S.Africa circumcision ritual: a dangerous route to manhood Coffee Bay, South Africa | AFP | Naked, covered in white clay mud, and with his penis wrapped in leaves, Abongile Maqegu, 20, sits in a hut in South Africa recovering from his circumcision — a traditional ritual that can prove …
Read More »OBITUARY: Ssebaana Kizito (1934-2017)
Ssebaana Kizito: Born at right time, dead at wrong time Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGGWA | THE political will he left for the country may have been contained in one of the last interviews he gave to a local TV station a few weeks before his death. “Leaders should …
Read More »Dr. Richard Kalungi: The pioneer house call doctor
Dr. Richard Kalungi has chosen rare path in the practice of medicine. Although the common practice in Uganda is for anyone seeking medical attention to visit a health facility, Kalungi is pioneering a concept of doctors visiting patients in homes, work places, and schools. “I wanted to get a solution …
Read More »EXPOSED: Uganda’s secret GMO research
Unknown to most Ugandans, NARO currently runs one of the most active GMO research facilities on the African continent Kampala, Uganda| ANDREW S. KAGGWA | Barbara Ntambirweki, a research fellow with Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) is preparing for a bit fight – against introduction into the country of Genetically …
Read More »Gated compounds keep the rich away from Cairo’s chaos
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Guards check drivers’ papers to keep out uninvited guests from gated compounds where Egypt’s rich can escape the chaos of Cairo’s streets in a country with a widening wealth gap. Built in the deserts around Cairo, some compounds offer amenities such as indoor and outdoor …
Read More »Full stalls, empty markets as South Sudan’s economy crumbles
Aweil, South Sudan | AFP | “I sell the small bottle of cooking oil for 140 SSP. Six months ago, it was 70. The customers complain,” said James Deng, an 18-year-old stallholder in Aweil, South Sudan. In this regional market in the country’s northwest — just as at the main …
Read More »In Africa’s fashion capital, Lagos, ‘trad is swag’
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Leggy dancers in tight shorts, bottles of Moet champagne and flashy cars feature in Nigerian pop icon Wizkid’s bling-bling music videos. But the singer himself has now swapped the Versace T-shirts and low-slung jeans that show his underwear for traditional African dress — a new …
Read More »Chinese skinny-dippers defy public morals on nudity
Fangshan, China | AFP | The water might be chilly but dozens of naked men happily relax in an outdoor pool in a Beijing suburb making the most of the sunshine. “This is a paradise for Chinese nudists,” says 18-year-old Zhen, displaying a tiger tattoo on his chest. The small …
Read More »SPECIAL FEATURE: For Egypt, 1967 war marked end of pan-Arab dream
SPECIAL FEATURE: For Egypt, 1967 war marked end of pan-Arab dream This month, AFP will move a series of stories marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War between Israel and neighbouring Arab countries from June 5 to 10, 1967 ****** Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Its vaunted air force …
Read More »SPECIAL FEATURE: How the 1967 Arab-Israeli war began
Over the next four days, AFP will move a series of stories marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War between Israel and neighbouring Arab countries from June 5 to 10, 1967 ****** Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | The Arab-Israeli Six-Day War erupted early on Monday, June 5, 1967, a …
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