SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Nov

01

2024

From Gaza to Sudan: The limits and future of humanitarian aid

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Eric Reidy THE systems the international community has designed since the end of World War II to try to prevent atrocities and mitigate the worst effects of conflict on civilians are utterly failing: The wars in Sudan, and in the Gaza Strip, have made that abundantly clear. The staggering levels of violence and deprivation inflicted on entire populations with utter impunity – and with complicity from powerful states – are a dark testament to the state of global humanitarianism, and the international community has shown itself unable to significantly respond to…

Oct

30

2024

By NATASHA ROBINSON

Coloured South Africans are all but erased from history textbooks – I asked learners how that makes them feel

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH African singer-songwriter Tyla made history in February 2024 when she won the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance. Her win was celebrated at home. But the 22-year-old sparked controversy in the US by referring to herself as “Coloured”. There, the word is a slur dating back to the Jim Crow era, when state and local laws enforced racial discrimination against African Americans. In South Africa it has a very different meaning – and, by claiming her Coloured identity, Tyla has become an inspiration for many Coloured people who have long felt underrepresented in public life. In South Africa,…

Oct

26

2024

By KEN MATTHYSEN and PEER SCHOUTEN

Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group seeks local power in DRC, not just control over mining operations

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE violence wrought by the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 Movement is often narrowly framed as intended to control the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s resource-rich mining sites. The rebel group launched its most recent offensive in 2021 and currently controls vast territories in the southeast of North Kivu province, surrounding and cutting off the main city of Goma. Eastern DR Congo mines produce crucial raw materials such as tin, tantalum and tungsten, as well as abundant quantities of gold. It, therefore, seems logical to reduce explanations of conflict to the ambition of M23, and Rwanda behind it, to control the…

Oct

24

2024

By DOSTIN LAKIKA

War and the supernatural: former Congolese soldiers recall the ritual practices used to prepare for battle

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

WAR takes a toll on soldiers’ bodies and minds. To prepare for battle, soldiers are taken through various forms of training. Part of this training aims to strip candidates of their civilian values and inculcate military culture. While armies have access to an array of contemporary strategies and weaponry during training, one element isn’t often discussed: the rituals incorporated in training and those performed before engaging in warfare. Rituals include the magico-religious practices performed for various purposes, such as seeking blessing, power or protection or even imbibing military customs. Rituals or ceremonies are believed to bestow specific abilities upon individuals…

Oct

22

2024

By CHUKA ONWUMECHILI and UNWANA AKPAN

Yoruba vs Igbo: how a 1977 football cup caused ethnic tensions to boil over in Nigeria

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

FOOTBALL is a game of passion, and passions can become particularly inflamed when the sport represents larger political struggles. In Nigeria in 1977, an Africa-wide football contest fuelled the ethnic rivalry between the Yoruba and the Igbo people to the point that the military had to intervene. The game was to be played as a semi-final in the Africa Cup Winners’ Cup, the club football tournament that would go on to become the Caf Confederation Cup. As scholars of sports communication, we recently published a research paper about that 1977 confrontation between Shooting Stars of Ibadan (Ibadan is home to…

Oct

21

2024

By PATRICK FINNERTY

How do you stop elephant herds from trashing crops and trees? Target sensitive nostrils with a ‘scent fence’

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ELEPHANT numbers are surging in southern Africa, with fewer natural predators, reduced hunting pressure and feeding by farmers and tourist operators. While this is good for elephants, it’s making life harder for humans who live near them. These huge herbivores can raid crops and destroy large trees in national parks with impunity, causing problems for farmers and land managers alike. Traditional solutions aren’t ideal. Culling is controversial, and building fences strong enough to deter elephants is very expensive. But there’s another option: a fence made of scent. We have explored how specific plant scents can stop wallabies from eating native…

Oct

18

2024

By ABEBAYEHU ATICHO; ABEBE BEYENE; ANDREW GOSLER; DESALEGN CHALA; NILS CHRISTIAN STENSETH and SHIMELIS AYNALEM ZELELEW

Nuer people have a sacred connection to birds – it can guide conservation in Ethiopia and South Sudan

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS, EDITORS CHOICE

THE Nuer are a large pastoralist community living in western Ethiopia and South Sudan in east Africa. They rely on livestock keeping and have special beliefs and customs about how to live with nature. These are passed down from parents to children through the telling of stories. Uncommonly for East African pastoralists, the Nuer live in an expansive, low-lying floodplain. This Gambella region is shaped by the convergence of several rivers originating in the Ethiopian highlands. Its wetlands and lush greenery offer a unique habitat that supports both the Nuer and a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. The…

Oct

16

2024

By STEVEN MATOME MATHETSA

South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s state-owned electricity company, Eskom, has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to approve a 36.1% electricity price hike from April 2025, an 11.8% price increase in 2026 and a 9.1% increase in 2027. Steven Mathetsa teaches and researches sustainable energy systems at the University of the Witwatersrand’s African Energy Leadership Centre. He explains some of the problems with the planned tariff increase. Why such a big hike? Eskom says the multi-year price increase is because of the need to move closer to a cost-reflective tariff that reflects the actual costs of supplying electricity. However, Eskom’s…

Oct

15

2024

By NICHOLAS WESTCOTT

Britain has neglected Africa and the Commonwealth for over a decade: 4 ways it can reset relations

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE United Kingdom is resetting its relations with Africa and other countries in the global south after more than a decade of neglect. At the United Nations in September, British prime minister Keir Starmer promised his government was returning the UK to responsible global leadership. This should include reconnecting with the countries of the global south which feel they have been neglected and among whom Britain’s voice is now at a discount. The new Labour government’s recently launched reviews of Britain’s global impact and its international economic and development policies provide an opportunity to reevaluate and relaunch these relations. The…

Oct

13

2024

By NTHABISENG MOHLAKOANA

South Africa’s coal workers face an uncertain future – Mpumalanga study flags they’re being left out of the green transition

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa is on the path to decarbonisation – doing away with burning coal and other fossil fuels and moving towards renewable, clean energy, such as solar and wind power. However, the coal industry employs 91,000 people. If these workers lost their jobs and were not transferred to new jobs in renewable energy and other sectors, this would devastate entire communities. Recent estimates by the renewable energy industry say the shift from coal has the potential to create 250,000 jobs by 2047. Energy transition researcher Nthabiseng Mohlakoana was part of a group of Centre for Sustainability Transitions academics who asked…