History

How we tell stories about cities
We must not forget the everyday lived realities and struggles in vanished neighborhoods.

Democracy is the Best Form of Democracy
Conceiving of the relationship between public space and positions of power as a hall of mirrors.

The Algerian Ministry of Culture
Why is the great director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep) making a state-sponsored biopic?

Elections and Ethnicity in Guinea
There is a certain deja vu about how Alpha Conde stays in power: every time there's an election he exploits ethnic divisions.

Deadline Congo
Harry Belafonte and Martin Scorsese are planning a TV series on King Leopold II of Belgium's brutal rule in the Congo.

Artifact Art Restitution and Western “Co-operation”
How can the Nigerian government be willing to lend treasured objects to an institution tha still keeps the shameful booty from colonialism's crimes?

Futuristic Folklore
Considering James Town's weighty history, which played a huge part in shaping Ghana, it seems only right that when re-imagining a future Accra we start at the place where the city began.

Taking a Critical Look at Dominant White Beauty Ideals
Redmond is an Amsterdam-based intersectional feminist media collective, organizes conversation about beauty ideals, whiteness, race and cultural appropriation.

Israel’s Uganda Plan
Fantasizing about transferring refugees to third countries, has long been a project of the Israeli state and its policy makers.

The founding father of African history in France
Jean Suret-Canale changed the face of African history for African activists, students and intellectuals.

Hiding in Plain View
Many believe slavery was a "black page in history." This is a false representation of history and insulting, given the legacies of slavery are so present today.

Mali’s Elections: First Thoughts on Round Two
It's worth remembering that the outcome of this election will represent stability more than change.

Little Stan Greenberg is Dead
South African political party, the DA, pivots its election campaign around claiming Nelson Mandela. Who came up with this?

What’s wrong with the Germans?
German reality shows that travel to Africa have the feel of colonial era ethnographic films in how they perpetuate the image of the ‘primitive other’


Restaging the Death of Patrice Lumumba
The merits of restaging 'Une Saison au Congo,' Aimé Césaire's history of the life and death of Patrice Lumumba, in London, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The New Yorker Goes to Mali
I do know a bit about Mali, but I hardly recognize The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson’s version of it.