Humans of Africa
Touching and inspiring stories from the Cradle of Civilisation.
24/04/2023
The South African choir that performed for Queen Victoria
https://zurl.co/5vhl
The South African choir that performed for Queen Victoria An unearthed cache of century-old photographs of a South African choir that had performed in Victorian Britain inspired a choreographer to reimagine what they went through as they toured the country.
21/04/2023
‘I felt seriously cheated’ - Djimon Hounsou
https://zurl.co/Gbc9
‘I felt seriously cheated’ - Djimon Hounsou From sleeping rough in Paris to being cast as a slave three times in five years, the Shazam! star is no stranger to hardship. Will Hollywood finally give him the great roles he so clearly deserves?
20/04/2023
My teenage cousin pushed me to go to university
https://zurl.co/T7kx
My teenage cousin pushed me to go to university The tutor on my exercise science course pointed me towards literature, and I began to read voraciously. It was the start of a love affair that led to my first novel
19/04/2023
How the Oscars changed the life of a Kenyan woman
https://zurl.co/5uBp
How the Oscars changed the life of a Kenyan woman Kenyan fashion designer Nthenya Mwendwa is in Los Angeles with the aim of getting her luxury bags worn and photographed on the Oscars red carpet.
14/04/2023
Searching for my daughter-in-law in the mud
https://zurl.co/xyo7
Searching for my daughter-in-law in the mud Violet Frank’s two grandchildren serve as reminders of her missing daughter-in-law. It is feared her name will be added to those of more than 300 who died when Cyclone Freddy struck Malawi at the beginning of the week. The youngsters had gone to stay with Violet just days before and escaped the fa...
13/04/2023
I went into debt, trying to secure a miracle
https://zurl.co/5NPS
I went into debt, trying to secure a miracle Evarline Okello hasn't earned anything for months, so when she heard about a pastor whose prayers could make life better, she wanted to see him. He asked her for $115 (£96; 15,000 Kenyan shillings).
12/04/2023
Long wait for justice over apartheid crimes
https://zurl.co/JYR3
Long wait for justice over apartheid crimes Despite being one of the apartheid era's most notorious crimes, the Cradock Four have never been taken to court even though they were not given amnesty by the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
11/04/2023
Liberia's war and peace: Lessons from 30 years' reporting
https://zurl.co/7adY
Liberia's war and peace: Lessons from 30 years' reporting In our series of letters from African writers, retiring journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh reflects on his 30-year career covering the tumultuous events in his home country, Liberia.
07/04/2023
Pictures from above: What a bird's eye view of Africa reveals
https://zurl.co/Tcfk
Pictures from above: What a bird's eye view of Africa reveals For the past 40 years, Edward Burtynsky has photographed the impact of human industry on the planet and for his latest collection, African Studies, he travelled across the continent taking photos from above.
06/04/2023
The island paradise held prisoner by he**in
https://zurl.co/DSLB
The island paradise held prisoner by he**in Some 10% of the local population in the tropical island nation of Seychelles is dependent on he**in in what is now an epidemic, according to the country's government.
'People were going crazy’ – how the Super Eagles took the world by storm
https://humansofafrica.net/people-were-going-crazy-how-the-super-eagles-took-the-world-by-storm/
Pharrell Williams: ‘Life without music would be like a human being without sense’
https://humansofafrica.net/pharrell-williams-life-without-music-would-be-like-a-human-being-without-sense/
29/03/2023
The Nigerian AI artist reimagining a stylish old age
https://zurl.co/bi9c
The Nigerian AI artist reimagining a stylish old age Artworks generated by artificial intelligence (AI) have become a source of controversy, but Nigerian filmmaker and artist Malik Afegbua is making a case that it can challenge us to create a better real world - and a more stylish one for older people.
28/03/2023
Libianca: The true story behind the star's 'more alcohol' song, People
https://zurl.co/U5e2
Libianca: The true story behind the star's 'more alcohol' song, People People (Check On Me), a tender cry for help that captured her at a crushing low point, has been streamed more than 150 million times since December.
27/03/2023
How Pele’s 1969 visit reshaped Nigerian football
https://zurl.co/tLlN
How Pele’s 1969 visit reshaped Nigerian football In 1969, with a civil war raging, global football's biggest star arrived in Benin City as part of a visit that would change Nigerian football forever.
24/03/2023
How a young musician captured the music of Rwanda
https://zurl.co/Kt4F
How a young musician captured the music of Rwanda The singer, songwriter and producer Michael Makembe has compiled an audio library with almost 1,000 recordings of people singing, clapping and playing traditional instruments
23/03/2023
One woman’s forgotten story reveals a dirty truth about Africa’s written histories
https://zurl.co/T1pu
One woman’s forgotten story reveals a dirty truth about Africa’s written histories Regina Twala was an influential writer and political activist of the 50s and 60s. Yet while European men gained acclaim from her work, her name was almost erased from memory
22/03/2023
The secret life of André Leon Talley: what an auction reveals about the late fashion legend
https://zurl.co/rNdq
The secret life of André Leon Talley: what an auction reveals about the late fashion legend A sale of Andre Leon Talley’s belongings shows the caring, complicated man behind the unforgettable image
21/03/2023
I am going back to Ukraine to study
https://zurl.co/4StF
I am going back to Ukraine to study Just a year ago, the Nigerian medical student was scrambling to find safe passage out of Ukraine after the Russian bombardment began on 24 February. But with other studying options effectively closed off, he returned to Ukraine later in the year for another term. Now, he wants to travel there again.
20/03/2023
Inside Villa Somalia: 72 hours with the president promising to rebuild his broken country
https://zurl.co/xiuO
Inside Villa Somalia: 72 hours with the president promising to rebuild his broken country Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia’s factions can find peace, political Islam need not be violent and democracy can grow. Here’s his exclusive interview with the Observer
17/03/2023
Meet Cambridge University's youngest black professor
https://zurl.co/WclN
Meet Cambridge University's youngest black professor Diagnosed with autism and global development delay in his early years, Jason Arday was unable to speak until he was 11 years old and could not read or write until he was 18. Now aged 37, he is about to become the youngest black person ever appointed to a professorship at the University of Cambridge.
16/03/2023
The mission to save the biggest frog on earth
https://zurl.co/Zzue
The mission to save the biggest frog on earth For decades, the goliath frog has been over-hunted for food and the pet trade in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Its habitat beside rivers and streams is fast being destroyed and the frog is now classified as endangered on the official extinction Red List.
15/03/2023
Fernanda Pineda: We counted 150 murders
https://zurl.co/FmLo
Fernanda Pineda: We counted 150 murders Fernanda Pineda photographs young people finding ways to express themselves and avoid gang warfare in one of the country’s most violent cities.
14/03/2023
After 102 children, Ugandan villager says enough is enough
https://zurl.co/qCnb
After 102 children, Ugandan villager says enough is enough Musa Hasahya Kasera has so many children he can’t remember most of their names. The Ugandan villager is struggling to provide for his vast family, which he says includes 12 wives, 102 children and 578 grandchildren and now feels enough is enough.
13/03/2023
Christian Atsu: From fisherman's son to 'one in a million' Black Star '
https://zurl.co/7pWy
Christian Atsu: From fisherman's son to 'one in a million' Black Star The son of a fisherman, Christian Atsu never got caught in the trappings of fame. Humble beginnings meant the Ghana midfielder, who lost his life in the recent earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria, tried to use his success to help others in their lives.
10/03/2023
‘I’m on the right side of history’: Spike Lee on speaking truth to power – and why Beyoncé was robbed
https://zurl.co/smbD
‘I’m on the right side of history’: Spike Lee on speaking truth to power – and why Beyoncé was robbed As the BlacKkKlansman film-maker picks up the British Film Institute’s top honour, he talks about being accused of provoking race riots, why his Malcolm X biopic will endure – and the problem with awards
03/03/2023
Ethiopia's online horrors: 'I saw my father's dead body on Facebook'
https://zurl.co/D1xG
Ethiopia's online horrors: 'I saw my father's dead body on Facebook' When Ethiopian university student Moti Dereje logged into his Facebook account in late November 2018, he was expecting to see the usual updates from his friends and family. Instead, he saw a shocking post.
02/03/2023
Nigeria election 2023 in Katsina: 'You let kidnappers take me, now you want my vote'
https://zurl.co/NxBx
Nigeria election 2023 in Katsina: 'You let kidnappers take me, now you want my vote' Many Nigerians live in constant fear of being kidnapped and held for ransom by armed gangs, especially in the north-west of the country, where thousands of people have had to flee their homes. The insecurity means many in the region, which has the country's largest number of registered voters, may n...
01/03/2023
Nigeria election 2023: Who is Bola Tinubu of the APC?
https://zurl.co/aGPQ
Nigeria election 2023: Who is Bola Tinubu of the APC? Bola Tinubu, 70, widely credited with reshaping Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos, will lead the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) into February's presidential election but he faces a reinvigorated opposition, allegations of corruption, and health issues as he eyes one of Africa's most daunting jo...
28/02/2023
Nigeria election 2023: Who is Atiku Abubakar?
https://zurl.co/gpAb
Nigeria election 2023: Who is Atiku Abubakar? Atiku Abubakar is hoping it will be sixth-time lucky in his quest to be Nigeria's next president having fallen short on five previous attempts, the first in 1992.
About us
Africa is where it all began. The story of humanity started on this continent, which has birthed great civilizations from the Nile to the Cape.
Africa’s enormous and fascinating tapestry of cultures, people and ecology means that there is hardly ever a shortage of stories on the continent – stories that exemplify courage, grit, generosity, forgiveness, triumph over adversity, survival, hope and great achievement; stories that are rarely told.
Some of stories will make you laugh. Others will bring a tear or two to eyes. Most of them will tell you that whatever you’re going through you’re not alone. And yet others will cause you to step out, stand up and take action.
On these pages we bring you extraordinary personal stories from the cradle of humanity. On these pages, we welcome you to immerse yourself in humanity itself by reading stories from where it all began. And we encourage you to embrace and learn from the stories of the African diaspora.
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