SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS - The African Mirror

Feb

25

2023

Rock art as African history: what religious images say about identity, survival and change

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

TO “read” the history of times before writing, scholars have traditionally used excavated evidence. Remains like dwellings, burials and pots can reveal a lot about how people lived long ago. In southern Africa, there is another archive to “read” too: rock art. Rock art is primarily a record of spiritual beliefs – but also reflects the events that these beliefs made sense of. Authors SAM CHALLIS, Senior Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand BRENT SINCLAIR-THOMSON, Support staff, University of the Witwatersrand Hunter-gatherers in the region, ancestors of today’s San or BaTwa, made rock art for thousands of years before African herders…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s bailout of Eskom won’t end power cuts: splitting up the utility can, as other countries have shown

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE announcement by the South African finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, of debt relief for the country’s troubled power utility, Eskom, is a step forward. It will fix one problem: Eskom has too much debt. But the plan won’t end power cuts which have worsened in recent years. The international experience is that one way to end electricity shortages is to allow competitively-priced privately-funded generation at scale. This requires a reorganisation of South Africa’s electricity market along the lines announced by the Department of Public Enterprises nearly four years ago. The crux of the plan was to split Eskom into three…

Mar

12

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s power crisis: going off the grid works for the wealthy – but could deepen injustice for the poor

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s current electricity crisis has been described as “a perfect storm”. A number of factors have converged to reach this point: an ageing and inadequately maintained fleet of coal power stations, delays in upgrading the Koeberg nuclear power station and significant failures at the recently built Medupi and Kusile coal power stations. Authors CHRISTINA CULWICK FATTI, Senior researcher, urban sustainability transitions, environmental governance and resilience, Gauteng City-Region Observatory SAMKELISIWE KHANYILE, Researcher, Gauteng City-Region Observatory Since the beginning of 2022, power utility Eskom’s inability to meet the country’s electricity demand has resulted in unprecedented load-shedding (scheduled power cuts). In 2022,…

Feb

18

2023

By The African Mirror

What is Mondiacult? 6 take-aways from the world’s biggest cultural policy gathering

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

CULTURE’S status in global society got a major boost in 2022 when it was recommended to become its own sustainable development goal. This happened at the Unesco World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – called Mondiacult. The world’s most important cultural policy gathering took place in Mexico City 40 years after its first edition in the same city. The 2022 meeting gathered 2,600 participants including 135 government ministers, 83 non-governmental organisations, 32 intergovernmental organisations and nine UN agencies. Author RIBIO NZEZA BUNKETI BUSE, Associate Professor, University of Kinshasa Mondiacult is important because it’s a decision-making meeting that helps…

Feb

16

2023

By The African Mirror

Analysis: Tunisia arrests raise opposition fears of wider crackdown

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ANGUS MCDOWALL and TAREK AMARA COORDINATED arrests of political and media figures represent a new phase in Tunisian President Kais Saied's struggle with a fragmented but emboldened opposition, raising fears of a wider campaign to quell dissent. Since Saied shut down parliament 18 months ago, moving to rule by decree before rewriting the constitution, security forces had moved only sporadically against opponents who accuse him of an undemocratic coup. Saied has denied a coup, saying his actions were legal and necessary to save Tunisia from chaos. He promised to uphold the rights and freedoms won in the 2011 revolution that…

Mar

12

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s power crisis: going off the grid works for the wealthy – but could deepen injustice for the poor

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa’s current electricity crisis has been described as “a perfect storm”. A number of factors have converged to reach this point: an ageing and inadequately maintained fleet of coal power stations, delays in upgrading the Koeberg nuclear power station and significant failures at the recently built Medupi and Kusile coal power stations. Authors CHRISTINA CULWICK FATTI, Senior researcher, urban sustainability transitions, environmental governance and resilience, Gauteng City-Region Observatory SAMKELISIWE KHANYILE, Researcher, Gauteng City-Region Observatory Since the beginning of 2022, power utility Eskom’s inability to meet the country’s electricity demand has resulted in unprecedented load-shedding (scheduled power cuts). In 2022,…

Feb

16

2023

By The African Mirror

South Sudan’s oil and water give it bargaining power – but will it benefit the people?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Sudan has long been one of east Africa’s most unstable states. But surging external interest in its resources and the diplomatic agility of its rulers are again underlining how pivotal the country remains to regional energy and water politics. Much of Africa has spent 2022 facing sharp increases in the costs of energy and food driven by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the strengthening of the US dollar. Authors HARRY VERHOEVEN, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University FRANCOIS SENNESAEL, DPhil Candidate, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford For states that have…

Feb

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Radio in South Africa turns 100 – and collides with podcasting and streaming

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THIS year marks 100 years since radio was introduced in South Africa, through “the first experimental broadcast at the Railway Headquarters in Johannesburg” on 18 December 1923. A century on, up to 94% of South Africans over the age of 15 confirmed in a recent survey that they owned a radio set in one form or other. Author SISANDA NKOALA, Senior Lecturer, Cape Peninsula University of Technology Radio remains firmly in place as the country’s most loved medium. Millions tune in daily to 40 commercial and public broadcast stations and over 250 community stations. Although other forms, like television, have…

Feb

04

2023

By The African Mirror

Explainer: Why has peace eluded South Sudan?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AARON ROSS AMONG the more ambitious hopes for Pope Francis' visit to South Sudan, this week is that it will give a jolt to a peace process aimed at ending a decade of conflict that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and opposition forces that back First Vice President Riek Machar signed a deal in 2018 that committed the two sides to share power and forming a unified national military. But implementation of that agreement has been slow and violence between rival communities has continued to flare up. Here are details about…

Feb

01

2023

By The African Mirror

The Badoo ritual gang created fear in Lagos: here’s what made victims vulnerable

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

VIOLENT cult gangs are well known in Nigeria. Though there are no statistics on their numbers and impact, Lagos State in southwest Nigeria has more than 10 of these groups controlling different areas. They operate in neighbourhoods and their memberships cut across age groups. They control certain territories as their own, extorting money from businesses and residents. Author OLUDAYO TADE, Communication/Security Consultant, Sociologist/Criminologist/Victimologist and Facilitator, University of Ibadan But the Badoo cult gang that operated in the Ikorodu area of the state between 2016 and 2018 was different. It was a violent ritual gang. The capture of its leader and…