December 16, 2022
Africa: Children Born Today Will See Literally Thousands of Animals Disappear in Their Lifetime, As Global Food Webs Collapse
Climate change is one of the main drivers of species loss globally. We know more plants and animals will die as heatwaves, bushfires, droughts and other natural disasters worsen. Read more »
South Africa: Land Is a Heated Issue - the Print Media Are Presenting Only One Side of the Story
The land question was at the heart of the South African national liberation struggle. The 1913 Natives Land Act restricted black people from owning and occupying parts of the… Read more »
Africa: 1918 Flu Pandemic Upended Long-Standing Social Inequalities - At Least for a Time, New Study Finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »
Africa: Festive Bulge - Scientists Offer Advice On How to Beat Overeating
Christmas and New Year are holidays with dietary excesses that many of us cannot control. This often leads to the "festive bulge". As the holidays approach, could there be a recipe… Read more »
December 15, 2022
Africa: 'Tis the Season to Be Jolly - Singing Christmas Carols Together Isn't Just a Tradition, It's Also Good for You
On a December night 50 years ago, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed in the Everglades, Florida. Miraculously, 77 people survived the initial impact but then endured a traumatic… Read more »
Africa: The Christmas Tree Is a Tradition Older Than Christmas
Why, every Christmas, do so many people endure the mess of dried pine needles, the risk of a fire hazard and impossibly tangled strings of lights? Read more »
South Africa: Why Finding a New Head for South Africa's Struggling Power Utility Won't End the Blackouts
For a multitude of reasons, Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter's resignation is a huge setback for the state-owned power utility and South Africa. It comes at a time when the utility, which… Read more »
Cameroon: Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis - How the Common Law Court Offers a Ray of Hope
Six years on, the crisis in the Anglophone (English-speaking) regions of Cameroon continues. Recent reports indicate that over 6,000 people have been killed. Read more »
South Africa: 2022 Was a Rough Year for People Everywhere - South Africa Was No Exception
Tough economic conditions meant that 2022 was a rough year for people everywhere in the world. South Africa was no exception. But this year's crop of problems came on top of a… Read more »
Benin: Benin Is Building a Theme Park to Remember Slavery - Is History Up for Sale?
The Marina Project is a vast memorial and tourist complex under construction in Ouidah, a coastal town in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. The country hopes to market itself… Read more »
South Africa: Is South Africa Better Off With or Without Cyril Ramaphosa?
President Cyril Ramaphosa came to the helm of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC) in 2017 on an anti-corruption, or anti-state capture, platform.… Read more »
Benin: Benin Is Building a Themed Park to Remember Slavery - Is History Up for Sale?
The Marina Project is a vast memorial and tourist complex under construction in Ouidah, a coastal town in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. The country hopes to market itself… Read more »
South Africa: Governing Party Is Fighting to Stay Relevant - 5 Essential Reads
South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), is in a crisis. Having dominated the country's politics since democracy in 1994, it has been losing voter… Read more »
Kenya: Many Kenyans Have Embraced Vigilante Cops - An Ineffective Police Force Is to Blame
In March 2017, Ahmed Rashid, a Kenyan police officer, shot and killed two unarmed teenagers accused of theft. They had surrendered and were lying on the ground in a Nairobi… Read more »
South Africa: Dear Comrade President - Book Highlights ANC Leader Oliver Tambo's Role in Preparing South Africa for Democracy
More than three decades have passed since the apartheid government in South Africa unbanned the African National Congress (ANC), the country's leading liberation movement, and… Read more »
December 14, 2022
Tanzania: Why Humans Walk On Two Legs - Some Old Theories Put to the Test
There's no trait that distinguishes humans from all other mammals more clearly than the way we walk. Human habitual bipedalism - obligatory walking on two legs - has long been a… Read more »
Nigeria: Forced Mass Abortions Are a New and Disturbing Phenomenon in Nigeria
Nigeria classifies abortion as illegal except under certain medical circumstances. A recent investigation by Reuters news agency has alleged that, since 2013, the Nigerian military… Read more »
Africa: TB Is Once Again the Deadliest Disease in Africa - What Went Wrong
Effective tuberculosis (TB) treatment has been available for the past 60 years. But TB remains the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. It ranks above HIV and… Read more »
Africa: Can You Name a Single Character From Avatar? What Is a 'Forgotbuster' and Is Avatar One of Them?
James Cameron's Avatar 2: The Way of Water, is released worldwide today. It's the long-awaited sequel to Avatar (2009), also directed by Cameron, and has cost an enormous amount of… Read more »
Africa: Mpox, Aids and Covid-19 Show the Challenges of Public Health Messaging
During infectious disease outbreaks, clinicians and public health officials are tasked with providing accurate guidance for the public on how to stay safe and protect themselves… Read more »
Africa: Masks Are Still a Tried-and-True Way to Help Keep Yourself and Others Safe
The cold and flu season of 2022 has begun with a vengeance. Viruses that have been unusually scarce over the past three years are reappearing at remarkably high levels, sparking a… Read more »
Kenya: Four Essential Reads On a Year of Political Drama and Economic Hardships
The year 2022 was always going to be an eventful one. After nearly 10 years in power, President Uhuru Kenyatta was destined to leave office to make way for the winner of the August… Read more »
Africa: 6 Moments in African Football in 2022 That Will Be Talked About for Years to Come
2022 was a significant year for African football. It was a benchmark for the women's game and a year that may mark the first real move into African football as a business rather… Read more »
Southern Africa: Sacred Rivers - Christianity in Southern Africa Has a Deep History of Water and Ritual
Water is a scarce commodity in much of Africa, particularly in southern Africa. This is well symbolised in the name of the Botswana national currency, pula (rain). When tragedies… Read more »
Africa: Nasal Vaccines Promise to Stop the Covid-19 Virus Before It Gets to the Lungs - an Immunologist Explains How They Work
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines have played a large role in preventing deaths and severe infections from COVID-19. But researchers are still in the process of… Read more »