Stories from Quick Reads and South Africa
African Startups Win FinTech for Agriculture 2015 Competition
Two African startups have emerged winners of a regional competition organised by Village Capital: Village Capital today announced the first winners of its innovative program, East Africa: FinTech for Agriculture 2015. The program supports entrepreneurs in making financial services more affordable and accessible for smallholder farmers and other underbanked individuals...
On Assisted Dying Ruling By a South African Court
Professor Pierre de Vos weighs in on the debate about assisted dying in South Africa after a South African High Court ruled that a dying person is entitled to be assisted by a qualified medical doctor to end his or her life: It is important to note that the ruling...
Second Most Spoken Languages in Africa
Don Osborne discusses a news feature on the Olivet Nazarene University website showing a map of “The Second Most Spoken Languages Around the World.” He points out key problems from the map: The first issue is assuming that “The most spoken language in any country is often obvious; usually, it’s...
Video: Campaign to Stop the Sale of Steve Biko's Autopsy Report
Artist and social entrepreneur Nomsa Mazwai (Nomisupasta) and some friends got together to collect signatures for a petition to stop the sale of Steve Biko‘s autopsy report. Watch the YouTube video of the campaign:
Submissions Needed for White History Month 2015
Organised by Africa is a Country blog, White History month 2015 is coming next month: Last March was the inaugural White History Month here on Africa is a Country, and without tooting too loudly on our own vuvuzela, it was kind of brilliant. So we’re going to do it again....
10 African Children’s Illustrators You Should Know
Jennifer Sefa-Boakye highlights 10 of Golden Baobab Prize for African Illustrators’ finalists: Late last year Ghana-based pan-African literary organization Golden Baobab introduced us to a shortlist of talented illustrators, whose work ranged from 3-D Ashanti folktales to intricately drawn Moroccan cityscapes and African barbershop-inspired murals in Durban. Awarded in November,...
The Release of South Africa's “Prime Evil”: It's Time to Confront The Evil of Apartheid
Nicknamed “Prime Evil”, Eugene de Kock was the commanding officer a counter-insurgency unit of the South African Police that kidnapped, tortured, and murdered numerous anti-apartheid activists during apartheid era. He was recently granted parole after serving 20 years of his 212 prison sentence. Pierre de Vos reacts to his release...
MTN South Africa launches FrontRow
Telecommunication provider MTN South Africa has launched MTN FrontRow, a video-on-demand (VOD) service. Tech Moran reports: According to MTN, ” MTN FrontRow, is a premium entertainment network that brings you all the TV series and movies you love, even if you’re not an MTN subscriber – and you could get...
Talking Heads Project Showcases What is Extraordinary About People in Africa
Talking Heads is a project of the Africa Centre, a non-profit cultural organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa. Talking Heads produces audio casts and short films, which are freely available on YouTube and iTunes: The Africa Centre has designed an approach that identifies, showcases and creates opportunities for African...
Conversations and Images From Highway Africa 2014
Highway Africa 2014 took place on 7-8 September, 2014 at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. The theme of the conference was Social Media – from the margins to the mainstream. Find images and conversations about the conference here.
An Election Film Week in Lebanon to Say #NoToExtension of Parliament Term
What better than the seventh art to mobilize? In another effort to push for Elections in Lebanon and prevent an extension of the Parliamentary term #NoToExtension, Lebanese NGO Nahwa Al Muwatiniya (meaning Towards Citizenship) held an “Election Film Week”. Six works from Chile, Iran, China, Ghana and the US, varying between documentaries...
Digital Media Guru Headlines Highway Africa 2014
Highway Africa organisers have announced that Dan Gilmor will be the keynote speaker for the 18th edition of the conference which takes place from 7-8 September, 2014 in at Rhodes University, South Africa: The theme of the conference is Social Media – from the margins to the mainstream and Gillmor,...
Highway Africa 2014 Extends Deadline for Registration
The deadline for registration for the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014: Due to the influx of interest in the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference, the deadline for registration has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014. The world’s largest annual gathering of...
Second Biggest Arts Festival in the World Taking Place in South Africa
Live reports from the National Arts Festival taking place in Grahamstown, South Africa: Every winter, for 11 days in early July, the sleepy South African college town of Grahamstown comes alive with art. Artists from all over the world swarm to the tiny town, and every nook and cranny is...
On Being Young, Black and Queer in South Africa
Leila Dee Dougan shares a music video from the latest album by the South African artist Umlilo: Umlilo (previously profiled on Africa is a Country here) continues to push societal boundaries, crushing the norms of sexuality and gender roles with ‘Magic Man’, a track from his latest album, which will...
Project Uses Mobile Phones to Encourage Reading
Lauri writes about a project in South Africa, FunDza Literacy Trust, that takes advantage of mobile phone technology to encourage reading among kids: What I find lovely, though, is when Africans sort out innovative solutions to their problems. FunDza Literacy Trust is one such solution. Cellphones have taken off big...
Mandela's lesson for Hong Kong
Sa Law from left21 wrote a piece on Nelson Mandela and his lesson for Hong Kong, a city where migrant workers are living in apartheid. Due to their long working hours for six days a week, they lack the chance to socialize and mingle with the rest of Hong Kong...
Mandela and Mao, Not Much in Common
Jeremiah from Jotting in the Granite Studio comments on the China's state broadcaster CCTV's attempt to draw the link between Mandela and Mao Zedong: Mandela didn’t really have much in common with Mao. Mao was an idealist in the strictest sense of the word, a man who believed that how...
On Twitter, Peruvians Remember Song Dedicated to Mandela
When South African leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison in the 90s, Spanish-Peruvian musician Miki Gonzáles [es] wrote the song “Liberaron a Mandela” [Mandela was released]. Peruvian Twitter users remembered the song when they learned about Mandela's passing: Temón de Miki Gonzales cuando liberaron a Mandela, allá x los...
Czech Crime Boss Claims South African Police “Tortured” Him
Radovan Krejcir, an alleged Czech crime boss living in South Africa, was arrested on Friday, November 22, 2013, in Johannesburg on charges of kidnapping and attempted murder, although there are rumors on social media that other charges, such as money laundering and conspiracy, will be added to the list. Krejcir,...
Last Day for Submitting Applications for Highway Africa New Media Awards
Today, July 31, 2013 (16:30, Pretoria Time) is the closing date for submitting applications for the Telkom- Highway African New Media Awards.