I’m in DC this weekend for the Africa Gathering social entrepreneurship conference. (Video of the London meeting above.) If you’re in the Washington area, come here me give a talk on African music and its place in the international industry (something we’ve covered on this site before.) Then, I’m headed back to NY for this.
Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be solved by foreign airstrikes or a failing state, but by rebuilding democratic, community-rooted systems of collective self-defense.
Can a festival meaningfully applaud African creativity while its sponsor profits from African death?
The shooting and prolonged detention of Serrote José de Oliveira expose how Angola’s legal order is not merely breaking down, but being deliberately replaced by a system of impunity and police power.
David Elstein’s attack on David Olusoga’s docuseries on the legacy of the British empire reveals less about historical error than about the enduring impulse to rehabilitate British colonial rule.
From colonial accounting tricks to modern tax havens, Nkrumah understood how capital escapes, and why political independence was never enough.
In Chad, domestic labor between Chinese employers and local workers unfolds in private spaces where rules are missing and conflict fills the gap.
Burna Boy’s highly publicized Lagos prison visit looked like generosity, but it also looked like content. Who was it really for?
The passing of Raila Odinga has unsettled Kenya’s political equilibrium, exposing a crowded field of veterans, opportunists, and activists, alongside a growing generational demand to reclaim power from an aging elite.
From Portuguese Goa to colonial Kampala, Mahmood Mamdani’s latest book shows how India became an instrument of empire, and a scapegoat in its aftermath.
From air travel costs and border regimes to television culture and class exclusion, the problem of attendance at AFCON is structural, not because fans lack passion.
Entre le coût du transport aérien, les régimes de visas, la culture télévisuelle et l’exclusion de classe, le problème de l’affluence à la CAN est structurel — et non le signe d’un manque de passion des supporters.
The 2025 AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco was a dramatic spectacle that tested the limits of the match and the crowd, until a defining moment held everything together.
From national redemption and continental dominance to personal legacy and political ambition, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final means everything to Africans.
Why focusing on attendance figures at the 2025 AFCON is the wrong way to measure the tournament.
The rivalry between Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah pushed them to unprecedented heights, but also links two seemingly distant and disconnected villages.
The volcanic temperament and irresistible brilliance of the footballing star converge as the Super Eagles close in on continental glory.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations marks a transition period for the Nigerian men’s national team. This could be good for them (and the nation).
While international media focuses on the legacy of Mohamed Salah during this Africa Cup of Nations, Egyptians are focused on a pair of identical twin brothers.
While most sports in South Africa are inseparable from the national political imagination, men’s football manages to stay relatively removed.
Does the development of African football necessitate a trade off in vibes at continental tournaments?