The Story of South Africa’s Very Violent Farms
Thanks to labor groups in Sweden, a major importer of South African wine, who have recently called attention to labour abuses on farms.
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Weekend Music Break 47
Another week, another solid playlist of eclectic African sounds. Yo Chale, feeling fresh after a trip to the barbing saloon, C-Real and M dot prove they each embody the word “OPEIMU” (extraordinary individual) as they stroll and cruise through the Ghanaian streets. Complimenting the tinted gold visuals, the track makes ample use of a few gloriously […]
Malians educating Malians
SOS Democracy wants to raise voter turnout, educate them on their choices and hold the candidates and government accountable to voters.
Liberian Independence, Staten Island Style
This past Spring I wrote an article for the Red Bull Music Academy about the music and nightlife communities clustered around African neighborhoods in New York. A key motivation behind writing that article was to bring some visibility to the many diverse communities of African immigrants within the city that aren’t always visible to the average New […]
What’s wrong with the Germans?
German reality shows that travel to Africa have the feel of colonial era ethnographic films in how they perpetuate the image of the ‘primitive other’
Hassan Khan and his 6 minute film “Jewel”
Last year, while visiting Okwui Enwezor’s Triennale at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (titled: “Intense Proximity”), I was struck by one specific piece: “Jewel”, a 6 minute short film by Egyptian artist Hassan Khan. As already noted by Orlando Reade writing about The Ungovernables, this short video is as much enigmatic as enthralling: Even if […]
What is the new image of Africa?
“Africa is finally seizing control of its image” goes the mantra. But which Africa and which image?
National Geographic explores Zimbabwe’s pre-election pulse
Two initial thoughts on Alexandra Fuller’s “Breaking the Silence: Oppression, Fear, and Courage in Zimbabwe” in the May 2013 National Geographic Magazine: First, anything by Alexandra Fuller will be an excellent read, and second, how will the photos accompanying the text manage to portray Zimbabwe? The first time I read the article was on a […]
The Bicycle Thief
A new Israeli law orders asylum-seekers to be detained for an unlimited period without judicial oversight or criminal proceedings, even for misdemeanors like bicycle or cell-phone theft.
Sympathy for the ‘Devil’
A New York Times article that's respectful and mostly accurate, including the use of terminology, when covering African Traditional Religion.
Restaging the Death of Patrice Lumumba
The merits of restaging 'Une Saison au Congo,' Aimé Césaire's history of the life and death of Patrice Lumumba, in London, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.
What does Tony Blair want from Malawi?
Until recently, Tony Blair had never visited Malawi. Last summer there was a lot of international press coverage on the discovery of oil under Lake Malawi. Since then he’s developed an interest in Malawi’s “governance” and has visited twice in nine months. He arrives in Malawi today, having successfully shoehorned a couple of staffers from […]