April 30
South Africa: South Africa's Lemba People - How They View Their Jewishness Challenges Zionist Ideas That Identity Is Linked to One Homeland
A man wearing a yarmulke stands on the edge of a hill, quietly taking in the landscape below as he considers his ancestors and their histories in this place. This isn't Israel. It… Read more »
April 29
South Africa: How the Mandela Myth Helped Win the Battle for Democracy in South Africa
Political history scholar Jonny Steinberg's 2023 book Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage is a double biography of South Africa's most famous political figures - Nelson… Read more »
Nigeria: Young Middle-Class Nigerians Are Desperate to Leave the Country - Insights Into Why
Since the 1980s, migration has been a part of the Nigerian middle-class psyche, catalysed by the usual suspects: high unemployment, security concerns, infrastructure gaps, and poor… Read more »
West Africa: Russia Has Tightened Its Hold Over the Sahel Region - and Now It's Looking to Africa's West Coast
Armed troops in Niger overthrew the government in July 2023, seizing power for themselves. The following months were rife with speculation that the military government would align… Read more »
Uganda: Uganda's Tax System Isn't Bringing in Enough Revenue but Is Targeting Small Business the Answer?
Uganda, with a fiscal deficit of 5.6% in 2023, has increasingly turned to local resources to make up for its revenue shortfall since the World Bank suspended its funding on 8… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Mpox - Why the Virus's Continued, Rapid Mutation Since the 2022 Global Outbreak Remains a Concern
In 2022, as the world was slowly beginning to recover from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an outbreak of mpox - then still called monkeypox - began spreading at an alarming… Read more »
West Africa: Gum Arabic From Africa's Acacia Trees in the Sahel Is Used in Hundreds of Products - What's Worth Knowing
The conflict in Sudan has turned attention to a rarely discussed commodity: gum arabic. This product, the dried sap of certain species of acacia trees, is used mainly as an… Read more »
Africa: Teens See Social Media Algorithms As Accurate Reflections of Themselves, Study Finds
Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as "for you," suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just "for… Read more »
April 28
Ghana: Margaret Busby - How a Pioneering Ghanaian Publisher Put African Women's Writing On the Map
Published in 1992, Daughters of Africa is a groundbreaking volume of writing by women of African descent. It was followed by an expanded second edition, New Daughters of Africa, in… Read more »
South Africa: Owning a Gun in South Africa Offers Some Safety, but Risks Run High for Users and Society - Expert
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, eclipsed only by Honduras and a handful of Caribbean island states. Furthermore, South African police crime data… Read more »
Africa: Talking to Teens About Sex - Advice for Parents On When, How, What to Say and Why It's So Important
The "birds and the bees". The "facts of life". Whatever you call it, many parents dread discussing sex and sexuality with their teenagers. They may be embarrassed, or worried that… Read more »
April 26
Kenya: Kenyan Doctors' Strike - the Govt Keeps Failing to Hold Up Its End of the Bargain
At least 4,000 doctors are employed in Kenya's public healthcare sector. Almost all of them went on strike on 14 March 2024, demanding the implementation of a labour agreement… Read more »
South Africa: Waste Pickers Play a Key Role in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
Our addiction to plastics is trashing the planet, exacerbating global heating and threatening our very survival. Since 2022, the UN has been convening negotiations on a Plastics… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Constitution Was Set Up As the Bedrock of Its Democracy - It's Been Challenged Over Last 30 Years, but Has Held Firm
There was a moment during the state capture years of South African president Jacob Zuma's term in office (2009 to 2018) when the veil finally slipped. There had been quiet… Read more »
April 25
Nigeria: Nigeria Is Pioneering a New Vaccine to Fight Meningitis - Why This Matters
Nigeria recently became the first country to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains… Read more »
Sudan: Sudan's Civil War Is Rooted in Its Historical Favouritism of Arab and Islamic Identity
The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country's governing structure that's been… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigerians Throw Naira Notes Around to Show Love - but It Could Land You in Jail
The legal implication of physically damaging the naira, Nigeria's currency, came into focus recently with the prosecution of at least two celebrities by the country's Economic and… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Youth Are a Generation Lost Under Democracy - Study
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently painted a rosy picture in which the country's youth - "democracy's children" - had enormous opportunities for advancement, all… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Young Education Researchers Need Networks to Share Experience More Than Pressure to Produce Outputs
South Africa has for many years been a strong player in several areas of world-class research. Some of the country's researchers have made major contributions in areas like the… Read more »
South Africa: Persisting Inequality Has Made Many Young South Africans Question the Choices Made By Nelson Mandela - Podcast
Some young South Africans have begun to question Nelson Mandela's legacy, and the choices made in the transition to democracy after the end of apartheid in 1994. Some have even… Read more »
April 24
Africa: Sugar in Baby Food - Why Nestlé Needs to Be Held to Account in Africa
Nestlé has been criticised for adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries. The Swiss food giant controls 20% of the baby-food… Read more »
Africa: Our Laser Technique Can Tell Apart Elephant and Mammoth Ivory
In recent years, the global trade in elephant ivory has faced significant restrictions in an effort to protect dwindling elephant populations. Many countries have stringent… Read more »
Rwanda: Rwanda's Post-Genocide Model Prioritises Security Over Freedom and Equality - a Risk to Future Stability
Rwanda, a small and landlocked central African country, has made remarkable socio-economic progress since the 1994 genocide in which an estimated 500,000 people died. But the… Read more »
Africa: R21 Anti-Malaria Vaccine Is a Game Changer - Scientist Who Helped Design It Reflects On 30 Years of Research, and What It Promises
Until three years ago nobody had developed a vaccine against any parasitic disease. Now there are two against malaria: the RTS,S and the R21 vaccines. Read more »
Africa: Religion and Covid-19 - Methodists and Church of England Followers More Likely to Have Been Vaccinated Than Muslims and Pentecostals
There are many factors which affect how successfully a vaccine is rolled out. One of these is the public health communication strategy. Surprisingly, a key factor in determining… Read more »