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African countries are trying to wean their economies off mineral resources. They’re not a great development option and can come with a host of social, political and economic challenges. Another option that’s been touted: a shift to low-cost and export-oriented manufacturing. This is what spurred strong growth in the economies of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan – known as the Asian Tigers. But the Asian model had a downside – one that’s especially worth noting on International Women’s Day. As Niamh Gaynor writes, those economies were built on conditions that weren’t fair to women. African states should learn from the experience.
Before colonialism and the arrival of Christianity in South Africa, black people’s views of sexuality and the role of women looked very different from today’s. This history of sexuality and intimacy is the subject of historian Natasha Erlank’s latest book. She shares her findings with us.
International Women’s Day is also an opportunity to share some of the more recent articles we’ve published that track the lives, times and careers of extraordinary African artists and intellectuals. The South African soprano Pretty Yende; the Eswatini writer and activist Regina Twala; Angelique Kidjo, the diva from Benin; Zimbabwe’s queen of the mbira, Stella Chiweshe: all four of these women have been pioneers in their fields.
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Natasha Erlank, University of Johannesburg
Before colonialism black South Africans viewed sex and morality very differently than today.
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Wayne Muller, Stellenbosch University
Performing at the coronation of King Charles III will be just one of many firsts for the activist soprano.
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Joel Cabrita, Stanford University
A powerful new book restores the writer and feminist politician to her rightful place in history.
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Sanya Osha, University of Cape Town
Kidjo has a remarkable cultural vision that spans the globe but stays true to her roots.
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Gibson Ncube, Stellenbosch University
She paved the way for women to play the mbira – and then took the ancient tradition global.
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From our international editions
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Dr Sarah Lothian, University of Wollongong
It took almost 20 years. but the world has finally agreed on the so-called High Seas Treaty to better protect marine life in unregulated waters
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Shireen Daft, Macquarie University
The recent reports of poison attacks on over 1000 Iranian schoolgirls appears to be another shocking chapter in the war against girls’ education.
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Stephen Hughes, Anglia Ruskin University
A panel of experts has deemed the digital rectal examination to be inferior to MRI in monitoring prostate cancer in men.
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Kate O'Neill, University of California, Berkeley
Humans generate a lot of trash, but there are cheaper and safer ways to handle it than loading it on rockets.
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