CONTINENTAL DRIFT

Where did the teachers go?

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) school year has begun but schools are well under half-full. Pupils are staying at home because their teachers are on strike for a living wage. Monthly salaries are just $100. It costs between $200 and $300 a term to send a child to a public school. No one is sure when the strike will end, given the DRC’s already weakened economy and political instability.

Architect part of the design

Namibian architect Ben Kathindi chained himself to a fence in protest against the ministry of works’ alleged exploitation of quantity surveyors, engineers and architects. His placard read: “Slaves for hire/for sale.” A former regional officer found keys on Kathindi and unchained him, ending the protest. This is the second time Kathindi has demanded that the government pays the debts owed to his firm.

WhatsApp with online hate?

Social media trolls are in danger — the Kenyan government is taking up the fight against online hate-mongering. Two administrators on WhatsApp chat groups were recently arrested and charged with sharing messages that threatened national security. They will also face charges of spreading alarming propaganda. This unprecedented move comes in light of the hate speech circulated during and after last month’s presidential elections and the digital warfare waged between Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party and Raila Odinga’s opposition coalition. But there are concerns that the new policy could also be used to silence critical voices.

Another great escape

Almost 100 inmates escaped from a prison in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday. The mass jailbreak is the latest in a string of escapes in the West African country. A judicial source told AFP: “The inmates went through the roof of their cells to get to other cells and took advantage of workers leaving to break the main gate and flee.” Officials suspect that the exodus was an “inside job”.

Sugarcane helps schoolgirls