The demographic case is equally striking. More than 60% of Africans are under 25. By 2050, one in three people aged 15 to 24 anywhere on Earth will be African. A continent this young is not a problem to be managed. It is a generation to be partnered with
Our simple argument is that the Second Scramble for Africa shouldn’t happen on our watch when we have so much at our disposal to avert this age-old plunder. It is a shameful indictment on the collective leadership of the continent that Africa continues to bleed resources through such blatant thievery as illicit financial flows, which currently stands billions of US dollars
African public intellectuals have repeatedly concerned themselves about how African societies can act with purpose and autonomy in a global system that has historically limited their choices
For many African public intellectuals such as Steve Biko, Leopold Senghor, Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah, political independence represented more than the transfer of formal authority from colonial administrations to newly sovereign states
The lesson is clear: democracy in Washington’s playbook is not a universal value but a lever, invoked when nations resist economic control, claim authority over their own resources or chart independent destinies
Decades on, Kwame Nkrumah’s speeches read like a roadmap for Africa’s present challenges, from trade and unity to economic independence
When coercion is directed outward from the West toward the Global South it is normalised, bureaucratised and framed as responsible governance
The Kenyan American political scientist argued that the Global South acquiring nuclear weapons would lead to universal nuclear disarmament
Amílcar Cabral was assassinated 50 years ago today. His thought, which sometimes arrived in South Africa via a circuitous route, speaks to our current crisis with undiminished power.
Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata’s impressive African history book by non-historians
The current government is adhering to an old policy of appeasement of Western interests
Contemporary African intellectuals, historians, self-styled Pan-Africanists, patriots and good old liberal political commentators such as myself carry divergent opinions of why South Africa shuns — or does not commemorate — Africa Day. I have, ever since my country shrugged off Rhodesian colonialism in 1980, bought the story hook, line and sinker that May is truly […]
Afrophobia is an imported anti-African sentiment that internalises colonialism because current state borders never existed in African societies
The ‘neuf-3’ art project, curated by Riason Naidoo, aims to pay tribute to the African communities of Saint-Denis — and of Paris
Africa is nowhere near achieving the promises of the African Charter, which only underscores its importance
The liberation legend died on Thursday at a military hospital in Lusaka, aged 97
Pan-Africanism is an ever-evolving ideology, without a set rubric, and is dependent on one’s interpretation
‘Know The Beginning Well’ is an insightful peek into the life of KY Amoako and the fascinating work he has done on the continent
This almost forgotten song, written at a time when many African countries had gained their independence, can provide hope during our era of persistent xenophobia
Our continent is not just united geographically, but also by our shared experiences and we should use that to build a bright future
This is an edited extract of the introduction to ‘Revolutionary Thought in the 20th Century’ (1980) edited by late anti-apartheid stalwart Ben Turok
Demographic changes are placing the continent on the brink of what could bring a ‘demographic dividend’ – but only if the right action is taken now.
President Akufo-Addo wants Founder’s Day to become Founders’ Day, but not everyone agrees
Kwame Nkrumah envisioned an Africa united by necessity and if anything can get the continent’s nations to work together, it’s the prospect of wealth.