THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Feb

07

2026

When the President shows you he sees monkeys: Trump’s racist post isn’t just wrong – it’s a national disgrace

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LET’S not mince words: When the President of the United States posts an image depicting Barack and Michelle Obama - America's first Black president and first lady - as monkeys, he's not just crossing a line. He's taking a flamethrower to it, dancing on the ashes, and dragging the nation back to the darkest chapters of its history. This isn't a "controversy." It's not a "misstep" or "poor judgment." This is naked, unvarnished racism of the variety that belonged to the plantation era, not the Oval Office. And the silence from Republicans in response isn't just cowardice - it's complicity.…

Feb

05

2026

By The African Mirror

On the road to DR Congo’s Uvira, a peace deal cooked up in Washington shows its true face

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I took the road from Kamanyola to Uvira in mid-December, a few days after the signatures had dried in Washington. On paper, peace had returned to my region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Presidents had shaken hands, cameras had flashed, and Donald Trump had declared another war resolved. Yet every kilometre of the road ahead told a different story. It carried the smell of gunpowder and death, and the signs of people who had fled in desperation. It showed how words spoken from above dissolve the moment they reach the ground. This story was originally published by…

Feb

02

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

A VOICE THAT ECHOES FOREVER: In Memory of Dr Diana Ferrus

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHO speaks for the poet when they pass on? Who finds the words to eloquently paint their time on earth and aptly put together a portrait of their lives - the legacy of their time? Dr Diana Ferrus had a gift, an amazing gift. She had a way with words and used words as a weapon in the decades-long war against apartheid. She was born at the height of the evil system and watched it collapse. Her words powerfully and colourfully captured the demise of a system designed to discriminate against South Africans who are not white. On Friday, 30…

Jan

31

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The leopard’s spots: How Captain Traore’s democratic disguise is finally slipping in Burkina Faso

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WELL, well, well. Who could have possibly seen this coming? Captain Ibrahim Traore - the social media-savvy saviour who swept into power in September 2022, promising to rescue Burkina Faso from the clutches of a government "not acting in the interest of the people”, has finally decided to drop the charade. And what a performance it's been. For those keeping score at home, Traore's latest move is dissolving all political parties in Burkina Faso. Yes, you read that correctly. All of them. Over 100 political parties - poof! - gone with a stroke of a ministerial pen. Their crime? According…

Jan

31

2026

By NADINE BIEHLER; EMMA LANDMESSER, and REBECCA MAJEWSKI

African migration: focusing on Europe misses the point – most people move within the continent

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IMAGES of rubber dinghies overcrowded with refugees heading for Europe and narratives about mistreatment and exploitation of migrants on unsafe migration routes have come to dominate how African migration is perceived in European public and policy debates. They suggest a continent on the move, driven mainly by conflict and heading to the global north. These narratives are deeply misleading. Nevertheless, they shape public opinion and political decision-making. Fears of large-scale migration from Africa to Europe are exaggerated. Data shows migration from Africa has been growing, but more slowly compared to growth rates of migration worldwide – and largely takes place…

Jan

30

2026

By BARBA GAOGANEDIWE MATSHOGO

The Orlando Amstel Arena deal – a watershed moment for African sports commerce, place branding

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN A football institution born in 1937 out of the dust and determination of Orlando East, Soweto in South Africa, announces a transformative naming rights partnership, it signals more than commercial evolution. The Orlando Pirates-Amstel deal, which rechristens Orlando Stadium as the Orlando Amstel Arena, represents a fundamental recalibration of how African cities, legacy sports brands, and global corporate entities collaborate to unlock economic value, forge emotional connections, and project continental ambition onto the world stage. This is South Africa's most significant football stadium branding moment - and it arrives at precisely the time when African sport must professionalise or…

Jan

29

2026

By ALAN HIRSCH

South Africa’s new immigration policy takes a digital direction – will it succeed?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOUTH Africa has a new draft white paper on immigration, citizenship and refugees. This, the fourth in three decades, represents a step change from the previous efforts. It is a genuine attempt to develop an efficient but humane set of policies. Based on my work on migration over two decades, I am convinced that the policies in this new paper are far more ambitious than previous reforms. They represent a genuine attempt to address a complex and sensitive set of challenges in a comprehensive way, using state-of-the-art technological tools. The key question is: are the reforms practically and politically feasible?…

Jan

26

2026

By AIKANDE CLEMENT KWAYU

Edwin Mtei, Tanzania’s first Central Bank governor, left lessons on leadership

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

EDWIN Mtei, who passed away on 20 January 2026, was the first governor of Tanzania’s Central Bank after independence from Britain. He filled the post until 1974. Mtei was appointed by Julius Nyerere, who served as president from 1964 until his resignation in 1985. Nyerere once said of Mtei: “Once a governor, always a governor”, as quoted in Mtei’s autobiography, From Goatherd to Governor. He meant Mtei would always carry the title of governor, given his contribution to starting the Central Bank. Nyerere continued to call Mtei “Governor” even after he transferred him to other posts. The life and work…

Jan

26

2026

By FEDERICO DONELLI

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland: the strategic calculations at play

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SOMALILAND is not internationally recognised as a sovereign state, though it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. A territory becomes a sovereign state when its independence is recognised by the United Nations. For this reason, it has no seat at the UN and is considered, under international law, part of Somalia. Nevertheless, Somaliland holds elections and maintains relative internal stability. It is also attracting increasing informal diplomatic engagement – though not formal recognition – from Ethiopia, the United States and, most recently, Israel. This growing interest highlights a geopolitical paradox. An unrecognised polity has become strategically relevant in the Red…

Jan

24

2026

By AMMAR YASSIR

For Sudanese refugee women in Uganda, a cup of coffee and a space to speak

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN a small room in Kampala, over cups of coffee and quiet conversation, Sudanese refugee women gather to speak about what they have endured. War, displacement, and loss hang in the air – but so does something else: relief at having a safe space to speak. These gatherings are part of Funjan Niswan, a grassroots initiative run by Aminat, a women-led organisation that offers psychological support to Sudanese refugees in the Ugandan capital. I have encountered many such initiatives since escaping the war in Sudan and living in South Sudan, Uganda, and now Rwanda – a testament to the organising…