Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS, three infectious diseases that account for 10 percent of all deaths worldwide. Doctors call them “the big three” – malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS – three infectious diseases that account for 10 percent of all deaths worldwide. The UN-backed Global Fund estimates it needs $87bn to bring these killer diseases […]
Residents of Makoko, a Nigerian “water” slum, fight for survival
5 May 2013 by
Authorities destroyed shacks, displacing hundreds, eight months ago. Of all Africa’s slums, Makoko in Nigeria known for its colour, canoes and poverty is one of the more unusual. It’s built on water. For generations the fishing community in Makoko built its homes over water. Makoko’s shacks on stilts are home to an estimated 250,000 people. […]
CAR, President Bozize and secret prisons
5 May 2013 by
When rebels stormed the capital of the Central African Republic ousting President François Bozizé last Sunday, they freed a number of prisoners from Bozizé’s jails. But though the former prisoners are now free, the past still entraps them. . Nearly a week after he was released from prison when rebels stormed the capital of the […]
Cote d’Ivoire votes
29 April 2013 by
Ivory Coast holds first major election since 2010 when 3,000 people died in widespread violence. The atmosphere at the Lac Two polling station in Koumassi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, was calm on Sunday. Voting for hundreds of mayors and local councillors seemed to get off to a slow start. There were queues of just seven to […]
Conservation or destruction? Each is in the eye of the beholder.
29 April 2013 by
Tanzanian government wants Maasai off gaming land It is easy for outsiders to be romantic about the Maasai. The proud herders, dressed in traditional “shukas” and extravagant beaded earrings and necklaces, drive their livestock across the vast open grasslands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The community lives with their animals in thorn-bush compounds, shunning […]
The last king standing
29 April 2013 by
There are elections and there is a constitution in Swaziland, but the King can overrule both. King Mswati III celebrates his 45th birthday today. Grand celebrations are planned and thousands of people will celebrate alongside him. The king reigns over Africa’s last absolute monarchy – a country opposition leaders describe as an island of dictatorship […]