Charles Onyango-Obbo
@cobbo3.bsky.social
Journalist, writer, uncertain Afro-futurist, curator, podcaster with The Bad Natives.
Nairobi-KENYA/Tororo-UGANDA
Nairobi-KENYA/Tororo-UGANDA
World’s oldest adult cremation found in northern Malawi, dating back 9,500 years.
World’s Oldest Adult Cremation Found in Africa, Dating Back 9,500 Years - GreekReporter.com
A 9,500-year-old burial in Malawi is identified as the world’s oldest adult cremation, offering insight into early African mortuary practices.
greekreporter.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:59 AM
World’s oldest adult cremation found in northern Malawi, dating back 9,500 years.
In Berkeley, Erica Azim has built one of the world’s largest archives of Zimbabwean Shona music.
In Berkeley, she’s built one of the world’s largest archives of Zimbabwean Shona music
Erica Azim has long studied and performed with Shona artists. Her nonprofit's sent over $1.6M to Zimbabwean musicians and instrument makers.
www.berkeleyside.org
January 2, 2026 at 6:01 PM
In Berkeley, Erica Azim has built one of the world’s largest archives of Zimbabwean Shona music.
Democracy is in retreat or at least on the defensive almost everywhere in the world, while wars are getting bigger and more frequent. However, history suggests it will return.
Democracy is under pressure, but history suggests it will return | The Citizen
Authoritarian populism rises as wars multiply, testing our resilience and our future.
www.citizen.co.za
January 2, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Democracy is in retreat or at least on the defensive almost everywhere in the world, while wars are getting bigger and more frequent. However, history suggests it will return.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has completed the first full round of R21 malaria vaccine in Ethiopia, the first ever completed in a refugee camp globally. Kule refugee camp is home to more than 55,000 South Sudanese refugees.
MSF: Ethiopia’s first R21 malaria vaccine rollout, a global first in a refugee camp
Addis Ababa – 15 December 2025: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has completed the first full round of R21 malaria vaccine in Ethiopia, and the first ever completed in a refugee camp globally. In Kule r...
prezly.msf.org.uk
January 1, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has completed the first full round of R21 malaria vaccine in Ethiopia, the first ever completed in a refugee camp globally. Kule refugee camp is home to more than 55,000 South Sudanese refugees.
Kenyan barber Safari Martins, who wields a sharpened shovel thrives on Africa's social media craze. Safari Martins may be Kenya’s most famous barber.
A Kenyan barber who wields a sharpened shovel thrives on Africa's social media craze
Safari Martins may be Kenya’s most famous barber
abcnews.go.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Kenyan barber Safari Martins, who wields a sharpened shovel thrives on Africa's social media craze. Safari Martins may be Kenya’s most famous barber.
Guinea restricts social media sites as junta leader Gen Mamady Doumbouya takes huge lead in a presidential election his main challengers were barred from contesting, initial results show.
Guinea elections: Gen Mamady Doumbouya takes lead in controversial election as social media is restricted
TikTok, YouTube and Facebook are down, as the nation awaits the final result from the presidential poll.
www.bbc.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Guinea restricts social media sites as junta leader Gen Mamady Doumbouya takes huge lead in a presidential election his main challengers were barred from contesting, initial results show.
Young Africans facing high urban costs and scarce jobs are returning to rural farming, where profits (e.g., 2 million CFA or $3,500 a year in Senegal) can exceed national averages. 10–12 million African youths enter the job market every year, but only 3 million formal jobs are created.
Young Africans find hope in farming as urban life becomes too expensive
TAMBACOUNDA, Senegal (AP) — On a blazing afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Filly Mangassa heaved peanut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, sending clouds of dust swirling.
www.wral.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Young Africans facing high urban costs and scarce jobs are returning to rural farming, where profits (e.g., 2 million CFA or $3,500 a year in Senegal) can exceed national averages. 10–12 million African youths enter the job market every year, but only 3 million formal jobs are created.
The curious irony of Washington’s world: Of the over 45 countries here against whom the USA has issued travel warnings, at least 41 have significantly lower murder rates than America.
Map Shows US Travel Warnings Around World for 2026
The advisories help travelers plan holidays, not only showing safe destinations but also detailing countries' possible risks.
www.miamiherald.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:48 AM
The curious irony of Washington’s world: Of the over 45 countries here against whom the USA has issued travel warnings, at least 41 have significantly lower murder rates than America.
Libya's National Museum has reopened its doors after 14 years of closure due to civil war, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the country's rich and complex history.
Reopening of Libya's National Museum after 14 years offers hope of return to stability | Africanews
Shuttered for 14 years, the reopening of Libya's National Museum offers hope for a return to stability and consolidation of national identity.
www.africanews.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Libya's National Museum has reopened its doors after 14 years of closure due to civil war, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the country's rich and complex history.
The bargain of the century: Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, yet over 600 million Africans still lack electricity. Clean power is Africa’s biggest growth play this century.
‘The bargain of the century’: An economist’s vision for expanding clean energy access in Africa
Many observers see industrialization as the key to boosting clean electricity access for people living in Africa and across the Global South. They argue that building up economies with industry will b...
news.mongabay.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The bargain of the century: Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, yet over 600 million Africans still lack electricity. Clean power is Africa’s biggest growth play this century.
A child with leukemia in Boston, Heidelberg, or Tokyo has more than an 80% chance of survival. The same child in Kampala, Dhaka, Sana’a, or Gaza faces odds closer to 20%; not because science has failed, but because access has.
As the Year Ends, What Did We Choose to Fund? | Common Dreams
Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases remain chronically underfunded in low- and middle-income countries. This neglect is not only unjust; it is destabilizing.
www.commondreams.org
December 29, 2025 at 9:00 AM
A child with leukemia in Boston, Heidelberg, or Tokyo has more than an 80% chance of survival. The same child in Kampala, Dhaka, Sana’a, or Gaza faces odds closer to 20%; not because science has failed, but because access has.
94-year-old James Barnor has photographed Ghana since the 1940s when it was still known as the Gold Coast. He remembers everything 1/3
James Barnor Has Photographed Ghana Since the 1940s. He Remembers Everything.
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 10:22 AM
94-year-old James Barnor has photographed Ghana since the 1940s when it was still known as the Gold Coast. He remembers everything 1/3
It is commonly believed that Russia did not participate in the “Scramble for Africa.” But in 1889, the Russian Empire, or its colorful emissary, a self-styled “Free Cossack” named Nikolai Ashinov, laid claim to the colony of Sagallo in modern-day Djibouti.
Colony of Sagallo: How a Self-Styled Cossack Tried to Conquer Africa | TheCollector
When a freebooting Cossack sold a grand adventure to the Tsar, the expedition became a diplomatic disaster and a little-known footnote in the “scramble for Africa.”
www.thecollector.com
December 27, 2025 at 9:13 AM
It is commonly believed that Russia did not participate in the “Scramble for Africa.” But in 1889, the Russian Empire, or its colorful emissary, a self-styled “Free Cossack” named Nikolai Ashinov, laid claim to the colony of Sagallo in modern-day Djibouti.
The Mali Cultural and Artistic Biennial is underway in Timbuktu. One of the oldest cities on the African continent, nicknamed the “City of 333 Saints,” Timbuktu is a centre of learning, spirituality and culture.
Mali's Cultural and Artistic Biennial gets underway in Timbuktu | Africanews
For the first time since its creation, the Mali Cultural and Artistic Biennial, founded in the aftermath of independence, is being held in Timbuktu, in the north of the country.
www.africanews.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:58 AM
The Mali Cultural and Artistic Biennial is underway in Timbuktu. One of the oldest cities on the African continent, nicknamed the “City of 333 Saints,” Timbuktu is a centre of learning, spirituality and culture.
“Uganda’s two tyrants: Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni both confronted, in different brutal ways, the challenges of governing a postcolonial nation”, says Helen Epstein.
Uganda’s Two Tyrants | Helen Epstein
Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni both confronted, in different brutal ways, the challenges of governing a postcolonial nation.
www.nybooks.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
“Uganda’s two tyrants: Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni both confronted, in different brutal ways, the challenges of governing a postcolonial nation”, says Helen Epstein.
5 ways scientists are using trash to create things we need. All of our trash may end up being more valuable than we realise.
5 ways scientists are using trash to create things we need
Engineers and scientists are finding innovative ways to not only recycle but repurpose all kinds of trash before it ends up in landfills.
www.thecooldown.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:46 PM
5 ways scientists are using trash to create things we need. All of our trash may end up being more valuable than we realise.
Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a state crime, demands apology and reparations.
Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a state crime, demands apology and reparations | Africanews
Algerian MPs have passed a law that declares France's colonisation of the country a state crime and demands reparations and an apology.
www.africanews.com
December 25, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a state crime, demands apology and reparations.
In “Captives and Companions,” Justin Marozzi traces the stories of the eunuchs, harem women and forced laborers (most of them enslaved Africans) who underwrote empires in Asia and North Africa.
How Should We View the Middle East’s Legacy of Slavery?
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 7:36 AM
In “Captives and Companions,” Justin Marozzi traces the stories of the eunuchs, harem women and forced laborers (most of them enslaved Africans) who underwrote empires in Asia and North Africa.
As extreme weather conditions threaten the future of cocoa, especially in West Africa which produces 60% of the global crop, there are fears chocolate as we know it could disappear by 2050.
Meet the scientists saving the chocolate industry from climate change
As cocoa production plunges, scientists have turned to a climate-resilient plant to save the chocolate industry.
www.euronews.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
As extreme weather conditions threaten the future of cocoa, especially in West Africa which produces 60% of the global crop, there are fears chocolate as we know it could disappear by 2050.
Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa is looking like one giant building site. Beyond the spectacular new skyline and cleaned-up riverbanks lies a complex story of "slum clearance" vs. modern progress.
December 24, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa is looking like one giant building site. Beyond the spectacular new skyline and cleaned-up riverbanks lies a complex story of "slum clearance" vs. modern progress.
The Gihanga Institute of Contemporary Art (GICA) has launched in Rwanda. Founded by curator Kami Gahiga and artist Kaneza Schaal, it’s East Africa’s first non-profit hub dedicated to contemporary research, residency, and Pan-African exchange.
December 23, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The Gihanga Institute of Contemporary Art (GICA) has launched in Rwanda. Founded by curator Kami Gahiga and artist Kaneza Schaal, it’s East Africa’s first non-profit hub dedicated to contemporary research, residency, and Pan-African exchange.
“Middle Powers” such as Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other nations are making remarkable breakthroughs on the African continent (???).
Middle powers’ game-changing rivalries in Africa
As traditional powers retreat, middle powers are stepping into Africa with ambitious investments and strategic outreach.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
December 23, 2025 at 8:21 AM
“Middle Powers” such as Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other nations are making remarkable breakthroughs on the African continent (???).
Tanzania’s President Suluhu and ruling CCM killed hundreds and rigged the October election. It is ironic that had CCM run a free and fair election, allowing all opposition candidates to run, it may still have won 1/3
Is the CCM Losing Tanzania? | African Arguments
Election violence in Tanzania
africanarguments.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Tanzania’s President Suluhu and ruling CCM killed hundreds and rigged the October election. It is ironic that had CCM run a free and fair election, allowing all opposition candidates to run, it may still have won 1/3
Air pollution erases roughly 6% of global GDP every year. That’s 3 to 6 times the economic growth expected from AI. In Africa, the crisis is even more acute: sub-Saharan Africa has just one high-grade air quality monitor for every 16 million people, compared to one per 500,000 in the US & Europe.
How data can help countries get clean air and save lives
Air pollution is a serious health and economic issue but countries with the worst clean air have no air monitors; more advanced teams can provide support.
www.weforum.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Air pollution erases roughly 6% of global GDP every year. That’s 3 to 6 times the economic growth expected from AI. In Africa, the crisis is even more acute: sub-Saharan Africa has just one high-grade air quality monitor for every 16 million people, compared to one per 500,000 in the US & Europe.
The cool 1970s sound of Zambia - known as Zamrock – is enjoying a surprising global rebirth.
Zamrock and Sampa the Great: The 'cool', vintage Zambian genre enjoying a surprising rebirth
In 1970s Zambia, Zamrock led a musical revolution. It's now back, with some big names among its proponents.
www.bbc.com
December 21, 2025 at 7:25 PM
The cool 1970s sound of Zambia - known as Zamrock – is enjoying a surprising global rebirth.