We published “Neymar and the Disappearing Donkey” (to coincide with the World Cup in Brazil) on June 17th. The story included a list of race-colors from a 1976 study done in Brazil. On June 22 the big-time news agency AP published a “story” which basically consisted of the list. That story’s been repeated /shared / […]
If Israel doesn't send asylum seekers back to the countries they fled from, it deports them to "third countries."
What the Amsterdam court ruling against blackface figure Zwarte Piet really means.
The Mexican writer Alma Guillermoprieto declared this World Cup “the best ever.” Few can disagree. A total of 136 goals were scored in 48 group matches and another 18 in the 8 matches of the last round. Not everything is surprising: with the exception of Costa Rica, all the top seeds made it to the […]
We’re shortening the name of Africa is a Country Radio. From now on (save for when we slip up) the show will be known as Africa is a Radio! This month’s show dives fully (rather than the toe dip of last month) into World Cup fever with a show that features 16 songs for the 16 teams […]
Ann Coulter, an American columnist who makes Richard Littlejohn and Donald Rumsfeld look like easy-going lefties, has finally written about football, having “held off on writing about soccer for a decade — or about the length of the average soccer game – so as not to offend anyone” (Note to Ann: a soccer game is […]
With the increased attention on Brazil since the Cup started, I’ve noticed non-Brazilians trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Brazilian racial politics. I’ll tell you it’s not an easy task. It’s taken me months to grasp even an idea of what’s going on with race while learning the culture, the language, and the layout […]
Day nine of our Rio correspondent's World Cup diary wonders who the tournament is for and what the protesters demand.
Why did Neymar - the one time he was asked about discrimination - respond: “Never. Neither inside nor outside the field. Because I’m not black right?”
Scenario planning is something of a cottage industry in South Africa and was particularly popular during the negotiations for democracy in the early 1990s. Careers were launched on the back of this industry, and speakers known for gazing into the crystal ball back then still pack halls with (white) middle class people worried about their […]
Why don't western friends of Africa not put pressure on their corporate and political elites to do more to combat hunger?
It’s World Cup time, bring on the articles full of historical stereotypes and racial codes disguised as insightful sports commentary. For the past two World Cups, the USA team has been routinely decimated by the Ghanaian squads. As a Ghanaian American, I side with my Blackstars, and try to find the nearest Ghanaian restaurant to […]
One of the popular phrases that came out of the protests in the run up to the Cup was, “Copa pra quem”? On the third and fourth days of the Cup, I’ve been darting around to different neighborhoods in Rio during the matches — from favelas to wealthy beach front neighborhoods, and from street corner […]
Do White South Africans constitute a tribe and if so, are they guilty of tribalism?
Under Modi, Africa will not just be a continent where India expands its economic footprint, but also builds, protects and projects its power.
Responding to criticism of a Dutch blackface Christmas character, supporters come up with a dumb plan.
Episode 3 of Africa is a Country Radio is live on Groovalizacion and the AIAC Mixcloud page. Brazil being on much of the world’s minds these days we had to open the show with a dedication to the World Cup host country. A special post-show big up to the Brazilian people — who stay challenging the status […]
For the first time in 25 years, India will be governed by a single party with no real opposition.
The hype around 'mixed race' families ignore that it is not a new phenomenon, but been a central part of Dutch colonial history.
The 16th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival opened on Wednesday with The Square, Jehane Noujaim’s documentary about the Egyptian Revolution. The film (available in the US on Netflix) holds the title of being the first Egyptian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. It is a filmic triumph and an apt portrayal of […]