Languages & People
Krio: The Language of Freetown and Its Many Roots
Born in a city founded for freed Africans, Krio mixes English words with African grammar and Yoruba spice. It is the shared language of Sierra Leone.
Stories — page 5
Ideas & Philosophy
African Fractals: The Mathematics in Villages, Hairstyles and Textiles
Seen from the air, some African villages repeat the same shape at smaller and smaller scales. Mathematician Ron Eglash argues that fractal geometry runs through African design. Here is the idea, and the debate.
Food & Ceremony
Akara: The Bean Fritter That Crossed the Atlantic
Crisp on the outside, fluffy within, akara is one of West Africa's favourite breakfasts. In Brazil, the same fritter became acarajé, a sacred and street food of Bahia.
Heritage & History
Nigeria at 65: The Story of 1 October 1960
At midnight on 1 October 1960, the Union Jack came down in Lagos and a green-white-green flag rose in its place. Sixty-five years on, here is the story of how Africa's most populous country was born.
Music & Dance
Umm Kulthum: The Voice That Stopped the Arab World
For decades, on the first Thursday of the month, streets from Cairo to Baghdad fell silent as millions listened to Umm Kulthum sing. Who was Egypt's "Star of the East"?
Festivals & Celebrations
Meskel: Ethiopia's Festival of the True Cross
Tonight, across Ethiopia, great bonfires called demera will be lit to celebrate the finding of the True Cross. Meskel, recognised by UNESCO, is one of the most spectacular festivals in Africa.
Arts & Craft
Zellige: The Geometry of Moroccan Tilework
Thousands of hand-cut pieces of glazed clay, fitted together into dazzling stars and interlacing patterns. Zellige is one of Morocco's most celebrated crafts, and its makers still work by hand.
Heritage & History
Robben Island: From Prison to a Symbol of Freedom
For nearly four centuries, a small island off Cape Town was a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment. Today, former political prisoners guide visitors through the cells where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.
Languages & People
Twi: The Everyday Voice of Ghana
"Akwaaba!" — welcome. Twi, a form of the Akan language, is spoken by millions of Ghanaians and understood by many more. Here is its history, its sounds and its proverbs.
Ideas & Philosophy
Frantz Fanon: The Psychiatrist of Decolonisation
Born in Martinique a hundred years ago, Frantz Fanon became a psychiatrist in Algeria, joined its war of independence and wrote books that still shape debates about race, colonialism and freedom.
Food & Ceremony
Mafé: West Africa's Peanut Stew and the Story of the Groundnut
Rich, red and comforting, mafé is a stew of meat and vegetables simmered in a peanut sauce, loved from Senegal to Mali. Behind it lies a crop that reshaped the region's history.
Music & Dance
Cape Jazz: Cape Town's Own Sound
Carnival rhythms, church hymns, township marabi and American jazz all meet in Cape jazz. Its anthem, "Mannenberg", became a song of hope under apartheid.