THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Sep

19

2024

“Africa should reinvest its anti-corruption recoveries into building a resilient media ecosystem”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN states and societies fail to foster strong, independent media, we do not just lose the capacity to inform—we open the doors to false information, disinformation, and manipulation to take centre stage. A weakened media does more than just starve democracy; it erodes the very structures that hold society together. The struggles of media businesses today are not just a concern for those of us in the profession—these struggles are a societal problem. When we as media professionals falter, people's lives are impacted, trust is eroded, and the cohesion of our communities begins to unravel. At The Africa Editors Forum…

Sep

17

2024

By OSCAR GAKUO MWANGI

Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia border: what’s driving insecurity in the region

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

COMMUNAL conflict is endemic in the vast arid region on both sides of the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Fresh alarm has been sparked in both countries following a kidnapping and armed attacks on police and civilians in Kenya’s Marsabit county, in the extreme north of the country. Oscar Mwangi Gakuo, who has studied the roots of conflict in the border region, sets out the context. What is the history of the tensions along the Kenya-Ethiopia border? Marsabit County is Kenya’s largest, covering an area of 70,961 square kilometres. This is roughly equivalent in size to Sierra Leone or the combined size of…

Sep

15

2024

By CHRISTA KULJIAN

Steve Biko’s murder exposed deep racism in how medicine was taught and practised in South Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN 1966, Steve Biko began studying medicine at the University of Natal in South Africa, the same year that the General Assembly of the United Nations declared apartheid a crime against humanity. As a young man, and a leading thinker, philosopher and activist, Biko made an indelible mark on the resistance against white minority rule and the racist system of apartheid. At a young age, Biko understood colonial thinking, racism and white supremacy and he knew how destructive they were to society and to individuals. In his book I Write What I Like, which has served as a guide for…

Sep

13

2024

By MOKY MAKURA

When 1 does not equal 54!

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MOKY MAKURA I have a friend, who for the sake of her privacy, we will call Imani. When we were in our 20s, everyone wanted to date Imani. She was attractive, intelligent and had a great personality. Imani enjoyed the attention, but she was also very strategic about it; her rent was paid, she went on trips and had an extensive wardrobe of designer clothes, shoes and bags. Without judging her morals, she knew her value and used it to get what she wanted, on her terms and in her backyard. Imani in her heyday reminds me of Africa today.…

Sep

09

2024

By ABBEY MAKOE

Dr Phophi Ramathuba – the Premier with a mission, and vision

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LIMPOPO Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba is a leader on a mission to improve the lives of her people. She exudes confidence in her approach to work, and her commitment to bringing foreign investment to the sprawling Limpopo province is palpable. Premier Ramathuba was part of President Ramaphosa’s official state visit to China, the world’s second-biggest economy. She also attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a three-day global affair held in the Chinese capital Beijing and attended by an estimated 50 African heads of state. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also attended the FOCAC 2024 summit, which was ground-breaking for…

Sep

07

2024

By JACOB DLAMINI

Steve Biko, the South African struggle hero who was prepared to sacrifice his life for black liberation

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

WHAT happens when death becomes the ultimate marker of one’s commitment to one’s freedom? Jacob Dlamini explores this and other questions in his new book, Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa. This edited extract, from the chapter Dead and Proud, focuses on Steve Biko’s attitude to martyrdom and to the political uses of death (30). Steve Biko’s death on 12 September 1977 generated arguably the most significant hagiography and iconography to come out of the struggle against apartheid. Artist Paul Stopforth was among the first to respond critically to the murder, producing a collection titled the Biko Series.…

Sep

04

2024

By BHASO NDZENDZE

China reaps most of the benefits of its relationship with Africa: what’s behind the imbalance

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing takes place under the theme of “Joining hands to advance modernisation and build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future”. But how shared can that future be between the Asian economic giant and Africa? The eight summits since 2000 have not resulted in mutual gain, particularly in trade and industrialisation for Africa. China has reaped most of the benefits. The fault lies with Africa’s lack of a strategy for engagement with China. I am a scholar of international relations and have researched Africa-China relations over several years. The China-Africa cooperation forum…

Aug

31

2024

By MICHAEL ONYEBUCHI EZE

Rick Turner and Steve Biko were leading liberation thinkers in 1970s South Africa – why their ideas still matter

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

STEVE Biko was undoubtedly the most influential South African liberation struggle theorist and activist of the 1970s. Rick Turner was arguably among the most effectual white anti-apartheid activists of the era. Biko espoused black consciousness while Turner was a Marxist philosopher. Biko (30) was murdered by apartheid police in 1977. Turner (36) was shot dead by an apartheid assassin in 1978. Their ideas continue to resonate. Political scientist and philosopher Michael Onyebuchi Eze sets out, in a chapter of a new book, Rick Turner’s Politics as the Art of the Impossible, how the two men’s philosophies mirrored and critiqued each…

Aug

30

2024

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

The SA government seeks to deepen partnerships with businesses to build a conducive environment for investment, growth and job creation

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DEEPENING the partnership between government and business is essential to the growth of our economy and the progress of our country. By its very nature, a Government of National Unity (GNU) brings together viewpoints and ideological and political positions that may at times be at variance with each other. However, as the parties to the Government of National Unity, we have been able to achieve broad consensus on the most pressing issues facing our country. We are clear that our most critical task now is to build an inclusive economy that generates sustainable growth, creates jobs and eradicates poverty. We…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Birth of a Guerrilla Fighter: Richard “Barney” Molokoane

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

RICHARD “Barney” Molokoane will forever be remembered for his exceptional bravery, his total dedication to the cause of freedom and the revolution On 27 August 1957, Richard Lekgotla Molokoane was born in Tladi, Soweto. Molokoane became politically active during the student uprisings of 1976. Like many of his contemporaries, Richard “Barney” Molokoane, joined the African National Congress (ANC) and the glorious People’s Army Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), where he belonged to the June 16 Detachment. Proud of his role as a fighter for freedom, Molokoane was scrupulously faithful to the ideals of the ANC and MK. He was a very…