Government Captured by Lobbyists While many reports expose how multinationals have acquired natural wealth cheaply, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the role of powerful African political elites in enabling these practices has received far less attention. Mozambique’s chapter of ZAM’s new transnational investigation into Africa’s Sell-Outs portrays a bizarre network of business lobbyists operating within both the government and the ruling party. At lunch in Maputo, my source—neatly...
Government Captured by Lobbyists While many reports expose how multinationals have acquired natural wealth cheaply, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the role of powerful African political elites in enabling these practices has received far less attention. Mozambique’s...
The chainsaw feels an inadequate metaphor for the brutal violence with which the Trump administration slashes €58 billion annually from aid to poor countries. On top of that, European governments in the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands are cutting more than €10 billion in aid savings. This represents a catastrophic blow to the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS, food assistance programs, and democratic development. The number of human lives lost to these reckless and inhumane decisions...
The chainsaw feels an inadequate metaphor for the brutal violence with which the Trump administration slashes €58 billion annually from aid to poor countries. On top of that, European governments in the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands are cutting more than €10 billion in...
In 1964, African-American civil rights leader Malcolm X visited Gaza. This hidden story is brought to life in a new colouring book with stunning illustrations by Soweto-based artist Nathi Ngubane. The book traces Malcolm’s travels across Africa and the Middle East, as well as his historic two-day visit in Gaza, during which he visited the Khan Younis refugee camp, toured the mosques and markets, and listened to poetry and the stories of Palestinians who had been displaced by the Nakba, the...
In 1964, African-American civil rights leader Malcolm X visited Gaza. This hidden story is brought to life in a new colouring book with stunning illustrations by Soweto-based artist Nathi Ngubane. The book traces Malcolm’s travels across Africa and the Middle East, as well as his...
In a time of hate, missiles, and mass murders, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s call to mingle and meet, made recently at a symposium at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, comes as a wake-up call. Her speech is a tribute to Amsterdam, the city celebrating its 750th anniversary this year. It is a tribute to the city in general, a centre of energy where different human beings come together, exchange ideas, and belong. Listen to Adichie's speech here .
In a time of hate, missiles, and mass murders, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s call to mingle and meet, made recently at a symposium at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, comes as a wake-up call. Her speech is a tribute to Amsterdam, the city celebrating its 750th anniversary this year. It...
All the president’s minerals While many reports expose how multinationals have appropriated natural wealth on the cheap, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the facilitation of it all by powerful African political elites has not been highlighted as much. Zimbabwe’s chapter of ZAM’s new transnational investigation into Africa’s Sell-Outs, focuses on the mining businesses that are controlled by the country’s ruling party, ZANU PF. One cannot really go near most mining sites in Zimbabwe....
All the president’s minerals While many reports expose how multinationals have appropriated natural wealth on the cheap, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the facilitation of it all by powerful African political elites has not been highlighted as much. Zimbabwe’s chapter...
A corrupt political class While many reports expose how multinationals have appropriated natural wealth on the cheap, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the facilitation of it all by powerful African political elites has not been highlighted as much. Zambia’s chapter of ZAM’s new transnational investigation into Africa’s Sell-Outs focuses on a long-standing tradition of mining license interference by politicians in past and present ruling parties. Suddenly, the gold mining company...
A corrupt political class While many reports expose how multinationals have appropriated natural wealth on the cheap, polluted communities, and exploited workers, the facilitation of it all by powerful African political elites has not been highlighted as much. Zambia’s chapter of...
The patrons who make the deals about their countries The exploitative stance taken by many multinationals in African countries has often been highlighted. Multiple reports expose how they appropriate natural wealth on the cheap, pollute communities and exploit workers. But the facilitation of this all by powerful African political elites has remained in the shadows. In Zambia, an entire political class is involved. In Mozambique, it still helps to know a general. The DRC has bred functionaries who...
The patrons who make the deals about their countries The exploitative stance taken by many multinationals in African countries has often been highlighted. Multiple reports expose how they appropriate natural wealth on the cheap, pollute communities and exploit workers. But the...
The tech industry wasn’t built with everyone in mind but with your help, we’re changing that. From the beginning, we set out to challenge a tech industry that remains overwhelmingly white, male, and exclusionary. These aren’t system bugs, they’re deeply rooted features. But together, we’ve chosen to respond creatively and collectively. Your donations made it possible to commission creators, build our digital platform, and launch a manifesto that reimagines tech from the ground up. Together, we’re...
The tech industry wasn’t built with everyone in mind but with your help, we’re changing that. From the beginning, we set out to challenge a tech industry that remains overwhelmingly white, male, and exclusionary. These aren’t system bugs, they’re deeply rooted features. But...
Update: Just as we were finalising this piece, yet another tragedy struck. The violence we thought we were remembering came crashing back into the present. On June 7–8, 2025, while in police custody in Nairobi, 31-year-old Kenyan teacher and activist Albert Ojwang died under suspicious circumstances after publicly accusing a senior police official of corruption. The official story? That he banged his head against a wall. The autopsy told a different truth: signs of strangulation, blunt force...
Update: Just as we were finalising this piece, yet another tragedy struck. The violence we thought we were remembering came crashing back into the present. On June 7–8, 2025, while in police custody in Nairobi, 31-year-old Kenyan teacher and activist Albert Ojwang died under...
African despots will tell you, "Put up with my torture, or the colonialists will return to torture you." On May 23, 2025, former Ugandan journalist—and now political commentator and government acolyte—Andrew Mwenda posted a lengthy rant on X, accusing European ambassadors in Uganda of engaging in “Colonialism 101.” His outburst was prompted by a statement made two days earlier, in which European Union ambassadors expressed concern about the use of torture in Uganda. Specifically, a delegation of...
African despots will tell you, "Put up with my torture, or the colonialists will return to torture you." On May 23, 2025, former Ugandan journalist—and now political commentator and government acolyte—Andrew Mwenda posted a lengthy rant on X, accusing European ambassadors in Uganda...
Three captivating exhibitions featuring the works of Tengbeh Kamara, Buhlebezwe Siwani, and Michelle Sank have recently opened in Amsterdam. Why You Left, Who You Left by Tengbeh Kamara Tengbeh Kamara This photo exhibition is a personal quest to explore what it truly means to feel at home. In this two-part series, Tengbeh Kamara investigates their father’s decision to return to his native Liberia, leaving his wife and three young children behind in the Netherlands. Kamara’s father came to the...
Three captivating exhibitions featuring the works of Tengbeh Kamara, Buhlebezwe Siwani, and Michelle Sank have recently opened in Amsterdam. Why You Left, Who You Left by Tengbeh Kamara Tengbeh Kamara This photo exhibition is a personal quest to explore what it truly means to feel...
In the 2025 Ranking of Most Popular Countries, recently released by the Alliance of Democracies , South Africa ranked seventh . The metric measures “how countries are perceived by their neighbours, key trading partners, and other nations” on issues such as credibility and global trust. South African opinion maker and tech consultant Phumzile van Damme shared this striking result on LinkedIn at a time when U.S. President Trump and a surrounding coterie of South African apartheid beneficiaries had...
In the 2025 Ranking of Most Popular Countries, recently released by the Alliance of Democracies , South Africa ranked seventh . The metric measures “how countries are perceived by their neighbours, key trading partners, and other nations” on issues such as credibility and global...
(Nederlands hieronder) Dear friends, If you haven't already donated , now is your time to create a digital future for all, not just the privileged few, by supporting our Glitching the Future project. With just 10 days left, we still need €5,900 to reach 80% of our crowdfunding goal, otherwise the entire campaign will be withdrawn. A massive thank you to those already supporting us, including JM who said “Big Tech stands for exclusion and discrimination. This project works towards a creative future...
(Nederlands hieronder) Dear friends, If you haven't already donated , now is your time to create a digital future for all, not just the privileged few, by supporting our Glitching the Future project. With just 10 days left, we still need €5,900 to reach 80% of our crowdfunding goal,...
The South African artist was announced as the winner of the prestigious Börsche Prize at the Photographers’ Gallery in London on May 15. The influential prize, held in partnership with the Deutsche Börsche Photography Foundation, recognises artists and their projects that have made the most significant contribution to international contemporary photography over the past 12 months. Lindokuhle Sobekwa (b. 1995, South Africa) was awarded the Prize for his book I Carry Her Photo with Me , published by...
The South African artist was announced as the winner of the prestigious Börsche Prize at the Photographers’ Gallery in London on May 15. The influential prize, held in partnership with the Deutsche Börsche Photography Foundation, recognises artists and their projects that have made...
Charles Badoue (Ivory Coast, 1987) and Harrison Omoyater (Nigeria, 1994) both fled their home countries. “Art is a remedy for loss and pain.” “Memories of where I grew up slipped out of my mind,” Charles Badoue says in a video accompanying the exhibition he takes part in. While bright colours help mask a dark past, bringing light into the darkness, his paintings also bring repressed memories back to life. A violent conflict in which 800 people died forced him to flee. It was “a massacre by our own...
Charles Badoue (Ivory Coast, 1987) and Harrison Omoyater (Nigeria, 1994) both fled their home countries. “Art is a remedy for loss and pain.” “Memories of where I grew up slipped out of my mind,” Charles Badoue says in a video accompanying the exhibition he takes part in. While...
By documenting life in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, the photographer explores grief through art. In Unyọñ Ufọk , Emily Nkanga explores grief, identity, and home. Through analog photographs, Nkanga captures fleeting moments of everyday life in her hometown of Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The images act as a time capsule, preserving the beauty of life’s transient moments. The project began in January 2021, when Nkanga returned home for her father’s burial. After living in the UK for more than seven years, she was...
By documenting life in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, the photographer explores grief through art. In Unyọñ Ufọk , Emily Nkanga explores grief, identity, and home. Through analog photographs, Nkanga captures fleeting moments of everyday life in her hometown of Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The images...
On what it means for a stranger to touch your hair in a public space. About six months after you arrive on this island called Australia, you decide to take an afternoon for yourself. Your children are small, and they need you so much, but you have needs too. You are tired. Your partner says, “Go, I will deal with the kids. Pamper yourself.” You want only solitude, which you finally understand as the ultimate luxury. You want to wander and not have anyone ask you for things. You are homesick and...
On what it means for a stranger to touch your hair in a public space. About six months after you arrive on this island called Australia, you decide to take an afternoon for yourself. Your children are small, and they need you so much, but you have needs too. You are tired. Your...
“We ask to recover what is missing.” A group of fifty-four employees working in the Quirimbas Nature Park in Mozambique has sent an open letter to new Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, asking him to stop the illegal timber logging and smuggling in the park, which was exposed earlier by ZAM . The letter, sent anonymously for fear of repercussions, urgently asks for Chapo’s intervention to stop the plunder of trees by Chinese syndicates in collusion with the park’s management. It also asks Chapo to...
“We ask to recover what is missing.” A group of fifty-four employees working in the Quirimbas Nature Park in Mozambique has sent an open letter to new Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, asking him to stop the illegal timber logging and smuggling in the park, which was exposed...
Breaking up the family In the past decade, judges in Nigeria have been captured by political power, a situation that has been linked to violent criminality and conflict in the country. However, against great odds, some brave legal minds are fighting to restore the rule of law. When law professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu started receiving serious death threats, he understood that he had been stepping on powerful toes. Odinkalu (now 57), who, as a former head of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, had...
Breaking up the family In the past decade, judges in Nigeria have been captured by political power, a situation that has been linked to violent criminality and conflict in the country. However, against great odds, some brave legal minds are fighting to restore the rule of law. When...
Like the Kantamanto Market, the government continues to suffer from the same recurring fires In a remarkable comeback to serve a final term as president, former Ghanaian leader John Mahama is now promising Ghanaians a “reset” after years in the political wilderness. However, he is sticking to the same roadmap that led his immediate predecessors astray. Delali Adogla-Bessa advocates a new path. The first major news item of 2025 in Ghana was the fire that razed large parts of the Kantamanto market in...
Like the Kantamanto Market, the government continues to suffer from the same recurring fires In a remarkable comeback to serve a final term as president, former Ghanaian leader John Mahama is now promising Ghanaians a “reset” after years in the political wilderness. However, he is...
Wearing a short-sleeved viscose shirt, black trousers and shiny brown shoes, 46-year-old Wyson Bannet looks both freshly groomed and relieved as he walks out of the Blantyre High Court. It’s not that he is free now—far from it. He is on his way back to Chichiri Prison, where he has been since his arrest for a robbery “that resulted in death” in 2007, and he still has 18 of his 36 years to serve. But all that matters, he says, is that his “case is finally concluded.” He then proceeds to tell the...
Wearing a short-sleeved viscose shirt, black trousers and shiny brown shoes, 46-year-old Wyson Bannet looks both freshly groomed and relieved as he walks out of the Blantyre High Court. It’s not that he is free now—far from it. He is on his way back to Chichiri Prison, where he has...
