Video vixens and cash: how Nigerian hip hop music objectifies women
By Paul Onanuga Music is a reflection of the society within which it is produced. As a music genre, hip hop has not only gone global, it has taken up the … Read More
Category: Opinion
How memes in the DRC allow people to laugh at those in power – and themselves
By Lesley Nicole Braun & Ribio Nzeza Bunketi Buse Memes have become expressions of contemporary culture worldwide, as people document their daily lives through images. The world of memes – the humorous … Read More
John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo: Nigeria’s bard, playwright and activist
By Sola Balogun Ahead of his death on October 13, 2020,the renowned Nigerian poet and playwright John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo had given instructions on his burial.y He wrote a poem, “My Last Testament”: This … Read More
The Angolan dancers who helped South African anthem Jerusalema go global
By Ananya Jahanara Kabir In February the Angolan dance troupe Phenomenos do Semba created the viral #JerusalemaDanceChallenge video that showed off their dance moves to the South African hit song Jerusalema. Their video is set in a … Read More
How viral song Jerusalema joined the ranks of South Africa’s greatest hits
By Akhona Ndzuta There’s something seemingly novel about a song from South Africa going viral to the extent that the 2019 house music song Jerusalema has done in 2020. The song is … Read More
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
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