Mobilizing in disorder
Post the looting and failed insurrection, what would it mean for the South African left to undertake a populist political strategy? And should it look to South America for inspiration? A long read.
97 Articles by:
William Shoki
William Shoki is the deputy editor of Africa Is a Country. He is based in Johannesburg.
IRL: In Real Life
For the first time ever, Sean and Will broadcast live in person together, from Cape Town, South Africa.
My fellow Africans
On the next AIAC Talk, we talk with several AIAC fellows about their work. Tuesday on Youtube.
Where do just ideas come from
Exploring Senegal’s early post-colonial history, to make sense of the unhappiness with the government of incumbent president Macky Sall.
Accra to Bandung, Addis to Beijing
On AIAC Talk this week, we are tackling Africa’s long and evolving relationship with Asia. Watch it live Tuesday on YouTube.
Exile is more than a geographical concept
Episode #39 of AIAC Talk is about exile: a new film on a Libyan dissident and a new exhibition on the black experience. Watch it live Tuesday on YouTube.
Writing is a cultural weapon
South African and Palestinian poets on the shared experiences of Apartheid and resistance. This week on AIAC Talk. Watch it Tuesday on Youtube.
Movement of Jah people
This week on AIAC Talk, we reflect on Bob Marley, the “last rock star” and the first artist of world music on the anniversary of his death. Watch it Tuesday on Youtube.
Do Africans need Karl Marx?
AIAC talk considers Karl Marx’s legacy and we debate whether his ideas are still relevant. Our guests are two thinkers: Annie Olaloku-Teriba and Zeyad el Nabolsy.
Liberation after independence
On AIAC Talk this week, we mark Independence Day in Sierra Leone, and Freedom Day in South Africa—but what does freedom really mean on the ground in these countries? Watch the show live Tuesday on YouTube.
Capitalism is a disease
Anyone who lives in fear of getting sick exists in a state of unfreedom.
Football and empire
AIAC Talk this week: the historical entanglement of South African football with English football, and what that tells us about politics and sport. Watch it on our YouTube channel.
What’s Left of the South African Left?
This week on AIAC Talk, we’re debating whether the moment is right for South Africa’s left to form a new party. Watch it live on YouTube.
What is decolonization for?
Scholars Archie Mafeje and Cedric Robinson challenged Eurocentrism. Their ideas are becoming more widely known. They’re the focus of AIAC Talk this week.
A revolution deferred
As we remember the Arab Spring, the starting point should not be that it failed, but that it’s incomplete. Watch it live on Youtube and subscribe to our Patreon for the archive.
Don’t cede the streets
#FeesMustFall was the most serious challenge to the post-apartheid political order, but didn’t connect to broader working-class struggles. Now, despite police brutality, students are beginning to make those linkages.