African Update

The greatest of all times retires home to ancestral glory, fare thee well Muhammad Ali!  [14/06/16]

By Samwin Banienuba

History is replete with many men and women titled ‘the Great’ and they have all had requiems rising to heavenly heights amidst lavish tributes in annals of the past. While all such ‘greats’ belong to yesteryears of many ages ago or cocooned in epochs of the selective history of conquerors, the most universal and the greatest of all times is none other than the iconic African-American and legendary boxer, athlete, humanitarian, philanthropist, preacher and activist Muhammad Ali who retired home to ancestral glory on June 3rd, 2016 at the age of 74.More

The greatest of all times retires home to ancestral glory, fare thee well Muhammad Ali!  [12/06/16]

History is replete with many men and women titled ‘the Great’ and they have all had requiems rising to heavenly heights amidst lavish tributes in annals of the past. While all such ‘greats’ belong to yesteryears of many ages ago or cocooned in epochs of the selective history of conquerors, the most universal and the greatest of all times is none other than the iconic African-American and legendary boxer, athlete, humanitarian, philanthropist, preacher and activist Muhammad Ali who retired home to ancestral glory on June 3rd, 2016 at the age of 74.More

Boutros Boutros-Ghali goes home to rest in peace  [03/03/16]

On 16th February 2016 Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Egyptian born Coptic Christian Arab, aristocrat, academic, politician and diplomat, was called home to rest in peace with the Pantheon of African ancestors. Born in November 1922 he rose to international limelight almost 70 years later when he was elected the 6th Secretary General of the United Nations. For continental Africa he was and would continue to be remembered as the first son of the soil to head the international organisation. Because he hailed from Egypt, Boutros was equally the first from the Arab world to hold the position. He was certainly the first post-cold war Secretary General and remains the first Secretary General whose quest for a second term was famously or infamously shot down in 1996 by the venom of American veto power.More

East Africa: French Companies to Assess Impact of Ethiopian Dam  [30/12/15]

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have named two French firms to conduct fresh studies on the impact of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam.More

Crossings: African writers in the era of the transatlantic slave trade  [21/12/15]

Marion Wallace (British Library) introduces the leading writers of African heritage in 18th-century Britain, and explains how the pen became a weapon against both the slave trade and the system of enslavement itself.More

Africa must learn from Europe’s structural failures  [15/12/15]

The euro’s internal contradictions have sent Greece into a depression, contributed to a near continent-wide stagnation, and threaten to derail an entire political project. Africa, which may see new regional currencies emerge in the next decade, should stop modelling economic integration on Europe’s former successes but rather learn from its structural failures, argues James Schneider.  -More

Modern African Remedies: Herbal Medicine and Community Development in Nigeria  [20/11/15]

Despite its middle-income status, Nigeria’s health system cannot provide even a rudimentary level of care for most citizens – particularly in rural areas.  As the prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases increases, indigenous medical knowledge must be utilised. In Nigeria, but also globally, there is growing recognition of the need to integrate traditional medicine into mainstream health systems to bolster their ability to cope with an ever-increasing burden.More

Around Africa in a Month - Monthly event on current affairs initiated by Humanitas Afrika  [25/10/15]

Press Release

AROUND AFRICA IN A MONTH

- MONTHLY EVENT ON CURRENT AFFAIRS INITIATED BY HUMANITAS AFRIKA

The UN has declared 2015-2024 as International Decade for People of African Descent. When declaring one of the UN’s priority theme for the next ten years Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "We must remember that people of African descent are among those most affected by racism.Too often, they face denial of basic rights such as access to quality health services and education”. Part of the objective of the Decade is to recognise ongoing and widespread discrimination and promote respect and tolerance for people of African descent who continue to suffer racism and hatred across the world. The Decade is under the theme: Recognition, Justice and Development.More

Ali Mazrui retires to the ancestral home, fare thee well!  [12/11/14]

On 13th October 2014 Ali Al’amin Mazrui passed on at the elderly age of 81 in the United States. News of his death came with shockwaves in the intellectual community throughout the world and particularly in his birth continent Africa and the United States where he taught at Binghamton University, New York. For many Africans Ali Mazrui represented the wisdom of the village old man reclined under a tree while telling stories to children clustered around him. Unlike many other elderly village men Ali Mazrui did not prefer the folkloric but focused instead on the historical. Not unusually, history and perspectives of it do not come without polemics.More

Africa in Brazil and the 2014 World Cup – Redefining Afro-Brazilian Relations  [31/05/14]

In weeks, call it days, the world will rally in Brazil and spotlight the much anticipated 2014 Football World Cup. For those of us who recently watched Real Madrid snatch the European Champions trophy from Atletico Madrid in the dying embers of the game need no reminding of the propensity for football to inflict as much pain and despair as it affects euphoria and joy within moments of each other, depending on which team your camp is pitched of course. Never knowing what can happen in the next minute is what captivates our attention in this beautiful game also known as soccer.More