shutterstock The team behind our podcast, Pasha, has started a series called “Why We Need” and this first episode is about why we need botanical gardens. Botanical gardens are dedicated to the collection, cultivation, preservation and display of plants. Around the world, they contain 30%-40% of the known plant species. Not only do they maintain documented collections of plants, these institutions carry out research and contribute to education and conservation. So they’re really valuable resource...
Aug 18, 2021•12 min
GettyImages It’s safe to say that the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo this year was an unconventional event. The impact the pandemic had on the athletes has been complex and felt differently across countries and individuals. So how did African athletes fare in these difficult conditions? Overall, not too well on the medals chart. There were some impressive performances but the Olympics did not yield many moments for participants from African countries to savour. In today’s episode of Pasha, Kam...
Aug 06, 2021•11 min
shutterstock In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic the phrase “herd immunity” was bandied about a lot by heads of state as well as health officials. This ideal end state was described as the moment when the virus had been beaten, and everyone could return to a normal life. But a great deal has changed in the intervening months. Firstly, the virus has mutated in ways that make it spread more quickly, and in ways that make it potentially more resistant. In addition, the unequal distribution o...
Aug 02, 2021•17 min
GettyImages After former president Jacob Zuma was recently arrested for contempt of court, South Africa went into disarray . Widespread looting, vandalism and violence broke out. Two provinces – Gauteng, the country’s economic hub, and KwaZulu-Natal, on the east coast – bore the brunt of this. What was initially premised on Zuma’s arrest transpired into something much more coordinated, controlled and dangerous. Many reasons for the violence have been noted. These include: the frustration of hung...
Jul 20, 2021•12 min
Getty Images One of the elements that contribute to a rise in COVID-19 infections is gatherings. Ramadan (the month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset) and Eid (the celebration after the month) are times when gatherings appear to have contributed to the deaths of many in the Muslim community. Research has found that Muslims make up around 2% of South Africa’s population, yet account for 5% of the total COVID deaths so far. A similar trend was seen in Indonesia, which is experiencing high w...
Jul 19, 2021•14 min
GettyImages Seventeen African leaders – national ministers and heads of state – had lost their lives to COVID-19 by February 2021. The continent is made up of 54 countries, so there’s a high number of leaders, but the number of deaths is out of proportion compared with other continents (where the global total is five). In some cases, the deaths of leaders meant a shift in policy. This was notable in Tanzania and Burundi, which initially had strong COVID-19 denial in their policies. Now there is ...
Jul 15, 2021•8 min
shutterstock Disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic provide the world with a learning opportunity. It is important that global events like this are used to invoke change for a better world. The pandemic was coming; there have been near misses in this century alone, like SARS, avian influenza and Ebola. But the world hasn’t learnt from them. Governments and citizens must take up the challenge to make real change for a better future. It’s not only pandemics that are the problem. The world faces huge...
Jul 08, 2021•18 min
GettyImages The Delta variant of SARS-COV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – is spreading across South Africa, sparking a strong resurgence of infections. The president has placed the country under stricter regulations in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Gauteng province, the country’s economic hub, where 25% of the population live, is the epicentre. It’s likely many more people will be hospitalised in the coming weeks and some will die. Severe disease usually lags behind infections...
Jul 01, 2021•11 min
file s y Being a comedian in Zimbabwe is no easy profession, particularly if you’re a woman. The problems women face range from violence – for example, Samantha Kureya, known on stage as Gonyeti, was abducted and tortured by masked gunmen – through to attitudes that frown on women taking to the stage. But Zimbabwe’s women stand-up comedians are fighting the patriarchy. Munya Guramatunhu and Sharon Chideu are taking on the stand-up comedy scene with jokes about men, sex and motherhood. In today’s...
Jun 23, 2021•11 min
shutterstock Peacebuilding Research output across the African continent is really low. Many institutions that produce research are severely underdeveloped and underfunded. Many also have a major focus on undergraduate degrees and enrolments. This drive for an undergraduate degree has means that postgraduate education and research is falling short. Improving research on the continent requires a massive shift. But to get this right means investing more in universities and in research centres and i...
Jun 20, 2021•12 min
The African romantic comedy genre is part of a trend in the cinema of the global South, projecting images of the “global city”. In South Africa, most black romcoms are set in Johannesburg and they too portray it as a glamorous setting for affluent lifestyles and aspirations. But in their storylines and images the films also remind audiences of the city’s real social conflicts and socioeconomic inequalities. They are not simply a celebration of consumerist lifestyles. In today’s episode of Pasha,...
Jun 09, 2021•10 min
shutterstock Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and the environment around them. It is an important branch of study, exploring how animals, plants, the land, climate and humans are interconnected. But a study of 13 leading journals in ecology over 75 years has shown that in this field, women researchers are seriously under-represented. So are countries in the global South – even those with excellent scientists. Kenya and South Africa were the on...
Jun 02, 2021•10 min
shutterstock Globally, there are around 71 million people with hepatitis C. In Africa, more than 10 million people are infected with the virus. The new oral therapies that have been developed to treat hepatitis C are much more effective and easier to take than the previous injections, and have fewer side effects. In high-income countries, these drugs are known to work well. But the number of strains of the virus is limited in those countries. So it wasn’t known how useful the new drugs would be ...
May 26, 2021•11 min
shutterstock Moringa is a plant that offers many benefits. It is full of vitamins and other nutrients . It is also believed to have other pharmacological properties . Aside from food, parts of the moringa can be used for firewood, fencing, water purification and fertiliser . Moringa is also a drought tolerant and resistant crop. Cultivation has been rising in South Africa since it was introduced in 2006, but it has yet to reach its full potential. Moringa is an affordable alternative crop for ma...
May 12, 2021•6 min
Shutterstock Unemployment, poverty and hunger were issues South Africa knew all too well even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has made them worse. Job losses have increased and unemployment has not been offset by a massive government economic stimulus package and wage compensation scheme. But the COVID-19 impact has been unequal for the most part. The worst affected sectors of the economy, like tourism and hospitality, tend to employ relatively low-skilled workers. The country’s tempo...
May 05, 2021•9 min
shutterstock Botswana recently offered the rights to shoot around 300 elephants. There have been mixed feelings about this decision. Some say licensed hunting is ecologically necessary. They also say rural communities need revenue from hunting and are at risk of human-wildlife conflict. Others have criticised it heavily, disputing the claim that hunting is a solution to various problems and pointing to its negative consequences. Botswana is home to about one third of Africa’s elephants and the n...
Apr 28, 2021•14 min
shutterstock The Suez Canal was in the spotlight recently when the container vessel Ever Given became wedged diagonally across it, causing a massive backlog in shipping traffic. The idea of a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean was a dream for many throughout history. The Egyptian Pharoahs, Persians, Romans and Ottomans all saw its potential benefits. The canal offers the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia, making it useful for trade. Eventually a French diplomat, Ferdinan...
Apr 21, 2021•9 min
shutterstock In South Africa, about 6 million households have women as the breadwinners – about 38% of all homes. Many of these women don’t choose to be the primary financial provider but are forced into it by circumstances. And they are over-represented in the poorest paying and most unregulated sectors of the economy, such as service industries, domestic work and informal work. They also earn less than their male counterparts. In today’s episode of Pasha, Bianca Parry, a postdoctoral fellow at...
Apr 13, 2021•11 min
shutterstock Malaria kills over 400,000 people a year across the world. Africa carries the highest burden, with 90% of these deaths occurring on the continent. In South Africa, close to 5 million people are at risk of contracting the disease. Malaria is mainly transmitted along the northern border areas of the country. Mapping malaria risk zones is therefore key to managing the spread. But changing weather patterns have affected the zones. In this episode of Pasha, Jennifer Fitchett, an associat...
Mar 25, 2021•8 min
shutterstock Extreme heat and extreme cold can both have an impact on human health. With a changing climate, these events are set to occur more often. They are also becoming increasingly difficult to predict. Extreme heat stress can result in heatstroke and can affect people’s cardiovascular health. There are significant health concerns related to extreme heat events, particularly when people aren’t prepared for them. Extreme cold temperatures present a different set of challenges. For example, ...
Mar 18, 2021•8 min
GettyImages Insecurity is common throughout Nigeria. But the northern region is the worst affected because of attacks by the terror group Boko Haram, banditry, kidnappings and conflict between farmers and herdsmen. The chaos has led to the closure of some schools and a feeling of helplessness among citizens in states where attacks are on the increase. Sheriff Folarin, a professor of political science and a peace and conflict scholar, blames the current state of affairs on successive governments ...
Mar 17, 2021•9 min
Patrice Motsepe Getty Images The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has a tough job. It includes working with FIFA to run the sport in Africa, and overseeing the continent’s tournaments and leagues. There are also issues of broadcast rights and improving the organisation’s poor reputation. The latest to throw their name into the ring is South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe. The mining magnate is the owner of Mamelodi Sundowns, a club he led to success in South Africa a...
Mar 11, 2021•12 min
shutterstock The Nile river flows through 11 countries in Africa. It is a major source of water for millions of people. This makes it increasingly important that the river is used in a way that’s equitable and fair to all. The starting point is to know how much water there is in the river system, and where – including soil moisture. In today’s episode of Pasha, Emad Hasan, a postdoctoral researcher in remote sensing hydrology at Binghamton University and the State University of New York, talks a...
Feb 25, 2021•7 min
shutterstock Ivermectin has become one of the most talked about drugs in the world . A highly effective treatment for fighting parasites in animals, it was later also shown to be effective in humans. In 2015 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given to William Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for discovering its use against infections caused by roundworm parasites. Interest in the drug has spiked following laboratory evidence that it has an active ingredient that acts against the COVID-19 vi...
Feb 05, 2021•17 min
GettyImages In response to COVID-19, governments around the world, including Nigeria, adopted lockdown measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. As expected, these measures were generally unfavourable to businesses and livelihoods. Nigeria is yet to recover from the blows to its already faltering and largely informal economy. In today’s episode of Pasha, Ndubuisi Nwokoma discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy and the government’s recovery plan. He is professor of econo...
Feb 03, 2021•9 min
shutterstock Novavax vaccine trials run in South Africa and the UK indicate that its efficacy in the UK was 89% at least 7 days after individuals had received two doses of vaccine. In South Africa, the vaccine efficacy was 60% in people living without HIV . The trial is being viewed as highly significant because it is the first vaccine to be tested on a particular COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa. In today’s episode of Pasha Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology and director of...
Feb 01, 2021•19 min
Nakhane live at Omeara What is it to be a man? Through their role in the film Inxeba and the music videos from their albums, South African singer-songwriter, author and actor Nakhane presents themself as fiercely gender nonconforming. With a focus on queer identity and the complexities of manhood, Nakhane’s work challenges conventional notions of masculinity. In today’s episode of Pasha, Associate Professor Gibson Ncube from the University of Zimbabwe talks to Nakhane about their views on mascul...
Jan 27, 2021•9 min
MeerKAT Radio Telescope A telescope in South Africa by the name of MeerKAT enabled the discovery of two giant radio galaxies recently. Finding one radio galaxy is special. Finding two is fantastic. Radio galaxies get their name from the fact that they release huge beams, or “jets”, of radio light. The find was made possible by the ability of a phenomenally powerful telescope called the MeerKAT to detect faint, diffuse light, which previous telescopes were unable to do. The giant radio galaxies w...
Jan 24, 2021•8 min
GettyImages Many countries are either buying or planning to buy COVID-19 vaccines to immunise their citizens. But there is not yet a coherent plan by the Nigerian government for how to get the vaccines. Public officials have announced different plans just as some state governments are also planning to get their own supply. Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, a professor of virology at the University of Ibadan, offers insight into how Nigeria can source vaccines and why it urgently needs a distribution p...
Jan 20, 2021•15 min
shutterstock The South African government has announced plans to vaccinate about two-thirds of its population against COVID-19 by the end of the year. The aim is to do this in three phases, starting with healthcare workers in phase one, the elderly and those with co-morbidities in phase two and the rest of the population in phase three. But the plan has been vehemently attacked as lacking in any detail. In addition, the government has been lambasted for failing to acquire vaccines. Shabir Madhi ...
Jan 14, 2021•18 min
