Africa

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Sluts, simps and body shaming: the rise of Africa’s manosphere

Experts have been alarmed at the growth of deep misogyny dressed up as self-help on social media. We profile seven men from across the continent who are gaining tractionIt is not just Europe and the US that are grappling with a growing landscape of misogynistic influencers online. While Andrew Tate, Myron Gaines, Sneako and other […]

Sluts, simps and body shaming: the rise of Africa’s manosphere Read More »

‘Prosthetics aren’t made for people like us’: the brothers creating innovative artificial limbs for Africans

When Ubokobong Amanam lost his fingers in an accident he teamed up with his brother John, a special effects artist, to design a prosthetic that suited him – now they run a thriving business On a humid morning in Uyo, Nigeria, Ubokobong Amanam shows off the lifelike prosthetic where his fingers once were. The skin

‘Prosthetics aren’t made for people like us’: the brothers creating innovative artificial limbs for Africans Read More »

Nigeria’s online content creator market has boomed. Can the skit-makers and streamers make it pay?

As platforms make less from advertising, creators are struggling to monetise work – leading to calls for more government investment and tax breaksOn a humid afternoon in Lagos, a shoot for a comedy skit is under way on a set that looks more like a small film production.Dozens of people mill about: lighting assistants, a

Nigeria’s online content creator market has boomed. Can the skit-makers and streamers make it pay? Read More »

‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts

Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report findsThe rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.At least $2bn (£1.5bn)

‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts Read More »

Relooted: the South African video game where players take back artefacts from western museums

Creators say they’re offering Africans a ‘hopeful, utopian feeling’ of retrieving objects looted by colonial armiesA new South African video game lets players take back African artefacts held in western museums in a series of heists, amid a growing campaign to repatriate treasures looted by colonial armies.Players of Relooted become South African sports scientist and

Relooted: the South African video game where players take back artefacts from western museums Read More »

Countries that do not embrace AI could be left behind, says OpenAI’s George Osborne

Without AI you will be a ‘weaker and poorer nation’, says former UK chancellor two months into job at US firmThe former chancellor George Osborne has said countries that do not embrace the kind of powerful AI systems made by his new employer, OpenAI, risk “Fomo” and could be left weaker and poorer.Osborne, who is

Countries that do not embrace AI could be left behind, says OpenAI’s George Osborne Read More »

‘At 2am, it feels like someone’s there’: why Nigerians are choosing chatbots to give them advice and therapy

With many unable to access or afford qualified therapists, AI is filling the mental healthcare vacuum, amid calls for tighter regulationOn a quiet evening in her Abuja hotel, Joy Adeboye, 23, sits on her bed clutching her phone, her mind racing and chest tightening. On her screen is yet another abusive message from her stalker

‘At 2am, it feels like someone’s there’: why Nigerians are choosing chatbots to give them advice and therapy Read More »

The chatbot will see you now: how AI is being trained to spot mental health issues in any language

Calls to a clinic in Uganda are helping create a therapy algorithm that works in local languages, as specialists look to technology to address the global mental health crisisWhen patients telephone Butabika hospital in Kampala, Uganda, seeking help with mental health problems, they are themselves assisting future patients by helping to create a therapy chatbot.Calls

The chatbot will see you now: how AI is being trained to spot mental health issues in any language Read More »

The best of the long read in 2025

Our 20 favourite pieces of in-depth reporting, essays and profiles from the yearVictor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist? Continue reading…

The best of the long read in 2025 Read More »

How to use the holidays to stop our ‘WhatsApp aunties’ falling for AI

Family members can be sweet and relentless but how can we aid our relatives in the age of new tech and device addiction • Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereI don’t want to sound dramatic but, a few weeks ago, something happened that has completely changed how I view

How to use the holidays to stop our ‘WhatsApp aunties’ falling for AI Read More »