Culture
The Contemporary Mark of Assata Shakur
The Black American activist's relevance for today's generation following the killing of Mike Brown by police, and the suppression of protests in Ferguson, Missouri.
Unlike Anything I’ve Seen Before
The Sudanese film, "Beats of the Antonov," explores the connections between the bombs of oppression and the resilience of culture.
What Binyavanga thinks of the Caine Prize
The inaugural winner of the Caine Prize for short fiction opines on the useless rivalry between Kenyans and Nigerians about who has won more Caine Prizes.
What would Mandela do
The South African struggle suggests that sports boycotts are effective at forcing change. For white South Africans (and their apologists), sporting isolation was a bitter pill to swallow.
Prayer in the time of Ebola
in places like Lagos where the healthcare system is inadequate and health workers constantly on strike, people rely on prayer.
The Redemption Trope in South African Cinema
The politics of three prominent South African films: the classics 'Come Back Africa,' late-1980s 'Mapantsula' and Oscar winner 'Tsotsi.'
The promise of revelation
James Matthews has the distinction of being one of the first Black Consciousness poets and publishers in South Africa. He is the subject of a documentary by director Shelley Barry.
It’s time to drop the “world music” label
The progressive rock of The Brother Moves On is a great case study for why the category of "world music" is at best dated, and at worst problematic.
The World Carnival Sound
Once a month Hipsters Don't Dance will bless Africa Is a Country with their top 5 World Carnival tunes.
Walking With Wole Soyinka
Professor Soyinka's steps were smart and sure, not betraying his age and decades of struggle against the vilest rulers Nigeria has had.
Umlilo is young, black and queer in South Africa
The artist Umlilo documents their metamorphosis from a tortured outsider to a fully realized divine being.
Rap Songs About Weed
We went on a hunt for some South African rap songs about marijuana and emerged with a list ranging from Youngsta, Mothipa's Mpharanyana and Hymphatic Thabs.
Live from Grahamstown
The National Arts Festival, that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2014, is the second biggest arts festivals in the world.
The Goal is Clarity
When it comes to Israel and Palestine, for Americans, it doesn’t matter if the careful phrases contradict the most basic facts.