Schooling desegregation and decolonization are not the same thing
Constant attention to segregation in formerly white South African schools limits our understanding of how race works in the school system.
6388 Article(s) by:
Fatima B. Derby
Fatima B. Derby is a Ghanaian feminist writer and queer activist.
African history on its own terms
There are far richer and complex stories to the Africa’s history than we think we know; especially the perspectives of African women.
Ghana’s royal visitors
The contrasting receptions for high profile visitors to Ghana—first Prince Charles and Camilla from the UK, then a group of African-American celebrities from the United States—says a lot.
Bus politics in Dar es Salaam
The secretary of a Tanzanian bus drivers’ union explains why the system of privately owned commercial buses is breaking down. He proposes collective ownership.
The disidentification of Mahamat Saleh Haroun
2019 marks the twentieth anniversary of Chad’s first feature film, ‘Bye Bye Africa.’
A technocratic reformulation of colonialism
The connections between technocratic development policies, neocolonialism, colonial denialism and the turn to the right in German public discourse.
Meditating on youth in Mogadishu
In Somalia young people are the majority, yet have to act and perform “age”—appear older—to succeed or get anywhere in life.
What’s new? Making money off poor school children again
The latest trick is to transfer tax-payer funded aid aimed at Africa and the Middle East into the pockets of corporations and individuals.
Speculative view
Two new Nigerian films explore the world of traditional worship in Nigeria
ZANU’s neo-liberal turn (again) and the Shutdown in Zimbabwe
How to make sense of the early 2019 protests in Zimbabwe.
Albert Luthuli, MLK and global human rights
Albert Luthuli was ANC President when South Africa’s biggest liberation movement turned to armed struggle. He’s been the subject of much conjecture. What did he actually think about political violence?
Voltamos a Africa
Is emigrating to Africa an option for Black Brazilians in the time of Jair Bolsonaro’s toxic, racist, rightwing regime?
How meaningful is the ‘change’ in the DRC?
It’s the first time an African president appears to have rigged an election, not in favor of his hand-picked successor, but in favor of an opposition politician.
Social media, repression and the crisis in Cameroon
Despite consistent and protracted attempts by government to repress access to social media and freedom of expression, citizen’s voices are being heard over the internet in Cameroon.
Happy new year
In 2018, we hope to continue translating scholarly debates and high-level political and cultural analyses into accessible language.
Mahmood Mamdani on Marxist intellectual Samir Amin
Samir Amin’s life resembled that of Karl Marx: a man without a homeland, but one whose home was a chosen commitment to a historical project.
The gentrification of African studies
Displacing African Studies outside of Africa and emptying it of transformative potential, obscures its revolutionary legacy. The result: an impotent, banal field.
John Bolton’s power play in Africa
Africa, for Donald Trump and his National Security Advisor John Bolton, is a place to risk a little and chase some glory. US media just parrots it.
The role of indigenous activism on climate change in Africa
Discussions on the global climate crisis tend to ignore the role that Africans are playing at the leading edge in the fight against climate change.
Why western donors love authoritarian leaders
In recent years, Rwanda and Ethiopia have been some of the largest recipients of aid money from the UK and US governments, as well as some of the West’s leading philanthropies, including the Gates Foundation.