The robin is a small bird with red around its mouth and red on its breast. The female has no red on her the breast, and the following African is the folktale legend explains why.

Cutest African Folktale Ever,

 Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale

One day the Robin and his wife found that they had no red camwood powder to make themselves beautiful, so the husband prepared for a journey to the market to buy some. 

He was a long time on the road, but at last reached the market only to find that all the red camwood had been sold. He tried one trader after another with no success, for all had sold out, but one finally said, "I have none to sell, but I can give you a small piece, enough for yourself."

The kind trader gave Robin a small piece, and to protect the red camwood from the sun, the Robin put it in his mouth, as he wanted to take it safely home to his wife. 

But, as he traveled the red camwood melted dripping out of the corners of his mouth, down his throat, and came out round his beak and down his chest to his feathers, and ever since then the male Robins has had a red mouth and red breast.

Did you know?
Camwood Powder also is known as Osun is a shrubby, hard-wooded West African tree. It is a red powder that comes from the heart or core of the camwood tree. It is used as a beauty treatment. The powder is made by grinding two pieces of the camwood together. The red paste resulting from the friction is dried, pounded and put into a cloth, and after a person has bathed, and rubbed with oil and dabbed on the body.

In everyday life African folklore teaches lessons with ancient words of wisdom.

Cutest African Folktale Ever, Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale

Easy Sierra Leone Recipe

The Kambia District in North Sierra Leone is considered the main rice bowl of the country with its large farms, widespread mangrove swamps and large river creeks. 

Sierra Leone Fried Banana Rice Dumplings

Rice is the country's staple yet most of the rice Sierra Leone eats is imported from Asia. Sierra Leone’s traditional rice dishes are cooked simply in salted water or ground into flour, served with fish, meat and vegetable dishes.

Sierra Leone Fried Banana Rice Dumplings

Ingredients

3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup white sugar

Water as needed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil for frying

Directions

Heat 2 inches oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Mash the bananas into a paste in a bowl. Alternate adding rice flour and a little water to make a stiff batter. Stir in the sugar. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, dumplings will float to the top when done. Drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Serve warm sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar if desired.

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What do the hieroglyphics symbols mean and how to write using the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Alphabet.

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Alphabet

What are Egyptian Hieroglyphics?

Egyptian Hieroglyphics are characters in which symbols represent objects and ideas. Hieroglyphics can be pictures of living creatures such as an owl, objects used in daily life such as a basket or symbols such as lasso.

Most of the pictures stand for the object they represent, but usually, they stand for sounds. You cannot exactly match the American English alphabet to hieroglyphics, because they are two very different languages, but historians have come up with a simplified translation of our letters and Egyptian hieroglyphs.

What do the hieroglyphics symbols mean?

A an Egyptian vulture
B a foot
C a basket with handle
D a hand
E a reed
F a horned viper, an Egyptian snake
G a jar-stand
H a reed shelter
I a reed
J a cobra
K the basket with the handle
L a lion
M an owl
N a zigzag symbol for water
O a lasso
P a square stool
Q a symbol for the slope of a hill
R a mouth
S a piece of linen folded over
T a bun
U a quail chick
V a horned viper
W a quail chick
X a basket and folded linen
Y two reeds
Z a door bolt
CH a hobble
KH a ball of string
SH the rectangle which is the symbol for land

Translate a portion of a prayer said to the sun god Amen-Ra into Hieroglyphics Amen-Ra is an Egyptian sun god and utmost god of the creation. Below is a portion of a prayer said to Amen-Ra, translate the prayer into Hieroglyphics. Remember Hieroglyphic is read from left to right. 

His rays of life enlighten all his grand creation. Hail Amen-Ra, whose seat is Egypt's double throne!

The name of our Chic African Culture blog head researcher, Ivy name looks like this in Hieroglyphics:

 

Ivy written in Hieroglyphics

Egyptian Hieroglyphics are characters which symbols represent ideas. Hieroglyphics are pics of living things and objects used in daily life.

Marcus Garvey's work through the Africa Times and Orient Review and his emphasis on the importance of a flag highlights his dedication to empowering people of African descent and instilling a sense of pride in their heritage.

Marcus Garvey, in response to the 1900 coon song, created the Pan-African flag in 1920.

The Pan-African flag or Black Liberation Flag is a tricolor flag consisting of three equal horizontal bands colored red, black, and green. 

The three colors on the Pan-African flag represent red for the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry and shed for liberation, black for the people of Black African ancestry, and green for the abundant natural wealth of Africa.

One of Marcus Garvey's famous quotes is, "Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride." This statement underscores Garvey's belief that a flag symbolizes the pride and unity of a people. For him, a flag was not just a piece of cloth but a powerful symbol of identity, self-respect, and national or racial consciousness.

Jamaican political leader Marcus Garvey was a founding member and former president of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) created the Pan-African flag in 1920 in response to the 1900 song "Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon." The song was written by Will A. Heelan, and J. Fred Helf was very popular in the United States and Britain. 

The Africa Times and Orient Review was a publication founded by Marcus Garvey in 1919. In a 1921 report appearing in the paper, Marcus Garvey stated the importance of the flag “Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride. Aye! In song and mimicry, they have said, "Every race has a flag but the coon." How true! Aye! But that was said of us years ago. They can't say it now!" The flag later became an African nationalist symbol for the worldwide liberation of people of African origin. The flag became popular during the Black Liberation Movement to symbolize Black pride.

The Africa Times and Orient Review served as a platform for Garvey to disseminate his ideas and messages to a wide audience. It focused on issues related to African and African diaspora communities, discussing topics such as racial equality, self-determination, and black empowerment. The publication played a significant role in spreading Garvey's vision of racial pride, self-reliance, and the importance of cultural identity.

Although other designs and colors, including yellow, are also considered to be International Pan-African flags, the horizontal stripes of red, black, and green originated from the UNIA in 1920. Flag names include the UNIA flag, Marcus Garvey flag, Black Liberation flag, Pan-African flag, and the Black or African Nationalist flag.

Garvey advocated for creating a flag for African people, as he saw it as a crucial step towards fostering a sense of pride and unity among individuals of African descent. He considered it essential for African nations and communities to have their own flags to assert their identity, culture, and aspirations.

Red, black and green beauty

Minstrel music song chorus for Every Race Has a Flag but the Coon

For Ireland has her Harp and Shamrock

England floats her Lion bold

Even China waves a Dragon

Germany an Eagle gold

Bonny Scotland loves a Thistle

Turkey has her Crescent Moon

And what won’t Yankees do for their Red, White, and Blue

Every race has a flag but the coon

Fascinating History of the Red, Black, and Green Pan-African Flag

The where and why food loss and waste happens at the farm, in storage, and in transit.

Hungry people and policymakers worldwide want to reduce food loss and waste; therefore, people need to know where it occurs and where interventions will be the most impactful. Food loss is the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain. Food loss refers to any food that is discarded, incinerated or otherwise disposed of along the food supply chain from harvest. However, food waste refers to the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers and consumers.

At the farm

Important causes of on-farm losses include inadequate harvesting time, climatic conditions, practices applied at harvest and handling, and challenges in marketing produce. Food loss and waste entails poor use of resources and negative environmental impacts. 

A growing population and rising incomes are forecast to increase demand for agricultural products, putting more pressure on natural resources. This is why reducing food loss and waste is crucial. It will improve our use of natural resources and directly contribute to lower GHG emissions per unit of food consumed. 

This is because more food reaches the consumer for a given level of resources used. Excessive water use at the farm level, any reduction of losses or waste after the farm level (transportation, processing, storage etc.) can positively affect water demand. Less food loss and waste would lead to more efficient land use and better water resource management, positively impacting climate change and livelihoods.

In storage

Significant losses are caused by inadequate storage and decisions made at earlier stages of the supply chain that cause products to have a shorter shelf life. Total losses are mainly because of physical, pathological, and entomological damage. Post-harvest losses cause food quality and quantity to be severely reduced, thereby affecting incomes and impacting on the urban and rural poor and hungry.

In transit

Good infrastructure and efficient trade logistics are key to preventing food loss. Processing and packaging play a role in preserving foods, and losses are often caused by inadequate facilities, technical malfunction or human error. 

Many food crops are lost before they reach consumers and suggested that improving logistics systems and management would efficiently reduce losses across the supply chain. 

They found that failure in logistics operations, including product handling, precooling, packaging, storage, transportation, and inappropriate infrastructure, are among the most common reasons for the high quantities of food losses. 

These estimates do not include loss of quality, nutritional value and the health burden associated with consuming contaminated food products.

Autumn Weather in Africa Autumn in Africa just like any other place. In the southern hemisphere of Africa, seasons are opposite to those of Europe and North America.

When is Autumn Weather in South Africa

About the Causes of Seasons and Weather in Africa

Autumn in Africa just like any other place around the world, it is a season between summer and winter where the temperatures gradually decrease, leaves fall from the trees, and animals begin preparation for winter. Southern Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere—the half of Earth south of the Equator—and about 60% of Africa lies there.

Countries Fully in the Southern Hemisphere: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all lie entirely south of the Equator.

Countries Partly in the Southern Hemisphere: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, and Uganda extend across the Equator but have significant areas in the Southern Hemisphere.

Autumn in Cape Town, South Africa is from March to April

In North America, autumn traditionally starts on September 21 and ends on December 21. The autumn season in South Africa is marked by vivid scenery, warm pleasant days, and crisp, cool mornings and evenings. Autumn in Cape Town is warm and dry with days getting shorter and temperatures cooling as winter approaches.

Cape Town is a coastal city and the second most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg. With ocean on two sides, coastal temperatures are moderated and have relatively small ranges.

Africa Has Seasons Like Any Other Continent

The Earth’s movement around the Sun causes the seasons; the tilt of the Earth’s axis controls the angle of sunlight. In autumn, the Sun is lower in the sky, so rays strike at a shallower angle, spreading out their energy and delivering less direct heat.

Longer nights and shorter days reduce heating, so temperatures cool. In summer, longer days allow the surface to warm more. Seasons are opposite across the Equator—when it’s fall in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Cape Town (August) the average temperature is about 55°F (13°C). In Tallahassee, Florida (August) it averages about 85°F (29°C).

Why Climate Zones Explain Africa’s Weather Better Than Seasons

Instead of looking only at seasons—too general for a continent this large—use climate zones. Africa has six major zones that shape climate and vegetation: Equatorial, Humid Tropical, Tropical, Semidesert (Sahelian), Mediterranean, and Desert. Learn more about Africa’s desert ecosystems and how these zones shape life on the continent.

Africa’s weather is influenced by latitude, altitude, distance from the ocean, prevailing winds, and ocean currents. Explore the Turkana people in the Ilemi Triangle to see how geography and climate influence culture.

Did you know? In Southern Africa, spring runs September–December, summer December–March, autumn March–April, and winter June–September.

Autumn in South Africa

Autumn in South Africa — leaves of gold and green

Autumn in the Western Cape of South Africa

Autumn in Johannesburg, South Africa

Did you know? South Africa is a subtropical region, moderated by ocean on two sides of the triangle-shaped country and the altitude of the interior plateau. With diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions in the 2011 census, 42.4% of the population described themselves as Colored, 38.6% Black African, 15.7% White, and 1.4% Indian or Asian—all delighting in Cape Town autumn weather.

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Throughout Africa, women and girls walk for hours a day in the hope of finding a few branches or roots to use as firewood; to avoid the midday sun, many leave their homes before sunrise.

Burdens of Women Collecting Firewood in Africa

Dangers of women collecting firewood in Africa range from spinal and pelvic injuries to sexual assault, rape, and harassment.

Almost all African countries still rely on wood to meet basic energy needs, in fact over 80% of the energy supply in African countries comes from wood.

In these countries, woodfuels not only are vital to the nutrition of rural and urban households but are also often essential in food processing industries for baking, brewing, smoking, curing and electricity production.

The World Health Organization states that “Over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from the use of firewood. If a woman cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it is equivalent to smoking between three and 20 packets of cigarettes a day.”

Fuelwood accounts for about 90% of the total wood consumption in Africa and 81% of African households use solid fuels while 70% depend on them as their primary energy source for cooking. Nearly 60% of urban dwellers also use woody biomass as an energy source for cooking.

 

Lack of safe access to firewood can be life-threatening particularly in conflict situations. The hours searching for wood also prevents better use of the time, such as attending school.

Energy is both an engine of development and a source of many of today’s economic and environmental problems.

 

Women seek firewood often in arid areas already lacking adequate vegetation not only face the threat of rape but compete with other people who also need the resource.

Approximately 60% of the world’s total wood removals from forests and trees outside forests are used for energy purposes. In other words, woodfuel is one of the main products of forests and trees.

Woodfuel is not only used in poor and rural households. In many towns and metropolitan areas, woodfuel is widely used either as a main, substitute or supplementary fuel by low-, middle- and high-income groups.

In Africa, fuelwood, charcoal and other forms of biomass energy make a major contribution to meeting the energy requirements of the population

The collection, distribution, and trade of these fuels also provide income and employment to millions of Africans but also house unsafe working conditions for many young girls and women.

Lack of safe access to firewood can be life-threatening. Many women spend more than 20 hours a week collecting firewood. Contrary to common belief, not all-wood fuel is sourced from natural forests. 

Wood fuel production takes place within several types of land use, such as tree fallow and shrub fallow, woodlots, tree plantation sites, reforestation sites, fruit trees, scattered trees, and bushland and shrubland areas.

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Native to Peru and Chile, today gooseberries grow in 34 out of 54 African countries.

Gooseberry fruit is covered in its own papery husk which is botanically called the calyx; the flavor is delicious bittersweet and pleasant with a unique tomato pineapple like blend. 

All parts of the plant, except the fruit, are poisonous.  The fruit is usually eaten raw or cooked in pies, cakes, jellies, and jams. The fruit is rich in vitamin A, and vitamin C.

Gooseberries grow naturally in tropical regions around the world grown for its fruit to use in many recipes and medicinally.

Traditional Gooseberry Jam

Gooseberry Jam is a classic recipe especially in Southern Africa. Gooseberries are high in pectin; making jams and jellies are easy to prepare with the bittersweet fruit.

Ingredients    

2 pounds Cape Gooseberries    

5 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

Directions

Add all ingredients together, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Ladle the hot jam into processed jars.

Ancestors say failure creates opportunities, here are wise words from African ancestors to start your life climb.

Who climbs falls. Wise Words from Africa African Proverb means to keep trying, do not give up on you, try and try again. Keep climbing, no matter how little the steps, if you believe it will work listen to wise words from Africa. Wise people know any attempt to climb higher, even if it fails, is better than no attempt.

Who climbs falls, try and try again. Once you attempt to find a solution to problems in your life, do not give up if the first solution. Try something else and if that does not work, try something else, keep climbing. End the bad habit of killing time with wasted negative thoughts and start the climb.

Perseverance is the key to you unlearning bad habits and learned helplessness because if you only try once and it does not work, you may have only strengthened your learned helplessness. Who climbs falls and that is ok, to achieve the greatest success, you have to embrace the fall and not fear. Accept the wise words from Africa falling merely means there is something to be learned or another direction to be taken to climb the ladder of success.

Listen to the Ancestors Wise Words on failure

Through wise words and African sayings, your ancestors taught you life is meant to be climbed, not to settle. Your dreams matter, follow the words from the ancestors from your heart and you will not regret it. Stop wasting time thinking about how or why it will not work and start the climb.

Listen to the Ancestors Wise Words on life's failure.

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. - Henry Ford

Try again. Fail again. Fail better. - Samuel Beckett

The only time you don't fail is the last time you try anything — and it works. - William Strong

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas Edison

There is no failure except in no longer trying. - Elbert Hubbard

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down. - Mary Pickford

A man may fall many times, but he won't be a failure until he says that someone pushed him. - Elmer G. Letterman

There are defeats more triumphant than victories. - Michel de Montaigne

Failure sometimes enlarges the spirit. You have to fall back upon humanity and God. - Charles Horton Cooley

The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. - Lloyd Jones

Perseverance, self-reliance, energetic effort, are doubly strengthened when you rise from a failure to battle again. - anonymous

A man of intellect without energy added to it is a failure. – Sebastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort

He only is exempt from failures who makes no efforts. - Richard Whately

It is the height of folly to throw up attempting because you have failed. Failures are wonderful elements in developing the character. – anonymous

Listen to the Ancestors Wise Words on failure

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Video About Love African Proverbs

African proverbs teach love is awkward, love is difficult, love is maddening, African proverbs also teach love may just be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

10 About Love African Proverbs in the video

Laughter is exterior, but love is in the heart.

He who loves you, loves you with your dirt.

Where there is love there is no darkness.

Love attracts happiness; it brings near that which is far.

Love and smoke are two things that cannot be concealed.

Love has its reasons, which reasons it does not know.

Do not throw your hook where there are no fish.

Shelter your candle and it will give you light.

A woman who lost her rival has no sorrow.

If you love honey, fear not the bees.

Teach us in everyday life love African proverbs inspire with ancient words of wisdom.

African locust bean trees are important to women's economics. Soumbala and Dawadawa pastes are made from the fermented seeds of African locust beans.

The African Locust Tree: A Multipurpose Marvel 

The African Locust Tree (Parkia biglobosa) is a remarkably versatile tree with a long history of use across sub-Saharan Africa. This large, slow-growing tree thrives in arid and semi-arid regions, providing a range of valuable products and ecological benefits.

 

African locust bean tree

The African Locust Tree: A Food Source and More

Nutritious Food: The seeds of the African Locust Tree are a significant food source. They are cooked like beans, fermented into pastes like Soumbala and Dawadawa (rich in protein and fat), and used to flavor various dishes.

What are Soumbala and Dawadawa?

Soumbala and Dawadawa are fermented pastes made from the seeds of the African locust bean tree, known scientifically as Parkia biglobosa. These pastes are popular flavoring agents in West African cuisine. 

Soumbala is typically found in countries like Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. It has a strong, pungent flavor and is often added to stews and soups to enhance the taste.

Dawadawa, on the other hand, is common in Nigeria and some other regions of West Africa. It has a slightly milder flavor compared to Soumbala and is used in similar culinary applications.

Both Soumbala and Dawadawa are nutritious, rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and they contribute a unique depth of flavor to various West African dishes.

Traditional Uses: The tree offers a wide range of uses:

• Food: The sweet pulp within the pods is eaten raw, made into drinks, and even fermented into an alcoholic beverage. 

• Medicine: The stem bark exhibits antibiotic properties, particularly against Shigella infections.

• Pest Control: The beans possess termite-repellent properties.

• Economic Activity: The production and sale of locust bean products, especially by women, contribute to local economies.

Environmental Benefits:

• Shade and Shelter: The tree provides much-needed shade and shelter from the harsh sun and winds in arid regions.

• Honey Production: Its melliferous flowers attract bees, contributing to honey production.

• Soil Improvement: The tree helps improve soil fertility.

A Sustainable Resource:

While the wood is used for construction and fuel, the tree's primary value lies in its non-timber products. Its sustainable use and cultivation can significantly improve the livelihoods of rural communities.

Where Does the African Locust Bean Tree Grow:

The African locust bean tree, known as Parkia biglobosa, is found in many countries in tropical Africa. Here are some of the main countries where this tree grows:

 

West Africa:  

- Senegal 

- Gambia 

- Guinea-Bissau 

- Guinea 

- Sierra Leone 

- Mali 

- Côte d'Ivoire 

- Burkina Faso 

- Ghana 

- Togo 

- Benin 

- Niger 

- Nigeria 

 

Central Africa:  

- Cameroon 

- Central African Republic 

- Democratic Republic of the Congo 

 

East Africa:

- Sudan 

- Uganda  

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South Africa’s Coal-Fired Electricity and Digital Transition in 2025

Medupi Power Station

Medupi Power Station is a large coal-fired power plant located in Limpopo province, South Africa. With a total capacity of 4,584 MW, it is one of the largest dry-cooled coal-fired power plants in the world.

South Africa’s electricity generation remains heavily reliant on coal, which accounts for over 80% of the country’s electricity supply in 2025. The country is also one of the world’s largest coal producers, and the coal industry continues to play a major role in the national economy.

Coal production in South Africa

The Role of Coal Power Today

South Africa's coal-fired power plants remain the backbone of the country’s electricity supply and economy. However, their environmental impact and contribution to climate change are under intense debate as the nation works toward a cleaner energy future.

Coal Mining

Coal production is dominated by major companies such as Anglo American, Sasol, and Exxaro Resources. Most coal is mined from large open-pit operations located in Mpumalanga province.

Aging Infrastructure

Many of South Africa’s coal-fired plants are decades old, with some dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. This raises concerns about efficiency, safety, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. The state-owned utility Eskom operates most of these plants and generates the majority of the country’s electricity.

Major Eskom Coal-Fired Power Stations

1. Medupi Power Station
2. Kusile Power Station
3. Kendal Power Station
4. Lethabo Power Station
5. Majuba Power Station
6. Matla Power Station
7. Tutuka Power Station
8. Grootvlei Power Station
9. Duvha Power Station
10. Camden Power Station

Eskom’s coal-fired fleet has a combined installed capacity of approximately 37,000–39,000 MW and continues to generate over 80% of South Africa’s electricity in 2025.

Environmental & Health Impacts

Burning coal releases harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, which contribute to respiratory problems, heart disease, and other health issues.

Coal is one of the most carbon-intensive fossil fuels. Its combustion releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, significantly contributing to global climate change, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and ecosystem damage.

Even as emission-reduction technologies (such as flue-gas desulfurisation) are gradually introduced at stations like Medupi and Kusile, coal-fired plants remain a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Bridging Coal to the Digital Era

While coal powers South Africa’s electricity grid, it also underpins the nation’s growing digital economy. Reliable energy from plants like Medupi supports data centers, telecommunications, and digital platforms that drive innovation, from fintech startups in Johannesburg to e-commerce across the continent. However, the digital divide in South Africa—and across Africa—remains a challenge. Over 80% of South Africans own mobile phones, yet only about 45% have internet-enabled devices, with rural areas, women, and low-income groups facing the greatest barriers. High data costs (up to 12% of monthly income in some regions) and smartphone prices (often exceeding 120% of earnings for the poorest) limit access to digital opportunities.

The coal industry itself is digitizing, with companies like Exxaro adopting AI for mine optimization and Eskom exploring smart grids to improve reliability. These advancements could stabilize power for digital infrastructure but must be balanced with environmental accountability. Initiatives like Kenya’s public Wi-Fi hotspots offer a model for South Africa to expand connectivity, ensuring that the energy from coal plants powers not just homes but also equitable access to the digital world.

The Transition to Renewables

To reduce reliance on coal, South Africa has committed to adding at least 17.8 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, with updated plans targeting up to 29.5 GW of new wind, solar, and storage projects. In 2025, renewable sources already contribute around 18% of electricity generation—a share that continues to grow steadily. This transition supports both environmental goals and the digital economy by powering sustainable tech hubs and reducing outages that disrupt connectivity.

Domada is the national dish of The Gambia, the smallest country on Africa's mainland. This stew is deliciously flavored African lamb stew made with a blend of lamb, vegetable, creamy peanut butter, and spices.

Domada is the national dish of The Gambia

When you think of livestock production in The Gambia, think traditional. Small-scale Gambia farmers keep lamb and sheep for household food, selling and trading. There are an estimated 145,000 sheep in the country; sheep's first year of life is called a lamb while mutton is a mature sheep. Lambs intended for meat are generally sent for slaughter at five to eight months old.

African food recipes are easy to make at home.

Gambia African lamb stew made with a blend of lamb, vegetable, creamy peanut butter, and spices.

Ingredients

1 ½ pound lamb cut into cubes

2 large onions, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 small eggplant, peeled and diced

2 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3 medium carrots, diced

2 medium white potatoes cut into cubes

1 medium sweet potato cut into cubes

1 hot pepper, chopped

Salt to taste

4 cups water

 

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large pot simmer until lamb is tender for about an hour. Serve with rice.

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The Panama Papers detail tax avoidance using very poor African countries by very wealthy International companies and individuals. These unethical business practices undermine Africa’s progress trapping millions of Africans in poverty. The Panama Papers have lifted the veil on a secret world in which tax havens are used to shift billions out of the world’s poorest countries in Africa.

What are the Panama Papers? Stealing is stealing and the Panama Papers details how shell companies steal from billions from Africa's poor to give to the rich. The Panama Papers 11.5 million leaked documents detail tax avoidance using very poor African countries by very wealthy International companies and individuals.

Reverse Robin Hood Syndrome

The Panama Papers are 11.5 million leaked documents that detail financial and attorney-client information for the Mossack Fonseca law firm. 

Fifty-two out of fifty-four African countries are mentioned in the Panama Papers prompting investigations and hearings for shareholders and directors of 214,000 shell companies for tax evasion, and other illicit practices. 

Although many of these companies do legitimate business, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) identified 37 companies within the Panama Papers that have been named in court actions or government investigations involving natural resources in Africa.

One of Africa’s poorest countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from 1999 to 2002, during Joseph Kabila Kabange presidency a United Nations investigation found he "transferred ownership of at least $5 billion of assets from the state mining sector to private companies under its control... with no compensation or benefit for the State Treasury,". As recently as 2014 the UN found that gold continued to provide important funding for both the army and armed rebel groups.

Stealing from Africa's poor to give to the rich

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki, head of the African Union's panel on illicit financial flows, on April 9, 2016, called the Panama Papers "most welcome" and called on African nations to investigate the citizens of their nations who appear in the papers.

Mbeki the investigative panel reported Africa loses $50 billion a year due to tax evasion and other illicit practices and its 50-year losses top a trillion dollars. Furthermore, he said, Seychelles, an African nation, is the fourth most mentioned the Panama Papers as a friendly tax haven.

According to The Namibian newspaper, a shell company registered to Beny Steinmetz, Octea, owes more than $700,000 US in property taxes to the city of Koidu in Sierra Leone, and has $150 million in profits, even though its exports were more than twice that in an average month 2012-2015. Steinmetz himself has a personal worth of $6 billion.

The leaked documents indicate that about US $2 trillion has passed through Mossack Fonseca firm's hands. Several of the holding companies that appear in the documents did business with sanctioned entities, such as arms merchants and relatives of dictators, while the sanctions were in place. 

The firm provided services to a Seychelles company named Pangates International, which the US government believes supplied aviation fuel to the Syrian government during the current civil war, and continued to handle its paperwork and certify it as a company in good standing, despite sanctions, until August 2015.

Central African Republic girls have one of Africa's lowest secondary school enrollment rates

John Doe, the whistleblower who leaked the documents to German journalist Bastian Obermayer from the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, remains anonymous to date.

As the Huffington post writer, Caroline Kende Robb stated “It is time for multinational companies to pay fair taxes to African governments; for African governments to be involved in discussions to reform the global tax system; and for the gap between what is legal and what is fair to be narrowed.”

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Kenya's Dr. Wangari Maathai was the first African women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Maathai was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize in the field of humanitarian work founding The Green Belt Movement.

The Green Belt Movement or GBM was founded by Professor Wangari Maathai in 1977. The GBM was created to respond to the needs of rural Kenyan women who reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure, and they had to walk further and further to get firewood for fuel and fencing. GBM encouraged the women to work together to grow seedlings and plant trees to bind the soil, store rainwater, provide food and firewood, and receive a small monetary token for their work.

Professor Maathai saw that behind the everyday hardships of the poor, environmental degradation, deforestation, and food insecurity were deeper issues of disempowerment, disenfranchisement, and a loss of the traditional values that had previously enabled communities to protect their environment, work together for mutual benefit, and to do both selflessly and honestly.

The GBM instituted seminars in civic and environmental education to encourage individuals to study why they lacked the organization to change their political, economic, and environmental circumstances. Members began to understand that for years they had been placing their trust in leaders who had betrayed them and that they were sabotaging their lives by not working for the common good and failing to use their natural resources wisely.

 

The Green Belt Movement began to advocate for greater democratic space and more accountability from national leaders. It fought against land grabbing and the encroachment of agriculture into the forests. It contested the placement of a tower block in Uhuru Park in downtown Nairobi and joined others to call for the release of political prisoners.

In recent years, it has extended its reach internationally to campaign and advocate on climate change and the importance of Africa’s rainforests in the Congo. Maathai was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem, the world’s second lung after the Amazon Rainforest.

The work of Professor Maathai and the Green Belt Movement continues to stand as a testament to the power of grassroots organizing, proof that one person’s simple idea—that a community should come together to plant trees, can make a difference.

Her legacy truly lives on through the Movement which to date remains in the frontline of advocating for environmental conservation in Kenya and making great progress on reclaiming and restoring forestland. The Green Belt Movement works with rural communities to help them address their needs for essential basic services such as water, fertile soil, and a healthy ecosystem through planting trees on critical watersheds.

Dr. Wangari Maathai  

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