Creator
Liesl Louw-Vaudran
Liesl Louw-Vaudran is an independent journalist and Africa expert. She lived in Senegal for many years and has reported from over 20 African countries. She is a regular commentator on African issues in the local and international media. From 2002 to 2008 she was the Africa Editor at Media24 newspapers in South Africa and still contributes to newspapers such as the Mail&Guardian in Johannesburg. Liesl also works as a consultant for the Institute for Security Studies, notably as editor of the African Union Peace and Security Council Report.
Review: The pandemic could change politics as we know it. Here’s a guidebook
Jakkie Cilliers’s book about igniting a growth revolution in Africa has some timely lessons as we seek ways to mitigate the economic effects of Covid-19
A peek into SA’s foreign policy black box
South Africa’s foreign policy performance, over its first quarter-century democratic governance, is put under the spotlight
AU weathers Kagame whirlwind
Rwanda’s president put everything into reforming the organisation, with mixed results
Zuma ‘daughter’ courts Morocco
Ntombi Msiza claims to represent SA interests in the North African state, despite frosty relations.
African Union hobbled by vested interests
Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has tried to improve it, but the AU is saddled with systemic problems.
Dlamini-Zuma’s hour of reckoning
If she brokers peace in Burundi her return to domestic politics will be triumphant.
Africa seeks better deals with China
But the continent does not speak with one voice when meeting and dealing with the Asian giant.
Chad battles HIV in the youth
Mani Djelassem works in a centre that helps children with HIV
Will a war on terror work in Africa?
Military intervention may not be the best answer to terrorism in nations such as Mali.
Temporary shadow cast over Africa’s ‘rise’
Migration and its effects are under the spotlight again
Successful Mali raid raises questions about SA hostage
Stephen McGowan’s family have been asked to keep a low profile after French forces rescued one of his fellow al-Qaeda hostages.
Fate of SA hostage captured in Mali remains unclear
Stephen McGowan’s whereabouts are unknown despite the release of the Dutch national who was kidnapped alongside him in Timbuktu in 2011.
Nigeria will be Africa’s first global superpower
South Africa has many attributes that make it a worthy representative of Africa on the world stage, but is set to lose its first place.
Activists call for release of South Sudan report
Civil society activists are calling on the African Union to make public the findings of an inquiry into human rights abuses in South Sudan.
Plight of civilians caught up in Boko Haram fight flagged
Many of the nations fighting the terror group have themselves been accused of human rights abuses and even of war crimes.