Dozens of young African leaders honored by The Diana Award

Dozens of young African leaders honored by The Diana Award

More than three dozen young African leaders are recognized among international recipients of the Diana Award, an annual award beginning in 2017, that honors youth for their contributions to positive social change in the spirit of the late Princess of Wales. Among those selected is journalist Zanji Sinkala of Zambia,…

Amnesty honors Fridays for Future youth activists with top award

Amnesty honors Fridays for Future youth activists with top award

Young climate change activists from across the globe have received Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019, for their work in the Fridays for Future movement spearheaded by Greta Thunberg of Sweden. “We are humbled and inspired by the determination with which youth activists across the world are challenging…

Three Africans listed as Time Next Generation Leaders

Three Africans listed as Time Next Generation Leaders

The Time Magazine portrait of Swedish climate champion Greta Thunberg got lots of attention on social media, but she was just one of 10 people named as Next Generation Leaders – and three of them have ties to the African continent. First up is Tunde Wey, above, the 36-year-old Nigerian…

Maputo youth aim to make the city safer with photography

They say the camera doesn’t lie, and young activists in Mozambique are using photography to speak the truth and make the streets of Maputo safer for themselves, especially women and girls in their communities.  Using a program called Photovoice – an empowerment technique used across the world – students are…

Somali-American Omar is sworn into U.S. Congress

Somali-American Ilhan Omar was sworn into office on Thursday, and is now representing the state of Minnesota as one of two Muslim women who are the first to serve in the United States Congress. Omar is one of more than 100 women who are now members of the 116th Congress,…

Tanzania’s Gyumi receives UN human rights award

Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania was honored Tuesday for her human rights work, during an awards ceremony for the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. Gyumi is the founder and executive director of the Msichana Initiative, a Tanzanian organization with a mission to empower girls through education and…

Migration documentary project looks for young African filmmakers

There’s little consensus on migration in Europe or North America, but there’s agreement in Africa that the issue needs to be viewed through fresh eyes – and that’s the point of Generation Africa, a documentary project seeking filmmakers to tell the story. STEPS (Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects) is a…

Nigerian migrant Obada’s unusual path takes him to NFL

Efe Obada’s dream to play in the National Football League in the United States came true on Saturday. He made the cut for the Carolina Panthers after spending last season on the practice team through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, an initiative that launched in 2017. Now the Nigerian-born…

Tunisia: Three nights of protests in uneasy Gafsa

Protesters took to the streets again Sunday night in Tunisia, where the disputed outcome of a football match has sparked three straight nights of demonstrations. The crowds in Gafsa, a troubled Tunisian crossroads city about 200 kilometers inland from Sfax, blocked streets and burned tires to protest a referee decision…