Sahelien.com's regional coverage
Happy New Year!
I hope you were able to get some measure of rest and peace during this winter break. I just wanted to share the news that the team at Sahelien.com has launched our bilingual English/French regional coverage across West Africa. Please sign up for our newsletter to get original text, photo and video reporting delivered to your inbox. Here are some of the stories we’ve done so far.
Covid-19 puts 1.4 million children out of school in Liberia
So far only 1,800 people have been infected, and the virus has killed 88 people in ten months, according to public health officials. By contrast, there are 1,800 new infections every 15 minutes and 109 people killed every hour in the U.S., the worst hit country in the world. Varney Kamara reported from Bong County that while the health impact in Liberia is relatively low, the secondary and tertiary impacts have been devastating.
The #ArewaMeToo movement endures
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu wrote a very informative essay about the birth, evolution and future of the #ArewaMeToo movement in northern Nigeria. #ArewaMeToo has evolved into a multi-pronged movement that continues to fight sexual violence throughout northern Nigeria via social media, peaceful protests, and outreach programs to schools as well as parents in rural communities.
#EndSARS is a rare moment of class solidarity in Nigeria
Saratu Abiola wrote an excellent analysis on the #EndSARS movement as a rare rallying point the resonated across classes in Nigeria. “#EndSARS broke the cycle of mistrust and showed that there might still be hope for salvaging Nigerians’ faith in each other,” she argued. Her article was accompanied by evocative photos from Fawaz Oyedeji.
Encounters with Nigerian police, illustrated
To honor the #EndSARS movement, Sahelien.com solicited stories of encounters with Nigerian police, and commissioned artist Ngadi Smart to illustrate them. These stories show the everyday horror Nigerians face at the hands of the police, and the courage citizens show in resisting their brutality.
Guinea begins Covid-19 vaccination campaign despite low trust in government
Guinea became the first West African country to begin its Covid-19 vaccination campaign. It started with a 60-dose pilot trial of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for a select group of government ministers. Youssouf Bah reported from Conakry.
Senegal will launch its Covid-19 vaccination campaign by March 2021
Elimane Ndao reported from Dakar on the country’s vaccination plans. It is going with the WHO’s Covax program.
First-time voters on Ghana’s democracy
First-time voters in Accra share their experiences and reasons for casting votes during 2020 Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections, accompanied by portraits by Misper Apawu.
For all of Sahelien.com’s West Africa coverage, please visit sahelien.com/en/west-africa/.