Africa Daily

Some people may find the issues discussed in this episode upsetting. _____________________________________________________________________ “Some of the children that I talk to who attempted suicide would simply tell me that: 'I think I’m a burden to my parents. They want me to pass, I don’t pass. I think if I die I would solve their problems.'” - Tsepiso Siseoana, Lesotho psychotherapist. Recently released data from the World Health Organisation shows that Lesotho is amongst a group of African countries with an alarming rate of suicide. The southern African nation recorded 87.5 deaths per 100 000 people. Other countries with a similar problem include neighbouring Eswatini, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. Alan Kasujja attempts to understand why Lesotho’s suicide level is so high. Please note: If you are experiencing emotional stress and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, visit www.befrienders.org

Last week the Malian army seized the town of Kidal, in the country's north - weeks after the United Nations stabilisation mission, MINUSMA, withdrew from its base there. For the past decade, Kidal has been a stronghold of the Tuareg rebel group - and so its capture was a symbolic success for Mali’s military leaders, who seized power in 2020. They have made the restoration of territorial sovereignty a key priority. The military government has given UN forces until the end of the year to withdraw from the country - triggering a race to seize territory between the army, rebel groups and jihadists. But while the army is now in control of the military base – the question of who’s in control of the region is far more complicated. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja speaks to the BBC’s Beverly Ochieng and MINUSMA spokesperson, Fatoumata Kaba.

It’s an astonishing story of political intrigue: a man called Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the Secretary General of Zimbabwe’s opposition party – the Citizens Coalition for Change, or the CCC, has been issuing recall letters, which say they are no longer members of the party – and getting opposition MPs barred from parliament. At the time of recording, 32 MPs have lost their seats. Some already face re-election battles in December.But the opposition MPs say they have no idea who he is – and that he definitely isn’t their Secretary General. So who is this person? And how is he gradually dismantling the opposition party in Zimbabwe’s Parliament? Alan Kasujja has been talking to Zimbabwean journalist Ish Mafundikwa, as well as one of the MPs affected, Gift Ostallos Siziba, the CCC’s Deputy National Spokesperson.

12 countries in Africa will receive 18 million doses of the RTS,S malaria vaccine in the coming days. The roll out will begin in the new year. The doses are injections for children between 5 months and 2 years old. Kenya, Ghana and Malawi have already been using the vaccine in a pilot programme since 2019, but in other countries - including Uganda, Mozambique and Cameroon - this will be new.So today, Africa Daily asks how parents view the vaccine – and about how the rollout is likely to go.

The South African singer and pianist Thandi Ntuli was surrounded by music as a child – her grandfather was a key part of the musical scene in Sophiatown, a suburb in Johannesburg known for its music. She now has a new album out called ‘Rainbow Revisited’ – referring to the term coined by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu “Rainbow Nation” to describe post-apartheid South Africa – a nation where its diverse people could live together in harmony, following years of racial segregation. Now – nearly thirty years on, with Victoria Uwonkunda, Thandi explores where that optimism has gone – and what hope there is for the future.

Today, Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje attempts to find out whose heritage is being preserved and whose is being sacrificed when we change the names of Africa’s roads, towns and cities. Zimbabwe for example, changed its name after independence from white minority rule in 1980. White people, however, remain very much part of that country. Neighbouring South Africa has also been doing away with public names associated with the apartheid regime. Some people are even calling for the nickname of the rugby national team, the Springboks, to be abolished because it represents “white supremacy”. Is this the way to go? Mpho is joined by Charlotte Ashamu, the Director of International Programs at Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, and Cameron Peters who runs Cape Town Heritage Tours.NOTE: edited to correct Charlotte's job title on 20th Nov 2023.

Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud or coercion - often by those they know. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists say the UAE is a major destination for sex trafficking. African women are forced into prostitution by illicit networks operating in the country. BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to Mary*, a survivor of human trafficking who courageously shared her story of how her life changed when she went from Nigeria to Dubai. He also speaks to the Director General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons - Fatima Waziri-Azi, for more insight on the scale of this problem in Nigeria.

“Those who are not killed are hiding”.Thousands of new refugees have crossed into Chad from Darfur in recent weeks - all describing scenes of horror as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, establish their dominance across the region in western Sudan.The RSF was created from the feared Janjaweed militia which destroyed villages and killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur in 2003 and 2004. Its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo - widely known as Hemedti - used to be a Janjaweed commander. Now the RSF is expected to take the capital city of north Darfur - Al Fashar - previously a safe haven for the non-Arab population. Around 50 thousand internally displaced people had already sought shelter there earlier in the war, prompting fears of an even greater humanitarian disaster.For today’s Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja gets the latest on the situation from Suliman Baldo of the Sudan Crisis Research Network as well as from Seif Nemir who managed to get his family out of the embattled city of El Geneina in June.

On the 16th of November, millions of people are expected to vote in the presidential election in Madagascar. Long-time political rivals Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana will take each other on, along with eleven other candidates. Rajoelina, the former DJ-turned-politician, rose to power back in 2009 when he replaced Ravalomana as head of state, following a bloodless coup. Madagascar is among the poorest nations in the world. The percentage of the population living below the national poverty line rose from 72% in 2012 to 75% in 2022, according to the World Bank. Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja has been looking at what's at stake in this election.

“Divorces were happening on these cassette tapes… And the messenger wouldn't know that there had been a divorce recorded on this cassette tape, so when they got to the partner and offered them the cassette tape and it was played they were the unwilling participant in this divorce.” Nowadays we’re so linked up - via whatsapp, email, phone calls. But how did people stay connected in the days before the mobile phone? In Somalia – from the 1970s to 90s –the cassette tape was a crucial tool for sending messages – especially to family members who had fled to other countries after war broke out. Letter tapes were used for verbal love letters, regular family updates, to plan political resistance – and even as a means of divorce. Now a Somali feminist art group called Dhaqan Collective (@DhaqanC) - based in Bristol in South West England - is using these tapes as a way to explore Somali history and culture in a project called Camel Meat & Cassette Tapes. They’ve also used cassettes as a vehicle to encourage young Somalis to record interviews with their older family members – and so to connect with their history and traditions. For Africa Daily, Mpho Lakaje speaks with two members of the collective.With thanks to producer @layla_mood