In his last Encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti”, (“Brothers [and Sisters] All”), Pope Francis is calling for a new world society, characterised by fraternity and social friendship. Africa has much to contribute to the shaping of the future of humanity. The African sense of fraternity begins with motherhood. In most African societies, all grown up women are…
A Sunday with Father Anthony Assebiah, Parish Priest of Beyin in Kengen, Southern Ghana. As soon as we reached the pier, we boarded an old rowing boat. Rowing powerfully and confidently, Stephen, the young catechist, brought us to the Island of Nzulezo in Lake Tandane. The voyage lasted almost an hour. As we approached the…
The pandemic forced it to close just a week after it was officially opened and did not allow it to reopen until last August. The people’s district of Abobo hosts the first Ivorian museum of contemporary art. The democratisation of art was taken into consideration when the famous Ivorian architect Issa Diabaté was charged with…
The difficult journey of the Ethiopians of Jewish origin towards complete integration. Unifying music may help avoid discrimination. Hidden among the Semien mountains in the north of Ethiopia, north-east of Gondar in the Amhara region, the Beta Israel or Falashas – as Ethiopian Jews were known – remained hidden from the rest of the Jewish…
“If I am because we are, then true fraternity leaves no one behind, because we are saved together and are responsible for the life of all”. Africa has something unique to offer to help reverse the ill-fated drift of modern world. Fratelli Tutti, (“Brothers [and Sisters] All”) is the latest open letter of Pope Francis…
The Gospel track devised by South Africa DJ Master KG has spread on YouTube due to its rhythm, the voice of Nomcebo Zikode and the accompanying choreography. A sort of collective and shared response to the pandemic. Last year was marked by the Covid-19 tragedy, but it was also the year of the ‘viral’ phenomenon’…
In recent years, Tel Aviv has expanded and increased diplomatic relations with a growing number of African nations. For more than seventy years, the state of Israel has sought to develop its own zone of influence in Africa. This they did even before a number of western states with their colonial and neo-colonial policies.…
Cous cous, a popular emblematic dish of North Africa, has been placed on the list of intangible cultural heritage by Unesco, at the joint request of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia. It was something quite rare in the history of the Maghreb countries when Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, in March 2019, together presented the…
The Democratic Republic of Congo continues to be afflicted by most serious political and social tensions, conflicts in some of its regions and endemic poverty despite its infinite riches. This is our topic as we speak with Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa. The government of President Felix Tshisekedi which came to power in the…
The importance of medicinal plants in primary health care systems to treat and manage various disease conditions cannot be underestimated. Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov (Family Canellaceae); whose common name is ‘pepperbark tree’, is one of the highly commercialized medicinal plant trees. It has been documented in many folkloric and ethnobotanical studies conducted in east, central…
Like other continents, Africa is experimenting a spectacular spread of surveillance technology, mostly without adequate checks and balances. Authoritarian regimes benefit from Chinese expertise but also European, Israeli and American ones to spy on their citizens. As internet penetration and smartphone usage is growing in Africa, states are increasing their digital surveillance, often to the…
The discovery by Egyptian archaeologists of more than a hundred sealed sarcophagi in the necropolis of the Ancient Kingdom of Memphis (2700-2192 B.C.) will allow researchers to gain information about daily life in this place. There are places whose sacred nature remains alive over the course of centuries or even millennia. This applies especially to…
The Colombian environmental and peace activist has played a key role in establishing a protected area in the Amazon, providing small farmers with access to…
Young people will play an important role at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. This will give young people a greater voice in climate action and policy-making at…