The Black Panther
Before Eusebio, it was unthinkable for a European national team to be dominated by or build around players of African origin.
508 Articles by:
Sean Henry Jacobs
Sean Henry Jacobs is the founder of Africa is a Country and Professor of International Affairs at The New School.
The problem with the Hollywood Mandelas
Hollywood films about Nelson Mandela separates him from the movement that produced him. The fact is, movements made Mandelas, not the other way around.
Lilian Thuram’s burden
Why should black players have the burden of calling out racism, while white players don’t feel compelled to do the same?
Hollywood Pelé
The news that a major studio is bankrolling a film about the Brazilian Pele, contender for greatest player of all time.
The Emperor’s Son
The decision by Spain’s national football team to go play a football friendly in its former colony, Equatorial Guinea, has spotlighted how the latter country is run.
Football and Dictatorships
How much of Equatorial Guinean’s tax money did the Obiangs pay to the Spanish FA for a meaningless match between its national teams?
Kwadwo Asamoah makes it 150 appearances in Serie A
Asamoah, who just achieved milestone of 150 Serie A appearances, is not shy about publicly sharing his good fortune. He is a relentless tweeter, sharing pics of teammates including one of his son with Giorgio Ciellini (“Beauty and the Beast“), meeting the king of the Asante or — that staple of West African footballers — professing his love of Jesus (serial hashtag: #BecauseofHim).
When marketing men make films about football
I finally got around to watching "Thierry Henry 1:1" on iTunes. The promo material is written
The rains down in Africa
Why is Toto’s ‘Africa,” a song with ridiculous lyrics, so popular with everyone? It has to be the melody and the hook.
No wonder Winnie Mandela objected to this
The film “Winnie Mandela” is what happens when you combine bad history and bad filmmaking.
Like a showbiz Muammar Gaddafi
The contradictions and tensions in pop legend Michael Jackson’s relationship with the African continent.
Monday morning quarterback
The first of our weekly posts on football’s goings-on, focusing on the politics of money, identity, and the power struggles shaping the game.
Not stitched together
This week’s Weekend Music Break, no. 50, includes a homage to the 34 striking miners murdered by South African police in August 2012.
When Basquiat went to Africa
In 1988, Basquiat traveled to Cote d’Ivoire, anticipating “very unsophisticated” Africans would see his art. That’s not what happened.
Three Books on Nelson Mandela
The American public radio network, NPR, asked me, in anticipation of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, to recommend 3 books its listeners could read on his life and legacy.
After the World Cup is gone
The book, “Africa’s World Cup,” is a valuable source for thinking more deeply about the meanings and legacies of the 2010 edition of the competition hosted in South Africa.