SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Mar

18

2024

São Paulo heats up with dramatic win for Sam Bird

MOTORING NEWS

FORMULA E returned from a month-long break and travelled to Brazil for the fifth round of the world championship. Sam Bird celebrates towards the podium of the 2024 São Paulo E-Prix. Picture: Supplied São Paulo, a city with a rich motorsport heritage, was electrified as it geared up for the adrenaline-pumping race that brought feisty competition and flying front wings. NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird stormed to win the race, a tough battle against Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans that carried after the second safety car right until the end of the race 34-lap race. Evans and Bird engage in a…

Mar

16

2024

By BRENDON J. CANNON

Somalia-Turkey maritime deal is a win for both countries, and not a power play for the Horn of Africa

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A recent defence deal between Somalia and Turkey has great significance for Somalia and the region’s security. The agreement, which covers both land and sea, aims to enhance defence cooperation between Turkey and Somalia. It includes the possibility of Turkey providing both training and equipment for a Somali navy. Its near-term impact should, however, not be exaggerated. BRENDON J. CANNON, Assistant Professor, Khalifa University Instead, it should be understood as a good-faith agreement signed between asymmetric powers whose interests overlap a little, at present. My research on the geopolitics and security agreements over the past few decades covering Turkey, Somalia…

Mar

13

2024

By The African Mirror

Audi South Africa launches ground-breaking AI-powered advertising campaign for special edition models

MOTORING NEWS

AUDI South Africa has launched a unique and innovative advertising campaign to accompany the introduction of its new range of special edition models that have been designed specifically for the South African market. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI), Audi has collaborated with renowned advertising agency Ogilvy SA and local AI specialists Monkey Donkey to introduce a campaign that blurs the lines between creativity and technology. The special edition options span Audi’s core model ranges and are named Urban Edition and Black Edition. They are meticulously curated to embody the preferences and aspirations of the discerning South African driver.…

Mar

13

2024

By SOPHIA LABADI

Colonial statues in Africa have been removed, returned and torn down again – why it’s such a complex history

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

In 2020, the murder of George Floyd in the US served as a catalyst for the global Black Lives Matter movement. It sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism. It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices. SOPHIA LABADI, Professor of Heritage, University of Kent These debates presented colonial statues in Africa as having been contested and toppled for many years, ever since African states gained independence. Indeed, colonial statues were at the heart of the colonial world, symbolising its violence, white supremacy and the erasure of pre-colonial…

Mar

12

2024

By KATHLEEN SMITHERS

Happy smiling African children: why school tourism in Zimbabwe shouldn’t be encouraged

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A large, air-conditioned bus draws up outside a school. Tourists, most from Europe and the US, disembark, cameras at the ready. Some have brought gifts: packages of pens and pencils. They distribute these to the children, who spontaneously begin singing and dancing. KATHLEEN SMITHERS, Lecturer, Charles Sturt University This scene and others like it play out in schools around the world. It’s called school tourism. It’s similar to orphanage tourism and so-called “slum” tourism, in which tourists visit orphanages or “slums” in poor countries to witness poverty and suffering. These sorts of tourism come with several ethical problems: photography of…

Mar

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Chery South Africa launches new flagship all wheel drive

MOTORING

CHERY South Africa has unveiled its long-awaited new flagship, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro MAX with all-wheel drive. The new model joins the growing Tiggo Pro line-up as the top of the range model and promises to welcome even more customers to this fast-growing family. With the addition of this model, the Tiggo 8 Pro range grows to three models, the Tiggo 8 Pro Executive with a turbocharged 1.6 litre petrol engine, the Tiggo 8 Pro MAX with a turbocharged 2.0 litre petrol engine and the new all wheel drive model. At the heart of the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro…

Mar

11

2024

By The African Mirror

ISUZU Foundation refurbishes Soutpansberg Primary School in Makhado

MOTORING NEWS

ISUZU Foundation, a collaborative initiative between ISUZU Motors South Africa and its Dealer Network, has expanded its philanthropic efforts to rejuvenate Soutpansberg Primary School, located in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) within the Limpopo province. In response to the deteriorating conditions of the aging school building, the ISUZU Foundation undertook a comprehensive reconstruction project, addressing critical areas in need of restoration. The recently completed renovations encompass the installation of modernised toilets, repainting of walls and roofs, tiling, door fittings, and the addition of new gutters. The official handover of these revitalised facilities took place on Wednesday, 31 January 2024. "ISUZU Foundation’s commitment…

Mar

08

2024

By IFESINACHI OKAFOR-YARWOOD

West Africa’s coast was a haven for piracy and illegal fishing – how technology is changing the picture

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Gulf of Guinea – a coastal region that stretches from Senegal to Angola – is endowed with vast reserves of hydrocarbon, mineral and fisheries resources. It is also an important route for international commerce, making it critical to the development of countries in the region. IFESINACHI OKAFOR-YARWOOD, Lecturer, University of St Andrews For a long time, however, countries in the Gulf of Guinea haven’t properly monitored what’s happening in their waters. This has allowed security threats at sea to flourish. The threats include illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, drug trafficking, piracy and armed robbery, and toxic waste dumping. For…

Mar

06

2024

By UELI STAEGER and BABATUNDE FAGBAYIBO

The African Union is weak because its members want it that way – experts call for action on its powers

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

THE African Union (AU) comes in for a lot of criticism. Most recently this is from within its own ranks. The AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, set out his frustrations after an AU summit in February 2024. The commission is the executive organ which runs the AU’s daily activities. Mahamat accused member states of getting in the way of the commission doing its work, and failing to match rhetoric with action: Over the last three years, 2021, 2022 and 2023, 93% of African Union decisions have not been implemented. We think many of the criticisms of the AU are…

Mar

02

2024

By FEDERICO DONELLI

Red Sea politics: why Turkey is helping Somalia defend its waters

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOMALIA and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the maritime sector. This came as tensions rose between Somalia and landlocked Ethiopia. Ethiopia is seeking access to the Red Sea through Somaliland, a breakaway state of Somalia. Federico Donelli, an international relations professor whose research covers Red Sea security and politics, puts this defence agreement into context. FEDERICO DONELLI, Assistant Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste What’s the scope of the relationship between Turkey and Somalia? Turkey’s entry into Somalia in 2011 started out as…