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BBC World Service


Combing Africa for stories about the unseen forces that bind us together and tear us apart. A single story, every week. Hosted by Kim Chakanetsa. #thecomb


The Comb

Stories that matter to you. A new podcast for Africa, unpicking one story every week. Kim Chakanetsa is here to tell you all about it. Join us from 3 July 2020. #thecomb

Introducing The Comb

A global pandemic disrupts your university life - what happens next? Coronavirus has closed campuses and put courses on hold. Graduation celebrations have been cancelled.
#thecomb
Thanks for listening to our first episode. Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Class of 2020

African DNA is missing from most genetic studies. Sally lives with pain because of an illness that' is still poorly understood. She has sickle cell - a disease that mainly affects Africans. Scientists in Nigeria are trying to fix the problem.
Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think.
#thecomb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Decoding our DNA

Is home a place or a feeling? Leaving home to pursue your dream job is often seen as the best route to success. What happens when a pandemic closes borders, shuts down travel and you are stuck far away from everything you know?
Thanks for listening. Where you can, please leave ratings and reviews.
#thecomb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Home in a pandemic

Easy lending, easy debt? It takes less than five minutes to get a small digital loan, and advocates say that lending apps are providing financial inclusion for the ‘unbanked’. But some young Kenyans are getting caught out by the high interest rates and small print.

Digital debt trap

Killing for sand: a village shaken by one of the biggest and least-reported resource battles of our time. From buildings and roads, to glass and paper, sand is a crucial ingredient in modern civilisation. But we’re running out and a black market is thriving. In The Gambia, the demand for sand has already proven deadly.
#TheComb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Produced by Mary Goodhart

Sand wars

Raised apart in Ghana and Germany, sisters Nana and Adjoa had very different childhoods. Now, Adjoa has sacrificed opportunities in Europe to come home to Ghana, but Nana can't understand why. Whilst many still dream of a life in the west, more and more of Africa’s diaspora are returning home to the continent. Is the grass always greener?
#thecomb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Two sisters

Lies spread online can reach millions in an instant: ruining lives, stoking hatreds and inciting violence. Do you know what you’re sharing?
Facebook’s new Oversight Board is trying to stop the lies, but will it make a difference?
Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think.
#thecomb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Stopping the lies

Taking the leap away from faith: Stories of losing and embracing new spiritual beliefs.
What happens when you lose faith in the religion you were brought up to believe in? And, how can embracing new spiritual beliefs change your life?
Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think.
#thecomb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Rethinking religion

Can computers be racist? The unseen forces shaping our reality. 
Artificial intelligence is embedded in our lives in ways we may not even notice. With numerous examples of AI appearing ‘racist’, how can we stop building computer systems with prejudices that deepen social inequality?
#TheComb
Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Produced by Mary Goodhart

Decoding our DNA

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