Africa 

Calls for calm and dialogue in Kenya following Monday’s protests

Calls for calm and dialogue in Kenya have multiplied on Tuesday, including from the African Union (AU), in the wake of fresh protests marred by violence and looting. On Monday, police fired tear gas to disperse opposition demonstrators in Nairobi and in the western town of Kisumu where one person was killed. In Nairobi, in addition to tear gas, police… Read More
Africa 

Kenya opposition leader blames president for violence during demonstrations

Kenya opposition leader, Raila Odingo, says he and his supporters did not imagine that the state would respond with violence to the ongoing protests over the high cost of living. His statement came after Monday’s anti-government demonstrations turned violent with the police firing tear gas at protestors and looters going on the rampage. “Ruto’s hands are all over this violence.… Read More
Africa 

Benin’s Kidjio awarded Polar Music Prize

Award winning singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo won the 2023 Polar Music Prize. Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and composer Arvo Pärt have also won the Swedish music award. They “made such a global impact with their music,” Marie Ledin, the managing director of the annual prize, said in announcing the winners Tuesday (Mar. 28). The award committee was enthralled by Kidjo’s… Read More
Africa 

25 African songs that made it to Kamala Harris’ playlist on African visit

US Vice-President Kamala Harris has unveiled her latest travel companion – a curated playlist of 25 tracks by African musicians that she’s been listening to during her current trip on the continent. Titled “My Travels: Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia,” the playlist is now available on Spotify and features a predominantly Tanzanian line-up. Harris’ playlist showcases her appreciation for the diverse… Read More
Africa 

Black Tunisians hit by racism after President’s infamous remarks

Like many black Tunisians, 26-year-old Nebras Magnnah has been fearful since waves of racist attacks targeting sub-Saharan African migrants were unleashed after incendiary remarks by President Kais Saied. Ever since Saied last month ordered “urgent measures” against sub-Saharan migrants over a purported “criminal plot” to change the North African country’s demographic make-up, Magnnah said she has been insulted on the… Read More
Africa 

Police fire tear gas as fresh protests erupt in Kenya despite ban

Kenyan police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters and opposition leader Raila Odinga’s convoy on Monday as he pressed ahead with an anti-government rally despite a ban. The protesters defied a warning by the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome that the demonstrations in Nairobi and the western city of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold, were “illegal”. The opposition… Read More
Africa 

Chad’s interim president pardons 380 rebels jailed for 2021 death of former president

Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, has pardoned 380 rebels from group, The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT). They were part of a group of 400 people who were handed life sentences last Tuesday in connection with the 2021 death of his father, the country’s long-time ruler, Idriss Deby Itno. He was killed when he went to… Read More
Africa 

Harris visits Ghana’s president, promises aid, investments

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday praised Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo for his “democratic principles” during a visit with the West African leader, who’s facing rising discontent over inflation and fresh concerns about regional security. Harris is just beginning a weeklong trip to the continent that will also take her to Tanzania and Zambia, part of a concerted effort… Read More
Africa 

Kenya Airways posts record $290M loss despite revenue growth in 2022

Kenya Airways remained loss-making in 2022 with a net loss more than doubling to hit a record Ksh38.26 billion ($290.62 million). It grew 1.4 times from Ksh15.87 billion ($120.55 million) posted in 2021 and took the national carrier’s accumulated loss to Ksh172.68 billion ($1.3 billion). The results were announced during a virtual investor briefing, Monday (Mar. 27). Costs grew from… Read More
Africa 

Moroccan villagers keep communal store tradition alive

High in the rugged hills some 460 kilometres (280 miles) south of the capital Rabat, Ait Kine is home to one of country’s few remaining collective granaries called agadir in Amazigh, Morocco’s Berber language. According to Abdelghani Charai, merchant of village of Ait Kine; “The granary was a guarantee of security, especially in the event of an “insiba” (rebellion of local… Read More