by Ruth Aine - 01 October 2015

In the present-day world, families continue to be an important part of society, but not as important as they were 10 years ago. But then also, that theory of thought depends on how we define families.

When I was about three or four years old, we used to play a game called Mama na Tata (loosely translated as Mummy and Daddy). I don't know how and why - but we always imagined that all you needed to do was grow older and taller to become a mother and a father. And so we would set up a family in the sand - barefoot while innocently playing roles - basically imitating what we see our parents do.

by Ruth Aine - 01 September 2015

Africa and the world continue to be in a ‘prison dilemma’. There are ‘too many people incarcerated than what our prison facilities can handle and the judicial system seems to be doing little to save the situation.

by Ruth Aine - 01 August 2015

Tugume, a 33-year old Ugandan gentleman, is a budding entrepreneur. His typical day starts with going to his ‘day job’ in the morning like everyone else. He is working in the banking sector in Kampala,Uganda. He has been doing this job since he left university and because of his great work ethic, he was able to rise and get promoted sooner than most.

by Ruth Aine - 01 July 2015

A few weeks ago, I was at home when I tried to pick something off the floor and hit my head on a door by accident. I ended up with a bleeding cut just below my spectacles. It was about 1:00 AM and I was just about to hit the road for a trip. I was confused. I did not know what to do. Do I go and see a doctor at this time? What clinics are open for walk-in patients at this time? Will I be allowed to get onto my flight? What if I have a concussion? There were so many questions; very few answers at that time. Interestingly though – within a few minutes my cut began to dry up. So, I figured, since I did not have a headache, I would go ahead as planned and if there was anything, I would face it as it happened.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 July 2015

The Forum for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) had been just an idea a few years ago. However, last week, during its 2015 Annual Meeting in Abidjan, the African Development Bank hosted a full day of panel discussions dedicated to CSOs. The CSO Forum is aiming at promoting closer cooperation and engagement among CSOs, the Bank, and regional member countries in order to optimize development results and sustain development impact.

by Ruth Aine - 01 June 2015

Prosperity is that kind of word that you hear once in a while, listen to and nod to, without necessarily taking note. I don’t know why. Maybe because it is associated with things that we think are exaggerations, but we still use them. Its meaning has been abused. A case in point is that of Christmas cards: We wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. That is the standard message across the board – the kind that you never pay attention to. I don’t remember the last time that I actually wrote or sent out a Christmas card. Another example is that of the pastors in Pentecostal churches who overly use the word prosperity, hence their message being called the ‘prosperity gospel’. One more example is elections in Uganda: Yoweri Museveni‘s slogan or tagline for a while contained the word prosperity.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 May 2015

Over the past years, our African unity has been tested constantly to realize that unity is not a one-day celebration or a mere occasional response to threatening events happening across the continent. Unity, instead, shall be a continuous collective struggle and solidarity.

For the past year, Africa has not healed from pain, bloodshed and diseases. From Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the recent crimes in South Africa, and the disaster of endless deaths of Africans sinking in the middle of the Mediterranean; from Al Shabab attacks in Kenya, to the Islamic State killings in Libya, and to Boko Haram massacres in West Africa - a similar pattern of extreme brutality spreading across.

by Ruth Aine - 01 May 2015

This month we get to celebrate Africa Day. Designated by the African Union as an annual day of celebration of the continent’s unity, it seems to be observed a lot more outside the continent than on the continent. Over the past years celebrations have been noted in cities like New York, London and Dublin, but not so much on the continent itself. Maybe the date needs to be declared as a continental holiday, but I think that we may need a statute and convention to put that in place, if they don’t already invisibly exist.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 April 2015

In 2013, I was shooting a documentary called “Kenya’s Conscious Transformation” under the Africa Inspire Project, when Kenya witnessed the Westgate attack. At least 67 people have died.

Following the peaceful 2013 general elections, I decided to explore and highlight the role of youth and women in the peace process that transformed its previous 2007/2008 volatile post-election violence. On my last day in Nairobi, a few hours before heading to the Westgate shopping mall, I heard about the Al Shabab attack. It was a tragic and sad day, waiting for the fate of the hostages and praying for the victims.

by Ruth Aine - 01 April 2015

Every time we think about the future of this continent, we are thinking about policy, the youth, our leaders, climate change and so on. This is understandable because we are a young continent, hence we have got to think a lot about the young generation and how we employ them, and create policy that is youth–friendly. However, there is an aspect of society that was highlighted in the recently concluded roundtable discussion hosted by the South African Node of the Millennium Project. This aspect is the role of women in society which is very crucial and translates to a secure future of the continent.