After a second try, Nigerian musician Femi Kuti successfully broke a saxophone world record for playing a single note for over 51 minutes. He used a circular breathing method to sustain the note for 51 minutes 35 seconds last Sunday which he gladly posted on his Twitter page. “Done. proven. #circular breathing tonight at the Shrine 51 mins 35secs 83mili …

Visa-free travel is something many of us take for granted in today’s increasingly interconnected world. But for many Africans this modern luxury is much more of a lottery, with citizens of some African countries enjoying similar travel rights to Europeans, while others fare little better than residents of war-torn Syria. Citizens of the Seychelles have the most travel freedom among …

Kolapo Fujah, writing from Lagos, joins issues with Frisky Larr, whose book Lost in Democracy calls for an alternative to the Western-inspired system of government in Africa because it has failed to deliver good governance in the continent. Fujah argues that the problem with democracy in Africa is not with the system itself but how it’s practiced. For starters, democracy …

“We need a day to discuss the problems that we don’t usually talk about,” said Dr RosaLyn Dressman, the chairperson of AfricanTide Union, a non-governmental organisation based in the western German city of Dortmund. These are the issues that will be discussed during the activities marking this year’s Africa Day in Dortmund on 25-27 May. Dr RosaLyn Dressman, a sociologist …

After the appointment of Senegalese-born Sibeth Ndiaye (37) as press secretary or media advisor in the French presidency, another Black woman has been named minister in the new government of President Emmanuel Macron. France’s new cabinet, which was unveiled on Wednesday, is made up of 11 women and 11 men, including Laura Flessel, as sports minister. Aged 45, she is …

Kenyan-born scholar George Ogola, writing from the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom, explains why the impartiality of the media is crucial to free and fair elections in Africa and the sustainability of peace and stability on the continent. The news media is usually one of first casualties of bungled or contested elections. From the recent US elections, …

The German chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) has elected a new executive council. The body’s Annual General Meeting, which took place on Saturday (13 May) in Frankfurt, elected Kenneth Chukwudi Alaekwe as President, Dr RosaLyn Dressman (Vice President) and Prof Dr Brando Okolo (General Secretary). Other new members of the council are Dr Augustine Okeke (Assistant General …

The Ugandan human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo has won the 2017 German Africa Prize. In a statement, the German Africa Foundation which has awarded the prize since 1993, said Opiyo had been honoured for his role in protecting peace, democracy, and human rights in the east African country. Opiyo, founder of the human rights organization “Chapter Four Uganda”, has worked …

Karamba Diaby (57) represents the eastern city of Halle in the German Federal Parliament on the platform of the Social Democrats, the SPD. The election of the Senegalese-born holder of a doctorate degree in chemistry and that of the Afro-German Charles Huber (CDU) as the Bundestag’s first members of African descent in 2013 marked a watershed in the history of …

German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Brigitte Zypries, visited South Africa on 3 – 7 May 2017. A high-level business delegation accompanied her. The visit centred around the presentation of Germany’s new plan for engagement with Africa at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2017. The Forum, which took place in Cape Town, was attended by more than a …

Despite winning record-breaking 18 million euros for beating Wladimir Klitschko, world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has moved back into his mother’s 2-bedroon ex-council flat in North London. The humble boxer had been staying in a plush villa in St John’s Wood, north-west London, for which he reportedly paid 100,000 euros per month, before his Wembley mega-fight. But he is refusing …

The dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is here. Sthe Shabangu, Lead: Public Relations, Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Africa Office asks whether we are doing enough to ensure Africa is ready. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 16 May 2017, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Africa is standing before a small window of opportunity to grow future-ready leaders equipped to take on …

Germany’s Social Democratic Party, SPD, suffered a stunning defeat in the state election of its North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) stronghold on Sunday. The SPD lost 7% of their vote, winning only 31.2 per cent as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU soared to 33 %. The result is a boost for Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in office at …

Emmanuel Macron, in the first batch appointments he made as president, has named Sibeth Ndiaye as his press secretary. The 37-year-old Senegalese-French woman played a very active role in the campaign that led to Macron’s victory to become the youngest-ever French president at 39. Ms Ndiaye has been described by the French media as one of the key figures who …

A Supreme Court judge of Ghana, Justice Anin Yeboah, has been named the new head of FIFA’s disciplinary committee (DC). The position will span the next four years and the new DC members are to take office immediately. He takes over from Swiss Sulser Claudio who last headed the DC. Anin was voted to head the body in a landslide …

A newspaper report citing federal police statistics has indicated the number of potential terrorists in Germany is increasing. More than 600 people are considered capable of carrying out an attack.  According to a report in the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” newspaper published on Thursday (11 May), the number of people in Germany considered by authorities to be at risk of becoming …

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that non-EU citizens may, as the parent of a minor child who is an EU citizen, have the right to residence in the European Union. Non-EU nationals could have the right to residence if their children are citizens of the EU, the European Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday (10 May) in …

Ronaldinho Gaucho, former Brazil and Barcelona attacking midfielder, has revealed two attackers who he admired most as a footballer. The player said two former national team captains were his most admired attackers. He named them as former Nigerian and Colombian skippers, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha and Carlos Valderrama. The Brazilian joined other former football stars in Bahrain for the FIFA congress …

In a bid to increase the number of asylum-seekers choosing to leave Germany voluntarily, the country’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the International Organisation for Migration on Thursday (11 May) launched www.returningfromgermany.de, a new online portal providing information for those interested in voluntarily returning to their home country. ReturningFromGermany.de expands on a similar scheme that started in …

The world football’s governing body has confirmed that at least nine African countries will participate at the World Cup Finals when the competition expands to 48 teams in 2026. Africa could have as many as 10 teams competing at the 2026 World Cup after the allocation for places at the expanded 48-nation competition was ratified by the FIFA Council during their meeting …