Africa Is a Country

Independence Day: June 27th, Djibouti

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Independence Day: June 27th, Djibouti

By
Tom Devriendt

Earlier this year, Djiboutians marched the streets of their capital (where more than half of all Djiboutian citizens live), rallying against their sitting president who changed the constitution in 2010 allowing him to run for another term. It didn’t pan out as planned, with the president (who replaced his uncle as leader of the ruling party in 1999) securing a third term in April. “I regret having no opponent,” he said. “I accuse the opposition of not having the courage to give voters the right to choose between several candidates.” But that doesn’t change the fact today is still Djibouti’s Independence Day.

Awelah Adan is the country’s latest star, singing in Somali. This video dates from a while back, but it is a classic:

Abayzid Ali, on the other hand, sings in Afar. His lyrics have a more poetic touch:

Writer Abdourahman Waberi put us on to this song by Mohammed Ali aka ‘Fourchette’ about whom he says: “It may sound weird, but it is more than that. Inspiring, poetic. He’s singing in Somali. Popular among the youth as well. His son has remixed some of his old songs”:

And finally, this song. Not quite from Djibouti, but the video was recorded there. Why? We have no idea. Neither are we sure they’re showing this on Djibouti TV. Lumidee ft. Chase Manhattan:

You’ll find more on the DjibTube video channels.

Further Reading

Africa and the AI race

At summits and in speeches, African leaders promise to harness AI for development. But without investment in power, connectivity, and people, the continent risks replaying old failures in new code.

After the uprising

Years into Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, the rebellion faces internal fractures, waning support, and military pressure—raising the question of what future, if any, lies ahead for Ambazonian aspirations.

In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Binti, revisited

More than two decades after its release, Lady Jaydee’s debut album still resonates—offering a window into Tanzanian pop, gender politics, and the sound of a generation coming into its own.

The bones beneath our feet

A powerful new documentary follows Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi’s personal and political journey to recover her father’s remains—and to reckon with Kenya’s unfinished struggle for land, justice, and historical memory.

What comes after liberation?

In this wide-ranging conversation, the freedom fighter and former Constitutional Court justice Albie Sachs reflects on law, liberation, and the unfinished work of building a just South Africa.

The cost of care

In Africa’s migration economy, women’s labor fuels households abroad while their own needs are sidelined at home. What does freedom look like when care itself becomes a form of exile?

The memory keepers

A new documentary follows two women’s mission to decolonize Nairobi’s libraries, revealing how good intentions collide with bureaucracy, donor politics, and the ghosts of colonialism.

Making films against amnesia

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.