NPR News -Africa

December 30, 20239:39 AM ET
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@jazephua,@dollievision, @mrbeandamatematica/Screenshots by NPR

@jazephua,@dollievision, @mrbeandamatematica/Screenshots by NPR

TikTok in 2023 wasn’t just about girl dinners or cottage cheese inspo.
The annual roundup of the most popular content of 2023 is a testimony to the global appeal of the short-form video. They come from everywhere — like Sean the Sheepman’s sheepherding border collie in Scotland and Kirby Quimado cooking up breadrolls in the Philippines. And here’s another thing about TikToks: Even though there are plenty of serious-minded videos, the most popular ones are often goofy and in-your-face with earwormy music.
Of course there are exceptions to every TikTok rule. No creator got more eyeballs on a single video than Nydollie Deng with a simple but stunning makeup routine.
Here’s a sampling of the global TikToks that dominated in 2023.
Nyadollie Deng: viral makeup artist for women of colorThe most popular TikTok of..

December 29, 20235:07 AM ET

The dream of the Pan African Village, a rural settlement for returning diaspora in Ghana’s Cape Coast, has become a source of bitterness.

December 28, 20235:05 AM ET

More than six million people have been displaced, and medical services have been wiped out in many areas. Thousands have died.

December 27, 20235:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA new report focuses on Wagner’s operations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

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Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

A new report focuses on Wagner’s operations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

A new report details how the Wagner mercenary group uses gold mining in Africa to funnel money to the Kremlin.
According to The Blood Gold Report, Wagner has laundered some $2.5 billion to Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year in an effort to support its war effort.
This is in spite of global sanctions that have shut off the Russian economy from much of the world.
The report was produced by the Consumer Choice Center, as well as Democracy 21 — a non-profit that tracks corruption and advocates for government transparency.
Jessica Berlin, a political analyst & co-author of ..

December 25, 20237:01 PM ET

It’s been 10 years since South Africa’s first democratically elected president died. Nelson Mandela’s former chef describes how how the anti-apartheid icon liked to spend Christmas Day.

December 25, 20235:00 AM ET

It’s been 10 years since South Africa’s first democratically elected president died. Nelson Mandela’s former personal chef describes how the anti-apartheid icon liked to spend Christmas Day.

December 23, 20236:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageMartin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

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Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

A lot of big news happened in 2023, but it was also a year to remember things that happened in other years.
That’s right — we’re diving into history with a year-end roundup of anniversaries.
It was 50 years ago that hip-hop began at a Bronx party. Exactly one month later, a brutal military coup in the South American country of Chile shocked many Americans into political action.
It’s been 60 years since 250,000 people gathered in Washington,..

December 21, 20235:32 PM ET

Polls have closed in the Democratic Republic of Congo Thursday. Widespread logistical problems and violence forced the country to extend presidential vote by a second day.

December 20, 20235:04 AM ET

Millions of Congolese will vote for a new president Wednesday, with hopes for a peaceful election. The Democratic Republic of Congo has vast mineral wealth, but is impacted by poverty and conflict.

December 20, 20233:20 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA woman looks for her name at a voting station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

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Moses Sawasawa/AP

A woman looks for her name at a voting station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo headed to the polls Wednesday to vote for president as authorities scrambled to finalize preparations in an election facing steep logistical and security challenges, and voting starting nearly 2 1/2 hours late.
Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east, could struggle to cast their ballots. The fighting has prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.
Voter Raymond Yuma in the capital of Kinshasa said he’s voting for hope. “When you ..