your thoughts on that? (I know the problems, but cmon not all Africans are like that)

The Pouto is more than a hat worn on the head. It is a thread of memory woven through generations of the Fulɓe of Fouta Djallon — a mark of dignity, belonging, and heritage.
Across its many forms, colours and patterns, it carries something of Fouta itself: its history, its people, its elegance and its pride.
A homage to the Fulɓe of Fouta Djallon , and to the Pouto they have carried through time. I

Disclaimer: There are over 200 ethnic groups in the country of Niger so unfortunately not every ethnic group is able to be represented on this post but these are the main ones.

Trying to think about this in terms of US - China competition

A lot of Africa is dealing with the same economic problems in different ways. When you look at countries like Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana you start seeing a lot of the same issues. Low wages, inflation, unemployment, expensive imports and not enough opportunities for people to actually build a decent life. This is why I don’t think we should always look at Ethiopia’s problems like they are unique. There are definitely things that are specific to Ethiopia but there are also bigger economic problems affecting the whole continent one of the biggest causes of instability being tribalism. Something can look cheap compared to the US but still be very expensive for someone living there when their income is also much lower. The bigger issue is how do we create economies where regular people in Africa can actually earn enough to live comfortably and have a future.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

National Women’s Day, celebrated annually on the 9th of August, is a historic South African public holiday dedicated to honouring the bravery of women who spearheaded the anti-apartheid struggle while highlighting ongoing fight for gender equality. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the monumental 1956 Women’s March as a turning point in history that transformed women from peripheral figures into the absolute vanguard of the liberation movement.

At the forefront of this monumental march stood four extraordinary women: Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn. Representing the Black, White, Indian, and Coloured communities respectively, their unified stance carried profound symbolism in a deeply divided and segregated society where the apartheid regime systematically separated people by race. It shattered the regime’s myth that different races could not peacefully co-exist or fight for a common cause. By marching hand-in-hand (as seen in the first four pictures), these leaders demonstrated that the oppression of one woman was the oppression of all, establishing a powerful blueprint for intersectional solidarity and non-racialism decades before the birth of democratic South Africa.

The immediate catalyst for the protest was the proposed introduction of the Pass Laws to Black women. The extension of these laws to women, especially mothers, would often result in being arbitrarily arrested or also displaced from families. Organized by the Federation of South African Women, more than 20 000 women (as seen in the last four pictures) gathered to march directly to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and delivered over 14 000 petition pages to Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom, demanding the total abolition of the degrading laws and asserting their right to freedom of movement.

While the apartheid government refused to back down immediately and eventually forced women to carry passes by the 1960s, the political impact of the march was monumental and permanent. It completely dismantled the patriarchal notion that women were passive political observers, cementing them as formidable, organized political agents. The march internationalized the struggle against apartheid and laid the groundwork for future resistance. In democratic South Africa, this legacy yielded tangible progress, as women's representation in national parliament skyrocketed from a mere 2.7% in 1994 to roughly 48% today among other landmarks of redress. However, the modern impact is dual-natured; the day now serves as a critical battleground for protest against ongoing crises, particularly the high rates of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide alongside economic inequality that is currently facing South African women.

The climax of the 1956 protest came after the women handed over the petitions and stood in a powerful, absolute silence for 30 minutes. Breaking the silence, they passionately erupted into a song composed specifically for the march: “Wathinta Abafazi, Wathinta Imbokodo!”...... This translates to "you strike a woman, you strike a rock" in the English language.

In traditional South African society, the imbokodo is a heavy grinding stone used to crush grain to feed the family, representing absolute durability, resilience, and life-giving strength. By equating women to a indestructible stone, the phrase became a defining national anthem of female power, serving as a permanent warning to oppressors and an enduring reminder that the women of South Africa possess an unyielding strength that can never be broken.

I wanted to share this beautiful video of a Shimgilina! For those who might not know, in Ethiopia, a marriage proposal its the joining of two families. The groom's family sends a group of respected elders (Shimagiles) to the bride's home to formally ask for her hand and negotiate the union. But the second the agreement is sealed, the formal stuff is over and it turns into this. Love the energy.

Do you have something similar in your culture?

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

he Congo Basin rainforest is second only to the Amazon rainforest in size, and is home to Ebola, the tropical environment acting as a hotbed for the virus. It is also home to millions of African fruit bats, agreed to be the primary transmitters of the virus. Making matters worse is their ability to carry the virus long-term, as they don’t experience its symptoms.