Let the Photo be Taken (1974-2017) A Conversation with Mozambican Photojournalist Naita Ussene
This conversation serves as a retrospective on Naita Ussene, as a photographer, and his country, Mozambique, as his muse.
Culture & Society
The Prophetic Vision of Chinua Achebe Reclaiming Africa's Past, Writing Its Present, Shaping Its Future
Achebe had a keen grasp of how language demonstrated power, how power determined what was considered knowledge, and how this knowledge could become truth.
Revisiting African Humanism The Moral Dimensions of Xenophobic Incidents
History reminds us that xenophobia is not an entirely South African problem. Indeed, across Africa, it has been used as a policy instrument by governments, time and time again.
Zata Iya A History of Hausa Feminist Writings
The feminist champions of Hausa literature have their pens ready, full of fire, energy and imagination, emitting hidden truths through their words, and steadily reinventing the narratives of women in Northern Nigeria.
Where is ‘The Field’? Centring the Periphery in Kinshasa
'The field' is an interesting concept. It only makes sense if we understand that there is also another place which is 'not-the-field'. But the common use of 'the field' suggests that it is shorthand for power relations as well as geography.
Lagbaja, Something for You The Legacy of Our Second Democracy Superhero
Lagbaja’s music is a symbolic bridge that connects the old to the new; the dangers, apprehension, and injustices of the military era to a new age of democracy and hope.
Fieldwork in South Africa: Then and Now An Observation of Oscillating Fortunes
The changing fortunes of Eskom reflect the fortunes of South Africa; while South Africa itself has undergone huge changes between the fieldwork visits, there is a certain element of ‘plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.’
Dancing with the Times Survival Tactics from Chinua Achebe and Arrow of God
Overflowing with idioms and a style of writing that mimics Igbo folklore, Arrow of God is a masterclass in Achebe’s ability to translate Igbo feelings into English.
Beyond the Realm of the Exotic Locating the African in African Literature
For a long time, African literature has grappled with the realm of the exotic—one-dimensional western interpretations of what it is to be African.
The Remarkable Strides of MTV Shuga And the Work Ahead
MTV Shuga’s most enduring lesson is that there is no shame in having an active sex life.