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“I hated myself so much. But now I have the courage to love myself and see myself beyond this virus.”
Singing a song in class with the words ‘Aids is a killer disease’ when none of your classmates know you’re HIV positive…
Telling friends your status and then finding people are afraid to touch you…
Being told by young men that you’re ‘lucky’ they will date you.
Two young women from South Africa and Kenya who were born with the virus share an emotional discussion about how these experiences impacted on their childhood and mental health. Nomonde Ngema is a 21 year old HIV activist from KwaZulu-Natal who shares videos on TikTok about her daily life managing her illness. Jerop Limo is a 24-year-old activist from Kenya.
Both are currently in New York to speak to world leaders as part of the UN’s Summit of the Future – before the General Assembly debates start next week.
They’ve both decided to speak openly about their status and experiences to help other young people with the virus know they’re not alone.
According to the World Health Organisation there are about 1.5 million children under the age of 14 currently living with HIV.
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Today Alan Kasujja sits down with Dan Marokane, the recently appointed CEO of South Africa's national power supplier, Eskom. He wants to understand how the new boss has been able to halt power cuts that have been devastating to both the economy and the wellbeing of all South Africans. These electricity problems started towards the end of 2007. Then president Thabo Mbeki apologised and admitted that he should have listened to the leadership of Eskom who warned his administration about future power shortages. Alan also hears from two women who run a hospice that looks after children in the east of Johannesburg. They share heart breaking stories of what happens to the babies whenever there are power cuts. Guests: Katlego Foster, Lyn Crooye, Chanda Nxumalo and Dan Marokane
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China is now Africa’s biggest trading partner, with 20% of exports going to China and 16% of imports coming from there, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). At the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting earlier this month, President Xi Jinping promised $50 billion for African development, including military support and new jobs. While this partnership boosts development, it’s also raising worries about debt, dependency and power imbalances. BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to experts Dr. Faith Mabera and Dr. Folashadé Soulé to break down these complex relations.
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Hunger. It’s not just a horrible feeling… it also has a massive impact on how a child performs academically and how productive they will be as an adult.
A new Gates Foundation report “The Race to Nourish a Warming World” calls malnutrition the world’s worst health crisis - with more than 400 million children not getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
Many of those children are in Africa - and one organisation trying to tackle child hunger is Food4Education. Since 2016 they have provided over 50 million meals in primary and secondary schools in Kenya. The cost to the parent in Nairobi is just 5 Kenyan shillings – that’s 3-4 US cents per plate.
So can other African countries learn lessons?
Today Alan speaks to Wawira Njiru the organisation's founder, as well as Stella Mose, a mother of two children who eat the meals, and who is also employed as manager for Tap2Eat - a payments system which enables kids to pay for their school meals electronically.
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“I have eaten elephant meat. I have eaten hippo meat. I think what is food depends on where you are” – Romeo Muyunda, Namibia’s Department of Environment, Forestry and Tourism The drought, which became worse earlier this year, has seen crops being wiped out and animals dying across Southern Africa. As a result, 68 million people have been affected, with some now facing hunger. It’s reached a point where countries like Namibia are now resorting to slaughtering wild animals such as hippos, elephants and zebras, to feed their people. But animal rights groups are up in arms saying this will lead to all sorts of problems in ecosystems. Presenter Alan Kasujja and producer Mpho Lakaje take a closer look at several countries across the region to see which ones are badly affected. They also hear from Romeo Muyunda of Namibia’s Department of Environment, Forestry and Tourism as well as John Stegling from Botswana’s Department of Meteorological Services.
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Rebecca Cheptegei had just returned to her training base in Kenya from Paris, where she had competed in the women’s marathon at the Olympics. The following Sunday she and her two daughters aged 11 and 9 arrived home from a church service. Her ex-boyfriend was waiting at her home with a jerry can of petrol. He poured it on Rebecca and set her on fire as her children watched. She died four days later. Two other elite female athletes have died under similar circumstances in recent years in Kenya, with their male partners facing charges. Alan Kasujja speaks to one of the first people Rebecca’s children called, Caroline Atieno the pastor of God’s Dwelling Ministry Kiungani. He also speaks to Kenya’s former Sports Minister Professor Hellen Sambili about her concerns for the wellbeing of female athletes.
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“Dream big! You can achieve your wildest dreams as long as you work hard and get yourself in school.”
Nicknamed ‘the Beast’, Tendai Mtawarira is the most-capped prop to have played for the Springboks.
Born in Zimbabwe, his talent at rugby was quickly spotted and he was offered a bursary as a teenager to train with the Sharks in South Africa. In 2008 he was called up to play for the national squad as he’d lived in the country for enough time.
But in 2010 he was barred from playing because of a controversy over his nationality. It took the intervention of Archbishop Desmond Tutu before he was able to play for the team again.
He also struggled sometimes as a big, aggressive child. And so - now he’s retired from rugby - his new passion is helping children and young adults reach their potential, through his ‘Beast Academy’ and also as an Unicef ambassador.
Alan Kasujja speaks to the Beast – just back from a trip with Unicef to South Sudan – but also with a young South Sudanese woman whose journey has taken her from cattle camp, to street child, to finally becoming an ‘inspirator’ who helps other young people to realise their goals.
NOTE: Correction made at 0645 GMT changing UNHCR to Unicef.
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"The pilot told us, ‘Don’t go back...either you will be raped or killed at the airport if you go back.’"
Safia Omer, a former member of Somalia’s national women’s basketball team, vividly remembers the day she knew she couldn’t return home.
In 1991, as civil war erupted in Somalia, Safia and her teammates were in Ethiopia for a tournament when they were warned that it was too dangerous to return. Stranded for 10 days at the airport, Safia eventually sought refuge in the United States, mirroring the fate of many Somalis who fled the escalating violence.
Today, Somalia continues to struggle with insecurity and violence from the extremist group Al-Shabab, preventing many from returning home.
But each summer, Somalis from around the world make their way to Ashland, Oregon where they reunite to share stories, reminisce, and of course, play basketball.
Presenter: Alan Kasujja. Guests: Abdiaziz Guled, Safia Omer, and Abukar Shiino
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You may not have heard of the African Initiative before…
It’s a Russian media organisation - established exactly a year ago – which defines itself as an “information bridge between Russia and Africa”. It has offices in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
But it also stands accused of targeting African journalists - and the public - with disinformation.
So what is the end goal for Russia’s African Initiative?
Presenter: Alan KasujjaGuests: Fauziyya Tukur of the BBC’s global disinformation team, and foreign affairs expert, Raymond Mujuni.
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“My uncle passed away, his wife, his three sons, I lost my best friend, and a lot of people in Derna lost someone that they know.”
On the 11th of September 2023 two dams burst in the hills above the city of Derna in Libya. Millions of tonnes of water were released in a catastrophic flood which killed thousands of people in the city. Whole neighbourhoods were swept away. Eastern Libya had been affected by heavy rain from Storm Daniel the day before, but the dam walls should have held firm, and a subsequent legal investigation jailed officials for failing to maintain them.
One year on we speak to someone who was there about how she survived, the tragedy which still affects the whole city, and how she is rebuilding her life.
Presenter: Alan KasujjaGuest: Mariam Al-Ghythy, a medical student from Derna
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Egypt has offered to send 10,000 soldiers to Somalia to assist the country with peacekeeping operations. However, this seems to have unsettled Ethiopia which has said it could not “stand idle while other actors take measures to destabilise the region.” Ethiopia has been a key ally of Somalia in its fight against the militant group, Al-Shabaab.
So what exactly has caused these tensions? And what has the Ethiopian Grand Renascence dam got to do with all this? Alan Kasujja has been exploring for Africa Daily.
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The people of Tunisia are expected to elect a new president in October. But the build-up to the election has been marred by controversy with key political leaders being arrested and some journalists leaving the country. It all started in July 2021 when president Kais Saied suspended parliament and sacked the prime minister. These events were triggered by anger over the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the economic and social turmoil. President Saied defended his decision to dissolve the government saying he acted in accordance with the constitution. But now he has, once again, come under fire after sacking 19 cabinet ministers. Some say he’s attempting to cling on to power. But he denies this, saying his move was necessary for the sake of Tunisia’s national security. Presenter: Alan Kasujja
Guests: Amine Snoussi and Dr. Yusra Ghannouchi
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“Within just five years we lost almost 20 metres of the shoreline and it does not seem to be slowing with time.”
Climate experts say up to 60% of Africa’s coastal land could disappear within the next 50 years due to coastal erosion resulting from sea-level rise. In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja discusses the impact of this on coastal communities, and what they need to do to avert the worst possible scenarios.
He speaks to Saida Idris, a resident of Kipini village on the Kenyan coast where 10 kilometres of dry land have been lost to the sea and a thousand people forced to relocate over the last decade.
Conservationist George Odera, who witnessed the changes as they unfolded in Kipini for over a decade, shares expert opinion.
And International development consultant and former Principal Environmentalist at the African Development Bank, Dr Hany Shalaby, gives an overview of how coastal erosion is manifesting along the Mediterranean shorelines in North Africa and on the seven thousand kilometre-long West African coastline.
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The 36-acre landfill is the only landfill serving the whole of Uganda’s capital – Kampala. A city that’s home to an estimated four million people.
It collapsed after weeks of relentless rain. The city authorities have reportedly been trying to find a new site for years. Many victims were living in unsafe conditions. An investigation has been ordered into years of neglect.
Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Ugandan Earth Observation expert Ivan Bamweyana and renowned lawyer David Mpanga.
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A couple of weeks ago Africa Daily's Alan Kasujja spoke to two farmers in Nigeria and Tanzania about the challenges around farming in Africa. They talked about deteriorating soil quality, rising prices, insecurity and unreliable weather patterns. This week these issues will be discussed at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 summit which will be held in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. Heads of state, politicians, farmers, and agricultural businesses will be there to look at ways of making the production and distribution of food more sustainable and secure. And the message this year is that young people and women must be at the heart of this. In today’s episode Alan Kasujja speaks to two experienced agricultural experts who explain how African farmers can farm more productively and affordably.
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“More than ever, the people of Burkina Faso need to remain united around the defence and security forces.”
A video showing scores of civilians shot dead in the ditches they were digging - was released by an Al Qaeda-linked group active in Burkina Faso earlier this week. It was apparent proof of a major attack it said it had conducted in the northern village of Barsalogho on Saturday.
It’s believed at least 100 people were killed, but the government hasn’t confirmed numbers. But what is clear is that it’s one of the worst attacks by Jihadist fighters the country has ever suffered.
The government often doesn’t acknowledge such attacks, but this time ministers were filmed visiting victims in hospital. They condemned the attack and called on the public to support the army in its fight against the insurgency. The leader of the military regime, Ibrahim Traore, came to power in a coup in 2022 promising to reconquer all rebel held areas - and last year declared a "general mobilisation" of the population.
But will this attack make civilians even more fearful of aiding the military?
Presenter: Alan @KasujjaGuest: Beverly Ochieng, senior analyst with Control Risks.
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“I always say to them (South Africans), these foreign nationals are developing your country. Why can’t you see that? The main guy who owned this shop was always helpful, especially to the old ladies here in our area.” – Samuel Makgowa, South African landlord Earlier this month, shops belonging to foreign nationals were, once again, shut down indefinitely in the township of Soweto in South Africa. It's a campaign sponsored by anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula. It came after a South African man was wounded during an alleged altercation with an immigrant who runs a grocery shop. But week-long raids and demonstrations against Somalis, Bangladeshis and Pakistani shop owners, only drew small crowds. Alan Kasujja speaks to reporter Mpho Lakaje who's been on the ground to understand the issue better. Guests: Zandile Dabula, Samuel Makgowa and Daphne Phakathi
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“As a person living with disability, sport gives you the purpose and the inspiration to move on with life because when you see someone who is physically worse off than you doing better than you, you get inspired and want to do more."
The Paralympic games start today in Paris, just over two weeks after the Olympic games ended in the French Capital. Over 4,400 athletes with various forms of disabilities will be competing in 22 sports for 549 gold medals. Africa has just over 300 para athletes representing 44 countries from the continent.
Kenya’s Asiya Mohammed Sururu will be competing in para rowing, a sport not accessed by many in Africa despite the abundant natural water bodies on the continent. The 32-year-old lost both her legs after she was run over by a train at the age of two.
In this episode of Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja talks to Asiya about the challenges African para athletes face beyond their physical disabilities.
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“It becomes scary when you see people that would normally smile at you - and all of a sudden you see so many people on the streets making those kind of chants. And you think, 'wow, what has been going on underground? This is the city that I used to know. Why should I now be extra watchful? What exactly is going on?'” - Toyyib Adelodun, Nigerian migrant in the UK The world watched in shock as police cars were destroyed and shops and properties belonging to foreign nationals targeted in the UK, earlier this month. The riots were triggered by the killing of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event for children in Southport, northern England. False rumours were spread on social media that the teenager charged with the murders was a Muslim migrant. There were similar events in the township of Soweto in South Africa recently. Shops belonging to African immigrants were forced to shut down, after a foreign national was accused of attacking a local resident. Alan Kasujja attempts to find out if these are isolated incidents or if there is a political ideology driving them. Guests: Professor Bongani Ngqulunga, Toyyib Adelodun and Wallace Musonda
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"If not now, then when? And if you don’t do it, who else will?”
Those are the two questions Sara Sabry suggests all woman ask themselves when they’re thinking through a big move… and finding they don’t have the confidence to follow it through.
And she should know. The Egyptian mechanical and biomedical engineer was the first African woman in space when she blasted off in Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket in 2022. She’s the founder of Deep Space Initiative, an organisation with the mission to make space and the study of space more accessible– and she dreams of one day being part of a community living on the moon and eventually ‘retiring on Mars’.
But is space travel and research really something for Africa to invest in when there are so many other priorities?
Alan Kasujja hears her thoughts.
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