Rights groups in Zimbabwe have criticised the deteriorating human rights climate in the country. Complaints of arbitrary arrests, abductions and harassment have also come from individuals such as politicians and writers. The finger of blame has been pointed at state security forces. So, what exactly is going on? In today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Zimbabwe, and a human right's lawyer who says that defending people who say they have been arrested unjustly by...
Jun 28, 2024•20 min
“I concede.” After a dramatic - and bloody - week of protests on the streets of Kenya, President William Ruto has agreed to ditch his unpopular finance bill. In an address to the nation he said that it was clear that Kenyans “want nothing” to do with the bill which would have introduced controversial tax hikes. Protesters say they would have hit the poorest who are already struggling with rising living costs. On Tuesday, parliament was set ablaze and lawmakers hid in the basement garage after vo...
Jun 27, 2024•23 min
“People will say nasty things about you in their lyrics. You will then be tempted to respond. That’s how the violence starts” – Molefi “Mantsoaki” Tjemolane – Lesotho musician Famo music is a genre whose origins can be traced back to the 1920s, among Lesotho’s migrant labourers. Over time, it became commercial and formed a big part of national culture, enabling artists to make a living and win awards. But the music is now associated with gangs primarily linked to illegal gold mining in neighbour...
Jun 26, 2024•17 min
When Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja was in Lagos last year, he learned that some parents there are using harmful products on their children in order to lighten their skin and that in some instances parents are unintentionally lightening and damaging their children’s skin. The usage of skin lightening products is high in Nigeria. According to the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of skin bleaching varies across the continent in Mali it's 25% while in Nigeria it's 77%, so the market for these...
Jun 25, 2024•20 min
Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Dr.Philbert Komu from the University of Dar es Salaam and Dr. Gideon Chitanga of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. They are discussing the role of former liberation movements in Africa’s contemporary politics. Is their performance in line with the expectations of their nations? The conversation was sparked by the dismal showing of the African National Congress in South Africa’s May 2024 elections. Others like Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe have also lost supp...
Jun 24, 2024•20 min
More than 50 defendants are being tried for an attempted coup attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On May 19th, armed men dressed in military attire attacked the home of the economy minister, Vital Kamerhe and later moved on to President Felix Tshisekedi’s offices in Kinshasa. Former Congolese military officer, Christian Malanga, is still expected to face charges for leading this alleged coup, despite being killed by security forces during the attack. Also on trial are three US citizens, ...
Jun 21, 2024•15 min
Millions in Africa live without a consistent supply of electricity, something which has caused a lot of socio-economic setbacks. Some countries, like Ghana, are turning to power ships to solve their energy problems. These floating power plants are a quick fix, providing an electricity supply and that helps to reduce those frequent blackouts. However, money troubles still loom large. Unpaid bills can lead to more power cuts, this has happened in Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. And there are quest...
Jun 20, 2024•15 min
“I think historically, science or STEM related subjects have not been encouraged for young girls to participate in. It’s generally been viewed as a male dominated industry” – Lerato Kubushi, African Leadership Academy In today’s Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje speaks to four teenagers from Tunisia, Lesotho, Nigeria Zimbabwe and their teacher from Ghana about why African women are underrepresented in science and what’s being done about it. According to a recent United Nations Commission for Africa rep...
Jun 19, 2024•20 min
“We believe our president has taken a very, very wonderful initiative and we support it 100%... Our president is a Christian and he believes in the power of prayer.” For months now, a plan to send a thousand Kenyan police to quell gang violence in Haiti has been surrounded with uncertainty. There have been a series of hold ups to the deployment including challenges in the Kenyan courts, changing leadership in Haiti, and general opposition from the Kenyan public. It has now emerged that alongside...
Jun 18, 2024•20 min
"This could be one of the greatest teams we’ve ever seen out of Africa… they were the hope of Africa for the 1994 World Cup. And that was taken away instantly.” In 1993, a plane carrying almost all of Zambia's national football squad crashed in Gabon, killing 18 players. The young team was carrying the hopes of many Africans as they progressed towards the 1994 World Cup. But out of that tragedy, an amazing story unfolded, as a team was rebuilt from scratch. That team later went on to win the Afr...
Jun 17, 2024•20 min
Last week Nigeria’s labour unions suspended a general strike, that caused widespread disruption across the country, for one week. Unions were demanding an increase in the national monthly minimum wage to help workers cope with the rising cost of living. The strike ended after the government agreed to a new national minimum wage. The government also said it will meet with the unions' representatives every day for a week for talks. In today’s Africa Daily Noni Muchiri speaks to the BBC’s Nkechi Og...
Jun 14, 2024•17 min
Residents of Ongata Rongai, a suburb in the Kenyan capital Nairobi have recently had to be on their guard after a number of lions have been sighted roaming their neighbourhood. Concern peaked three weeks ago when a video circulated of a lion climbing over a perimeter wall into a homestead – only to re-emerge with a dog in its mouth moments later. Since then the residents have received alerts from wildlife authorities, as more carnivores have been sighted. The increase in such incidents has reign...
Jun 13, 2024•20 min
It was the news that Malawians had been dreading: on Tuesday President Lazarus Chakwera announced that his vice president, Saulos Chilima, had been killed in a plane crash. Vice President Chilima had been travelling to the funeral of a former government minister. The military aircraft he was on had been flying in bad weather and disappeared from airport radars on Monday. When it was found by rescuers, the aircraft was completely destroyed. There were eight others onboard, including the former fi...
Jun 12, 2024•15 min
President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill to reintroduce Nigeria’s old national anthem which was dropped by its military government in 1978. He said the country’s old anthem composed in 1959 symbolised Nigeria's diversity. But many have questioned his priorities amid the cost of living crisis which is shaking the country to the core. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been hearing more about this change and its impact from the BBC’s Chris Ewokor in the capital Abuja and Nigerian gospel singe...
Jun 11, 2024•17 min
Before most marriages in South Sudan go ahead, men will typically give the woman’s family a dowry in the form of money and most often cattle. For some it’s seen as an important tradition and a sign of respect. However, there are growing concerns from both men and women that providing dowries has become a burden and is leading to more sinister outcomes. This includes forced marriages and men resorting to violent cattle raids to steal the cows they need to get married. In today’s Africa Daily, Ala...
Jun 10, 2024•20 min
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has been pleading for urgent support for Ghanaian students studying abroad who have not received their stipends for almost a year. The students are on a government scholarship, and they left Ghana with the promise of getting financial support during their time at university. The scholarship was set up for "brilliant and needy" students. But as Ghana is facing its own economic crisis, it has left these students with a huge financial burden of their own....
Jun 07, 2024•18 min
For the first time since the fall of apartheid in 1994, South Africa is now negotiating an uncharted political territory. It comes after the ruling African National Congress (ANC), a party that was once led by Nelson Mandela, lost its parliamentary majority. The organization received 40.18% in last week’s elections, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 21.81% and Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MK) with 14.58%. Some attribute the dismal performance of the ANC to its fallout with former presiden...
Jun 06, 2024•19 min
Teenagers are being actively targeted by the tobacco industry through the use of social media influencers and fruit flavoured products. That’s according to a report by the World Health Organisation which also says that around one in five adolescents in Africa are using tobacco. So what should governments be doing to protect their young people? Especially those in southern Africa which benefit from growing tobacco as a crop? For today’s Africa Daily podcast, Peter Musembi speaks to Vivian Joseph,...
Jun 05, 2024•20 min
“If we want to be a nation we should have our own narrative, we should have our own heroes.” Alan’s guest on the podcast today is Mia Couto - one of Mozambique’s most famous authors who’s won numerous international awards during his decades-long career. But he’s so much more: a biologist, a critical thinker, the son of immigrants and, as a young man, a member of Frelimo - the independence movement which fought against the Portuguese colonial authorities. As the only ‘white guy’ in the room when ...
Jun 04, 2024•20 min
In today’s episode, Mpho Lakaje speaks to a 36-year-old South African man who uses a drug called Nyaope or Whoonga. It’s a type of black tar heroin often mixed with other powdered substances that include cleaning chemicals. But the problem of substance abuse and addiction isn't limited to one country - and the United Nations says it expects the number of people using drugs in Africa to rise 40% by 2030. Sierra Leone is also dealing with a drug commonly known as Kush, a psychoactive blend of addi...
Jun 03, 2024•19 min
For many young people in Africa, traditional banking isn’t just a hassle, it’s a major roadblock. Long lines, piles of paperwork and strict ID requirements mean many are left out in the cold when it comes to managing their money in bank accounts. Digital banking platforms are trying to change this. The idea is that they use technology to provide financial services for payments, loans and even investments, through online platforms and apps instead of traditional banks. Africa Daily’s Muthoni Much...
May 31, 2024•17 min
“Especially the woman, they cannot sing. They cannot go in front of the people and then sing and say ‘I am an artist’. It’s shameful.” Today Alan enjoys a treat on the podcast: singer and activist Sahra Halgan came in to the Africa Daily studios in Broadcasting House along with her fellow musicians percussionist, Aymeric Krol, and guitarist, Maël Salètes, and they performed some of their music live for him. Sahra has lived quite a life… She was a nurse during the Somali civil war in the 1980s be...
May 30, 2024•14 min
"When I came to Northern Ireland, when I was walking on the streets of Derry, I could hardly see a black person. At that time, I think there were only three Kenyans, with me being the fourth person." Lilian Seenoi-Barr is about to make history by becoming Northern Ireland's first black mayor. Ms Seenoi-Barr was selected by the SDLP party to become the next first citizen of Derry City and Strabane District Council but despite the support she received, she has also faced some backlash and racist a...
May 29, 2024•21 min
Are South Africans ready for Wednesday’s national election? “Since hearing that political parties will be launching their election manifestos, I decided to attend these events. I wanted to hear for myself which president would address our needs as college students. It’s my first time voting” – Thembeka Dliwako, South African voter In today’s podcast, Mpho Lakaje sits down with 21-year-old Thembeka Dliwako, who will be voting for the very first time in her life. In her country, she’s popularly kn...
May 28, 2024•18 min
For years, teachers and students at the Dandora Secondary School in Kenya’s capital Nairobi have complained of respiratory illnesses. They say they are caused by the toxic fumes given off by East Africa's largest dump site, the Dandora landfill, which is next to the school. Despite being declared full in 1996, the landfill continues to receive approximately 2,000 tonnes of waste each day. But now the head teacher of the school has decided to tackle the issue, and with students has been planting ...
May 27, 2024•14 min
“Without the public outcry, the mass marriage would have gone on as planned.” There’s been a lot of debate, claim and counter-claim in Nigeria this week over a proposed mass wedding of 100 couples in Niger state in the north of the country. Concerns were raised that some of the girls involved were under the legal age for marriage, and a petition was quickly launched. The Women's Affairs Minister, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye filed a court injunction to stop the ceremony. She’s since said that the weddin...
May 24, 2024•16 min
Kenyan President William Ruto is on a state visit to the US, the first by an African leader since Ghana’s John Kufour in 2008 and only the 6th state visit Biden has hosted since taking office in 2020 A state visit is the highest level of international visit, and its purpose is to confirm the good relationship between the countries concerned. For President Ruto it's a significant display of his emergence as leading voice for Africa - particularly in the eyes of the West. But some observers say th...
May 23, 2024•17 min
It’s expected to be a bruising election, with 70 political parties contesting for power. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress, and the official opposition, Democratic Alliance, are seen as the frontrunners. Former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), are expected to give the ANC a run for their money, particularly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. But on Monday, South Africa's Constitutional Court barred Mr. Zuma from running for parliament, ruling that his 15-m...
May 22, 2024•23 min
During the recent floods in East Africa it became quickly apparent just how ill-prepared most cities across the region are in the face of heavy rains. Some of the continent's major cities are located on the coast, and therefore at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. And meanwhile, a quarter of African cities are exposed to a high risk of drought. The continent is home to 86 of the world’s 100 fastest growing cities, with 7 billion people expected to be living in urban areas by 2030. In th...
May 21, 2024•18 min
During Liberia’s two civil wars, it became normal for children to be abducted by armed groups, often drugged, and forced to fight. 250,000 people are estimated to have died in the conflict which continued between 1989-2003. In 2006, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission - known as ‘TRC’ - to identity individuals linked to war crimes, but as of yet, no-one has been prosecuted. So after President Joseph Boakai recently signed an agreement to establish ...
May 20, 2024•19 min
