SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Jul

11

2026

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

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…

Jul

01

2026

By ELIA NTALI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Hybrid seed leading revival of cotton farming in Zimbabwe

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR more than two decades, 56-year-old cotton farmer Aleck Bikostone has dedicated his life to cotton farming in Chinhoyi - the north-central capital of Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West Province - despite market disturbances, climate change, and rising costs of inputs that threaten the crop. Standing among cotton fields at a research farm in Kadoma along the road between Harare and Bulawayo, Bikostone tells the story of a cotton farming journey that has long hours of labour and perseverance despite global price fluctuations, which he describes as both a blessing and a challenge. According to Stewart Mubonderi, the national chairman of the…

Jun

27

2026

By Mohamed Osman

Robust global action is key to curbing Sudan atrocities

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

The United Nations Security Council on June 20 warned of the “imminent risk of mass atrocities” in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan region in western Sudan, which for months now has been the epicenter of fierce fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The conflict, which broke out in April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, caused millions to flee their homes, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, also issued a “stark warning” on June 18 over the risk of atrocities as…

Jun

24

2026

By XN IRAKI

Did Kenya’s Gen Z protests achieve anything? An economist weighs up what’s changed and what’s stayed the same

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

KENYA’S Gen Z-led protests of 2024 drew global headlines. For weeks, young people mobilised against proposed tax increases, the rising cost of living, unemployment, corruption and what they saw as an unresponsive political class. But what began as opposition to the 2024 Finance Bill quickly evolved into a broader challenge to the way the country was being governed. The protests were remarkable for their scale, decentralised nature and ability to mobilise through social media. They were eventually subdued through political concessions and state repression. At least 63 people were killed. The issues that drove the protests haven’t disappeared. Questions about…

Jun

20

2026

By ROBERT T. NYAMUSHOSHO

Great Zimbabwe: debunking the myth of tyrants and forced labour

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOR more than a century, Great Zimbabwe has stood at the centre of a powerful story about the Zimbabwe culture. This remarkable African civilization flourished in southern Africa during the Middle Ages, constructing more than 200 dry-stone palaces, locally known as madzimbahwe (houses of stone). These towering monuments, immense gold wealth, and an array of exotica, including glass beads and glazed ceramics from distant lands, have often been interpreted as proof that southern Africa’s early states were ruled by authoritarian kings. Leaders who exercised near-absolute control over their subjects. In archaeology textbooks, museum exhibitions, and even political discourse, the image…

Jun

19

2026

By ANTHONY IDOWU AJAYI; BERYL NYATUGA MACHOKA, and CAROLINE W. KABIRU

Money, food and survival: what drives paid sex among young mums in 3 African countries

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

TRANSACTIONAL sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have engaged in this exchange in South Africa, 23% in Nigeria and 25% in Uganda. The behaviour has been linked to negative consequences such as unintended pregnancy, sexual violence and HIV infections. Transactional sex refers to sexual relationships outside marriage that are not classified as commercial sex work, but where there is an expectation that material, financial or other benefits will be exchanged for intimacy or companionship. We are sexual…