Foday Musa looked broken as he listened to the last voice message he received from his son. It is 76 seconds long and the young man sounds desperate. He is crying, begging for his father’s help. “It’s so hard to hear. Hearing his voice hurts me,” Musa told BBC Africa Eye, which was given exclusive access to a police unit that helped him as he searched for two of his children who had fallen victim to scammers. It was in February 2024 that Musa’s 22-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, along with five others, were recruited from their remote village in…
Author: Montage Africa
Generative AI is quietly reshaping how audiences encounter music by African and African-linked artists, blurring the line between human expression and machine production. The viral success of “Papaoutai (Afro Soul Version)”—an AI-generated reworking of Stromae’s deeply personal hit—shows how platforms can amplify emotionally persuasive tracks without clear disclosure. As similar AI recreations proliferate, questions are growing about consent, authenticity, and artistic ownership, especially after research found that most people cannot reliably tell AI music from human-made songs. While some services like Deezer have introduced AI labels, most streaming algorithms treat human and machine output interchangeably, squeezing artists in an unsustainable ecosystem. As…
The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, has neutralised more than 40 terrorists during coordinated close air support and air interdiction operations in Azir and Musarram areas of Borno State. The operations were carried out on January 15 and 16 by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, following actionable intelligence and in close coordination with ground troops. This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. According to him, NAF aircraft, in the early hours of January 16, responded swiftly to a distress call from troops engaged…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP Across western Kenya, a group of female motorcycle riders known as the Boda Girls are helping bridge a critical gap in maternal health care. Trained not only in motorcycle riding but also in basic maternal health and patient care, many of the women are nurses or community health workers. Their mission is simple but vital: transport pregnant women in remote areas to health facilities for check-ups, scans, and safe deliveries, free of charge. The initiative, launched in 2022, operates in Siaya, Kisumu, and Homa Bay counties, where long distances, poor roads, and transport costs often…
Accra’s food and drink scene is being reinvented as chefs and mixologists embrace Ghana’s rich pantry of indigenous ingredients, from prɛkɛsɛ and Grains of Selim to dawadawa and wild mints. Moving beyond menus tailored to tourists, a new generation is blending tradition with experimentation, weaving local spices into reimagined and bold Afro-Asian fusion dishes. The movement extends to craft cocktails, where earthy spices are expertly paired with revived spirits like akpɛtɛshi. This creative surge is most visible in Accra’s standout eateries—from Kōzo’s daring sushi to Buka’s hands-on traditional feasts and Vine’s coastal-inspired plates—while bars like NsuomNam and Republic are elevating distinctly…
By Rédaction Africanews Benin’s population voted for its next National Assembly (parliament) on 11 January. The results of the elections were announced Saturday evening: the government-affiliated parties got all of the seats, while the main opposition party failed to get past the 20% of district votes requirement. No seats for the opposition: Benin announced the official election results for its parliamentary and local elections on Saturday evening. The presidential block, consisting of the Union for progress and renewal (UP-R) and the Republican block (BR) received all of the 109 available seats in the parliament, getting respectively 60 and 49 seats.…
A pioneering South African DJ named Desiree is reshaping club culture with her MMiNO event series through an intentional practice called equity pricing. When purchasing tickets, international guests pay a higher rate than local attendees. This model responds to the global rise of African electronic music, ensuring local communities shaping the culture are not priced out of the spaces they inspire. Desiree views this not as a mere statement, but as a practical act of care to preserve authenticity and local access. While novel to nightlife, this logic is already established in sectors like wildlife tourism across Africa. The approach sparks…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies Sierra Leone marked its first National Day of Remembrance on Sunday in honour of the victims of the country’s ten year civil war. The conflict killed some 120,000 people and left thousands more injured or mutilated before officially ending on January 18th, 2002. “For the first time in our history, we gather on a single day to remember our civil war and the heavy price our country paid for peace,” President Julius Maada Bio said in an address to the nation. “From this day forward, January 18th belongs to every Sierra Leonean. To every victim…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP Severe flooding has forced the evacuation of around 600 tourists and staff from South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park, after torrential rains submerged roads and camps across the vast wildlife reserve. The park, which spans roughly 22,000 square kilometers, was temporarily closed as authorities moved people to safety amid rising waters and infrastructure damage. With floodwaters now receding, officials are beginning to assess the full scale of the destruction. South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, said aerial inspections revealed significant damage, particularly to key infrastructure. He noted that a high-water…
South African designer Oageng Manana is reimagining modern interiors by fusing cultural heritage with material science. As a co-founder of Meetlo, meaning “customs,” he creates bold furniture that transforms functional pieces into storytelling artifacts. Drawing deep inspiration from his Batswana and Sotho upbringing, Oageng embeds purpose and history into every design, even naming his pieces in indigenous languages to cement African identity. His unique process, guided by a physics background, treats material selection as an art form that must evoke specific emotions and narratives. From a spiritually inspired bench to a luxury executive table, each Meetlo piece is a collectible bridge between…