The World Bank has a terrible memory
Writing from afar plus writing with sun glasses that are heavily tainted with ideology is dangerous.
Politics
How to make sense of the coup in Burkina Faso
A list of articles to read, twitter accounts to follow, blogs to bookmarked to make sense of the ever evolving situation in Burkina Faso.
Thirteen propositions
President Michel Kafando is back in charge in Burkina Faso, but now what?
The Young Lords In New York Exhibit: A timely and provocative look at a political movement
In 1970, a young man of color who was a member of a radical group was sent to prison; shortly thereafter, he was found dead under suspicious circumstances, and his death ruled a suicide. The group he was a part of, the Young Lords, then marched the streets in a funeral procession style protest. This […]
A Luta Continua
In what is a victory for media freedom, a Mozambican judge rules it is “perfectly acceptable in a democracy" to criticize your leaders.
Between the Volcano and the Tyrant
Political dissent erupts in Ecuador as President Rafael Correa turns on the indigenous and poor people.
A Monument for the Mau Mau at last, but no land
Kenyans choose to forget that the Kenya Land and Freedom army (also known as Mau Mau) did not fight for a monument. They fought for land.
Self preservation in Ouagadougou
Why the coup leader, General Gilbert Diendéré, is derailing the political transition in Burkina Faso.
The State of South African Political Life
Achille Mbembe argues that “decolonization” is in truth a psychic state more than a political project in the strict sense of the term.
At the Heart of the West Indies Parade
In New York City, Labor Day is associated with the West Indies Carnival. This enormous parade is a magnetic force that attracts, on average, one million spectators every year. It is not a space to talk about labor or exploitation. It is a massive celebration of Caribbean culture and heritage. The carnival takes place in […]
One Hundred Academics for Ayahuasca Dignity in Colombia
Yagé, or ayahuasca, is the name of a plant and also of a beverage made from it that is used in many native tribes in the Upper Amazon in South America for sacred rites. It is an integral part of the culture of various indigenous ethnicities in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. In the past […]
The lions and the hunters
Lions and black people are not the same or even straightforwardly comparable. But it is true that something wants them both dead.
The politics of homophobia in Kenya
Why US President Barack Obama blundered by speaking out on LGBTQ rights in Kenya.
#Free15Angolans: An update
You’d never know it from reading the US media, but 15 political prisoners in Angola are still in jail.
Between prison and deportation
Sudanese asylum-seeker to Israel's president: “Why not let us stay and contribute to Israeli society?”
Kenyan gays want their rights
The denial of a gay Kenyan existence is an affront to the Kenyan LGBTQ community, their talents, hopes and aspirations
Some refugees more equal than others
Many European governments favor “culturally close[r]” refugees and asylum-seekers: preferably white, educated Christians.
Mandela Day: 400 women, 800+ care packs for rape survivors, one vision of South Africa
Since 2010, July 18 has been `celebrated’ as Mandela Day. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela aka Madiba was born on July 18, 1918. Last Saturday, South Africa celebrated this day for the second time since Madiba’s passing. Last year, many bemoaned the empty symbolism of “a day of volunteerism”, and that not even a day but a […]
Women and the revolution in Burkina Faso
The “Sankara Generation,” the young people taking on Burkina Faso's dictator, wants radical change. Does it include a better future for the country's women?
Sandra Bland and The Beatles
Bland, who died in police custody after a traffic stop in Texas, embodied a rare charismatic self-possession that disrupts social orders.