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Anthony LaBruto

Produced by Anthony LaBruto

April 02, 2024
US Braces for Economic Impact of Bridge Collapse

The United States Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, has warned of ripples across the nation from the economic fallout from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore. VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to VOA’s Jackson M’vunganyi live from the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, who says that businesses both in the city and across the country are bracing for significant economic disruptions.
March 30, 2024
Rescue Efforts Continue After Collapse of Baltimore Bridge

Rescue efforts continued this week after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on Tuesday killing at least two people, according to authorities. VOA’s Jackson Mvunganyi visited the site where the bridge collapsed and provided updates.
March 25, 2024
Senegalese Opposition Leader Wins Presidential Race

Senegalese opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday won the nation’s presidential race after his main rival, Amadou Ba, the leader of the governing coalition, reached out to concede. Africa 54 Managing Editor Vincent Makori has more.
March 22, 2024
Russia Boosts Influence in Africa with ‘Regime Survival Packages’

A paper written for the Royal United Services Institute in the U.K. says Russia is seeking to increase its influence across Africa. With the death of the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, President Vladimir Putin has utilized the private mercenaries for "regime survival packages." VOA’s Anthony LaBruto spoke to Oleksandr Danyluk, the paper’s author and former head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, to learn more about how Russia tries to undermine democracies across the continent.
March 21, 2024
South Africa Minister Visits Washington DC

South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, is visiting Washington, D.C. this week and said the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel’s assault on Gaza has strained relations between the two nations. VOA’s Anita Powell questioned Pandor at the South African embassy about the frosty relations as the United States is considering a law that would further inflame tensions. VOA’s Carol Van Dam reports.
March 15, 2024
Female Kenyan High Court Advocate Brings Change to Sexual Violence Laws

The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, or RAINN, says around 40% of partnered women in Kenya have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes; 15% of those experienced it under the age of 18. While progress has been made against sexual violence in Africa, judicial protocols and laws remain a persistent barrier to women seeking justice. VOA’s Anthony LaBruto spoke to Kanga Rasi, a Kenyan High Court Advocate and member of the BRAVE Initiative, who is working to end childhood and female sexual violence through survivor advocacy.
March 12, 2024
Violence Escalates in the Haitian Capital

Gang violence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is escalating as residents of the city flee and aid workers are no longer able to distribute food and maintain other basic services. VOA Creole reporter Jacquelin Belizaire has the latest on what brought about the spike in violence and the international community’s response to it.
March 08, 2024
Amnesty International Combats Femicide in Kenya

At least 500 women and girls have been murdered in Kenya since 2016, despite the country's efforts to prevent gender-based violence, says Africa Data Hub, a regional network of data organizations that traces such killings based on newspaper reports. In January, thousands of women and men marched in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya calling for an end to Femicide and violence against women. Houghton addresses what is fueling the killings and measures being taken to stem them.
March 05, 2024
US Voters Head to Polls for Super Tuesday

As former President Donald Trump seeks a decisive win to secure the Republican Party’s candidacy in the November Presidential election against his likely opponent, incumbent President Joe Biden, U.S. voters cast their votes in “Super Tuesday,” a day set aside for primary elections which analysts say are pivotal to determining who will likely be the presidential nominee of each political party. For more, VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to reporter Carol Van Dam who was at a voting center in Arlington, Virginia.
February 29, 2024
‘Urban Renewal’ Legacy Hinders Black Progress in US

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, urban planners in the United States heavily discriminated against Black communities through “urban renewal” policies. One of the most destructive tactics, inner city freeway building, sought to permanently sever neighborhoods of color by building highways through them. VOA’s Anthony LaBruto spoke to historians documenting the phenomena and the new generation of African urban planners looking to rejoin communities of color.
February 29, 2024
Maryland Resident Uncovers Abandoned Black Cemetery

As Black History Month concludes in the United States, previously unknown aspects of Black culture are being rediscovered across the country. In Potomac, Maryland, a resident of the town recently uncovered a 150-year-old Black cemetery that included her ancestors, and enslaved people from the area that was being used a dumping ground. VOA’s Carol Van Dam traveled to the site and has this report.
February 23, 2024
Washington DC Hosts Model African Union Conference

The 22nd International Model African Union Conference is taking place in Washington, DC, with collegiate-age delegates from across the United States, Canada and the African continent debating and creating resolutions the current AU assembly is considering. VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to VOA’s Jackson Mvunganyi live at the Conference, where delegates are in their second day of debate.
February 15, 2024
African Art Sees Rise in Popularity in Washington, DC

African art is exploding in popularity in the Washington, D.C., area as curators and galleries feature more and more fine art works from the continent. VOA’s Anthony LaBruto traveled to one such gallery, African Art Beats, and has this report.
February 03, 2024
Washington DC Hosts 2024 Rwanda Day

Over 12,000 Rwandans gathered in Washington for Rwanda Day celebrations, a program that started on Friday and will run for three-days. Among the expected attendees in President Paul Kagame and other reputable citizens of the East African nation. For more, VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to Jackson Mvunganyi who was in attendance of the opening ceremony.
January 31, 2024
Violence in Sudan Spreads to Most Domestic States

Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has now spread to most of the country’s 18 states. Sudanese political activist and environmentalist Nisreen Elsaim, chairperson of the United Nation Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, traveled to northern Sudan earlier this month to speak with young people and learn what they have endured since the fighting broke out. Elsaim tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam that several Sudanese told her both the Army and the RSF are forcibly conscripting young people.
January 30, 2024
US, Diaspora Engagement Director Speaks with VOA

VOA's Peter Clottey recently sat down with Deniece Laurent-Mantey, the director of the United States Presidential Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement. She spoke about the need for the first-of-its-kind engagement council, as well as the importance of United States’ presenting diplomacy through sports at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament that is being held in Ivory Coast.
January 25, 2024
Russian Foreign Policy in Africa Mirrors Colonial Past

Russian influence has been growing across Africa in recent years, as the country seeks more resources and allies. Some analysts say Moscow’s military, diplomatic, and economic interest in Africa is not any different than it was in the Cold War years. For an analysis into Russia’s current foreign policy on the continent, VOA’s Vincent Makori spoke to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
January 24, 2024
Ugandan Opposition Leader's Film Nominated for Oscar

Ugandan opposition leader and celebrity Bobbi Wine’s documentary titled “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” has been nominated for a best documentary film Oscar, alongside four others, including a Tunisian documentary, “Four Daughters”. VOA reporter Douglas Mpuga recently spoke to Wine about his nomination and the decision to create a documentary about his life.
January 20, 2024
Commonwealth Secretary-General Speaks on NAM Summit

The Non-Aligned Movement Summit, held every three years, is taking place in Kampala, Uganda. VOA’s Peter Clottey spoke with Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, about the summit and how the bloc is addressing issues such as poverty and systemic inequality.
January 17, 2024
VOA Exclusive: US Ambassador to Ivory Coast on the Importance of AFCON

VOA reporter Muqbil Yabarow spoke with the United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast, Jessica Davis Ba, on the importance of AFCON and African athletics for the United States, as well as the infrastructure improvements made to the city Abidjan ahead of the tournament.

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