Spotlight on Africa

African contemporary art are attracting increasing interest thanks to a packed season stretching from Europe to Africa. Artists and curators from across the continent and the diaspora reflect on the impact of cultural exchanges beyond their borders – from London to Paris, Luanda to Dakar. October and November are set to host a series of events celebrating African art across the c

This week's podcast focuses on textile waste from fast fashion. As cheap clothes from China, Asia and Europe increasingly end up in West Africa, pollution is rising – particularly in Ghana. RFI spoke to Greenpeace Africa investigators to understand the scale of the issue and how to combat it. Ghana is being swamped by millions of unwanted clothes from the West, creating an enviro

Following a month filled with key summits and continued trade negotiations across Africa, this week's edition of Spotlight on Africa examines the growing rivalry between China and Western nations as they vie for business opportunities on the continent. This week, our focus shifts to the dynamics of Chinese-African-Western relations.In September, as the United States pursued investm

With a prolonged drought affecting the supply of hydroelectricity all over southern Africa, a growing number of people are turning to solar to fill the energy gap. Spotlight on Africa focuses this week on progress made in Zambia. While floods are devastating West Africa, about 68 million people in southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought which has wip

Some 24 million Algerians vote on 7 September to elect their next president, with incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune the clear favourite of only three candidates. If Algeria has enjoyed economic and social stability in his five years of mandate, human rights organisations warn of a decrease of freedom and rights. This week, we focus on the presidential election in Algeria, scheduled fo

Decolonising Beauty is a campaign designed by the producton company Zikora Media to educate the public and celebrate the rich tapestry of indigenous and local beauty customs across Africa. This week we speak with its founder, Chika Oduah. In a world increasingly dominated by Western beauty standards promoted through pop culture and the global beauty industry, the Decolonising Beaut

RFI's Spotlight on Africa met with artist Gavin Jantjes to chat about his To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970-2023. The exhibition traces his journey as "a creative agent of change" from South Africa to Europe, celebrating his multifaceted roles as painter, printmaker, writer, curator and activist. In this episode we hear from the artist and from Hoor Al-Qasimi, director of the Sharja

The Paris Olympics are officially open, and athletes from Africa are competing in a broad range of disciplines. In this episode of the podcast, we look at what to expect from the African teams. In total, more than 200 delegations and 10,000 athletes are participating in 36 sports at the Paris Games. RFI's sport editor Paul Myers discusses how African athletes from all over the cont

2024 is a big election year for the world and especially for Africa, and in July all eyes are on Rwanda. Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.Kagame, who has effectively led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, confronts challenges from two other candidates:

Displacement takes many forms, from refugees forced into exile to returnees who find themselves strangers what was once home. In this episode, we speak to aid workers about the very different experiences of refugees in Sudan and Mauritania, and hear from an artist who draws on his own migrations between France, Algeria and beyond for inspiration. According to the UN's refugee agenc