On the brink of peace
Colombia needs to be able to envision another country beyond the reincarnation of our memories of war.
Blog
Not standing on the sidelines anymore
A number of recently made, small budget films are doing the festival rounds. They give great insight into African women as actors, characters and filmmakers.
‘This is Lara Pawson reporting for the BBC …’
The first cigarette I smoked was a Marlboro. I was twenty-one. I didn’t feel sick and I didn’t feel dizzy and I was on ten or fifteen a day for the rest of my twenties. Living in Luanda, quite a stressy place, I could smoke two packs a day. My preferred brand was YES. They […]
What Kenya means to Barack Obama
Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, his personal links to Kenya have been weaponized by the U.S.'s Right’s as a slur. But there's more to his relationship with his father's country.
The paradoxes of soft dictatorship
The longevity of the Gabonese political system also lies in the many channels of redistribution that connect politicians (known colloquially as “les Grands”) to ordinary citizens.
Colonial Sahara
The constant struggle of the Sahrawi to assert their identity in the face of a permanent occupation by Morocco.
Uptown griots
Malians started arriving in New York City in the 1980s, numbering about 8,000 now. They also brought their music.
Enter the bulldozer
The legacy of Julius Nyerere’s state and state-run economy in Tanzania is a government (and ruling party) that values decree over debate, and control over entrepreneurship. John Magufuli is a model student of this system in its ideal form.
What Would Julius Nyerere Do?
Recent and current leaders in Tanzania like to be compared to Mwalimu Nyerere. Take current president, John Magufuli. He has been working hard to claim Nyerere’s mantle.
No Victims and No Culprits
Congo needs fewer metanarratives from the West and more of Radio Tele Manika.
Ousmane Sembene invented a new cinema for Africa
An interview with Samba Gadjigo, the late Ousmane Sembene’s longtime friend and official biographer about the resurgence of Sembene’s work.
Apparently, I love Africa. I’ve been told this by people who hardly know me.
In 2003, I was among the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, who marched through London to demonstrate against the war in Iraq. I thought a lot about Angola that day. I felt very sad that there had never been a big march against the war there – even though, by then, it had already ended. […]