Derniers épisodes
Pasha 100: Tackling banditry, terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria
Insecurity is common throughout Nigeria. But the northern region is the worst affected because of attacks by the terror group Boko Haram, banditry, kidnappings and conflict between farmers and herdsmen. The chaos has led to the closure of some schools and a feeling of helplessness among citizens in states where attacks are on the increase. Sheriff Folarin, a professor of political science and a peace…
1 animateur: Sheriff Folarin
Pasha 99: Why Patrice Motsepe is a good choice for the next CAF president
The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has a tough job. It includes working with FIFA to run the sport in Africa, and overseeing the continent's tournaments and leagues. There are also issues of broadcast rights and improving the organisation's poor reputation. The latest to throw their name into the ring is South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe. The mining magnate is the…
1 animateur: Chuka Onwumechili
Pasha 98: Why it's important to understand how much water is in the Nile river
The Nile river flows through 11 countries in Africa. It is a major source of water for millions of people. This makes it increasingly important that the river is used in a way that's equitable and fair to all. The starting point is to know how much water there is in the river system, and where -- including soil moisture. In today's episode of Pasha, Emad Hasan, a postdoctoral researcher in remote sensing…
1 animateur: Emad Hasan
Pasha 97: Everything you need to know about ivermectin
Ivermectin has become one of the most talked about drugs in the world. A highly effective treatment for fighting parasites in animals, it was later also shown to be effective in humans. In 2015 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given to William Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for discovering its use against infections caused by roundworm parasites. Interest in the drug has spiked following laboratory…
1 animateur: Vinny Naidoo
Pasha 96: The impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria's oil dependent economy
In response to COVID-19, governments around the world, including Nigeria, adopted lockdown measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. As expected, these measures were generally unfavourable to businesses and livelihoods. Nigeria is yet to recover from the blows to its already faltering and largely informal economy. In today's episode of Pasha, Ndubuisi Nwokoma discusses the impact of COVID-19…
1 animateur: Ndubisi Nwokoma
Pasha 95: Key questions answered on the results of the Novavax vaccine trials
Novavax vaccine trials run in South Africa and the UK indicate that its efficacy in the UK was 89% at least 7 days after individuals had received two doses of vaccine. In South Africa, the vaccine efficacy was 60% in people living without HIV. The trial is being viewed as highly significant because it is the first vaccine to be tested on a particular COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa…
1 animateur: Shabir A. Madhi
Pasha 94: Talking about masculinity with South African artist Nakhane
What is it to be a man? Through their role in the film Inxeba and the music videos from their albums, South African singer-songwriter, author and actor Nakhane presents themself as fiercely gender nonconforming. With a focus on queer identity and the complexities of manhood, Nakhane's work challenges conventional notions of masculinity. In today's episode of Pasha, Associate Professor Gibson Ncube…
1 animateur: Gibson Ncube
Pasha 92: How we discovered two new giant radio galaxies
A telescope in South Africa by the name of MeerKAT enabled the discovery of two giant radio galaxies recently. Finding one radio galaxy is special. Finding two is fantastic. Radio galaxies get their name from the fact that they release huge beams, or "jets", of radio light. The find was made possible by the ability of a phenomenally powerful telescope called the MeerKAT to detect faint, diffuse light…
1 animateur: Jacinta Delhaize
Pasha 93: Nigeria doesn't have a coherent COVID-19 vaccine plan. What's needed
Many countries are either buying or planning to buy COVID-19 vaccines to immunise their citizens. But there is not yet a coherent plan by the Nigerian government for how to get the vaccines. Public officials have announced different plans just as some state governments are also planning to get their own supply. Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, a professor of virology at the University of Ibadan, offers…
1 animateur: Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu
Pasha 91: Blunders that left South Africa trailing in the vaccine stakes
The South African government has announced plans to vaccinate about two-thirds of its population against COVID-19 by the end of the year. The aim is to do this in three phases, starting with healthcare workers in phase one, the elderly and those with co-morbidities in phase two and the rest of the population in phase three. But the plan has been vehemently attacked as lacking in any detail. In addition…
1 animateur: Shabir A. Madhi
Pasha 90: How COVID-19 has hit the tourism sector
COVID-19 has affected most industries and sectors in some way. One of those hit the hardest is the tourism sector as a result of lockdowns, borders closing and the global pandemic. Hospitality, aviation and travel for sport and religion were all hit hard. But what steps have tourism industries taken to survive? How have these industries coped during this time? In today's episode of Pasha, Kaitano Dube…
3 animateurs: Dr David Chikodzi, Kaitano Dube et Prof Godwell Nhamo
Pasha 89: Talking about earthquakes in South Africa
Earthquakes are quite rare on the African continent. But that's not to say that one couldn't hit and be damaging. Recently the Western Cape region of South Africa saw some earthquake activity, though it's unusual and was low on the scale that measures earthquakes. There is always a risk that a larger one could hit the region. Why do they occur? Is South Africa prepared? What about potential damage…
1 animateur: Ray Durrheim
Pasha 88: Lockdown and young people living on the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe
For many young people living on the streets, lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic has made their situation worse. The city of Harare in Zimbabwe was no exception. Lockdown made it difficult for young people to find food and make money in the informal economy. Researchers set up a story map -- a map with text, images and multimedia content -- to hear their voices and understand their experiences. It's…
2 animateurs: Janine Hunter et Lorraine van Blerk
Pasha 87: Why de-escalation and dialogue is necessary for Ethiopia and Tigray
Tensions between Ethiopia's central government and its Tigray region escalated after Tigray disputed a decision by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to delay elections. Tigray held its own elections. Ahmed then launched a military offensive on Tigray. Mass casualties, suffering and regional conflict are likely. Ethiopia, which has a legacy of civil war, needs to work towards a peaceful resolution…
2 animateurs: Francesca Baldwin et Heike I. Schmidt
Pasha 86: Why it's wrong to be pessimistic about democracy in Africa
The state of democracy on the continent is often depicted as generally negative. But the reality is more nuanced. African countries represent a spectrum, from relatively stable democracies like Botswana, Ghana and South Africa to problem spots where opposition and transfers of power are not tolerated. There is no single trend. Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Guinea may appear to be backsliding towards authoritarianism…
1 animateur: Nic Cheeseman
Pasha 85: Large numbers of seals aborted in Namibia this season: scientists investigate
Around 5,000 aborted seal foetuses were found at a Cape fur seal colony on Namibia's coast in October 2020. Events like this have occurred before, for example in 1994, but this high rate of simultaneous abortion has not been seen recently. The reasons for seal pups being aborted may be poor nutrition or infections in the mothers. The causes this time remain to be seen and scientists are collecting…
1 animateur: Tess Gridley
Pasha 84: South Africa and a resurgence of COVID-19
South Africa will almost certainly experience a resurgence of COVID-19. However, this new round is likely to be lower than the first round of infections in the country. This is because at the peak earlier in the year, restrictions were being eased and an estimated 35%-40% of South Africans had already been infected with the virus. The worry is that this time round the country's hospitals could come…
1 animateur: Shabir A. Madhi
Pasha 83: Talking #EndSARS and the new proposed unit
Following over two weeks' protest against police brutality in Nigeria, there are reports that a number of protesters have been shot with live ammunition. Reports suggest that unarmed protesters were shot by military men at the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos on Tuesday, October 20. The shooting was said to have occurred just before a 24 hour curfew imposed by the Lagos State government. The people were protesting…
1 animateur: Lanre Ikuteyijo
Pasha special edition, part 2: The significance of the call to prayer in Islam
The call to prayer in Islam has been sounded out aloud for centuries. Recently in South Africa a citizen took issue with the noise coming from the Islamic education centre in his neighbourhood and took the matter to court. Here we explain how the call to prayer came about, why it's important and some of the issues around it. In today's episode of Pasha, Suleman Essop Dangor, emeritus professor of religion…
1 animateur: Suleman Essop Dangor
Pasha special edition: The Muslim call to prayer controversy in South Africa, part 1
The call to prayer in Islam, or adhan, as it's known in Arabic, has come under the spotlight in South Africa. Fed up with hearing the call to prayer from a neighbouring Islamic education centre in Durban, a resident took the centre to court alleging the call amounted to "nuisance noise". The court agreed, ruling that the centre should only announce the call to prayer within the confines of its walls…
1 animateur: Thomas Coggin
Pasha 82: Remembering South Africa's George Bizos
South African human rights lawyer and advocate George Bizos passed away on 9 September 2020. Bizos was famous as a fighter for human rights and was one of Nelson Mandela's lawyers in the Rivonia trial. He also represented anti-apartheid struggle icons like Ahmed Kathrada. Bizos left an important legacy in South Africa. In today's episode of Pasha Kylie Thomas, a research fellow at the NIOD Institute…
1 animateur: Kylie Thomas
Pasha 81: A closer look at the informal water market in Kenya
Water is a scarce resource. In certain parts of Nairobi, Kenya, water is hard to come by. This has created a market for informal vendors to exist. Often these vendors sell water at highly inflated prices and they often take water from cut municipality pipes, which can lead to contaminated water. But the vendors are necessary because they provide people with water which they would normally struggle…
1 animateur: Anindita Sarkar
Pasha 80: A new app helps COVID-19 frontline workers with mental health
Fighting the coronavirus can put severe strain on a person's mental health. Frontline workers in healthcare constantly have to deal with challenges of life and death importance. With this in mind, a team of researchers and health experts in South Africa developed an app to help healthcare professionals cope with anxiety and stress. The app connects healthcare workers to information, resources and each…
2 animateurs: Ashraf Coovadia et Shaegan Irusen
Pasha 79: Why South Africa's role in COVID-19 vaccine trials is important
South Africa is one of the countries where trials are under way to find an efficacious vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. South Africa's participation in these trials is crucial. These vaccines are produced in the West and it's important that they prove to be safe and effective in African countries. Participation in the trials also means that should a vaccine prove…
2 animateurs: Keertan Dheda et Linda-Gail Bekker
Pasha 78: South Africa's second COVID-19 vaccine trial explained
Trials have begun in South Africa for a second COVID-19 vaccine study. The hope is that at least one of the vaccines being trialled will show promise and play a role in eliminating the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In this episode of Pasha, Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology and director of the vaccines and infectious diseases analytics research unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, explains why…
1 animateur: Shabir A. Madhi