From this week’s Washington Post Travel Section:

How unexpected: There was more modernity than I expected, such as extremely modern infrastructure (roads, etc.) in many places, although there is still poverty there. Also, the rate of exchange, coupled with the reasonable prices, meant that meals (and wine) were a fraction of what they are here in the United States. The quality of the beef was outstanding — and we’ve tasted beef from Argentina, Brazil, Chicago, etc. This was the best!

How unexpected. Roads.

Image: Africa is a Country

Further Reading

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.

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.

The Visa farce

The South African government’s rush to clear visa applications has led to mass rejections, bureaucratic chaos, and an overloaded appeals system—leaving thousands in limbo.