There has been a warm response to the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) election of Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe as the university’s sixth chancellor, a position that she will take up from 1 January 2020. She will be the second black woman to hold the position and will take the reins from Graça Machel.
Africans rising
Africans rising O’Meara Chiedza Rusike is Zimbabwe’s first black female jockey
Zimbabwean pioneer O’Meara Chiedza Rusike is the country’s first black female jockey. The 21-year-old credits her adoptive parents and turbulent childhood for her achievement saying, “God often uses our deepest pain as the launching of our greatest calling”.
Africans rising South Africa’s Thebe Magugu is the first African designer to win LVMH prize worth €300,000
26 year-old Thebe Magugu is the first African to win the prestigious LVMH prize. The fashion talent prize comes with a €300,000 cash award, and includes a year of “technical and financial support” from the luxury giant. The South African designer was part of 1,700 applicants from 100 countries who applied for the LVMH prize.
Africans rising Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize
The Booker Prize for Fiction has for years been criticised for favouring American novelists, and for four years running had no African writers in shortlist. Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma has however beaten the odds as a twice shortlisted author for his novels ‘The Fishermen’ in 2015, and ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ this year.
Africans rising Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum (DRC) and Dr. Francis Gervase Omaswa (Uganda) receive Third Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
Two doctors, Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, and Dr. Francis Gervase Omaswa, have been named as this year’s (third) recipients of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize. The award established by the Japanese government honours people and organisations dedicated to research and medical advances that fight disease in Africa. The Prize includes a citation, a medal and an honorarium of 100 million yen (approx 1 million US dollars) for each laureate.
Africans rising Young scientists pull out all the stops at science expo
The ingenuity, brilliance and out-of-the-box project ideas pioneered by hundreds of young science enthusiasts from schools around the Mother City were showcased during the annual Cape Town Eskom Expo for Young Scientists at the University of Cape Town (UCT) this week.
Africans rising ‘Pillar of strength’ wins 2019 Stella Clark award
A mother, caregiver, mentor and pillar of strength is how second-year LLB student Sandiso Sifumba described his high school English teacher Thuli Shongwe, the recipient of the 2019 Stella Clark Teachers’ Award.
Africans rising Zimbabwean scholar Tererai Trent among the first ten life-size statues erected in New York to honour women championing gender equality
Tererai Trent is among ten women including media mogul Oprah Winfrey, conservationist Jane Goodall, activist Janet Mock and chemist Tracy Dyson whose statues have been unveiled in New York. The women are being honoured for their contributions towards gender equality by Statues For Equality
Africans rising Ethiopian writer Maaza Mengiste hand signs three forklifts of her new book The Shadow King
Ethiopian writer Maaza Mengiste has signed three forklifts of her latest book The Shadow King. The Shadow King is her second book, and it took her nearly four hours and three pens to sign the books.