Mali and Manhattan
Why is the conversation in New York about what the government will do about an epidemic, while for West Africa many look instinctively to NGOs?
Politics
Race and Elections in Brazil
Many Brazilian voters are so disillusioned with politics that in this traditionally left-leaning, post-right military dictatorship society, the right has made surprising gains in this election.
Zambia turns 50
Zambia - the country its young people fondly call “Zed” - turns 50 in 2014. It was part of the first wave of African countries to gain independence in the 1960s.
How to bet and win against the (international) system
Uhuru Kenyatta went to The Hague to defend himself against charges of war crimes. He's always managed to stay one step ahead of the Court.
What Liberia Teaches About the Failures of Aid
While health professionals are crucial frontline responders, the Ebola crisis is indeed too important to be left to medical personnel.
Bad reporting on Ebola is worse than ignoring It
It is clear that the way in which the outbreak is portrayed in popular media has contributed to confusion, fear and a panicked response.
What is it like to be a refugee in Germany?
The general trend has been to make immigration more difficult, rather than improving the conditions for asylum seekers and refugees.
The Rusty and Golden Radiators are back!
The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH), the organization responsible for the brilliant Africa for Norway campaign, is
The fruit of gender equality
It turns out the majority of Burkinabé favor progressive change on gender rights.
LagosPhoto is Five Years Old
Four years ago I interviewed Azu Nwagbogu, director of Lagos-based African Artists’ Foundation and the annual
Like a bad joke
Israel's arms exports to African countries has more than doubled in the last four years: African countries spent $223m on Israeli arms in 2013 compared to $107m in 2012.
Germany has its own “Sinterklaas Scandal”
Why is it so difficult to understand when we Africans say that it’s offensive?
Let’s talk about ethnicity and nationalism in Ethiopia
Politics in and about Ethiopia has become so heavily “ethnicized” that we have a difficult time distinguishing between ideology and identity.
Angola’s Forgotten Massacre
Lara Pawson's book about the complex and violent events on and after the 27th of May, 1977: the date of a supposed coup d’etat in Luanda, Angola.
Who profits from the production of blackface?
The Dutch state and its economy are profiting generously from their annual blackface partay.
The Upright Citizens of Burkina Faso
Burkinabe want to sweep out bad governance, political patronage, poverty, lack of respect for human rights and freedom of speech.
T.O. Molefe on South Africa’s “War on Women”
The essayist T.O. Molefe (he is a contributor here too) has a new op-ed column up at
Can an algorithm be racist?
Google translators limitations make for sometimes funny, sometimes dangerous results.
Make Ignorance History
That old excuse of ‘We didn’t know’ (previously also heard as ‘Ons het nie geweet nie’ and ‘Wir haben es nicht gewuszt’) may be factually accurate, but it is never an ethical defense.
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.