This may yet become a weekly award on AIAC.

The inaugural Waka Waka Award–name in honor of Shakira–goes to Jack Burkman, “GOP strategist,” who recently decided to insult Ethiopians and Nigerians in a Fox Business News studio “discussion” about closing the United States Post Office–work that out. Watch it here.

I know no one watches Fox Business News. But anyway, Burkman, who has an interesting bio (to say the least), decided that the Post Office’s biggest problem was immigrant unskilled labor: “Most of these guys in the post office should be driving cabs. And we should stop importing labor from Nigeria and Ethiopia.”   He blamed the US government and trade unions for apparently letting this happen.  At least Al d’Amato, a former New York Senator, called Burkman out about his “racist bullshit.” Added D’Amato at the time: “… You should be ashamed of yourself and have your mouth washed out. What the hell are you talking about?” So did another guest. Burkman still insisted his nonsense was “based on fact.”

Jack Burkman. Winner of the Waka Waka Award.

Further Reading

On Safari

On our year-end publishing break, we reflect on how 2024’s contradictions reveal a fractured world grappling with inequality, digital activism, and the blurred lines between action and spectacle.

Rebuilding Algeria’s oceans

Grassroots activists and marine scientists in Algeria are building artificial reefs to restore biodiversity and sustain fishing communities, but scaling up requires more than passion—it needs institutional support and political will.

Ibaaku’s space race

Through Afro-futurist soundscapes blending tradition and innovation, Ibaaku’s new album, ‘Joola Jazz,’ reshapes Dakar’s cultural rhythm and challenges the legacy of Négritude.

An allegiance to abusers

This weekend, Chris Brown will perform two sold-out concerts in South Africa. His relationship to the country reveals the twisted dynamic between a black American artist with a track record of violence and a country happy to receive him.

Shell’s exit scam

Shell’s so-called divestment from Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a calculated move to evade accountability, leaving behind both environmental and economic devastation.

Africa’s sibling rivalry

Nigeria and South Africa have a fraught relationship marked by xenophobia, economic competition, and cultural exchange. The Nigerian Scam are joined by Khanya Mtshali to discuss the dynamics shaping these tensions on the AIAC podcast.

The price of power

Ghana’s election has brought another handover between the country’s two main parties. Yet behind the scenes lies a flawed system where wealth can buy political office.

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.