colonialism
The politics of conversion in northern Nigeria
Forced conversion as a strategy exclusive is not to Islamist terrorism in northern Nigeria. Everyone's been in on the act.
Aimé Césaire on Europe
"At the end of capitalism, which is eager to outlive its day, there is Hitler. At the end of formal humanism and philosophic renunciation, there is Hitler."
Know your Dutch history
It is important that the Netherlands' history of slavery gets anchored in Dutch history curriculums in the same way that the Second World War is.
When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie met Sweden
Sweden is a country living under the illusion of a special kind of exceptionalism, including that it is “less affected by postcolonial relations than other nations.”
How much is an African body worth?
An African refugee in Britain seeks assistance. He is thrown behind bars, often shackled. He fasts in protest. He is shackled and shipped out on the next charter flight.
Revisiting Sweden’s colonial past
The image of a benevolent, preternaturally anti-racist “good old Sweden,” spreading its perfect democracy around the world, is fiction.
File under: Dutch Liberalism
No, there's is not a vigorous debate on blackface and racism in the Netherlands. Instead it's the usual duplicity of Dutch liberals.
Morbid nostalgia
What's wrong with the 'Africa' journalism of Aidan Hartley, a staple in rightwing UK media like 'The Spectator' and 'The Daily Mail."
Eating Nando’s in Gaborone
One of the most striking features of Botswana's capital city, is its malls.
Did Britain’s MI6 put a hit on Lumumba?
When a member of the UK's House of Lords (a few months before she died) told another Lord, over tea, that she'd organized Lumumba's abduction and murder.
Africa is a Board Game
Players in the board game, "Ticket to Ride: The Heart of Africa," are cast in the role of colonists, competing to make the largest imprint on Africa's "vast wilderness."
Tintin’s Day in a Belgian Court
Tintin is full of offensive, racist, stereotypes. Should Africans take the publishers to court? No, argues the author; it is counterproductive.
Reverse Colonization
How the economic crisis in Portugal has sent the Portuguese to the shores of former colonies in search of employment.
The Hall of Shame
We couldn't resist including a post with some of the lowlights of 2011.
Translating Angola
Why are certain kinds of war stories embraced by critics and go on to find an international audience, while other finely written stories do not?
