromo Struggle Protesters
I speak to myself whisperingOur situation has defied resolution, our misery isn't improvingWe are in despair and idling, that is why I am whispering. Read more »