English artist Damien Hirst is in hot water for cultural appropriation at this year’s Venice Biennale. His exhibit includes a golden head that mimics the work of artists from Ile-Ife, Nigeria. This is particularly remarkable given that this is a hugely important year for Nigeria, with artists representing their country at a national pavilion for the…
With pomp, circumstance, fanfare, some political rhetoric, and lots of promise, the people of Kenya welcomed the maiden ride of the Standard Gauge Railway, now known as SGR, the first high-speed rail project in Eastern Africa. The historic event started in the port city of Mombasa, 472 kilometers away from the capital city of Nairobi. President…
The final day of May 2017 will mark a new age of economic progress for the Republic of Kenya; this is when President Uhuru Kenyatta will climb aboard the new Standard Gauge Railway, which people will know as SGR, for a maiden ride from the port city of Mombasa to the bustling metropolis of Nairobi. The…
Since 1998, the World Bank and its World Economic Forum have been publishing the “Africa Competitiveness Report,” which is released every two years after members of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund meet to issue forecasts for global economic growth. In 2017, the report presents a positive outlook for the Continent, and this…
The World Health Organization (WHO) hasn’t exactly been viewed in the most positive light as of late and many have accused the organization of failing to respond quickly and effectively enough to the most recent Ebola outbreak—a charge that WHO officials eventually admitted to. There was also the questions as to whether the organization was…
Donald Trump’s campaign for the US presidency contained few specific foreign policy suggestions; Africa was hardly mentioned at all. Since taking office in January, Trump has been heavily embroiled in political scandal, and has had difficulty achieving his major goals as rapidly as he had hoped. Africa has been mentioned very little in these first…
Although most people outside of the country are unaware, South Africa has a long history of receiving populations from China. In fact, the very first groups, comprised of laborers and slaves, were brought over from China to the newly-founded Dutch colony in South Africa during the late 17th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1870s that…
Lucy Gichuhi has recently become the first African elected to the Australian Parliament. Born in Hiriga village in Nyeri County, Kenya, she eventually moved to Nairobi and studied at the University of Nairobi. After working at various accounting firms for a few years, she moved to Australia with her three children and her husband William.…
Lade Araba was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She has lived and studied abroad, doing her undergraduate studies at the Sorbonne, eventually earning an MBA and working for the FAO and UNECA, promoting intra-African trade in the agribusiness sector. But her passion has always been to support African women. Receiving the Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellowship, among other…
Many fans wait with anticipation and excitement for months before hearing their favorite artist perform. For fans of Ariana Grande in England on Monday evening, that excitement quickly turned to horror. At the end of Grande’s Manchester Arena performance, an explosion caused by a suicide bomber left 22 dead and more than 50 others injured;…
