Kenya’s food prices remain high and consumers in east Africa’s biggest economy are hurting. VOA’s Paul Ndiho reports.

US President Barack Obama is focusing on African food security and highlighting it at the upcoming Group of Eight meeting. VOA’s Vincent Makori talks to VOA’s State Department Scott Stearns about the meeting.

“Straight Talk Africa on May 16, 2012 – Birtukan Midekssa, Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow for the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy shares her thoughts with Straight Talk Africa host Shaka Ssali on Ethiopia’s poor ranking on press freedom as the only nation in sub-Saharan Africa with a nationwide internet-filtering system.

“Straight Talk Africa on Straight Talk Africa on May 16, 2012 – - VOA’s “Straight Talk Africa” host Shaka Ssali was joined by Karin Karlekar, Ph.D., Director of Freedom of the Press Project to discuss how African nations faired in the findings of the Annual Freedom House survey that tracks trends in media freedom Worldwide.

Straight Talk Africa on May 16, 2012 – VOA’s “Straight Talk Africa” host, Shaka Ssali discuss the Freedom House annual survey of freedom of the press around the world and found that African nations showed a marginal decline from year’s previous with improvements in the legal and economic reporting.

LET’S PLAY ELECTION – FOOTBALL

VOA’s health correspondent Linord Moudou talks with Dr. Georges Tiendrebeogo, Senior Advisor for HIV/AIDS, with the Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands, to discuss the latest HIV/AIDS developments.

Dakar is hosting its 10th Biennial exhibition of contemporary African art. VOA’s Ndimyake Mwakalyelye reports.

An organization started by a Nigerian woman, Margaret Dureke, is daring women to not just exist, but to achieve the impossible. VOA’s Ndimyake Mwakalyelye reports.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor spoke in his own defense on Wednesday as judges hear oral arguments in the sentencing phase of his war crimes trial. Co-hosts Ndimyake Mwakalyelye and Vincent Makori report.