November 15, 2013
Africa: African Literature - Why We Need to Hear Stories About Ourselves Again
When I first read the manuscript that would become What Sunny Saw in the Flames, I was immediately captivated. It had everything: a great story, engrossing characters, and a rich… Read more »
November 14, 2013
Sudan: The Revolution Will Be Tweeted
Online and diaspora activists should be recognised as the important early stages of a revolutionary movement, not a distraction. Read more »
November 13, 2013
Africa: Forced Labour Is About Politics and Economics As Much As Crime
The battle against exploitative labour should be part of a moral and political struggle over the kind of society we want to live in. Read more »
November 12, 2013
East Africa: Kenya Bids to Be Next Resource Hub
Kenyans are abuzz with hope that its newly-discovered resources will enrich the country, but is Kenya prepared to make the most of its natural wealth? Read more »
Kenya: Kenyatta in Court - the ICC Needs to Start Winning Some Public Perception Battles
The International Criminal Court is arguably engaged in the most important confrontation in its history, and it is losing. Read more »
November 11, 2013
Africa: African Migrants Aren't Just Fleeing to Europe, They're Fleeing From Europe's Legacy in Africa
Recent news has provided us with yet more tragic accounts of the deaths of African migrants - from the seas of the Mediterranean, as in the case of the Lampedusa boat victims, to… Read more »
Malawi: Donors Delay Aid as the Cashgate Scandal Unfolds
Despite pleas from the government and the arrest of former justice minister Ralph Kasambara, more international donors have followed suit in suspending aid to Malawi. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's National Dialogue Conference - Enhancing the Debate or Killing It?
A measure supposed to heal divisions, enhance dialogue and relieve mistrust has so far done the very opposite. Read more »
November 08, 2013
Kenya: Auction Signals the Continuing Rise of Sizzling Art Scene
As East Africa's first major art auction saw, Nairobi's untrained, experimental and increasingly political artists from the slums are turning heads. Read more »
South Africa: Swimming With Sharks - South Africans' Trillion Rand Debt Problem
In one of the world's most unequal societies, thousands find themselves in swirling debt traps with no clear route out. Read more »
November 07, 2013
Uganda: Danger in Labour - Uganda's Maternal Health Crisis
From drug shortages to insufficient staff to having to pay for 'free' treatment, pregnant women face countless challenges. And that's presuming they can even reach a health centre. Read more »
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone - Freedom of Information Is One Thing, Freedom of Press Is Another
Sierra Leone's new freedom of information bill could be positive, but as Liberia's experience shows, without political will, the law could mean very little. Read more »
November 06, 2013
Congo-Kinshasa: Kinshasa Faces More Rebels, Continued Grievances
Though the M23 has been defeated, underlying grievances remain, while the dozens more rebel groups in the region may prove harder to uproot. Read more »
November 05, 2013
Central African Republic: Rebels, Anti-Rebels and Refugees
As Séléka rebels clash with anti-balaka forces and the dire humanitarian situation worsens, international intervention may be the only solution. Read more »
Africa: The Afropolitan Must Go
Despite what Taiye Selasi says, I do not have a drum beating inside me. The motherland is not calling me home. And I am merely ambivalent about jazz. Read more »
Eswatini: Swaziland Takes No Steps Closer to Democracy
Despite a purported tête-à-tête with divinity and another round of elections, it seems that little has changed in Mswati III's mountainous kingdom. Read more »
Africa: The Afropolitan Must Go
Despite what Taiye Selasi says, I do not have a drum beating inside me. The motherland is not calling me home. And I am merely ambivalent about jazz. Read more »
November 04, 2013
Ethiopia: UK and U.S. Complicity in Mass Displacement
In the face of evidence, the UK and US continue to deny systematic human rights abuses are occurring in the Lower Omo as thousands are displaced for an irrigation scheme. Read more »
Mali: Are the Blue Helmets Going Green?
After the Haiti cholera scandal, the UN Mali mission has become the first tasked with assessing its own environmental impacts. However early indications don't look promising. Read more »
November 01, 2013
Angola: Luanda Buys Hand-Me-Down Arms From Russia
Despite being sold outdated and sometimes substandard equipment, arms deals remain central to Russian-African relations. Read more »
Africa: Israel Can't Solve Its Asylum Seeker Issue That Easily
Israeli politicians have announced a deal whereby an East African country, believed by most to be Uganda, will accept its African asylum seekers. But is this even legal? Read more »
Mali: Music, Culture & Conflict in Mali
Music is Mali's most famous cultural asset and has shaped the country's history for centuries. A new book by Andy Morgan recounts how it has suffered under Islamist occupation. Read more »
October 31, 2013
Cameroon: Getting Girls Into School
Despite improving school enrolment statistics in Cameroon, girls continue to lag behind boys due to a complex mix of economic and cultural factors. Read more »
Nigeria: Lagos - a Cultural and Historical Companion
The challenges of living in Lagos are widely anthologised, so why would anyone choose to live there? Read more »
October 30, 2013
Africa: How the M23 Was Pushed Back
Less than a year ago, the national army and UN mission watched on as the M23 moved across the region. This week, it is the rebels that have been swept aside. What changed? Read more »