When Bob Marley went to Africa
Bob Marley was deeply shaped by his relationship to Africa — through faith, music, and Pan-African politics — visiting Kenya, Ethiopia, and Gabon. This relationship was marked by contradictions.
Search Result(s) for: “Diaspora”
Drones in Somalia
The US, which has misread the political situation in Somalia before, is again pursuing short-term military gains there at the risk of long-term blowback.
The African presence in Western Art
Interview with curators Sylviane Diouf (Schomburg Center) and Joaneath Spicer (Walters Art Museum) about the African presence in Western and Asian art.
Transnational African feminisms
What roles have francophone African women played in movements for pan-African liberation, historically and now?
The State Of African Hip Hop
Hip-hop in Africa is diverse — no single sound defines it. Electro-chaabi, mbalax-influenced rap, and house-sampling styles all reflect the continent’s broad musical scope.
To discover Stuart Hall
Hall was a skilled storyteller, who placed his memory, his deep sense of alienation, and his autobiography at the heart of his theory and politics.
The roots album that never got made
The “World Music” record industry has a lot to do with what kinds of reggae music we get to hear and consume.
Talking back: African feminisms in dialogue
How young, African feminist scholars are using their life experiences as sources and resources for theorizing their feminism.
Hugh Masekela’s musical modernism
Masekela wanted to craft a sound that avoided “world music” caricature while not simply mimicking the American Bebop he was so enamored of.
The politics of influence
Influence exhilarates. It also makes people nervous. Writers, artists, scholars, researchers — we all seem to want to be “influential.” Less often do we want to admit to being “influenced.”
Eritrea’s diplomatic offensive?
An US congressional delegation to Eritrea — the first in 14 years — which included Ilhan Omar, got little attention in mainstream media. Why?
Sudan’s doctors treating the political ailments of the nation
As Sudanese continue to chant “Just fall, that is all” against the regime, doctors pay a hefty price for standing with them.
A tragic kind of hope
Nigerian and South Sudanese filmmakers give voice to the search for identity, stability, and belonging through the lens of youth and migration.
A revolution in pain
A conversation with members of Sudan’s resistance committees and Magdi elGizouli.
What Cabo Verde’s World Cup debut means for African football
Cabo Verde’s historic run and the breakthrough performances of fellow African and Caribbean nations changed the conversation about visibility, opportunity, and the future of African football.
Eritrea and Ethiopia’s economic dividend
What economic gains are in the peace deal between longstanding foes?
The African Union passport and dreams of democratic mobility
On mobility, democracy and making a decolonized future for Africa.
Winter Reading List
A sample of Africa Is a Country editors and contributors list the books keeping them warm this winter.