Ten of the new language additions on Google translate are African languages including Lingala, Twi, and Tigrinya. There are now 133 languages supported by a technology that is breaking language barriers and connecting communities around the world.
Technology
Politics and Society Elon Musk has bought Twitter: Here is what to expect
The ownership of Twitter throws Elon Musk deep into conversations about the inordinate power of tech billionaires in the modern world, in manufacturing public consent.
Politics and Society How the blockchain lost its soul – Private space and individual freedom in the age of on-chain geopolitics
Cypherpunks developed cryptocurrency to limit the power of states over individuals. As governments turn to crypto-deterrence and cyberwarfare, the blockchain’s founding propositions of private space and individual freedom are being done away.
African identities Decolonising AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) and African languages
Should we bridge local understanding of Artificial intelligence by creating technological terms that make current scientific developments accessible, or do we teach and help computers understand local languages? The answer is both.
Politics and Society Mainstreaming solar pumps in the Global South: Lessons from India
Solar pumps are becoming an attractive alternative to meet the rising irrigation demand without adding carbon emissions.
Politics and Society Africa’s first mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub gets to work
Afrigen will be a technology transfer and training hub: it shares technology and develops skills specifically around how to produce a safe, effective and affordable mRNA vaccine.
Politics and Society Covid-19 and vaccines: Questions and answers
Covid-19 vaccines are coming to South Africa. Here are questions and answers about the vaccine.
Africans rising South Sudanese teens develop ocean cleaning robot in STEM challenge
The 2019 FIRST Global Challenge brought attention to the troubling amount of pollutants that find their way into the world’s oceans. Participating teams learned about real-world challenges related to cleaning up the world’s oceans and got a chance to create machines that could tackle these challenges
Africans rising Meet Ivorian student O’Plerou Grebet the creator of culturally relevant West African emojis
Over the past two years, Ivorian student O’Plerou Grebet has designed over 350 emojis that celebrate African culture, history and contemporary life. He incorporated all his emojis from his project into an app called ‘Zouzoukwa’, so that Africans can use emojis ‘that correspond to their realities’.