Culture

A wayward couple in Dakar
Martin Scorsese digitally restores Djibril Diop Mambéty’s masterpiece Touki Bouki.

The donkey that carried the cloud on its back
A Kenyan film asks in order to evolve, what part of ourselves do we keep and what part do we leave behind.

South African Jazz for Nelson Mandela
A playlist of jazz tunes dedicated to South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela.

The Woolworths ‘Tribute’ to Nelson Mandela
Are corporate entities really well intentioned in celebrating Mandela the freedom fighter or are they merely using these tributes to position their brands on the right side of history?

Windhoek characters
Netta Kornberg watch film trailers so you don't have to: This time, Namibian short films are the focus of her #TrailerTakedown.

We embarrassed Nelson Mandela
For the author, watching memorials for Mandela, South Africans have lost their ability to generate theater, the theater of the mass event.

The problem with the Hollywood Mandelas
Hollywood films about Nelson Mandela separates him from the movement that produced him. The fact is, movements made Mandelas, not the other way around.

Four Women Musicians from Niger
Safiath, ZM, Habsou Garba and Fati Mariko: producing diverse sounds in rap, hip-hop and soul.

Miley Cyrus has Nigerian parents
Parody performers, the Naija Boyz, take on Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball." It is unclear what they're trying to say.

A Brief Cinematic Guide to ‘Mother of George’
The film is a complex and nuanced exploration of the questions and limits of what one will do for love, told by an unorthodox filmmaker.

The people need a new myth
The Brother Moves On is not anti-ANC. Their new music rather speaks to the ideals of the liberation movement and asks if this is what we fought for.

The Book of North African Literature
Pierre Joris and Habib Tengou edit a book about the multiple beginnings, traditions and genealogies in the literatures of the many languages of the region, and the region's diasporas.

King of Soukous
An Adieu to Tabu Ley Rochereau, the master rumba singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Azonto Americana
The Ghanaian dance music craze has finally arrived in the United States after sweeping Europe and the continent. Will it catch on here?

Somali Justice
A rare and informative glimpse into a situation and part of the world that normally only receives minimal, lazy, and inaccurate coverage.

Bombino: Nomad, but much more
Bombino, the Tuareg musician from Agadez in northern Niger, wants to show the world the multiple, and often joyful sides of life in the region.

The Afropolitan Must Go
Is it a good idea to separate African urbanites from the rest of their cohort? How is that even constructive, wonders the writer of Norwegian and Tanzanian descent.

Before They Resurrect the Noble Savage
Jimmy Nelson's photographs are deliberately constructed to capitalize on his own vision of these groups.