Robert Mugabe’s hostage face

And, the terrible experience of Tanzanian women in Oman and the United African Emirates.

Robert Mugabe, seemingly under house arrest, at a graduation ceremony at the University of Zimbabwe.

One: Despite the urge to celebrate the end of Robert Mugabe’s 37 years as leader of Zimbabwe, first as Prime Minister then as President, there is much reason to be cautious. For one, coups always sets a dangerous precedent. More specifically in this case, there are few signs the people of Zimbabwe will get to decide their new leader. This is not a revolution, but a realignment.

(2) In the aftermath of 9/11, Muammar Gaddafi announced both gas and oil exploration deals with the UK, and that he was abandoning his quest for nuclear and chemical weapons. In return, secret papers reveal, British intelligence gave him assistance in chasing down his enemies all over the world.   

(3) Increasing capacity of cell phones is changing day to day life in Africa. But it is not all a positive story, when we look at how many of the telecom giants got established in the first place. 

(4) The terrible experience of Tanzanian women in Oman and the United African Emirates.

(5) Climate change along with encroaching desertification is stealing the livelihood of many below the Sahara. What is to be done? 

(6) Speaking of which: at this rate, it is estimated that fish catches will reduce be 60 percent around the continent.

(7) Another look at the role religion had in the Biafra crisis, and how the crisis effected religion. 

(8) The Nigerian women’s bobsled team will be the first African team to participate in the sport this Winter Olympics. 

(9) This week would have been Chinua Achebe’s birthday. Google celebrated this with a doodle. Achebe’s work has been celebrated for its prescience and grasp on social relations. What hasn’t been talked about much though, is how humorous his work was as well.  

(10) Watch: The African player saving lives on the football pitch

Further Reading

Energy for whom?

Behind the fanfare of the Africa Climate Summit, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline shows how neocolonial extraction still drives Africa’s energy future.

The sound of revolt

On his third album, Afro-Portuguese artist Scúru Fitchádu fuses ancestral wisdom with urban revolt, turning memory and militancy into a soundtrack for resistance.

O som da revolta

No seu terceiro álbum, o artista afro-português Scúru Fitchádu funde a sabedoria ancestral com a revolta urbana, transformando memória e militância em uma trilha sonora para a resistência.

Biya forever

As Cameroon nears its presidential elections, a disintegrated opposition paves the way for the world’s oldest leader to claim a fresh mandate.

From Cornell to conscience

Hounded out of the United States for his pro-Palestine activism, Momodou Taal insists that the struggle is global, drawing strength from Malcolm X, faith, and solidarity across borders.

After the uprising

Following two years of mass protest, Kenya stands at a crossroads. A new generation of organizers is confronting an old question: how do you turn revolt into lasting change? Sungu Oyoo joins the AIAC podcast to discuss the vision of Kenya’s radical left.

Redrawing liberation

From Gaza to Africa, colonial cartography has turned land into property and people into populations to be managed. True liberation means dismantling this order, not redrawing its lines.

Who deserves the city?

Colonial urbanism cast African neighborhoods as chaotic, unplanned, and undesirable. In postcolonial Dar es Salaam, that legacy still shapes who builds, who belongs, and what the middle class fears the city becoming.