Straight Talk Africa - VOA Africa Voice of America (VOA)

In this edition of Straight Talk Africa, U.S. President Joe Biden drops out of the presidential race and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris. Can Harris mobilize and inspire the electorate in the United States? Host Vincent Makori is joined by Yetunde Omede, professor of global affairs and director of the office of Civic and Community Engagement at the State University of New York and Bruce Fein, a lawyer specializing in constitutional and international law.

On Straight Talk Africa: Join host Vincent Makori as we take a closer look at America’s political conventions.  The Republican National Convention is taking place this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We'll discuss how political conventions have evolved since they began in the 1830’s and what they can potentially achieve ahead of the November election. Guests include VOA Africa correspondent Carol Van Dam Valk, J. Peter Pham,
distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and Hans Noel, associate professor of government at Georgetown University.

On Straight Talk Africa, host Vincent Makori will take a closer look at NATO’s milestones over the decades and the relationship between the military alliance and the African Union. U.S. President Joe Biden is hosting NATO leaders as they gather in Washington to commemorate 75 years of the alliance. There will be a particular focus on the war in Ukraine. Guests include VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, Jason C. Moyer of the Wilson Center's Global Europe Program and professor Kwaku Nuama of American University’s School of International Service.  

On this edition of Straight Talk Africa, as Kenya’s youth threaten to continue protesting, what is next for President William Ruto? Will he standby by his pledge to not pass the bill to increase taxes? And will he meet with the youth who are calling for him to step down? Vincent Makori hosts Straight Talk Africa as we take a closer look at the Kenyan president and how he navigates the political landscape of one of East Africa’s most democratically stable and economically developed nations that appears to be crumbling.

On this edition of Straight Talk Africa: In 1998, Kailash Satyarthi marched around the world for a cause that mobilized millions against child labor. Now, after visiting several African countries, the Nobel prize laureate is trying to protect children and keep them in school. Join host Vincent Makori for a special edition of Straight Talk Africa on child labor and the efforts of one man to end the practice.

In this edition of Straight Talk Africa host Vincent Makori discusses the plight of forcibly displaced people on the continent and talks to 2 former refugees from South Sudan, who have now become changemakers. John Thon Majok is the Director of Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC and
Mary Maker is the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Refugee Agency. VOA United Nations Correspondent Margaret Besheer also joins the show from the UN Headquarters for a look into the global trends for refugees.