The Fairtrade Façade
What are we to do, as consumers, if Fairtrade is little more than a marketing gimmick? Should we avoid products marked with its logo? Are we being conned?
Journalism
The Joyce Banda Malawians know
It is becoming apparent that Malawian presidents have one image for the world and a separate one, mostly negative, for the people who actually voted them into power.
Cape Town needs a visit from Anthony Bourdain
Foodyism and obscure ‘ethnic’ food are trendy these days. So, it is odd that South Africa hasn’t received more attention.
The danger of Africans becoming more “like us”
Discussions of the "shifting disease burden" fail to recognize that in the West diabetes or heart disease are not “diseases of affluence,” but diseases of poverty.
Hope Floats
The Globe and Mail's opinion page promotes outmoded and discredited ideas about modernization about African development.
Development always comes with a political agenda
An interview with the leaders of a viral online campaign originating in Norway aimed at exposing European ignorance about the foolhardiness of humanitarianism in Africa.
TIME Magazine and the “Africa is Rising” Meme
TIME Magazine has copied what The Economist did in 2011, and decided “Africa is Rising.” Again.
The Trouble with the Nigeria Prize for Literature
Should we care that Africa's richest book prize is paid for by a company with unethical business practices?
It’s Africans’ turn to help Norwegians
A campaign by a Norwegian student group wants fundraising causes not be based on exploiting stereotypes. Also that aid be based on real needs, not “good” intentions.
Things you don’t know about African Women
Starting two years ago, the Thomson Reuters Foundation launched TrustLaw, “a global hub for free legal
The political fight is wherever people gather
Can young Angolan activists inspired by Angola's underground rap scene take on a political elite that has ruled for decades?
Only Decent White People
A Dutch comedy about an interracial relationship may shape Dutch views of black people there in very negative ways from which they may not recover for a while.
When Italian politicians threaten to move to Africa
Africa is really attractive in different ways to many former Italian politicians, it seems.
Is Mads Brügger a journalist?
The Danish filmmaker believes his work contains qualities missing from most conventional journalism. Especially journalism dealing with Africa
German amnesia and Herero women
For Namibians fighting Germany over reparations, It’s about more than about a bit of land or perhaps some goats. It’s about time that debt was paid -- with interest.
Germany’s Turn
What to make of Germany’s newest arts funding program for the African continent, TURN, a 2 million Euro art and culture initiative that will last till 2015.
‘Syn City’ Harare
Zimbabwe is a paradox. A country riddled with contradictions. While the often unpalatable and sometimes hair-raising
Interrupting Paris Fashion Week
A group of black women, from Africa and its diaspora, decide to mess with Paris Fashion Week. Was it worth it? Did anyone care?
Township Life Has Never Looked So Glam
Solange Knowles is the second major UK or American artist to shoot a music video in Cape Town in so many months.
Malawian Twitter is not a gentle place
By far the best place to follow Malawian news and politics is social media app, Twitter. It can be relied upon to be the very first place where Malawi’s breaking news gets to the rest of us.