Publish or perish: Why internet publishing is new storehouse of knowledge for deprived African scholars
In Africa South of the Sahara, South Africa and Nigeria have progressed fastest in the adoption and use social media in academic libraries. However, it is true to say that in most African universities there is still a lot of hesitation to use academic production in social media such as Researchgate.net and Academia.edu to measure academic success and reward those who publish in these media, however qualitative their work is. This is probably true in most universities of the world.
Witchcraft case that implicates Zambian president shines light on colonial-era law, exposes how politicians invest in black magic
Police say the men in the current case were arrested in a hotel room in the capital, Lusaka, in December after a cleaner reported hearing strange noises. They were found in possession of a bottled chameleon and other items including a mysterious white powder, a red cloth and an unidentified animal’s tail. The men also face charges of cruelty to animals.
Africa governments must invest more in agroecology to advance food sovereignty, ESAFF forum in Kenya told
Executive Director Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development (IRPAD) Mamadou Goita said agroecology is essential for safeguarding African biodiversity, enhancing soil quality, improving nutrition and health and increasing resilience to climate and other crises to strengthen local food systems.
Sudan’s military wrests Obeid city from paramilitary group RSF’s control, restores access to the area
Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim hailed the military’s advances in Obeid as a “massive step” to lift the RSF siege on el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, as well as delivering humanitarian aid to the Kordofan area.
Big cat juju: Mystical beliefs in wildlife powers in Senegal fuelling rapid decline of lion and leopard populations in West Africa
The gris-gris, prescribed by influential religious leaders called marabouts, are crafted from bits of skin with written prayers or Quranic verses sewn inside. They are widely used across Senegal; police don them for protection, wrestlers for strength and politicians for clout. Average citizens wear them to ward off curses that other people may have put on them for a variety of reasons – matters of romance, perhaps, or jealousy at economic success.
At least 430 killed in Sudanese RSF paramilitary attacks in White Nile State, aid agencies say
The war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people – about 30 per cent of the population – from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have escaped to neighbouring countries.
South African scientists’ research on promising HIV vaccine cut short US president’s aid freeze
Several other mRNA-based HIV vaccine candidates worldwide have reached clinical trials. BRILLIANT is unique in being Africa-led, aiming to develop capacity for producing vaccines in Africa.
Assassination cited in killing of world’s first openly gay Muslim imam as South Africa promises probe
Police have not established a motive for the killing, but political parties and LGBTQ+ organisations say Hendricks was targeted because he started a mosque in Cape Town for gay Muslims and called for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be welcomed into Islam. Homosexuality is forbidden in the Islamic religion.
Africa creates $20 billion financial stability fund to guard against frequent bailouts for economies in distress
Creation of the facility was partly motivated by the fact that Africa lacks its own regional financial cushion, unlike Europe and Asia, which have arrangements of this kind.
Perverse effects of conflict minerals initiatives in Congo remind us of how inaccurate narratives fuel the very problems they pretend to tackle
Natural resources do play an important role for both eastern DRC and Rwanda’s political economy, and it is true that the return of the M23 in 2021 correlates with a sharp rise in Rwanda’s mineral exports, as per official statistics.
