The continent of Africa is endowed with plenty of important medicinal plants. One of such plants is Aerva lanata (L.) A. L. Juss. ex Schultes (Family Amaranthaceae) which has been used since time immemorial for a number of medical conditions. It is a strangling herb or undershrub that can grow to 90 cm in height. It…
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A panorama of the newspapers founded by African intellectuals who gave and are still giving a black tone to cultural and literary production. To change the narrative on Africa, it is necessary to have spaces where this narrative can be initiated. Unique and original spaces. Original spaces that emerge from autochthonous roots. These places, whether…
Read moreThe situation of Christians in Egypt is that of a varied minority. They do not always succeed in living as brothers and sisters. Nevertheless, the reality of encounter and fraternity is a real possibility. The monastery of Anaphora is a place that bears witness to this. A young Comboni Missionary tells us about it. Christian…
Read moreIn the world of rural Africa, the market is not just a place for buying and selling or commercial exchange. All over the continent, the market is a place characterised by an intense celebration of social exchange and becomes a place of encounter between the scattered members of one’s family, one’s own village and of…
Read moreIn the context of the US military presence in Taiwan and US Navy incursions in the China Sea, Beijing’ s plans to set up a naval base in Equatorial Guinea is rising tensions between both superpowers. A Chinese base on the Atlantic might also increase NATO’s involvement in Africa. On the last 5 December, the…
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There are more than two hundred radio, from Angola to Zambia reaching millions of people. They promote peace, human rights, education, health, and development. They endeavour to heal the wounds of traumas. They are the voice of the voiceless, though sometimes silenced. Three stories of resilience and success: Radio Sol Mansi, in Guinea-Bissau; Catholic Radio…
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Approaching the market of any African city, the visitor is immediately involved. The eyes are struck by the gaudy colours of thousands of objects, clothes, fruit of all kinds piled up everywhere, the continual sounds of people speaking or shouting, pleasant and obnoxious odours all mixed together, people bumping into each other, brushing by or…
Read moreChristians and Muslims work together to prevent Islamic radicalism from taking hold in the country. We met some religious leaders. Abdoulaye Ouasselegue, currently Imam of the Petevo mosque in Bangui, quoted the prophet Muhammad during a Friday prayer sermon and exhorted his faithful to keep their teeth clean. I had heard that Muslims revere the…
Read moreIn some rural areas of the Sahel such as the Mossi plateau in the north of Burkina Faso, or in the region of Atakora in northern Benin, one has the impression of never coming across a village. There is nothing but dwellings scattered throughout the bush, apparently independent of each other; the country people live…
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Johannesburg, often associated with skyscrapers, insecurity, crime, begging, and in some areas, difficult access to basic services such as electricity or water, boasts more than 10,000 street stalls and shops selling books. The Bridge Books bookstore, characterised by a wooden door, is located at 98 Commissioner Street, a major street in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, where one can admire…
Read moreIt is still dark when Esther rises. The children are still asleep and her husband murmurs something inaudible. Today is market day. She fills a large basket with produce from her field. She hopes to sell it and buy something for the house. Whatever the husband earns is his own and what she earns is…
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After the expropriations of the lands of the white ranchers during the Mugabe era, the aristocratic von Pezold family is on the trail of compensation and new deals. Thanks to the policy change by President Mnangagwa who wants to end international sanctions and re-launch the economy. An immense villa is perched on a huge granite…
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In Burkina Faso, the ‘Mother of the Sahel’ brings education and hope to forcibly displaced children. As conflict forced thousands of children to flee to the…
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As the sun sets over the stony plateau of Mexico, a beautiful white flower opens its corolla among the blade-like thorns of the Cereus Nycticalis: it…
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With the highest percentage of her population made up of youth, Africa is a bed of opportunities for growth and prosperity. The African youth are a…
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