SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Jun

19

2025

Iran war: from the Middle East to America, history shows you cannot assassinate your way to peace

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN the late 1960s, the prevailing opinion among Israeli Shin Bet intelligence officers was that the key to defeating the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was to assassinate its then-leader Yasser Arafat. The elimination of Arafat, the Shin Bet commander Yehuda Arbel wrote in his diary, was “a precondition to finding a solution to the Palestinian problem.” For others, even more radical Israelis – such as the ultra-nationalist assassin Yigal Amir – the answer lay elsewhere. They sought the assassination of Israeli leaders such as Yitzak Rabin, who wanted peace with the Palestinians. Despite Rabin’s long personal history as a famed and…

Dec

24

2025

By UNALUDO SECHELE

Marriage and migration: what happens when men return to the family home in Botswana

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE history of labour migration in Botswana can be linked to the discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa in the late 19th century. South Africa needed cheap labour, and men from neighbouring territories were pulled into the workforce as unskilled or semi-skilled workers in mines, factories, kitchens and farms. Mine recruitment agencies like the Native Recruiting Corporation and the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association began expanding recruitment networks in Botswana in the 1930s. Men in Botswana – a British protectorate and largely rural economy at the time – were open to labour migration for several reasons. They had to…

Jun

13

2025

By TINASHE P. KANOSVAMHIRA

What students eat: I conducted a survey at a South African university’s cafes – the results are scary

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

UNIVERSITY students have limited spending money and their schedules are packed. Many are adapting to new lifestyles on campus. Eating a healthy diet is crucial: a poor diet leads to reduced concentration, lower grades and increased stress. Campus cafés, especially at universities that are some distance from supermarkets, often sell mainly fast food such as white bread sandwiches, hot chips and doughnuts. It’s easy to eat on the go, but places nutritious choices out of reach. I’m an urban geographer who researches the relationship between food, health and place. My work examines how urban agriculture, informal food systems and everyday…

Jun

12

2025

By ERIC Y TENKORANG

Violence against women in Ghana is deeply rooted in culture and family ties – study

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

INTIMATE partner violence is controlling behaviour that results in harm to victims. This can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic or spiritual harm. Women are overwhelmingly the victims and survivors of intimate partner violence. Globally, about one-third of women have experienced some type of intimate partner violence. In Ghana, too, one-third of women have experienced physical and sexual abuse. Research has linked women’s experiences of intimate partner violence to their socio-economic marginalisation, although it can happen to wealthy women too. Beyond the socio-economic reasons, some also make cultural arguments. One such factor is lineage: lines of ancestry. Lineage is a…

Jun

11

2025

By KOFFI AMÉSSOU ADABA

Togo’s citizens want to leave ECOWAS– new survey suggests why

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A survey of Togolese citizens recently looked into perceptions of their government’s handling of the terrorist threat in the northern region and of the Alliance of Sahel States – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The survey was carried out by Afrobarometer, an independent, pan-African research network, in partnership with the Centre for Research and Opinion Polls. The Savanes region in northern Togo, bordering Burkina Faso, has become an area of insecurity since a jihadist attack in 2021. This security crisis is part of a broader context of growing destabilisation in West African countries, centred on the Sahel region. It led…

Jun

10

2025

By ANDREW KWEKU CONDUAH

Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

GHANA’S national agenda often focuses on the country’s large number of young people. In fact, a less noticed demographic transformation is reshaping society: the country’s older population is growing rapidly. According to Ghana Statistical Service estimates, people aged 60 and above are projected to make up over 12% of the total population by 2050, more than doubling the 2021 estimate of 6.8%. And more of these older adults are ageing alone. That’s because of Ghana’s transition from extended to nuclear family systems, coupled with rural–urban and international migration. Traditionally, older Ghanaians aged within multi-generational households, with care provided by children…

Jun

06

2025

By JULIE REID

Airbnb scams: new book explores thriving criminal activity on big tech platforms

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BIG tech sharing economy platforms like Airbnb and Uber are marketed as trustworthy, but a new book by a South African media scholar argues that they are highly vulnerable to scammers who spread delusive speech (a form of disinformation, designed to deceive by criminal intent). Julie Reid draws from first-hand accounts and over 600 cases from around the world of victims lured into scams or physical danger by fake Airbnb reviews and listings, providing a detailed case study. We asked her five questions about her book. How do the scams work? Airbnb is the world’s largest accommodation-sharing platform. It connects…

Jun

05

2025

By VELMA PAMELA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Coconut trees fuel livelihoods and foster community in coastal Kenya

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AS nightfall descends over Tezo, a town on the Kenyan coast, villagers convene in a coconut grove on the sandy shoreline, swapping news, telling stories and and debating vigorously to the clinking of calabashes, laughter and the earthy-sweet smell of freshly tapped palm wine, mnazi. These nightly socials are an integral part of Kenya's coastal culture. This deep-rooted connection between people and the coconut palm isn’t unique to Tezo or even to Kenya. The coconut tree is an important part of daily life throughout Africa. Its fruits, sap and fibres power economies, nourish families and preserve traditions. According to the…

May

31

2025

By JAN POSPISIL

Is Sudan’s war the reason for South Sudan’s economic crisis? What’s really going on with oil revenue

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, has had an impact on its neighbours. One of the most keenly affected countries is South Sudan, which became an independent state in 2011 and went on to endure its own civil war. This ended in 2018 with a tenuous peace agreement. The impact of the Sudanese war on South Sudan, however, isn’t a straightforward spillover catastrophe. The picture is more nuanced, and this is most clearly seen in South Sudan’s oil economy. Jan Pospisil, who has studied the dynamics in…

May

30

2025

By The African Mirror

Zambia’s refugee policy encourages farmers to be self-reliant

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

WHEN Mwaka Sangwa, 63, first arrived in Meheba refugee settlement in North-Western Zambia in 1993, she never imagined that she would end up spending more than half of her life there. Despite losing her husband and son to conflict in her country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), she hoped she would be able to one day return there. Over three decades on, she, along with her children and her grandchildren, have known no other home. The eastern DRC continues to face escalating violence, with little sign of peace in sight. In the last five months alone, more than…