From slavery to colonialism and school rules: a history of myths about black hair
“Your hair feels like pubic hair.” That was one of the first insults that someone hurled at my hair. She was a junior at my school. She would touch my … Read More
Category: Opinion
Dear Dambudzo Marechera… The letters Zimbabweans wrote to a literary star
The writer Dambudzo Marechera, who died on 18 August 1987, remains a popular figure in Zimbabwe. He is heralded by a young generation as a radical and counter-culture figure. Marechera became … Read More
Undressing for redress: the significance of Nigerian women’s naked protests
Social media went abuzz on July 23, 2020, when hundreds of women – mostly naked – staged a protest in the northwestern state of Kaduna, Nigeria. Wailing and rolling on the ground, they … Read More
Book shines light on Dennis Brutus, one of South Africa’s most underrated poets
Fortunately for the rest of us South Africans, the apartheid police state often shot itself in the foot. On the one hand, after a horrifying exposé of jail conditions in Drum magazine at the … Read More
Towards Wakanda – Chadwick Boseman’s passing and the power and limits of Afrofuturism
If you’re not a comics fan, you may have been surprised at the extent of the heartfelt grief expressed following the death of actor Chadwick Boseman. One explanation lies in the extraordinary power of the … Read More
Excavating hidden and forgotten pasts with sound
For people and communities whose pasts have been erased or denied historical documentation, sound presents a rich potential for rediscovering them. Sound has been used effectively in this regard for … Read More
Are lockdown live streams working for South African musicians?
“Hello,” says trumpeter Sydney Mavundla. “Greetings to you, sitting in your living room there on that red couch!” But Mavundla can’t see his audience. He’s talking through the “fourth wall” – … Read More