2017 witnessed a partial shift in the Egyptian approach to the Libyan crisis. Previously it had heavily weighted its joint military support with the UAE for ‘Field Marshal’ Khalifa Hafar’s Libyan National Army, correspondingly devaluing diplomatic approaches to resolving the conflict. By the end of 2017 Egypt had brought these two approaches into closer balance.…

By Abu Bakr Khaal Eritrean author Abu Bakr Khaal’s novel African Titanics (Darf Publishers, 2014) follows the adventures of would-be European immigrant Abdar, as he travels North from Eritrea, via Libya, with the idea of surviving the Mediterranean crossing to Italy.  The book follows the rhythm of his travels:  at one moment he and his…

By Bram Posthumus In 1958, French President Charles de Gaulle delivered a stern warning to Guinea during the run up to its independence referendum: “[Guinea] can take Independence on 28 September by saying ‘NO’ to the proposal put before it and in that case la Métropole will not stand in the way. She will, of…

When design champions Trevyn and Julian McGowan moved back to South Africa from London in 2003, Source, an export agency for Southern Africa’s most distinguished product design brands, was just beginning to make its mark. Since then, the company has produced a collectible design gallery, an international design fair, transcontinental design programme, annual conference, a…

6 October – 15 January 2017 Blinded in one eye since early childhood, Malian photographer Malick Sidibé (1935 or 1936 – April 2016) has, with intentional irony, become known as the “Eye of Bakamo,” for his skill and sensitivity in chronicling urban youth subculture in Mali’s post-independence period, and the revival of life and culture…

By Ethan Chorin G.A. Bradshaw’s Elephants on the Edge (Yale University Press, 2009) an insightful companion to this issue’s piece on communal anti-poaching programs in Mali. A mixture of psychology, natural history, philosophy and activism, the book challenges standard anthropocentric notions of “how and what animals (and in particular, elephants) feel.” The answer is resoundingly…

By Raphael Luzon Libyan Twilight is a short memoir that chronicles the last years of Libya’s forgotten Jewish community. As a child growing up in Benghazi, Raphael Luzon experienced the pogrom that followed the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan. These tumultuous events coerced Libyan Jews to abandon their homeland…

By Pim Higginson To understand the writing of Francophone sub-Saharan Africa, one needs to take into account the influence of the French colonial educational system that began after WWI. Not surprisingly, colonial schools glorified French culture and promoted allegiance to the imperial power. One of the ways in which this occurred was through exposure to…

The works of Alessandro Spina (1927-2013) have attracted a small, cult following since he began publishing his stories in the 1960s. Only now is his most complete, epic oeuvre reaching English readers. Starting with the Sokoto Caliphate led by Usman dan Fodio, whose rise followed the 1809 Fulani War, we are guided through the many…

By Sherif Dhaimish Andrew Walker’s latest book looks at the decrepit modern history of Nigeria, one of Africa’s most misunderstood nations despite the size of its population and economy. Starting with the Sokoto Caliphate led by Usman dan Fodio, whose rise followed the 1809 Fulani War, we are guided through the many Islamic insurgencies that…

By Cyril Kormos, Tim Badman, Russell A. Mittermeier, Bastian Bertzky, Eds. Earth’s Legacy: “Natural World Heritage” was recently published as the next installment of CEMEX’s Nature Series. This volume captures the spectacular diversity and beauty of natural World Heritage sites, natural places of such exceptional and universal importance that they have been inscribed on the…