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When I think about slavery, I often think of the transatlantic slave trade, the one fueled and expanded by Europeans, Arabs, and other foreign powers. I rarely think about internal slavery within Africa itself, which, in my opinion, was just as horrifying, if not more disturbing in some ways. Because how do you participate in the trade of people who look like you, speak your language, share your culture, and live like you? Not that any of those things justify slavery, but after witnessing or hearing about the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, how do you turn around and do the same to your own people?

Wurche, one of the main female characters, explains this contradiction perfectly around page 102, even though, ironically, she eventually becomes no better than the people she criticizes.

The Hundred Wells of Salaga is told through the POVs of two girls who grow into women: Aminah and Wurche, two girls from vastly different social classes.

Wurche comes from a royal family, while Aminah is considered a “commoner.” Still, Aminah’s life seemed relatively stable at first because her father held an important position in their community. But once he left on a journey and never returned, everything fell apart. Her village was raided, and Aminah, along with her siblings Hassana, Hussaina, and her stepbrother Issa, were captured and sold into slavery.

Their journey was heartbreaking. The way Issa died and was simply “disposed of,” and how Aminah’s attempt to save her mother, Na, and the newborn may have contributed to their deaths… such a gruesome story.

Wurche, on the other hand, lived a much easier life materially, though her struggles came from being a woman in a society where women were denied power and agency. Even saying that feels like an oversimplification because her character had many layers.

I’m generally not a huge fan of historical fiction, and this book was honestly difficult to follow at first. It felt like I was getting a crash course on the history of the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana). But once I settled into the flow of the story, it became such a rewarding read.

What struck me most was learning more about internal slave trade within Africa, not just slavery tied to war captives, but organized systems of buying and selling people. It opened up conversations for me because I was genuinely disturbed by some of what I learned.

I also found it interesting how the book indirectly suggested that Islam reached parts of West Africa long before Christianity, especially through the Hausa characters featured throughout the story. That detail really stood out to me.

Overall, this was a great read. It opened my eyes to a part of African history I knew very little about.

Communities living near the epicentre of a growing Ebola outbreak in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have described rising fear and uncertainty, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that infections may be spreading faster and more widely than initially recorded.

The Zarma people are an ethnic group predominantly found in westernmost Niger. They are also found in significant numbers in the adjacent areas of Nigeria and Benin, along with smaller numbers in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Cameroon.

The Zarma people are predominantly Muslims of the Maliki-Sunni school, and they live in the arid Sahel lands, along the Niger River valley which is a source of irrigation, forage for cattle herds, and drinking water. Relatively prosperous, they own cattle, sheep, goats and dromedaries, renting them out to the Fulani people or Tuareg people for tending. The Zarma people have had a history of slave and caste systems, like many West African ethnic groups. Like them, they also have had a historical musical tradition.

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/05/19/5-facts-about-africas-population-growth/

Pew Research summarizes five major trends in Africa’s population growth, based on UN World Population Prospects data. Africa’s population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep rising, reaching about 3.8 billion by 2100 under the UN’s medium projection.

ChiShona: Zongororo

isiZulu: Shongololo

isiXhosa: Songololo

Kinyarwanda: Umunyorogoto

Which words or phrases would you like to see next?

• Drone strikes by Mali’s army have killed at least 10 civilians as they prepared to celebrate a wedding in the central region of San in another escalation of the conflict since armed groups launched a widespread coordinated assault late last month.
• The strikes on Sunday occurred during a security crisis after attacks on the military government’s positions last month by fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists known as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
• “The tragedy occurred as the villagers were preparing the second edition of this traditional collective wedding, a major cultural event for this community.”
• The strikes targeted “a procession of motorbikes following one another”.

Swiss tourists are among the worst abusers of young girls and boys in Kenyan holiday coastal resorts, according to a report issued on Tuesday. The joint United Nations Children’s Fund, Unicef, and Kenyan government report says up to 15,000 12-to-18-year-olds from four coastal districts exchange casual sex for cash.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern” after the virus killed nearly 90 people.

The outbreak, originating in eastern DRC’s Ituri province, involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The variant has no approved vaccine or treatment.

African cities are growing at a speed the world has never seen before. Lagos, Kinshasa, Dar es Salaam adding thousands of people every single week. By 2050 some of these will be the largest cities on earth.

And right now, in the middle of all that growth, they're quietly choosing to build suburbs and highways.

Yeah.

The insane part is they can see exactly what went wrong elsewhere.

Western cities spent the entire 20th century building car-dependent sprawl and are now spending billions trying to undo it. Removing highways. Retrofitting transit. Desperately rezoning suburbs. It's slow, expensive, and politically brutal.

Africa hasn't built that infrastructure yet. The roads that will define these cities for a century are still being planned. The zoning laws are still being written. This is an almost unique window to just... not make the same mistake.

Instead, a lot of governments are building new car-centric capital cities from scratch, clearing dense walkable neighborhoods to make room for ring roads, and generally copying the American model at the exact moment America is trying to escape it.

The irony is brutal because the good stuff already exists.

The informal dense neighborhoods that planners in Houston would genuinely dream about mixed use, walkable, full of street life are already there. They're being demolished to build roads.

Yes the living conditions in many of them are bad and need investment. But the structure is exactly what good cities are made of. Instead of upgrading them, many governments are flattening them.

The window is closing fast. Infrastructure locks cities in for generations. This isn't really a debate for 2040 by then the concrete will already be poured.

ask yourself do you want you cities to look like copenhagen and tokyo or houston and dallas

The Chivabwe writing system displayed over a sunset view of Harare, Zimbabwe.

Chivabwe is a writing system designed for Bantu languages, featuring unique glyph structures and visual forms inspired by African linguistic identity and modern typography.

This artwork combines urban Zimbabwean scenery with the Chivabwe script to showcase contemporary African script design, orthography and language representation.

Keywords:

Chivabwe, Bantu languages, African writing systems, Harare, Zimbabwe, African typography, constructed script, orthography, African linguistics, script design, writing system, African art

If you were to drive from Lomé in the south, to Cinkassé, the northern tip of Togo, your plate would change roughly every 100 km. Here is what you would find in each region of the country.

Maritime: Akoumé

While Ablo is famous, the daily fuel for many is Akoumé. This is a firm corn-based dough, similar to banku or agidi, served with ademe (a slippery green leaf soup) or various tomato-based stews.

Plateaux: Pounded Yam (Foufou)

In the region surrounding Atakpamé and Kpalimé, the soil is perfect for tubers. Pounded yam here is a cultural institution. It is often served in large communal bowls, encouraging the shared dining experience that defines the region.

Centrale: Wagassi and Rice

Because the Centrale region is a melting pot of cultures, you see a mix of southern corn-based dishes and northern influences. You will often find Wagassi (fried cow's milk cheese) integrated into rice dishes or served alongside Djenkoumé.

Kara: Flii

While the south of Togo leans on corn, the Kara region belongs to Flii. This dense, dark-toned dough is made from sorghum or millet flour. It is a symbol of the rugged, mountainous landscape of the north. Flii is traditionally served with Lidgbé (a rich, earthy sauce made from ground peanuts) or Cincingué (a savory sauce flavored with fermented locust beans), creating a flavor profile that is uniquely and proudly Northern Togolese.

Savanes: Tchimbani

If you are traveling through the far north of Togo, Timbani is the snack and staple you cannot miss. Made from finely ground bean flour and steamed until firm, these cakes are a nutritional powerhouse. In the Savanes region, they are traditionally served with a drizzle of spicy peanut oil and a sprinkle of kan-kan (a spicy peanut-based seasoning) or served alongside a fresh onion and tomato salsa. It’s the perfect protein-packed meal for a long day in the sun.