Prague, Czech Republic | AFP | Vlastimil Gular’s life took an unwelcome turn a year ago: minor surgery on his vocal cords revealed throat cancer, which led to the loss of his larynx and with it, his voice. But the 51-year-old father of four is still chatting away using his …
Read More »The decisive mind
You make decisions quicker and based on less information than you think Kampala, Uganda | NADAV KLEIN | We live in an age of information. In theory, we can learn everything about anyone or anything at the touch of a button. All this information should allow us to make super-informed, …
Read More »World Bank Year in Review: 2018 in 14 Charts
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As 2018 comes to an end, extreme poverty is at the lowest level in recorded history but is expected to become increasingly concentrated in one region. A record number of people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and an influential new report confirms we’re …
Read More »In Ethiopia, as a capital rises, history rots
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | From its hillside overlooking the Ethiopian capital, Berhanu Mengistu’s century-old, gabled family home has seen emperors and governments rise and fall. It has withstood economic stagnation and the rapid population growth that replaced its once-patrician neighbours with a rabble of shacks. But it now …
Read More »Libya’s ‘green gold’ olive industry hit by export ban
Tarhuna, Libya | AFP | Stretching as far as the eye can see, groves of gnarled olive trees in northwest Libya have proudly withstood the country’s devastating conflicts. But the industry of extracting olive oil, often dubbed “green gold”, is now under threat after Libyan authorities halted exports in a …
Read More »Germans turn to ‘medibus’ as doctors desert villages
Cornberg, Germany | AFP | For years after the last doctor left the small German village of Weissenborn, 79-year-old former mayor Arno Maeurer had to rely on his car to reach the nearest clinic, as a chronic shortage of practitioners gripped his rural region. But this year a clinic started …
Read More »London tries to treat knife crime surge as public health epidemic
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Faced with spiralling youth violence and knife crime, authorities in London have decided to treat the issues as a public health problem, deploying similar tactics from the fight against disease epidemics. The strategy follows pioneering projects credited with bringing down murder rates in Chicago …
Read More »SNV nutrition program embraced in Uganda’s Rwenzori region
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | It was a time of great celebration in Lhuhwahwa II village in Kasese district and in Rukomero village in Kyenjojo district in Western Uganda last week as community members came together to celebrate adoption of nutrition sensitive agricultural practices, improved dietary diversity and good …
Read More »ARTS: Top five artists review 2018
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The year 2018 has undoubtedly been very active and exciting. The Kampala Contemporary Art scene has witnessed two important festivals happening this year: Kampala Art Biennale 2018 (KAB18) and Kampala Contemporary Art festival (KLA ART 018). These two art events have contributed another character to …
Read More »I’m because I’m from here
How where you’re born influences the person you become Kampala, Uganda | SAMUEL PUTNAM & MASHA A. GARTEIN | As early as the fifth century, the Greek historian Thucydides contrasted the self-control and stoicism of Spartans with the more indulgent and free-thinking citizens of Athens. Today, unique behaviors and characteristics seem …
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