If commercials were a competition
A sample of some of the TV commercials made specifically for the 2012 African Cup of Nations football tournament.
508 Articles by:
Sean Henry Jacobs
Sean Henry Jacobs is publisher of Africa is a Country and on the tenured faculty of The New School. He edits the substack, Eleven Named People.
Pharoahe Monch is ‘Still Standing’
http://youtu.be/tBfMuf_JjI0 One of the best rappers alive, featuring the lady who sang the original hook on
“Can you think of a country that starts with the letter U?”
You've seen those "Are you smarter than a 5 year old" videos on Youtube (it's an
Senegalese Sushi
I still mourn the day I walked around to Le Grand Dakar, one of my favorite restaurants in Clinton Hill, and found it was closed. The restaurant, run and owned by Chef Pierre Thiam (check out his interesting family backstory) was a fixture in the block around Grand Ave and Lafayatte.
Inbox
It has come to this. Don't focus too much on the 'your scholarship' line. An email
The First Black Woman to win Sundance Best Director
Aava DuVernay leads a movement to organize African-American film festivals and secure theatrical releases for black independent films.
Colonial Fantasies
Just a sample: A “Heart of Darkness”-themed ship, Tarzan in South Africa and a travelogue on the Congo River.
Africa is a Country is on Twitter and Facebook
We have a new @Africasacountry Twitter account. Follow us there and on Facebook too.
Thandie Newton is bi-racial, and not Igbo
Thandi Newton choice as a female lead in the screen adaptation of “Half of a Yellow Sun” has some people upset.
Cape Town is ‘the most dangerous’ city in Africa
A Mexican research group has listed the world’s most dangerous cities based on homicide rates. South Africa’s cities finish tops.
Paul Simon’s Graceland Reconsidered
There is also a claim that “Graceland,” both the album and subsequent tour, impacted late 1980s South African music and politics for the better.
Guinness for the people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W33FwUlmICI Beer company Guinness's new commercial "The Ticket," made for its huge Nigerian market and first
The African Cup of Nations preview
The 28th edition of the African Cup of Nations kicks off in Gabon and Equitorial Guinea
A cappella colonial mentality
http://youtu.be/wnGy2Dtr3MQ Blitz the Ambassador, a staple on AIAC, has been releasing these videos (titled "Koshka Sessions")
Music Break. Alabama Shakes
Remember the Alabama Shakes--the best band of 2011. At the heart of the Alabama Shakes--the best band of 2011--is guitarist and singer Brittany Howard, described by my wife as "a cross between Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse."
The ‘Shit Nigerians Say’ video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrhRRCEUwsA EDITED: I promised myself we won't post any of the "Shit People Say" videos--the best ones