RFI Spotlight on Africa

Spotlight on Africa

An in-depth look at an important story affecting the African continent today.
Occasionally English France News
23 Episodes
1 – 20

Ghana grapples with crisis caused by world's throwaway fashion

This week's podcast focuses on textile waste from fast fashion. As cheap clothes from China, Asia and Europe increasingly end up in West Africa, pollution is rising – particularly in Ghana. RFI spoke to Greenpeace Africa investigators to understand the scale of the issue and how to combat it. Ghana is…
18 Oct 22 min

What are Africa's economic needs amid rising competition between China and the West?

Following a month filled with key summits and continued trade negotiations across Africa, this week's edition of Spotlight on Africa examines the growing rivalry between China and Western nations as they vie for business opportunities on the continent. This week, our focus shifts to the dynamics of Chinese-African-Western relations.In September,…
4 Oct 16 min

Zambia leads solar shift amid southern Africa's hydroelectric drought

With a prolonged drought affecting the supply of hydroelectricity all over southern Africa, a growing number of people are turning to solar to fill the energy gap. Spotlight on Africa focuses this week on progress made in Zambia.  While floods are devastating West Africa, about 68 million people in southern…
20 Sep 16 min

Algeria heads to polls: Tebboune favoured amid rights concerns

Some 24 million Algerians vote on 7 September to elect their next president, with incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune the clear favourite of only three candidates. If Algeria has enjoyed economic and social stability in his five years of mandate, human rights organisations warn of a decrease of freedom and rights. This…
6 Sep 18 min

Decolonising Beauty campaign honours Africa’s diverse aesthetics

Decolonising Beauty is a campaign designed by the producton company Zikora Media to educate the public and celebrate the rich tapestry of indigenous and local beauty customs across Africa. This week we speak with its founder, Chika Oduah. In a world increasingly dominated by Western beauty standards promoted through pop…
23 Aug 17 min

South African artist Gavin Jantjes on his major retrospective

RFI's Spotlight on Africa met with artist Gavin Jantjes to chat about his To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970-2023. The exhibition traces his journey as "a creative agent of change" from South Africa to Europe, celebrating his multifaceted roles as painter, printmaker, writer, curator and activist. In this episode we hear from the artist…
9 Aug 18 min

Africa and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

The Paris Olympics are officially open, and athletes from Africa are competing in a broad range of disciplines. In this episode of the podcast, we look at what to expect from the African teams.  In total, more than 200 delegations and 10,000 athletes are participating in 36 sports at the…
27 Jul 15 min

Kagame poised to extend rule for fourth term as Rwanda heads to polls

2024 is a big election year for the world and especially for Africa, and in July all eyes are on Rwanda.  Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.Kagame, who…
14 Jul 13 min

African displacements and the search for refuge, in life and art

Displacement takes many forms, from refugees forced into exile to returnees who find themselves strangers what was once home. In this episode, we speak to aid workers about the very different experiences of refugees in Sudan and Mauritania, and hear from an artist who draws on his own migrations between…
28 Jun 22 min

Global South amplifies calls for compensation for historical injustices

This week, we are addressing the issue of reparations for historical injustices, including slavery, colonial violence, and war crimes. Calls for compensation are gaining momentum, particularly in the Global South, with a strong focus on the Caribbean and Africa. These reparations could take various forms, primarily financial compensation.Activists argue that…
14 Jun 17 min

South Africa's ANC on the brink of losing majority, coalition government looms

In this episode of Spotlight on Africa, Melissa Chemam discusses the recent elections in South Africa and the possibility of the ruling ANC losing its overall majority, potentially forcing it into a coalition government. On  29 May, South Africans participated in parliamentary and provincial elections in the most fiercely contested…
31 May 18 min

South Africa's 2024 Elections: young voters and the legacy of apartheid

South Africa is holding general and provincial elections on 29 May. In this episode of Spotlight on Africa, we look at young people and the elections and how  the country has changed since the end of apartheid in 1994.   First, we talked to the director of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation,…
17 May 17 min

After Senegal's success, can Mali and Niger also hope for elections?

The delayed March presidential vote in Senegal confirmed the country remains a beacon of democracy in a region facing increasing instability. RFI looks at how the peaceful victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye and mentor Ousmane Sonko stands to influence the politics of neighbouring Sahel nations. This edition of Spotlight on Africa…
19 Apr 18 min

The long path to Senegal's troubled presidential elections

This is a big election year for Africa, with 16 countries heading to the polls. Close attention is being paid to the delayed presidential vote in Senegal – a West African beacon of democracy that is facing increasing instability. RFI spoke to author and economist Ndongo Samba Sylla in the capital Dakar. …
22 Mar 16 min

Spotlight on Africa - Ethiopia's triple threat against locusts

Ethiopia is currently battling one of its worst locust invasions since 1958. But since then, the country has rolled out a defense system to make sure damage is minimal across the country. Find out more in this edition of Spotlight on Africa.
20 Feb 2020 18 min

Spotlight on Africa - France's Africa Ambition

The time to invest in Africa is now. That was the message hammered home at last week’s France-Africa business summit, which saw the French government position itself as a new investment hub for the continent. Yet, many French companies still shy away from African markets and bilateral trade has fallen…
6 Nov 2019 11 min

Spotlight on Africa - Can France’s minorities learn from US slavery struggle?

In August, America marked 400 years since the arrival of the first Africans in 1619, which started the institution of slavery. In France, observers are questioning whether there are lessons to be learned for France’s African community. In a brightly lit room of the American library in Paris, members of…
4 Oct 2019 13 min

Spotlight on Africa - Black model art show challenges France's colour blindness

A recent Paris exhibition honouring forgotten black models of modern art has shone a spotlight on black identity in a society where race remains a controversial subject. France has been multicultural "since the 19th and 20th century", says Denise Murrell, co-curator of Le Modèle Noir or Black Models. The landmark exhibition on modern art’s forgotten…
16 Sep 2019 14 min
1 – 20