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Kenneth Kaunda: The man behind the statesman

Africa Alex Vines -

Zambia’s founding father left a lasting legacy

Lipstick, blush and Boko Haram: Meet the make-up artists of Maiduguri

Africa Fati Abubakar -

Despite the insurgency, which has killed many people, caused the displacement of millions, confines women to traditional roles and forbids the education of girls, women are fending for their families and starting lucrative businesses. Meet the make-up artists of Maiduguri

Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda was the last of Africa’s ‘philosopher kings’

Africa Nic Cheeseman & Sishuwa Sishuwa -

The liberation legend died on Thursday at a military hospital in Lusaka, aged 97

Internet shutdowns in Africa threaten democracy

Africa Julie Owono -

Governments’ interruption of social media is censorship is a way to control the flow of information online and amounts to censorship

Kanalelo Boloetsi: Taking on Lesotho’s cellphone giants, and winning

Africa Pascalinah Kabi -

A man who took on cellphone data regulators over out-of-bundle rates is featured in this edition of a series on human rights defenders in the SADC region

New report sheds light on the conflict in Mozambique

Africa Meron Elias -

A new report by the International Crisis Group examines the ongoing insurgency in northern Mozambique and looks at what needs to be done to stop it. The group’s Horn of Africa researcher, Meron Elias, answers key questions about the conflict

Nigeria’s tech community was booming. Now it’s in shock

Africa Alexander Onukwue -

The government’s sudden ban of Twitter could jeopardise one of the country’s most promising industries

Freeing Nigeria’s unjustly imprisoned

Africa Aisha Salaudeen -

Too many Nigerians are stuck in prison for longer than allowed by law – sometimes for crimes they did not commit

Petro states: What happens when 30% of your national budget disappears in a decade?

Africa Sipho Kings -

As the demand for oil shrinks and prices collapse, Africa’s petro states — the likes of Angola, Nigeria, Egypt and Equatorial Guinea — will be left with massive holes in their budgets

What is the point of the Pan-African Parliament?

Africa Simon Allison -

After years of searching for some kind of purpose, the beleaguered institution is finally in the spotlight – for all the wrong reasons

TB Joshua, Nigeria’s contentious Pentecostal titan

Africa Dion Forster -

The popular televangelist, who recently died, preached a prosperity gospel that promised followers health and wealth if they had faith – and gave money to the church

Five reasons Ethiopia’s elections will do more harm than good

Africa Nic Cheeseman & Yohannes Woldemariam -

The vote is likely to inflame existing tensions in the country

Africa must protect the high seas before it’s too late

Africa Hailemariam Desalegn -

We must act now to secure the world’s oceans as a common good — and prevent catastrophic repercussions, argues Halemariam Desalegn

Assimi Goïta: The man who ousted two presidents in nine months

Africa Mohamed Salaha -

Colonel Assimi Goïta – now President Assimi Goïta – has once again thrown Mali’s politics into disarray

Voice of America is airing Ethiopian propaganda, staffers claim

Africa Zecharias Zelalem -

Whistleblowers say the VOA’s coverage of the civil war in Ethiopia is slanted in favour of Abiy Ahmed’s government

The Yoruba trademark scandal… and other examples of cultural appropriation™

Africa Simon Allison -

This is not the first time nor last time that intellectual property laws have allowed western individuals or companies to lay claim to Africa’s cultural, linguistic and even culinary heritage

Climate crisis affects Kenyan’s mental health

Africa Sophie Mbugua -

The country has a national mental health emergency but only a handful of psychiatrists to deal with it

Volcano evacuation order sparks mass exodus in DRC

Africa Agence France Presse -

Tens of thousands of residents fled Goma last weekend after Nyiragongo erupted on Saturday night — many across the nearby border to Rwanda — before returning.

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