Yesterday, a video of Waje expressing displeasure with the progress of her music career was splattered across the internet with everyone expressing their two cents, some of which, as usual, was distasteful. Most are aware that the music industry is one of the most difficult industries to permeate and manoeuvre. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule that guarantees a successful musical career and despite the challenges she faces, our Woman Crush Wednesday, Waje, has become a mainstay within the Nigerian music industry with her powerful voice and delivery. To celebrate the woman with a golden voice, we are listing 5 of our favourite…
Author: Pride Team
My Darling Daughter, Life sometimes can feel like a game of poker. Every day, we contend with situations and circumstances we believe we can control, but in reality, we can’t. In the game of life – similar to the game of poker – we are dealt a set of cards… how will you respond to the hand you’ve been dealt? When, by whom and where you are born presents you with an unexpected advantage, limitation or variables with which to face your life ahead. However, sometimes you may get a good hand and depending on how you call it, you’ll…
Ian Scoones, University of Sussex We often hear that irrigation in Africa is too limited, and that the key to a “green revolution” on the continent is to expand to levels seen in Asia. But what if there is much more small-scale, informal irrigation in Africa than we thought? Could this be the basis for irrigating Africa? In our recently published paper, we looked at initiatives taken by small-scale African producers in expanding irrigation. We found that farmer-led irrigation comes in many different shapes and forms. Informality, flexibility and adaptability are the watchwords. Most significantly, such irrigation initiatives are led…
Robert Morrell, University of Cape Town Globalisation and new technology have changed the ways that knowledge is made, disseminated and consumed. At the push of a button, one can find articles or sources from all over the world. Yet the global knowledge economy is still marked by its history. The former colonial nations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – the rich countries of Europe and North America which are collectively called the global North (normally considered to include the West and the first world, the North contains a quarter of the world’s population but controls 80% of income earned)…
Dear Dorothy, I’m in a relationship with a successful man who is also very handsome and because of this, he earned his name, Ladies Man. We’ve been dating for three years but it hasn’t been easy due to his flirtatious ways. Our relationship has survived this long because of my love for him. But, honestly Dorothy, I don’t sleep very well at night; I have lost a lot of weight. In fact, I have become a shadow of my former self and people close to me are beginning to notice. Dorothy, what do you advise me to do? I don’t…
Bruce M Biccard, University of Cape Town The in-hospital maternal mortality rate following a Caesarean delivery in Africa may be 50 times higher than in high-income countries. These were the findings of the African Surgical Outcomes Study that followed more than 3500 mothers from 22 African countries during a week of surgery in 2016. The study found that maternal mortality rate was 5.43 per 1 000 operations, compared to 0.1 per 1000 operations in the UK. And one in six women developed complications following Caesarean delivery, which is nearly three times the rate in the US. Bleeding in the period…
Ruth Bridgstock, Queensland University of Technology The old jokes about creative arts and humanities graduates serving at the local fast food outlet are hard to put to rest – they speak to long-held concerns around the value of creative degrees, and to worries that students of creative arts programs aren’t employable when they graduate. But soon-to-be released national graduate tracking research findings conducted by my research team at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation show that, while Australian creative arts graduates can take a while to settle in to their careers, their outcomes are…
Brigitte Maass, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen For thousands of years South Americans have farmed guinea pigs – but this hasn’t taken root in most other parts of the world, including Africa. We spoke to Brigitte Maass about the opportunities that they offer as livestock and what challenges there are in producing them. What are guinea pigs? Guinea pigs are native to South America. In Peru they call them “cuyes”, but the animal has many different names all over the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), farmers call them “dende”, and we think this comes from the French name “Cochon…
Reading 1 Sir 5:1-8 Rely not on your wealth; say not: “I have the power.” Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart. Say not: “Who can prevail against me?” or, “Who will subdue me for my deeds?” for God will surely exact the punishment. Say not: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?” for the Most High bides his time. Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. Say not: “Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.” For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath.…
Holy Humour Oh, they prayed! At the pearly gates, a taxi driver and minister are waiting in line. St. Peter consults his list and says to the taxi driver, “Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” St. Peter next greets the minister saying, “Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” “Just a minute,” says the minister. “That man was a taxi driver, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff while I get a cotton robe and wooden staff. How can this be?” “Up here, we work by…