Erin Conway-Smith

In Nelson Mandela’s Will, A Snapshot Of His Life

A young member of the Maitibolo Cultural Troupe, who came to dance for well-wishers in honor of Nelson Mandela, poses for well-wishers in front of a placard of Mandela (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Nelson Mandela’s last will and testament reads like a journey through the former South African president’s remarkable life. Much […]

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith
A young member of the Maitibolo Cultural Troupe, who came to dance for well-wishers in honor of Nelson Mandela, poses for well-wishers in front of a placard of Mandela (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Nelson Mandela’s last will and testament reads like a journey through the former South African president’s remarkable life. Much of his estate, worth an estimated $4.1 million, was bequeathed to his large and fractious family. But Mandela’s will — released Monday, two months after his death — also touchingly

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Nyaope: The Street Drug That’s The Scourge Of South Africa’s Townships

A dangerous cocktail of heroin and anti-HIV drugs lets some of South Africa’s poorest get high for just $3 a hit.

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

  BOKSBURG, South Africa — Mpho was a bored teenager growing up in the bleak sprawl of big city Johannesburg, with few opportunities and little to do for fun. When a friend offered her “nyaope,” she didn’t say no. “I wanted to feel happy,” she said, recounting her first experience smoking the cocktail drug. “And I felt so happy and so

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Rats, Locusts And Hungry Children: Just Another Day In Madagascar

Madagascar has fallen into an economic ‘abyss.’ Can elections put the country back on track?

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — With swarms of hungry locusts destroying crops, and rats spreading bubonic plague, the crisis in Madagascar is becoming almost biblical in its devastation. In the nearly five years since 34-year-old former disc jockey Andry Rajoelina took power in a coup d’etat, the collapsing state and slumping economy

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A Cure For Malaria? New Vaccine Could Save Millions Of Lives

A major step taken towards efforts to fight a disease that kills numbers of people, many of them children, each year.

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — In what could be a game changer for one of the world’s deadliest diseases, scientists say a vaccine against malaria may finally be within reach. So far, a malaria jab has proved elusive. But an experimental vaccine has shown promise in protecting children against the deadly malaria parasite. The company that makes

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From Stringer Bell To Anti-Apartheid: Actor Idris Elba Takes On Mandela Role (VIDEO)

Actor Idris Elba goes ‘extra mile’ to play Mandela role, even spending a night in the activist’s former jail cell.

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A few blocks from Nelson Mandela’s house, the producer of a new biopic about South Africa’s first black president recalls getting the official blessing for his film, many years ago. Anant Singh started working on “Long Walk to Freedom” — based on Mandela’s autobiography — more than two decades ago, before the

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On His Africa Tour, Obama Follows In The Footsteps Of… China

Obama’s tour comes just three months after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a splash by visiting Africa on his first overseas trip.

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — As U.S. President Barack Obama heads from South Africa to Tanzania for the last stretch of his most ambitious African tour, he is following a path well trodden by China’s globe-trotting leaders. Obama’s tour of Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania comes just three months after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a splash

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Obama In Africa: Does His Star Power Still Hold Sway?

The president’s visit to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania will be his first to the continent in years. Things have changed since last time.

Erin Conway-Smith
Por Erin Conway-Smith

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Welcome back to Africa, Barack Obama. The colorful banners are up and the local people are excited — but, um, maybe not so much as the last time. When the U.S. president lands in Senegal late Wednesday on his first visit to the continent in four years, he will come laden with the weight of surveillance scandals at

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