AFP Africa

Egyptian rapper Dareen is a whirlwind of sharp verses and curly hair on stage, bringing the Cairo crowd to its feet and a fresh perspective to Egypt’s male-dominated rap scene.Her raps flow over eclectic beats inspired by her childhood in Alexandria, the coastal city home to many of Egypt’s biggest rap stars, including the massively …

Egypt’s women rappers fight for place in rising sceneWed, 10 Apr 2024 05:01:35 GMT Read More »

Ten years have passed but whenever Mary Shettima hears footsteps at the door, she thinks her kidnapped daughter has come home.Yana Galang is waiting for her daughter too — she keeps her clothes laid out ready for her return.A decade after Nigeria’s most infamous mass abduction, almost 100 of the 276 Chibok girls seized from their school …

10 years after Chibok, agony of abductions plagues NigeriaWed, 10 Apr 2024 04:42:40 GMT Read More »

A South African court on Tuesday ruled that former president Jacob Zuma can stand in looming general elections, overturning a decision by electoral authorities to bar him over a contempt conviction.In a surprise verdict, the electoral court ruled in favour of the 81-year-old who is fronting uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new opposition party that …

S.Africa’s ex-president Zuma wins court bid to run in May electionTue, 09 Apr 2024 19:41:00 GMT Read More »

South Sudan plans to start voter registration in June for long-delayed elections due to take place at the end of the year, the head of the National Elections Commission said Tuesday.Abenego Akok said a “draft timetable” had been drawn up for the first ever poll in the history of the world’s youngest nation.However, he did …

South Sudan says voter registration to start in JuneTue, 09 Apr 2024 17:03:13 GMT Read More »

The bodies of 38 migrants, including children, have been recovered after a shipwreck off the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, the UN said Tuesday, the latest disaster on the so-called Eastern migration route.The UN’s International Organization for Migration told AFP that the boat was carrying 66 people when it sank in the early hours …

Shipwreck off Djibouti leaves 38 migrants deadTue, 09 Apr 2024 16:34:05 GMT Read More »

Zimbabwe’s new gold-backed currency got off to a chaotic start with shops accepting only US dollars on Tuesday and vexed Zimbabweans queuing up outside banks for hours to access their savings. The ZiG — short for Zimbabwe Gold — officially started trading on Monday, just days after it was announced it would replace the Zimbabwean dollar, …

Zimbabwe’s new currency suffers chaotic startTue, 09 Apr 2024 16:26:36 GMT Read More »

An installation by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama wrapping part of a brutalist central London cultural complex in pink-purple woven cloth and urine-stained robes was unveiled Tuesday.The public commission at the Barbican Centre’s Lakeside Terrace, named “Purple Hibiscus” after Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s eponymous 2003 novel, has been hand-sewn in collaboration with hundreds of craftspeople in Ghana.The …

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama adds splash of colour to London complexTue, 09 Apr 2024 15:45:09 GMT Read More »

Hundreds of hospital doctors joined a demonstration in the streets of the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday as a nationwide strike by medics neared its fourth week.About a dozen riot police in pickup trucks monitored the protest, which was not authorised by the authorities.Members of the 7,000-strong Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) …

Hundreds of Kenya doctors protest in support of strikeTue, 09 Apr 2024 13:52:38 GMT Read More »

For architecture fans, Casablanca offers a visual feast of Moorish tiles, ancient minarets and French colonial facades with Art Deco touches, but much still faces dereliction or is falling apart.To highlight the rich heritage of the Moroccan economic capital and encourage its preservation, guided walking tours have taken thousands of people on urban explorations on …

Night tours spotlight Casablanca architectural heritageTue, 09 Apr 2024 01:25:36 GMT Read More »

Rescuers searched off the northern coast of Mozambique on Monday after an overloaded makeshift ferry boat capsized, killing at least 98 people.The converted fishing boat, with about 130 people on board, ran into trouble late on Sunday as it headed for an island off Nampula province, officials said.The latest death toll of 98 was released …

Mozambique makeshift ferry disaster kills 98Mon, 08 Apr 2024 19:16:43 GMT Read More »