How Mali’s Golden Age of Photography has Evolved
The 20th century studio photography is often focused solely on the work of Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé, whose evocative black-and-white images have become sought after in the art world. But this special time in the West African country’s history, just before and after it gained independence from France in 1960, gave rise to many […]
An Extract from the Book ‘Africa First!’ by Jakkie Cilliers
“In repeated visits to Ghana over the past two decades, I have witnessed the amazing political and developmental revolution that is taking place there, and in many other African states, and been able to consider its potential for job creation and progress. By African standards, Ghana is small, with a population of around 29-million people. […]
The Lucrative Business that’s Killing the Congo Basin
Ciceron Nyalowala’s parents are disappointed. Their son took a boat from their riverside village to the city of Mbandaka, in the heart of the Congo Basin rainforest, where he enrolled in a teacher-training college. They wanted him to become a crocodile hunter, like his father and most of his ancestors. “There is a lot of […]
A Trailer of Death Intercepted in Mozambique
Mozambican immigration officers have found 64 dead bodies in a shipping container on the back of a lorry that had crossed into Mozambique from Malawi. It is suspected that the dead, thought to be Ethiopian, suffocated. Two people, including the vehicle’s driver, have been detained in connection with the deaths. The migrants were on a […]
The Scars of the CAR Give Rise to a New Threat
For the past eight years, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been the theatre of a brutal civil war that has left its economy in tatters, its institutions in ruins and its people traumatised. Laurent Gomina-Pampali, a professor at the University of Bangui who has previously been the country’s minister of foreign affairs, minister of […]
Keeping Up with Kipchoge on his #StayAtHome Journey
Olympic superstar Eliud Kipchoge talks about the works he is reading whilst in isolation to protect himself from coronavirus. The greatest marathon runner in the world is keeping a video diary for the BBC while he is self-isolating. In the first edition, he talks about the loneliness of the training runs without any partners. In the […]
COVID-19 Spread Sparks Anti-Foreigner and Anti-Diaspora Sentiment in Cameroon
Officials in Cameroon are calling on citizens to stop attacks on foreigners and visitors from the diaspora who are being blamed for an increase in coronavirus cases. The attacks began after some passengers on an Air France flight that landed in Cameroon last week ignored a quarantine order. Forty-three-year-old businessman Ferdinand Muffo Che says he […]
A Tally of COVID-19’s Impact in Africa
Economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has so far cost African economies $29 billion, the United Nations has said, warning that the loss could rise in the coming months as more countries in the region report confirmed cases of the virus. Uganda was the latest to record a novel case of the COVID-19, which […]
Renowned Cameroonian Jazz Muso Succumbs to Coronavirus
Manu Dibango, the Cameroonian musician celebrated for his blend of jazz, funk and traditional West African styles, has died aged 86 in a Paris hospital after contracting Covid-19. A message on his Facebook page announced the news with “deep sadness”, and added: “His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to […]
Africa’s Most Advanced Economy Goes on Lockdown
South Africa’s confirmed number of coronavirus cases rose to 554 on Tuesday from 402 a day earlier, as businesses raced to make plans for a nationwide lockdown from midnight on Thursday. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 21-day lockdown in response to curb the spread of the outbreak. South Africa has the highest number of confirmed […]
