Young Moroccan women are bringing new and inclusive energy to the centuries-old art of Gnaoua, a spiritual musical repertoire traditionally reserved for men. Also known as “tagnaouite”, it gained worldwide recognition after it was listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2019.”Why shouldn’t women be part of this dynamic?” asked Asma Hamzaoui at the Gnaoua …

Moroccan women shake up world of Gnaoua musicSun, 02 Jul 2023 03:26:11 GMT Read More »

Nestle is stepping up its project to combat deforestation in Ivory Coast caused by the growth of cocoa farming, bringing cocoa trading companies directly on board.Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, at 40 percent of the global market.The west African country had 16 million hectares of forest in the 1960s — a figure …

Nestle steps up reforestation project in Ivory CoastSun, 02 Jul 2023 03:19:20 GMT Read More »

Dutch King Willem-Alexander issued a historic royal apology Saturday for the Netherlands’ involvement in slavery, saying he felt “personally and intensely” affected. His speech before thousands of descendants of slaves from the South American nation of Suriname and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao got a positive reception, but many said they wanted the …

Dutch king makes historic apology for slaverySat, 01 Jul 2023 16:48:50 GMT Read More »

The death toll from a horrific road crash in western Kenya rose to 52 on Saturday, officials said, as rescuers worked to clear the wreckage from one of the deadliest traffic accidents in the country in recent years.A truck carrying a shipping container veered out of control and ploughed into multiple other vehicles and people …

Kenya in shock as road crash toll hits 52Sat, 01 Jul 2023 15:43:09 GMT Read More »

Outspoken Rwandan government critic Paul Rusesabagina, who became internationally renowned for his efforts to save people during the 1994 genocide, said Saturday that Rwandans were “prisoners in their own country”.In his first public message since he walked free from a Rwandan prison in March after more than 900 days behind bars, Rusesabagina thanked the United …

Rwandans ‘prisoners in their own country’: RusesabaginaSat, 01 Jul 2023 11:28:51 GMT Read More »

The death toll from a grisly road crash in western Kenya has risen to 49, a government minister said Saturday, as rescuers worked to clear the wreckage where more victims are feared trapped.In one of the deadliest accidents in Kenya for several years, a truck carrying a shipping container veered out of control and ploughed …

Death toll from Kenya road disaster reaches 49Sat, 01 Jul 2023 08:22:40 GMT Read More »

At least 48 people were killed when a truck lost control and ploughed into other vehicles and pedestrians at a busy junction in western Kenya on Friday, police said.Television images showed scenes of devastation at the site of the crash, with the mangled wreckage of several minibuses and the overturned truck as rescue workers hunted …

Dozens killed in horrific Kenya road crashFri, 30 Jun 2023 21:45:19 GMT Read More »

The UN Security Council on Friday ended a decade-old peacekeeping mission in Mali, whose military junta has aligned with Russia and demanded the withdrawal of the international force battling jihadists.Bowing to the principle that peacekeepers need the consent of the host government, the Security Council voted unanimously to start immediately winding down the mission despite …

Under pressure from Mali junta, UN ends peacekeeping missionFri, 30 Jun 2023 19:33:10 GMT Read More »

Kenya announced Friday a hike in fuel prices in defiance of a court order blocking implementation of a raft of new taxes.The cost of petrol, diesel and kerosene will go up from Saturday, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority said in a statement, a move that will have a ripple effect in a country hamstrung …

Kenya hikes fuel prices despite court orderFri, 30 Jun 2023 18:15:16 GMT Read More »

The UN Security Council on Friday ended a decade-old peacekeeping mission in Mali, whose military junta has aligned with Russia and demanded the withdrawal of the international force battling jihadists.Bowing to the principle that peacekeepers need the consent of the host government, the Security Council voted unanimously to start immediately winding down the mission despite …

UN Security Council ends Mali peacekeeping missionFri, 30 Jun 2023 17:00:17 GMT Read More »