Bending to the will of the Executive Council of the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, whose mandate it is to safeguard human rights, has revoked the observer status of the Coalition of African Lesbians. The coalition is the only regional, membership-based organisation that works for the advancement of all women’s broader rights in Africa.
Kylie Kiunguyu
Politics and Society Willy Mutunga’s campaign against colonial-era robes and wigs disintegrates
Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga was the earring-wearing, liberal wild card who took Kenya’s judicial system by storm. Not only did his appointment shake the foundations of the system but his views on propriety challenged them entirely as a means to “radically transform the Judiciary”.
Lifestyle Black hair is big business: Consumerism in the natural hair movement
The natural hair movement started as a cause for the liberation of African women and women of colour. It was a bold statement to be unashamedly yourself. But a growing consumer-led effort to move towards Afro-textured hair has shifted the economics of the hair-care industry.
African identities African judges wearing wigs a symbol of British colonialism? Julius Malema thinks so
The wigs and robes worn by judges and lawyers in former British colonies are among the most glaring symbols of colonial inheritance; an inheritance so old-fashioned and uncomfortable that even British barristers have stopped wearing them.
African identities Germany returns human remains from Namibian genocide
The German government has returned 25 of possibly hundreds of Herero and Nama skulls taken from Namibia for examination by racial anthropologists in an attempt to justify the theory of European Superiority.
African identities The lost continent of “Mauritia” is submerged under the Island of Mauritius
A research team, led by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, has found pieces of an ancient continent, dubbed “Mauritia”, beneath the African island of Mauritius. Although the continent may be lost, it has left traces of its existence to remind us that there is more of Earth to explore
Arts and Culture Meet Sheillah Charles, the nine-year-old Kenyan artist fulfilling her life’s purpose
Sheillah Sheldone Charles is a nine-year-old Kenyan artist and designer who, even at such a tender age, knows that her talent is her lifelong path
Politics and Society South African Airways maiden all female crew International flight
In 84 years of its existence, South African Airways (SAA) finally made its first all female crew operated International flight between South Africa and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The flight was piloted by Captain by Jane Trembath, with co-pilots Senior First Officer Asnath Mahapa and Senior First Officer Annemari Smit.
Lifestyle Ethiopia’s acclaimed photographer Aida Muluneh uses visual art to share her heritage
Aida Muluneh is an internationally recognised photographer whose work told the story of Ethiopia long before it became a trend – and long before the tremendous changes the country has seen under the new regime