AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | It is a conflict at once cultural, generational and political: rap music in DR Congo is staging a frontal assault on rumba, accusing its ageing stars of only singing of love and other banalities. DRC’s growing army of rappers say their urban lyrics reflect …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia on Thursday appointed a woman to the largely ceremonial position of president for the first time, further increasing female representation in the government of Africa’s second most populous nation. In a unanimous vote, Ethiopian lawmakers picked career diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde, 68, to replace …

Arusha, Tanzania | AFP | Burundi’s government said on Wednesday it would miss a last round of crisis talks in Tanzania that aimed to set up elections for 2020. “Since October is a month of mourning in Burundi, the government has suggested that talks scheduled for October 24 be delayed,” …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Tech entrepreneurs in Somalia are holding a first ever summit in battle-scarred Mogadishu, attracting hundreds to talk about business and innovation in a city more used to conflict and suffering. The three-day event that began Tuesday was conceived by a group of young Somalis to …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition will be allowed to hold a Kinshasa rally on Friday to protest against voting machines they fear will permit fraud in December’s key election, an opposition official said. Political tensions are rising in the DRC before the long-delayed …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A bucket containing a soupy green mixture sits under a table in Nduna Ewrong-Nxumalo’s consultation room in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub. The traditional healer, or sangoma, has trusted and prescribed the pungent mixture — cannabis tea — to his patients for years. …

  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian lawmakers on Thursday will meet to appoint a new president, a largely ceremonial post in the Horn of Africa nation, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported. A session involving both houses of parliament is expected to hear and formally accept the resignation …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa called Tuesday for a transitional government to resolve the worsening economic and political crisis engulfing the country. A foreign currency shortage in recent weeks has sparked the worst economic crisis with supplies of fuel, food and pharmaceuticals drying up. …

Washington, United States | AFP | The top US diplomat for Africa on Tuesday voiced optimism over economic reforms by the new government in Zimbabwe, which remains under sanctions dating from Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign. Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said that Zimbabwe’s level of …

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | A voter census in Guinea-Bissau has been extended by a month, the government said Monday, likely delaying a crucial legislative vote planned for next month. The vote, seen as a key step towards ending a long-running political crisis in the poor West African country, had …