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Between Harlem and home
African postcolonial cinema serves as a mirror, revealing the limits of escape—whether through migration or personal defiance—and exposing the tensions between dreams and reality. Touba African...
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More French than Algerian
This week, Kamel Daoud became the first Algerian to receive France’s most prestigious literary honor. Yet, in Algeria, no one seems to care. Kamel Daoud in Frankfurt, Germany, 2017. © Frankfurt...
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When you love something, you fight for it
A personal reflection on what it’s like to fight anti-homosexuality laws as one of the few openly LGBTIQ+ rights activists in Uganda. LGBTQI+ flag and the Ugandan flag. © Svet foto via Shutterstock. I...
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When you get under Antony Blinken’s skin
On the deplatforming of 'African Stream.' Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash. In late October, Africa Is a Country was hit with a take down notice on Facebook in relation to our post on the...
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No justice, no peace in Mozambique
A decade ago, the kind of protest movement gripping Mozambique over the last few weeks would have been difficult to fathom. Protesters in Maputo, Mozambique, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Carlos Uqueio for...
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Hopium kills but hope seeds
Reflections on Trump’s 2024 US presidential victory. A Harris-Walz campaign sign is seen through a waving Trump flag Nov. 4, 2024 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. © Matt Smith via Shutterstock. In 2004, I...
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Sem justiça e sem paz em Moçambique
Há dez anos, seria difícil imaginar esse tipo de movimento que vem ocorrendo nas últimas semanas em Moçambique. Protesta em Maputo, Maio 2024. © Ivan Bruno de M via Shutterstock. Read in English...
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Ruto’s Kenya
Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations. Nairobi. © Sandor Szmutko via...
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Mozambique and the politics of popular uprising
Join us on November 21st as we discuss the politics underlying the popular uprising in Mozambique with António Bai, Anne Pitcher, and José Jaime Macuane. Election posters in Maputo. Image credit James...
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Not exactly at arm’s length
Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms...
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Liberation is not propaganda
At Africa Energy Week, the language of resource sovereignty disguised a new form of climate denial that appropriates progressive rhetoric in service of fossil fuel companies. Still from After Oil©...
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Why are African artifacts everywhere but Africa?
The countless African artifacts that continue to be held in Western institutions after being obtained illegally send a violent message that makes efforts toward reconciliation inconsequential. Rosetta...
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The Nigerian people must own their resistance
When rising against ruling-class corruption, Nigerians must reject the hero culture that has historically undermined genuine activism. Lagos, October 2020. © Vic Josh via Shutterstock. On the morning...
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Reading the present as history
In his debut novel, Thaer Husien remixes genre and takes readers on a psychedelic ride through a dystopian yet disturbingly familiar future Palestine. Al-manara Square and Arafat Square, Ramallah. ©...
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No more business as usual
What can the complete civil disobedience of the Sudanese Professionals Association teach us at a moment when belief in the efficacy of nonviolent protest is in decline? Celebrating the 1st anniversary...
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Reading List: Dotun Ayobade
What can the lives of the women behind Afrobeat tell us about creativity, resistance, and the interplay of power and pleasure in 1970s Nigeria? Photo from Fela.net via Wiriko. Fair Use. Google the...
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Russian and waiting
Western missteps in Africa are creating an opening for Russia to deepen its influence. Vladimir Putin met with Interim President of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore at the Constantine Palace. Image via The...
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Drawing the line
How Sudanese political satirist Khalid Albaih uses his art and writing to confront injustice, challenge authority, and highlight the struggles of marginalized communities worldwide."The Last Nail" by...
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Americans, after all
This Thanksgiving, reflections on America, from the Global South. American Embassy Kyiv. Image credit paparazzza via Shutterstock © 2023. Like many other people in the Global South, I put my hope in...
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Bored of suppression
Colonial-era censorship bodies continue to stifle African creativity, but a new wave of artists and activists are driving a pan-African push for reform. Still from Rafiki. Across Africa, censorship...
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