Kehinde Wiley made his name painting ordinary African-Americans in classical European style, but after a high-profile commission from Barack Obama he is focusing on a different form of black power with a new show looking at African leaders. Wiley’s portraits borrow the codes of Old Master paintings usually associated with kings and religious saints, often setting …

Kehinde Wiley: black power painterTue, 26 Sep 2023 14:11:58 GMT Read More »

Niger’s coup leaders are demanding a “negotiated framework” for former colonial ruler France to withdraw its troops, which Paris says will be completed by the end of the year.The new military regime said in a statement read out on national TV late on Monday that the timeframe for the pullout “must be set out in …

Niger regime wants ‘negotiated framework’ for French army pulloutTue, 26 Sep 2023 13:49:45 GMT Read More »

Nigeria, a nation of conflicts, corruption and poverty? That narrative is what a new breed of local media created by young Nigerians hopes to counter by getting away from the stereotypes they say are too often perpetuated by the foreign press.Over the last decade, several online publications such as The Republic, Culture Custodian and Stears Business …

Nigeria’s new media seeks to cover Africa’s ignored storiesTue, 26 Sep 2023 12:40:42 GMT Read More »

UK interior minister Suella Braverman was on Tuesday to question whether the United Nations Refugee Convention was “fit for our modern age” during a keynote speech at a US think-tank in Washington.The speech at the centre-right American Enterprise Institute is intended to lay out an international plan to deal with the refugee crisis, a key …

UK interior minister to question role of UN refugee conventionTue, 26 Sep 2023 08:56:10 GMT Read More »

South African anti-apartheid struggle hero Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter, Zoleka Mandela, has died of cancer aged 43, her family said on Tuesday. Known for having detailed her long battle against the disease, the author was admitted into hospital on Monday as part of her ongoing treatment, a family spokesman said.”Zoleka passed away… surrounded by friends and family,” …

Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter dies of cancer aged 43Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:43:05 GMT Read More »

The last absolute monarchy in Africa, the Kingdom of Eswatini, holds parliamentary elections on Friday, with political parties banned from contesting. The constitution emphasises “individual merit” as the basis for selecting lawmakers, who cannot be affiliated with any political group.Being in the good graces of King Mswati III, who wields absolute power, also carries much weight.- Democracy? …

Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, holds electionsTue, 26 Sep 2023 05:33:16 GMT Read More »

The lush palm groves of Karima are a long way from Sudan’s battlefields, but the war’s effects are all too present, leaving farmers struggling to find buyers for this year’s harvest.Prices have collapsed in the vital date industry, the latest economic sector to become a casualty of war in the northeast African country.Every autumn, until …

Sudan’s vital date industry struggles in war-decimated economyTue, 26 Sep 2023 03:47:53 GMT Read More »

The United States said Monday it will “evaluate” its next steps on the crisis in Niger after France announced a full troop withdrawal as demanded by the nation’s military coup leaders.France fields 1,500 soldiers in Niger as part of an anti-jihadist deployment in the Sahel region and the United States 1,100 military personnel.”While we give diplomacy …

US weighs options in coup-hit Niger after France pulloutMon, 25 Sep 2023 17:57:24 GMT Read More »

Outbreaks of dengue fever and acute watery diarrhoea have “killed hundreds” in war-torn Sudan, medics reported on Monday, warning of “catastrophic spreads” that could overwhelm the country’s decimated health system.In a statement, the Sudanese doctors’ union warned that the health situation in the southeastern state of Gedaref, on the border with Ethiopia, “is deteriorating at …

Hundreds dead from dengue fever in war-torn Sudan: medicsMon, 25 Sep 2023 17:10:37 GMT Read More »

Mali’s ruling junta on Monday announced a delay to a presidential election scheduled for February that was aimed at returning civilian leaders to power in the jihadist-hit West African nation.The two rounds of voting — initially set for February 4 and 18, 2024 — “will be slightly postponed for technical reasons”, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga …

Mali’s junta delays February presidential electionMon, 25 Sep 2023 16:21:42 GMT Read More »