Music Break. Elom 20ce
‘Ya Foye’ will be on Togolese Elom 20ce’s (“Elom Vince”) album Anagezik that comes out in February. Elom calls himself a ‘contemporary griot’ and an ‘arctivist’. All of which sounds very promising.
Further Reading
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.
Chad’s latest marshal
Mahamat Déby’s rule in Chad follows a familiar script of military power, political repression, and shifting alliances in an increasingly unstable Sahel.
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.
Sam Nujoma: liberation hero, pragmatist and power broker
Namibia’s founding president led the fight for independence with unwavering resolve, but his legacy is complicated by economic compromises and political dominance.
Race, power, and the politics of distraction
As economic crises deepen, right-wing fearmongering and racial scapegoating thrive—masking the real struggle for economic justice.
We have the right to political anger
As students face repression for protesting genocide, universities must decide: will they defend freedom or enforce silence?
North Africa’s regional power struggle
The conflict over Western Sahara is just one layer of the deep-rooted geopolitical battle for regional leadership between Morocco and Algeria.
The wrong way to end aid
The humanitarian industrial complex should be dismantled—but not by a billionaire-backed administration with no plan beyond abandonment.
Aid, dependence, and ideological warfare
Foreign aid has never been just about assistance—it enforces political, economic, and social control, keeping recipient countries in a cycle of dependency.
The worst thing to happen to football
Gianni Infantino isn’t just another corrupt FIFA president—his greed, self-importance, and political alliances are actively ruining football.
Algeria and France’s endless rift
France and Algeria remain locked in a cycle of reconciliation and rupture as the wounds of colonization continue to shape their uneasy relationship.
Kemi Badenoch and the politics of assimilation
The UK Tory leader distances herself from Nigeria, embracing colonial narratives while rejecting solidarity with a nation grappling with neocolonial realities.
For the archive yet to come
Colonial archives hold the violence of the past, but they also carry the potential for anti-colonial futures—if radically reimagined for justice and accessibility.
Elon Musk and the hypocrisy of the West
Musk’s embrace of far-right politics and Zionism reveals the fractures in Western liberal democracy, where whiteness trumps equality and justice.
Dakar’s fashion revolution
Amid a flood of Western fast fashion waste, Dakar’s designers upcycle discarded clothes into bold, sustainable styles.
The inheritance of hope
Through political turmoil and broken promises, Kenyans hold fast to hope—an enduring force that fuels resilience and dreams of a brighter future.
Mati Diop’s reparative cinema
In ‘Dahomey,’ Mati Diop reimagines restitution, using surrealist cinema to revive looted African artifacts and amplify youth-led calls for decolonization.
Jacob Zuma’s enduring relevance
The former president’s abiding presence in South African politics reveals the undercurrent of cultural populism and what can happen when local beliefs cut against the grain of liberal democracy.
The trials and tribulations of Rokia Traoré
Detained for over six months, Malian singer Rokia Traoré has been locked in a legal battle with her ex-spouse over custody of their daughter since 2019. Between allegations of abuse and arrest warrants, the case appears to be nearing its conclusion.