Kwangu Liwewe Agyei
Africa Editor
Kwangu Liwewe Agyei is Africa Editor at New Lines Magazine. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with a demonstrated history of creative and high-quality work in reporting, presenting news and current affairs shows in Africa.
She has roots in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi and has worked in South Africa covering its neighbors during a time of tremendous political, economic and societal change across the continent.
In Nigeria, Kwangu was the West Africa Bureau Chief for eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), which is one of Africa’s top 24-hour news channels. She set up the bureau, hired its reporters, camera crew, producers and also reported from the field on many stories of international importance, including elections, coups and terrorist attacks. She was promoted to eNCA’s headquarters in Johannesburg where she hosted Africa 360, an innovative current affairs program covering all of Africa and broadcast to most parts of the continent.
She currently produces and presents a daily, 10-minute segment for the radio station HOTFM in Lusaka, Zambia called “The African View with Kwangu Liwewe” in the Morning Show, which highlights Africa’s top stories of the day. She also produces a weekly current affairs show called “Beyond the Headlines,” which discusses Zambia’s topical stories.
Her areas of interest are social, economic and political issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. She strongly believes in African voices telling their own authentic stories.
Kwangu is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Latest from Kwangu Liwewe Agyei
From the Gulf to East Africa, the Iran War’s Effects on Shipping Go Beyond Oil Prices
An impassable Hormuz will squeeze Gulf countries’ ability to weather a prolonged war — and could have knock-on effects in East Africa.
Africa Is Redefining Anglican Power
The appointment of Sarah Mullally as the first woman archbishop of Canterbury has exposed deep divisions within the Anglican Communion and across Africa over women’s leadership and same-sex blessings. But the deeper issue is authority — particularly in Africa, many churches no longer look to England for moral guidance.
Africa’s AI Strongmen
AI-generated videos of men like Ibrahim Traoré, Assimi Goïta, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo are going viral not because people are being fooled but because they tap into something deeper: a real hunger for strong, authentic African leadership.
Who Counts as an Afrikaner?
The arrival of white South African families in the U.S. seeking asylum and alleging racial persecution sparked debate over their country’s postapartheid politics. Their story reveals the contradictions of an Afrikaner identity often associated with the international far right, but claimed by racially diverse South Africans.
How African Leaders’ Memoirs Rewrite History
Political memoirs can seem more like propaganda than honest reflection, raising questions about their authenticity and how they shape our understanding of history. That of former Nigerian military leader Ibrahim Babangida is no exception, highlighting its author’s achievements while downplaying his mistakes.
Gen X Straddles the Past and Future in South Africa’s Land Debate
South Africans who came of age as apartheid was ending are caught in a land struggle that has deepened divisions in the country, reflecting the complexities of reconciliation and pushing some to take matters into their own hands.
From Lagos to Los Angeles, the Global Rise of African Music
African music continues to gain global recognition, with more artists now reaching international audiences. Social media and collaborations with Western performers have contributed significantly to this rise. But the success comes with challenges, like unfair royalty distribution and a struggle to maintain cultural authenticity.
What a Beauty Pageant Reveals About Identity in Postapartheid South Africa
The young South African model Chidimma Adetshina was recently forced to quit the Miss South Africa pageant after facing xenophobic abuse for being born to a Nigerian father and Mozambican mother, in a case that has fired up debate over national identity.
South Africa’s ‘Born Frees’ Are Disillusioned With Democracy
South Africa heads to the polls on May 29, in the most crucial election since 1994. Young people raised after apartheid — the “born frees” — are grappling with unfulfilled promises in a country still racked by inequality and poor governance. They may hold the decisive votes.
Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress Has Violated Everything He Stood For
It is now 33 years since the anti-apartheid icon and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison. The ANC, which is currently South Africa's ruling party, has failed to deliver on his vision: Once hailed as a liberator, it has become shrouded in corruption scandals and incompetence.
Zimbabwe’s Long Quest for Democracy Trudges On
Five years after a coup in Zimbabwe ended Robert Mugabe’s 37 years of authoritarian rule, the democratic space has continued to shrink under President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the country is seeing mounting arrests of journalists and opposition leaders.
Zambia’s New President, the US and the Politics of Homosexuality
Zambia’s new liberal president, Hakainde Hichilema, has denounced gay rights, once a sticking point in U.S.-Zambian relations. The decision by the U.S. to ignore Hichilema’s anti-gay stance suggests that U.S. geopolitical interests in the country take precedence over human rights.
Xenophobia in South Africa Mimics Apartheid-Era Violence
Some experts say that the reason Black vigilantes target Black Africans might be rooted in South Africa’s apartheid-era education system, which portrayed the rest of the continent as uncivilized and underdeveloped, leaving the majority of South Africans without a sense of pan-Africanism.