As a language of instruction, French has long held a prominent place in Senegal’s institutions and media. But Wolof, the most spoken national language, has regained its lost places.
African languages
Arts, Culture and Sport Kaluba, the author of ‘Marechera’s Samantha Letter’, chats with Chirere
In the following interview, Memory Chirere chats with Austin Kaluba regarding the letter he wrote in 2011 in memory of Dambudzo Marechera. The letter is included at the end of the interview.
Politics and Society What Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral can teach us about the value of cultural continuity
African historical and cultural records were damaged and erased by colonisation, but even after independence, Africans have not invested adequately in restoring and safeguarding cultural and historical heritage.
Politics and Society The King’s Horseman, Nigeria’s most famous play, is now a Netflix movie: what makes it a classic
Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman, is a film of a play by author and activist Wole Soyinka. It premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Politics and Society Macron is pushing the French language in ways not seen before
In Africa, French will only continue to embed itself – if speaking it is in the interests of Africans and not attached to French foreign policy interests.
Africans rising First locally made smartphone in Ivory Coast provides accessibility in 16 languages
In the modern age, mobile phones are life partners and tools for literacy and positive socioeconomic progress. Expanding local language accessibility is essential in reducing the rural-urban differential, a gap that an entrepreneur in Ivory Coast is determined to close.
Arts, Culture and Sport Haacaaluu Hundeesaa: sublime Ethiopian singer who inspired Oromo struggle protesters
His songs about the rights of the Oromo people in Ethiopia lifted the spirits of a downtrodden people and his death shook the nation.
Arts, Culture and Sport Long Read | Musaemura Zimunya and Marshall Munhumumwe: How two cousins artistically defined Zimbabwean independence — Interview
Musaemura Zimunya and Marshall Munhumumwe’s culturally immersive and nationally minded writing and music have a foundational place in the Zimbabwean canon. The cousins not only found success in the early years of independence but also set the tone for others with distinctively Zimbabwean art. Zimunya remembers his great cousin, who died in 2001, in this wide-ranging interview with Onai Mushava.
Arts, Culture and Sport Biyi Bandele, a serial storyteller who elevated Nigerian culture
From Blood Sisters to Half of a Yellow Sun, he was loved for his TV series and films as well as his novel Burma Boy.