OPINION
LIFESTYLE
Africa Speaks – a poem
As we today celebrate African unity, TIA writer Philani Nyoni pays homage to the historical figures and gods who have shaped our identity as a continent and as a people
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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.
Like its counterparts all over the world, Africa’s elite political class desires power not so much to serve the people but to access the privileges of public office demonstrating the moral bankruptcy that exists in our leadership.
Approximately 81 km east of Kampala, Uganda’s capital, lies Jinja. Once one of the major industrial centres in East Africa, not to mention the source of the world’s longest river – the Nile River – the town is now characterized by dilapidated buildings, a potholed road network and land wrangles. The lost glory of this historic city shows no sign of recovery, writes Arthur Matsiko
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In Taraba, one of Nigeria’s north-eastern states, a series of ongoing violent clashes has met with little to no response from government. And so, at the edge of the country’s border with Cameroon, people have had to take matters into their own hands.
Africa is not a country, but for a long time a single narrative about the continent has been told. Western, Asian and European powers know the importance of telling their stories. Countries in these regions have established media outlets that sell their narratives, religious beliefs, social, cultural ideals and political philosophies. This is hardly the case with African countries, and it should be addressed.
At first sight, the Jawara look African, but genetically they have more in common with South Asians. They are considered to be one of the earliest people to have walked this earth – and now their livelihood is in danger.
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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.
In the golden age of technology why do we not have an app that can help you ascertain the viability of dating your current crush?![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.
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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.
As the global spotlight falls on demographic changes today - in honour of World Population Day - South Africa can boast about having made strong policy strides in combatting HIV. A new plan to introduce condoms in schools is promising but many doubts have been raised about its implementation.- Today the world celebrates World Population Day. As we commemorate the day we debunk some of those myths around oral contraceptives.
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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.
Forty years after Steve Bantu Biko’s death at the hands of apartheid police, Tseliso Monaheng considers the Black Consciousness thought leader’s legacy, then and now.
We take a look at the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa. Many of the missions on the continent are amongst the world's most expensive and largest forces under the U.N. mandate. With the funding cutbacks by the U.S., many missions have to reduce operational costs and workforce. Is this a wake up call to the African Union to get its act together?
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The West has consistently survived on good public relations, seemingly with good intentions; foreign aid, donations to refugee camps and a host of other seemingly good political and humanitarian gestures. But the agenda of the Berlin Conference, 100 years later is still intact, divide, conquer and get as much wealth as possible while Africans fight wars and the world watches.
When male celebrities make the headlines for the way they treat women, the response of fans is varied and interesting, says Lineo Segoete.
As Kenyans head to the polls on 8 August 2017, they are once again poised at the cusp of history, where old battles and the possibility of new beginnings merge. Yet the most salient feature of this election has been the cloud of propaganda hovering above the unsaintly mix of the hopes and fears of a nation.
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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.
After 93 days of a government-imposed Internet ban, access was restored in April to the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. While the country’s crisis is far from resolved, time without the distraction of the Internet has helped Monique Kwachou see several things differently.
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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".
The year 2016 was full of surprises. The biggest ones (Brexit, Trump’s election, Jammeh’s exit) were delivered via the ballot box. Democracy may yet have more surprises in store for us in 2017. As the Director of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg, few people on the planet study democracy and its effect more closely than Professor Staffan I. Lindberg. He spoke to Wycliffe Muga, a Kenyan journalist and political commentator, on what V-Dem’s work reveals about democracy in Africa, why people are now more open to “I can fix this” politicians and much more.
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The next big break segment on Coke Studio Africa 2017 will feature Band BeCa, a Kenyan duo greatly influenced by dance hall and alternative reggae and Bill Nass acclaimed as the fastest rising hip-hop artist of our generation.
The hashtag #DrawingWhileBlack has created a buzz on social media, particularly on Twitter. The organiser, Annabelle Hayford a first generation Ghanaian American wanted to appreciate and celebrate black artists. The artists have come out in droves, sharing drawings which show remarkable talent and finesse.
South African contemporary artist Esther Mahlangu was honoured in New York City with a mural dedicated to her painted on the streets of New York by Imani Shanklin Roberts, a New York based artist. We are proud of Mahlangu's achievements, and recognition.
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Ghana has introduced a free education programme that has taken off in different parts of the country. The government introduced the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme which was launched on September 12 at the West African Senior Secondary School (WASS) in Accra.There have been questions however about the sustainability of such programme.
Ethiopian Airlines has maintained its position as Africa's leading airline. After recently acquiring the Airbus A-350 XWB, Ethiopian Airlines will in October receive Africa's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The airline is targeting $10bn in revenue by 2025.
Culture journalism in Nigeria is bogged down in a lack of skill, professionalism and basic appreciation for the quality of the craft, writes TIA culture critic Oris Aigbokhaevbolo
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