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Thursday 15 May 2025

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Politics

Politics
Puntland’s war against IS-Somalia

Led by the man who, allegedly, heads the entire network, IS-Somalia is no longer merely a regional affiliate of the Islamic State, but a crucial node in its global operation.

Politics
Kenya’s vibe shift

From aesthetic cool to political confusion, a new generation in Kenya is navigating broken promises, borrowed styles, and the blurred lines between irony and ideology.

Politics
In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Politics
Somalia’s regression

As Somalia teeters on the brink of collapse—with political infighting intensifying, international backing fading, and al-Shabaab exploiting federal missteps—its backsliding is no longer in question.

Politics
On African solidarity with Palestine in times of genocide

The expulsion of Israel’s ambassador from the AU’s Rwanda genocide commemoration was a striking act of solidarity with the Palestinians — one rooted in a long history across the continent.

Opinion

Why African dictators and democrats failed where Asian dictators and democrats succeeded

Asian nations surged ahead economically through strategic statecraft and visionary leadership, while Africa's leaders, both autocratic and democratic, failed to transform inherited colonial economies.

How Pope Francis’s built bridges with the Global South

Pope Francis’s legacy in Africa highlights both progress and ongoing tensions over representation within the Catholic Church, as the continent continues to challenge the ecclesiastical hierarchy and its predominantly European leadership.

Somalia’s Weimar moment

The third Somali republic is facing a potentially mortal threat as our elites bicker among themselves. But if our leaders seize the moment, they can chart the country a new path forward.

Domestic work and racism in Lebanon

African-origin domestic workers continue to endure horrors under Lebanon’s kafala system. It is high time their governments stepped up to protect them from such abuse.

The many layers of Addis

From imperial dreams to everyday survival, Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, reveals how cities are forged not just by rulers, but by the quiet defiance of ordinary people.  

Culture

Poetry
The dust that carried me 

With both prose and poetry, Mohamed Eid Sheikh brings to life his journey from being an orphan shoeshine boy in the Dollo Ado refugee camp to his arrival in Canada and his writing.

Thoughts
Radiyo Muqdisho: echoes of a collective memory

A Somali scholar returns home to explore the historic Radiyo Muqdisho archives, mapping the collective memory of the Somali people.

Thoughts
Somali problems are local and the ulema need to shift their view

Today, Somali religious scholars are no longer confined to their historical role of uniting people. Instead, they enforce their own sectarian interpretation of law and mislead by globalising problems that have local roots.

Thoughts
Hosts abroad, guest at home: Muslims in Ethiopia

Ethiopian Muslims are more visible than ever—but is visibility the same as belonging? A faith once sidelined still negotiates its place in the nation’s story.

Thoughts
The dream man

He has time, money and zero obligations. The Somali politician is living the 21st century dream.

Thoughts
Israel, Ethiopia and the Somali question

Israel viewed Somali nationalism as a threat across the Horn of Africa and secretly collaborated with Ethiopia to contain it.

Art
Elias Melka Geresu: the urban monk

From the golden age of Ethio-jazz to the dawn of modern Ethiopian pop, Elias Melka stood at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. His musical innovations redefined the Ethiopian sound and empowered a new generation of artists.

Culture
The Somali Quran school

Somali Quran schools are vital links in passing knowledge of the holy book from one generation to the next. Somali writer Abdihakim Mohamed explains how they work.

Multimedia

History as a tool for change; an interview with Hakim Adi

Professor Hakim Adi, the first professor of the history of African heritage in the UK, speaks to Geeska about Pan-Africanism, Africa’s relationship with China, and his belief in history as a tool for change.Professor Hakim Adi is a prominent British-Nigerian pan-African.

Fanon in Somali

Why have I dedicated myself to this arduous task, you may wonder? Well, as Fanon himself eloquently stated in his treatise, “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity.”

🎬 How did the West get away with Lumumba’s assassination?

Stuart Reid’s new book, The Lumumba Plot, revisits Patrice Lumumba’s assassination, with strong insight into the role of the US in assassinating Lumumba and bringing down the government of one of Africa’s most iconic leaders. 

🎬 Who can live without a port?

Leaders across the Horn of Africa have touted the innumerable benefits of building ports for their people, putting them at the heart of their projects to develop their regions. 

🎬 What Palestine means for South Africa

South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the ICJ on charges of genocide could cost his country, says former South African ambassador and anti-apartheid activist Ebrahim Rasool, but is an act of “enormous integrity” 

Interviews

Interviews
Samira Gaid: “Mogadishu isn’t at risk, but it’s peripheries are”

Somali analyst Samira Gaid speaks to Geeska on government setbacks in central Somalia to al-Shabaab and the uncertain future of the AU peacekeeping mission.

Interviews
Tsitsi Dangarembga: “By being forced to the margins, I have no choice but to observe”

Zimbabwean author and film maker, Tsitsi Dangarembga, talks about writing, the narrowness of African political space and how films work to construct all of us in certain ways.

Interviews
“The Emirates is supplying the RSF”: Sudan’s ambassador in Djibouti   

As Sudan’s war continues, Khartoum turns to international courts to confront foreign involvement. Ambassador Mohamed Saeed Hassan discusses military gains and the historic ICJ case against the UAE. 

Interviews
BananaOverdose: “I like being the black sheep — sonically”

BananaOverdose, a Somali singer and producer, defies convention with her futuristic soundscapes, blending Somali funk nostalgia, Boiler Room energy, and radical self-expression.

Interviews
Anne Bourrel: “translators and publishers ignore east African texts”

French writer and poet Anne Bourrel reflects on translation, AI, and the solitary nature of artistic imagination in the present day.