Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso, was assassinated 26 years ago. His original ideas for his country prefigured the alternative world movement and current approaches to change in Africa and South America

Welcome to the new Libya, a country ‘liberated’ by NATO which now finds itself without the oil revenues which could make it rich, with no security, no stability and assassinations and corruption at unprecendented levels

The fact remains that African nations, which are now unhappy with the International Criminal Court, voluntarily accepted the ICC jurisdiction by ratifying the Rome Statute. And it is not true that the court is targeting Africa. But, yes, it has political weaknesses that need addressing

Citizens in all parts of the world who want a new relationship with other humans and with planet earth can learn a lot from the long life of Vo Nguyen Giap. The history of the struggle of the Vietnamese people and their victory over US imperialism is an inspiration for those who want another world beyond capitalism

A recent conference on Somalia held in Brussels has endorsed a new ‘Somali compact’ with development partners who are mainly from the North, pledging funds. The pact has many serious flaws – among them are the appointment of several foreign advisors without Somali counterparts

In Tanzania there is a prevailing assumption that if a single woman or a couple of women enter a hotel alone without being accompanied by a man, they are ‘prostitutes.’ The profiling of ‘prostitutes’ is deep-seated in many African societies and needs to be challenged head on

The Westgate terror attack brought out the best and worst in Kenyans in which Kenyans donated blood and elements of the military took time to rob high-class stores in the mall. The mentality of ‘our turn to eat’ is corrupting national security and signals a deeper malaise

Why does the African Union believe sitting heads of state should not be investigated and prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide? There is no moral or legal difference between a warlord and a head of state who commit such crimes.

The US government shutdown is underpinned by a failing economy with a huge debt, massive unemployment, poverty and homelessness. This exposes the limitations of the capitalist economy: It fails to eliminate poverty despite having a lot of riches

Kenya has registered remarkable achievements in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation. But as the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child, evidence shows that the government and other stakeholders need to step up efforts to fully eradicate the vice

The American government bears responsibility for the loss of life at the Kenyan Westgate mall, yet most Americans are totally unaware of America’s role in keeping Somalia in a constant state of war as a consequence of huge omissions in American reporting

In efforts to end a political stalemate, Tunisia's governing Islamist Ennahda party and the opposition have agreed on the appointment of a caretaker government composed of independent figures to be in power until fresh elections. But that is no guarantee that the crisis is over

They say COMESA approval of seed trade regulations is a disaster for small farmers and food sovereignty in Africa and will open the door for GMO merchants to flood the region

Thirty-six years after Biko’s death, the issues of land repossession, ownership of the economy and wealth redistribution, which he in the 1970s regarded as essential to the meaning of freedom and power for black people, have now found their way back on our nation’s political discourse

Representation of Africa in the German public shows that a one-sided racist image prevails, which is disseminated via family socialisation, mass media, school books, films, advertising, and travel magazines/brochures. That is the image that informs German-Africa development cooperation

130 civil society organisations say the International Criminal Court, though having weaknesses, remains the only permanent court with the authority to act when a state with jurisdiction is unable or unwilling to investigate or prosecute serious crimes

The African Union should be working hard to ensure that there is no impunity in Africa. If Kenyatta and Ruto are innocent they should not be afraid to get their day in court. Any discussion at the AU about mass withdrawal from the ICC could be tantamount to self-delegitimization

American workers and the poor are not part of the conversation around spending and the debt. When the US government resolves this phony drama of the shutdown, racial and capitalist oppression will not have been altered in any form

Given the injustices of apartheid, heritage has become a surrogate for the black majority in the country to attempt an earnest conversation with a historically privileged minority (whites) and underprivileged minorities (coloureds, Indians, and other Asians) that reaffirms the value and merit of Africanness in South Africa

Land reform in Zimbabwe was delayed by the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement and Britain’s subsequent failure to honour this agreement. Many African Heads of State applaud Mugabe for the stance he has taken to empower his people through land redistribution