Stories about Ideas
Downtown Kingston’s new murals brighten Jamaica’s COVID-19 gloom
Jamaica's creative sector, which had begun to show many 'green shoots' prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, has been particularly hard hit — but it is forging ahead in novel ways.
Exemplary governance: Which countries should high-COVID nations follow?
"What seems clear is that global exemplars do not have to look the same in terms of political structures, incomes, or economic ideology."
Rubber ducks in Thai protests inspire solidarity and memes
"The image of Thai authorities, armed to the teeth with riot gear and shields, facing off against…rubber ducks…highlights the sheer asymmetry of the battle between protester and state."
In the Middle East, words escape prison walls to inspire freedom and hope
"Why is our homeland so small and tight, and why am I considered a criminal or an enemy that threatens it!”
The struggle to end Nigeria's brutal SARS police unit continues
The question of control over SARS has not been adequately answered. The constitution vested control of the police to the presidency under the police chief. But that chain-of-command has broken.
‘Lazy’ Nigerian youth mobilize #EndSARS protest from social media to the streets
Described as ‘lazy’ by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, with a significant number unemployed, stereotyped as ‘unserious’, these digitally savvy youth have proved critics wrong.
Toward a cyberfeminist future: A new study centers African women as protagonists online
Over 3,000 women from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and South Africa, were interviewed about their "perceptions of digital safety" and online gender-based violence in a new, large-scale study by Pollicy.
Masculinity in my genes/jeans
Manoeuvring the complexities of being a boy or man in Caribbean societies assumes "there was a DNA of maleness already living in us, sometimes waiting to be activated."
Artists from Gabon to Mozambique interrogate the meaning of ‘Global South’ in new online exhibition
The "Global South" is a loaded, highly political term. "Where is South?" a new, online exhibition featuring work from 90 artists who challenge notions of "south" through artist books, launches...
In Peru, indigenous youth rap against sexual violence
With the hashtag #WarmallanAmaraqMamaqa ["Girls, not mothers"], high school students launch a rap video to demand protection for indigenous and peasant girls.
African Union turns to biosurveillance tech to curb COVID-19
PanaBIOS, an African Union-backed biosurveillance technology, can track the spread of COVID-19 and connect testing centers across the continent.
French media ignores minority role models during COVID-19 coverage
Public health specialists who appear on French TV to discuss the coronavirus pandemic do not reflect the diversity of the French public.
A conversation with Trinidadian Nneka Jones, the artist who created compelling American flag image for TIME magazine: Part I
"We had decided that using the American flag would be the perfect symbolism as it is a reflection of everything happening in the nation currently."
From death in Syria to quarantine in Madrid
In Madrid, freedom is forbidden for your protection, and in Syria, the deprivation of freedom is designed to make you die a thousand deaths.
Why women’s rights and digital rights go hand-in-hand on Namibian Twitter
In Nambia, a Twitter campaign to legalize abortion drew waves of attacks against feminist activists, but as a result, parliament has agreed to discuss Nambia's outdated abortion laws.
From dubplates to debates: Election campaigning in Jamaica during a pandemic
With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases limiting the ways in which political candidates can campaign, many are producing dubplates — short music videos promoting themselves — to reach the electorate.
Kenyan families suffer spillover effects from school closures
Following school closures in Kenya, inequity has run rampant. Education experts want the government to perform a complete education reboot to provide equitable access to learning for all.
How the murder of musician Hachalu Hundessa incited violence in Ethiopia: Part II
Within an hour of musician Hachalu Hundessa’s assassination, Ethiopians netizens hit social media with scattershot conspiracy theories, hate speech & disinformation campaigns — particularly on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
How the murder of musician Hachalu Hundessa incited violence in Ethiopia: Part I
In the wake of musician Hachalu Hundessa's murder, Ethiopia has struggled to come to terms with the violence and turmoil that erupted along ethnic and religious faultlines.
