There is no one way to talk about migration
Beyond news headlines, African artists complicate common migration narratives.
Lit
The pitfalls of symbolic decolonization
Mukoma wa Ngugi's opening remarks at the launch (today) of the 2020 Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival in The Hague.
Detritus of revolution
Nthikeng Mohlele’s novel Small Things (2013) provides a rejoinder to J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace (1999), depicting a black man’s perspective on the failures of South Africa’s transition.
At the edge of sight
One of the few books about photography to come out of the continent and where the majority of contributors are African and work on the continent.
Our women on the ground
A new book of essays offers a nuanced glimpse into the complexities of reporting on the Arab world, including North Africa.
History time
The historical novel is in vogue across the continent, challenging how we conceive of the nation, and how we write its histories.
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.
What kind of ancestor do you want to become?
Medical anthropologist Julie Livingston argues that the conditions of capitalist modernity in which we live are not sustainable and are leading to increased rather than lessened inequality.
The poetic revolution will not be anthologized
Black Women’s poetry has been largely ignored or denigrated in the world of South African letters. They have to do it on their own.
The mysterious ways of The Black Jacobins
C.L.R. James' book about the Haitian Revolution, had an impact far beyond the Caribbean.
The beautyful ones
A personal reflection, by the daughter of a fighter in Zimbabwe's Second Chiumurenga, on the death of President Robert Mugabe.
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.
Black authors, maids and madams
How black South African authors have written about domestic workers. There's a rich archive there.
Like family
An excerpt from a new book published by Wits University Press that explores how domestic workers are depicted in South African historiography and literature.
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.
From Mogadishu to Toronto
The novel The Youth of God offers fresh perspectives on Somali assimilation and struggle in Canada's largest city.
Arabic literature and the African other
Racist, anti-black stereotypes persist in Arabic literature. It reveals a racial anxiety and othering of Africa among celebrated Arab authors.
The crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Judi Rever's account of the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath challenges the official narrative.
Sex, lies and Lagos
Everyday Lagos and Lagosians fill the pages of Leye Adenle's thrillers, but fail to fill some holes in the plots.
A meditation on home
A new memoir by South African-American Stephanie Urdang offers a remarkable and feminist view of love, longing and revolutionary struggle.