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The Conversation Africa
Toumani Diabaté: the famed musician from Mali who took the kora to the world
The world has lost a significant musical ambassador for the Mande people of west Africa – the virtuoso kora player, composer, and collaborator from Mali, Toumani Diabaté. He died on 19 July, just short of his 59th birthday, at the peak of his career. When Toumani was born...
Kenya’s new cabinet: finance minister faces an uphill battle against corruption, unemployment and debt
Kenya faces difficult times ahead because of pressure to pay debts, create jobs for the youth, offer improved services to citizens and uproot entrenched corruption. The tough journey on the new path begins afresh with the appointment of a new cabinet which takes office after weeks of unrelenting protests by Kenya’s young population demanding better governance.
South African teens are struggling: Western Cape study shows 33% have symptoms of depression
In South Africa, little research has been done on depression and anxiety among younger adolescents, those between the ages of 10 and 14. Existing studies have primarily targeted older adolescents and those living with HIV. The age range of 10- to 14-year-olds has been neglected. This age group is important...
DRC ceasefire for humanitarian aid is a small step forward - what must happen next for peace
The United States has negotiated a truce so humanitarian assistance can be given to more than seven million people, including children, caught in the grip of the conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The initial cessation of hostilities was for two weeks. It was...
New fish found off Madagascar: remarkable long-nosed skate discovered in the deep ocean
The Madagascar Ridge, in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is a remote, elevated area of seabed south of Madagascar. In 2016, my colleagues and I discovered a new cartilaginous fish species in its deep waters; a catshark that we named Bach’s catshark (Bythaelurus bachi) after German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. (In 2017 we discovered another new deep-water catshark that’s very similar to B. bachi but from the northwestern Indian Ocean off Somalia. We named it Bythaelurus vivaldii after another composer, Italian Antonio Vivaldi.)
Fossil algae show a lake once existed on Lesotho’s Mafadi summit but it vanished about 150 years ago
Lesotho is a small, land-locked, mountainous country located in the middle of South Africa. Its Eastern Lesotho Highlands are often referred to as the region’s “water tower” because they receive some of the highest rainfall amounts in southern Africa, providing water to South Africa and electricity to Lesotho through the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Poor South African households can’t afford nutritious food – what can be done
Food insecurity is a feature of life for millions of South Africans. Food insecurity refers to a lack of regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for average growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food or a lack of resources to buy it.
PhDs are important for South Africa’s growth: more support for doctoral candidates who work full-time is key
South Africa’s government and higher education sector have invested a lot of time and money over the past two decades to enhance the country’s research output and cultivate the next generation of researchers. Though there has been some progress, South Africa still isn’t close to its National Development...
11 million Nigerian children are going hungry: how this hurts their health and what needs to be done
Unicef, the UN agency for children, reported in June 2024 that around 11 million Nigerian children were experiencing severe child food poverty. The report says this translates to one in every three Nigerian children under five years old. Nigeria has about 31 million children under five. Unicef defines severe child...
Kenya’s former President Daniel arap Moi mastered the art of silencing critics – why his tactics wouldn’t work today
Countrywide protests, police killings, mass arrests and calls for the president to stand down. This is Kenya in 2024 – and, for many, it’s evoking memories of another era: the 24-year-rule of Daniel arap Moi. However, Kenya is a very different country today with a new constitution, an...
Urban greening in Africa will help to build climate resilience – planners and governments need to work with nature
Nature-based solutions are actions that use nature to solve environmental problems. Examples in cities would be setting up a wetland near a group of buildings to absorb floodwater, or building permeable pavements. The world’s developed countries have been implementing nature-based solutions since 2015 but Africa has fallen behind. We are...
Invasive wasps threaten South African ecosystems: what the public can do to help stop the spread
The sight of a swarm of wasps, or even just a single wasp, strikes fear into many people’s hearts. Most wasp species aren’t dangerous to humans (unless you’re allergic), but their stings are painful. Some wasp species can wreak havoc in other ways, though. Take the family...
Nigeria’s chronic power shortages: mini grids were going to crack the problem for rural people, but they haven’t. Here’s why
Electricity is a scarce commodity in Nigeria. With just over 4,000 megawatts supplying nearly 220 million people, the electricity access deficit stands at about 40% nationwide. The picture looks even darker in rural areas. There, 73% of the population is off the power grid. Rural electrification is crucial to achieve...
Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech to parliament listed South Africa’s old problems – but no new solutions
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opening of parliament speech successfully captured the spirit of a diverse and cohesive multi-party government ready to get down to work. But it failed to tell South Africans how the new dispensation will do things differently, and better. In the May 2024 national and...
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A nonprofit news source unlocking knowledge from African experts for the public. The Conversation Africa finds people who have been studying a subject for years or decades and helps them explain important information. All stories are based on these experts' research.
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