Africa 54 - June 12, 2020
You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
After weeks of civic unrest in America, President Donald Trump is promising that his administration will aggressively pursue economic development in minority communities and confront health care disparities in those areas. The White House, without releasing details, says this is part of a four-point plan to build safety, opportunity and dignity.
U.S. lawmakers this week remembered the life of George Floyd, the black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25th. Continuing nationwide protests over Floyd’s death have kept the pressure on the U.S. congress to address racial discrimination in American policing.
The World Health Organization says the rate of infection of the coronavirus is accelerating across Africa. The WHO says it took 98 days to reach 100,000 cases on the continent and just 19 days to reach 200,000 cases. Ten countries are driving Africa’s epidemic, accounting for 75 percent of nearly 208,000 cases on the continent, with five-thousand deaths reported, according to Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s Africa regional director.
South Africa, which has one of the highest COVID-19 rates on the continent, is representative of the rapid surge in infections and deaths. South Africa’s health ministry, late Thursday reported at least 74 more coronavirus deaths, and more than 3,100 new infections over a 24-hour period.
Namibia is receiving international praise after recording so few coronavirus cases. The southwest African nation has started to ease restrictions on social and economic activities. However, President Hage Geingob urged public vigilance as schools resume face-to-face classes and restaurants start receiving sit-down customers.
COVID-19 Diaries: In today's episode, we meet Steeve Manfoumbi, a 35-year-old second-hand clothing seller who works at the Marche du Mont Bouet market in Libreville, Gabon. Steeve is also the vice-president of the Association of Young Traders and tells us about the setbacks of hundreds of workers who share his profession.
Even before COVID-19, there was already high growth in education technology. Education is changing dramatically, with the rise of e-learning, and teaching undertaken remotely on digital platforms. But what does it take to develop and build e-learning platforms? For more, Africa 54’s Paul Ndiho spoke to a software engineer, Victor Oku Kanayo, co-founder, Children in Freedom School, in Nakuru, Kenya.
A54 Entertainment: One of Africa’s biggest living reggae stars, Rocky Dawuni, empowers us all to find our inner champion to rise up and triumph over life’s challenges. International reggae musician, activist, and Grammy nominee Rocky Dawuni recently released the visuals to his song “Champion Arise.” The American cable channel BET has enlisted the single in its new “BET Soul” playlist, but the music video tells more of the song’s story. Music Time In Africa host Heather Maxwell catches up with the artist from inside Wei Ye Oteng studios in Accra, Ghana.
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