‘Africa Rising’ in Retreat
As the commodity super-cycle’s denouement now makes obvious the need for change, at least it is clear to all that Africans are not lying down.
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The bittersweet pursuit of liberation
Ismay Milford’s new book takes us into the world of anticolonialism, giving us a rich account of the struggles of a cohort of activists from east and central Africa.
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.
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.
Who owns Afrobeats?
Does Afrobeats come from the continent or the diaspora. This reviewer of a new book on the genre's history and rapid takeover of our airwaves and playlists, argues we need to center Africa more.
Warsan Shire’s prayer for the unmourned
The British-Somali poet Warsan Shire’s audacious yet uneven volume of poetry captures the quiet loneliness of African immigrant lives in the West.
The class contradictions of scholar activism
The radical politics of the professional middle classes — too often found full of rhetoric, but short on action — are explored in Leo Zeilig’s new novel, The World Turned Upside Down.
The meaning of February 11, 1990
A veteran anti-apartheid figure writes about the day Nelson Mandela — after 27 years — was released from prison.
Kwame Nkrumah’s Cold War
The author on why she felt compelled to write another book on Nkrumah. This time on Western powers smearing Nkrumah as a Communist.
Modern life in Lagos
Nigeria is surely too large and its art community too diverse for any claims for representativeness to be sincerely possible?
Witchcraft and the British Media
Can a belief be condemned as immoral? Or must we accept cultural difference, and merely condemn the acts that follow as a consequence?
The death of cities
Cities will continue to exist and grow despite the coronavirus crisis because of the distinctly human need for social interaction, physical contact, and collaboration.
The Tragedy of Justin Fashanu
An insight into the openly racist and homophobic atmosphere that passed for public life in Margaret Thatcher's England.
Louis Moholo’s Drum
The drummer, Louis Moholo-Moholo, now 72 and the last surviving member of the famed jazz bands The Blue Notes and The Brotherhood of Breath, is still out there performing.
October is Black History Month
A group of British hip-hop and grime artists are determined to wrench back Black History Month there and in the US from the cynics.
Brave new world
As Western government enforce stricter policing of non-native bodies, who who are the activists who will stop them?