From: NewsFeed
Huge crowds greet Pope Leo in Cameroon 20 years after outreach trip
Huge crowds have greeted Pope Leo in Cameroon, returning to a country he visited 20 years ago as ‘Father Bob’.
![Roelf Meyer, South African politician and new ambassador to the US, in 2018 [File: Wikus de Wet/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AFP__20180515__14Z893__v1__HighRes__SafricaAgricultureEconomy-1776222341.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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From: Counting the Cost
Who controls the Strait of Hormuz?
A US move to block the strait has intensified a broader struggle over who controls access and under what terms.
Published On 14 Apr 2026
Jailed Senegal fans deny wrongdoing in AFCON final chaos in Morocco
Jailed Senegal fans await judge’s reply to their denial of wrongdoing at the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco.
IPL switch leads to two-year PSL ban for Zimbabwe’s Muzarabani
Muzarabani had agreed to join Islamabad United but switch to India’s Kolkata Knight Riders led to Pakistan cricket ban.
Carlos Queiroz named Ghana head coach before World Cup
The Portuguese coach takes charge after the sacking of Otto Addo, and will lead the Black Stars at the FIFA World Cup.
Benin’s Wadagni wins presidential election with landslide 94% of votes
The incoming president faces serious security issues in the north of the country and challenges to living standards.
Ghanaian footballer Dominic Frimpong killed in armed attack on team bus
Berekum Chelsea’s Dominic Frimpong died when armed robbers attacked the Ghana Premier League team travelling home.
![Dominic Frimpong was a winger for Berekum Chelsea, a club in the Ghana Premier League [X/@AmoakoKwam]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/HFxNvnhXUAAb3OX-1776067981.jpeg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Pope Leo lands in Algeria for historic visit as he starts Africa tour
The pope will also visit Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea during his 11-day trip to the continent.
Kafat Abdulhakem loops a bundle of thread used in making aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the Yoruba ethnic group, in her home workshop in Iseyin, Nigeria. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Waliu Fransisco separates tangled thread used for aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the Yoruba ethnic group. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
While many weavers in Iseyin are middle-aged men, younger artisans like Fransisco are joining the trade, introducing fresh ideas and skills. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Some collaborate with graphic artists to develop innovative designs. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
A man dips thread into a starch gel to bind and strengthen fabric while making aso-oke. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Despite increasing demand, the craft remains rooted in traditional methods. Attempts to mechanise production have been limited or unsuccessful. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"If you use a machine to weave aso-oke, it won't come out as nice as if it was handwoven," explains Kareem Adeola while working on a yellow-and-olive piece. "People have tried it before, and it did not work. It is meant by God to be handwoven." [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Adhering to traditional weaving techniques causes physical strain and health risks from prolonged sitting, but weavers insist this painstaking process defines the fabric's authenticity. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Once worn exclusively by Nigeria's wealthy and ruling class for special occasions, aso-oke now appears in designer studios across major cities, on London and Paris runways, and transformed into shoes, bags, and purses. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"It is no longer reserved for special occasions," notes Isiaq Yahaya, a 45-year-old mathematician. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Kareem Adeola creates aso-oke at a weaving workshop in Iseyin. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"There is nothing wrong with your culture being worn by other people," says Ayomitide Okungbaye, the 31-year-old creative director of Lagos-based Tide Chen, who has exhibited aso-oke designs in London. "Where we start to have a problem is when there's misappropriation or people start to claim ownership." [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Designers acknowledge that aso-oke's growing international exposure has elevated it to global status but also raised concerns about cultural ownership. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Meanwhile, adire, another Yoruba fabric produced using tie-dye techniques, already faces challenges from Chinese counterfeiting. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
People arrange finished aso-oke in a store in Iseyin. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
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Polls close in Benin with finance minister expected to win election
Former President Patrice Talon has stepped down after two five-year terms.
Dozens feared dead in air strike on village in northeastern Nigeria
Amnesty International says more than 100 people killed in military attack on a market in Jilli village.
