Africa Daily

During Sierra Leone’s civil war in the 1990’s, child soldiers roamed mutilating and killing their victims. Economic turmoil ensued once the conflict ended, with high unemployment and poverty. And the 2014 outbreak of the Ebola virus left almost 4,000 people dead there. There are physical scars from the events of those years but also scars that are less visible. This year President Julius Maada Bio launched a Mental Health Taskforce to address the country’s lack of mental health resources. The initiative is being led by Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. So what is this Taskforce going to do? Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Vice President Jalloh about his government’s plans.

If you search for ‘philosophy’ or ‘philosophers’ online, chances are you’ll find lots of photos of white men. Wikipedia will tell you that historically, the main traditions include Western, Indian, Arabic-Persian and Chinese philosophy. But some people question how insightful these ideas are to life on the continent. Meanwhile, some of the oldest philosophical texts were produced in ancient Egypt. And terms from African philosophy such as Ubuntu – “I am because we are” – are influential around the world even today. A new “Handbook of African Philosophy” has been compiled by Dr Mpho Tshivhase (University of Pretoria) and Dr Elvis Imafidon (SOAS, London) and is set to be published in November. So, what are they hoping to achieve with the book? And what are the big questions for African philosophers today?

“The journey has been very difficult. It’s time consuming, it’s stressful. It hasn’t been easy”, says a mother who adopted a child with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.According to a number of published medical papers, South Africa has the highest reported rates of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the world. It’s 111 per 1,000 people. A baby can be born with this condition if its mother drinks alcohol while pregnant. It's accompanied by all sorts of medical complications. Some people with it can’t do some of the things we sometimes take for granted, like reading and writing. Alan Kasujja sits down with Doreen Smit, a mother who adopted a baby born with the condition. He also hears from an organisation that’s trying to help mothers raising children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.Note: This podcast has been edited and republished on 6 October 2023. The research on the high incidence of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in South Africa was conducted by JAMA Paediatrics, not the National Library of Medicine as we previously stated.

It was a shocking attack which still has implications today: in September 2013 fighters from the Somalia-based al-Shabab militant group burst into the Westgate mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi – taking control of the building for the next four days. At the end of the siege, 67 people were dead, with almost 200 wounded. So what impact did it have on relationships between different Kenyan communities? And why has it led many Somalis in Kenya to rethink their culture of hospitality?

In September 2013 members of the Somalia based militant group al-Shabab attacked and took control of the Westgate mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The attack was the start of a four day siege. 67 people were killed and almost 200 people wounded. The majority of those killed or injured were Kenyans but there were several foreign nationals who died in the attack, including Ghanaian poet and diplomat Kofi Awoonor. Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja speaks to his son, Afetsi Awoonor, who survived with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. And we hear from BBC editor Ruth Nesoba on the challenge of covering a story like Westgate.

Last Sunday Storm Daniel hit Libya bringing heavy rain and catastrophic flooding. Derna, a city in the east, suffered the most. A tsunami-like river of water swept through its streets when two dams burst. More than 10,000 people are missing and almost 4,000 people have been confirmed dead according to the United Nations. It’s a situation any country would struggle to deal with but in Libya, there’s an added complication because it’s a country with two rival governments. So today Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja has been looking at how Libya will recover from the catastrophic floods.

Kenyans have got used to a system of political coalitions with long-term politicians forming new alliances, changing parties…. often in the run up to elections.But is this a good thing? Does it give Kenya a more consensual form of politics? Or is it just a system of patronage which rewards the political elite – and is inherently instable? For Africa Daily Alan Kasujja discusses the subject with Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s ‘Prime Minister’ – as well as about his government’s hopes for Kenya to take leadership role on the subject of food security and the environment.

"Our biggest challenge now is monetisation". Social media influencers in Africa say it’s harder for them to make money from their online content. These content creators say they don't get paid in the same way as creators in the UK, the US or European Union do. Content creators in those other countries have access to what is called a creator fund – a pot of money that pays creators for their content. So what’s being done about it in Africa and how can African creators make money from their content? Presenter: Alan Kasujja Guests: Charity Ekezie and Daud Suleman

Survivors of a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Morocco face challenges like destroyed homes and limited job opportunities. However, there is overwhelming solidarity as Moroccans provide supplies and blood donations to help each other. The aftermath in Amzmiz reveals a shortage of shelter and psychological effects on survivors. Rebuilding efforts face challenges including attachment to land and job loss concerns. The recovery process is impacted by the need for support and aid, questions about rebuilding, and the approaching winter.

In today’s podcast, Alan Kasujja sits down with award-winning South African health practitioner professor Lucille Blumberg. She explains why she thinks she was recognized for her efforts in fighting malaria. She also tells our presenter why thousands of people across the African continent are still dying of the disease, despite the medical advancements of recent times. In addition, Alan explores the discovery of a strain of natural bacteria which promises to help fight malaria transmission. He also looks at the vaccines that are being rolled out across the continent. How effective are they?