News Brief
Rufaro Samanga
May. 06, 2019 10:55AM EST
Via Flickr Creative Commons

South African Black Twitter is Freaking Out Over the Upcoming Elections

#IWantToVoteBut is highlighting the concerns South Africans have with regards to casting their votes in the upcoming elections.

In just two days, on the 8th May, South Africans will be heading to the polls to cast their vote in what has been described as one of the most fiercely contested elections the country has faced in years. However, with very little time left to decide on just who exactly they'll be voting for, South African Black Twitter is not only undecided but also distressed about the upcoming elections.

While South Africans living abroad cast their votes almost a week ago, those living within the country are left with a little under two days to do the same. However, uncertain, fearful and even defeatist sentiments are all evident online as Black South Africans are revealing their personal challenges to voting.

READ: South Africa is Tackling Fake News Head-on Ahead of May Elections

Some South Africans have highlighted how voting has not tangibly changed the lives of their families—many of whom have been voting for years. Despite their believing that their vote would change their plight, the opposite has been true.

Others have highlighted how none of the three major political parties have addressed the alarmingly high rates of unemployment particularly among the youth.


The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been plagued by rampant corruption since former President Jacob Zuma's tenure and many have lost faith in the political party.

Although the popularity of the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has increased of late, there are a number of South Africans that doubt whether their unorthodox and hypocritical ways will translate into an effective government.

On the other hand, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is still being heavily critiqued for its lackluster attempts to address racial inequality.

READ: South African Youth on 2019 Elections: "The ANC can no longer self-correct"

Here are some more #IWantToVoteBut tweets below:





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Photo courtesy of Doble Seis Entertainment

Burna Boy, Teni, AKA, Sho Madjozi, Mr Eazi & More Earn 2019 BET Award Nominations

This year's "Best International Act" categories are stacked with some of the biggest names in African pop.

The nominees for this year's BET Awards have been announced, and one again, some of the biggest names in African pop have been named in the " International Act" categories.

This year, Nigerian acts Burna Boy, Mr Eazi have been nominated in the "Best International Act" category. They've each had standout years, with both artists performing at the Coachella Music Festival this year.

They're nominated alongside South African star rapper AKA, who won a Kids' Choice Award earlier this year for "Favorite South African Star," and the French-Malian pop singer and one of OkayAfrica's 100 Women Aya Nakamura. French-Cameroonian and Togolese rapper Dosseh and UK rappers Dave, and Giggs round out the heavily-stacked category.

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Film
Photo still courtesy of Chika Okoli.

This New Documentary Sheds Light On the History of a Beloved Nigerian Staple—Agege Bread

'Fresh Agege Bread' by Chika Okoli's FABA gives us a much-needed insight into the popularity of Nigeria's coveted Agege Bread.

This new documentary following Nigeria's own Agege Bread contributes to the need of preserving and documenting food culture on the continent.

In Fresh Agege Bread, directed and produced by filmmaker Chika Okoli of FABA (For Africans By Africans), we follow food researcher Ozoz Sokoh as she traces the history and popularity of Agege Bread featuring its pioneering bakers, community figureheads and locals. The documentary touches on the rise of the booming product as well as addresses some of the controversies around the health and safety measures applied in the production of this staple.

For Okoli, the inability to find such insights about this significant food in Nigerian culture is what inspired her to develop this documentary.

"Agege Bread is so popular in Lagos but shockingly, there is very little information about it online and the same can be said about other cultural elements that are significant to our way of life," she shares with us.

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News
amA picture taken on May 17, 2019 in Berlin shows a Stone Cross, a key 15th-century navigation landmark erected by Portuguese explorers, seen at the History Museum in Berlin. (Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Germany to Return Stolen 15th Century Stone Cross to Namibia

Germany's Culture Minister says the move is a "clear sign" that the country is committed to coming to terms with its colonial past.

In the latest development in the movement towards African art repatriation, the German government will return a 15th-century Portuguese stone cross that has been in its possession since the colonial era, back to its original home in Namibia.

The cross was a navigation landmark placed on the coastline of present-day Namibia in 1496, before it was taken in the late 17th century under German colonial rule, BBC Africa reports.

The Namibian government put out a request for its return back in 2017, and the request was formally approved today by the Berlin Museum. The cross is set to be returned in August, according to a statement from the museum.

READ: Taking Back Our History: Understanding African Art Repatriation

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