January 04
South Africa: Peter Magubane - Courageous Photographer Who Chronicled South Africa's Struggle for Freedom
Peter Sexford Magubane, a courageous South African photographer whose images testify to both the iniquity of apartheid and the determination and devotion of those who brought about… Read more »
December 25, 2023
East Africa: 4 Must-Read Books From East Africa - From Tanzanian Masters to Ugandan Queens
East African literature continues to grow and reshape itself in exciting new ways. The world really did take notice of the region when Tanzanian-British author Abdulrazak Gurnah… Read more »
January 02
Africa: Coca-Cola in Africa - A Story of High Politics and Marketing Gumption
A new book called Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African tells the story of how the world's most famous carbonated drink conquered the continent. It's a tale of marketing gumption… Read more »
December 28, 2023
Africa: Black Panther, Wakanda Forever and the Problem With Hollywood - an African Perspective
Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were global hits that played out in an imaginary African kingdom and feature a universe of black creative talent. What's not to… Read more »
December 27, 2023
Africa: An African History of Cannabis Offers Fascinating and Heartbreaking Insights - an Expert Explains
When I tell people that I research cannabis, I sometimes receive a furtive gesture that implies and presumes: "We're both stoners!", as if two members of a secret society have met. Read more »
December 25, 2023
East Africa: 4 Must-Read Books From East Africa in 2023 - From Tanzanian Masters to Ugandan Queens
East African literature continues to grow and reshape itself in exciting new ways - and 2023 was no exception. The world really did take notice of the region when Tanzanian-British… Read more »
December 22, 2023
Africa: Hollywood's First Major Black Female Superhero - How Wakanda Forever Broke the Mould
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rewrote Hollywood's script for superhero movies. English professor Diana Adesola Mafe was recently involved in an academic roundtable that offers a… Read more »
December 19, 2023
Nigeria: Nollywood Set New Highs in 2023 - Here Are Four of My Favourite Films of the Year
The Nigerian film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, was once seen as a mass producer of poor quality "home videos". It's now become known for increasingly slick films that… Read more »
December 14, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Flamboyant Aso Ebi Dressing Style Is Popular - but It's Become a Financial Burden
Aso ebi - "family uniform" - is the Yoruba custom of people dressing alike for social events. The custom is rooted in kinship (ebi), an important aspect of Yoruba social life since… Read more »
South Africa: Creative Writing Can Help Improve One's Health - a South African Study Shows How
From the beginning of recorded history, people in diverse cultures have embraced the idea that creative expression, including visual art, stories, dance and music, contributes to… Read more »
Nigeria: Black Ghosts - Noo Saro-Wiwa's New Book Is a Powerful Reflection On Africans in China
Noo Saro-Wiwa is a celebrated Nigerian-born travel writer. Her latest book is Black Ghosts. It explores, with candour and compassion, the lives of several African economic migrants… Read more »
December 12, 2023
Madagascar: Madagascar Cave Art Hints At Ancient Connections Between Africa and Asia
Unique, prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar. Read more »
Nigeria: Victor Ekpuk Is a Nigerian Artist Who Uses Ancient African Graphic Writing Systems to Unveil a Stunning New Display of Creativity
Victor Ekpuk is an internationally renowned Nigerian artist known for his artwork inspired by ancient African writing and graphic writing systems. INTERwoven TEXTures is his first… Read more »
November 29, 2023
South Africa: Opera in Cape Town - Critics Trace How a Colonial Art Form Was Reinvented As African
Many people thought that classical opera in South Africa - regarded as a western, colonial art form that was the preserve of white people during apartheid - would die with… Read more »
November 27, 2023
Zimbabwe: John Hlatywayo - Remembering a Great Artist Who Was Woefully Neglected By History
John Hlatywayo, who has died at 96, was a great painter, sculptor and mentor. However he is woefully neglected in the art history of Zimbabwe and southern Africa. Read more »
November 17, 2023
Egypt: Did Napoleon Really Fire At the Pyramids?
Directors of historical feature films face a difficult task. How can they make the characters familiar to an audience without reducing them to caricature? How can they make sure… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Henri Lopes, the Prime Minister of Congo Who Became a Famous Novelist
"On the other bank ... that is where Henri Lopes now rests," wrote novelist and journalist Nicolas Michel in a beautiful tribute to mark the passing of the celebrated Congolese… Read more »
November 16, 2023
South Africa: Nkoli - the Vogue Opera - the Making of a Musical About a Queer Liberation Activist in South Africa
The history of South Africa's struggle against apartheid (separatist white minority rule) is taught only through the broadest of brushstrokes in the country's schools. So might… Read more »
November 15, 2023
South Africa: Henry Bredekamp and the Khoisan - the Living Legacy of a Renowned South African Historian
When Professor Henry Charles "Jatti" Bredekamp began his career as a historian of early Cape Town in South Africa, there was still a commonly held myth that the region's native… Read more »
November 09, 2023
West Africa: Kora - in Search of the Origins of West Africa's Famed Stringed Musical Instrument
"How come we've never heard of this beautiful instrument until now?" This was posted by a first-year college student to my world music course discussion board recently. He voiced… Read more »
November 06, 2023
Africa: My Parents Are From Two Different African Countries - Study Shows How This Shapes Identity
More than a third of migration in sub-Saharan Africa happens within the continent. This mixing of people means that some children have parents of different national origins. Yet… Read more »
November 05, 2023
East Africa: Birds of East Africa - New Book Reveals Their Extraordinary Diversity and Changing Behaviour
101 Curious Tales of East African Birds is a new book that uses academic research to tell fascinating stories about the tropical birds of east Africa, from well-known species to… Read more »
October 29, 2023
Zimbabwe: Shepherd Ndudzo's Celebrated Sculptures Tell an Untold History of Southern African Art
The work of award-winning Zimbabwe-born sculptor Shepherd Ndudzo is instantly recognisable. Fluid, elongated black bodies and body parts flow from white rock in a typical work. The… Read more »
October 25, 2023
Ghana: El Anatsui Review - the Great Ghanaian Sculptor Is the Talk of London
The international art world is celebrating the Ghanaian artist El Anatsui in London. On 9 October, a gigantic installation of three new works - Behind the Red Moon - opened at the… Read more »
October 22, 2023
South Africa: Community Radio - Young South Africans Are Helping Shape the News Through Social Media
The number of South African internet users has nearly doubled in the past decade. One 2023 study of 45 developed countries suggests that South Africans even lead the world when it… Read more »