#palaver

The Dangers of a Single Book Cover: The Acacia Tree Meme and “African literature”
▻http://africasacountry.com/the-dangers-of-a-single-book-cover-the-acacia-tree-meme-and-african

“Like so many (wildly varying) writers on Africa, Chimamanda Adichie gets the acacia tree sunset treatment. Whether Wilbur Smith or Wole Soyinka, Rider Haggard or Bessie Head, apparently you get the same cover imagery.” We’re obliged to Simon Stevens, a reader who put together the picture above and pointed out that whoever you are, wherever […]

#BOOKS #General #Hot_News #PALAVER #acacia_trees #book_covers #Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie #Dangers_of_a_single_story

Did I ever tell you about that time a guy followed me from the 6 to the E train in the NYC subway and offered me $40 to touch my leg?
▻http://africasacountry.com/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-that-time-a-guy-followed-me-from-the-6-to

Real talk: Who else is tired of gender/race swapping to make a point about racism/sexism? I know I am, especially about #gender_swapping. I’m not sure it makes much of a point to men about male #privilege or male sexual entitlement. As a black, queer, mostly masculine, cisgender, middle-class man, I love it when I’m […]

#General #Hot_News #MEDIA #OPINION #PALAVER #bs #race_swapping #white_supremacist_capitalist_patriarchy

Enough of the #liberal_pieties on #Sochi and gay rights
▻http://africasacountry.com/enough-of-the-liberal-pieties-on-sochi-and-gay-rights

The Guardian‘s website decided to have a rainbow “G” in its title during the past few days in order to support #LGBT_rights, and to thumb its nose at #Russia (a few other news broadcasters/outlets did, too), just as Google did last week with its rainbow doodle. I’m sure they feel very pleased with themselves. […]

#General #HISTORY #Hot_News #MEDIA #OPINION #PALAVER #SPORT #Cold_War #USA

#yoga? Heavyset and Black Women Need Not Apply
▻http://africasacountry.com/yoga-heavyset-and-black-women-need-not-apply

What is it with the appropriation of yoga by white women—and skinny white women in particular? It’s like they all idolise the spare body of the nut-brown yogi who practices in his cave retreat, but want to ensure that they do it in clothing intended to show off their wealth, their superior style, and their […]

#General #Hot_News #MEDIA #OPINION #PALAVER #body_fascism #Jen_Caron #racism #XOJane

#Watch Binyavanga’s brilliant YouTube #documentary calling out the BS behind “African” #homophobia
▻http://africasacountry.com/watch-binyavangas-brilliant-youtube-documentary-when-you-look-at-th

We’ve been looking forward to this one. When our friends at the Guardian and BBC (and plenty of other outlets) finally reported on Binyavanga Wainaina’s wonderful essay yesterday, we learned that he had a documentary up his sleeve as well. And here it is, in six witty, moving, thoughtful, hilarious, essential, truthful parts — “We Must Free […]

#General #HISTORY #Hot_News #MEDIA #OPINION #PALAVER #VIDEO #Binyavanga_Wainaina #gay_rights #Goodluck_Jonathan #Kenya #Nigeria #We_Must_Free_Our_Imaginations

#George_Clooney Makes Politics
▻http://africasacountry.com/george-clooney-makes-politics

George Clooney profile in the December issue of #Esquire is a checklist of all things that position him above the typical A-lister: not only does he have great cars, but he has carefully chosen three cars that speak to his eliteness. Not only does he lives in cool, expensive houses, but ones with Hollywood pedigrees. And does he ever have friends. Another thing that puts Clooney on the Top Shelf: he’s not only a liberal politics supporter, but a maker of politics. We learn, after a lot of (...)

#MEDIA #PALAVER #John_Bolton #Kofi_Annan #Sudan #UN

Two responses to #Mindy_Budgor, “#Maasai warrior princess”
▻http://africasacountry.com/two-responses-to-mindy-budgor-maasai-warrior-princess

Yesterday we reluctantly posted on Mindy Budgor, memoirist and professional attention-seeker who’s telling anyone who’ll listen that she’s the first female Maasai warrior. Really we wanted to hear from readers. Here are two of the responses we received: First off, @aerofloatbo writes: I am a Maasai woman (from #Kenya) and we have seen these (white) […]

#Hot_News #PALAVER

Eating Nando’s in #Gaborone
▻http://africasacountry.com/eating-nandos-in-gaborone

I spent part of last month at the biennial gathering of historians organised by the Southern African Historical Society. The conference at the University of #Botswana was fantastic. Gaborone was, well, less so.* I think that the city is best summed up by an exchange between a conference delegate and her husband, who had spent the morning exploring downtown Gaborone. [...]

#PALAVER #colonialism #Food #Mozambique #Nandos