Debating Ideas
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China’s Humanoid Robots: A New Test for African Technology Sovereignty
For African governments, the significance of China’s humanoid-robotics programme is not that robots may one day appear on African battlefields. It is a diagnostic ... -
Reading Okot p’Bitek through eyes taught to look away
In 1931, Okot p’Bitek was born in Gulu, northern Uganda. It is perhaps fitting that a man who would spend much of his life ... -
Türkiye’s Security Export: Why Africa’s New Air Force Costs Less Than a Fighter Jet’s Spare Parts
Drones have become a primary mechanism of warfare on many fronts around the world. Those fronts range from the war between Russia and Ukraine ... -
There’s No Conspiracy in the Sahel — There’s a Gap, and Bamako Knows How to Use It
A familiar claim keeps surfacing in the rhetoric of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger’s ruling juntas, echoed enthusiastically by Russian state media: the West ... -
The Rivalry Between Ethiopia and Eritrea Is Reshaping Tigray
On 1 August 2026, Ethiopian federal and Tigrayan forces clashed in western Tigray, a northern Ethiopian region bordering Eritrea and Sudan. By 3 August, ... -
What South Sudan’s mothers teach us about political authority
South Sudan is approaching a critical moment in its political transition. Elections are scheduled for December 2026, while questions around constitutional reform, political inclusion ... -
Nigeria’s Accountability Crisis Is Fueling Every Other Political Crisis
On March 23, 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja handed down a 72 year sentence, to be served as eight years concurrently, to ... -
What Togo’s Music Industry Needs Beyond Streaming
Over the past few years, access to digital music platforms has changed what is possible for artists in countries such as Togo. A musician ... -
The Sanctuary Parliament How Somalia’s Immunity System Protects Those Who Should Face Justice
The first piece documented who disappeared into Somalia’s detention system. The second — “The Journalists Who Disappeared” — documented who was silenced for reporting ... -
When the Grave Digs Itself: Rejecting Zimbabwe’s Legislative Coup. Canon Collins 2026 essay winner
This piece is the winner of the Canon Collins 2026 essay competition. The annual competition invites essays that demonstrate thought leadership and offer fresh ...
