SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Jul

18

2026

Racism at the World Cup is an ugly reality. How to understand where it comes from

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

NO African teams made it past the quarter-finals of the 2026 men’s football World Cup, but their strategic and tactical play left a lasting impression. The success of African teams doesn’t come out of the blue; it’s the result of a long process. It’s therefore surprising that African football remains underrated and downgraded by experts, often in a manner that reveals their ignorance of both African football and history. At times, their comments have a highly problematic racist tone. This was the case with former star player Bastian Schweinsteiger, now a longtime commentator for a German TV network. Ahead of…

Jul

15

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

When lightning learns manners: Audi’s R4.9-million electric flex lands in Mzansi

MOTORING

LADIES, gentlemen, and anyone currently sitting in Joburg traffic contemplating their life choices - Audi has just dropped the automotive equivalent of a mic, and it costs R4 906 100. Meet the RS e-tron GT performance: the most powerful production Audi ever built, a car so quick it makes the phrase "range anxiety" sound like something only poor people worry about. 680 Kilowatts of "Because We Can" Let's do the maths so you don't have to squint at the press release twice. This thing produces 550kW normally, but flick it into Launch Control and it summons an extra 130kW from…

Jul

15

2026

By AYODEJI OGUNNAIKE

What Ghana’s World Cup ‘juju man’ tells us about sport and spirituality in Africa

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ONE of the most notable figures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup emerged during Ghana’s first match of the tournament: the “juju man,” Kailani Ibrahim Kpa, who was famously seen blowing white powder into the air during the game. Another Ghanaian, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, went viral just before the match for claiming to have placed a curse on England’s captain, Harry Kane. Bonsam is a particularly media-savvy Twi traditional priest and one of the most recognisable faces of what is commonly called “witchcraft” or “juju” in African soccer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ESPN FC (@espnfc)…

Jul

14

2026

By TIMOTHY KRUPNIK

The world has the science to transform food systems. The next frontier is scaling it

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE world’s food systems face real and urgent challenges. These include climate change, nutrition insecurity, food safety, and unequal access to markets. Research has produced practical solutions to each of these that could benefit hundreds of millions of people. Too few are moved into widespread use. For years, the development sector has flattered itself with pilots. A new tool works in a controlled pilot, a crop variety performs well in a field trial, and a digital advisory service shows promise in early testing. Evidence is written up, a case study or experiment is published, and then comes the familiar refrain:…

Jul

11

2026

By WYCLIFFE W. NJORORAI SIMIYU

World Cup history: a timeline of Africa’s greatest moments on the field

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE history of African performances at the men’s football World Cup is a story of resilience, technical skill, joyful expression, and the breaking of systemic barriers. For decades, global football governance structures heavily favoured European and South American teams, leaving Africa to fight not just for wins on the pitch, but for representation itself. As a sports scholar, I’ve published numerous studies on Africa at the World Cup. In a new self-published book, I outline the defining moments for the continent at the tournament. They help tell the story of how African football transformed itself from a peripheral curiosity into…

Jul

08

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Beyond the assembly line: Inside Ford SA’s quiet century-long promise to South Africa

MOTORING NEWS

LONG before a single bolt is torqued onto a Ford Ranger at the Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, Ford South Africa is already at work in communities that will never buy one of its vehicles — in classrooms teaching five-year-olds to read, in disaster zones where roads have washed away, and in rural villages where the nearest clinic is a taxi ride most families cannot afford. It is, says Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company Africa and Managing Director of Ford South Africa, precisely the point. For a company whose commercial future depends on convincing government and global executives…

Jul

07

2026

By DAN PAGET

Tanzania has banned political rallies again: what the government fears

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

PUBLIC rallies were banned in Tanzania in June 2026 for the second time in a decade. The first ban was imposed by President John Magufuli in 2016. His successor, President Samia Hassan, lifted it in 2023 as part of a reform agenda. Now she has reimposed the ban. Dan Paget has spent over a decade chronicling the struggles of Tanzania’s democracy movement amid waves of repression. He’s had a special focus on a form of political communication that’s of extraordinary significance in Tanzania: mass rallies. He unpacks what this latest ban means. Why has Tanzania banned political rallies again? Tanzania…

Jul

06

2026

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Uganda is latest in Africa’s destination branding boom

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

UGANDA'S latest "Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa" campaign has turned buses in France into moving billboards, the latest step in the country's push to attract tourists, investment, and business from Europe and beyond. The campaign reflects a wider shift across Africa, where governments are investing as much in selling their national brands as they are in selling their destinations, bringing together tourism, trade, culture, sport, exports, and diaspora engagement to compete for global attention. According to Doreen Ruth Amule, Uganda's ambassador to France, "the summer-long campaign is intended to showcase Uganda's tourism attractions, cultural heritage, and investment opportunities to…

Jul

03

2026

By MARLOES JANSON

Shopping for God in Lagos: What is Chrislam?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

NIGERIA’S economic hub, Lagos, ranks among the fastest-growing cities in the world. Its huge population – estimated at around 20 million – and its rapid urbanisation contribute to a sense of life where survival hinges on improvisation and ingenuity. Nigerian musician Fela Kuti captured the megacity’s chronic difficulties with the expression “impossibilityism”. Yet, Lagos is also widely regarded as a place brimming with possibility. https://www.youtube.com/embed/VFC-IANwcQI My research as an anthropologist with a focus on religion shows that a significant number of Lagosians turn to religion in the hope of converting the impossible into the possible. Religion is not only for…

Jul

02

2026

By HAMZA BENATTIA

Morocco’s hidden history: archaeology, DNA and carbon dating rewrite the story of the ancient world

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR decades, stories about the ancient Mediterranean have centred on the grand cultures of Greece, Rome, Phoenicia and Egypt. Northwest Africa seldom enters the picture before the arrival of Phoenician traders on the Moroccan coast about 3,000 years ago. But archaeology is now revealing a different story. Long before the first Phoenician ships (from today’s Middle East) sailed the western Mediterranean (between today’s North Africa and southern Europe), communities in what is now Morocco were farming and herding animals. They were also crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and participating in long-distance exchanges. Over the past decade, I’ve worked on archaeology…