Africa 54 - June 25, 2021

You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: Afrigen Biologics expects a decision in mid-July on partners to produce Africa's first COVID-19 vaccine using the MRNA platform, according to the South African start-up's managing director. Soraya Ali has more. Uganda's reinstatement of a coronavirus transportation lockdown through the end of July is squeezing the ability of many people to earn a living.  Street market traders are forced to bicycle, walk long distances or just sleep in the market.  Halima Athumani reports from Kampala. The World Food Program says communities in Madagascar are on the verge of starvation, with women and children walking for hours to reach food. Southern parts of the island are suffering through its worst drought in 40 years. Africa 54 Managing Editor Vincent Makori has the details. Around 140 militia fighters handed over their weapons and surrendered in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this week, but some conflict analysts say last month's declaration of martial law will not tackle the root causes of surging violence. David Doyle explains. Burkina Faso and the United Nations say a massacre in the northeast of the West African country, in which more than 130 people were killed this month was carried out mostly by children between the ages of 12 and 14. Armed assailants raided the village of Solhan on the evening of June 4th, opened fire on residents and burned homes. It was the worst attack in years in an area plagued by jihadists linked to the Islamic State and al Qaeda. Burkina Faso spokesman Ousseni Tamboura says many of the attackers were children, prompting condemnation from the U.N. ..... The White House reportedly began preparations this week to move thousands of Afghans who aided U.S. troops to an interim third country while they wait to apply for special immigrant visas. The move comes amid bipartisan criticism from lawmakers who say the United States is not fulfilling a promise to protect Afghan partners who provided support during the nearly two-decade conflict. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. Astronauts make power moves outside the International Space Station. The Northern Hemisphere sees its longest day of the year -- plus: do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Details in The Week in Space from VOA’s Arash Arabasadi. Malian refugees Amiri Ag Abdoulaye and Mohammed Ould Najim met in a Burkina Faso refugee camp after spending much of their youth fleeing Islamist violence and struggling with trauma – until they found dance.  The young men joined a program founded by an internationally acclaimed Burkinabè dancer that trains marginalized youth as a tool for reconciliation and healing. Clair MacDougall has this report from Ouagadougou. A historic motor rally is underway in Kenya. President Uhuru Kenyatta started the powerful 2021 Safari Rally at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi. Kenyans lined up Thursday on busy highways to catch a glimpse of the rally cars being driven by not only Kenyan drivers but also world rally champions who had never rallied in Africa before. The World Rally Championship Safari rally is back in Kenya for the first time since 1992. A jazz festival billed as the biggest in Africa was canceled last year due to the global health crisis - this year it's back, to the relief of performers and fans. Here again is David Doyle of Reuters. After 29 years, the old hit song “Stella” from Kenya is making a comeback…as has its legendary singer, Freshley Mwamburi. Ethno-musicologist and host of Music Time in Africa, Heather Maxwell, joins the producer of “Stella Wangu Remix” for the story. #AfrigenBiologics #Uganda #Madagascar #BurkinaFaso #Afghanistan #Mali #Kenya