Arts + Culture – Views & Research – The Conversation

A middle-aged man in glasses stares at the camera as a muscular arm grips his head and clenches a fist.

A middle-aged man in glasses stares at the camera as a muscular arm grips his head and clenches a fist.

Inside The Manosphere exposes online hate and the dying voice of traditional media

Dylan Valley, University of Cape Town

Old wallpaper showing birds in delicate branches of a tree is peeling, revealing cemenrt beneath it.

Old wallpaper showing birds in delicate branches of a tree is peeling, revealing cemenrt beneath it.

Cape Fever: a haunting new novel from award-winning South African writer Nadia Davids

Olivier Moreillon, University of Johannesburg

Two young African women smile as they sing, surrounded by other people in a gathering, some with raised arms.

Two young African women smile as they sing, surrounded by other people in a gathering, some with raised arms.

Pentecostal churches are a place of everyday care, not just bizarre spectacle: southern African study

Admire Thonje, University of Johannesburg

Men huddled on the ground while two others stand towering over them.

Men huddled on the ground while two others stand towering over them.

Brutal Mau Mau camps in Kenya were an extension of Britain’s colonial prison system – historian traces their roots

Ian Caistor-Parker, University of Warwick

Makemation: a Nollywood movie that shows AI in action in Africa

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

Graphic of young women, back to back. looking at laptop screens, with streaks of light leading up a mountainside in the background

Graphic of young women, back to back. looking at laptop screens, with streaks of light leading up a mountainside in the background

Ice Shock is a novel about passionate love in a time of climate crisis

Rodwell Makombe, North-West University

An iceberg with a hole in it looks sculptural and foreboding.

An iceberg with a hole in it looks sculptural and foreboding.

A football trophy featuring a globe cradled with the map of Africa prominent.

A football trophy featuring a globe cradled with the map of Africa prominent.

Senegal stripped of title: Afcon ruling is lawful, but it puts Caf’s reputation at risk

Fabrice Lollia, Université Gustave Eiffel

Zanele Muholi: queer South African visual activist cements their global influence

Kylie Thomas, NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

An African woman poses for a portrait against a wall of portraits in black and white.

An African woman poses for a portrait against a wall of portraits in black and white.

Diana Ferrus: the South African poet whose words reclaimed history

Barbara Boswell, University of Cape Town

An African woman holds her arms apart in a gesture as she speaks alongside a man playing the guitar.

An African woman holds her arms apart in a gesture as she speaks alongside a man playing the guitar.

Khaby Lame is the world’s most followed TikToker: the story of a Senegalese-born star who sold his identity

Fanny Georges, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 3

A coastline with a road containing cars and vast sand dunes on the other side of it.

A coastline with a road containing cars and vast sand dunes on the other side of it.

Namibia: the history of a country shaped from a rich and traumatic past

Henning Melber, University of Pretoria

Human traffickers are using football dreams to lure young Ghanaian men to Nigeria – how to stop it

Suleman Lazarus, London School of Economics and Political Science

Memory is not to be trusted: a South African memoir traces the search for a family secret

Miki Flockemann, University of the Western Cape

A vintage black and white photo of a dark-haired woman wearing a dress with a fur collar.

A vintage black and white photo of a dark-haired woman wearing a dress with a fur collar.

Afrobeats celebrates cybercrime and it’s becoming a global problem

Suleman Lazarus, London School of Economics and Political Science

Silhouette of people dancing

Silhouette of people dancing

The Voice of Hind Rajab: Tunisian director’s devastating film about Palestine

Florence Martin, Goucher College

Three women, one in a headscarf, stand anxiously above a man seated with a phone in his hand.

Three women, one in a headscarf, stand anxiously above a man seated with a phone in his hand.

Mali’s maestro of African salsa: how Boncana Maïga shaped dance music

Lucy Durán, SOAS, University of London

An African man leans against a classic turquoise convertible in a street with a mural of musicians behind him.

An African man leans against a classic turquoise convertible in a street with a mural of musicians behind him.

An elder African woman in blue traditional attire poses for a portrait, her hands raised, her expression defiant but bemused

An elder African woman in blue traditional attire poses for a portrait, her hands raised, her expression defiant but bemused

Sophie Oluwole, the trailblazing Nigerian woman who redefined philosophy

Christophe Premat, Stockholm University

An oil painting showing a woman in traditional headgear seated in front of a landscape of mountains and sky.

An oil painting showing a woman in traditional headgear seated in front of a landscape of mountains and sky.

Zimbabwean artist Option Nyahunzvi explores cultural values in a bold new exhibition

Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti, Rice University

Women walk on a dirt road past a sign with an illustration of a man accosting a woman.

Women walk on a dirt road past a sign with an illustration of a man accosting a woman.

Faith leaders joined the fight against woman abuse in the DRC. Did it help?

Meg A. Warren, Western Washington University

What does a house mean to you? We asked some women who head households in South Africa

Mziwandile Sobantu, University of Johannesburg and Emmison Muleya, University of the Witwatersrand

What is happiness? A philosopher looks for answers

Anné H. Verhoef, North-West University

A wall painted in different bright colours with graffitti of a red smiley face.

A wall painted in different bright colours with graffitti of a red smiley face.

A group of people sitting under a tree, holding guitars and looking at a standing man with a guitar

A group of people sitting under a tree, holding guitars and looking at a standing man with a guitar

Ebo Taylor took highlife to the world and changed Ghanaian music forever

Eric Sunu Doe, University of Ghana

Colonialism in Africa: archaeology offers a deeper view

Timothy Clack, University of Oxford and Shadreck Chirikure, University of Oxford

Old map of Africa

Old map of Africa

Prophets and profits: the art of the sell in Shepherd Bushiri’s YouTube sermons

Ambrose Kolawole Dada, Nelson Mandela University and Janelle Vermaak-Griessel, Nelson Mandela University

An African man stands on a stage in an elaborate suit with pink flowers on it, behind him a woman in pink raises a finger in the air, her back to him.

An African man stands on a stage in an elaborate suit with pink flowers on it, behind him a woman in pink raises a finger in the air, her back to him.

Forgiveness isn’t always easy, but studies show it can help you flourish

Richard G. Cowden, Harvard University

An illustration of a black hand holding up a delicate white flower.

An illustration of a black hand holding up a delicate white flower.

Dance scenes in South African rock art: a closer look at ritual, music and movement

Joshua Kumbani, University of Tübingen and Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Universitat de Barcelona

Painting of human figures moving

Painting of human figures moving

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Most read this week

Music

A painting of a supper with a futurist backdrop. Men and women and children laugh and partake, at the head of the table an African man in a gold headpiece raises a gold goblet.

A painting of a supper with a futurist backdrop. Men and women and children laugh and partake, at the head of the table an African man in a gold headpiece raises a gold goblet.

Revolutionary rap: Nigerian star Falz has kept protest music alive

Paul Onanuga, Federal University, Oye Ekiti

Pops Mohamed mixed old and new to reinvent South African music

Gwen Ansell, University of Pretoria

Black and white image of a man playing the strings of a wooden musical instrument, singing into a microphone alongside it, his eyes closed.

Black and white image of a man playing the strings of a wooden musical instrument, singing into a microphone alongside it, his eyes closed.

Kippie Moeketsi at 100: the soul-stirring story of a South African jazz legend

Gwen Ansell, University of Pretoria

A portrait of a weary-looking African man holding a cigarette, pensive.

A portrait of a weary-looking African man holding a cigarette, pensive.

Feya Faku as I knew him – a tribute to the great South African jazz trumpeter

Darius Brubeck, University of KwaZulu-Natal

A black and white photo of a bald-headed African man blowing into a trumpet, his eyes closed.

A black and white photo of a bald-headed African man blowing into a trumpet, his eyes closed.

Amadou Bagayoko: the blind Malian musician whose joyful songs changed west African music

Lucy Durán, SOAS, University of London

Read more on African musicians

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Film + TV

An illustration of a photo with a bright red background, showing two young women smiling broadly.

An illustration of a photo with a bright red background, showing two young women smiling broadly.

Banning Rafiki was unlawful: why new court ruling is an important moment for African film

Gibson Ncube, Stellenbosch University

South African novelist Lauretta Ngcobo is the subject of a tender and urgent new film

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

Two polaroid-style photos of an African woman, one looking deadpan ahead and the other off into the distance, colourised backgrounds in blue and red.

Two polaroid-style photos of an African woman, one looking deadpan ahead and the other off into the distance, colourised backgrounds in blue and red.

Inside Uganda’s video halls, ‘video jokers’ transform Hollywood blockbusters into local entertainment

Damien Pollard, Northumbria University, Newcastle

A man sits at a laptop with a microphone

A man sits at a laptop with a microphone

How Nollywood films help Kenyan housemaids make sense of their lives

Solomon Waliaula, Maasai Mara University

An African housekeeper in a uniform straightens a sheet on a bed with a faraway look on her face.

An African housekeeper in a uniform straightens a sheet on a bed with a faraway look on her face.

Two Kenyan women rebuild libraries in a quietly powerful new documentary

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

Steps leading up to colonial style building with pillars. A woman is mopping the steps.

Steps leading up to colonial style building with pillars. A woman is mopping the steps.

Read more on African cinema

Books

Read more on African writers

African poetry is celebrated in a groundbreaking publishing project

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

South African writer Zoë Wicomb embraced humanity in all its complexity

Andrew van der Vlies, University of Adelaide

A young light-skinned African woman with a large Afro, eyes cast downward and face deadpan.

A young light-skinned African woman with a large Afro, eyes cast downward and face deadpan.

Darker Shade of Pale: why I wrote a book about my grandfather and how it changed my view of him

Leslie Swartz, Stellenbosch University and Deborah Posel, University of Cape Town

Black and white photo of a seated woman holding a bouquet of flowers and a man standing behind her

Black and white photo of a seated woman holding a bouquet of flowers and a man standing behind her

African novels are being translated to English in a bold new trend. We review Ignatius Mabasa’s The Mad

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

A figurative painting of African men talking on the street.

A figurative painting of African men talking on the street.

NoViolet Bulawayo wins the best of 25 years of the Caine Prize. Why she deserves it

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

A young dreadlocked African woman in a wax print fabric dress sits in a red auditorium chair looking directly to camera, hands clasped.

A young dreadlocked African woman in a wax print fabric dress sits in a red auditorium chair looking directly to camera, hands clasped.

Browse our arts, culture and society archive

Faith

A black and white photo of Africans worshipping, hands in the air.

A black and white photo of Africans worshipping, hands in the air.

God in Nigeria: the country’s novelists help us understand the complexity of Christianity

Adriaan van Klinken, University of Leeds

Jesus chatbots are on the rise. A philosopher puts them to the test

Anné H. Verhoef, North-West University

A digital image of a man with a halo and shoulder length hair in a robe, an orange sky behind him.

A digital image of a man with a halo and shoulder length hair in a robe, an orange sky behind him.

Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera turns her prayers into paintings

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Harvard University

An African woman with long dreadlocks smiles as she looks into camera, standing in front of a table with paints and brushes, behind her a large red painting.

An African woman with long dreadlocks smiles as she looks into camera, standing in front of a table with paints and brushes, behind her a large red painting.

Christians and the British empire: how a church NGO got entangled in colonial violence in Kenya

Poppy Cullen, Loughborough University

Black and white photo of armed men in uniform standing over a group of people who are squatting on the ground with their arms held above their heads

Black and white photo of armed men in uniform standing over a group of people who are squatting on the ground with their arms held above their heads

God and Nollywood: how Pentecostal churches have shaped Nigerian film

Elizabeth Olayiwola, University of Abuja

A film studio with a cameraman filming a scene involving a priest and a woman in a confessional.

A film studio with a cameraman filming a scene involving a priest and a woman in a confessional.

Read more on TB Joshua

History + heritage

A hand cooking a flat bread on a pan on a fire.

A hand cooking a flat bread on a pan on a fire.

Street food in Mombasa: how city life shaped the modern meal

Devin Smart, West Virginia University

Looted African belongings must be returned: is it repatriation or restitution? The words we use matter

Victoria Gibbon, University of Cape Town and Ciraj Rassool, University of the Western Cape

Stone standing in a landscape and bearing an inscription

Stone standing in a landscape and bearing an inscription

Apongo was a rebel leader in Jamaica – a diary entry sheds light on his west African origins

Devin Leigh, University of California, Berkeley

Muslim ritual meets Swahili culture at Kenya’s unique annual maulidi festival

Tom Mboya Olali, University of Nairobi

A group of young men in Muslim attire laugh and smile and cross their arms over their chests as they move.

A group of young men in Muslim attire laugh and smile and cross their arms over their chests as they move.

Early shoppers: how African consumers set global trade trends in the 1800s

Alessandro De Cola, Universität Wien; Università di Bologna; Giorgio Tosco, Universität Trier, and Mariella Terzoli

A colourised historical illustration of African men at a shelter talking with a man in European clothing. They hold elephant tusks and metal objects.

A colourised historical illustration of African men at a shelter talking with a man in European clothing. They hold elephant tusks and metal objects.

Read more on history + heritage

Sport

A group of football fans at a stadium

A group of football fans at a stadium

Afcon drama: what went wrong and what went right at the continent’s biggest football cup in Morocco

Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University

New rugby rules for South African kids aim to keep them safe: what does the research say?

Sharief Hendricks, University of Cape Town

Boys running on a field

Boys running on a field

Wheelchair basketball: what can be learned from a South African athlete’s journey to France

Phoebe Runciman, Stellenbosch University

A young African man in a wheelchair holds a basketball in his lap on a court, looking ahead and about to throw it.

A young African man in a wheelchair holds a basketball in his lap on a court, looking ahead and about to throw it.

Women’s basketball in Nigeria is on a winning streak: how to take it further

Michael Gbemisola Aina, University of Ilorin

Nigeria wins its 10th Wafcon title – but women’s football has never been more competitive

Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University

An African woman with short bleached hair poses for a photo against an orange backdrop, holding a hand playfully to her ear.

An African woman with short bleached hair poses for a photo against an orange backdrop, holding a hand playfully to her ear.

Read more on African football

Cities + societies

Several well-lit buildings against a dark blue sky.

Several well-lit buildings against a dark blue sky.

Kenya’s ‘night running’: how a rural ritual with links to witchcraft became an urban staple

Maureen Amimo, Maasai Mara University

AI can make the dead talk – why this doesn’t comfort us

Tom Divon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Christian Pentzold, University of Leipzig

Drawing of a person hugging an outline figure with an electronic circuitry pattern

Drawing of a person hugging an outline figure with an electronic circuitry pattern

Marriage and migration: what happens when men return to the family home in Botswana

Unaludo Sechele, University of the Free State

Group of women wearing chequered blankets and patterned headscarves

Group of women wearing chequered blankets and patterned headscarves

News influencers are reshaping the media – insights from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa

Amy Ross Arguedas, University of Oxford and Nic Newman, University of Oxford

An illustration of an open mouth with bright red lips.

An illustration of an open mouth with bright red lips.

Internet shutdowns are increasing dramatically in Africa – a new book explains why

Tony Roberts, Institute of Development Studies

Read more on African cities

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