Every year, Dar es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania, plays host to an impressive, well-attended visual arts event titled Tukutane Dar Art Week. As the name implies, it is a gathering that art and culture lovers look forward to. Tukutane in the Kiswahili language means “let us meet.”

Museum visits are always a personal thrill, and in Nigeria I have been met with great and not-so-great experiences alike. From an exclusive guided tour to a torch-lit-apology-filled one, I have taken it all in. An hour flight from Lagos or Abuja leads to the city of Calabar in Cross River State, South-South of Nigeria. The State forms part of the oil-rich Niger Delta Region, steeped in deep cultural and historic roots, and plays a critical role in Nigeria's history and heritage preservation.

Gender equality is a fundamental and integral aspect of human rights. Yet, early this year in March specifically, five gender bills that would contribute to advancing basic rights in Nigeria for women was rejected by the National Assembly during the Constitution review process.

Nigeria is not a gender equal society and this inequality is most glaring in the area of political participation. In March this year, the male-dominated National Assembly rejected five Gender Bills meant to address inequality between men and women. This rejection buttresses lack of empathy and will by the Nigerian male political elites to address equality. They fail to understand that such action undermines government’s efforts at economic growth, human development, peace and security, which are the greatest need of the Nigerian society today.

Zimbabwe is going through an interesting time. As a resident of Harara, the capital city, it’s fascinating to discover new things about the country including the blossoming talents that are claiming a stake in the Zimbabwean story. Once such talent is Mufaro Mukoki a young designer and entrepreneur. Her journey is worth telling. Find below excerpts of our conversation. Enjoy!

The explosion of the media space in Africa over the last decade has been an amazing experience for many. There has been so much growth both in the continent and in the diaspora. We have seen a boost in confidence and what is now referred to as Black Excellence. Zimbabweans are proud to say that some of their country fellows amongst those doing the continent proud.

For many cultures in Africa, death is a significant occurrence. It signifies the end of life here and an onward journey to the afterlife, which some believe leads to reincarnation. A corpse is regarded as more than just a dead body, and is therefore accorded respect through thoughtful burial ceremonies. Depending on the family, the burial rites could either be low-key or really high end.

If I could, I would have killed you with my bear hands coronavirus, cremate you and dispose your ashes so that you never have to see the cells of blood again, so that you never have to chock any lungs again.

Hello dear reader. I am back! After taking a break to recuperate mentally and emotionally, my fingers feel excited to be typing yet another story from Zimbabwe to share with you.

The world over, Mount Kilimanjaro is famous particularly for hikers and climbers. In Africa, it is the highest mountain on the continent with a dormant volcano and a sight to behold. Mount Kilimanjaro is located in one of the regions in the Republic of Tanzania in East Africa, called Kilimanjaro. With a population of 1.6 million people, it is the 8th most densely populated region with 124 people per square kilometer. It is named the cleanest region, particularly referring to its capital city Moshi.

Inhale the love, exhale the hate acknowledge black royalty,

let's celebrate.

Dr. Philbert Katalyeba was my moon, a star-crossed hero in my life. My comrade, my counselor, my father and the very cause of my being. You see this tall, beautiful me, credit to him, awesome genes there.

In October, The African Press Club (TAPC) held its Discover Africa Series focusing on Botswana. Some questions from the audience were unanswered due to time constraint. Find below replies to the remaining queries as put together by our Speaker Mmabatho Motsamai. Enjoy!

Last month, The African Press Club (TAPC) held its Meet & Greet event (poetry, African food, music, quiz and books) in Barcelona, Spain. Find below some pictures from the day. Enjoy!  

The book, Culture, Gender, Work: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, vividly paints a picture of how culture plays a central and dominant role in politics, the economy and every facet of societal life and development. Culture is the pivot and everything else revolves around it, according to the book, which is a collection of papers written by Regina Amadi – Njoku and presented at different forums across the world during the course of her work life as a top diplomat.

Tanzania, a country located in East African is rich in traditional and cultural heritages. Initiations, circumcision, harvest, wedding ceremonies, etc are huge occasions steeped in age-old traditions.

The past few weeks, I’ve been exploring the spiritual and religious realms and how different concepts have affected African people. Today, I would like to delve into Zimbabwean traditional spiritual practice – Chivanhu.  

Last month, the Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa) launched its Water Justice Report titled “Womn and Water in Africa: An Overview of Water Justice Struggles.” UAF-Africa deliberately uses ‘womn’ instead of ‘women,’ and this will be the case in this article.

As a native East African born in Uganda and raised in the U.S., I can decisively say that the arts laid a solid foundation for the strong sense of identity and self confidence I have developed as an adult. I remember being ashamed of my African heritage and wishing that my family was more like the Cosbys. That was, until a woman named Namu Lwanga came into my life and taught me everything she could about the song and dance of East Africa.

In his newly published book titled “Empire of Rubber,” Prof. Gregg Mitman of the University of Wisconson, Madison, USA, delves into the chilling operations of America’s Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Liberia, West Africa. He shares his journey into researching the topic and his explosive findings in the interview below.