May 24
Africa: 'Our Target Is Replacing Cement' - the Ethiopian Startup Thinking Big
Kubik promises to turn plastic waste into high quality affordable homes. We spoke to its CEO about dignity, safety, and thinking globally. Read more »
May 23
Kenya: The Rebirth of Anti-Elite Land Politics in Ruto's Kenya
If the invasion of the Kenyatta property resurrected the ghosts of Mau Mau, where did it leave the land question in central Kenya? Read more »
Africa: Remember Amid the Headlines - There's No Such Thing As a 'Natural' Disaster
Poor countries aren't disproportionately vulnerable to climate change because of geography or bad luck. Read more »
May 18
Sudan: Calling It a Fight Between the Generals Is Simplistic
Northern and Central elites have always prosecuted violence from the centre. Now, the periphery brought the eternal war to Khartoum. Read more »
May 17
Cameroon: Meet Cameroon's Undercover Conservationists
When the Anglophone war broke out, state rangers left, militias set up camp in forests, and thousands sought refuge in areas of critical biodiversity. Read more »
Sudan: Sudan - The Quiet Scramble to Broker the Peace
The Horn's geopolitics are increasingly shaped by rich Gulf hegemons who view the region as a theatre for their competing interests. Read more »
Sudan: Sudan's Catastrophe - a Long History of Failed Responses to Structural and Direct Violence
Debating Ideas aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing… Read more »
May 16
Namibia: Drag Night Namibia - 'What We Are Doing Here Today Is Massive'
Amid momentous legal victories and disappointing let-downs, Namibia's queer community and activists celebrate a radical joy. Read more »
May 15
Senegal: Gatsa-Gatsa - Ousmane Sonko and the Politics of Retaliation
Sonko's legal problems, which appear engineered to frustrate his presidential bid, could well push the country back into the street. Read more »
Sudan: As the Generals Fight, Who's Playing Chess With the Old Islamists?
The clash between Burhan and Hemedti was inevitable. In the mediation scramble, nobody can afford to side with Bashir's Islamists. Read more »
Africa: Presidential Term Limits and the Power of Precedent
Incumbents' appetites for third-term runs may be waning, but they still carry hugely disruptive political legacies. Read more »
May 11
Burundi: 'The President Has Crossed the Rubicon - There's No Turning Back'
In the wake of the arrest and detention of former PM Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, political observers weigh the consequences. Read more »
May 09
Mozambique: The Return to Cabo Delgado - Gas, War, and the Emergence of Total Land
While TotalEnergies remains coy about restarting the $20bn gas project, Mozambicans are coming home in the conspicuous absence of the state. Read more »
Botswana: Botswana Has Always Driven a Hard Bargain With De Beers
Botswana is not following a trend of African state negotiating more aggressively with corporations. It has long set this trend. Read more »
May 05
Sudan: Revolutionary Reflections, Amid a Raging War
If the popular revolution of 2019 was badly undermined by its rejection of representative politics, how can it be revived? Read more »
May 04
Tanzania: 'They Wish We Didn't Exist' - Tanzania School Goers Speak of Transport Woes
In the daily sharp-elbowed jostle to board daladalas, school students find themselves at the back of the queue. Read more »
May 03
Ethiopia: Five Reasons to Be Concerned About Gene-Edited Teff
A US research centre has created a new variety of teff, raising unanswered questions over its safety, ownership, and climate implications. Read more »
May 02
Congo-Kinshasa: Lines Through the Lake - Why the Congo-Rwanda Border Can't Be Redrawn
Long-standing cultural affinities of Rwandophones in the Great Lakes may appear to bolster Kigali's historical claims to parts of eastern Congo, but it's more complicated than it… Read more »
April 27
Africa: Farmworkers Feel Heat As SA Wine Industry Eyes Climate Change
As vineyards strategise to keep the famous export flowing, farmworkers - seven of whom died recently of heat stroke - fear more extreme conditions. Read more »
April 25
Africa: Is the World Bank Really Going Green?
The Bank invests billions in fossil fuels, including through various opaque channels. Unless this changes, its public soul-searching will count for little. Read more »
Botswana: Why Is Botswana Rethinking Its Deal With De Beers?
Christened 'Debswana', its 50-year-old mining pact with de Beers is showing signs of strain - for some rather unexpected reasons. Read more »
Rwanda: Rwanda, Too, Needs to Make Amends
Rwanda accuses Congo-Kinshasa of being unable to put its house in order; it, too, must deal with the question of its 245,000 refugees. Read more »
Somalia: Somalia's Crucible of State-Making
For thirty years the Somali peninsula has been a crucible of experiments in contemporary state formation, a fascinating opportunity to observe and test political-economic theory.… Read more »
April 24
South Africa: The Risk of Extreme Wildfires Around Cape Town Has Nearly Doubled
Our study suggests climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of extreme wildfires. But there are ways to mitigate the risks. Read more »
April 20
Africa: 'He Laid Out the Earth for All Living Creatures' - Islam's Lessons for Climate
Islamic teachings are full of invocations to Muslims to revere nature, reject over-consumption, and live within planetary boundaries. Read more »