April 17, 2023
Africa: We Make Thousands of Unconscious Decisions Every Day. Here's How Your Brain Copes With That
Do you remember learning to drive a car? You probably fumbled around for the controls, checked every mirror multiple times, made sure your foot was on the brake pedal, then… Read more »
April 16, 2023
Ghana: Ghana's Fishing Industry Has a 'Golden Seaweed' Problem - How Citizen Science Can Help
Sargassum is a genus of brown seaweed. Over 300 species are distributed across the world in both temperate and tropical climates. The species fluitans and natans are unique because… Read more »
Africa: Africans in World War 1 - Artist William Kentridge's Epic Theatre Production Restores Forgotten Histories
South African artist William Kentridge became world famous for his charcoal drawings and hand-drawn animated films, but his work continued to grow in scope and he began staging… Read more »
Kenya: From Advertising Blackmail to Physical Threats, Journalists Are Under Attack but Must Also Regain Public Trust
In recent months, Kenyan journalists have been harassed, intimidated and attacked by government officials, politicians and members of the public. George Ogola, a professor of media… Read more »
Ghana: Juvenile Offenders Aren't Prepared for Rejoining Society - How the System Is Failing Them
Globally, about one million children are held in police custody annually; 410,000 of them are held in detention and remand centres. On any day, it is estimated, remand homes around… Read more »
April 14, 2023
Africa: DNA Study Opens a Window Into African Civilisations That Left a Lasting Legacy
Pre-colonial African history is alive with tales of civilisations rising and falling and of different cultures intermingling across the continent. We have now shed more light on… Read more »
April 13, 2023
Africa: Drawing Pictures Is Great for Children's Development - Here's How Parents Can Help
When the weather's bad and there's no prospect of a trip to the park, we might well reach for crayons, pencils and paper as a way to keep our children entertained. But drawing is… Read more »
Africa: New Research Forces a Rethink of Ape Evolution
Human evolution is tightly connected to the environment and landscape of Africa, where our ancestors first emerged. Read more »
Ghana: El Anatsui Creates Gigantic Artworks From Recycled Materials - Why the World Fell in Love With Him
The artist El Anatsui was born in Ghana and has spent the bulk of his career in Nigeria, but is a citizen of the world. News of a major new installation of his work coming to the… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia Was Feted for Expanding Education Rights for Refugees, Then Politics Got in the Way
Ethiopia is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world. It hosts more than 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers. For decades, refugees were sheltered primarily in 26… Read more »
South Africa: Fairtrade - Study Finds Premium Label Does Not Always Benefit Workers On South African Wine Farms
Wine was first produced in South Africa as far back as the mid-1600s by Dutch colonisers who sold it to passing ships. The industry developed further during the colonial and… Read more »
April 12, 2023
Senegal: Only 1 in 3 Girls Makes It to Secondary School in Senegal - Here's Why and How to Fix It
Senegal has a young population, with about half of its 18 million people aged below 19. This indicates a potentially high demand for education. Of those aged six to 11, however,… Read more »
South Africa: Addressing Historical Injustice Key to Balancing Diet Access in South Africa
South Africa has a food crisis. The food system - made up of all of the activities and actors involved in the production, processing, transportation, selling, consumption and… Read more »
Africa: Why Focusing On Covid Deaths Undercounts the Health Harms of the Pandemic - New Research
More than three years into the COVID pandemic, both the virus and the measures taken to control its spread have affected people's lives across the globe. But how can we fully… Read more »
Ethiopia: Community Health Workers in Ethiopia Set Out to Promote Health
Ethiopia has made significant progress in supporting gender equality and girls' empowerment. Rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy have decreased substantially. Access to… Read more »
South Africa: Livestock Are Threatened By Predators - but Old-Fashioned Shepherding May Be an Effective Solution
Carnivores like leopards, lions and hyenas have been killing livestock for centuries, causing financial losses to farmers. In many parts of the world, farmers respond by killing… Read more »
April 11, 2023
Africa: Why Some Terror Campaigns Escalate to Civil War and Others Don't - Study Reveals Surprising New Answers
Most terrorist campaigns - where a group targets civilians to achieve political objectives - are short-lived. But some aren't. In some cases, terror campaigns (low-intensity… Read more »
South Africa: Thabo Bester's Escape From Privately-Run South African Prison Exposes Corruption
Recently, South Africans were told about an extraordinary escape story - they learnt that a convicted rapist, Thabo Bester, had been at large for a year after he'd escaped from a… Read more »
Nigeria: Nollywood Could See a Major Boost From Nigeria's New Copyright Law
Nigeria has finally updated its 2004 copyright law, bringing it into the digital era - where the entertainment industry has been for decades already. Read more »
South Africa: South African Doctors' Criminal Charges for Mistakes May Have Unintended Consequences
Claims for financial compensation for medical mistakes in South Africa have been on the rise since 2007. Recently, however, criminal charges for medical errors have also become… Read more »
Africa: Great Apes Like to Spin Themselves Dizzy, a Lot Like Children Do, Research Shows
Children love to spin. Whether it is by whirling around on their feet, whipping around on a tyre swing, or tumbling down a grassy hill, they revel in the drunken effects of… Read more »
April 10, 2023
Africa: Cervical Cancer Can Be Beaten - the Key Is Vaccinating Young Girls
In 2020 the World Health Organization introduced a plan to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030. The first step towards this goal is to have 90% of girls… Read more »
Africa: Energy Sector Will Need to Transform Radically - These Are the Five Biggest Challenges
The future of Africa's energy sector is getting increasing attention from policymakers and the private sector. As demand for energy rises, current energy systems must grow rapidly… Read more »
Nigeria: Bola Tinubu Will Increase Tension in Some Parts of the Country and Reduce It in Others
Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be sworn in as president of the country on 29 May 2023. That's if the courts uphold his election victory. Read more »
April 06, 2023
Zimbabwe: Moffat Takadiwa's Landmark Exhibition Uses Found Materials to Comment On Zimbabwe's Colonial Hangover
Moffat Takadiwa is a Zimbabwean artist famous for creating work from found materials. His exhibition Vestiges of Colonialism, curated by Fadzai Muchemwa, opened at the National… Read more »