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African journalism. December 19 2020 ISSUE
NO. 33
The Continent
with
THE
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
EDITION
Illustrations: Nzilani Simu
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is in the detail
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ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Editorial Page 3
A flame still burns
M ore than half the available
coronavirus vaccines are headed
to the wealthiest countries in the world.“If
opportunities to fulfil their potential. And
we cannot accept that it is a far-off dream,
a possibility of some distant time and
all those doses are fulfilled, the European place. It is this moment and the people we
Union could inoculate its residents twice, are now that must propel us there. Indeed,
Britain and the United States four times it is the stories of people who have already
over and Canada six times over,” a New started this work that must fortify us.
York Times analysis found. When we began considering ideas
And for the rest of us? for this special year-end edition of The
Most of us in Africa can expect to Continent, we considered the weariness all
reach herd immunity as late as 2024. of us feel with the news – there just has not
Until then, the coronavirus will remain been enough of the good kind this year.
a fact of life on the continent. And, as the So we thought instead about all
Zimbabwean journalist Percy Zvomuya the people who have risen above the
neatly pointed out on Twitter, proof of pandemic to show us the potential of
having received the coronavirus vaccine human endeavor and the utter triumph
will likely become a condition of travelling of living full lives when a deadly pandemic
to north America and Europe. So, we are stalks your every move.
stuck not so much in space, but in time. This, then, is a collection of anecdotes,
The year may be ending, but its interviews and stories about the people
anxieties will persist. Somehow we have who have been extraordinary this year. It
to find a way to keep even our dimmest is by no means comprehensive, but rather
hopes alive. But it would be for naught if a small snapshot of what we need most:
we are to hope simply that we may soon fuel for our highest hopes. ■
go back to the way things were. – Khadija Patel
What is essential is that we use this
moment, this moment so heavy with the The ‘Africans of the Year’
realisation of the inequities of the world, edition was guest-edited
to ensure that we envisage something by Khadija Patel. Patel is
a former editor-in-chief
altogether different. We have to build a of the Mail & Guardian
better world, a better society and better and co-founder of the
instruments to ensure that a girl born in Daily Vox, and is vice
chairperson of the
Abidjan and a boy born in Austin have the International Press
exact same chance of success, the same Institute.
The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 4
Inside:
It’s the ‘Africans of the Year’
edition. The line-up is incredible.
We’re not going to give anything
away here – you’ll have to keep
reading to find out who makes the
A gift from cut! Begins on p10.
The Continent We are counting down the
best books, movies, songs and
The illustrations in this edition photographs of the year. How did
were created by the Nairobi-based your favourites rank? Begins on p8.
graphic designer, illustrator and Some of our regular contributors
data visualizer Nzilani Simu. We have opened up their notebooks to
thought they were so beautiful that share their reflections on the year
we wanted to share them with you we’ve just had, starting on p6.
– not just in this edition, but also
as exclusive posters available to
download and print at home.
The irresistible feel of
The Continent’s ‘Africans of the
Year’ posters are available to
fresh newsprint
download for free from bit.ly/ This week, with the
ContinentAOTY20 – and make African journalism
The Continent
December 18 2020 to January 7 2021
sure to check out the rest of her was printed for
portfolio while you are there! the first time
on real paper,
and distributed
alongside the Mail &
Illustrations: Nzilani Simu
Guardian. Get your
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY Africans of the Year
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The Continent is offering a stores across southern Africa.
three-month internship for Who said print was dead?
an aspiring layout designer, That’s not the only major new
starting in February 2021. The development. This issue of The
three-days-a-week position Continent is carrying commercial
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The Continent
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Year in Review Page 6
Reporter’s notebooks from
a year like no other
We asked some of The Continent’s regular
contributors to reflect on their 2020
What was the biggest news story According to Kiri Rupiah – the Mail
of the year? & Guardian’s Online editor and The
Covid-19 was all-consuming. But Continent’s head of distribution – the
the singular focus on the pandemic biggest newsmakers of the year were
sometimes obscured other, equally Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed,
important stories. who launched a war on one of his own
“The biggest news story in Cameroon provinces, and journalist Hopewell
in 2020 was arguably the Valentine’s Chin’ono, who was was repeatedly jailed
Day massacre of at least 21 women and by Zimbabwean authorities.
children in Ngarbuh village, in the restive “Abiy’s fall from grace was spectacular,
English-speaking part of the country,” akin to that of Aung San Suu Kyi,” said
said Amindeh Blaise Atabong, a Rupiah. “Whereas the Zimbabwean
Yaoundé-based freelance journalist. “The hospitality Chin’ono has experienced is
government initially denied its soldiers not the type you’d see on TripAdvisor.”
carried out the killings, but later conceded In Malawi, Golden Matonga, a
following national and international journalist with The Nation newspaper,
pressure.” had a front-row seat as his country’s
For Abdul Samba Brima, a health courts stood firm against an authoritarian
journalist living and working in Sierra president – and then reported on the
Leone, the Covid-19 pandemic headlines rerun election that saw the opposition
at home were almost drowned out by take power. “The five judges of the
the furore surrounding the current Constitutional Court delivered a
president’s continuing attempts to landmark ruling whose effects will be
charge and prosecute his predecessor’s felt not only in Malawi but across the
administration with corruption. “This continent and the world. They rejected
investigation will set an important bags of cash, braved intimidation from
precedent in the fight against corruption all corners and delivered a ruling that
even for serving government officials and saved democracy itself and put a check
others to come,” he said. on impunity.”
The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 7
Who is your African of the Year? with multiple crises and traumas – but we
“Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode, for have not reported enough on what this
Jerusalema, a song that transcended means for people’s mental health, argued
global culture, language, and religion to Tolu Olasoji, a journalist in Lagos. “The
provide comfort and unity during the pandemic, coupled with cases of police
worldwide pandemic lockdown,” said brutality, the #EndSARS protests, and the
New York-based writer Jakki Kerubo. regressive economic situation mean a lot
“Feyikemi Abudu,” said freelance of people are mentally stressed, but are
Nigerian journalist Aanu Adeoye. “She stuck in an unbothered country such as
was a reluctant leader in the #EndSARS Nigeria.”
movement and would probably recoil at Tanzanian journalist and Jamii Forums
the idea of being a leader. But she was. She Investigative Editor Simon Mkina is
organised and ensured protesters across concerned about the shrinking space for
Nigeria were taken care of in terms of human rights and freedom of expression
security, food and legal aid.” across the continent. “It seems many
“Matshidiso Moeti for leading the African countries are squeezing their
World Health Organisation in Africa, citizens so hard that we are struggling to
or Trevor Noah for keeping the world breathe,” he said.
informed and entertained throughout
the pandemic with The Daily Social What story are you watching in
Distancing Show,” said The Continent’s 2021?
production editor, Refiloe Seiboko. David Mono Danga, an investigative
“I would nominate Ugandan marathon journalist and founder of South Sudan’s
runner Joshua Cheptgei for smashing The Insider magazine, will be looking at
two world records during the pandemic,” whether the terms of South Sudan’s peace
said Kampala-based journalist Andrew deal will be properly implemented. “If this
Arinaitwe. happens early next year, the rest of 2021
will be a happy year for South Sudanese,”
What story deserved more he said. He’s also hopeful that the vaccine
attention? will be made available in Africa relatively
Luis Nhachote, an investigative journalist quickly, allowing daily life to go back to
and executive coordinator of the Centro normal.
de Jornalism Investigativo, is covering Cameroonian journalist Daniel
the growing insurgency in Mozambique. Ekonde has his eye on what could be
He said that the severity of the conflict is the most significant business story in
not reflected in the amount of coverage it generations. “I’m keen on seeing what
receives. “We are talking about more than the African Continental Free Trade Area
400,000 displaced people, villages burned, will bring for a continent of more than
innocents killed.” 1-billion people. It goes into effect this
This year, most people have had to deal January,” he said. ■
05
The Continent Page 8
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020
04
THE
COUNTDOWN
03
In a year when we have needed
entertainment and media more
than ever, this is our list of the
best tunes, reads, flicks and pics
in 2020.
02
MUSIC by Sabelo Mkhabela, a
Johannesburg-based music writer.
BOOKS by Efemia Chela, a Zambian-
Ghanaian writer.
MOVIES by Wilfred Okiche, a Lagos-
based film critic and culture writer.
PHOTOS by Paul Botes, the Mail &
Guardian’s photo editor and the
winner of the Contemporary African
Photography Prize in 2018.
05
The Continent Page 9
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020
PHOTO
Searching the airwaves: After being displaced from
his home by conflict, a man stands at the top of a hill to
pick up a radio signal and listen to the news near the
internally displaced persons camp of Bijombo, in South
Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo. (Photo: Alexis Huguet/AFP)
DOCUMENTARY MUSIC POETRY
Finding Sally Jeje by Diamond Sacrament of
A revealing look at one Platinumz Bodies by Romeo Origun
family’s search not just The king of bongo “Do I offend you with my
for a missing relative, flavour, Tanzania’s freedom?” Origun wields
but also for their place in Diamond Platinumz lays words in a way that feels
the country’s collective his romantic Swahili sacred. His debut poetry
history. The documentary lyrics over production collection is an intimate
connects director Tamara by Nigeria’s El P in what rendering of memories,
Mariam Dawit’s personal is one of the biggest accounts of survival and
history to the larger Tanzanian and East dreams weaved from the
historical situation as she African songs of the luscious natural world.
searches for her aunt. year.
Intimate and accessible,
Finding Sally draws
renewed significance
in light of the political
situation in Ethiopia.
The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 10
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
ELSA MAJIMBOThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 11
ELSA MAJIMBO
Laughing have let you come to my house but …
pandemic!”
out loud In another video, she begins slowly:
“Ever since isolation started we’ve all been
For making millions of in isolation and I miss … NO-ONE! And
these ones that keep saying ‘I miss you’ …
people smile in difficult Why? WHY? Why? Do I pay your school
times, journalist Samira fees? Do I pay your rent?”
Sawlani recognises Majimbo has spoken about not
comedian Elsa Majimbo fitting in while growing up and the fact
that “dark-skinned young women never
S he’s been described as the “crisp-
e at i ng , s u ng l a s s e s - we ar i ng
comedian on social media”.
have the opportunity to represent Africa
internationally”.
She said: “So the fact that here I am,
True, that’s how it began, but at this and I’m able to do it and make people
point the Nairobi-based 19- year-old Elsa happy – I feel like it’s a chance to show
Majimbo is so much more than that. other women in Africa that they can do
So let’s start again: Elsa Majimbo is a it, too.”
social media sensation, comedian, host Just what do we love about her? The
of her own Instagram show (Bedtime delivery of her monologues, the fact that
with Elsa), Fenty ambassador, chess she’s saying what we’re all thinking (who
champion, multiple award winner and all- among us has not used “it’s a pandemic!”
round bad-ass featured in Forbes, British when asked to participate in something
Vogue, the Guardian, the New York Times, social) and the joy her comedy has
W Magazine and now The Continent.
Her fanbase is global, and features a “Since we’ve been
host of celebrities. She’s working with in isolation, I miss...
renowned make-up brand MAC, a NO-ONE!”
podcast is in the works and so is a book.
And she is just getting started. brought to so many are high on the list.
But beyond her own success, Majimbo But the real elation comes from
has managed to bring laughter to millions seeing this incredible young woman
in a year filled with darkness. unapologetically doing her own thing,
Many of the comedic monologues exuding confidence and slowly taking
filmed in her bedroom on her phone over the world.
have gone viral. Some favourites include You love to see it. ■
her telling us, “I would have wanted to Samira Sawlani is a freelance journalist
meet up … but … it’s a pandemic! I would and columnist for The ContinentThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 12
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
DJ SWITCH AND THE #ENDSARS PROTESTERSThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 13
DJ SWITCH AND THE #ENDSARS PROTESTERS
The goats (beatings, arbitrary arrests, extortion,
among others). Four days after protests
that chase began, the government disbanded SARS.
The protesters, to their credit, didn’t stop.
the lions They also demanded accountability from
the president and his cabinet.
By the end of 2020, the protests had
For challenging Nigeria’s slowed (government harassment and
ruling elite, editor Sean exploiting differences in the movement
Jacobs nominates the may have something to do with it), but
#EndSARS protesters this hasn’t dampened the energy of
protesters. Next year could get interesting
N igeria is Africa’s most populous
country and has been its largest
democracy, since the end of military rule
in Nigeria.
Sean Jacobs is the founder and editor of
in 1999. However, its democratic politics Africa is a Country
are essentially the domain of two elite
political parties, who take turns governing
Nigeria and dividing the country’s For standing tall amid
economic spoils. They’ve been very good the bloodshed of the
at managing challengers to that order.
Occupy Nigeria was contained, as was
Lekki Massacre, journalist
the movement to secure a fuel subsidy Shola Lawal recognises
the government was trying to take away DJ Switch
in 2012. #RevolutionNow was quelled in
2019. Journalist Omoyele Sowore was
imprisoned just for running for president.
But in October this year a movement
N ot many will know this, but musician
Obianuju Catherine Udeh has always
carried an activist’s soul. A decade ago,
– composed of mostly young people Udeh, aka DJ Switch, co-produced the
organising via the internet (they also hit track Pray Sote, where she wished for
revived the #EndSARS hashtag associated a day when politicians in Nigeria would
with earlier versions of the same protests cease to oppress ordinary people; a day
in 2017) – began to protest police brutality. when ‘goat go pursue lion’.
The catalyst was the police murder of an That day came on October 20, the night
unarmed young man in Lagos. security forces in a Lagos suburb opened
The activists targeted the Special fire on peaceful protesters demonstrating
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), notorious against police brutality.
for abusing especially young people Switch, a well-known DJ, hadThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 14 mobilised protesters through the two the power of technology and the weeks of the protests and was performing consequences of Switch’s heroics, has tried on stage at the Lekki Toll Gate area. When to deny its part in the Toll Gate shootings. authorities imposed an impromptu But with every denial, the army has curfew and deployed soldiers, she calmed come up hard against Switch’s damning panicked protesters and told them to raise legacy, a light separating truth from their Nigerian flags in a show of peace. falsehood. It was around 6.45PM that people If Switch had not been at the Lekki Toll started to share the link to her Instagram Gate with her mid-level celebrity power Live feed. On it, you could hear her voice and the willingness to stare death down, – angry and unrelenting – before seeing the world may never have known about what she was narrating. In the dark were the shooting of innocent protesters. bloodied bodies, bullets, and the faces Such is the power of this slight, of people who knew they would not see tomboyish, silver-tongued woman. tomorrow. Although Switch has now sought The news of her Live feed spread so fast asylum in Canada to escape threats to that within minutes, thousands within her life, she has not stopped haunting the and outside Nigeria bore witness to the army by speaking out online and to media horrors unfolding. houses. Switch defied the instinct to flee or In a recent video, Switch urged young freeze, recording a good part of the Nigerans to keep the protests alive. She is shootings before her battery went flat. still, in many ways, the goat that chases “Please guys, record my Live...let the lions. ■ world see what is happening,” Switch said. She was lucky to escape the scene unhurt. Shola Lawal is a Lagos-based journalist The Nigerian Army, undermining and filmmaker (Photo: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP)
The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 15
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
FRONTLINE WORKERSThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 16
FRONTLINE WORKERS
We owe you, And then there’s the Covid-19
pandemic.
we admire Despite shortages of protective
equipment and staff, and in the face of
you, and we fear, stigma, burnout and separation from
loved ones, millions of African health
thank you workers stepped up to fight this new and
unknown virus. Their brave, life-saving
efforts are exemplary.
For risking their lives More than 56,000 African health
to keep the rest of us workers have been infected with Covid-19
safe, Matshidiso Moeti and nearly 900 have made the ultimate
sacrifice. This is tragic, but not in vain.
and Chikwe Ihekweazu Countless lives have been saved.
recognise frontline Every day our health workers are
health workers doing everything to keep us healthy. From
delivering emergency care to essential
Dr Matshidiso Moeti is the World Health services such as immunising our children,
Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa.
Chikwe Ihekweazu is Director General of to specialty cancer treatment – health
the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. workers are the backbone of a better
future.
T o all African health workers –
from volunteers serving in remote
communities, to nurses, midwives,
In recognition of this, governments,
the public and the international
community must make the tools,
physicians and all others working for a resources and support available for health
safer, healthier and better tomorrow – you workers to get the job done.
inspire us all. We owe you. We admire
you. We thank you. Over 56,000 African
This year, in the Democratic Republic
health workers have been
of Congo, African health workers were
instrumental in ending two Ebola infected with Covid-19 and
outbreaks, selflessly saving lives despite nearly 900 have made the
security risks and difficult terrain. ultimate sacrifice
Almost a quarter of a century ago, wild
polio paralysed around 75,000 African And in 2021, we will rely on you even
children every year. No more. In a historic more as we roll out the Covid-19 vaccine,
milestone for humanity this year, wild which will be the biggest immunisation
polio was wiped out on our continent. campaign in the history of the continent.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 17
I know we can count on you to make this friends and colleagues, so this is also
a success. personal.
Words will never do justice to the Despite this, you have continued to
bittersweet mix of pride, anguish, save lives and contribute to strategies for
admiration and gratitude we feel, but to all the control of this pandemic.
African health workers, from the depths We celebrate all frontline workers
of our hearts, we thank you. You are the across countries in Africa and the rest
heroes of the year. of the world. From Ebola to polio to
Covid-19, you continue to show your
resilience and dedication. Even in often
S ince the beginning of this year, the
lives of frontline health workers and
public health professionals have changed
difficult circumstances, you have stayed
true to your calling of saving lives.
I thank you deeply for the work you
incredibly. Health workers have put their do, and recognise the sacrifice you have
lives at risk in fighting a new virus. had to make. I also recognise the family
We know that in providing care members of frontline workers who have
to those suffering from Covid-19, often had to make sacrifices as well.
thousands of healthcare workers have To all frontline workers – we will
contracted the virus, and many died. always remember your courage,
Many healthcare workers affected are selflessness and dedication. ■
Forefront: Throughout the year more than 56,000 health workers contracted
Covid-19 and more than 900 died from the virus. (Photo: Patrick Meinhardt/
Bloomberg via Getty Images)The Continent Page 18
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020
MUSIC
Imali Eningi by Big PHOTO
Zulu (featuring Intaba Clouds on the horizon: Volunteers from the Sonko
Yase Dubai and Riky Rick) Rescue Team, an NGO privately funded by then-Nairobi
In his biggest hit to date, Governor Mike Sonko, fumigate a street to curb the
South African rapper Big spread of Covid-19 in April. (Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)
Zulu evokes the mood for
South African summers –
spending money, looking
fly and engaging in flings.
His Zulu raps are larger
than life, fitting of the
man’s character, while
the song owes its success
to Intaba Yase Dubai’s
minimal but effective
hook.
FILM BOOK
The Milkmaid Exhale: A Queer
Ambitious and epic in Erotica Anthology by
scope but with plenty Various Authors
04
of intimacy and feeling, Pages dripping with
Desmond Ovbiagele’s sex, desire and
thriller The Milkmaid, naughty playfulness.
Nigeria’s submission Need we say more?
for the 2021 Best Featuring fantasies
International Film by Nakhane, Mubanga
Oscar category tells Kalimamukwento,
a universal but wholly Tshegofatso Senne, and
specific story of human more. Each contributor
resilience in the midst of will take you and your
devastation. Adopting a heart rate to places it
non-linear structure and may have never been
an unmistakable feminist before. The African
bent, The Milkmaid lays continent has never
out in clear detail, the been this sexy.
human cost of war.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 19
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
TSITSI DANGAREMBGAThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 20
TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
She stayed pedestrians moved. There were no groups
of demonstrators,” Dangarembga says of
and fought that moment just before she was taken to
jail. This is what violence does: it takes
away words, it moves bodies into specific
For her acts of defiance, spaces, it empties streets and holds the
whether they be on the entire world still. Dangarembga was
page or beyond it, with a friend that day, but in my mind,
she is a solitary figure staring down a
novelist Maaza Mengiste deserted road. Her first step is an act that
recognises fellow writer cements her protest. It grounds her into
Tsitsi Dangarembga Zimbabwean soil and the Earth briefly
pivots to gaze at her, the force behind this
F or more than 30 years, Tsitsi
Dangarembga – writer, filmmaker,
playwright – has been quietly and
subtle shift in the universe.
This is what violence does:
insistently changing the world. Nervous
Conditions, the title of her profound
it takes away words, it
and moving first novel, comes from moves bodies into specific
Sartre’s introduction to Franz Fanon’s spaces, it empties streets
The Wretched of the Earth, “The status
of ‘native’ is a nervous condition… Tsitsi Dangarembga lives in
maintained by the settler among Zimbabwe. Who will stay and fight, she
colonized people with their consent.” It has asked in interviews, if all of us leave?
is this assumption of consent that Tsitsi It is an unflinching stance that reminds
Dangarembga has been disrupting for us that all art is inherently political, and
decades through acts of defiance that that our imagination is fraught territory.
extend past the page. It is this landscape that she works to
In July 2020, not long after the expand at the same time as she deepens
magnificent The Mournable Body was our capacity to envision a world where a
announced on the 2020 Booker Prize step is just a step, and a woman walking
long list [it was subsequently shortlisted], on a silent street – as extraordinary as
Tsitsi was arrested in Harare during she is – is of no more consequence than
an anti-government protest. It was a a breeze moving across a rooted tree. ■
moment that brought global attention to
Zimbabwe’s violent repressions against
Maaza Mengiste is the author of The Shadow
dissent. “There was a deathly silence King, which was shortlisted for the 2020
in the streets, where neither cars nor Booker Prize, and Beneath the Lion’s GazeThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 21
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
MASTER KG AND NOMCEBO ZIKODEThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 22
MASTER KG AND NOMCEBO ZIKODE
Soundtrack to By December, its music video had
amassed nearly 270-million views.
the pandemic The accompanying dance routine,
invented by Angolan dance troupe
Fenómenos do Semba in February,
For writing a song that has been re-enacted countless times in
brought joy and comfort hospitals, homes and offices around
the world as part of the eponymous
to millions, music writer
#JerusalemaChallenge.
Sabelo Mkhabela Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode are
recognises Master KG no strangers to success, although not on
and Nomcebo Zikode this level. Master KG made his name in
bolobedu house – a genre of house music
N either Master KG nor Nomcebo
Zikode saw Jerusalema’s success
coming. Yes, it was one of the biggest
that combines catchy hooks, autotuned
vocals and digitally-produced beats with
a blend of electro house, deep house and
songs in South Africa in 2019. But, like pop music.
most songs that peak in December, it was Zikode, meanwhile, began by singing
expected to be forgotten by the time the backing vocals for gospel and Afro-pop
new year came along. artists before conjuring up her own
Then the world caught on. hits with house DJs such as DJ Ganyani
Jerusalema travelled across the globe, and Mobi Dixon. Her latest album Xola
becoming one of the most searched Moya Wam’, like her others before it, taps
songs in history and peaking on charts heavily into gospel music.
everywhere from Burkina Faso to They have both had big hits in South
Belgium. Africa before. But never before has South
Even as the world sank deeper into Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
pandemic-related despair, Jerusalema referenced one of their songs (or any
only became more popular: something song, for that matter) in an address to the
about its rhythms and lyrics tapped into nation; never before has Jay-Z included
the zeitgeist of this strange moment in their track in his favourites of the year.
history. In a viral age without gatekeepers,
In early 2020, the song was snubbed Jerusalema shows how songs can resonate
by the South African Music Awards. But and find themselves in places that their
it has gone on to win a raft of prestigious creators could never have imagined. ■
international awards, and became a self-
sustaining fire that is still raging to this Sabelo Mkhabela is a Johannesburg-based
day. music writer and photographer.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 23
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
THE PEOPLE OF HAMDAYET, SUDANThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 24
THE PEOPLE OF HAMDAYET, SUDAN
Hospitality and their communities to the refugees,
creating a temporary transit shelter
without and a base from which international
organisations can provide assistance to
arriving Ethiopians
borders According to AFP, Ethiopian refugees
in Hamdayet have received water, food
For welcoming the sudden and shelter amongst other forms of
influx of refugees from support, from a community that is itself
Ethiopia with open arms, poor and at the periphery of the third
largest country in Africa. One Ethiopian
author Nanjala Nyabola refugee told AFP: “Many gave us food
recognises the people from their farms and some mats to sleep
of Hamdayet, Sudan on… they have been very generous with
us”.
T he recent outbreak of violence in the
Tigray region of Ethiopia has been a
disappointing turn of events, not least in
Wealthier countries and regions in
the world could learn a great deal from
the people of Hamdayet. Particularly
the context of the African Union’s stated important is this reminder that seeking
agenda to “silence the guns by 2020”. As asylum is a desperate last resort. The rapid
a result of the hostilities between the erosion of the right to asylum is to me
central state and the regional government perhaps the most egregious symptom of
in Tigray, tens of thousands of Ethiopians an international political system teetering
have crossed the border into Sudan, a on the brink of collapse.
nation itself struggling with a transition Indeed, the principle of a right to
to democracy after nearly 30 years of asylum is the cornerstone of the United
military rule that ended just last year in Nations system, put in place after the
one of the largest and longest-running atrocities of the Second World War to
people-driven revolutions in Africa. prevent scenes of Jewish, Roma and
For Ethiopians fleeing Tigray into other minority groups turned away
Hamdayet, in southern Sudan, it has been from safety and towards certain death in
fleeing uncertainty into uncertainty. concentration camps.
That’s why my nomination for When countries systematically
Africans of the Year are the people of unravel this right – creating cages at their
Hamdayet, who by many accounts have borders, allowing boats to capsize on the
welcomed refugees from Tigray with an high seas, creating offshore prison centres
increasingly rare hospitality. Sudanese for those who seek asylum – it is really a
people have opened up their homes signal that this international system as weThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 25
Warm welcome: Many Ethiopian refugees who fled the conflict in Tigray have
been welcomed by Sudanese communities (Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)
know it is on its way to collapse. mind. We have embraced the doctrine of
Even in Africa, where states are border violence that criminalises asylum;
increasingly consumed by the idea of even though human mobility, particularly
strong borders and the nebulous threat in search of safety, is far older than the
of the foreign invader, the hospitality idea of strong national borders.
in Hamdayet is unusual. Xenophobic So this gentle kindness of the people
violence in countries like South Africa of Hamdayet should be celebrated as a
and the mass deportations of Somali reminder that here in Africa we have
refugees from Kenya are just two a historical practice of doing things
examples of an anti-asylum logic of differently. The people of Hamdayet are
statehood that is seeping into the foreign a sign that a different way of organising
policy of African governments. the world is possible, and that Africa can
Particularly in the context of the war lead the way in preserving the right to
on terror in which Western governments asylum and building a new world order
have a vested interest in expropriating predicated on justice and kindness, and
their violent borders to other parts of the not on bureaucratised violence. ■
world, African borders are increasingly
militarised and their control ceded to Nanjala Nyabola is a writer and political
analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya, and the
surveillance architectures conceived of author of Travelling While Black: Essays
and built with the safety of the West in Inspired by a Life on the Move.03
The Continent Page 26
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020
MUSIC BOOK
FEM by Davido The Death of Vivek
Davido’s catchy hit laced Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
with cheeky lyrics is a With one of the most
fitting message to his striking first lines in
haters – and became all of African fiction,
the soundtrack to the The Death of Vivek
#EndSARS protests. Fem Oji begins to leave a
translates as “be quiet”, permanent mark on the
and the song has been reader from the start.
interpreted by some as Rippled with mystery,
a diss to fellow Nigerian tender with grief, Emezi
musician Burna Boy. uses visceral prose to
Davido’s camp disagrees. unearth the life of Vivek
But the continent and Oji, a queer youth in
some parts of the world southern Nigeria and
can agree on one thing – the secrets of everyone
FEM is a banger. who surrounded him.
FILM
You Will Die at
Twenty
The debut film by
Amjad Abu Alala is a
sensitive and thoughtful
consideration of Sudan’s
quest for freedom under
an oppressive regime of
faith. After being cursed
by a prophecy on his
naming ceremony, the
PHOTO film’s protagonist wanders
Shout it from the rooftops: Gonzaga Yiga, a through limbo, in constant
49-year-old community chairperson in a neighbourhood uncertainty as he waits on
in Kampala, appeals to residents to abide by Covid-19 his fate. Abu Alala takes
restrictions in late March. He is speaking from the advantage of the stillness
rooftop of the tallest building in the area. to create a gorgeously,
(Photo: Badru Katumba/AFP) richly detailed world.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 27
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
JOHN NKENGASONGThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 28
JOHN NKENGASONG
A voice of Covid-19. By March, 43 African countries
could do so.
reason Perhaps even more significant was
Nkengasong’s quiet, behind-the-scenes
For leading the fight lobbying of African heads of state. His
message was simple: this is serious, he
against Covid-19, editor told them, and needed to be treated
Simon Allison recognises accordingly. With the odd exception
John Nkengasong – Tanzania’s John Magufuli being the
highest profile outlier – African leaders
N early four years ago, Cameroonian
virologist John Nkengasong became
the first director of the African Union’s
followed his science-based advice,
implementing strict restrictions and
urging their citizens to comply.
newest agency: the Africa Centres for It can be no coincidence fatalities
Disease Control. He was not sure if it was from Covid-19 in Africa have been far
a good career move. lower than predicted at the beginning of
“I wandered around the corridors of the pandemic; and far lower too than in
the African Union for a year before I had developed countries, such as the United
an office,” he told The Continent in an States and the United Kingdom, whose
interview earlier this year. leaders did not listen as attentively to their
But slowly his staff grew, as did the public health experts.
agency’s capacity. They found an office It helped, Nkengasong said later, that
inside the AU headquarters in Addis African presidents were being advised
Ababa and by early 2020 they had already by an African expert at an African
responded to 17 disease outbreaks in 15 institution. “They are convinced they have
countries, including an Ebola outbreak in an agency that is advising them properly,”
the Democratic Republic of Congo. he said. “They have prioritised this and
No one can say they were ready for listened to their own experts.”
Covid-19, but Nkengasong and the Africa This, ultimately, may be Nkengasong’s
CDC were better prepared – and more lasting legacy. He has shown us all how
experienced – than most. Even before vital it is to have a continental institution
the scale of the threat became apparent that is looking after our public health
to the rest of the world, Nkengasong and interests; and, in so doing, underscored
his small team swung into action, making the significance – and the potential – of
sure that African countries had access to the AU itself. ■
testing kits and training in how to use
them. In February, only South Africa Simon Allison is the Editor of The Continent,
and Senegal had the capacity to test for and the Mail & Guardian’s Africa EditorThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 29
How did I do?
SO, YOU THINK YOU’RE WhatsApp ‘ANSWERS’
to +27 73 805 6068 and
A REAL PAN-AFRICAN?
we will send you the
answers immediately.
Take this quiz to find out how much
attention you paid to the news in 2020
0-4
1. The president of which president have tested for “I think I need to
country is believed to coronavirus? start reading more
have died of Covid-19 in 8. Manu Dibango passed newspapers.”
June? away in March. What
2. Which country’s 1972 song was he most
president claimed to have known for?
a herbal tonic cure for 9. Name one of the two
the virus?
3. Name the artist who
books by African authors
shortlisted for the Booker
5-8
released the album Twice Prize this year. “I can’t wait to
As Tall this year. 10. In which country explore more of this
4. A miner of what type did the government try continent.”
of mineral became an to impose a 30% tax on
overnight millionaire in mobile phones?
June this year? 11. Name an African
5. Paul Rusesabagina was country that had a
arrested in September. general election in
Which 2004 film was
based on his life?
October this year.
12. Which artists
9-12
6. Comedic group Bizonto released Jerusalema, “Umntu ngumntu
was arrested for poking which went on ngabantu.”
fun at which president? to spawn the
7. What three unusual #JerusalemaChallenge
things did Tanzania’s (pictured)?The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 30
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
STRIVE MASIYIWAThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 31
STRIVE MASIYIWA
Not your Econet expanded fast, later moving
its headquarters to Johannesburg and
typical slowly transforming itself into a pan-
African conglomerate that introduced
billionaire millions of Africans to the world of
mobile communications. But it didn’t
stop there. In fact, one of the first mobile
For co-ordinating Africa’s cash transfer systems in the world was
corporate response to conceived by Econet. The idea of moving
the Covid-19 pandemic, to mobile infrastructure was another huge
leap forward for the company, eventually
economist Carlos Lopes
resulting in Liquid Telecom, another
recognises Econet CEO successful venture.
Strive Masiyiwa When the Ebola virus hit some
countries in West Africa hard in 2014,
I first met Strive Masiyiwa in Harare
in the late 1990s. His wife, Tsitsi, was
leading a local branch of a United Nations
the then-African Union Chairperson
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma summoned
the African Development Bank president
entrepreneurial programme that fell Donald Kaberuka and myself, as the
within my supervisory responsibilities. It leader of the Economic Commission for
was a period in which Strive was fighting Africa at the time, to design an African
– that is the most accurate word – to response to the outbreak.
establish his telecoms company, Econet. This was a moment of truth. We had
Mobile telephony was in its infancy all been talking about “African solutions
and few believed this young entrepreneur to African problems”, when it came
could do much with his hard-won licence to conflict. Here was a crisis that had
to operate in the field. But Strive’s traits mobilised unprecedented international
were then already on display: family attention. Africans could not be content
values, faith, a strong work ethic, to be passive. We needed action.
innovation and, certainly, ambition. I am And we quickly found the champion
convinced it was the difficulties he faced we needed to mobilise the African private
then that made him the battle-hardened sector: Strive Masiyiwa.
leader he became, in a sector marked by His dedication to the Ebola
high returns but also stiff competition. outbreak response enhanced his
These characteristics would soon solidarity credentials. Although Strive’s
recognised by TIME magazine, which philanthropic attitude was already well
named him one of the most influential known in his native Zimbabwe and
business leaders in the world in 2002. elsewhere, this engagement gave it aThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 32
pan-African dimension. It was therefore
not surprising to see his name included
in President Paul Kagame’s AU Reform
Group, when it was constituted in 2016.
And just this week he was appointed to
the board of international streaming giant
Netflix. How someone like him finds the
time to be so involved in such a range of
issues is a mystery.
This year, however, it has been Strive’s
actions and visibility during the unique
combination of crisis and opportunity
Connector: Despite financial
that have made him a worthy contender setbacks this year, Strive Masiyiwa
for the “African of the Year” accolade. played an important role in aiding
Without a doubt, 2020 will turn out Africa’s response to the pandemic.
to be the year in which Strive lost the (Photo: Charlie Bibby/ Financial
most money in his life. Covid-19 wiped Times)
out almost all the value of his assets in
Zimbabwe and dented other important salvage the continent from a wave of trade
corporate profits, against the backdrop protectionism and the serious disruptions
of the most dramatic contraction of to supply chains. His actions translated
economic activity in Africa since the into countless lives saved.
independence years. Corporate leaders His unfaltering attitude has placed
across the world are busy figuring out the him at the centre of the co-ordinated
full impact of the disruption. continental response. “Mr Tech” has
evolved once again. Nowadays he talks
Masiyiwa was first to vaccines, immunology or health priority
respond to the call to funding. Many billionaires content
help the African Union themselves with simply giving money
to charity, or paying lip service to good
put together a joint causes. That is not Strive. His deportment
procurement of protective is one of involvement and passion, while
gear, ventilators and directing his ambition towards altruistic
medical equipment and encompassing missions. He works for
the good of Africa. ■
I am sure that is true for Strive as Carlos Lopes is an Honorary Professor
well. Yet he was first to respond to at the University of Cape Town’s Nelson
the call to help the AU put together a Mandela School of Public Governance.
He was the Executive Secretary of the
joint procurement of protective gear, United Nations Economic Commission
ventilators and medical equipment to for Africa from 2012-2016.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 33
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
BARBARA ITUNGOThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 34
BARBARA ITUNGO
A future swapped music for politics, she refuses to
play victim.
First Lady On the dark day last month when Bobi
Wine was arrested and 54 Ugandans were
killed in the ensuing protests, Itungo
For her fearless refused to play the victim. “I cannot start
opposition to one of to think about myself when there are
the longest-serving families grieving their loved ones,” she
presidents in Africa, told BBC.
But despite the central role she has
writer Eric Mwine- played in Bobi Wine’s political success,
Mugaju recognises and the sacrifices she has made along the
Barbara Itungo way, she gets a fraction of the attention and
plaudits directed towards her husband. It
S uperwoman is one of Bobi Wine’s
most popular tracks. It could just
as well refer to the Ugandan opposition
is sadly not unusual for the contributions
of women to be downplayed.
One of this year’s standout films, Softie,
leader’s wife, Barbara Itungo, whom documents Boniface and Njeri Mwangi, a
Ugandans affectionately refer to as Kenyan activist couple.
“Barbie”.
While Bobi Wine may have dominated “I cannot start to think
the headlines, Itungo has been by his side about myself when there
at every turn, and is in her own right a are families grieving their
vocal and eloquent critic of Museveni’s loved ones”
regime. She has been described as one
of the most articulate and tenacious of As Boniface runs for political office,
Uganda’s prospective First Ladies. it is left to Njeri to look after their family,
Bobi Wine – real name Robert while playing an active role in the
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu – is running for campaign herself. “People don’t see me
president of Uganda in January’s elections. for me. They don’t know me,” says Njeri.
The former pop star is hoping to “It’s like I don’t exist.”
unseat President Yoweri Museveni, one Barbara Itungo not only exists, but
of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state. she is one half of a power couple that
In the course of his brief political career, represents the most serious threat yet to
Bobi Wine has been arrested, assaulted, Museveni’s regime. For this, she is my
tortured, threatened and tear-gassed. African of the Year. ■
Despite the torrent of persecution her Eric Mwine-Mugaju is a Ugandan journalist
young family has faced since her husband and commentatorThe Continent Page 35
ISSUE 33. December 19 2020
BOOK
The Shadow King by
Maaza Mengiste
Mengiste’s 2020 Booker
Prize nominated-book
is worth all the hype.
PHOTO The seed of the story
Seeking refuge: Travellers carry a small inflatable came from the author’s
boat on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk in France, discovery that her great-
before embarking on the dangerous journey across the grandmother, Getey,
English channel. (Photo: Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP) enlisted to fight in the
Second Italo-Ethiopian
War in 1935. Mengiste
pens a stirring war novel
where the battle is fought
not just on land, but in the
photographs that survive
and in the hearts of the
brave women who wage a
people’s war no-one was
expecting.
02
DOCUMENTARY MUSIC
Softie Koroba by Tiwa
Softie may be a Savage
documentary, but it While making you
has all of the fun and dance to an undulating
jazzy energy of a studio mid-tempo Afro-fusion
musical. The Sam instrumental, on Koroba,
Soko-directed film is the Tiwa Savage questions
chronicle of Boniface why society shames
Mwangi’s activism and his women for dating
attempt to run for political politicians for money
office in 2017. Softie while the politicians get
weighs his responsibility away with embezzling
to family against his duty state funds and cheating
to country. on their wives.The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 36
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
PITSO MOSIMANEThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 37
PITSO MOSIMANE
Lord of confident in his abilities, may well have
crumbled as the team imploded.
the pitch After all, Mosimane’s predecessor,
René Weiler, could no longer withstand
the intense scrutiny anymore, deciding
For masterminding one to leave despite being on the cusp of three
of the finest seasons major trophies.
ever witnessed in African It’s hard to blame him. Cairo is hot,
football, sportswriter dense and football mad. He won’t be the
last outsider to wilt under the desert sun.
Luke Feltham recognises For South Africa’s best tactician, however,
Pitso Mosimane it’s a climate built for him to thrive.
No matter the stakes, Jingles remains
I t’s been a privilege to watch Pitso
Mosimane define his legacy in real
time this year.
unbowed. Whether on the training
ground, at press melees or in a cup final,
Mosimane carries himself with the same
The stoic coach, affectionately distinct swagger. It is that supreme belief
christened “Jingles” during his playing in himself – a completely justified belief
days, had long ago distinguished himself – that has seen him sign off on one the
as one of the sharpest minds in the African most successful years we’ve ever seen on
game. But even by his towering standards an African football pitch.■
this has been an exceptional year. Luke Feltham is the Mail & Guardian’s chief
Less than three months after winning a sportswriter.
domestic treble with Mamelodi Sundowns
in South Africa – clinched on the final day
of the season – Mosimane would secure
a historic treble with Al Ahly. Having
arrived at the tail end of the campaign, he
ushered the Egyptian giant away from any
pitfalls and safely towards the glory that
the club believed it always deserved but
had failed to grasp for so long.
The pessimist might choose to make
something of his late arrival; pointing
out the job was three-quarters done. But Supreme reign: Pitso Mosimane has
the realist would remember that it is in already led Al Ahly to historic wins
that final stretch that the pressure is at its during his short tenure. (Photo: Ahmed
most intense. That a weaker coach, less Awaad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)The Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 38
AFRICANS OF THE YEAR
Illustration: Nzilani Simu
PRESS FREEDOM ADVOCATESThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 39
PRESS FREEDOM ADVOCATES
Defenders the African Union, and South African
President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting
of the fourth support for Chin’ono’s freedom.
As Chin’ono moved in and out of
estate detention during the weeks that followed,
the number of journalists, lawyers and
advocates committed to his release grew
For their vocal efforts on stronger. Eventually, the AU’s special
behalf of jailed journalists rapporteur on freedom of expression
and other threats to press and access to information in Africa,
freedom, researcher Jamesina King, wrote to Zimbabwe’s
Jonathan Rozen President Emmerson Mnangagwa to
express concern about Chin’ono’s ongoing
nominates reporters, prosecution.
editors, lawyers and other The pandemic made the jailing of
press freedom advocates journalists even more dangerous. In
early April, as the scale and severity of
T he press freedom situation across
Africa in 2020 could be considered
bleak: security forces attacked reporters
Covid-19 loomed into focus, over 190
groups (many from Africa) and more
than 11,000 people signed communiqués
with impunity, governments sought to governments responsible for keeping
new laws to silence their critics, and the journalists behind bars, as well as the
number of jailed journalists continued United Nations secretary general. It was
to climb, according to data released the largest number of participants in
this week by the Committee to Protect any campaign by CPJ since its founding
Journalists (CPJ). But a closer look at in 1981 and the message was singular:
the mobilisation in defence of the press that journalists jailed for their work
and citizens’ right to know paints a more should be freed to reduce the pandemic’s
nuanced picture. unprecedented threat to their health in
In July, only hours after Zimbabwean overcrowded conditions.
journalist Hopewell Chin’ono recorded
police forcibly entering his home to The Covid-19 pandemic
arrest him, a coalition of local and
international advocates mobilised
made the jailing of
for his release. Within days, as the journalists even more
Zimbabwean government demonised dangerous
western influence, a network led by Media
Monitoring Africa wrote to the chair of Unfortunately, these dire warningsThe Continent ISSUE 33. December 19 2020 Page 40
PRESS FREEDOM ADVOCATES
fell mostly on deaf ears. At least two
journalists – one in Honduras and another
in Egypt – died after contracting Covid in
detention, while at least two journalists
in Ethiopia and one in Cameroon tested
positive behind bars, as the number of
journalists jailed for their work globally
reached an all-time high since CPJ began
keeping records in 1992.
The pandemic also drove even more
communication online, emphasising
the importance of unhindered internet Detained: Hopewell Chin’ono outside
access for journalists to do their jobs. his offices in Harare as the premises
Governments in Ethiopia, Guinea and were searched by police in July.
Togo nevertheless ordered network (Photo: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP)
disruptions. But press freedom and digital
rights advocates won a legal challenge #SayNoToSocialMediaBill. Paradigm
that pushed the Economic Community Initiative, a Nigeria-based rights group,
of West African States Community Court also co-ordinated a collaborative
of Justice to declare Togo’s 2017 internet submission calling for revisions to the
shutdown illegal. country’s proposed data protection bill
that threatened journalists’ safety and
Press freedom and digital rights in the name of “national security
rights advocates won a interests”.
There is no shortage of causes for
legal challenge to declare concern when looking at the conditions
Togo’s 2017 internet for the media across Africa. But for all
shutdown illegal of these challenges there are passionate
reporters, editors, lawyers and press
As journalists were arrested for posts freedom advocates asking why journalists
in Benin, Niger, Mali, Ethiopia, Somalia are being denied their freedom. The
and Sierra Leone, local media and civil success of these efforts may seem
society consistently raised the alarm impossible to measure, but the vigorous
and called for authorities to ensure solidarity that often defies geographic and
freedom of expression. When Nigeria’s linguistic divisions is difficult to ignore. ■
government sought to legislate further
Jonathan Rozen is the Senior Africa
control over social media, local civil Researcher at the Committee to Protect
society and the press pushed back to JournalistsYou can also read
