Behind the Scenes of Zambia’s Much-talked about 1970s Fuzz Rock Sound
Zamrock was born in 1970s Zambia out of influences from James Brown’s funk and Jimi Hendrix’s acid guitar. In recent years, the fuzzed-out and psychedelic Zamrock sound has been turning heads with vinyl reissues from some of its pioneering bands, the latest of which comes in the shape of the Vinyl Me, Please anthology The […]
African Flower Producers Struggle as Pandemic Disrupts Supply Chains
In Kenya, Africa’s number one flower exporter, farmers are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel after their sales almost dried up in March. Kenya Flower Council CEO Clement Tulezi says Europe, Kenya’s largest market, is slowly waking up again, with lockdowns easing and shops reopening. “What we saw at the […]
African Authors Reclaim their Work from French Publishers
When Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high he says “you would have to ask someone to stop eating for two days in order to buy the book”. It was around £20; the average monthly salary in Douala is […]
Lagos’ Lockdown Decided on Twitter
Worried about disregard for social distancing guidelines, Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, is running a Twitter poll to decide if a lockdown relaxed last week should be brought back. There have been more than 70,000 votes so far in the poll, which closes on Friday. Support for the return of the lockdown is leading, with 49% […]
Villagers in Niger Live in Constant Fear
At least 20 villagers have been killed in Niger in series of attacks by motorcycle bandits. Safi Ali, a resident in the affected area recounts the horrors they went through: “They (the bandits) came by motorcycle, but we don’t know how many there were. “They divided into small groups and surrounded our village, one group […]
Man Who Brought Nigerian Swag to New York Succumbs to COVID-19
Jonathan Adewumi grew up in New York, but he was African through and through. From creating a fashion company that dressed celebrities like Stevie Wonder in clothing from Nigeria to creating a Nigerian film festival and a Brooklyn restaurant that became a gathering place for the diaspora, Mr. Adewumi was dedicated to bridging the cultural […]
Helping Somalis Cope with the Stress of the Coronavirus
Some of the country’s best-known athletic stars are urging citizens to take up an activity that, until now, has not gained much traction — running. Videos featuring revered former Somali soccer players and sports icons running and exercising have circulated through social media, inspiring hundreds of young people to join the effort named “Bro, Run […]
How Ancient African Societies Managed Pandemics
Because of archaeologists we know that the damaging impact of epidemics prompted the abandonment of settlements at Akrokrowa in Ghana during the early 14th century AD. About 76 infant burial sites at an abandoned settlement that now forms part of the Mapungubwe World Heritage site in the Limpopo Valley of South Africa suggest a pandemic […]
South Africa Installs Walk-through Sanitizers at Bus Stops
Commuters squinted as they streamed into a bus station in the South African township of Soweto on a bright Thursday, but not because of the glare – they were being sprayed with a solution meant to fight the coronavirus. Filing one by one through a metal tunnel, they were hit with a cold mist containing […]
Burundi Kicks WHO Out
Burundi has ordered the country’s top World Health Organization (WHO) representative and three other experts coordinating the coronavirus response to leave the country. The expelled officials include the WHO’s representative Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the country’s coronavirus coordinator Dr Jean Pierre Mulunda Nkata, communicable diseases head Dr Ruhana Mirindi Bisimwa, and a laboratory expert in […]
