S2,EP 19: Kenya's disappearing donkeys, Bamenda recycling in wartime & Malawi's modern chief

This week, Africa Calling podcast brings you audio-rich stories and voices from the African continent with our African correspondents. In Kenya, donkeys disappearing off the streets in the rural areas are causing havoc for residents; some in Bamenda, Cameroon, are trying to improve waste disposal and recycling amidst the Anglophone Crisis, and in Malawi, one famous musician packed it in and went back to the village to preserve his culture for the community ... and posterity.

For this week’s podcast, Kenya correspondent Victor Moturi travels far and wide, speaking to water vendors and donkey owners Benard Irungu and Joseph Thendu; Raphael Ngome, the supervisor at the Kenya Society for Protection of Animals at Naivasha sub county, explains the background behind the disappearances and the link to Chinese abatoirs in the country; and Dr Raphael Kinoti, a director at Brooke East Africa, an organization which deals with donkey and zebra welfare, also speaks about donkey disappearances.

From Bamenda, Cameroon, reporter Sylvie Yukfu speaks to Bamendan Mary Jovita Ningitho about the waste problem and environmentalist Ebai Maurice Tambe weighs in; Cameroonians Brian Tawe and Wilson Munga discuss their novel solutions to the waste problem, while agricultural engineers John Nyouh and Erasmus Tewu share their visions on how waste collection can help create products.

Malawi correspondent Charles Pensulo speaks to recording artist Ben Michael Mankhamba, now called Mankhamba or Village Headman Chingalire, who has created rural homestays that are focused around his culture; dancers Victor Foutain and Elita Yosefe weigh in on their traditional performances; and Dr Mwayi Lusaka, a Lecturer in History and Heritage Studies at Mzuzu University speaks about the importance of preserving this culture.

 Afrorave music from Nigeria in this episode by Rena, as selected by Alison Hird.

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Africa Calling is produced by Radio France Internationale. Editor and host, Laura-Angela Bagnetto, sound editing by Cécile Pompeani and  Laurie Plisson.

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