AFP Africa

South African writer and theatre director Athol Fugard was acclaimed at home and abroad for plays that exposed the injustices of the apartheid system and challenged its racist taboos, including by putting black and white actors on stage together.Fugard, who died on March 8, aged 92, wrote more than 30 plays over seven decades, his …

South Africa’s taboo-breaking playwright Athol FugardSun, 09 Mar 2025 16:15:54 GMT Read More »

Booming cocoa prices are stirring interest in turning Nigeria into a bigger player in the sector, with hopes of challenging top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana, where crops have been ravaged by climate change and disease.Nigeria has struggled to diversify its oil-dependent economy but investors have taken another look at cocoa beans after global prices …

Nigeria seeks to cash in on soaring cocoa pricesSun, 09 Mar 2025 03:03:54 GMT Read More »

Protesters took to the streets across the world Saturday to mark International Women’s Day, demanding equal pay, political representation and an end to gender-based violence while voicing fears of rising repression.In eastern Ukraine, scores of demonstrators held a minute’s silence to honour women killed defending the country from Russia’s invasion. Many carried banners bearing the …

Protesters rally on International Women’s Day, fearing far rightSun, 09 Mar 2025 02:14:43 GMT Read More »

South Sudan is in “alarming regression” as clashes in recent weeks in the northeast threaten to undo years of progress towards peace, the UN commission on human rights in the country warned on Saturday.A fragile power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar has been put in peril by the clashes …

‘Alarming regression’ in South Sudan, UN warnsSat, 08 Mar 2025 17:31:59 GMT Read More »

Legs taut, backs bent at the waist, the wrestlers slowly stretched out their arms towards each other, searching for a grip while trying to avoid becoming exposed themselves. In a flash it was all over — a tangle of grappling, pushing and jostling that ended with the Beninese fighter tossed to the ground by her Nigerian …

Women step into the ring at west African wrestling tournamentSat, 08 Mar 2025 11:01:16 GMT Read More »

Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of complicity in genocide in a filing at the International Court of Justice, putting the spotlight on the oil-rich monarchy’s alleged involvement in a devastating civil war.The UAE has long been accused by Sudan and others of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the …

What is the UAE’s involvement in war-torn Sudan?Sat, 08 Mar 2025 09:59:27 GMT Read More »

South Sudan’s president appealed for calm and pledged his country would “not go back to war”, after a UN helicopter was attacked and a crew member killed on a rescue mission on Friday.A fragile power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar has been threatened in recent weeks by clashes between …

S.Sudan president appeals for calm after UN helicopter attackFri, 07 Mar 2025 20:44:16 GMT Read More »

Amaka Okoli became a bus driver three years ago after losing her job as a banker in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital.The 38-year-old now begins her day at 5:30 am to take advantage of the early morning rush hour and finishes by late afternoon to do her other job — being a mother of three children.”It …

Nigeria women challenge norms from behind the wheelFri, 07 Mar 2025 20:10:16 GMT Read More »

Bulldozers tore through homes in Lagos’s working-class Otumara neighbourhood Friday, leaving hundreds of families homeless as Nigerian authorities demolish slums over land disputes and campaigns to sharpen the mega-city’s image.”They took us by surprise, and I don’t even know where to go now,” said resident Victoria Ajah, who was only given 30 minutes to grab …

Nigerian authorities raze another working-class Lagos neighbourhoodFri, 07 Mar 2025 17:13:09 GMT Read More »

Man-made climate change increased the likelihood of the heatwave gripping South Sudan, a study said Friday, saying soaring temperatures were disproportionately affecting women and girls.The impoverished nation has been plagued by insecurity and instability since declaring independence in 2011, and is ill-equipped to counter increasing environmental disasters.The heatwave comes as South Sudan endures yet another bout …

S.Sudan heatwave ‘more likely’ due to climate change: studyFri, 07 Mar 2025 15:32:44 GMT Read More »