November 17, 2023
Africa: The Silent Killer That Leads to 5 Million Deaths a Year
Microbes such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi form part of our everyday lives - they live in us, on us and around us. Read more »
South Africa: How South Africa's Police Can Turn Around Their War On Crime
South Africa's crime statistics for the third quarter of 2023 show that people continue to face a serious problem of violent crime, especially murder and attempted murder. The… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Henri Lopes, the Prime Minister of Congo Who Became a Famous Novelist
"On the other bank ... that is where Henri Lopes now rests," wrote novelist and journalist Nicolas Michel in a beautiful tribute to mark the passing of the celebrated Congolese… Read more »
Africa: Physiological and Archaeological Evidence Rewrites Assumptions About Gendered Division of Labour in Prehistoric Times
Prehistoric men hunted; prehistoric women gathered. At least this is the standard narrative written by and about men to the exclusion of women. Read more »
Egypt: Did Napoleon Really Fire At the Pyramids?
Directors of historical feature films face a difficult task. How can they make the characters familiar to an audience without reducing them to caricature? How can they make sure… Read more »
Tanzania: 300,000 Tanzanians Were Killed By Germany During the Maji-Maji Uprising - It Was Genocide and Should Be Called That
Political actors in Tanzania have in recent years demanded compensation from Germany for colonial atrocities committed in the early 20th century. In early 2017, the National… Read more »
Uganda: Black November - Remembering Uganda's Massacre of the Opposition Three Years On
November marks a sombre anniversary in Uganda's recent political history. In 2020, the east African country's leading opposition politician, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, was… Read more »
November 16, 2023
Africa: Development Aid Cuts Will Hit Fragile Countries Hard, Could Fuel Violent Conflict
Fragile and least developed countries have had their development assistance cut drastically, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. For instance,… Read more »
Africa: Climate Change and Farming - Economists Warn More Needs to Be Done to Adapt in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan African countries strongly rely on the agricultural and forestry sectors. Agriculture contributes up to 60% of some countries' gross domestic product. But the sector is… Read more »
Africa: There Are Too Few Toilets in Africa and It's a Public Health Hazard - How to Fix the Problem
Imagine you are miles from the nearest restroom, and nature's call is urgent - a situation that might raise a mild panic during a hike or at a music festival. Now, picture that… Read more »
South Africa: Nkoli - the Vogue Opera - the Making of a Musical About a Queer Liberation Activist in South Africa
The history of South Africa's struggle against apartheid (separatist white minority rule) is taught only through the broadest of brushstrokes in the country's schools. So might… Read more »
November 15, 2023
Rwanda: Supreme Court Rules Rwanda Plan Unlawful - a Legal Expert Explains the Judgment, and What Happens Next
The UK supreme court has unanimously ruled that the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful. Read more »
Africa: Six African Countries Shows How Healthy Housing Saves Children's Lives
Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. Read more »
South Africa: Henry Bredekamp and the Khoisan - the Living Legacy of a Renowned South African Historian
When Professor Henry Charles "Jatti" Bredekamp began his career as a historian of early Cape Town in South Africa, there was still a commonly held myth that the region's native… Read more »
November 14, 2023
Africa: Projects Funded By the World Bank Group's Private Sector Arm Fuel Armed Conflict in Africa - Study
To what extent does private investment help developing countries to reduce conflict and violence and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? Read more »
Africa: West Africa's Plastic Waste Could Be Fuelling the Economy Instead of Polluting the Ocean - Experts
Plastic pollution is an urgent environmental issue, globally. Every year, about eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans. Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Elections - the Kabila Family Legacy Looms Large Over the Country's Polls
The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to hold elections on 20 December 2023. The country's electoral commission has announced President Felix Tshisekedi will be seeking… Read more »
Africa: Should the Media Tell You When They Use AI to Report the News? What Consumers Should Know
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the media landscape, both for news organisations and consumers. Applications such as ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing AI are creating new… Read more »
November 13, 2023
South Africa: Diseases On Farms in South Africa - Recent Outbreaks Point to Weaknesses in the System
South Africa has had a number of outbreaks of animal diseases in recent months that suggest there are weaknesses in the country's biosecurity system - the measures in place to… Read more »
South Africa: Bad Food Choices - Clearer Labels Aim to Help South Africans Pick Healthier Options
South Africans have a hard time figuring out which foods are unhealthy when they go shopping. But this is about to change. Read more »
Africa: India to Africa to the UK - Diasporas Don't Influence Politics in Predictable Ways
Leading politicians in the UK, including the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, are of African Indian descent. Other high profile examples include the country's two most recent home… Read more »
November 12, 2023
Kenya: William Ruto's First Year - He Promised to Make Life Easier for Kenyans, but Things Got Worse
It's more than a year since President William Ruto was sworn into office as Kenya's fifth president. He assumed power at a time when Kenya was beset by rising food and fuel prices,… Read more »
Africa: AGOA Deal Expiring in 2025 - Expert Unpacks 23 Years of Impact
African governments are seeking an extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) beyond 2025. The law was enacted in 2000 to "encourage increased trade and investment… Read more »
Nigeria: 'One-Chance' in Lagos - How Criminal Gangs Rob City Commuters
"One-chance" is the name Nigerians use for a form of robbery that takes place in both public and private vehicles when people accept the offer of a ride. It is an organised crime,… Read more »
November 10, 2023
Africa: Visa-Free Travel for Africans - Why Kenya and Rwanda Have Taken a Step in the Right Direction
President William Ruto of Kenya recently announced that Kenya's borders would be open to visitors from the entirety of Africa, with no visas required, by the end of 2023. He said Read more »