The director of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ reflects on imperial violence, corporate warfare, and how cinema can disrupt the official record—and help us remember differently.
Latest
Liberal internationalism after USAID
As US aid falters, the crisis of liberal internationalism deepens. What comes next when even its strongest institutions can no longer hold the facade together?
Criminalizing poverty in Nigeria
With thousands jailed without trial, Nigeria’s justice system punishes the poor while the powerful walk free. Can real reform break this cycle of injustice?
African music festivals and the politics of reclamation
Across the continent, music festivals are challenging industry gatekeepers and testing what it means to organize on African terms.
The politics of South African sound
From kwaito to amapiano, South African music is a bridge between past and present, where cultural memory, resistance, and reinvention collide on the dancefloor.
Imperial belonging and the weaponization of the sea
The legacy of France’s colonial violence in the Indian Ocean is one stone that contemporary mainstream media tends to leave unturned.
TV
The CAF Champions League final and the politics of North-African football ultras.
Culture
How not to report on Eastern Congo
Western media coverage of the DRC conflict is riddled with inaccuracies, oversimplifications, and racial bias—reinforcing dangerous narratives rather than informing the world.
FIFA’s double standards
While FIFA swiftly banned Russia from competition, it continues to delay action on Israel—revealing the politics behind football’s so-called neutrality.
The forgotten women of slave revolts
Rebecca Hall’s “Wake” uncovers the hidden history of African women warriors and their role in resisting the transatlantic slave trade.
An Afro-Brazilian Christmas in Lagos
The Fanti Carnival transforms Lagos’s Brazilian Quarters into a vibrant celebration of history, culture, and Afro-Brazilian identity.
The mustache that swung an election
In Mauritius, social media memes and leaks exposed corruption, galvanized youth, and reshaped the nation’s political landscape.
Revolutionary Papers
A year long series on the archival remnants of African and black diaspora anti-colonial movement materials to retrieve a politics and pedagogy that challenge the contemporary cooptation of radical histories. Guest editors: Mahvish Ahmad, Koni Benson, and Hana Morgenstern from the Revolutionary Papers project (revolutionarypapers.org)
Nigeria's archives of revolutionary printmaking offers us insights into the dissident voices of the country's old left, which are surprisingly relevant today.
Christian theology was appropriated to play an integral role in the justifying apartheid’s racist ideology. Black theologians resisted through a theology of the oppressed.
Politics
Good revolutions talk back
As political discontent rises in Kenya, silencing women’s and queer rights in the pursuit of economic justice risks compromising the movement entirely.
The crisis of African liberators
As Mozambique nears 50 years of independence, its ruling party clings to power amid political turmoil, contested elections, and growing public discontent. Is this the beginning of a new struggle for liberation?
Redefining Sahelian diplomacy
Breaking from ECOWAS and Western influence, the Alliance of Sahel States signals a geopolitical shift—but can it deliver real stability?
From Nkrumah to neoliberalism
On the podcast, we explore: How did Ghana go from Nkrumah’s radical vision to neoliberal entrenchment? Gyekye Tanoh unpacks the forces behind its political stability, deepening inequality, and the fractures shaping its future.
Why I’m done talking to straight people about homophobia
Homophobia doesn’t start with violence—it begins with silence, erasure, and everyday destruction. But straight people only seem to notice when it’s too late.
Donald Trump
Liberal internationalism after USAID
As US aid falters, the crisis of liberal internationalism deepens. What comes next when even its strongest institutions can no longer hold the facade together?
Caught at the border
Asylum seekers from Africa are caught in a growing crisis at the US-Mexico border, as Trump's policies leave them in legal limbo and unsafe conditions.
Elon Musk’s South African fantasy
Musk’s outrage over land reform in South Africa isn’t about fairness—it’s about fueling right-wing paranoia and preserving economic privilege.
Trump’s fake refugees
The US president’s executive order on South Africa isn’t about fairness—it’s a cynical ploy to stoke racial paranoia and shore up his right-wing base.