Africa Is a Country

Weekend Special

Weekend Special

By
Africa is a Country

This was the week …

* We launched Latin America is a Country. (Had to get the PR out of the way first).

* It turns out African NGOs receive only 4% of the $3 billion of Gates Foundation money earmarked to end hunger–the rest is spent in rich countries.

* Kim Kardasian broke our Facebook account.

* We remembered the murder of Ken Saro Wiwa (sentenced to death on November 10, 1995 by Nigeria’s military junta for questioning oil profits and government corruption) and learned–surprise, surprise–from Royal Dutch Shell that a 2008 Oil spills in Bodo, Nigeria were larger than initially anticipated. Shell used to say the spill was about 4,144 barrels. They did not say how much bigger they think the spill is now. The people of Bodo, who is suing Shell in a case about to return to court, say its the equivalent of 60,000 barrels of oil. We were of course shocked by this news.

* Chinua Achebe, who passed away in March last year, would have been 84 today.

* Cape Town, South Africa is not just the capital of Mandela Ray Ban “sculptures” (and no, it’s not okay that the “artist” got permission from Mandela’s foundation) and anti-black racism. Like this. Sisonke Msimang provides some context here (on Daily Maverick) and here (on A.I.A.C.) and so did T.O. Molefe over on News24 here.

* A contestant in a Colombian beauty pageant was asked “Who is Nelson Mandela?” Her answer: “The founder of the beauty pageant.”

* While other entertainers make a mess about Ebola–Chris Brown (he is now a scientist) or Tori Spelling–rapper T.I. (who sadly also introduced the world to Iggy Azalea) shames CNN and Fox’s coverage of Ebola:

* Basketball player Serge Ibaka (whose Facebook page we love) posted this:

Post by Serge Ibaka.

* There’s this for the South Africans:

Post by Louise Støchkel Vagtborg Mathiasen.

* Oh, and here’s 5 reading recommendations:

Le Corbusier’s Visions for Fascist Addis Ababa (by Rixt Woudstra)

PROJECT DIASPORA: HISTORICAL SELF PORTRAITS BY OMAR DIOP (by African Digital Art)

Clickbait and stereotypes: Media coverage of the DR Congo (by Virgil Hawkins)

Nanook and Me (by Louis Menand)

Nigga? Please (by Talib Kweli)

* Who still watches Saturday Night Live, except the next day on the Internets? That’s where you see that delicious spoof of those fundraising videos and Kendrick Lamar’s live performance of this video:

* Finally, there were a lot a of music this week, but these two music videos by Somi and M.anifest definitely set a standard about what we expect from African artists. Step your game up, the rest of you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI6xvp2L3b0

** Weekend Special is basically highlights of the stuff we shared via social media, i.e. Twitter and Facebook. (We know some of you don’t use those media, so we’re being nice and useful at the same time.) We fell off but feel it’s the right time to bring it back. Look out for it on Sunday.

Further Reading

No one should be surprised we exist

The documentary film, ‘Rolé—Histórias dos Rolezinhos’ by Afro-Brazilian filmmaker Vladimir Seixas uses sharp commentary to expose social, political, and cultural inequalities within Brazilian society.

Kenya’s stalemate

A fundamental contest between two orders is taking place in Kenya. Will its progressives seize the moment to catalyze a vision for social, economic, and political change?

More than a building

The film ‘No Place But Here’ uses VR or 360 media to immerse a viewer inside a housing occupation in Cape Town. In the process, it wants to challenge gentrification and the capitalist logic of home ownership.