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Ghanaian and Nigerian films are getting global recognition as millions are now able to stream them via platforms like Netflix. While there are several positives in this development, it is imperative to pay attention to the way these films are coloured to get on the streaming platforms. Media scholar Wunpuni Mohammed, in her article, explores the displacement of African consumers and audiences in the Ghanaian and Nigerian films carried by platforms like
Netflix.
Earlier this year Spotify launched its Detty December hub, playlists of party songs inspired by Nigeria’s annual festive bashes. The streaming service decided to add South African songs too, tapping into the country’s “Ke Dezemba” spirit of revelry. This makes sense because Afrobeats from Nigeria and amapiano from South Africa have taken the global music industry by storm. But Detty December is much more than a cultural moment - it’s become an engine driving lucrative tourism and city economies. Marketing and entrepreneurship scholars from both countries explain why South Africa should tap into the trend too.
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Godfred Boafo
Commissioning Editor: Ghana
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Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed, Cornell University
Netflix’s interest in Africa is more about business than telling nuanced stories about the continent.
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Nnamdi O. Madichie, University of Kigali; Motshedisi Mathibe, University of Pretoria; NobuLali Dangazele, University of Pretoria
What was once just a cultural moment has become a powerful economic engine of cultural tourism.
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Arts, Culture + Society
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Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Rutgers University
Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is changing contemporary Ghanaian art.
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Victor Counted, Regent University
The yardstick of progress is broken. It’s time to stop using wealth alone to measure how Africa is doing.
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Health + Medicine
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Jia B. Kangbai, Njala University
Sierra Leoneans are worried by the increasing number of mpox cases and deaths that have been recorded in 2025.
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Business + Economy
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Adrino Mazenda, University of Pretoria; Catherine Althaus, UNSW Sydney; Massimiliano Tani, UNSW Sydney
South Africa needs to improve health and social insurance coverage for both internal and international migrants.
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Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town
Finance ministers should stay away from debt negotiations because their interests are more short term.
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Politics
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Matthias Krönke, University of Reading; Rorisang Lekalake, University of Cape Town
Pre- and post-election surveys in South Africa show a surge in optimism and pro-democratic sentiment.
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Kamau Wairuri, Edinburgh Napier University
Kenyan regimes have long adopted brutal policing approaches to sustain themselves in power.
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Issouf Binaté, Université Alassane Ouattara de Bouaké
Although symbolically visible in some places across the continent, Turkey’s presence remains a work in progress.
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Luca Bussotti, Universidade Técnica de Moçambique (UDM)
It is 50 years since Mozambique achieved its independence from Portugal. But celebrations are being marred by deep divisions.
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Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Pwani University
Kenya now needs to rethink its approach by targeting police funding to improve the poor working environment.
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Marinei Herselman, University of Fort Hare
Women were often imprisoned with their abusers, making it nearly impossible to escape.
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Climate
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Mamahloko Senatla Jaane, University of Pretoria
South Africa’s big companies, hospitals and universities have millions of square metres of rooftop space that is suitable for generating solar power.
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Mulako Dean Mukelabai, Loughborough University; Richard Blanchard, Loughborough University
Green hydrogen is made from water and renewable energy and could be produced quite cheaply in Zambia using the hydropower and solar-based national grid.
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Education
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Sumaya Laher, University of the Witwatersrand
When is it acceptable to use AI in academic publishing?
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Environment + Energy
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Thembinkosi Twalo, Human Sciences Research Council
In South Africa’s Eastern Cape, water equipment needs replacement. Water payments should be kept aside to improve the service.
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Judy Mann-Lang, Oceanographic Research Institute (South African Association for Marine Biological Research)
The ocean needs help – overfishing, pollution and climate change are serious problems. Individuals can take action to help.
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