West Africa

Country: West Africa

High-speed train Al-Boraq in Rabat Agdal station (photo: Claudia Mende)

Al Boraq, M6 and neo-liberalism

Morocco's fast-track development programme bypasses many

Morocco is receiving much international recognition for its policy of modernisation, but the weaknesses of the model are obvious. By Claudia MendeMore

Economic Community of West African States: Morocco's grand plan: In pursuit of economic union Digitalisation and the coronavirus in Morocco: From care to control?Morocco's social gulf: The many faces of poverty

Launching "Sauti", Africa's first ever feminist blog (source: Office Of The African Union Special Envoy On Youth)

Sauti – Africa young feminist blog

Giving a voice to young African women during coronavirus

The end of July saw the launch of the African Union’s "Sauti" digital publication, the first young feminist platform in Africa, which this year showcases stories by female youth on their initiatives and their challenges in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Alessandra Bajec reportsMore

Profile: Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick: Role model for Africa's women Womenʹs rights in Sudan: Motivated by hope Women′s rights in Islam: Can feminism be Islamic?Muslim women in northern Nigeria: The example of Nana Asma'u

Still from "Baamum Nafi", lit.: Nafi's father (source: Joye Didi Entertainment Company)

Islamism in Senegal

A fight for the soul of Islam

Violent Islamist fundamentalism has not yet come to Senegal, but it could – just as it has in Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. A fascinating new feature film from Senegal shows how it could happen. By Aviva FreudmannMore

Islamists in Africa: The ever-present threat Senegalʹs "talibes" – begging for Islam ″Touba″ – a film documentary: Pilgrimage to Sheikh Bamba

A Peul woman from Ivory Coast in traditional dress (photo: DW/E. Lafforgue)

Ivory Coast: a slow rebirth

After its independence from France, the Ivory Coast was called the "Miracle of Africa" for its religious and ethnic harmony. But the dynamic country still faces many challenges. More...More

Economic Community of West African States: Morocco's grand plan: In pursuit of economic union Qantara dossier: West Africa

Album review: Diali Cissokho and Kaira Baʹs "Routes"

Marrying music and culture

Diali Cissokho left his native Senegal for North Carolina years ago. Raised as a griot, one of the traditional musical story tellers and historians of West Africa, he wanted to continue playing music in his new home. It may have taken a while to find the musicians he was looking for but, writes Richard Marcus, it was worth the waitMore

Album: ″Lost in Mali″: Celebrating a musical landscape Album review: "The Paris Session" by The Touré-Raichel Collective: Expanding each other's musical horizons Qantara dossier: Musical Worlds

Morocco′s King Mohammed VI (left) with the president of Ivory Coast, Alasanne Ouattara, in Abidjan (photo: Getty Images/AFP)

Economic Community of West African States

Morocco's grand plan: In pursuit of economic union

Morocco is launching a charm offensive as the kingdom seeks to expand its influence in West Africa. Membership of the economic union ECOWAS is also on the agenda. Yet not everyone welcomes the idea. By Gwendolin HilseMore

Morocco's monarchy and the conflict with the PJD: All power to the palace Western Sahara – the last colony in Africa: ″Armed resistance is their only choice″Democratic change in Morocco: Winners and losers in a new political climate

Author and journalist Wolfgang Bauer (photo: Wikimedia Commons, Schelm)

Non-fiction: ″Stolen Girls″ by Wolfgang Bauer

What hides in the woods

Satellite images of Duhu, Gubla or Gulak reveal little. A road flanked by scattered settlements runs through sparse terrain. Somewhat further away, the Sambisa forest. North-eastern Nigeria – home to the Islamist terrorist organisation Boko Haram, described by Wolfgang Bauer in his shocking and poignant reportage ″Stolen Girls″More

Islamists in Africa: The ever-present threat The rise of Boko Haram: When the terror began Interview with war photographer Andy Spyra: The pull of war

The Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke shrine (still from the ″Touba″ documentary)

″Touba″ – a film documentary

Pilgrimage to Sheikh Bamba

Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's documentary film "Touba" is a chronicle of the largest Sufi pilgrimage in sub-Saharan Africa. A review by Marian BrehmerMore

Combating violent extremism: Could Sufi Islam be the cure-all?Photo essay: The Sufis of Khartoum Qantara dossier: "Islam in Africa"

″Pioneering women in the Arab-Islamic History of Education″: Fatima al-Fihri (source: Raseef22)

Women and Arab-Islamic education

The doyennes of learning

The first university in the world was founded by a Muslim woman. One of the Arab world′s most prestigious and oldest universities was also founded by an Arab princess. Women had a remarkable role in building schools and patronising the sciences throughout Islamic history. By Tharwat Al-BatawiMore

Taha Hussein and the democratisation of education in Egypt: The sea of knowledge The decline of Islamic scientific thought: Don't blame it on al-Ghazali ''The House of Wisdom'' by Jim Al-Khalili: The golden age of learning in the Arab-speaking world

Strangers in their own country: Ivory Coast is home to 62 different ethnic groups, including the Peuls. But many don't have Ivorian citizenship because the government demands that at least one of their parents were born here – difficult to prove without proper documents. Without Ivorian citizenship, they can't open a bank account or get a driver's licence, leaving many Peuls feeling like foreigners in their own country

Ivory Coast: a slow rebirth

After its independence from France, the Ivory Coast was called the "Miracle of Africa" for its religious and ethnic harmony. But the ...More

Country: West Africa

In brief

Most Recent Photo Essay