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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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The architecture of the ancient Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria was a communal endeavour and the house was a statement of ideological, economic and social position in the larger urban context. Adams Adeosun bemoans the fact that it is fast disappearing.
There are differing views about same-sex marriage within the Anglican communion, putting the American and Scottish Episcopal churches at odds with the majority stance on traditional marriage. African Anglican leaders, the Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria, Stanley Ntagali of Uganda and Onesphore Rwaje of Rwanda boycotted the global Anglican Communion meeting, as the rift over same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in the Anglican Church widens.
The tragedy that comes with the change in climate that caused landslides and flooding recently hit Sierra Leone, one of the jewels of Africa. What can we learn from this moment of pain?
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When considering the future of Africa, most institutions neglect to look directly at women. AWDF approaches the question “what will become of Africa’s women in the future” from a whole new angle.
The preference that Africans have for foreign media is not immediately obvious, but a closer look at what we consume through our pay-television channels across the continent shows that we have developed a taste for Western portrayals of reality – including of ourselves, says Caleb Ajinomoh.
Molemo Kgomo launched Ntombenhle Dolls in 2005 when she recognized the need for a doll that could capture her culture and bring it to life for her daughter and generations to come. The dolls celebrate the heritage of various South African cultural groups as they are dressed in apparel representing the following 8 cultural groups: Zulu, Sotho, Pedi, Swazi, Ndebele, Venda, Tsonga and Xhosa.
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- sex & relationships
- New in Sex & Relationships
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The sexual health of queer women is difficult to discuss when there is such minimal information to share and even fewer protection options but the topic is even more important.
Today we live in a world where one can have as many official romantic partners as one has social media accounts – this is polyamory. However, there are ways in which this new type of loving can teach us how to tackle our more traditional relationships.
In Uganda, the term ethics is synonymous with pornography and sexual activities. The fight by the ethics minister Simon Lokodo is not on corruption but on pornography. We question the obsession of the Ugandan government on banning everything sexual and pornographic, which is regarded as immoral.
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![Penis enlargement sign in Johannesburg [760 x 1018]](https://thisisafrica.me/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/10/Penis-enlargement-sign-in-Johannesburg-760-x-1018-150x150.jpg "Penis enlargement sign in Johannesburg [760 x 1018]")
Of all the ethnic stereotypes of Black male sexuality that exist, the one about black men (read African) being the most generously endowed and therefore the best lovers is among the most prevalent and persistent. Lineo Segoete considers the implications.
The porn culture in Nigeria is growing: Nigerians are said to consume the most porn online, surpassing the United States. Now, a small number of Nigerian producers are creating a home-grown industry by making and sharing sexually explicit content online.
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah assesses the current state of reproductive health services, showing how stigma and growing religious fundamentalism hinder women from fully accessing a range of reproductive health services.
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- investigative
- New in Investigative
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‘I don’t see any side winning a war in northern Mali.’ This Is Africa discussed the issues in Mali with Serge Daniel, author, journalist and renowned specialist on the region.
Zimbabweans worry about withdrawal of refugee status.
Counterfeit medicines have killed thousands in Nigeria because manufacturers placed a higher premium on profitability than saving lives. But NAFDAC and technology have come to the rescue, writes Patrick Egwu
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The South African arm of the international auditing firm KPMG has been exposed for its role in supporting the Gupta-Zuma state capture project.
The paradox of plenty is a reality for many African countries. There’s an abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals, but there hasn't been much economic growth and development for many countries. The natural resources abundant in most African countries tend to benefit not the communities and countries within which the minerals are extracted. Tanzania's President John Magufuli has started the process of renegotiating the mining contracts his country has with various mining companies. Other African countries need to borrow a leaf out of Tanzania's book.
Using an unaccountable police force to enforce hardship on the poor and protect the corrupt has created a situation that is not only deadly for citizens but fatal for South Africa’s democracy.
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- New in Interviews
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In this exclusive excerpt from an interview with Valentine Iwenwanne, Femi talks about his life, music, Fela and, of course, political and social issues.
The Arterial Network recently launched an ambitious programme that aims to create social change through cultural action and cultural policy in four African cities. Sophia Olivia Sanan spoke to five of the organisation’s members to find out more.
Ghanaian filmmaker Arthur Musah was interviewed by TIA on his latest documentary film One Day I Too Go Fly which is about four African youths from different countries and socio-economic backgrounds as they pursue knowledge at America's premier technological university - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Musah follows the lives of these African students during their four years in MIT. In this interview we get to know Musah's motivation and his experience filming these individuals both in MIT and also in their countries.
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The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) is a bit of a slouch at taking credit for its achievements. But those in the know appreciate that the world would be much poorer without ITM’s input, particularly in the fight against diseases like HIV and Ebola. Indeed, ITM has been making valuable contributions to global health for the last century. Veteran Kenyan journalist Wycliffe Muga recently interviewed Roeland Scholtalbers, the Head of Communications at ITM, on the research institution’s work in Africa.
Arguably one of the most high profile cases for freedom of creative expression to occur during 2016 involved the performance artist Jelili Atiku, a prominent member of the Lagos art community, a Prince Claus Award winner and a member of Arterial Network Nigeria. Atiku was arrested as a result of a public performance held in January 2016.
Professor Tomohiko Sugishita doesn't believe in drive-by kindness. Starting from when he was a newly-minted medical doctor taking care of the medical needs of 2 million Malawians at the height of the HIV epidemic in 1995, Professor Sugishita has always believed in sinking deep roots into a community and helping it help itself. He recently sat down for an interview with veteran Kenyan journalist Wycliffe Muga and opened up about what lit his fire for medicine, his long years of medical practice in Africa and why he has come to believe in the "unlearning process".
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- trending
- New in Trending
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A Chinese museum was forced to remove an exhibit comparing Africans to animals when critics pointed out how “astonishingly offensive” it was. The Exhibition showcased photography in a section dubbed “This Is Africa”, which juxtaposed images of wild African animals with black African people, which caused an uproar for its racist connotations.
Veteran South African actress, and activist Lillian Dube who has graced the TV screen since the 1980s has been awarded with an honorary doctorate degree by the Tshwane University of Technology, DTech (Honoris Causa) Drama & Film Production. In a remarkable and inspirational tale, the woman who once worked as a tea lady in a furniture factory was honoured for her outstanding contribution to South African performing arts. Congratulations on the award.
Akon has entered into a US$50-million partnership agreement with the Machel Fidus Association for a rural electrification project in Mozambique part of the “Akon Lighting Africa” initiative.
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The Confederation of African Football emergency committee met in Lagos and unanimously decided that Morocco will host the fifth edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) instead of Kenya. Kenya's rights to host the tourney were stripped after their preparations were deemed unsuitable for the biennial 16-team tournament.
Social media celebrated the false news of George Weah's victory. Next month Weah will contest in a presidential runoff election against Joseph Boakai the current Vice President of Liberia. The winning candidate in the runoff must have 50% of votes.
Kenya's failure to approve the development of a 600MW offshore wind farm in Malindi, south-east of the country, has resulted in the developers considering moving the project to Tanzania.
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