OPINION
LIFESTYLE
South Africa: Immigrants are not the Enemy
The year 2008 remains a dark memory for the outbreak of xenophobic violence in South Africa. Now, 10 years later, there has been yet another resurgence in anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment.
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Recently, a range of publications reported on the documented sighting of the elusive African black leopard in Kenya by biologist Nick Pilfold. Many claimed it was the “first sighting” in a century, thereby discrediting local accounts.
While Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been declared illegal in some African countries, it still persists. Patrick Egwu in Nigeria, Annie Njanja in Kenya and Mamadou Lamine Ba in Senegal explored what was being done in their countries to stop this age-old discriminatory practice.
Proverbs are generally regarded as repositories of folk wisdom and are used widely in African settings.
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Bob Marley died more than three decades ago, yet he is still a strong cultural and musical influence. We explore why the singer affects millions of people across the world to this day.
Mining could be an enormous source of income for African women as even in lesser positions it pays better than other available work. However, women are barred from access to mining work due to restrictive cultural norms, taboos and gender discriminatory ideologies.
The African Union (AU) honoured Emperor Haile Selassie I with a commemorative statue at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Selassie played a key role towards the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Here’s our selection of 10 excerpts from Selassie’s speeches.
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More than half the world is online, with the numbers growing every day. People are increasingly spending every second of their existence on the World Wide Web, yet we are still uncomfortable with saying that is where the bae came from. Kagure Mugo wonders why.
For the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, Nana Akosua Hanson argues that the problem of sexual harassment in schools is rooted in patriarchy and that there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of how we educate our children on matters of sex and relationships.
Most women who opt for sex toys prefer vibrators above all the other options available to them for self-pleasure. Vibrators are used for clitoral stimulation yet – absurdly – they are designed to resemble phalluses.
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Pegging is not high on heterosexual couples’ list of things to do in bed, but maybe it should be. The act of trying something new and subverting gender roles in the sack can lead to increased pleasure and healthy conversations for both parties.
When people hear the term “sex positivity”, they think it is about having sex with everyone all the time, or having sex in wild and messy ways. In fact, sex positivity is about having a healthy and fulfilling sex life – no matter what that looks like, says Kagure Mugo.
African governments and their partners have a duty to prioritise the health of women and children through the provision of contraceptives.
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Buhari’s handling of the economy has been somewhere between poor and appalling. But the same could be said of past administrations.
Cultural icons like Achebe, Fela and Saro-Wiwa were among those who highlighted Nigeria's failings.
Since the return of democracy in 1999, Nigeria’s burgeoning youth population has made the headlines come election time. This year’s election, the sixth in the current 20-year-long democratic dispensation, has highlighted the role of the youth in deciding who rules Africa’s most populous nation more than ever before.
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Zimbabwean soldiers allegedly raped 17 women and brutally assaulted many others during the state crackdown on protests against a 150 percent fuel price increase in January 2019. Government has denied these claims, but legendary writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga has weighed in on the side of the alleged victims, while opening up about her own experience.
Is the tide turning in Northern Nigeria for men who have grown accustomed to abusing women with impunity? asks Sada Malumfashi.
Nigerian poets and novelists have compared the Igbo massacres in the 60s to the Holocaust as a way to drive international attention to the atrocities.
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When a deputy headmaster at one of Zimbabwe’s top schools recently came out as gay, he faced a backlash that revealed a deep-seated homophobia. One Zimbabwean decided to stand up – and out – in support of the LGBTQI+ community in general and GALZ in particular.
Some of the things we discard - like urine - can actually be useful resources.
Trokosi is an ancient practice in West Africa where virgin girls, some as young as six are sent as slaves to make amends for wrongs committed by their families.
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Future Africa Forum founder and Zimbabwean entrepreneur Gerald Chirinda says the future is African. As Africa's story changes, young people from the continent have the responsibility to get involved in changing the narrative.
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.
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Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio is fighting to end the culture of “indifference” and impunity surrounding rape and sexual violence by declaring it a national emergency. This will provide support to the First Lady’s “Hands off our girls” protection project.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister showed off his African Excellence Award for Gender plaque at the closing ceremony of the recently concluded 32nd AU Heads of State summit.
The 2019 Grammy Awards were more inclusive of diverse content, finally awarding socially incisive rap material that, in the past, would have lost out to pop or R&B. The Grammys also recognised more female artists and added 900 new voting members to help the awards better reflect the current state of music.
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The government of Uganda has announced that sports betting is now banned in the country, saying that “sports betting companies have diverted the attention of the youth from hard work” and causes cash to flow out of the country.
A tiny blood drop-shaped emoji will soon be on your phones, signifying among other things, menstruation. The blood drop emoji is seen by many as a step in the right direction to debunk and break stigma about menstruation.
“The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” is the story of a Malawian boy who puts his education and science to work to build a wind turbine, saving his village from famine. The film, set to debut on Netflix, was shot in Malawi despite investor concerns.
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