Spotlight on Africa

RFI English

An in-depth look at an important story affecting the African continent today.

  1. 5d ago

    Africa's sound, African film at Cannes and the World Cup kick-off

    This week, Spotlight on Africa explores cinema and music scoring for African documentary projects with storytellers from Mozambique and Kenya. We will also bring you news from the Cannes Film Festival, along with the African teams selected to take part in the football World Cup. The next time you watch a nature documentary filmed in Africa, listen carefully to the soundtrack: you might be hearing music composed in the West, a product of "parachute" filmmaking, rather than authentic sounds and locally led stories from the continent. A group of artists, producers and organisers is working to change that through Africa Refocused, a collaboration between the National Geographic Society and Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF). NEWF offers mentorship, professional development and laboratories that teach specialised skills such as underwater cinematography and music composition, supporting a community of more than 370 storytellers from over 35 African countries, who have created 27 films and counting. Their goal is to bring authentic sounds to the screen, so that Africa's nature documentaries reflect the continent's rhythms, sounds and instruments. Spotlight on Africa spoke to two storytellers leading this movement. Dércio "Muha" Gomate is a National Geographic Explorer and Mozambican composer whose work has featured internationally, including his contribution to "Nkashi: Race for the Okavango", winner of Best Original Music Score at the 2023 Jackson Wild Film Festival. Labdi Ommes, a NEWF Fellow, is a singer-songwriter and composer from Kenya who plays the orutu, an instrument women were historically forbidden to play. They discuss their creative process in the field and the studio, how they are reclaiming soundscapes to replace "parachute" scores with local sounds, and how the NEWF Composers Lab is opening doors for African musicians to monetise their work and gain international exposure. Africa at Cannes 2026 Meanwhile, African films featured at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Why is African cinema out of the picture at the Cannes Film Festival? Our culture reporter Ollia Horton met the organisers of a programme supporting women film directors and screenwriters from West Africa. Mariama Lab is a year-long mentoring programme created by Collectif 50/50, a French organisation for gender equality, and the Mariama Institut, a film-writing residency in Mauritania. We will hear from Mathy Mendy, a coordinator with Collectif 50/50, and from the actress and director Azata Soro. And the World Cup! Finally, you will hear from Paul Myers, our sports reporter, who will be covering the 2026 football World Cup for RFI English. It starts on 11 June with a game between the co-hosts Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Africa's finest: Democratic Republic of Congo return renamed It is the first tournament to feature 48 teams, 10 of them African, with matches played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.       This episode was mixed by Vincent Pora.

    31 min

  2. May 26

    Global jihadism's growing grip on Africa

    As attacks from jihadist groups allied to Tuaregs continue in Mali, global jihadism threatens Africa like no other region on earth, according to ACLED's latest report. With the organisation's expert on West Africa, Spotlight on Africa explores how jihadist groups are expanding across the continent, controlling territory, targeting civilians and disrupting infrastructure. Coordinated attacks by Tuareg separatists and jihadists dealt a major new blow to the junta in power in the capital, Bamako, in the last days of April, securing the capture of Kidal, a northern rebel stronghold. Several strategic towns and areas around the capital Bamako were also targeted in the offensive by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which was launched at dawn on Saturday 25 April. Two days of intense fighting followed between Malian soldiers and the armed groups around Bamako and Kati, a garrison town and junta stronghold about 15 kilometres north of the capital. Mali's junta has now lost control of key northern areas and still faces a growing insurgent campaign that is tightening pressure around Bamako rather than directly attempting to seize the capital. Analysts say this could be a turning point for the military in power since a 2020 coup.   Mali plunged into uncertainty following coordinated attacks on junta   Mali has been beset by violence from radical Islamists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group since 2012, as well as local criminal gangs and pro-independence fighters. For more than a decade, around 300,000 refugees have fled to eastern Mauritania's desert Hodh Chargui region to escape the violence that has plagued Mali.   Héni Nsaibia is the senior analyst for West Africa at ACLED, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group. He co-wrote the organisation's latest report, released in mid-May, showing that global jihadism threatens Africa like no other region on earth. It also explores how jihadist groups are expanding across the continent, controlling territory, targeting civilians and disrupting infrastructure. Héni Nsaibia is Spotlight on Africa's guest this week. "The whole offensive in Mali really marked a turning point in the conflict," he told RFI. "It's not a development that arrived overnight; it's a gradual process that has been ongoing for many years. However, in the past few years, and especially since the military regimes in the region came to power, we have seen a degradation of the security situation in all three countries that form the alliance of Sahel states, where military officers have taken power on promises to deliver on security." JNIM is likely to maintain military pressure on the Malian regime as it attempts to isolate the capital and ultimately bring down the government, thereby posing an existential threat to Bamako, according to Nsaibia. The report also shows that West Africa has become the world's most active zone of Islamist militancy, with groups now combining improved tactics with greater coordination and the use of technologies such as armed drones. Why the Sahel is now the world’s deadliest region for terrorism   As the security landscape across the Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin shifts rapidly, the latest ACLED report reveals that jihadist activity is no longer just a series of localised insurgencies but a coordinated effort to challenge state authority across the region, with Islamic State activity in Africa hitting a record high of 86 per cent in early 2026.   Since early 2025, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has also changed tactics and conducted more complex attacks carried out in succession over a short period of time. With Héni Nsaibia, we will also discuss how jihadism has evolved across the rest of the continent. The problem is now affecting not only the three Sahelian states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, but is spreading rapidly across West Africa and beyond, including Somalia, Mozambique and the Great Lakes region.                     This episode was mixed by Erwan Rome.

    27 min

  3. May 12

    Does the Africa Forward summit signal a fresh start?

    This week, Spotlight on Africa takes you to the Africa Forward summit hosted by France and Kenya in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May. It marks the first time France has staged such an event in an English-speaking African country, and comes at a moment of change and challenges. Joining Kenyan President William Ruto at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron is accompanied by some 30 heads of state, as well as between 1,500 and 2,000 French and African business leaders and stakeholders. Young people, artists and athletes are also among those invited. Entitled Africa Forward: Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth, according to the Élysée its aim is to forge closer ties with East African economies in the wake of a series of diplomatic crises across the Sahel. France to host African summit in Kenya, in bid to ‘diversify alliances' Also on the agenda are discussions on creative and cultural industries as economic drivers, and sport as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation. The energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity and agriculture and food systems are also on the agenda. A new era? According to XN Ikari of the University of Nairobi, France appears to be looking to East Africa after failing to support its partners in West Africa. New investors, he adds, are always welcome in Kenya. For Roland Marchal, a senior research fellow at Sciences Po Paris covering Africa, the significance of the summit remains to be seen, depending on whether its promises on investment and climate justice materialise. "The simple fact that the conference will pay attention to these issues is positive in itself," he told RFI. "Macron may rhetorically commit some money for new climate initiatives, [but] this could be heard with some scepticism, as African leaders know very well that France is facing its own internal issues." He adds that Ruto has been a strong advocate for new environmental policies, and that the choice of Kenya to host the summit could therefore lend credibility to Macron's promises. "It's always good to have conferences move around and test what the audience wants," infrastructure investment expert Bowale Odumade told RFI. A central hub for transport and logistics, Nairobi also boasts a thriving financial industry and a technology start-up environment, she adds. We also speak to Kenyan entrepreneurs, as well as Phil Clark, a professor at London's School of Oriental and African Studies on the greatest challenges facing the French if they want to be seen as equal and respectful partners. This podcast was edited by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome, mixed by Erwan Rome.

    41 min

  4. Apr 28

    From reggae to grime: how black music became synonymous with a British sound

    As a major exhibition retracing how music from Africa, the Caribbean and North America merged to make a distinctly British sound opens in London, Spotlight on Africa looks at a century of black music in the diaspora. V&A East, the latest offshoot of the world-renowned Victoria & Albert Museum, opened in Stratford – the area regenerated by London's 2012 Olympic Games – on 18 April.  Its inaugural exhibition, entitled "The Music is Black: A British Story", charts the rise of black music in the UK, from early drumbeats brought over from Africa to the present day, in which African and Afro-Caribbean music reflect British multiculturalism. Black British music takes centre stage as London's V&A East opens doors From Africa via the Caribbean and North America, the contribution of musicians of African descent still resonates in the United Kingdom – from reggae to rap and grime, a contemporary black British musical genre born in East London, which has allowed young people to create a sense of belonging, while connecting to a global audience. V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford talks to RFI about how he imagined a space that would attract visitors from all over the world, as well as from across London. We also hear from curator of the exhibition Jacqueline Springer, a former music journalist, about how her team planned a display that spans centuries of history. Cathartic rhythms for West African band born in 'black London' Looking outside London, Bristol rapper and producer Tricky – whose family has roots in Jamaica, Africa and England – talks about how his city invented its own distinctive sound in the 1990s: trip hop.  And we hear how producer Tim Norfolk, of the duo The Insects, is releasing a record produced in Bristol in 1994 by the late Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Biggie Tembo, leader of the Bhundu Boys. Spotlight on Africa is produced by RFI's English language service. Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

    33 min

  5. Apr 14

    Sudan: Three years of war and new reports of meddling by Ethiopia

    This week in Spotlight on Africa: Sudan’s war enters its fourth year, with no sign of easing since fighting erupted on 15 April 2023. The conflict is intensifying, amid fresh accusations of foreign interference – most recently involving Ethiopia. The conflict, now nearing its three-year mark, has already killed tens of thousands, displaced more than eleven million people and created what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. International summits and negotiations have done little so far to put an end to the fighting, which has been marked by violations on both sides. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Sudanese civilians continue to bear the brunt of the atrocities.  The NGO’s latest report has found that forces affiliated with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and ill-treated civilians in areas under their control, denying them any due process for their rights. Sudan is also directly affected by the US-Israeli war against Iran and Tehran’s retaliation in the Persian Gulf, reducing the supply of medicines to Africa – a sector already severely impacted by funding cuts.  Sudan: rebels using sexual violence in Darfur as 'war weapon', says MSF In this episode, you'll here from the newly appointed advisor to the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) chairman in Sudan, Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, on the line from Khartoum, then Omar Digna in Cairo, Egypt – a Sudanese author and analyst – who fled the country four months after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over Khartoum.  Ethiopia's involvement Meanwhile, the RSF have been accused by the Sudanese military of launching drone attacks "from inside Ethiopian territory" since March. This constitutes the first public allegation of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict. Ethiopia has denied the claim and has also rejected allegations that it is hosting RSF camps. But the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said analysis of satellite imagery and open-source data shows activity "consistent with military assistance to the RSF" at an Ethiopian base in Asosa, in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, between late December 2025 and late March 2026. To discuss Ethiopia’s involvement in favour of the RSF, and the recent changes on the conflict, we speak to Christy Cooney, Chief of the Sudan team for the NGO Avaaz, who is regular contact with its staff in Sudan. "What the Yale team have been able to conclude with a high degree of confidence is that these vehicles are then being fitted at this Ethiopian military base, fitted with these mounted machine guns, and then being used in attacks that are where the RSF are crossing the border and launching attacks inside Sudan," Cooney said. "So there you have the Ethiopian military colluding with the RSF to launch these attacks in Blue Nile. They're colluding with an organisation that has been credibly accused of of genocide in Darfur." Chad relocates refugees amid rising tensions at border with Sudan Saving Sudan's cultural legacy One aspect that is less obvious to outsiders is the impact the war has had on the country’s culture and heritage.  Important public buildings such as the Sudan National Museum have been ransacked since the fighting broke out, putting precious historical artefacts at risk of damage, theft and trafficking. RFI's Ollia Horton looks into how Sudanese cultural institutions like the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) and the Louvre museum in France have been working together to preserve the country's heritage for future generations. Spotlight on Africa is produced by RFI's English language service. Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

    33 min

  6. Mar 31

    The Kenyan landlords helping fight gender-based violence

    In Kenya, charities are working with landlords to fight gender-based violence – in particular the domestic violence experienced by women living in overcrowded, impoverished areas. In Kibera, one of the largest informal settlements in Africa, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the NGO CFK Africa has begun helping landlords to spot and respond to domestic violence and sexual assault.   Siama Yusuf, senior programme officer for girls empowerment at CFK Africa, told RFI: "Kibera faces a persistent high level of gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse." And this reflects broader national trends, she adds, with the situation intensified by poverty and overcrowding in informal settlements such as Kibera. "Violence often happens behind closed doors and goes unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, lack of trust in institutions and the belief that such issues are private family matters," she explained.  Little by little, however, thanks to the way the charity is supporting landlords, some parts of Kenya are becoming safer places for women, as awareness on how to address the violence grows. Stigma and sisterhood: how one Kenyan woman knitted a healthcare revolution Lessons for improvement In 2025, landlords working with the charity made 92 referrals to the authorities, helping survivors of violence with life-saving support services. While landlords might once have dismissed signs of domestic violence in the homes of their tenants as a private matter, CFK Africa's training teaches them how to intervene.  One owner said that after this training, he knew that he was entitled to go and investigate upon hearing cries from inside one of his properties – where he found a father sexually assaulting his four-year-old daughter. Thanks to the landlord’s intervention, she survived. Childcare solution springs up for Nairobi's market trader mothers Geoffrey Wesonga is a landlord in Kibera who is involved in the training. "When I first heard of the programme, I was really happy because handling gender-based violence cases in Kibera was becoming something very hard to do, because we didn't have anywhere to report them," he told RFI. "The police tend to tell the perpetrator who reported the matter to them," Wesonga continues. "So, when I heard of the programme CFK was rolling out, I felt that in my capacity as a landlord, I would help many households." Kenya: The accidental librarian keeping Kibera's kids in books CFK Africa says its programme could be replicated around the globe. It quotes the work of researcher Meg Warren from Western Washington University in the United States, who conducted a study in 2024 with academics in the Democratic Republic of Congo that suggested the most powerful allies often aren't outsiders, but local leaders. It also showed male allyship was key to lasting changes. "In the past, most landlords didn't know the power they hold in preventing and reporting cases of gender-based violence," said Yusuf. "But, because the landlords usually live within or near the compounds they oversee, they frequently hear or see warning signs before anyone else, so positioning them as critical gatekeepers in prevention and response is crucial." Spotlight on Africa is produced by RFI's English language service. Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

    29 min

  7. Mar 17

    Spotlight on Africa: Africa faces security worries as Iran conflict spreads

    US and Israeli attacks on Iran are raising concerns across Africa, from security risks in the Horn of Africa to economic pressures and fears for migrant workers in the Gulf. They also come as West African countries step up cooperation against spreading jihadist violence. In this week’s Spotlight on Africa podcast, we speak to Nigeria’s presidential adviser Sunday Dare and Africa analyst Heni Nsaibia about the risks. As the conflict spreads across West Asia, the Gulf and the Red Sea, worries are growing about how it could affect the African continent. American military bases in Djibouti and Somalia lie within range of Iranian-aligned groups, while US deployments in Nigeria and Kenya further extend potential exposure. Israel also maintains military assets in Eritrea, vulnerable to missile attacks launched across the Red Sea. Such attacks could also threaten Egypt if missiles pass through its airspace. Some African countries fear security risks from the United States, Israel, Iran or Houthi forces in Yemen. Others are already suffering from rising oil prices, related food insecurity and concerns for migrant workers. More than 700,000 African workers remain in Gulf states as missile strikes continue in the region. Fearful African migrants warily work on through Gulf missile strikes Ladd Serwat, an analyst on Africa at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED – a conflict data organisation), writes regular analyses on Iran’s regional reach and the security implications of the war for Africa. He said direct military action by Israel or the United States against Iranian allies in Africa remains unlikely, but cannot be ruled out. Nigeria and jihadist insecurity Meanwhile, West Africa is facing a rise in jihadist attacks in the Sahel. Violence has increasingly spread south to coastal countries such as Benin, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire, prompting governments to seek stronger cross-border cooperation. Authorities in Benin and Nigeria announced this week plans for a joint security operation along their shared border. The move aims to combat militant groups operating in the area. In the podcast, Sunday Dare, senior adviser to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, discusses security challenges facing the country, including the Islamist insurgency and the need for regional and international cooperation. And Heni Nsaibia, ACLED’s West Africa senior analyst, who's done extensive research on jihadism, explores the relevance of this partnership.   Episode mixed by Erwan Rome. Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale's English language service.

    31 min

  8. Mar 3

    Spotlight on Africa: Reflections on the future of the African Union

    African Heads of State convened for the 2026 African Union Summit last month at a critical time for the continent, amid escalating conflicts and democratic backsliding. This episode examines the AU's relationship with the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, and its place within a fractured global order. At the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital and home to the headquarters of the organisation, leaders held debates on conflicts, institutional reform, financial sovereignty, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and Africa’s place in the emerging new geopolitical order. Giorgia Meloni was a guest of honour, invited to co-host the second Italy-Africa Summit and to consider a strategy to tackle the root causes of migration. United Nations secretary-general António Guterres was also in attendance, and called again for two permanent seats for Africa on the UN Security Council. The rotational chair passed from Angola to Burundi, putting leadership of the AU for 2026 with the latter's President Évariste Ndayishimiye. Outgoing chair João Lourenço, president of Angola, parted with the warning that: "Normalising coup-makers who retake power through elections cannot become standard practice." With 10 military coups having taken place on the continent since 2020 and elections held in a climate of repression, plus wars in Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and insurgency in the Sahel region, observers agree that Africa needs stronger institutions and leadership. We spoke with Liesl Louw-Vaudran, senior advisor for the AU at the International Crisis Group (ICG), and Désiré Assogbavi, an international development strategist with more than two decades of experience in policy analysis. African Union summit opens, as continent faces conflict and climate extremes Imprints of violence Also in this episode, we meet South African photographer Jo Ractliffe, whose images focus on the residues of violence left by apartheid, regional conflict and population displacement. South African photographer Jo Ractliffe captures imprints of violence   RFI's Isabelle Martinetti met her in Paris, where her latest exhibition "Out of Place" is showing at the Jeu de Paume, displaying work from the past four decades. With photographs taken in South Africa and Angola, several of which are being shown in France for the first time, the exhibition explores places marked by history and trauma. Episode edited by Melissa Chemam and mixed by Erwan Rome. Spotlight on Africa is produced by RFI's English service.

    30 min
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About

An in-depth look at an important story affecting the African continent today.

Information

  • Creator
    RFI English
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Radio France Internationale
  • Show Website
    Spotlight on Africa

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