Africa

World News

Survivors Of Past Political Violence Will Monitor This Year's Elections In Zimbabwe

4:28pm July 19, 2018

by Ari Shapiro

Zimbabwe goes to the polls July 30, for its first election post-Mugabe. A new program is training survivors of past political violence to be citizen monitors for this year's elections.

Dumisani Muleya, editor-in-chief of The Zimbabwe Independent.

World News

With Mugabe Out Of Power, This Zimbabwean Newspaper Editor Looks Ahead

7:07pm July 18, 2018

by Ari Shapiro

Most media outlets in Zimbabwe are state-run, and working as an independent journalist under Robert Mugabe came with serious risks. With Mugabe's rule over Dumisani Muleya speaks about his hopes as a journalist.

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The people of Rwanda are required to take part in the national cleanup day, Umuganda, on the last Saturday of every month. (Above) Getting grass under control in Kigali, the capital city.

Health & Safety

How Rwanda Tidied Up Its Streets (And The Rest Of The Country, Too)

4:12pm July 18, 2018

by Amy Yee

On the last Saturday of the month, citizens must spend three hours beautifying the nation. Some people question the authoritarian approach. But the results are impressive.

Nelson Mandela's Prison Letters: 'One Day I Will Be Back At Home'

12:48pm July 18, 2018

by Greg Myre

The late South African leader would have turned 100 on Wednesday. As part of the commemorations, a new book brings together many of the deeply personal letters he wrote during his 27 years in prison.

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Passengers pose for a selfie picture inside an Ethiopian Airlines plane that departed from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and flew to Eritrea's capital, Asmara, on Wednesday. It was the first commercial flight between the two African

World News

Commercial Plane Flies From Ethiopia To Eritrea For First Time In 20 Years

11:36am July 18, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

After two decades of deadly conflict, the neighboring countries are rapidly reconciling. Demand was huge for the historic commercial flight, which was marked with champagne and roses.

World News

Marking Nelson Mandela's 100th Birthday

5:27am July 18, 2018

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

The late statesman Nelson Mandela would have turned 100 years old Wednesday. Writers, politicians, and activists are marking the date with readings from a collection of his letters.

World News

Why Cash Is King In Zimbabwe

5:53pm July 17, 2018

by Ari Shapiro

In Zimbabwe, getting paper currency can be a major problem due to a country-wide shortage. NPR looks at how that's playing out on the ground, and what it takes for people there to get their hands on cash.

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Nigel Ndlovu, a filmmaker and independent candidate for Zimbabwe's parliament in this month's elections, was a judge for the competition. "Being Zimbabwean right now, it means freedom, it means speaking out against injustices," he says.

'Free But Not Free': Zimbabwe's Amateur Filmmakers Turn A Lens On Their Country

9:00am July 14, 2018

For a contest after the ouster of Robert Mugabe, filmmakers responded to the question "What does it mean to be Zimbabwean?" Their short films featured some uncomfortable answers.

Eight critically endangered black rhinos died following an attempt to move them from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to a national park hundreds of kilometers away.

World News

Critically Endangered Black Rhinos Die After Transportation To Kenya National Park

7:13pm July 13, 2018

by Shannon Van Sant

Eight rhinos died after being relocated to a wildlife reserve in Kenya. Officials and conservationists say the death toll is unprecedented in their efforts to save the animal from extinction.

A public telephone booth in Asmara, Eritrea. Ethiopians and Eritreans are calling each other this week as phone lines that had been dormant for decades came to life.

World News

'I Am Calling Randomly To Say Hi': Eritreans, Ethiopians Phone Each Other Amid Thaw

12:44am July 13, 2018

by Eyder Peralta

As Ethiopia and Eritrea declared peace, long-dead phone lines came alive. People spoke with relatives and strangers. "We will be family," an Eritrean told an Ethiopian who randomly dialed him.

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