July 22, 2022
Angola: Angola's Eduardo Dos Santos - a Divisive Figure in Life - and in Death
There is unlikely to be consensus on what José Eduardo dos Santos, Angola's former longtime president who died earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain, will represent in the… Read more »
East Africa: Moving the Maasai - Tanzania Is Repeating Kenya's Colonial Past
Images of distressed members of the Maasai community being forcibly moved from their homes, beaten and harassed by police and the army in northern Tanzania in June set social media… Read more »
Africa: Five Essential Reads On Russia-Africa Relations
Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, will visit four African nations - Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville - from Sunday 24 July. The visit comes ahead of the second… Read more »
July 21, 2022
Congo-Kinshasa: Congo Peat Swamps Store Three Years of Global Carbon Emissions - Imminent Oil Drilling Could Release It
Democratic Republic of the Congo's government is preparing to auction off a series of licenses to drill for oil in the Congo basin. This threatens to damage around 11 million… Read more »
Angola: Dos Santos Failed to Provide a Moral Example and Stop the Plunder of the State
Silence is what comes to define the life and the death of the former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos (1942-2022), who died recently at a hospital in Barcelona,… Read more »
Nigeria: Votes for Cash - the Significance of Vote Buying in Nigeria's Democracy
The 2022 primary and gubernatorial elections in Nigeria brought to the fore the reality of vote buying. Read more »
South Africa: Thabo Mbeki At 80 - Admired On the Continent More Than At Home
Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Nelson Mandela as South Africa's second post-apartheid president, celebrated his 80th birthday on 18 June 2022. Following Mandela's era of multiracial… Read more »
South Africa: Schools Can Be a Great Resource for Mental Health in South Africa
In the face of deep inequality, unemployment, high rates of crime and violence, and the social and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health trajectory for… Read more »
East Africa: Saving East Africa's Wildlife From Recurring Drought
Over the past two decades, the Horn of Africa - specifically Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya - has experienced more intense and frequent droughts. Read more »
Africa: Long Covid - With No Treatment Options, It's Little Wonder People Are Seeking Unproven Therapies Like 'Blood Washing'
A recent investigation published by the British Medical Journal revealed that long COVID patients are travelling abroad to seek expensive "blood washing" treatment. Read more »
Africa: Is the World Retracting From Globalisation, Setting It Up for a Fifth Wave?
Over the past 25 years there has been lots of research and debate about the concept, the history and state of globalisation, its various dimensions and benefits. Read more »
July 20, 2022
Africa: Debunking the Myth of the 'Evil People Smuggler'
In 2022, the number of forcibly displaced people surpassed 100 million worldwide. Nearly 1.5 million refugees will need resettlement in 2022, but less than one per cent of refugees… Read more »
Africa: Giving Rivers Rights Aims to Protect the 'Voiceless' - But There's a Catch
Worldwide there has been a wave of initiatives to grant rivers rights as a way of protecting them - and the communities that rely on them. River rights laws aim to change the legal… Read more »
South Africa: Mystery Solved - When Mammals' Ancestors Became Warm-Blooded
Mammals and birds produce their own body heat and control their body temperatures. This process is known as endothermy, or warm-bloodedness, and it may be one of the reasons why… Read more »
Ethiopia: What's Driving the Violence in Oromia?
In November 2020 an outbreak of violence in Ethiopia's Tigray region captured worldwide attention. The conflict was between Tigrayan forces and the forces of the Ethiopian… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria Hasn't Been Able to Produce Steel - Remanufacturing Could Be the Solution
Nigeria has pumped more than US$8 billion into Ajaokuta Steel Company, a project which began more than 40 years ago but has yet to produce one tonne of steel. Read more »
Africa: It's a Myth That Sunscreen Prevents Melanoma in People of Colour - A Dermatologist Explains
Melanoma is a potentially deadly form of skin cancer that effects people of every racial and ethnic group. The risk factor most closely linked to developing melanoma is exposure to… Read more »
Africa: Depression Is Probably Not Caused By a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain - New Study
For three decades, people have been deluged with information suggesting that depression is caused by a "chemical imbalance" in the brain - namely an imbalance of a brain chemical… Read more »
Africa: What the Bible Actually Says About Abortion May Surprise You
In the days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had established the constitutional right to an abortion, some Christians have cited the Bible to argue why this… Read more »
Africa: Losing a Grandmother Can Have Long-Lasting Mental Health Effects for Kids and Adolescents, a New Study Finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »
South Africa: Religion and State Need to Be in Balance to Protect Democracy in South Africa
The relationship between religion and the law is often complicated. It is sometimes even conflicted. At the heart of the matter lies the tension between freedom of belief and… Read more »
July 19, 2022
Africa: Covid - Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease Is Higher After Infection - but Maybe Only Temporarily
Since the pandemic began, we've learned a great deal about the disease behind it. We now regard COVID-19 as not just a respiratory disease, but a multi-system condition. Read more »
Africa: Push for AI Innovation Can Create Dangerous Products
This past June, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a probe into Tesla's autopilot software. Data gathered from 16 crashes raised concerns over the… Read more »
July 15, 2022
Africa: Is Monkeypox a Pandemic? An Epidemiologist Explains Why It Isn't Likely to Become As Widespread As Covid-19, But Is Worth Watching
Monkeypox is the latest global public health threat to make headlines. Most people who contract the monkeypox virus experience flu-like symptoms and a blistery rash that lasts two… Read more »
July 12, 2022
Africa: US Abortion Restrictions Are Unlikely to Influence International Trends, Which Are Largely Becoming More Liberal
The Supreme Court's June 24, 2022, ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade is already having profound effects across the United States, from Florida to Wisconsin. And the ruling also… Read more »