Stories

Johnny Smythe was one of very few West Africans to fly with Britain’s air force during the Second World War and his son, Eddie Smythe shares his story; for too long has passed for many stories to remain untold. A Sierra Leonean, Johnny…

Nurses from Africa are a vital part of the UK’s medical workforce. Cecilia Anim who migrated from Ghana to the UK in 1972 is one nurse who has made her mark in the UK’s National Health Service. Humans of Africa is celebrating her…

The colonial era put a whirl spin on true cultural identities by teaching schoolchildren in English, ignoring Kenya’s several languages including the widely spoken, Kiswahili. By the time of independence, mother-tongues were at risk of…

When Olpha Selepe told her children she wanted to release her own pop song, they pleaded with her not to. They didn't want to hurt her feelings, but it just wasn't what 65-year-old retired teachers did. Her siblings agreed, urging her…

Two Ethiopian soldiers have given dramatic accounts of a co-ordinated night-time raid on their camps at the start of the Tigray crisis last month by fighters linked to the now-overthrown regional administration. The Tigray People's…

Tolulope Adeleke-Aire is a trained nurse and midwife who moved to Nigeria from the UK. She’s teaching men what to expect during pregnancy and delivery, as well as taking care of their newborn . “I really want dads to be a lot more…

Axel Tuanzebe, the star outperforming his teammates in Manchester United football club wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do so if his parents hadn’t made the decision to leave their home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. “I…

In February of 2016, Hauwa Ojeifo considered taking her own life. She had spent a significant part of her teenage and early adult life years battling symptoms such as mood swings, bouts of exhaustion, fainting spells and…

When I meet Ahmed, he is shackled in a room all alone. There are marks on his body from the beatings he has been given. He doesn't know how old he is, but he's probably about 10. The school I find him in is one of 23 Islamic educational…

Just 25 years old, in 2019, Ifeanyi Ugokwe tried to take his own life after roaming the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, jobless, hungry, and desperate. “I was depressed, I was frustrated. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have a family. I didn’t…