South Africa has learned to turn the most painful moments of its history into lessons for the present, yet the pomp and fanfare that now accompanies these days also threatens to whitewash history.
The official death toll from Cyclone Idai is 84 in Mozambique, but there are fears that more than 1,000 people may be dead as recovery operations continue. The cyclone slammed into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi on March 15, but the extent of the damage is only now coming to light.
Short-term losses for long-term gains are often a hard sell, especially in times of crisis.
Zimbabwe’s economic crisis is complex.
The Museum of Women’s History in Zambia has no physical space and yet it is already changing the narrative of the role of women in Zambia.
Technology has added a new dimension to an old South African problem, violence against women.
Wole Soyinka called it: Nigeria’s women authors are at the center of something of a literary phenomenon.
More than three decades after his assassination, Burkina Faso is celebrating Thomas Sankara with a new monument. Two years ago the revolutionary leader once again became the face of a popular movement, and the new statue unveiled over the weekend in Ouagadougou formalizes his place in a new political era._
In Addis Ababa’s affluent Bole neighbourhood, the traditional smell of roasting coffee beans wafts through a thoroughly modern coffee shop. Garden of Coffee is agnostically decorated with large comfy couches and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the street, giving it the atmosphere of a coffee shop that could be anywhere in the world. Making it distinctively local is the woman spreading beans over an open roaster, in the slow circular movements of Ethiopia’s jebena buna coffee ceremony.
A resurrection has many South Africans questioning the faith industry. On Sunday (Feb. 24) a video went viral of a man risen from the dead, after an evangelist prayed for him at a megachurch in Johannesburg.
“Our golden girl,” is the moniker Caster Semenya is known by when her wins are celebrated in South Africa, and it’s now used to rally around her as she challenges gender-based regulations that could end her career.
One of Africa’s oldest film festivals will celebrate its 50th anniversary, in spite of the new threat of terrorism in the Sahel.
Addis Ababa is determined to rebrand itself as a global city, with a hi-speed train and high-rise buildings quickly replacing its old-world charm. Part of what will maintain its distinction is the proper recognition of Ethiopia’s historic culture.
Traffic in Addis Ababa has returned to normal, presidential motorcades no longer clog the routes between the Ethiopian capital’s many hotels and the African Union headquarters. The 32nd AU summit has ended, and now the work begins as delegates return home.
It is well known that thousands of African migrants risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe, but even more stay within Africa to survive.
Oil giant Total made a find that could solve some of South Africa’s economic problems, but create new ones for the environment.
If a businessman and reality show host can run a country, why can’t a handbag designer be an ambassador?
Learning a language requires more than sheer enthusiasm, especially at the national level.
Avocado goes on toast, in a smoothie, and yes, on pizza.
Eradicating malaria once and for all won’t be as simple as applying hand cream, but it’s a start. A small organic cosmetics company in Burundi has found a way to integrate a viable prevention into people’s daily routines.
High school dances tend to go awry on film and television, often with iconic results. To launch its first original drama, streaming service Showmax debuted The Girl from St. Agnes with the fatal fall of a teenage girl.
Ugandan authorities are viewing Africa’s largest telco with suspicion, after detaining and deporting their executives this week.
Oliver Mtukudzi, the musician fondly known as Tuku, has died at the age of 66.
Yet another jazz club closed down in Johannesburg this month. Open for less than five years, The Orbit wasn’t storied like older venues and it was located far from the townships where South African jazz was born, but it had succeeded in injecting vitality into the genre and Johannesburg’s nightlife. Yet even a full roster of old and young performers couldn’t save the venue from gentrifying rents.
