Africa Business

A Nigerian court Friday called for the reinstatement of a senator who was ousted after she complained about sexual harassment, delivering a long-awaited ruling in a case that has divided the socially conservative west African country.Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in February accused the Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, of making unwanted advances towards her.Days after she made …

Court strikes suspension for Nigerian senator who complained of sexism Read More »

Hatem Abdelhamid stands amid his once-thriving date palms in northern Sudan, helpless as a prolonged war-driven power outage cripples irrigation, causing devastating crop losses and deepening the country’s food crisis.”I’ve lost 70 to 75 percent of my crops this year,” he said, surveying the dying palms in Tanqasi, a village on the Nile in Sudan’s …

Crops wither in war-torn Sudan as power cuts cripple irrigation Read More »

In the lush forests north of Abidjan, technicians were busy filming on the set of “Le Testament” (“The Will”), a comedy co-production between Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal.Under a large tree, village elders gathered to discuss the death of a wealthy local cocoa planter. In the film, his children return to their native village …

Abidjan dreams of becoming Africa’s next cinema hub Read More »

A caravan of 100 or so cars snaked onto an unfinished highway and parked in a construction zone. With no trail post in sight, the unmarked dirt lot outside the Nigerian capital seemed an unlikely place to hike — but fans of the great outdoors in Abuja have long taken matters into their own hands.”Most of …

Nigerian hikers blaze trails despite insecurity Read More »

At 92, the world’s oldest head of state, Cameroonian President Paul Biya, faces defections by allies-turned-rivals jockeying to replace him in elections that could end his four-plus decades in power.Biya, who has led Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982, has had two key allies defect back-to-back as the African country heads for elections in …

Cameroon’s 92-year-old president faces emerging rivals Read More »

Before a cheering audience in Nairobi, the performer gets the ball going with a string of acrobatic moves — a celebration of queer resistance from a Kenyan LGBT community feeling threatened by new legislation.”Balls”, where participants can vogue and catwalk with full freedom, were created by the Black and Latino gay and transgender community in …

Kenyan LGBTQ community vogues despite threat of repressive law Read More »

A group of performers stepped and swayed in the sand at an open-air studio on the Senegalese coast as Germaine Acogny, known as the mother of contemporary African dance, called out to them.”Walk! Take in the energy of the earth”, commanded Acogny, who for some 60 years has imbued her students with the joy and …

Germaine Acogny, promoting Africa as a beacon of dance Read More »

The first strikes in Dambe are thrown before the boxers even leave their house.Fighters don charms and amulets, dye their fist or even score their arm with a razor, inserting traditional medicine before it scars over — all guaranteed to protect them in the ring or deliver a knock-out punch.Combined with prayers from “mallams”, or …

Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global — amulets and charms included Read More »

In Africa’s turbulent Sahel region, the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM jihadist group is expanding its influence by repeated massacres, food distribution and signing pacts with local authorities to position itself as a key political player.The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has not ruled out governing states and has condemned bloody attacks allegedly carried …

Jihadist group harbours political ambitions in troubled Sahel Read More »

When Feliesiano Muteca started surfing a decade ago, he had the waves at Cabo Ledo on Angola’s long Atlantic coastline pretty much to himself. Now, the unspoilt and sandy beach about 125 kilometres (75 miles) south of the capital Luanda has become a prized destination for international surfers, with a reputation as a hidden gem.The Portuguese-speaking …

Hidden gem: Angola opens up to tourists in a pivot from oil Read More »