Africa Live this week: 22-28 April 2024

For the latest updates, go to bbc.com/africalive

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The Kenyan government has postponed the reopening of schools by a week due to the ongoing floods that have killed more than 80 people so far.

Data shows schools across the country have been adversely affected by the floods, Education Minister Ezekiel Machogu said in a statement late on Sunday.

"The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools are so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place," the minister added.

All schools, which were scheduled to open for the second term on 29 April, will now open on 6 May.

Some schools are hosting people who have been displaced by the floods.

As of Saturday, the confirmed death toll from floods had risen to 83 after 13 more bodies were recovered in different parts of the country. The death toll is likely to increase as the rains continue to pound the country.

More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the floods, the authorities said, with dozens others reported missing.

Kenya and other countries in East Africa have been affected by severe downpours in recent weeks.

Nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Burundi, while at least 150 people have died in Tanzania.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. To keep up with news from the continent, visit the BBC Africa webpage.

And if audio is your thing, have a listen to the BBC's Focus on Africa and Africa Daily podcasts.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Quote Message: Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together." from An Ashanti proverb sent by Frank Osei Kwabena Asamoah in Obuasi, Ghana

Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of children at Friday's Earth Day marathon in Cairo, Egypt.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

AFPCopyright: AFP

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr has said she is "prepared" for any criticism over her decision to open for US musician Chris Brown on his upcoming US tour.

Chris Brown's violent assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 became one of the biggest news stories of that year.

Brown received five years' probation and a community service order for the assault.

When asked if she is aware that she may be criticised for touring with Brown because of said assault, Starr told the BBC's Focus on Africa podcast: "I'm prepared, I'm ready... I won't respond, I'll let people do their thing and I'm just going to work."

"Rihanna is my queen but I try to, like, separate my work".

Starr, who has rapidly become one of Africa's most popular musicians, said Rihanna is her "number one" and she would like to collaborate with the Barbados-born icon "by God's grace".

Starr recently finished recording her second album, The Year I Turned 21.

Listen to the full Focus on Africa episode here.

MVLCOLMCopyright: MVLCOLM

When Mozambican DJ and super-producer Tarico came up with a particularly energetic beat one day, he couldn’t have predicted how it would change his life and that of his two friends.

One of those friends, songwriter and vocalist Nelson Tivane, came up with the lyric "Yaba Buluku", inspired by the sound of coins jangling in a pocket

The other friend, Preck, belted out that lyric with his gravelly, powerful voice. It was an instant hit.

"After we concluded the song we went to a rural zone and we put a car with a big sound there, and we connected the song on the car and we saw many people dancing and ask ‘who is the owner of this song?’ Then we knew this song was going to be big!"Tarico recalls, chuckling.

None other than the African Giant, Burna Boy, realised the strength of Yaba Buluku and jumped on the remix, a move which had a massive impact on Tarico, Tivane and Preck.

"We were travelling all over Africa. Too many big artists were asking us for features. People started to know our face outside of Mozambique. We became internationals," says Nelson.

"And money! I bought a car, land and a house for my mother," adds Preck.

Now calling themselves Yaba Buluku Boyz, the trio dropped their first album, Donsa, on Friday.

Like the original hit, it is high-energy, danceable amapiano, and features big African names including Ghana’s dancehall king Shatta Wale, Timaya from Nigeria and Harmonize from Tanzania.

"Music for us is coming out naturally, it’s an organic thing," says Tivane,

"When Tarico is done with the beat, he shows the boys and we start to exchange ideas. When we get to the studio, it is magical, we feel the energy. I love all the songs on the album."

To hear the Yaba Buluku Boyz in conversation listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here.

Read more about music from across Africa:

• Success allows me to explore my African roots, Akon says
• Angélique Kidjo on being hangry and Africa's tsunami of talent
• Cameroonian singer Mr Leo on finding the 'power of our voice'

BBC Africa DailyCopyright: BBC Africa Daily

A former police officer who helped suppress dissent during South Africa's apartheid era told the BBC youngsters like him were "basically brainwashed".

Lourens Groenewald spoke to the BBC's Africa Daily podcast ahead of the 30th anniversary of the fall apartheid, which takes place this Saturday.

Racial segregation was formalised by the National Party when it took over in 1948, introducing a variety of laws that made the black population second-class citizens.

But over the years, there was fierce resistance to the regime. Thousands of dissenters died, while leading political activists like Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe were incarcerated.

Explaining why he joined the notorious police force, Mr Groenewald said: "We were young people, teenagers. We were basically brainwashed concerning racism, being a patriot for your nation and your people. That’s what we believed in,"

Sandile Swana, an activist operating in the township of Soweto, spoke about the views he himself held during those years: "My feeling towards white South Africans were that they were the principal obstacle that had to be removed on my path to self-realisation."

Apartheid officially came to an end when millions of people voted in the country’s very first democratic election on the 27 April 1994. While Mr Swana was initially excited about freedom, he is now disillusioned. "My children face terrible odds. There’s absolutely nothing [jobs-wise] for graduates."

• Listen to the full Africa Daily podcast here