Africa’s first 21st century global pop star?
Nigerian D'Banj draws big crowds on the continent and regularly plays the diaspora circuit in cities like London. Next, pop stardom.
392 Article(s) by:
Sean Henry Jacobs
Sean Henry Jacobs is the founder of Africa is a Country and Professor of International Affairs at The New School.
If commercials were a competition
A sample of some of the TV commercials made specifically for the 2012 African Cup of Nations football tournament.
The First Black Woman to win Sundance Best Director
Aava DuVernay leads a movement to organize African-American film festivals and secure theatrical releases for black independent films.
Colonial Fantasies
Just a sample: A "Heart of Darkness"-themed ship, Tarzan in South Africa and a travelogue on the Congo River.
Africa is a Country is on Twitter and Facebook
We have a new @Africasacountry Twitter account. Follow us there and on Facebook too.
Thandie Newton is bi-racial, and not Igbo
Thandi Newton choice as a female lead in the screen adaptation of "Half of a Yellow Sun" has some people upset.
Cape Town is ‘the most dangerous’ city in Africa
A Mexican research group has listed the world's most dangerous cities based on homicide rates. South Africa's cities finish tops.
Paul Simon’s Graceland Reconsidered
Paul Simon's Graceland album and tour defied the cultural boycott, yet some argue it positively influenced South African music and politics in the late 1980s.
Martin Luther King Jnr.’s Day
Before he died, most Americans had very negative views of Martin Luther King Jnr., or were ignorant about his aims. They still are.
The French advantage
The largest delegation of foreign coaches at Afcon is French and 8 squads draw more players from the French leagues, than elsewhere.
The West is no longer the motor of history
The possibility of a new politics emerging from the new left social movements to reconfigure the nation state.
Nas’s Angola Blues
Nas gets caught up in a musical scandal in Angola. Not how he wanted to make a connection to the continent.
Trevor Noah’s “whole African American thing”
Throwback: What happened when Trevor Noah made his debut on American network TV.
‘Fictional’ Cape Town
How Cape Town is used by advertising firms as a cheaper, stand-in location for Euro-American locations.
The Mbalax President
The legendary Senegalese singer is running for president. Not everyone takes him seriously.
#OccupyNigeria
Most Nigerians don’t trust their government and overpaid public representatives with taxpayers’ money. So, they rose up.
Africa’s oldest liberation movement is 100 years old
Does South Africa's ruling ANC still fight for the same values it championed 100 years ago?
The Hall of Shame
We couldn't resist including a post with some of the lowlights of 2011.
10 African Albums of the Year, 2011
If people still bought full albums, we would suggest them buying these 10 from 2011 for their friends. Like we will.
The Economist’s “Africa”
The Economist changed its verdict from "Hopeless Africa" to "Africa Rising" in eleven years. But few care about the latest verdict.