Monica Mark
latest news & developmentsNiger Delta leeches threaten anarchy if their man loses
Niger Delta insurgents say they’re ready to take up arms again if President Goodluck Jonathan doesn’t win Saturday’s elections.
Ebola’s latest victim – the economy
Sierra Leone’s markets have crumbled under the widespread panic that has affected most of Africa.
Soyinka razor-sharp and defiant at 80
Nobel prizewinner hits out at ‘Boko Haramism’ of Nigerian culture and the banalisation of graft.
Fela Kuti finally gets a welcome home
Fifteen years after his death, the man who was a thorn in the side of officials in Nigeria has been honoured by the authorities with whom he tangled.
Aeroplane thriller flies close to Nigeria’s reality
In Nigeria, Last Flight to Abuja has become the first home-grown production to outsell Hollywood films this year.
Ghana’s azonto dance goes cheerily global
It is not the first dance craze to ripple through West Africa, but the azonto style even has the Ghana soccer stars showing off their moves.
London pulls in Nigerian shoppers
Nigeria’s middle class is flocking to the UK to spend its cash on everything from meat to undies and is the UK’s fourth biggest foreign spender.
Wary Nigerian church bans towering headgear
St Theresa’s Cathedral Church in Enugu state says the tall, colourful geles worn by women congregants in its parish are a potential security risk.
Damning oil fraud probe offers hope to Nigerians
For weary Nigerians, the damning parliamentary probe into Africa’s largest oil sector has offered a glimmer of progress against entrenched corruption.
Malians seethe over desecration
The attacks by Islamist hardliners on tombs and mosques is ratcheting up the pressure in the south of Mali. Monica Mark reports.
Diamonds now Sierra Leonian economy’s best friend
Lying in Sierra Leone’s mineral-rich eastern belt, the Koidu Holdings diamond mine was once at the heart of the country’s decade-long civil war.
Justice in Africa: Charles Taylor was just the beginning
Charles Taylor’s 50-year sentence is but the first victory at the ICC for Africa’s human rights campaigners. Stern tests of global justice remain.
Donated clothes make a roaring trade across Africa
Hand-me-downs account for the majority of outfits in Sierra Leone where seven out of 10 people live on less than $2 a day.
Lagos steals the show
Arise Africa Fashion Week has been so successful in Lagos that organisers are planning to make it a major fixture on the global fashion calendar.
Nigeria: ‘Sharia or nothing’
Jihadists blame country’s woes on secular state and say they have al-Qaeda’s support in their fight.