A Soundtrack to a Modern Algeria
Kabyles are one of North Africa’s indigenous Amazigh or Berber populations. Today, Imazighen constitute North Africa’s largest minority, identified by their language and vibrant cultural traditions. Late Algerian singing star Idir is widely recognised as among the originators of this new musical genre. Idir cloaked his songs in western harmonies, arranged them for guitar and […]
Mozambique Army Stands Guard at Natural Gas Site
Dozens of soldiers clutching AK-47s and grenade launchers watch over roaring bulldozers on the white sand beach that meets a tropical turquoise sea. They’re guarding a $23bn project to export Mozambique’s natural gas from an area besieged by Islamist insurgents. Companies led by Total will pump the gas from wells about 40km offshore, cool it […]
Uganda’s Wildlife Protectors Become Perpetrators
Uganda’s wildlife authorities say the halt to tourism income caused by COVID-19 has pushed many people who depended on tourists into poaching the very animals the industry depends on. Uganda’s national parks recorded a doubling of wildlife poaching during the pandemic compared to this time last year. Uganda’s conservationists are looking for alternative income sources […]
Liberia’s Rice Wars
Liberians are being asked to call a government hotline if they spot any unfair increases in the price of rice over and above the approved rate of about $13 per 25kg. Trade officials have also been out on the streets to ensure there are no artificial shortages, following complaints from consumers who say they’ve struggled […]
US Universities Go Online, Placing African Students in a Bind
International students who are pursuing degrees in the United States will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday. The move may affect thousands of foreign students who come to the United States to attend universities or participate in training programs, as […]
The First Application of Balloon-powered Internet in Africa
A fleet of high-altitude balloons started delivering internet service to Kenya on Tuesday, extending online access to tens of thousands of people in the first-ever commercial deployment of the technology. The balloons, which hover about 12 miles up in the stratosphere — well above commercial airplanes — will initially provide a 4G LTE network connection […]
Meet a Cameroonian Activist who Beheads Colonial Statues
Activist Andre Blaise Essama has been battling to purge Cameroon of monuments celebrating its French colonial past and replace them with local heroes long before protests swept the world after the death of George Floyd. Essama has flogged, beheaded and toppled statues honouring the French colonial era, earning himself arrests, fines and jail time for […]
This is How Zimbabwe has Spent its Cash
The government of Zimbabwe has spent millions of dollars on luxury cars for senior officials despite a deepening economic collapse that has plunged its people into profound hardship. The new cars, including dozens of Range Rovers and Toyota pick-up trucks worth more than $40,000, were distributed to ambassadors and senior civil servants. Dozens of luxury […]
Africa’s Largest Publisher Downsizes
South African media and e-commerce group Naspers plans to lay off more than 500 employees and close a number of newspapers and magazines, including leading weekly tabloid the Sunday Sun, its print division Media24 said on Tuesday. Media24 is Africa’s largest publisher, printer, and distributor of magazines and books, and is also the continent’s largest […]
Kenya’s Schooling Year Closes
Primary and secondary school students in Kenya will only return to school in 2021, the Education Ministry announced on Tuesday morning. Subsequently, terminal exams for both levels – the Kenya Primary Certificate Exams, and the Kenya Secondary Certificate Exams – have also been cancelled. The decision is based on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic […]
