The Second German Chronic is Here
[hr] The second German-language edition of the Chronic takes up the theme of new cartographies. The 32-page publication features translations of maps and selected writings from previous editions of the English Chronic produced in 2014 and 2015. Contributors include Binyavanga Wainaina, Yemisi Aribisala, Billy Kahora, Jesse Weaver Shipley, Wendell Marsh, Agri Ismail, Moses März, Elnathan John, Stacy Hardy, Sarah Jappie […]
La République et sa Bête : à propos des émeutes dans les banlieues de France
par Achille Mbembe La France est un vieux pays fier de ses traditions et de son histoire. Sans son apport sur le plan de la philosophie, de la culture, de l’art et de l’esthétique, notre monde serait sans doute plus pauvre en esprit et en humanité. Voilà le côté limpide, presque cristallin de son identité.
Dislocations in the Congolese World of Sound
“Dislocation” is how Congolese rumba historians describe the incessant splinterings that are part of the story of every major band – in a music system where the “first to leave” holds the place of pride. Between 1997 and 2008 the group Wenge Musica lived through 18 dislocations – almost twice a year, starting with the […]
THE IDEA OF A BORDERLESS WORLD
The capacity to decide who can move, who can settle, where and under what conditions is increasingly becoming the core of political struggles over sovereignty, nationalism, citizenship, security and freedom. With western colonial expansion, and more decisively with the advent of capitalism, the raison d’être of the border attends to key questions such as: to […]
A master of bling with feline style
Writing just after the 2011 Africa Cup of Nations, Achille Mbembe* looks at what makes Samuel Eto’o so lethal He is not yet 25 years old, but he is already one of the finest attackers in the world. His football culture is a mix of raw, unfettered talent (the kind that comes along once every […]