“… The Kibera slum in Nairobi is home to between 500,000 and 800,000, living in cramped conditions of almost 3,000 per hectare. In September 2009 the UN-supported relocation of its first inhabitants finally got going – several years late. At this rate the programme (projected cost $1.2bn) will take 1,170 years to complete.”
Jean-Christophe Servant writing about slums in Africa in the April issue of Le Monde diplomatique.
— Sean Jacobs
The passing of Raila Odinga has unsettled Kenya’s political equilibrium, exposing a crowded field of veterans, opportunists, and activists, alongside a growing generational demand to reclaim power from an aging elite.
From Portuguese Goa to colonial Kampala, Mahmood Mamdani’s latest book shows how India became an instrument of empire, and a scapegoat in its aftermath.
From air travel costs and border regimes to television culture and class exclusion, the problem of attendance at AFCON is structural, not because fans lack passion.
Entre le coût du transport aérien, les régimes de visas, la culture télévisuelle et l’exclusion de classe, le problème de l’affluence à la CAN est structurel — et non le signe d’un manque de passion des supporters.
The 2025 AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco was a dramatic spectacle that tested the limits of the match and the crowd, until a defining moment held everything together.
From national redemption and continental dominance to personal legacy and political ambition, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final means everything to Africans.
Why focusing on attendance figures at the 2025 AFCON is the wrong way to measure the tournament.
The rivalry between Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah pushed them to unprecedented heights, but also links two seemingly distant and disconnected villages.
The volcanic temperament and irresistible brilliance of the footballing star converge as the Super Eagles close in on continental glory.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations marks a transition period for the Nigerian men’s national team. This could be good for them (and the nation).
While international media focuses on the legacy of Mohamed Salah during this Africa Cup of Nations, Egyptians are focused on a pair of identical twin brothers.
While most sports in South Africa are inseparable from the national political imagination, men’s football manages to stay relatively removed.
Does the development of African football necessitate a trade off in vibes at continental tournaments?
How the Congolese national team has become a rare source of unity, recognition, and solidarity for communities living through war.
What the presence of an unlikely trio of football icons at AFCON tells us about migration, African identity, and the histories that continue to shape the modern game
How Senegal rose to become one of the most fertile grounds in African football, and why this success still struggles to transform the local football economy.
Comment le Sénégal est-il devenu l’un des viviers les plus prolifiques du football africain, et pourquoi ce succès peine-t-il encore à transformer l’économie du football local.
What it sounds like on the ground in Morocco at the 2025 edition of Africa Cup of Nations.
In Morocco, football has become a site for the slow re-Africanization of the country’s national identity.
The Super Eagles don’t suffer from a shortage of talent, but represent a country unwilling to admit that greatness is not a birthright.