Ugandan academic and feminist activist Stella Nyanzi is facing a possible year in prison for “cyber harassment and offensive communication”. Nyanzi was arrested after a recent Facebook post in which she ridiculed President Yoweri Museveni. The formidable Nyanzi has been fearless in her criticism of the president who has been in power for 32 years. As Kylie Thomas explains, her criticism of the East African strongman is part of a decades-old tradition of Ugandan “radical rudeness”.
Ethiopia is going through a heady period of change. The country’s new premier, Abiy Ahmed, has taken great strides to reinstate democratic ideals and heal the political wounds of the country’s past, some of which were caused by historical ethnic conflicts. Namhla Matshanda writes that if he wants to achieve sustainable peace, Ahmed must take extra care to deal with the root causes of conflicts that have plagued the country for decades.
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Stella Nyanzi at work.
Stella Nyanzi/Facebook
Kylie Thomas, University of the Free State
Academic Stella Nyanzi has been daring in her critique of Uganda's Yoweri Museveni. She now faces jail for her outspokenness.
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Peace in the Horn of Africa could depend on how Ethiopia handles its reforms process.
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Namhla Matshanda, University of the Western Cape
Tensions, both within Ethiopia and between Ethiopia and its neighbours, are rooted in history.
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Science + Technology
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Dani J Barrington, University of Leeds; Rebecca Sindall, University of KwaZulu-Natal
There are numerous examples of failed aid projects, where sanitation systems have been installed without consulting local people, then abandoned by the community after the project team has departed.
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Wei-Chiao Huang, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Jonathan Lovell, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Researchers have tried unsuccessfully for decades to develop a malaria vaccine. Now a new approach, showing promise in mice, suggests it is possible to block mosquitoes from spreading the disease.
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Environment + Energy
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Peet Van Der Merwe, North-West University
The economic, social and conservation reasons why hunting remains relevant in southern Africa.
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From our international editions
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Rachel Hughes, University of Melbourne; Christoph Sperfeldt, University of Melbourne; Maria Elander, La Trobe University
A potentially historic ruling on genocide by a tribunal in Cambodia on Friday could unsettle understandings of the past among Cambodians - and create a precedent in international law.
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Katy Hayward, Queen's University Belfast; Adrienne Yong, City, University of London; Maria Garcia, University of Bath; Michael Gordon, University of Liverpool; Nauro Campos, Brunel University London; Nieves Perez-Solorzano, University of Bristol; Phil Syrpis, University of Bristol
Academic experts explain the key details of the draft Brexit deal agreed by UK and EU negotiators.
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