The story of this vast region in Africa is more layered and nuanced than depicted in world news headlines Young Dogon men carrying straw, which is used as animal feed in Mali, West Africa. Image by Ferdinand Reus on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed). By Adesewa Olofinko for Global Voices For decades, the Sahel — an area…
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On Femininity, Gatekeeping, and Women Who Don’t Look Like Us
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif sparked controversy… Backstory: In a preliminary women’s under 66kg boxing match at the Paris Olympics between Algerian Imane Khelif and Italian Angela Carini, a powerful punch to the face resulted in Carini withdrawing after 46 seconds. Carini dissolved into tears, crying…
Africa’s Women’s Day: The Dar es Salaam Spark and the African Women Who Ignited a Continent
Lagos, NIGERIA – As we celebrate Africa’s Women’s Day, a pivotal moment in African history deserves revisiting. Let’s go back in time to a gathering that took place in Tanzania in 1962 when women from across the newly independent nations of Africa converged in Dar es Salaam, united by a…
A New Chapter: The EU’s Global Gateway and Africa’s Ascent
For decades, the narrative surrounding Africa-Europe relations has often been one of dependence and aid. Many people believe that Africa needs a saviour. However, despite its young population and abundant natural resources, it has taken longer than expected for the continent to firmly establish itself in the global world order.…
Timbuktoo: UNDP Launches Pan-African Fintech Hub to Fuel Innovation Across the Continent
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is ushering in a new era of African innovation with the launch of the Timbuktoo Fintech Hub in Lagos, Nigeria. This groundbreaking initiative unveiled a pioneer cohort of 42 startups from 31 countries, marking the first step in UNDP’s $1 billion effort to support…
Gender Parity in Elections: Lessons from an AU Media Fellow’s Study of the European Union
As I walked the historic halls of the European Commission in Brussels, the weight of history and the promise of progress felt palpable. Here I was, an African Union media fellow from Nigeria, immersing myself in the complexities and triumphs of European political dynamics. This unique vantage point offered not…
Afrofuturism and Africa’s Alternate History
Africa’s rich history and vibrant cultures provide a treasure trove of inspiration, despite all that the continent has suffered. But what if we looked not just to the past, but also the future? The term “Afrofuturism” was coined in 1994 to mean combining science-fiction, history and fantasy to explore the…
‘No Uterus, No Opinion’ -AND Why It Is All Shades Of Wrong
Hello ladies! Grab a chair and come closer. Today’s tea is about you, and I’m spilling. SPILL-ING on behalf of other women who are tired of you already and the men who also think “Yeah, my woman can do better.” You know I usually say I prioritize women’s voices when…
Feminism in Pre-colonial Africa
Until recently, Europe has always looked at Africa through this messed-up lens of racism and racial theories. Notably, in the British context, a whole mix of stereotypes, pseudo-science, and baseless speculations that birthed racism came from the political fights over the slave trade and slavery in the late 1700s and…
Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit: The Challenge of Implementation
The just concluded Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, became imperative in the face of myriad challenges affecting agricultural productivity and food production in Africa. Linked to unsustainable agricultural practices, heads of state, ministers, policymakers, researchers, and farmers gathered in Nairobi with a unified goal to…