Confronting the weapon of photography
The imperial legacy of the camera and the narrative power of words and images.
24 Articles by:
Zachary Rosen
Zachary Rosen is on the editorial board of Africa is a Country.
Bridging visual distance
The photo series Another Way Home captures how migration effects families, communities and individuals—those who travel and those who stay behind.
Malick Sidibé: Directing Light
Amy Sall (Sunu Journal), Candace Keller (Michigan State), Drew Thompson (Bard), curator Thato Mogotsi and Cherif Keita, reflect on Malick Sidibé’s impact.
Abdi Latif Ega and the rejection of the ‘African’ novel
Somali-American novelist Ega speaks about creating complex characters, the relationship of images to creative writing and the state of African literature today.
Letters to Hlompho Letsielo
In May 2015, Lesotho lost one of its most vibrant and creative minds, the photographer Hlompho Letsielo.
Fresh eyes: Yannis Guibinga’s photos of Gabon
Guibinga documents the vibrant beach culture of the country’s capital, Libreville, on the West African coast.
Breaking: African artists use the Internets
Mainstream Western media outlets are only now learning to recognize and value diverse and creative African phenomena that have thrived for years.
Vintage Cru
The Johannesburg-based crew challenges the status quo in South Africa with dance.
Before They Resurrect the Noble Savage
Jimmy Nelson’s photographs are deliberately constructed to capitalize on his own vision of these groups.
Reimagining Ghana’s Cinemaspace
Ghanaian-American filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu wants to foster a new wave of Ghanaian experimental filmmakers.
The first rules of Halloween
As a public service, we will, every year around Halloween, share this guide on how not to embarrass yourself or offend anyone.
The African New Wave
Weekend Music Break Number 57 includes a tribute to Fela Kuti, music from Lesotho, and the fast rapping of Sarkodie.
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips and the “True Story” of Somali Piracy
The complexity surrounding the social and economic drivers of piracy off the Horn of Africa was lost in the media-friendly version of the story.
Sathima’s swansong
There is a time for everything: Between Afropunk and the passing of a musical legend, Sathima Bea Benjamin, is our Weekend Music Break.
Who no know go know
The words and images found in the Chronic have a tendency to defy simple consumption.
Summer in the City
Weekend Music Break 49 makes stops in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda and with the diaspora in Australia, among others.