OPINION
LIFESTYLE
Now that the Makoko floating school has fallen
The construction of the Makoko floating school in 2013 was some of the best news to emerge from the Lagos slum. Now that the school has collapsed, what is next for the community?
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Many African countries use English as the official language, which is also the medium of instruction in schools. However, it is shocking that Africans from Anglophone speaking countries have to prove their proficiency despite years of education. Applicants who wish to attend British and U.S. institutions have to pay a hefty amount to write or retake international proficiency exam IELTS or TOEFL.
Southern Africa unlike other parts of the continent has had a number of White government officials in post-colonial Africa. With Zimbabwe recently appointing Kirsty Coventry as Youth, and Sports Minister, we take a look at the rarity of White African politicians in many countries. We ask: Why do White Africans seem to be on the periphery of the political sphere?
Laws that prohibit women from inheriting the role of chief have been invalidated in South Africa and Namibia, but not in Lesotho. Senate Masupha is fighting for her right to wield the title hitherto held only by men.
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Photographer Reatile Moalusi’s latest work seeks to break down some of the myths that still serve to stigmatise people with the auto-immune disease vitiligo.
Fanon found in Algeria that what the colonial law courts considered a failure of integration by mental patients was in fact an elemental resistance to European rule.
It is worth considering whether corrupt or ineffective leaders are deliberately fanning the flames of homophobia so that we, the electorate, will lose focus and not hold them to account.
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- sex & relationships
- New in Sex & Relationships
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Hook-up culture, whether we acknowledge it or not, is prevalent. People are having casual sex all the time, yet there seems to be a lack of common understanding on the rules of engagement. With the help of a group of 30 somethings, we established a few universal dos and don’ts.
How does the black man who is selfish with his body find pleasure? Where does the selfishness come from? Perhaps his destructive kind of ecstasy contributes to the toxic way he relates with other races.
A Black cis bisexual femme shares her experiences with anxiety disorder, and antidepressant medication, and how the treatment has impacted on her sex life. The medication has had side effects including a lack of sexual desire, orgasmic dysfunction (anorgasmia) and sexual frustration.
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Every step that was taken at the eSwatini Pride March is a mark on history, says Zanta Nkumane
Dating in this day and age can be a total nightmare. With so many ways to connect, it can get very confusing – even more so if you are queer. More and more LGBTQI+ people are using the online space to connect. But how convenient and safe is it really?
Sex and pleasure are often so much more than what cis-heteronormativity and even homonormativity teaches. Kgothatso Motshele explores how we can look at our bodies and pleasure through a different lens.
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- investigative
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Interventions for vulnerable girls in Kenya aim to empower and keep them safe.
For a musician anywhere, surviving and prospering within the genre called jazz has never been easy, and it still isn't.
In most instances, Africa’s mineral wealth has been signed away to other countries by leaders who have signed terrible deals that enrich only themselves and not their country. However, the continent has some of the world's biggest mineral reserves, and has a chance to be a major player in the value chains, but the risk of being exploited by industrialised countries remains.
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The legalisation of the private use of cannabis in South Africa is a victory for human rights. But, much more work needs to be done to make it practical.
The NGO Project Pink Blue is creating massive awareness and offering free counselling and tests to men in Nigeria as it mobilises resources for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Social media has become an essential tool to amplify voices of the citizens and organisations campaigning for legal and social justice across the continent.
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Foreign shop-owners in South Africa are accused of selling counterfeit food and food beyond its sell-by date. These claims are driven by politically charged opinions, not evidence.
The Rwanda Tribunal convicted people for indescribably horrific crimes and some are asking for early release.
Samasource is social enterprise on a mission. Its aim is to reduce global poverty by outsourcing digital work to unemployed people in impoverished countries.
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51 years ago, the federal government of Nigeria engaged in a bloody civil war with the secessionist Republic of Biafra. In this exclusive interview with This is Africa, Christopher Ejiofor, a former top military adviser during the war recalls the bitter memories of the war and how they lost everything. He talks about how the British colonial set-up caused the war and the current agitation by the Indigenous Republic of Biafra
Dr Richard Munang is a climate change and development policy expert. Here he talks about his latest book.
Fatou Kandé Senghor is a Senegalese artist and filmmaker. She talks about the pan-African icons of her youth, the icons of Senegalese society, and the difficulties of passing on their lessons to her daughters in the digitalised and globalised 21st century.
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Rafiki, the first Kenyan film to premiere at Cannes and the recipient of an international commendation, was banned in its country of origin by the Kenya Film Classification Board. The film’s creator has now won a court case to temporarily lift the ban, making it eligible to enter for the Foreign Language Oscar.
Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick will receive the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal at the sixth annual Harvard University’s Hutchins Center Honors presented for contributions to African and African-American history and culture. Kaepernick and comedian Dave Chappelle are among the eight Du Bois Medalists.
Robotics entrepreneur Silas Adekunle features on Forbes magazine’s latest “30 Under 30” list for European Technology for creating the world’s first gaming robot. He is the founder and CEO of Reach Robotics, a company that fuses gaming, robotics and augmented reality.
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- Laws that prohibit women from inheriting the role of chief have been invalidated in South Africa and Namibia, but not in Lesotho. Senate Masupha is fighting for her right to wield the title hitherto held only by men.
South African schools will teach Kiswahili alongside languages such as Mandarin, French and German. Should other African countries follow suit to incorporate Kiswahili into their school curriculum?
Kenyan athlete Joseph Kiprono was hit by a car as he was leading the 21km race at the Medellin Flowers Marathon in Colombia. Kiprono was only 1.5km away from the finish line when he was struck.
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