Culture
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Old Nollywood demonised traditional religions. New cinema says ‘No More’
Witches, gods, folklore take two. In Narrow Escape, a classic 1999 Nollywood film, the embattled protagonist Reverend Emmanuel is facing a formidable enemy: his ... -
Best of the 2010s: African films
In the past decade, Africa’s film industries have shown a plucky ability to play in the big leagues. The rise of streaming platforms has ... -
Best of the 2010s: Novels by African writers
The last ten years have seen writers from Africa take the literary world by storm with countless ground-breaking works that have made their way ... -
Funmi Iyanda has a bold new movie out. But don’t call it a comeback.
She never left. In 2004, when Bisi Alimi took the radical decision to come out on national television, he chose to do it on ... -
On Lionheart’s Oscar ban: Is Nigerian English a Foreign Language?
US universities treat Nigerian English as a foreign language. The Oscars say it is not foreign enough. As a linguist and former teacher of ... -
How I fell in, out, and back in love with the leso
The East African wrapper is a source of pride, rich in meaning and history. But it is more complicated than that. The story of ... -
Some global stars steal African music. On The Gift, Beyoncé celebrates it.
The Lion King album is an example for how African intellectual property should be treated. In 2010, the FIFA World Cup organising committee announced ... -
The best African films of 2019 so far…
There’s a lot of debate about what constitutes African cinema. For a film to be truly African, does it need to be made by ... -
Can a Chinese import ever be authentically African?
Kitenge is made in China, but sold, worn and inscribed with meaning in Kenya. On Gaborone Road in Nairobi’s central business district, you can ... -
Nigeria: Survey shows decrease in homophobic attitudes. Kind of.
Some findings show progress. Others paint a more complex picture. Last month, Nigeria’s most popular gossip blog Linda Ikeji republished a post from the ...