Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?
By Florence Nweke The failure of Nigeria’s current pop stars to identify with the country’s oppressed has inspired feelings of nostalgia about the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. For much … Read More
Category: Opinion
South Africa needs a fresh national imagination: here are some ideas
By Njabulo S. Ndebele Imagine that during the COVID-19 lockdown South Africans woke up one morning to TV shows, radio broadcasts and pamphlets announcing a declaration by “white” South Africans: “WE ARE … Read More
For African politicians, fashion could mean more than just dress
By Garhe Osiebe Across Africa, politicians are using personal fashion to communicate. From red berets, to all-khaki ensembles, to full-on cosplaying, leaders across the continent have a robust relationship with fashion. Despite … Read More
New threats to media freedom come from unexpected directions
By Franz Kruger Media Freedom Day in South Africa marks the anniversary of a brutal crackdown by the apartheid state on the media and the Black Consciousness Movement. The 1977 killing … Read More
A viral hit? The sequence of coronavirus makes surprisingly lovely music
All my life I’ve been involved in music and molecular biology. At the crossroads between science and art, I see great scope for insight. My latest research, published in the … Read More
Lockdown didn’t work in South Africa: why it shouldn’t happen again
By Alex Broadbent, Benjamin T H Smart and Herkulaas MvE Combrink At the start of October, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Chinese government lauded South Africa’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. … Read More
Why operational subsidies are key to reforming South Africa’s minibus taxi sector
By Benjamin H Bradlow Profit margins in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry have been under pressure long before the COVID- When South African Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced recently that the government … Read More