Spin-off from the book series edited by the British Africanist scholars and activists Alex de Waal and Richard Dowden (titles like the useful Aids and Power and Darfur: A Short History of a Long War, both written by De Waal). The aim with the website is an “… Africa-wide site which provides in-depth analysis and debate of the issues and controversies that animate the continent.” Went online last week as a joint venture between the London-based Royal African Society and the SSRC in New York City. A major reason is the decline in print outlets.
Contributors are heavy hitters: Tatiana Carayannis, Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Stephen Ellis (former editor of Africa Confidential), among others. Wide range of the hot-button topics: Barack Obama and Africa (of course), US-Africa, China-Africa, Sudan, Uganda and the LRA, among others.
I can strongly recommend it as I like the ideas of the people associated with it.
Here’s a few kinks to still work out though: it’s early days but the design looks circa 1999. And it is all text all the time. Where’s the podcasts, the videos? The site authors may also invest in some young talent. Africa has an increasingly youthful population and we need to understand their world. And they bring the traffic. And it is still unclear what is different between this site and say something like Zeleza.com or that of Concerned Africa Scholars (full disclosure: the latter is a project I am involved in) who claim the same mission.
Go check it out.
Read Full Post »
