Africa Is a Country

Africando in Colombia

Africando in Colombia

By
Boima Tucker

A deep dive into the African-influenced music scene of the Colombian Caribbean coast.

El Caribeño, new school Pico, Barranquila. Image credit Jim C. Nedd.

This month’s Africa Is a Country Radio INTL BLK episode takes a deep dive into the African-influenced music scene of the Colombian Caribbean coast, co-presented by Palmwine.it in celebration of their Guarapo album. Before that we run through some of the latest tunes from the contemporary Afropop landscape with stops in Nigeria and Kenya, as well as take a stop in Brazil to celebrate Carnival. Last but not least, RIP Hugh Masekela.

Further Reading

A power crisis

Andre De Ruyter, the former CEO of Eskom, has presented himself as a simple hero trying to save South Africa’s struggling power utility against corrupt forces. But this racially charged narrative is ultimately self-serving.

Cinematic universality

Fatou Cissé’s directorial debut meditates on the uncertain fate and importance of Malian cinema amidst the growing dismissiveness towards the humanities across the world.

The meanings of Heath Streak

Zimbabwean cricketing legend Heath Streak’s career mirrors many of the unresolved tensions of race and class in Zimbabwe. Yet few white Zimbabwean sporting figures are able to stir interest and conversation across the nation’s many divides.

Victorious

After winning Italy’s Serie A with Napoli, Victor Osimhen has cemented his claim to being Africa’s biggest footballing icon. But is the trend of individual stardom good for sports and politics?

The magic man

Chris Blackwell’s long-awaited autobiography shows him as a romantic rogue; a risk taker whose life compass has been an open mind and gift to hear and see slightly into the future.

How to think about colonialism

Contemporary approaches to the legacy of colonialism tend to narrowly emphasize political agency as the solution to Africa’s problems. But agency is configured through historically particular relations of which we are not sole authors.

More than just a flag

South Africa’s apartheid flag has been declared hate speech by a top court. But while courts are important and their judgments matter, racism is a long and internationally entrenched social phenomenon that cannot be undone via judicial processes.