THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jan

31

2023

Regina Twala was a towering intellectual and activist in Eswatini – but she was erased from history

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BORN in South Africa and exiled to neighbouring Eswatini, Regina Twala was one of southern Africa’s most important intellectuals: a pioneering writer, academic, political activist and feminist. Why, then, has she been all but forgotten? That’s the question a new book sets out to answer. In the process Written Out: The Silencing of Regina Gelana Twala restores Twala to her rightful place in history. We spoke with the book’s author, historian Joel Cabrita. Author JOEL CABRITA, Associate Professor of History, Director of the Center for African Studies, Stanford University Who is Regina Twala and why is she important? Regina Gelana…

Jan

25

2023

By The African Mirror

Farewell Thulani Maseko, the People’s Lawyer: Sharp Bro, Best!

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TSHIAMO RANTAO ON 21 October 2019 at 2258hrs Thulani Maseko sent me the following WhatsApp message: “My Boet, I hope you are well. I am in your country, Botswana, in Gaborone until Friday to oversee your elections! If you have time at some point to catch up.” At the time he sent the message, I had already retired to bed, and so I only saw it and responded the following morning, asking him where he was based in Gaborone. He responded: “At an Airbnb called City Mews by Independent Street Dear Cde”. Unfortunately, I could not meet with him since…

Jan

24

2023

By The African Mirror

SA President pays tribute to the country’s founding Speaker of Parliament

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

We celebrate the remarkable life of Frene Ginwala and pay tribute to her profound contribution to the cause of freedom, peace and progress. We remember a life that was as rich in experience as it was rich in meaning. Frene Ginwala played many parts. She was a journalist, an author, an academic, a barrister and a Parliamentarian. She was an activist, a feminist, a pan-Africanist and an internationalist. Yet, no roll-call of her many achievements can adequately describe the person she was nor the impact that she made in the course of her life. It is telling that among her…

Jan

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election: 10 factors that could affect the outcome

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS Nigerians inch closer to the February 2023 presidential election, the seventh since the current wave of liberal democracy formally started in 1999, there are at least 10 key issues that are likely to drive and determine the outcome. Political scientist, Jideofor Adibe, explores them all. 1. Ethnicity and regionalism Author JIDEOFOR ADIBE, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi Four of the 18 presidential candidates in the election, regarded as the front runners, come from the three dominant ethnic groups in the country: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. From the north are Atiku Abubakar, a former…

Jan

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Integrity of universities is critical

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

UNIVERSITIES are hallowed spaces dedicated to a relentless search for truth, knowledge and the acquisition of skills and expertise. It stands to reason that university campuses are environments where scholars and intellectuals flex their brain powers, train the young and provide society with new knowledge and the ability to advance through know-how. MOSIBUDI MANGENA They are therefore not sites for violence and shooting of guns. Physical violence and thuggery of any description should have no place in an institution of higher learning. Not only South Africa, but the whole world must be shocked beyond words by the attempted assassination of…

Jan

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Meet Valerie Traore, the woman behind one of Africa’s leading advocacy firms

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BIRD STORY AGENCY FOURTEEN years ago, Valerie Traore quit her job in Nairobi, put her possessions up for sale and used the proceeds to chase her dream some 6,000 km away, on the other side of a continent. Today, the founder and Executive Director of Niyel, an international advocacy and campaigning firm based in Dakar, has no regrets about that decision. "What Niyel is doing through advocacy is showing others that we are change creators because the Africa we want is the Africa we have to be part of developing and creating but not dismissing those who are not part…

Jan

18

2023

By The African Mirror

Post Moloto – The Language Warrior

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MATHATHA TSEDU RALPH Waldo Emerson, in his book "On Heroism", wrote: "When you have chosen your part, abide by it and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself to the world. The heroic cannot be the common nor the common heroic. Congratulate yourself if you have done something strange and extravagant, and broken the monotony of a decorous age" The struggle against colonisation all over the world is always a fight for the reclamation of the colonised's being, their dignity, way of life, their culture, their land and their wealth. In many previously colonised nations, the coloniser packs his and…

Jan

14

2023

By The African Mirror

Madosini, a South African national treasure whose music kept a rich history alive

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

RENOWNED African musician, songwriter and storyteller Latozi “Madosini” Mphahleni passed away late in 2022. The cultural and indigenous music activist, who laughed as often as she played, was loved by everyone she met. She has left behind a rich legacy of Xhosa music, heritage and history. She also taught and nurtured a new generation of bow players, reinvigorating an art that was dying. Author BOUDINA MCCONNACHIE, Ethnomusicology and African Musical Arts lecturer, Rhodes University The iconic South African Xhosa bow performer was born on 25 December 1943 (though she herself was uncertain of the precise date) in a village called…

Jan

13

2023

By The African Mirror

Chinese workers on Africa’s infrastructure projects: the link with host political regimes

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CHINA has rapidly become Africa’s most important infrastructure builder, and the footprint of Chinese construction companies is seen in cities, towns and villages across the continent. With the launch of Beijing’s “Go Global” policy in 2000, and President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the volume of roads, bridges, railways, power stations and other infrastructure built by China has increased markedly. The number of overseas contracts signed by Chinese companies more than doubled from just under 6,000 in 2004 to almost 12,000 in 2019. Authors PIPPA MORGAN, Lecturer, Political Science, Duke Kunshan University ANDREA GHISELLI, Assistant Professor, School…

Jan

12

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya and South Africa are working to address trade barriers: where to start

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TRADE volumes between Kenya and South Africa have always been minimal compared to each country’s engagement with its other major trading partners. But in recent years, leaders of the two countries have been taking steps to stimulate trade. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was on the same mission late last year when he addressed the Kenya-SA Business Forum in Nairobi. We asked trade and foreign policy analyst Paul Odhiambo and economist XN Iraki about the trade obstacles between the two countries and how these can be overcome. Authors XN IRAKI, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, University of…