Why western economists get Africa wrong
It is worth revisiting economic historian Morten Jerven's book "Africa: Why Economists Get It Wrong" (2015), a refreshing contribution to the debate about development scholarship on Africa.
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Africa is a Radio: Episode #18
Today, is the last official day of summer in our Northern Hemisphere headquarters of New York. So, let’s mark the passing of the earthly seasons by revisiting our Africa is a Radio live broadcast from The Lot Radio in Brooklyn this past June. Africa is a Country contributor, New York city resident, social media guru, and Zimbabwe […]
Mind Your Own Business
Dan Magaziner gets to shake the hand of Paul Kagame, a man many consider a dictator at best and a war criminal at worst.
‘Til death do us part
The Bongo family has ruled the central African country of Gabon uninterrupted for 49 years. This past August, President Ali Bongo – whose father, Omar, was in power from 1967 to 2009 when Ali took over – secured a second seven-year term in presidential elections. Since the announcement of official election results, violent clashes have […]
The health of African presidents
The physical and mental health of a head of state, one assumes, is a basic requirement as to whether they can perform their job adequately. Not in some parts of Africa.
Anti-racism without race
Italy also lacks a fully developed movement against racism led by people of color. It doesn't help that white activists prefers to racism as xenophobia.
What do the Portuguese make of Cristiano Ronaldo?
With the passing of the legendary Mozambican-born Eusébio in 2014, Ronaldo is now the undisputed face of Portuguese soccer.
Corporate tax is a feminist matter
Across Africa, the working poor often end up carrying the burden of raising tax revenue while the multinationals go scot-free. And women bear the brunt of it.
The turn to book burning in South Africa
A political culture, often facilitated by social media, has emerged that many people experience as authoritarian and bullying.
Beyond the usual South African reporting on “Africa”
Journalism on and about the continent tends to veer between the extremes of neglect or stereotype on the one end, and touristic exoticism on the other.
Recession No Kill Celebration
An inescapable part of Nigerian social life is our lavish celebrations of important occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, housewarmings and funerals. Costly and ostentatious, these flamboyant events usually take place inside large banquet halls and hotel ballrooms crammed with guests. Party revelers spray handfuls of cash on people, while dancing to heady tunes about money […]
#ThisFlag, social media and political agency in Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe, the leap from online conversation to citizen protest has followed the same path as other protest movements around the world.