About 20 000 children born to Belgian settlers and African women in the 1940s and 1950s were forcibly taken to Belgium until the independence of each of its three colonies. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has apologised for these kidnappings and the subsequent treatment of these children
Human rights
Politics and Society United Nations Human Rights Council stands with elite athlete Caster Semenya
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution tabled by South Africa to defend Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya’s right to participate in sports. The world champion is currently challenging proposals by the International Association of Athletics Federations to restrict natural testosterone levels in female athletes.
Politics and Society #NoWhiteSaviours: The white saviour complex
Kelsey Nielsen and Ugandan Olivia Alaso have launched the “No White Saviours” campaign to challenge the way in which development and evangelical work is being done on the African continent. They aim to highlight the underlying discrimination in development narratives and the relationship between races.
Politics and Society Which African countries are “not free”?
The annual Freedom in the World report, which ranks nations according to civil liberties and political rights, shows which countries are “free”, “partly free” and “not free”. We take a look at some of the African countries that have been classified as “partly free” and “not free”.
Politics and Society Ranking of African countries based on legislation against human trafficking
The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies has declared that human trafficking has become a multibillion-dollar business in Africa, one that African governments have been slow to address. A 2018 report by the US Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons tracked compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in Africa.
Politics and Society Tanzanian police arrest 10 men for sitting in pairs
Anti-gay rhetoric has steadily been on the rise in Tanzania since President John Magufuli took office. It is not the rhetoric that citizens need to be mindful of, however. The government is taking surveillance and intimidation action towards perceived homosexual activity. Now, it seems, the mere act of sitting in a pair is being viewed as criminal.
Politics and Society The United Nations is fighting to end virginity testing
A group of United Nations agencies has issued a joint statement calling for the ban of misleading and damaging tests meant to ‘assess the virginity’ of women and girls, a common practice in at least 20 countries.
Africans rising DR Congo surgeon Denis Mukwege wins 2018 Nobel Peace Prize
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Dr. Denis Mukwege has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018. Dr Mukwege was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with Nadia Murad, a Yazidi-Kurdish human rights activist for “their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.
Politics and Society Threats to media freedom in Africa: some old methods and some new
Internet taxes could stifle Africa’s free and vibrant social media.