The humiliating weight of Frenchness in Tunisia
Tunisia had sought to Arabize itself since independence and failed. It’s relation to France still very much defines the country’s character.
6134 Articles by:
Karen Chalamilla
Karen Chalamilla is a culture writer and researcher based in Dar es Salaam.
Faster than the ashes of a burning fire
Hausa poetics of compassion and resistance in northern Nigeria in the age of pandemics and neoliberal democracy.
Making meaning in Johannesburg
Documenting an urban housing crisis and how tens of thousands of informal workers and unemployed people struggle to reshape Johannesburg.
The land doesn’t lie
Safi Faye’s 1976 film, ‘A Farmer’s Love Letter,’ exposes the gap between the post-colonial state and the concerns of ordinary people.
William Ruto and the evangelicals
Which theology we will use to make sense of the relationship between church and state in Kenya?
The legacies of their many shaykhs
Indigenous traditions possess the greatest potential for developing robust civic values and identity in Africa.
The future of Brazil
For his third term, Lula faces the ghosts of Bolsonarismo, contradictions in his own ruling coalition, and tough global conditions. On our podcast this week.
How knowledge makes a discourse true
Mainstream discourses about Aamajiranci, northern Nigeria’s Qur’anic schooling system, expose the power politics of knowledge in postcolonial societies.
Amilcar Cabral and the South Africans
Amilcar Cabral’s influence stretched far beyond the Portuguese colonies, profoundly influencing the political struggle in South Africa, past and present.
The limits of the cop drama
A bleak new television drama, ‘Donkerbos,’ explores secrets in small town South Africa, but fails to offer alternatives to the tropes of good vs evil.
How to make sense of Khoisan revivalism
Khoisan Consciousness is sweeping across South Africa. Exploring multiple perspectives is vital to make sense of it.
Consumed by numbers
The “follow-back” economy of Nigerian Twitter represents a struggle for recognition in a vastly unequal and status-obsessed society.
The people are our mountains
On the 50th anniversary of his murder, those who fought alongside Amilcar Cabral give a painful reminder of what could have been had he lived to see Guinea Bissau’s independence.
The used car problem
It’s tempting but unsatisfactory to blame poverty and weak regulation for the dumping of used vehicles in Africa.
A democratic energy transition in Tunisia
It may seem obvious that a real transition to renewable energies is urgent, but not all transitions are the same or fair.
Under the surface of modern economies
We need to rethink how people seek sustenance and wealth, but not divorced from their moral values, convictions, and expectations.