South Africa

The African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in a stunning rebuke by South African voters in the May 29th elections, forcing the party of Nelson Mandela to seek a coalition partner for the first time in its electoral history.

When Nelson Mandela and his African Nationalist Congress party swept South Africa’s first post-apartheid elections in 1994, hopes were high for an economic and social transformation of the country. Thirty years and six national election cycles later, poverty and inequality remain endemic, crime rates have skyrocketed, the power grid is failing and trust in the governing ANC has eroded after serial corruption scandals.

“Lynloop,” an intricate pink weaving by South African artist Igshaan Adams, is the first thing visitors see at the Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo started with a dream. Joseph Shabalala, the South African vocal group’s late founder, was on a quest to refine isicathamiya, a musical genre that emerged from apartheid-era mines.

Mmusi Maimane is no ordinary tourist trying to savor an authentic slice of a diverse community in Boston. He is a candidate running for president of South Africa and he got a sampling of the future of economic prosperity in one of the main commercial hubs in Boston’s Black community.

The spectacular setting along the southern rim of the African continent, a precious bowl encircled by mountains, is just one reason Cape Town consistently ranks first among the world’s most beautiful cities.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the charismatic South African cleric who lent a powerful voice and presence to the battle against apartheid, died of cancer on Sunday at age 90.