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Benin’s growth under Talon came with shrinking democratic freedoms
President Patrice Talon oversaw rapid economic and infrastructure development in Benin during his decade in office, helping raise annual GDP growth from 3% to 6%. But the gains have coincided with a sharp erosion of democratic freedoms, leaving Benin’s development under Talon a story of economic progress alongside increasingly authoritarian rule. Known as the “cotton…
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South Africa to clean up high-risk areas after 12 women killed
The discovery of 12 women’s bodies in an area east of Johannesburg over two months has prompted South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce a comprehensive national emergency response to the country’s crisis of gender-based violence. The deaths sparked widespread national outcry and four arrests, though police investigations have not yet established that the killings…
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Nigerian dancer completes 168-hour marathon in Lagos record bid
A Nigerian dancer named Benjamin Daniel, professionally known as “Ben Dancer”, completed a 168-hour dance marathon in Lagos to attempt breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest individual dance marathon. The 33-year-old reached his target early on Tuesday morning but continued dancing for a further nine hours, demonstrating remarkable endurance whilst drawing on Nigeria’s…
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‘School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play’ Broadway Review: An Exceptional Portrait of Black Girlhood
Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play” is a 75-minute Broadway production that captures the complexity of Black girlhood within the specificity of 1986 Ghana. Directed by Whitney White and set at a girls’ boarding school, the play explores themes of colonialism, anti-Blackness and colorism whilst balancing humour with heartbreak, offering a…
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‘School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play’ Broadway Review: When Escape Is Just A Clique Away
Jocelyn Bioh’s *School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play* has opened on Broadway in a Manhattan Theatre Club production directed by Whitney White. Set in a Ghanaian boarding school in 1986, the comedy-drama uses familiar high-school clique dynamics to examine how cruelty and the desire to escape can be shaped by wider pressures, including…
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Twelve women have been killed in one part of South Africa since July. Here’s what we know so far
Police in South Africa have confirmed the discovery of twelve bodies of women in Ekurhuleni, an area east of Johannesburg, within a two-month period from July to September 2026. The findings have sparked widespread alarm in the region and raised concerns about a possible serial killer, though three arrests made in separate cases appear unrelated.…
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Police uncover remains of 28 suspected kidnapping victims in Abia forests
The remains of at least 28 people have been discovered in two forests in south-eastern Nigeria following a police security operation. Officers suspect the skeletal remains belong to kidnapping victims, though investigations to establish identities are ongoing. The discovery highlights the persistent threat posed by kidnapping gangs operating in remote forests across south-eastern Nigeria, who…
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Documentary traces colonial land theft and exploitation on Kenya’s tea estates
A new documentary, “Kikuyu Land,” examines how Kenya’s renowned tea plantations—worked primarily by Kikuyu people—perpetuate a legacy of colonial exploitation that continues under corporate control. Directed by Andrew Harrison Brown and investigative journalist Bea Wangondu, the film reveals how Britain’s colonial authorities stripped the Kikuyu of their ancestral lands, and how multinational corporations have since…
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Five men held on terrorism suspicions after arrests near RAF Fairford
Five men were arrested near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sunday in connection with a suspected attack on the air base. They were first detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and later arrested on terrorism charges. US President Donald Trump said American authorities had monitored the men before their capture; British police…