Africans League

Since the rise of Boko Haram, the media have painted a picture of Borno State in Nigeria as a place of death and destruction. Photojournalist Fati Abubakar, however, is using social media to challenge perceptions about her hometown. In ‘Bits of Borno’, her acclaimed online photo series, she documents the resilience of ordinary people in difficult times. Enajite Efemuaye caught up with her to talk about the power of visual storytelling, her love for photographing children and what media attention means for her work. Enajite Efemuaye (EE): What do you see through your lens as you photograph the people of Borno? Fati Abubakar (FA): What I see in Borno is strength, and that is what I photograph: A people who have been through difficulties beyond imagination but are still trying to live a normal life and are keen to move on. EE: How do you separate yourself emotionally from the subjects of your photographs? FA: I love photographing children. They are a joy. The reason that you see a lo...

Photography is a powerful medium for the telling of untold stories – such as that of the Saharawi women of Western Sahara. While the influx of refugees into Europe has been making the headlines, the Sahawari have been living as refugees for more than four decades. Photographer Raffaele Petralla has documented the harsh reality of their daily lives in a striking series of images. This is Africa’s Jorrit Dijsktra takes a closer look. It might be the refugee crisis across Europe making news, but the people of Western Sahara have been experiencing a refugee crisis for over 40 years. Last November was the 40th anniversary of Morocco’s invasion of Western Sahara, which forced thousands of refugees into the Algerian desert. They are still there today, living in refugee camps, dependent on international aid. There it is the Saharawi women who play a fundamental role in a matriarchal society. During the war against Morocco (1975-1991), they were forced to take shelter in the most hostile par...

NAIROBI, Kenya — A suicide bomb rocked the Somali town of Galkayo on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and showing that Islamist militants, despite recent setbacks, can still plan and execute deadly attacks anywhere in the country. Galkayo, a mid-sized town in central Somalia, had been quiet in recent months. Yet that suddenly changed at 10 a.m. on Sunday when militants detonated a deafening bomb in a market, sending a column of black smoke shooting into the sky. A squad of militants stormed a nearby government building, engaging in gun battles with security forces. “One of the blasts was so huge, I was really shocked,” said Abdirahman Abdweli, a student in the city. The explosion ripped the roofs off several buildings, scattering sharp pieces of corrugated metal and debris across the area. The death toll was not immediately clear. The Shabab militant group, which took credit for the attack, said 30 people had been killed. Somali health officials and residents said the number was...

2016 is turning out to be a year of global disruption and uncertainty — disruption in the sense of dangerous ruptures and broken links, but also in the positive sense of innovation and fresh ways of thinking. How well can Africa manage these trends? The answer to that question will heavily influence the continent’s ability to pursue the deep transformation it needs. Brexit has sent shock waves through the global economy that could endanger progress in African countries. And for Africa it matters whether Britain will maintain its roles as a driving force behind international development initiatives and a leading aid donor. Brexit is also a symptom of broader trends: populist challenges to established power, rising mistrust of elites, deep concern over inequality, and social fragmentation. All these contribute to a sense that the world is spinning out of control. At the same time, 2016 is proving to be a year of inspirational global advances in technology, finance and energy, as well...

Women Advancing Africa Initiative launched at an intimate gathering of African women leaders hosted by Mrs. Graça Machel Johannesburg, South Africa, August 15, 2016 – The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) announced today that it will launch a pan-African initiative to ‘Multiply the Faces and Amplify the Voices’ of African women as a force for economic and social transformation. The Trust will convene the first-ever Women Advancing Africa (WAA) Forum in 2017 to highlight the critical role that women play in shaping Africa’s development. Over the past decade, Africa has experienced unprecedented economic growth but women and children have shared least in its prosperity. Today, African women constitute 70 percent of the informal economy, while one third of Africa’s formal small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are owned by women but only 47 % of these are financially served. Africa’s women are a powerful untapped force and creating more opportunities for women to participate in the economy w...