Bottom-up hustling in Nairobi’s slums
Media portrayals of slums stress their transitory character, but the complexity of everyday life in slums, including how people manage survival, is lost in the way they are shown from the outside.
Blog
Mauritania’s past doesn’t want to go away
The so-called “peaceful transition” in Mauritania, from colonialism to political independence, isn’t unanimously understood as such inside the country, and it reflects older rivalries.
Lungu’s Livingstone
Where does the idea that Zambia is a Christian nation come from?
Fanon’s mission
The works of Frantz Fanon can be read as architectural renderings of rights, futures, and generations toward a “very different Afro-futurism.”
The politics of Thanksgiving in Ethiopia
Irreecha, an annual ritual celebrated at the end of Ethiopia’s rainy season, offers a window into contemporary socio-political issues.
History time
The historical novel is in vogue across the continent, challenging how we conceive of the nation, and how we write its histories.
The (Im)possibilities of Ugandan patriotism
To say we are "allies" would be to delude ourselves into thinking that some of us are safe. We are not safe.
Out of the pigeonholes
A Nigerian play and its leading man confront western misrepresentations.
What is home?
For immigrants—especially African and black immigrants to Western countries—the question of home is complex.
A cinema for (some of) the people
South African film production house kykNET's dominance skews storytelling on the country's screens.
Jennifer Davis: Fearless and visionary
Davis, who died at 84 on October 15th, was a prominent leader of the anti-apartheid movement in the US and an analytical thinker and visionary.
The virtual reality of Walter Sisulu
While Sisulu's political career was less celebrated than Nelson Mandela, his wasn’t much less remarkable.