Africa Matters

Iran’s trade with Africa tops $1.2 billion in 11 months

South Africa with 605,097 tons worth $317.57 million was Iran’s main trade partner in the African continent during the period. It was followed by Mozambique with 394.3 tons worth $189.17 million and Ghana with 313,433 tons worth $164.65 million. Data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show Iran exported 2.37 million tons of goods worth $1.15…

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Calm Down: how a Nigerian singer and a Cameroonian dancer inspired a powerful protest in Iran

On 8 March 2023, five teenage girls uploaded on social media a video of themselves performing the Calm Down Dance Challenge. This is the choreography for the first verse of the Afrobeats hit Calm Down by Nigerian singer Rema (Divine Ikubor). The girls were following people across the world who’ve made this dance challenge go viral for over a…

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China is Uniting Middle East—That’s Bad News for U.S.

A diplomatic deal in the Middle East was notable as much for a breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran as it was for the absence of American input. Story by Brendan Cole The March 10 agreement between the regional rivals to imminently reopen embassies after a seven-year hiatus was brokered in secret by China. It raised questions over whether…

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