Five strong candidates are vying to be the African Union Commission’s new chairperson As the African continent continues its struggle for improved governance and security, with some of its poorer nations lurching from one crisis to the next, the leadership of...
Over a century of deeply racist Western literature continues to influence notions of ‘blackness’ and what it means to be an African When I wrote my master’s paper at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia in the 1990s I showed that the literature of 18th...
Pidgin and creole emerged to serve trade, but what of their longer-term use and acceptance? I lived in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, my house had a collection of books on the shelves on one wall. There were copies of the Sierra Leonean government gazette, for my...
Childhood links to the motherland seem to require a certain patriotism, yet Swaziland is troubled by a self-serving ruler From a young age I came to admire the notions of “for God and country” and, of course, “Don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you...
A Canadian academic is ordered to pay attention, keep quiet and learn the country’s official history In the midst of my doctoral fieldwork, the Rwandan government ordered me to undergo “re-education”. I was just over halfway finished when the executive assistant to...
The RPF government’s version of history is a tool of power rather than a story shared by all 1994 a new government came to power in Rwanda after the country had seen a genocide that claimed the lives of about three quarters of the Tutsi ethnic minority. The Rwanda...
Nigeria is a country of many ethnicities artificially brought together faces many challenges, not least its own development Historically Nigeria was an artificial creation of the British colonial government. It was designed to be exploited for its natural resources to...
The five-year-old constitution seeks to restore the language, culture and traditions of a marginalised group Morocco largely avoided the turmoil seen in other North African countries during the Arab Spring protests five years ago, it did not escape unscathed. A...
Ivorians must decide whether a constitutional amendment is required to deal with ethnicity and citizenship In October 2016 Côte d’Ivoire will hold a referendum on constitutional reforms. While President Alassane Ouattara perceives this as an opportunity to modernise...
Though the economies of many African countries are dominated by minorities, politicians often choose to accept the benefits Between “Brexit” and Donald Trump, 2016 seems to be a year of political rewards for those who demonise minorities and disparage immigrants. And...
Five strong candidates are vying to be the African Union Commission’s new chairperson As the African continent continues its struggle for improved governance and security, with some of its poorer nations lurching from one crisis to the next, the leadership of...
Over a century of deeply racist Western literature continues to influence notions of ‘blackness’ and what it means to be an African When I wrote my master’s paper at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia in the 1990s I showed that the literature of 18th...
Pidgin and creole emerged to serve trade, but what of their longer-term use and acceptance? I lived in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, my house had a collection of books on the shelves on one wall. There were copies of the Sierra Leonean government gazette, for my...
Childhood links to the motherland seem to require a certain patriotism, yet Swaziland is troubled by a self-serving ruler From a young age I came to admire the notions of “for God and country” and, of course, “Don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you...
A Canadian academic is ordered to pay attention, keep quiet and learn the country’s official history In the midst of my doctoral fieldwork, the Rwandan government ordered me to undergo “re-education”. I was just over halfway finished when the executive assistant to...
The RPF government’s version of history is a tool of power rather than a story shared by all 1994 a new government came to power in Rwanda after the country had seen a genocide that claimed the lives of about three quarters of the Tutsi ethnic minority. The Rwanda...
Nigeria is a country of many ethnicities artificially brought together faces many challenges, not least its own development Historically Nigeria was an artificial creation of the British colonial government. It was designed to be exploited for its natural resources to...
The five-year-old constitution seeks to restore the language, culture and traditions of a marginalised group Morocco largely avoided the turmoil seen in other North African countries during the Arab Spring protests five years ago, it did not escape unscathed. A...
Ivorians must decide whether a constitutional amendment is required to deal with ethnicity and citizenship In October 2016 Côte d’Ivoire will hold a referendum on constitutional reforms. While President Alassane Ouattara perceives this as an opportunity to modernise...
Though the economies of many African countries are dominated by minorities, politicians often choose to accept the benefits Between “Brexit” and Donald Trump, 2016 seems to be a year of political rewards for those who demonise minorities and disparage immigrants. And...