Interview with Auma Obama (audio)
Auma Obama talks about her life in Africa and Europe, and her relationship with her brother, Barack Obama. Her memoir, And Then Life Happens, tells the story of her meeting Barack Obama for the first time in the 1980s, and how they built a lasting relationship, traveled together in Kenya, and researched their family history, […]
Cheikh Lô: Senegalese Sufi Troubadour
On April 20 , at Zankel Hall in New York City, Cheikh Lô, the Senegalese Sufi troubadour drew an enthusiastic crowd. A superb singer, songwriter, and a distinctive guitarist, drummer and percussionist Cheikh Lô has developed his own sound, which distills a variety of influences from West and Central Africa. His music can be described […]
Poaching in Africa: the scale of the problem
Following Prince William’s passionate anti-poaching speech, we look at the disturbing facts behind the poaching spree. A horn can change hands at £40,000 per kilogram (2.2lb), compared with £33,000 for a kilogram of gold Photo: ALAMY By Charles Starmer-Smith and Brian Jackman In the years before the Tusk Trust was established in 1990, poaching was […]
News: Update on the medical front in Kenya.
Children awaiting heart surgery. Tanuja Walli, founder of the Paediatric Support Group in Mombassa, was sharing her frustration with me : Nine children from the Coast area of Kenya died in the last couple of months while they were awaiting a slot to get heart surgery in Nairobi. Why does that happen? First there […]
Artist Nnenna Okore in her studio
Conversation with Nigerian sculptor Nnenna Okore in her studio The first time I saw Nnenna Okore’s work was at the Newark Museum and I found it very poetic and compelling. Hung from the ceiling, transparent strips of shredded burlap dyed with clay like color, felt tactile and earthy yet paradoxically also ethereal and majestic. That […]
“Now Is As Authentic As Then” Says Holland Cotter
NY Times Art Critic, Holland Cotter continues his report on Art in Africa, In Mali, Art as Real as Life Itself. He captures eloquently how Africa challenges Western ideals of authenticity: “Taste is habit, a form of learned behavior. And habit is what we rely on to make us feel at home and comfortable in […]
Miriam Makeba: World-Famous South African Singer & Civil Rights Activist
Miriam Makeba — nicknamed Mama Africa On this journey that I have undertaken with the African continent, I find myself opening doors and encountering worlds heretofore unbeknownst to me. I discover histories, talents, personal journeys that move me profoundly and speak loudly and persistently of the limitless courage, rich talents, and absolute dedication of many […]
An Art Crtic in Africa: Holland Cotter’s report on the state of the Arts in Africa
Holland Cotter, art critic for the New York Times, spend a month in November 2011 in West Africa. Jerry Vogel, an expert on West Africa, who had just finished guiding a group organized by the Museum for African Art through Northern Mali – see earlier posts on my travels to Mali – guided Mr. Cotter […]
New York Africa Film Festival at the Walter Reade theater
This weekend is a great opportunity to learn more about African film. The New York African Film Festival at at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater is screening contemporary and classic African film exploring notions of home and homeland. April 11 – 17, 2012.
Tuareg nationalism and racial politics
I found very interesting this discussion around the role of race in the Tuaregs’ motivations for forming a separate state. It certainly highlighted the many potential causes for the conflict in Northern Mali. Read on! Racial politics of Tuareg nationalism
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