Africa

World News

Intense Unrest Follows Protests Against Zimbabwe's Longtime President

12:21pm September 29, 2016

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

The southern African nation of Zimbabwe is facing its most intense unrest in years. We examine what's fueling the anger, and the rising opposition against President Robert Mugabe.

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This 1-year-old is part of the mountain gorilla population in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

World News

How Hybrid Seeds Could Help The Mountain Gorillas Of Congo

4:08pm September 27, 2016

by Amy Yee

Farmers are planting in Virunga National Park. That means less food, water and shelter for the endangered great apes that live there.

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi looks on during an appearance at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on Aug. 22, at the start of his trial on charges of involvement in the destruction of historic mausoleums in the Malian desert city of Timb

World News

For First Time, Destruction Of Cultural Sites Leads To War Crime Conviction

10:51am September 27, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Ahmed al-Faqi al-Mahdi was on trial in The Hague for his role in the deliberate destruction of nine mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu. The radical Islamist was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Magic bus team posing on a Matatu van in Nairobi, Kenya.

A Million Dollars Goes To An App That Leads To A Better Bus Commute

2:37pm September 26, 2016

by Angus Chen

The $1 million Hult Prize went to team Magic Bus, operating in Nairobi. By cutting wait times, the bus crew could make customers happy — and boost their own income.

Queen of Katwe was filmed in English, but that isn't Madina Nalwanga's first language. "She worked extremely hard," co-star Lupita Nyong'o says, "and I think her discipline as a dancer came in very handy."

Arts

Ugandan Actress's Journey Mirrors That Of Her 'Queen Of Katwe' Character

7:33pm September 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

Like her chess champion character, first-time film actress Madina Nalwanga grew up in a poor neighborhood in Uganda. She says co-star Lupita Nyong'o has been her guide to the world of moviemaking.

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A woman from Afghanistan walks by a workshop at the shelter where they live in Sarstedt, Germany, in February.

World News

Finding Europe Untenable, More Migrants Return To Their Home Countries

6:17pm September 23, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

A report finds more than 30,000 migrants have voluntarily left Germany since January. The top three destinations were Albania, Afghanistan or Iraq.

Who Is Responsible For That Pile Of Poop?

12:13pm September 23, 2016

by Danielle Preiss

To stop open defecation, a U.N.-affiliated group takes villagers on a "walk of shame." But critics raise questions about the ethics of this approach.

World News

Allister Sparks, South African Journalist Who Challenged Apartheid, Dies

4:30pm September 21, 2016

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to former NPR South African correspondent John Matisonn about Allister Sparks, a prominent South African journalist who challenged apartheid and exposed a covert propaganda campaign by his government, leading to the president's downfall. Sparks died Monday at 83.

Aminu Gamawa at the Saving Lives At Birth conference in Washington, D.C., in July.

Once Opposed To Maternal Health, Islamic Scholars Become Champions

1:58pm September 21, 2016

by Natalie Jacewicz

One Nigerian man saw a big problem in his community: too many women were dying in childbirth. So he turned to the region's Islamic leaders for help.

Police in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, launched flares during a demonstration on Monday.

World News

Protests Against Congo's President Turn Deadly

6:43pm September 20, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Dozens of people died in violent demonstrations against longtime leader Joseph Kabila on Monday and Tuesday, after the government postponed November's presidential election.