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Cologne film festival shines spotlight on land-grabbing in Africa

The number of African governments selling land to foreign investors has increased dramatically over the past decade. As the Africa Film Festival in Cologne showed, many filmmakers are now tackling the difficult subject in their work, reports Aude Gensbittel. “How can they say the land is not ours?” asks Okello O to the camera, horrified. “Our ancestors are buried here, …

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Trump’s Africa policy still incoherent, but key signals are emerging – Expert

John J Stremlau, a Visiting Professor of International Relations at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, writes on the emerging shape of US President Donald Trump’s policy on Africa. Africa’s leaders, along with everyone else interested in US-Africa relations, have waited eight months for US President Donald Trump’s administration to explain its Africa policy. We aren’t there yet. But in …

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Corruption in Africa fuelled by European, American companies – Mo Ibrahim

Mo Ibrahim, Sudanese-British business mogul who founded the telecommunications company Celtel International in 1998, has accused of individuals and companies from outside the continent of promoting corruption in Africa. The philanthropist and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation spoke on the sidelines of the 2nd Africa Convergence summit held in the Moroccan city of Casablanca last weekend. Ibrahim, who was …

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Nigeria: IPOB calls on US, EU to intervene in Biafra agitation

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for a separate state for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, has called for international intervention in the attacks on pro-Biafra activists. IPOB spokesman in a statement issued on Monday said the group denies all claims of violence as advanced by the army and the government. Whiles challenging the authorities to …

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Deutsche Welle broadcasts live to Africa via Facebook

With an audience reach of 52 million in Africa, the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) has become the first international broadcaster to launch ‘Facebook Live Audio’. DW has been streaming live radio programs for Africa daily on the network’s Facebook platform in English, French, Hausa and Kiswahili in recent weeks. The live broadcast of audio content on Facebook has …

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Kenya’s ruling party moves to amend election law ahead of re-run

Kenya’s ruling Jubilee Party has presented parliament with proposals intended to prevent the Supreme Court annulling the results of a coming re-run presidential election, as it did the last vote in August. The court struck down President Uhuru Kenyatta’s poll victory then, saying there had been illegalities and irregularities in the transmission of results. Kenya used two systems to transmit …

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Germany and Ghana mark 60 years of diplomatic relations

German movies, cultural and media workshops are part of celebrations marking 60 years of co-operation between Germany and Ghana, reports Isaac Kaledzi  from Accra. For Yibor Kojo Yibor, a Ghanaian cultural analyst, Saturday, 30 September’s event in Accra offered an opportunity for Ghanaians to reflect more on Germany’s culture and way of life. “I think that what is interesting for Ghanaians is …

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Nigeria fixes date for next presidential election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the date of Nigeria’s next general elections. The presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on 16 February 2019, INEC said on its official Twitter account on Thursday. The date will mark the end of ailing President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term. He has not said if he will run again. Buhari came …

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Cameroon deploys army to Anglophone regions to face off secessionists

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has dispatched the military to the South West and North West Regions of the country ahead of Independence Day on 1 October to face off secessionists. The military deployment was officially announced by the Governor of the South West Region Bernard Okalia Bilai on Thursday after restricting movement of people and vehicles, closing all public places …

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British air hostess sacked for insulting Nigerian passengers in viral video

A British Airways hostess has been sacked after a Snapchat video she recorded slamming Nigerian passengers went viral. Joanne Wickenden, who was wearing her uniform in the minute-long video, was complaining about excessive demands by Nigerian passengers while making references to male genitals. “All the Nigerians are gonna be there like ‘gimme Coca Cola, gimme beef, why you have no …

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Opinion: Europe must embrace its new identity – Carl Bildt

Following the shocking victory of a far-right party at Germany’s general election, Carl Bildt, Sweden’s former prime minister, writes on the challenges facing Europe, a continent that once exported war and turmoil, but now wants to protect itself from its neighbours’ problems. By Carl Bildt Travelling through Germany in the run-up to its federal election of 24 September, one cannot …

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Bayelsa Governor urges Nigerians in Diaspora to unite

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to work together irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation to make Nigeria great again. Governor Dickson, who stated this in Atlanta last weekend at a dinner in his honour by Nigeria’s Consulate-General in America, Ambassador Kayode Laro, said Nigeria is a great country with great …

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Kipchoge and Cherono make it double win for Kenya at Berlin Marathon

It wasn’t the race that anybody anticipated and the world record of 2:02:57 still stands, but Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge came away from the 2017 Berlin Marathon on Sunday with the win in 2:03:32—and he faced some unanticipated late-race competition from a newcomer to the distance. Although the pre-race hype focused on a battle between the “big three” of Kipchoge, Wilson …

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German voters undecided hours before polls open

With opinion polls suggesting a third of the electorate is still undecided about who to vote for a day before the federal parliamentary election, candidates have been out and about doing some last-minute campaigning. While Angela Merkel is widely predicted to be re-elected chancellor, her conservative CDU party seems to have taken a last-minute dip in support. It has slipped …

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Bekele, Kipchoge and Kipsang aim for marathon history in Berlin

It should be a history-making event as three of the fastest marathoners on earth line up to race the 44th BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, 24 September. Running for the world record are Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Wilson Kipsang, who will summon near-super human strength, speed and endurance developed over years of dedicated training. The time …

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World’s largest museum of contemporary African art opens

A new museum which, according to experts, will transform the way contemporary African art, is viewed opens its doors for the first time today (22 September). The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. The 100,000-square-foot space on the V&A waterfront comprises 80 galleries spread over nine floors, …

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Kenya’s election re-run postponed

Kenya’s new presidential election has been delayed to 26 October, after the country’s polls commission sought more time to reform voting processes. The re-run had originally been scheduled for 17 October. Kenya’s elections body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has announced a new date for the presidential poll rerun ordered by the Supreme Court. A statement issued on …

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