South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi is the new Miss Universe and the internet is rife with comments about her hair. While most black contestants opt for hair extensions or chemically straightened hair, the new Miss Universe wore her hair the way her Creator intended it to grow from her scalp.
African identities
African identities What’s driving homophobia in Uganda
To address homophobia in Uganda, sexual rights must draw on the need for justice and social obligation.
African identities South Africa’s Khoisan community to finally benefit from commercialised rooibos
The South African government and representatives of indigenous people and farming groups have signed a benefit-sharing agreement to ensure that members of the indigenous Khoisan community receive a percentage of the value for the growth and processing of rooibos as traditional knowledge holders.
African identities ‘We knew their names’
Ancient DNA analyses have identified nine sets of unethically sourced San and Khoe skeletal remains found in UCT’s archive, paving the way for their repatriation to Sutherland.
African identities Humanity’s birthplace: why everyone alive today can call northern Botswana home
Genetic analysis has traced the evolutionary footsteps of modern humans all the way back to a prehistoric wetland that spanned parts of modern-day Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
African identities AS Roma launches Kiswahili Twitter account
Italian club AS Roma launched a Kiswahili Twitter account and many in East Africa and across Africa are loving it. The club is the first major European football club to launch an official Swahili Twitter account, with the intention to break “communication barriers” and “directly engage with these fans in a way that suits them”.
African identities Queerness and religion in conversation
Reconciling faith and queer identity can often be a difficult space to navigate for those who do not subscribe to the heteronormative expectations upheld by many religious communities.
African identities Kenya: Litigation as a tool for Rastafari female liberation
As an entry point for advocacy, litigation shapes public discourse. Importantly, it addresses violations and mitigates future violations. In Kenya, the High Court upheld the rights of a female Rastafari learner. She was expelled from school because of her dreadlocks. The court pronounced that “the rule that she cuts her hair is intrusive to her religion and not justifiable in a democratic country”.
African identities Rwanda gospel singer reveals he is gay, says he expects a backlash
A Rwandan gospel singer has revealed to a Christian YouTube channel that he’s gay, telling the media that he expected a backlash for coming out. Albert Nabonibo is the first gospel singer in Rwanda to come out, and says he expects a backlash.