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Shortlisted contenders, from left: Collince Oluoch; Roy Allela; Beth Koiji; Neo Hutiri; Paul Matovu. Photograph: Brett Eloff and James Oatway/Royal Academy of Engineering

Turning air into drinking water: Africa’s inspired young inventors

By Editors' Choice

Shortlisted contenders for the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize reveal their designs, from gloves that translate sign language into speech to smart lockers that dispense medicines. By Kate Hodal, The Guardian — The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize, now in its fifth year, has shortlisted 16 African inventors from six countries to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionise sectors from agriculture and science to women’s health.…

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How African-Americans Are Dominating The Digital World By Pursuing A ‘For Us, By Us’ Mentality

How African-Americans Are Dominating The Digital World

By News & Current Affairs

#Consumers2Creators: How African-Americans Are Dominating The Digital World By Pursuing A ‘For Us, By Us’ Mentality. By Brianna Rhodes, Blavity — Nielsen’s 2018 report, “Consumers to Creators: The Digital Lives of Black Consumers”, revealed that 54 percent of African-Americans are 34 and younger, meaning the majority were born and raised in the era of rapid digital media advancements. The report makes a case that a “Black Renaissance” is…

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Technology

Digital colonialism on the African continent

By Editors' Choice

JOHANNESBURG – Earlier colonialists came by boats to “the new world” and expanded their empires by building railroads, farms and infrastructure. Today’s colonialists are digital; they implement communication infrastructures such as social media in order to harvest data and turn it into money. This threatens the upcoming democracies in Africa, as they experience explosions of fake news and misinformation with tribal violence and democratic unrest as dire consequences.

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In this March 24, 2018 file photo, protesters fill Pennsylvania Avenue, as seen from the Newseum, during the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control in Washington. Rachel Einwohner, a Purdue University sociology professor, says, “With the rise of social media, it’s definitely a lot easier for people to mobilize more quickly and you don’t necessarily need to have one charismatic leader like Dr. King, who had almost some kind of magical quality… But you still do need some powerful message that really resonates with a lot of people.”

Social media is the new heart of political protests

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Sharon Cohen — The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marching arm-in-arm with other civil rights activists. Cesar Chavez hoisting a picket sign in a farm workers’ strike. Gloria Steinem rallying other feminists for equal rights. During the 1960s and into the 1970s, amid the turbulence of protests for civil rights and against the Vietnam War, every movement seemed to have a famous face — someone at a podium or at the front of a march who possessed a charismatic style, soaring oratory and an inspiring message.

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Digital Revolution Holds Bright Promises for Africa

By Editors' Choice

By Eleni Mourdoukoutas — UNITED NATIONS, May 25 2018 (IPS) – Internet penetration is creeping up in Africa, bringing the prospect of digital dividends to a continent long marked by digital divides. “Africa has reached a penetration which has broken the barrier of 15 %, and that’s important,” says Nii Quaynor, a scientist who has played a key role in the introduction and development of the internet throughout Africa. He…

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Salissou Hassane Latifa, the latest Ms Geek Africa winner, has devised an app that promises to help accident victims. Photograph: Courtesy of Kigali Today

Brilliance overtakes beauty as Ms Geek Africa spotlights tech genius

By News & Current Affairs

Long noted for its progressive stance on equality, Rwanda is the birthplace of a contest that champions female tech wizards. By Lauren Gambino, The Guardian — After years of women in evening gowns vying for the title of national beauty queen, glamour is giving way to geekery in Rwanda. A group of female tech entrepreneurs decided it was time to ditch Miss Rwanda for a different kind of competition, one that…

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