Why “hakuna matata”Disney’s decades-old trade mark is infuriating African kiSwahili speakers
“Hakuna matata” is no longer the carefree phrase it once was. Ahead of the 2019 release of the live-action remake of The Lion King, news [read more…]
Art & Entertainment
EU tests idea in Gambia: Would more opportunity at home mean fewer migrants?
Job opportunities, safety – those kinds of factors guide decisions about whether to leave your country. But the pull of stories that say a better [read more…]
From Harare to Lagos: Africa’s gender fluid designs are defying norms
There isn’t much in Orange Culture’s clothing to identify it as a menswear brand. At the label’s studio in upmarket Lagos – traditionally feminine detailing [read more…]
Khaira Arby, Outspoken Malian Singer With Global Reach, Dies at 58
BAMAKO, Mali — Khaira Arby, a Malian singer and songwriter with an international presence who remained outspoken at a time of civil war and harsh [read more…]
‘We laugh, sing and play music’: the rise of Mogadishu
The surprising sounds of a late evening in Mogadishu: surf on the beach, laughs of revellers, clinking of cups and glasses, oaths of harassed waiters [read more…]
Hugh Masekela obituary
Trumpeter and singer-songwriter who was a propulsive force in jazz in South Africa and a tireless campaigner against apartheid in exile Hugh Masekela, who has [read more…]
The rebirth of Timbuktu as symbol of world-renowned scholarship, innovation, plurality, and tolerance
In 2012, jihadists took over the Malian city. After liberation, the threat is far from over – but artists are getting back on stage Gold [read more…]
A music festival on the banks of the Niger River has helped establish Mali’s cultural capital Mali Music Festival
In the first week of every February, the streets of Ségou in Mali come to life. Residents from the capital, Bamako, flock to the secondary [read more…]
How a lone Ghanaian cartoonist stood up to China
In April, Ghanaian artist Bright Tetteh Ackwerh published a cartoon on his Facebook page titled, “We Dey Beg,” or “We are begging,” in honor of [read more…]
Why Americans Should Care About Congo, According to the New York Filmmaker Who Went There
New York filmmaker Daniel McCabe readily admits that, when most Americans think of Congo, their first thoughts are almost entirely negative. Some will think of [read more…]