Africa Is a Country

Shameless Self Promotion

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Shameless Self Promotion

By
Sean Jacobs


Since Herman is too modest, I’ll do it: A new book he edited on media politics in Africa, and to which I contributed a chapter, just came out from Routledge in London. Popular Media, Democracy and Development in Africa has contributions from some of the continent’s best media scholars (and I am smart not to include myself among that set). The book “… asks critical questions about the potential of popular media to contribute to democratic culture, provide sites of resistance, or, conversely, act as agents for the spread of Americanized entertainment culture.” It is part of a book series on “Internationalizing Media Studies” edited by UK media academic Daya Thussu for Routledge.

Buy it here.

Further Reading

Kenya’s vibe shift

From aesthetic cool to political confusion, a new generation in Kenya is navigating broken promises, borrowed styles, and the blurred lines between irony and ideology.

Africa and the AI race

At summits and in speeches, African leaders promise to harness AI for development. But without investment in power, connectivity, and people, the continent risks replaying old failures in new code.

After the uprising

Years into Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, the rebellion faces internal fractures, waning support, and military pressure—raising the question of what future, if any, lies ahead for Ambazonian aspirations.

In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Binti, revisited

More than two decades after its release, Lady Jaydee’s debut album still resonates—offering a window into Tanzanian pop, gender politics, and the sound of a generation coming into its own.