Features

Slippery slope: the more we lie, the easier it gets Paris, France | AFP | Whether cheating on taxes or one’s lover, the little lies we tell can quickly escalate into big ones, according to a study released Monday that describes dishonesty as a “slippery slope”. Serial untruths, moreover, register …

This October, there have been reports of many Ugandans returning to South Sudan where many suffered during the recent deadly clashes in parts of the country. And, with the volatility that has wrecked the newly independent country, it is always a matter of time before another round of clashes takes …

Johnstown, United States | AFP | Pundits and pollsters say the bottom may be falling out of Donald Trump’s White House run, but diehard supporters in the western Pennsylvania city of Johnstown strongly disagree. A few hours’ drive north and west from liberal Washington, Johnstown — the beating heart of …

Quito, Ecuador | AFP | For Ecuador, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become the worst kind of guest: he makes messes he doesn’t clean up, he spills secrets, he meddles, and there’s no telling when he will leave. Four years after Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London, …

Myko Ouma self-effacingly dismisses it when I tell him he is considered by many people to be one of the best guitarists in the country. “About best guitarist, I don’t know,” he says. In reality, he is a renowned jazz and contemporary world music artiste who plays more than ten …

Washington, United States | AFP |  World economic leaders gathered in Washington this week to defend globalization, delivering a single message in unison: Protectionism will not save you. But this glosses over the plight of Africa, which is sinking further into poverty despite years of free trade. According to the …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Michael O’HAGAN A Ugandan policeman has turned to rap and breakdancing to win over a sceptical public in a popular music video extolling the virtues of the police service. Inspector Samuel Ojobira, known as “O.J”, is making waves with his hit song “Physically Fit”, although some …

Washington, United States | AFP | The American presidential election falls this year on November 8. The quadrennial exercise always takes place on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, as prescribed by the US Constitution. How the voting system works The vote, by universal suffrage, is conducted in a …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Michael O’HAGAN | Standing on a drab side-street next to an open sewer in the Ugandan capital Kampala, Brian Mugabi points to the site of his former family home and reflects on how much the game of chess has changed their lives. Ten years ago Mugabi …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Balogun Shakirat woke up with a start at 3:00 am and put on the light in her workshop in a crowded working class district of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. In the following three hours, she was able to sew shirts, trousers and a jacket. Then …