Sudan: Temple Graffiti Reveals Stories From Ancient Sudan

Today the northern region of Sudan that borders with Egypt is mostly desert. But this part of the Nile's valley was once home to a powerful African civilisation called Kush. It… Read more »

South Africa: The White People Who Spied During Apartheid

In his new book, "Betrayal: The Secret Lives of Apartheid Spies", award-winning journalist Jonathan Ancer explores why it is that spies spy. This interest, and this book, follow on… Read more »

South Africa: 'Invasion' - an Exhibition That Presents an Artist's Healing Touch

Some people disparage beautiful art because it seems to deny the painful complexity of life. They feel it is just sentimental and it leaves them with a sense that something is… Read more »

South Africa: How Toni Morrison's Legacy Plays Out in South Africa's Universities

I first encountered Toni Morrison during my undergraduate years at Rhodes University in South Africa where her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Beloved (1987), was taught as part of… Read more »

Africa: How Our African Ancestors Made Sound in the Stone Age

The Middle and Later Stone Age, which lasted from about 300 000 to 300 years ago in South Africa, was an important time for the African continent. During this period humans… Read more »

Ghana: How 'Bride Price' Reinforces Negative Stereotypes - Case Study

Marriage is an institution common to all cultures. Very often it's accompanied by transfers - in most cases in the form of payments - between the families of the groom and the… Read more »

South Africa: Johnny Clegg - South Africa's Universal Man of Uncommon Passion

Universal Man: Jonathan Clegg "Sikeyi" (1953-2019). "Sikeyi" is a Zulu dance praise name: "The peg through a yoke that secures oxen in position, from Afrikaans juskei (juk: yoke],… Read more »

South Africa: David Koloane Fought for the Right to Define Himself - - and His Art

Dr David Nthubu Koloane, who was born in South Africa in 1938, was an extraordinary pioneer in the visual arts who fiercely defied any form of categorisation. As an artist,… Read more »

Algeria: As the West Toasted Men On the Moon, Algeria Held a Party to a Post-Imperial World

The First Pan-African Cultural Festival, known as PANAF, formally opened in Algiers on 21 July 1969. This was the day after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic moon landing… Read more »

South Africa: Farewell to Ndikho Xaba - a Little Known Genius of South African Music

It's the late 1990s at the Windybrow Theatre in Johannesburg. I'm with an American-born friend whose jazz tastes were shaped by the Chicago free music scene of the 1970s. On to the… Read more »

South Africa: Jonas Gwangwa's Music and Life Embody the Resistance Against Apartheid

When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently sent good wishes to hospitalised trombonist/composer Jonas Gwangwa, it represented far more than a routine official courtesy. Read more »

Africa: Africa Has Lost Binyavanga Wainaina. but His Spirit Will Continue to Inspire

Binyavanga Wainaina, one of Kenya's most famous writers, has passed away. Read more »

Africa: Why Western Museums Should Return African Artefacts

A large number of artefacts held in Western museums and libraries are known to have been appropriated over the ages through conquest and colonialism. The looting of African objects… Read more »

Africa: How African Countries Are Doing in Ballooning Digital Music Revenues

Last year was a good one for the music recording industry. After years of decline 2018 marked the fourth consecutive year of growth in music industry revenues. According to the… Read more »

South Africa: One Vice Chancellor's Account of Student Protests

The #FeesMustFall protests of 2015 and 2016 have made an indelible mark on higher education in South Africa. The protests left no university untouched. And they elicited… Read more »

South Africa: Why Non-fiction Books Dominate Bestseller Lists in South Africa

Books in South Africa don't often make headline news. But a controversial subject, protests and disruptions at a book launch, and threats of book burning are sufficient to get… Read more »

Africa: Why Philosophy Must Be Dragged Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Street

According to one founding myth, philosophy begins with a grumpy old man named Socrates being put to death for pestering his fellow citizens about the nature of justice, courage,… Read more »

South Africa: Tribute to Biggest Collection of Artists' Books in the Southern Hemisphere

There is a very special section of artworks known as artists' books. These are artworks in the form of books rather than books about art. South African art collector and… Read more »

Africa: How Science Fiction and Fantasy Can Help Us Make Sense of the World

The world's a mess. How do thoughtful people make sense of it all? In this series we've asked a number of our authors to suggest a book, philosopher, work of art - or anything… Read more »

Africa: How the Open Access Model Hurts Academics in Poorer Countries

The rise of open access publishing should be applauded. Scientific research and literature should be made available to everyone, with no cost to the reader. Read more »

Nigeria: What Hip-Hop Lyrics Have to Say About Yahoo Boys

Singers use artistic conventions to construct marketable music personas. But that's not the full picture. In the US, for example, most American hip-hop and rap songs are also a… Read more »

South Africa: Graffiti Is an Eye-Catching Way to Create Lively Spaces in Cities

Whether it's tagging (the stylised writing of an individual or crew's name), posters, stickers, installations, murals or mosaics, graffiti has always been a contentious issue.… Read more »

South Africa: How South Africa Can Grow Its Gaming Industry

In 2018, the global gaming industry consisted of 2.3 billion consumers, who spent nearly US$ 138 billion on games. Research done two years ago showed that there were more than 11m… Read more »

Africa: The Legacy of Okwui Enwezor - the Curator Who Exhibited Africa to the World

Over two decades Okwui Enwezor emerged as a dominant and highly influential voice in curatorial practice and contemporary art history. He was a curator and art historian who… Read more »

Africa: Africa's Top Film Festival Celebrates 50 Years - What's to Celebrate, and Learn

There is no better place to assess the state of "auteur" African cinema than at its premier showcase, the biennial film festival in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.… Read more »