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Kenyan conservationists are slowly reintroducing a rare species of antelope into the wild. Dubbed the 'ghost of the forest' for its ability to camouflage itself, very few mountain bong antelopes remain, as many were decimated by diseases in the 1960s.
On the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit at Strathmore University, François Picard is pleased to welcome Cameroonian-born historian, writer, and political thinker Joseph-Achille Mbembe. He offers deep insight and a multidimensional analysis of a continent in the midst of profound psychological, sociopolitical and economic transformation. Author of The Earthly Community and one of Africa’s leading voices on postcolonial sovereignty, Mbembe argues that while institutional change remains uneven, a deeper rupture has already occurred: “What has ended is the rule of gerontocracy… It has ended in the minds of the people. And that is what matters.”
For Mbembe, contemporary Africa is neither a story of collapse nor uncomplicated renewal, but a continent moving “in multiple directions at the same time,” where “chaotic situations, almost cataclysmic” coexist with “attempts at reinventing democracy from below.” Driven increasingly by young people, women, intellectuals, and civil society actors, these struggles, he argues, may determine whether Africa’s new sovereignty becomes merely another scramble for resources, or the foundation of more open, durable societies.
Ultimately, Mbembe insists that Africa’s future will not be built on deficit narratives, but on civilisational confidence: “Africa must build not on the basis of what it lacks, but on the basis of what it already has.”
In Kenya, dozens of heads of states are gathered for the two-day Africa Forward summit, meant to platform the best of Africa and channel ressources to opportunity there. The summit is co-hosted with France and more than 23 billion euros of investment has already been pledged because of it. But it is also hosted in an English-speaking country for the first time, as France turns towards Anglophone Africa while its influence in former colonies dwindles. FRANCE 24's Tom Canetti tells us more.
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer is under mounting pressure to step down a day after he said his departure would bring instability. He's been facing the heat since last week's dismal election results showed the Labour Party lost significant ground nearly two years after sweeping to victory in the General Election. Among those asking him to resign are several of his cabinet ministers.
All passengers of the cruiseship hit by hantavirus have all evacuated, with several cases confirmed. According to the World Health Organisation, there is nothing to far as this is not another Covid. But some still fear it could trigger the return of safety precautions for the wider public - including mandatory mask wearing. But is that really likely?
At the Africa Forward summit in Kenya, French President Emmanuel Macorn is hoping to boost a new kind of partnership with African countries. France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region. But after years of criticism from leaders and opposition parties in those countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach, France has been forced to withdraw most of those troops. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert looks at how Macron aims to do that, in the face of other big investors.
International film stars, directors and fans have begun descending on the French Riviera for Cannes. The 79th edition of the world's most famous film festival begins on May 12 and will run for the next two weeks, with a constant parade of red carpets, premieres and the best of cinema. The lineup is indie and international but one big hitter is notably underrepresented in the competition: and that's Hollywood. Eliza Herbert takes a look at what's to come.
China says it is ready to work with the United States in the pursuit of "more stability" globally, ahead of this week's meeting between leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. The White House has said the visit - the first of an American president to China since 2017 - is of "tremendous symbolic significance". The war in Iran is likely to be top of the agenda, with Beijing also signalling that they want Taiwan to be central to discussions.
As Donald Trump rejects Iran's counterproposals, Tehran has reacted saying that the Iranian government doesn't care if the United States aren't happy with the proposals. The United States had agreed to lifting such sanctions and freeing funds, but it first wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment and hand over its stocks. Residents in the capital are concerned about the war extending despite the current ceasefire.
All of the passengers have now been evacuated from a cruiseship hit by an outbreak of the hantavirus. The MV Hondius had been docked in the Spanish Island of Tenerife; it will now head to the Netherlands. Three cruiseship passengers have died and at least seven people with confirmed cases of the virus are among those being quarantined, including a French woman.