West Archives | African Arguments

Afrobeats Music Nigeria Top story

Afrobeats: The birth of Afro-Adura

By Doyin Olagunju
May 27, 2023

The fast-rising genre is spawning a new wave of Afrobeats stars, and adds a spiritual dimension rooted in a century-old African church. In January ...

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Politics Senegal Top story

Gatsa-Gatsa: Ousmane Sonko and Senegal’s politics of retaliation

By Bamba Ndiaye
May 15, 2023

Sonko’s legal problems, which appear engineered to frustrate his presidential bid, could well push the country back into the street. On May 8, 2023, ...

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Climate Economy Nigeria

How (and why) Nigeria should remove its fuel subsidy

By Stephen Onyeiwu
May 5, 2023

Nigeria spends a quarter of its budget on a regressive fuel subsidy. Removing it and distributing the savings can help the poorest. Nigerians are ...

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Elections Liberia Politics Top story

Is Liberia heading towards an electoral crisis?

By Robtel Neajai Pailey and Oscar Bloh
April 15, 2023

A suspicious census, a cash-strapped electoral commission and voter eligibility based on phenotype signal a dubious October election. Six months before high-stakes presidential and ...

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Elections Nigeria Politics Top story

How Nigeria avoided organised violence during the 2023 elections

By Imrana Buba
April 6, 2023

Super Camps and military vigilance in the North, and Peter Obi’s candidature in the southeast quelled much potential violence. In the 2015 presidential elections, ...

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Elections Nigeria Politics Top story

Nigeria’s curious voter turnout problem

By Adebayo Abdulrahman
March 23, 2023

Why do Nigerian voters disappear when new technology is introduced at the polling booth? Four presidential candidates have now filed petitions at the presidential ...

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Cinema Culture Senegal Top story Tribute

Learning from Sembène: Telling the stories that matter

By Dika Ofoma
March 3, 2023

A hundred years after Sembène’s birth, a budding filmmaker describes his social awakening and discovery of the late Senegalese director. I grew up primarily ...

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Elections Nigeria Top story

Did Nigeria’s election tech fail or was it sabotaged?

By Adebayo Abdulrahman
March 2, 2023

Young voters put their faith in digital technology. But at polling units nationwide, many were transported to an elections twilight zone. Victor Madu, a ...

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Culture Editor's Picks Senegal Tribute

Safi Faye: Farewell to a pioneering filmmaker

By Estrella Sendra
February 24, 2023

Senegalese filmmaker was the first African woman to make a commercial feature film, Kaddu Beykat, in 1975. Last Thursday, as filmmakers, curators and cinephiles were ...

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Country Elections Nigeria

The Gangs of Gombe

By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim
February 24, 2023

Birthed by democracy, recruited by rival politicians, they have operated with impunity. This election season has been no different. On 12 December last year, ...

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