Out of the pigeonholes
A Nigerian play and its leading man confront western misrepresentations.
festivals
The virtual reality of Walter Sisulu
While Sisulu's political career is less celebrated than Nelson Mandela, it was as remarkable.
The identity politics of wax print
A new film by Aiwan Obinyan explores the origins and "ownership" of a now-famous cloth.
James Barnor, ever young
Riason Naidoo talks to the curator and editor of a book and traveling exhibition about the work of the legendary, 90 year-old Ghanaian photographer.
The people’s movement in Algeria, eight months on
November 1, 2019, is the 65th anniversary of the War of Liberation against French colonialism. The ongoing protests in Algeria is expected to enter a new phase: civil resistance.
In praise of disruption
A conversation with the founding editor of Bakwa Magazine—created to amplify new writing from Cameroon and from the African diaspora.
Chester Williams and the making of modern South African rugby
Williams, the only black South African player in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, was a complex figure in complex times. He deserves to be remembered as such.
Now is our time to tell our own stories
The celebrated Mozambican writer, Mia Cuoto, argues, among others, that it is essential that governments think in terms of the nation, not its elites.
A trap nomad finds a home
The Somali artist and DJ, Hibotep, is one of the many pushing electronic hybrid sounds from East Africa through the epicenter of the movement, Kampala.
The problem with post-race comedy
Comics have power, especially over the young, and perhaps more than we care to acknowledge.
Durban gets a new literary festival
What happens when ike's, a legendary bookstore in Durban, South Africa, creates a literary festival? For one, synergy.
After the scramble
It's time to return Africa's vinyl records.
A remarkable celebration of African cinema
At this year's New York African Film Festival, we saw films united by key thematic concerns, some of them quite unexpected.
Judgement Day
A commentary on how Egyptian society treats the abandoned, disabled, or those suffering from ailments and thus deemed a risk.
When the ‘President of the rich’ met the ‘Black President’
What does Emmanuel Macron's visit to Fela Kuti's New Afrika Shrine say about what happened to Fela Kuti's legacy in Nigeria.
There are no bees in Dakar
Dedicated to the memory of the writer’s friend: the rebel and genius, Binyavanga Wainaina.
Our man of the people
Binyavanga Wainaina was a writer who not only produced seminal work, but also contributed to and shaped the African literary tradition into what it is today.
Nollywood Tackles #MeToo
Director Dare Olaitan’s Knock Out Blessing (2018), is nothing less than a meditation on rape culture.
The revolution in four-part harmony
A good time to bring back this piece—first written in 2002—on the power of song to fuel political struggle.
Why I’m no longer talking to Nigerians about race.
On writers, empathy and (black) solidarity politics.