About Samson Mulugeta

Samson Mulugeta has reported from 45 of Africa’s 54 countries and has lived and worked in South Africa for two decades.

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Elon Musk, white genocide, theGrio.com
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company's headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Fremont, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
August 11, 2023

Elon Musk enters the South African race debate by pushing the dangerous narrative of a white genocide

The CEO of X, formerly Twitter, used his sizable platform to score political points by targeting an outspoken South African…
Wagner Group in Africa
This undated photograph provided by the French military shows three Russian mercenaries, in northern Mali. The Russian mercenary group that briefly rebelled against President Vladimir Putin’s authority has for years been a ruthless force-for-hire across Africa, protecting rulers at the expense of the masses. That dynamic is not expected to change now that the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been exiled to Belarus as punishment for the failed rebellion. (French Army via AP, File)
July 3, 2023

Wagner Group’s hired guns in Africa and beyond awaiting their fate

After Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed coup in Russia, what’s to become of Wagner’s sprawling private military presence in Africa?
Overhead view of the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, showing mountains in the distance. (Photo by Viviane Moos/Corbis via Getty Images)
January 23, 2023

An unconquered legacy: How Ethiopia’s mindset and history led to Africa’s longest independence streak

For Black people in the diaspora, Ethiopia remained a beacon of hope that showed Black people had a history and…
Ethiopians hold up the poster of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin President of Russia
Ethiopians hold up the poster of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin President of Russia by saying "We thank you Erdogan" during a huge gathering built up at Meskel square, a central road , in Addis Ababa to condemn the Tigray People's Liberation Front fighting for a comeback after it was deposed in 2018 through three years of antigovernment protests in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on August 8, 2021. (Photo by Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
January 17, 2023

How Russia became Africa’s favorite superpower

The West's failures as well as the legacy of colonialism has driven African nations to seek geopolitical partnerships with Russia…
Members of The Middle of the Road Band Smiso, Franqo and Pro, play Christmas carols in Johannesburg
Members of The Middle of the Road Band, trumpet player Smiso (L), 24, trumpet player Franqo (C), 28, and euphonium player Pro (R), 30, play Christmas carols in Johannesburg, in the middle of yet another crippling black out, known locally as loadshedding, on December 20, 2022. Scheduled blackouts have burdened the continent's most industrialized country for several years, but got more frequent this year as power utility Eskom imposed many hours of electricity cuts daily. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)
January 5, 2023

Power cuts dent South Africa’s economic reputation

South Africa is one of the brightest spots in Africa but is in danger of falling into failed-state status because…
A tourist takes a picture of the dungeons at the Cape Coast Castle on Aug. 18, 2019. African-American visitors flocked to Ghana as it marked the "Year of Return" to remember the 400th anniversary of the first slave ship landing in Virginia. (Photo by Natalija Gormalova/AFP via Getty Images)
January 1, 2023

6 countries to visit on a return to Africa

Ghana and South Africa are common destinations for African-Americans returning to the Motherland. Here are a few more nations to…