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Living in Translation

Welcome to Living In Translation, a seven-part series of articles on identity and language in Africa. Co-edited by guest editor Nanjala Nyabola and African Arguments editor James Wan.


  • South Africa's Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation on a visit to a Saharawi Refugee Camp in Tindouf in 2018. Credit: DIRCO.
    Living in TranslationWestern Sahara

    Western Sahara: Natives of the desert, natives of Africa?

    By Malainin Lakhal
    May 10, 2019
    The identity of the Saharawi people is rooted not just in language, customs and history, but solidarity. This is the final article in the ...
    Read More
  • At Mzizima fish market in Dar es Salaam, the heart of Swahili country, Tanzania. Credit: David Stanley.
    EastLiving in TranslationTanzania

    A love letter to Kiswahili, those who speak it, and those who think they do

    By Elsie Eyakuze
    May 9, 2019
    Full of subtleties and triple entendres, threats and assurances, Kiswahili is not one language, but many (…some versions better than others). This is the ...
    Read More
  • Participants of the Great Ethiopian Run wear a t-shirt with the message "Empower Women, Empower a Nation" in Amharic on the back. Credit: UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Sewunet.
    EthiopiaLiving in Translation

    How Amharic unites – and divides – Ethiopia

    By Nebeyou Alemu
    May 8, 2019
    The emperors made us speak one language to bring us together. It failed, but it also succeeded. This is the fifth article in the ...
    Read More
  • Mauritius is known for having one of the most diverse societies in the world. Credit: Miwok.
    Living in TranslationMauritius

    Nu tou Creole: Are we Mauritians really African?

    By Shaheen Beeharry
    May 7, 2019
    The Kreol language binds Mauritius’ diverse communities together and links us all, inescapably, to our country’s African origins. This is the fourth article in ...
    Read More
  • South Africa plans to introduce Kiswahili to schools in 2020. Credit: Steven Tan.
    Living in TranslationSouth Africa

    Hope, promise and folly: What South Africa’s embrace of Kiswahili means

    By Sisonke Msimang
    May 7, 2019
    South Africa’s relationship with the rest of Africa is often conflicted. The decision to teach Kiswahili in schools gives a glimpse into what could ...
    Read More
  • Nigeria night life. Credit: Oluwaseun Duncan.
    Living in TranslationNigeriaWest

    For Naija, We Dey Kampe

    By Richard Ali
    May 6, 2019
    Adaptable, jazz-like and subversive. How Pidgin English, the language of Fela Kuti, turns competitors into comrades in Nigeria. This is the second article in ...
    Read More
  • Living in Translation

    Living in Translation

    By Nanjala Nyabola
    May 6, 2019
    Welcome to a new series of articles, guest edited by Nanjala Nyabola, exploring the worlds our languages have built across Africa. This is the ...
    Read More

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