The Conversation - Sisi Afrika Magazine

he Conversation Africa is an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public.

Our team of professional editors work with university and research institute experts to unlock their knowledge for use by the wider public.

Access to independent, high quality, authenticated, explanatory journalism underpins a functioning democracy. Our aim is to promote better understanding of current affairs and complex issues. And hopefully allow for a better quality of public discourse and conversation.

Diseases & Conditions

#WorldAIDSDay:Ending HIV as a Public Health Threat – 3 Essential Reads

In 2014 the United Nations set an ambitious goal: to end the AIDS pandemic by the year 2030. But we’re far from out of the woods.

Diseases & Conditions

#WorldAIDSDay: HIV Prevention: New Injections Could Boost the Fight, But Some Hurdles Remain

Despite these challenges, injectable PrEP is a huge advantage for the HIV prevention toolbox. Choice is critical for most interventions to work, and HIV prevention is no different. PrEP use increases when people are given effective options and can choose what works best for them.

Science & Health

A New Way to Name Bacteria: 300-Year-Old System Revised Thanks to Advances in Genomic Sequencing

A formal and stable naming system for all bacteria will help science to unlock the hidden potential of the planet’s biodiversity and to understand their role in the functioning of ecosystems. It will also help scientists to communicate their findings to each other – a big step towards perhaps identifying the next generation of antibiotics or cancer treatment.

Climate Change & Global Warming

Nigeria Floods and Worsening Food Insecurity

Despite the impact of flooding on food security, it is not recognised as a threat by policymakers, as evidenced by the national agricultural plans which don’t even acknowledge the role of disasters on food security.

Science & Health

Kenya Has Lifted its Ban on Genetically Modified Crops: the Risks and Opportunities

Kenya recently lifted a ban on the cultivation and importation of genetically modified crops amid the worst drought in 40 years and soaring food prices. This includes white maize, the country’s main staple. The decision was welcomed by scientists who see GM crops as the answer for food security. But it is opposed by a spirited lobby who are concerned about potential risks to health and the environment.

Music & Film

Simi and Bella Shmurda: Two Afrobeats Stars Reveal a Growing Tendency to Abuse Fela Kuti

While it may be convenient and useful to be inspired by Fela in order to borrow his influence and spirit, these two recent applications suggest a sort of desperation – even an outright opportunism on the part of today’s artists.

Art & Culture

Trevor Noah is Leaving The Daily Show – How Did He Fare?

The American late-night comedy scene is very male, white, and American. As a native South African, Noah has brought clarity and fresh perspectives to emotionally charged political issues that are often missing from late-night comedy and American cable news.

Politics & Economy

Queen Elizabeth II: The End of the ‘New Elizabethan Age’

This is the image of the Queen that many will remember: an older woman, dressed pristinely, clutching her iconic, familiar handbag. While she was head of state throughout many of the seismic political, social and cultural changes of the 20th and 21st centuries, the fact that she rarely gave a political opinion means she successfully navigated the monarch’s constitutional political neutrality.

Fiction & Poetry

Hadraawi: the Most Famed Poet in Somalia, the Land of the Poets

Somalis have been blessed with poets of all sorts and, in the popular imagination, it is often said that every 50 years Somali society produces a tremendous poetic talent. Somalis are “a nation of poets”.

Music & Film

How Burna Boy Set the World Alight With His Mixed Brew of Influences

Burna Boy’s Kuti credentials appear impeccable. His maternal grandfather, the broadcaster and jazz enthusiast Benson Idonije, had managed Kuti in the 1960s. In one interview, his mother and manager, business woman Bose Ogulu, reportedly refers to Kuti as the closest thing she had to a godfather.