World Cup football- more than just a beautiful game

The film, Rafiki, set to feature at the Cannes Film Festival this week, is already making waves, not only because it is the first Kenyan film to make it to the prestigious and exclusive Cannes Film Festival, but also because it has been banned in Kenya. Rafiki- meaning “friend” in Kiswahili, features a love story […]

24 April marked the 25th anniversary of Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo’s death. Tambo was anti-apartheid activist, politician and revolutionary who served at the helm of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. 25 years since his death, his contribution to a free democratic South Africa founded on the principle of equality remains invaluable. […]

The assassination of prominent individuals agitating for positive change has left an indelible mark on the struggle for equality and human rights. As fate would have it, a few of the most influential and iconic advocates for human rights were murdered in the month of April- Chris Hani, Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln […]

Last week on 21 March South Africans celebrated Human Rights Day. On this day the Sharpeville Massacre occurred in 1960 and it remains an integral part of South Africa’s history and an important moment to reflect on police brutality, excessive use of force and the first court appearance of police allegedly responsible for the deaths […]

On 11 March the International Criminal Court judges elected, by majority vote, Nigerian Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji as president for a three-year term. He is the first African to hold the position. Could his election assuage African leaders who remain convinced that the ICC is an institution led by westerners’ hell bent on targeting Africans leaders? […]

The Marvel Blockbuster movie Black Panther opened in cinemas worldwide and has been enthusiastically received. It is more than just an action packed, visual masterpiece about a superhero. Its recognition of African American talent, portrayal of African excellence, and profound reference to important events and circumstances that have shaped the African continent easily make it […]

Last week Monday (5 February) marked the 36th anniversary of anti-apartheid activist, Neil Hudson Aggetts untimely death in detention after enduring severe and unrelenting torture at the hands of the security branch police. His torturers are yet to be brought to justice- an all too familiar state of affairs that threatens the very essence of […]

Liberia is on the cusp of its first post-civil war democratic transition as provisional results show that football legend, George Weah has defeated his opponent, current vice president Joseph Boakai, and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is stepping down after two terms in office. Liberia has battled with a variety of challenges from civil wars to […]

The international criminal justice world is buzzing with activity, South Africa chose to make a spectacle of itself by reminding the world that it intends to leave the Rome Statute and ICC judges referred Jordan to the United Nations Security Council for failure to arrest President Bashir, a consequence that South Africa escaped despite being […]

Last week the “Butcher of Bosnia,” Ratko Mladić, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian War. The day his verdict and sentence were announced I happened to be in Rwanda, Kigali walking the halls of the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, where […]