By Human Rights Watch
Share an invitation to a state-sponsored press briefing in Niger and face jail time. That’s the reality for six Nigerien journalists who were arrested last month in the military junta’s latest assault on media freedom. Click to expand Image The journalists Omar Kane, left, Ibro Chaibou, top right, and Youssouf Seriba, bottom right. © Private On October 30, police in Niamey, Niger’s capital, arrested Moussa Kaka and Abdoul Aziz of Saraounia TV; Ibro Chaibou and Souleymane Brah from the online publication Voice of the People; Youssouf Seriba of Les Échos du Niger; and Oumarou Kané,…
(Full Story)
|
By Omid Asayesh, Postdoctoral fellow, Sociology, University of Calgary
Canada remains one of the world’s most desired migration destinations, but shifting policies have left would-be immigrants and residents facing uncertainty.
(Full Story)
|
By Sarah Venter, Baobab Ecologist, University of the Witwatersrand
New research shows that baobab tree flowers have adapted to meet the needs of either bats or moths, and without these creatures, the trees will not survive.
(Full Story)
|
By Nnamdi O. Madichie, Professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Unizik Business School, Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Short comedy videos circulating on social media have created a booming industry in Nigeria in the past few years. The country’s comedy creators put their skits out on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to reach a massive audience.
As these online comedians gain followers they make their money from advertising, by endorsing brands as influencers, and through collaborations. In Nigeria the industry is popularly called the skit economy.
This phenomenon represents more than a major new entertainment trend. It highlights the ingenuity of young Nigerians in using technology…
(Full Story)
|
By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Assistant Professor, Harvard University
For 10 years, Ghanaian poet Kwame Dawes and his friend the Nigerian writer Chris Abani have sifted through piles of manuscripts looking for Africa’s new poetic talent. Since 2014, the African Poetry Book Fund has been assembling a formidable archive of writing through the New…
(Full Story)
|
By Kristin Brig, Lecturer in Public Health & Society, Washington University in St. Louis
The water infrastructure politics of eThekwini, the municipality that includes the city of Durban, have been splashed across the digital pages of South Africa’s news outlets in recent years.
They’ve covered the 2022 floods that damaged kilometres of pipes, water…
(Full Story)
|
By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Robert Muggah, an expert in organised crime in Brazil, explains the origins of the Commando Vermehlo, the gang targeted in a deadly raid in Rio de Janeiro in late October.
(Full Story)
|
By Michael Kehler, Research Professor, Masculinities Studies, School of Education, University of Calgary
Rather than uphold a dominant hypermasculine image of men in sport, this years’ World Series might have opened our eyes to a counter-narrative in sport.
(Full Story)
|
By Ryan M. Katz-Rosene, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, with Cross-Appointment to Geography, Environment and Geomatics, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Shortly before COP30 talks begin in Brazil, tech billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has launched a “narrative grenade” into the discourse of climate politics by publishing a lengthy memo calling for a rethink of how the climate crisis is framed and addressed.
Gates calls for a “strategic pivot” in climate strategy. That appears to have hit a nerve. Both social and traditional media were ablaze with erroneous…
(Full Story)
|
By Valerie Thomas, Professor of Industrial Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Countries around the world have been discussing the need to rein in climate change for three decades, yet global greenhouse gas emissions – and global temperatures with them – keep rising.
When it seems like we’re getting nowhere, it’s useful to step back and examine the progress that has been made.
Let’s take a look at the…
(Full Story)
|