September 07, 2023
Africa: Why Mothers and Babies Will Suffer More As Africa Grows Hotter
As Africa gets hotter, mothers and babies are most at risk. Why is this and what can be done about it? Matthew Chersich, a specialist in climate change and maternal health,… Read more »
Africa: AI-Narrated Audiobooks Are Here - and They Raise Some Serious Ethical Questions
Meet Madison and Jackson, the AI narrators or "digital voices" soon to be reading some of the audiobooks on Apple Books. They sound nothing like Siri or Alexa or the voice telling… Read more »
South Africa: Great White Sharks Are Migrating
South Africa is renowned for having one of the world's biggest populations of great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Substantial declines have been observed, however, in… Read more »
Ghana: Death and Mourning in Ghana - How Gender Shapes the Rituals of the Akan People
Gender has a significant impact on the socio-economic, political and religious experiences of Ghanaians. For Akans, the country's largest ethnic group, descent is traced through… Read more »
September 06, 2023
Ethiopia: Amhara People Are Being Portrayed As the Enemy - the Dangerous History of Ethnic Politics
The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency on 4 August 2023 and sent the military into the Amhara region to engage the Fano, a local armed militia. Some suggested that… Read more »
Africa: Rugby World Cup 2023 - Africa's Hopes Lie With South Africa and Namibia, for Now
Two African teams have made it through to the 20 countries playing across four pools in the final stages of the 2023 men's Rugby World Cup: three-time champions South Africa… Read more »
Nigeria: Charms and Rituals Are Used By Criminals in Nigeria - Should Police Deploy Spiritual Security Too?
Crime is among the major challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation. The pervasiveness of crime has repeatedly called into question the effectiveness and efficiency of the Nigeria… Read more »
September 05, 2023
Gabon: Coup Has Been Years in the Making - Three Key Factors That Ended the Bongo Dynasty
The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making. Read more »
September 04, 2023
Central African Republic: Wagner, Conflict and Poverty Drive Death Rate Above Crisis Levels - but Where's the Aid?
The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its GDP per capita in 2022 was estimated at US$491 per year. Read more »
Africa: Russia in Africa - Prigozhin's Death Exposes Putin's Real Motives On the Continent
The apparent assassination of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the crash of his private jet between Moscow and St. Petersburg represents an inflection point in Russian-African relations.… Read more »
South Africa: Govt Has Been Buying Land and Leasing It to Black Farmers. Why It's Gone Wrong and How to Fix It
The progress with South Africa's land reform programme has not been properly monitored. This has resulted in an incorrect understanding of the real progress made to correct the… Read more »
West Africa: Ecowas Must Do These 3 Things to Break the Stalemate in Niger
It's been a month since military guards under the command of General Abdourahamane Tchiani ended 12 years of democratic governance in Niger. The situation seems to have reached a… Read more »
Africa: Climate Change Will Affect Hydropower - African Countries Must Be Prepared
Hydropower provides clean electricity to millions in Africa. It's the largest source of renewable energy on the continent and accounts for nearly one quarter of total electricity… Read more »
September 03, 2023
Africa: Vast Underground Water Resources Are Under Pressure From Climate Change - How to Manage Them
All countries have a variety of water resources - some are on the surface, like rivers, and some are beneath the ground. This groundwater provides almost 50% of all global domestic… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Climate Action Plan - A Win for the Environment, Health and Energy
The dumping of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere yearly is already having a devastating impact around the world. This includes… Read more »
September 02, 2023
South Africa: Johannesburg Fire Disaster - Why Eradicating Hijacked Buildings Is Not the Answer
The fire that killed at least 76 people in a five storey building in Johannesburg on 31 August is not an isolated incident, and has elicited the usual unhelpful response from some… Read more »
September 01, 2023
Gabon: Coup in Gabon - Ali Bongo the Eighth West African Leader to Be Ousted By Military in Two Years
Gabon's prime minister, Ali Bongo, has become the latest in a string of African leaders to be ousted by a military coup in recent years. Bongo, who had just won a third term in… Read more »
Gabon: Gabon Coup - Bongo's Rule Ended By Failed Promises and Shifting Alliances
The Bongo family's 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were… Read more »
August 31, 2023
South Africa: Winnie and Mandela Biography - a Masterful Tale of South Africa's Troubled, Iconic Power Couple
A new book on South African liberation struggle icons Nelson and Winnie Mandela is a masterful biography of the pair. It's a work of scholarship involving an immense body of… Read more »
South Africa: Suspension of Two South African Judges Has Opened Up Debates About Bad Working Conditions and Poor Delivery of Justice
The suspension of two judges in South Africa for tardiness - failing to process cases in a reasonable amount of time - has sparked fierce debates around the conditions under which… Read more »
Egypt: What Would an Ancient Egyptian Corpse Have Smelled Like? Pine, Balsam and Bitumen - If You Were Nobility
In 1900 - some 22 years before he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen - British archaeologist Howard Carter opened another tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In tomb KV42, Carter… Read more »
August 30, 2023
Africa: Wagner Group - What Yevgeny Prigozhin's Death Means for Stability in Africa
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin after his private jet crashed on August 23 has raised questions about the Wagner Group's future. Many in the west suspect Kremlin involvement in his… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Election Was a Fight Between Men - Women Are Sidelined in Politics Despite Quotas
Zimbabwe's 2023 harmonised elections have largely been depicted as a battle between the two "Big Men" - President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu-PF and Nelson Chamisa of the… Read more »
Africa: Giraffes Range Across Diverse Habitats - We're Using GPS, Satellites and Statistics to Track and Protect Them
Nearly 6,000 years ago, our ancestors climbed arid rocky outcrops in what is now the Nigerian Sahara and carved spectacularly intricate, larger-than-life renditions of giraffes… Read more »
South Africa: 'Motherhood Is Hard' - Young, HIV-Positive Moms Open Up About Regret and Anger
For any woman, pregnancy and giving birth are major life-changing experiences. Becoming a mother brings with it a range of emotions and, in many African cultures, positive emotions… Read more »