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Monday 28 April 2025

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Politics

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.

Politics
Redefining Sahelian diplomacy

Breaking from ECOWAS and Western influence, the Alliance of Sahel States signals a geopolitical shift-but can it deliver real stability?

Politics
Imperial belonging and the weaponization of the sea

The legacy of France’s colonial violence in the Indian Ocean is one stone that contemporary mainstream media tends to leave unturned.

Opinion

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.  

The mayor of Hargeisa

Elected on an anti-tribalism platform, Hargeisa’s mayor, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge, faces the challenge of avoiding the very clan-based tactics he once opposed.

Macron: escaping crises in France one hug at a time

The French president’s official visits, usually carefully choreographed with videos of him among adoring crowds, usually come at times when he is facing domestic challenges.

Culture

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.

Art
Idris Wed Amir: The melancholic flame of Tigrait poetry 

A legendary voice of Eritrea’s Tigre-speaking people, Idris Wed Amir turned heartbreak and hardship into lyrical brilliance — shaping a cultural legacy that endures to this day.

Culture
Letter from Khartoum

Once a city of art, resistance and riverside cafés, Khartoum now lies gutted by war. Displaced by the war, Reem Abbas reflects on loss, erasure and the urgent need to reclaim a city at the heart of Sudan’s identity.

Art
The making of Hudeidi

Hudeidi transformed Somali music with his unparalleled mastery of the Oud. His legacy, marked by melodies of love, longing, and revolution, endures across generations.

Thoughts
Somalis are losing access to their poetic heritage

The failure to archive the poetic and literary production of our forebears has deprived Somalis of a crucial moral and artistic resource, argues Mahbub Abdillahi. And judging by our political culture, it shows. 

Thoughts
When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited Mogadishu

In his book Mayor of Mogadishu, journalist and author Andrew Harding recounts Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1972 visit to Mogadishu. We have republished the passages with the author’s permission.

Fiction
My father, the Englishman, and I

In December 1999, Nuruddin Farah wrote My Father, the Englishman, and I, a short story that satirises a submissive colonial translator while exploring their role in the mechanics of colonial rule.

Thoughts
How not to report on Eastern Congo

Western media coverage of the DRC conflict is riddled with inaccuracies, oversimplifications, and racial bias—reinforcing dangerous narratives rather than informing the world.

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
“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.

Interviews
Andrew Harding: Mogadishu is a “chameleon-like city”

Andrew Harding, the veteran BBC correspondent, speaks to Geeska about his book, The Mayor of Mogadishu.

Interviews
Abdoulaye Ndiaye on Trump’s tariffs and the need for intra-African trade

Trump’s tariffs have had a major disruptive impact on the global economy, ushering in an era of great uncertainty. Geeska speaks to Aboulaye Ndiaye, a Senegalese economist and academic, about how the measures will impact Africa.