Main content

January 1: birthday for the undocumented

Why January 1 became a default birthday for some Africans and how new US travel bans are being received in Mali and Burkina Faso.

January 1 isn’t just the start of a new year. For a significant number of Africans, it’s also the birthday written on official documents, often by default, not fact. This episode explores how missing birth records, colonial systems and migration shaped identity on paper, through voices from Somalia, France and Morocco.

We then turn to Mali, where new US travel restrictions have taken effect, affecting several African countries. We hear reactions from the streets of Bamako and unpack what the bans mean for diplomacy, mobility and power in the Sahel.

Presenter : Charles Gitonga
Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Basma El Atti, Bella Twine, Blessing Aderogba
Technical Producer: Terry Chege
Senior Producer: Daniel Dadzie
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Available now

23 minutes

More episodes

See all episodes from Focus on Africa

Featured

  • .

Podcast

  • Focus on Africa

    Two essential stories to round off your working day. Explaining the news from Africa