The case for banning commercial gambling starts with the money households cannot afford to lose—and the futures a betting slip cannot build. OPINION / EVIDENCE & PERSPECTIVE · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A sports-betting kiosk in Douala, Cameroon, photographed in November 2017. Illustrative archive image; this is not a photograph of a person […]
UNITED AFRICA TODAY / EXPLORE
Africa
Democracy must survive the morning after
The ballot matters. So does the life a citizen can safely live after challenging the people in power. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE African Union conference centre in Addis Ababa, 21 May 2015. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Andrew Moore / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA […]
Zimbabwe: who owns the political clock?
When the rules change, citizens deserve more than an instruction to wait longer. They deserve a meaningful say. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Zimbabwe’s new Parliament building, 12 August 2024. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Mangwanani / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Resized; homepage thumbnails may […]
Tanzania: counting the dead is only the beginning
A national total cannot answer the questions belonging to each family. An inquiry has to do more than produce a number. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Dar es Salaam skyline, 20 October 2007. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Ali Damji / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA […]
Zambia: power must answer for the use of force
A security allegation must face evidence. A reported death must face independent scrutiny. Neither duty cancels the other. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Zambia’s National Assembly building, 27 January 2016. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Lighton Phiri / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. Resized; homepage […]
Mozambique: the election ended. The questions did not.
A result can be announced in a room. The demand for answers after a death does not end there. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Maputo viewed from Alto Mae, 6 February 2026. Illustrative location photograph, not an image of the violence discussed. Photo: Wisneyykarin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; […]
Made in Africa. Worth coming back for.
Pride can persuade someone to make a first purchase. Quality and care are what bring them back. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Basket weaving in Rwanda, 2017. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Masako Kato / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be cropped. Photo and thumbnail adaptations remain […]
The opportunity you cannot afford to open
A job application can be free to submit and expensive to reach. That difference decides who gets a chance. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A participant using a phone at a Wikimania watch party in Kenya, 2022. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Queen Asali / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; […]
A connection is not enough. Keep the lights on.
The promise of electricity is what people can do with it tomorrow—not only the photograph of a switch being turned on. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE Solar panels photographed for Innovation Africa, 2025. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: IAfrica76 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be cropped. Photo […]
Give the city back its hours
The cost of a city is also the time it takes from the people who keep it working. OPINION · BY MOSTY CHANSA AND GOODNEWS MATETE A Casablanca Busway vehicle photographed in 2023, before the service’s launch. Illustrative archive photograph. Photo: Turdyfirst / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Image resized; homepage thumbnails may be […]
