“…a master of language, and [your] commitment as a dramatist and writer of poetry and prose to problems of general and deep significance for man, modern or ancient.” – presentation speech by Professor Lars Gyllensten, of the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1986 Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright, author, poet, essayist, teacher and…
When the FBI got hold of the iPhone of dead San Bernardino terrorism suspect Syed Rizwan Farook in December 2015, they were not able to get into his phone because of encryption technology. Then, in February, a California federal court judge requested Apple write custom software to disable the main security features. Apple CEO…
African women are increasingly joining the work force as entrepreneurs and in turn shaping the future of the vast and powerful continent. Use some or all of these twelve strategies to bolster your role as a part of progress and change in Africa. Social Networking Yes, we’ve all heard it: social media. The buzziest…
On February 18, 2016, Election Day in Uganda, Ugandan voters had the opportunity to change the nation, or so they thought. But, with a less than smooth voting process which resulted in the re-election of Yoweri Museveni, Ugandans are left with many questions. Eight candidates ran in the presidential election but the main contenders were Museveni and Besigye.…
As people all over the world fight desperately to eliminate wage gaps and gender based violence, it can be tempting to think that the gender rights war is in vain. But, we need not look further than Namibia for hope that men and women everywhere will soon attain equality. Those in this Southern African country are…
Youssou N’Dour, singer, composer, and percussionist was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1959 to a Wolof mother and a Serer father. His parents encouraged him to think outside of the traditional griot school, allowing him to consider both of his parents’ cultures and thus inspiring his identity as a modern griot. At the…
Kenya, East Africa’s economic flagship, has cemented its status as a hub for entrepreneurship. This can be attested to by the highly successful mobile banking/money services system known as M-Pesa. The name is a combination of Swahili and English whereby the M stands for Mobile while Pesa is Swahili for money, hence Mobile Money.…
UBER is an American taxi service which allows users to order rides using an app. It was founded in San Francisco in 2009 and introduced to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, in January 2015. This new method of car service has caused frustration among cab drivers in Nairobi who assert that Uber is undercutting fares…
When Sadio Mané began to play English football in the Premier League, it was a dream come true for the Senegal native. From Humble Beginnings Mané grew up in the village of Sédhiou in the south of Senegal. It was a love of soccer that remained constant throughout Mané’s childhood. He has recalled publicly…
On the Gulf of Guinea resides a Central African country with a wide variety of wildlife and terrain: Cameroon. It is a diverse and dynamic country, and its staple foods draw from other African countries, as well as influence from its European colonizers. Some Cameroon food staples include cassava, yam, potato, maize, and…
As a co-founder of two groundbreaking startups, Marie Githinji is using technology to change the world. Githinji knew she wanted to pursue tech from a fairly young age, certainly before she had any awareness that it wasn’t a typical path for a girl. Once she got into the field and started working as…
Gorgui Sy Dieng, one of the best defensive players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is unfortunately not participating in the 2017 playoffs. Gorgui Dieng was born in the coastal Kebemer district of Senegal; since 2013, he has been a part of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that did not have a stellar 2016-2017 season,…
There are many reasons why Africa is called the Mother Continent, and the discovery of a new primate species is one of them. Africa is constantly bearing new life; this much was made evident when British researchers classified a new galago bush baby in Angola. Galagoides kumbirensis, herewith known as the Angolan dwarf galago, is the…
Lynn Nottage, born in Brooklyn, New York, is an African-American playwright, co-founder of production company Market Road films, and writer and producer for the Netflix series, She’s Gotta Have It. Her work usually speaks for the exploited and working class, and incorporate the lives of African and African-American women. Nottage has just recently been awarded…
