Zimbabwe celebrates thirty four years of independence this year. It is also a time to begin the third Chimurenga (struggle) to advance the ongoing land reform in the country

The rice farmers of Mwea in central Kenya have lived under oppression since the colonial days when an irrigation scheme was established in the area. Successive governments have ignored their plight. But the people refuse to give up their quest for justice

FGM is illegal in Kenya, but the practice thrives in many parts of the country. In the north where some of the most horrific forms of FGM are conducted, circumcisers have become millionaires operating on the daughters of wealthy Kenyan migrants to Europe

Amira Ali takes a critical look at the reconstructed identities of East African women along western political imagination. The identities, as expressed in hip-hop lyrics, objectify women from the region as being quite not African, amplifying the myths of western anthropologists of the past

A transatlantic radical racist movement is emerging and gaining respectability, evidenced by the popularity of hitherto fringe right-wing political parties. The targets are immigrants

A proposed farm worker policy in South Africa is unlikely to offer any meaningful benefits to the workers. The primary demands of farm workers are not for equity in commercial farms, but for tenure security on farms, decent living conditions, improved wages, and access to land for their own use.

The Zambian government needs to heed the paradigm of a smaller and more efficient government, eliminate waste, corruption and ensure effective use of material and human resources. Strategies to implement this are necessary as well as assistance from the international community

Nigeria’s national conference should address the question of a genuine respect for cultural and ethnic diversity, for if a nation can unite as one family in support of football teams, they can surely unite for the achievement of other national objectives?

Whilst there has been a rebasing of the Nigerian economy, there are those that hope that it will inspire further Foreign Direct Investment. Yet, rebasing is useless if it fails to provide jobs in what is said to be a growing Nigerian economy

Much has been written on the subject of Africa’s economic engagement with China. There are those who can be characterized as Sino-optimists versus the Sino-pessimists with the Sino-pragmatists in between. But is it really the case that if one is leftist, one is also likely to be a Sino-optimist?

Russia’s policy to resist the project of colonisation of Ukraine by western powers should be supported. The target of constructing a Euro-Asian community, independent of the Triad and its European subordinate partners, is a positive initiative

Chad accuses Hissène Habré of having looted the Chadian treasury upon fleeing the country, and with reason. But it is obvious that a legal entity, such as a company or a state, cannot be the victim of most serious violations of international law, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture.

Badrudeen Shariff looks into some of the reasons for police corruption and unfair treatment of Somalis in Kenya – and questions whether giving fair treatment to police in the first place would not prevent such problems.

Refugees in Kenya are often the victims of inhumane and illegal treatment by the government. Activists must work with the government to abolish the practice of forcible repatriation and to improve the pathetic conditions in refugee camps.

Thabo Mbeki and Mahmood Mamdani have argued for post-conflict political resolution which seeks to peacefully reconcile societies by treating both victims and perpetrators as survivors. But such a model is an insult to victims and promotes impunity rather than justice. The courts are indispensable tools of justice and reconciliation.

Al Shabab followers wake up every morning with a plan on how many lives they can take, not how many lives they would save. They read Quran and in their demented minds come up with wrong self-serving interpretations

Excessive government force and state assassinations in the name of counterterrorism have split the Muslim community in Kenya into moderates and radicals with differing interpretations of Jihad. Extremists attract especially impoverished youths who hold resentment towards the government as their communities continue to be marginalized and deprived

In Orwellian Ethiopia, the government is using foreign technology to bolster its widespread telecom surveillance of opposition activists and journalists both in Ethiopia and abroad. Addis Ababa uses control of its telecom system as a tool to silence dissenting voices

Caribbean nations are seeking reparations from Europe for the slave trade. All peoples of Africa and the Caribbean should support this cause. We ought to fully appreciate the lasting effects of genocide, slavery and colonialism - and how they relate to our condition today

Whether China’s growing presence in Africa is cause for celebration or caution is a matter that has left analysts scratching their heads in the past decade or so. Perspectives range from Sino-optimism, to Sino-pragmatism to Sino-pessimism