The Comb

Lost memories and strange behaviour: As Africa’s elderly population grows, more families are dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia. But there is still misunderstanding and stigma attached to the conditions. After losing her father, Elizabeth started a mission to raise awareness about the illness and help families still dealing with it.

How criminals and corporations use hidden software to control smartphones without the owners’ knowledge. Malware and bloatware are two of the tools that are used, but there are steps you can take to keep your phone safe. This week we’re in Nigeria and Kenya to meet mobile malware victims, those seeking to educate about cyber hygiene, and an activist pushing for more privacy and data protections on cheap devices.

A story of race, wealth and family. Sam is a black South African who was brought up by her mother’s white employers. Meanwhile, her biological sister Ziyanda stayed at home to be raised by her mother. In a country where things are often seen through a black and white lens, what can their experiences tell us about South Africa’s often tempestuous relationship with race? And what is more important for shaping our identity - our nature or our nurture?

‘This is me’: Embracing my African identity. At birth Ciku Kimeria was given the name Carrie, but it was a name that never quite fitted. She later would reject it for her Kikuyu name, Wanjiku or Ciku. When Ehi Ekhator was younger, he thought swapping his Nigerian name for an English one would make his life easier but he later came to realise the value of his African name.

Enslaved by the past: Hamden Atig Dali went to court to remove a painful reference to slavery from his name. 175 years after abolition, the legacy of slavery still impacts on black Tunisians. But a new generation are demanding better.

Tempted and trapped: How promising job opportunities abroad turned into a nightmare for two young men from Kenya and South Africa

‘Everyone deserves to be happy’: As lives and lifestyles change, so have views on relationships and the role and rights of women in them. A new generation are more accepting than ever of divorce, but many still suffer in silence when their marriages fall apart. Two women, from Nigeria and Egypt, share their stories.

Humiliated and harassed: What happens when your private images are shared online without your consent? How revenge porn changed the lives of two women in Uganda and Kenya.

‘A linguistic famine’: More than 2000 languages are spoken across Africa, but young Africans are often told that they need to speak English or French in order to succeed. In the process, native languages are being marginalized. Three people who have been pressured to adopt a different language reveal the impact on their lives and relationships.

‘Because you’re a girl’: For women in Morocco, a lot of things are ‘Hashouma’ - shameful. But some women are using art to tackle these taboos. A rapper and an illustrator explain how sexism at home and at work inspired them to express themselves freely through their art.