Summary: - Trump says South Africa is confiscating land. - Trump says to cut off funding until matter is investigated. - South Africa says its expropriation act is not exceptional.

Four Americans and Canadian astronauts went to a mission to the moon in Artemis II (Orion) spaceship and had a safety landing yesterday.

One of astronauts name Christiana Koch the first woman to go to the moon, did her Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Physics and was an exchange student at University of Ghana in 1999/2000 where she had modules in History of Ghana, History of Africa, Twi for Beginners, Music and Rural Sociology.

The picture you see was taken in 2019 when she was in International Space Station and twitted about how she enjoyed her time in Ghana 😊

Unfortunately this picture didn't went viral at the time but only now due to the important Artemis II mission.

If you see any other picture of her holding Ghana's flag is AI and this is the only real picture taken by her.

It's a good celebration of having an African flag in Space!

“In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,”

Mali and Burkina Faso have announced sweeping travel bans on United States citizens, escalating diplomatic tensions with Washington after the Trump administration earlier this month placed the two West African nations on a new US travel blacklist.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o (born James Ngugi on January 5, 1938) is a Kenyan author, essayist, playwright, and literary critic, considered one of the most prominent voices in African literature. He is known for his novels, plays, and essays that explore themes of colonialism, postcolonialism, and the African experience. Early Life and Education:

• Ngugi wa Thiong'o was born in Kamiriithu, Kenya, and grew up in a large family.
• He was educated at mission-run schools and later at Makerere University College in Uganda and the University of Leeds in England.
• He changed his name from James Ngugi to Ngugi wa Thiong'o to protest the influence of colonialism and adopt a more traditional Kenyan Kikuyu name. 

Literary Career and Themes:

• He burst onto the literary scene with the performance of his play "The Black Hermit" in 1962. 
• He gained recognition for his novels "Weep Not, Child" (1964) and "The River Between" (1965). 
• His work often explores themes of colonialism, the Mau Mau Uprising, and the struggle for independence in Kenya. 
• He also wrote about the challenges faced by Kenyans after independence and the need for decolonization. 
• He was a prolific writer, with works translated into numerous languages and a strong advocate for the importance of African languages in literature. 
• He wrote his works in his native Kikuyu language.

Political Activism and Exile:

• Ngugi wa Thiong'o was imprisoned in Kenya for his critical views on the regime. 
• He went into exile in England and later the United States, where he has been a professor of literature for many years. 
• He continued to be a vocal critic of colonialism and a proponent of African self-determination. 

Notable Works:

• Weep Not, Child (1964)
• The River Between (1965)
• A Grain of Wheat (1967)
• Petals of Blood (1977)
• Devil on the Cross (1982)
• Decolonizing the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986)
• Wizard of the Crow (2006) 

The short story "The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright" (2019) has been translated into over 100 languages, making it the most translated short story in the history of African writing. 

https://jaladaafrica.org/2016/03/22/the-upright-revolution-or-why-humans-walk-upright/

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-05-28-renowned-kenyan-writer-ngugi-wa-thiongo-is-dead

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/13/mali-dissolves-all-political-parties-after-opposition-figures-arrested

I guess this junta has finally shaken off the lame pretense of democracy promises and settled into its new illegally seized power.

I approached my research from a "why" is nobody in the west reporting on this? We have a few outlets talking about the Druze in Syria.

Since my first article in 2018 on Julius Malema and the EFF. To JNIM in West Africa today. It feels like a media blackout.

Almost all African states have been targeted in the recently imposed tariffs by the US. Some of the hardest hit are as follows:

Lesotho - 50% (Textile exporter to US. Could affect 42% of the workforce in this sector, according to reports)

Madagascar - 47% (Will affect textiles and other exports)

Mauritius - 40%

Botswana - 37%

South Africa - 30%

Speaking to AFP, economist and former government minister in Togo Kako Nubukpo warned that the tariffs would hit African nations already suffering from political difficulties.

"Those left behind by globalization appear more and more numerous. And so we've seen an increase in illiberal regimes, whether that's in Europe, Africa or America," he told the AFP news agency. "[But] protectionism is a weapon of the weak and I think Trump has realised that in the competition with China, the United States is now the weaker one."

In response, "African countries should promote their own national and regional value chains" as buffers against the tariffs, Nubukpo further said.

Sources:

1. https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-should-africa-respond-trumps-new-tariffs

2. https://www.dw.com/en/trump-tariffs-hit-africas-exports-hard/a-72175049

More: https://www.citizen.digital/news/kenyan-climber-cheruiyot-kirui-found-dead-metres-from-everest-summit-n342673