Category Archives: The Whole World’s Africa

Congo’s Not Africa’s WWI, It’s Worse Than That

Posted on November 15, 2008 by Tony

If there is a European analogy to be applied in the Congo, it would be the brutal Thirty Year War in Germany that ended in 1648 Continue reading →

Posted in The Whole World's Africa | 7 Comments

What the Palestinians Can Learn from Mandela

Posted on October 13, 2008 by Tony


John Carlin’s extraordinary new book reveals how Mandela’s genius lay not in forgiving his enemies but in disarming and outmaneuvering them, while never compromising on his demand for justice Continue reading →

Posted in Situation Report, The Whole World's Africa | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Stop South Africa’s Pogroms!

Posted on May 18, 2008 by Tony

Violence against immigrants in South Africa may be a product of poverty, but my friend Ray Hartley argues, the only answer is to make them full and equal citizens Continue reading →

Posted in The Whole World's Africa | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

South Africa’s Racist Present

Posted on March 2, 2008 by Tony

Guest Column: Sean Jacobs. What to make of the racist torture incident at a South African campus Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Columns, The Whole World's Africa | 21 Comments

The Guilty Pleasure of Fidel Castro

Posted on February 20, 2008 by Tony

What fascinates me is the guilty pleasure with which so many political leaders around the world revere Fidel Castro — revere him, but wouldn’t dream of emulating his approach to economics or governance. Continue reading →

Posted in Situation Report, The Whole World's Africa | Tagged , , , | 90 Comments

Bono’s Vanity: Showcasing Africa, or its Glamorous Patrons?

Posted on June 15, 2007 by Tony

Can anyone explain Queen Rania’s presence? It with great pleasure that I introduce guest columnist Sean Jacobs, a fellow Capetonian who these days divides his time between Brooklyn and Ann Arbor, where he is an assistant professor of Communication Studies … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Columns, The Whole World's Africa | 51 Comments

Dead at the Apollo

Posted on December 28, 2006 by Tony

If I had the time, I’d build James Brown a proper online shrine, with “Night Train” welcoming you and Tom Tom Club’s exquisite JB tribute song “Pleasures of Love” bidding him farewell… (“What you gonna do when you get out … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Moments, The Whole World's Africa | 10 Comments

Hamba Kahle, Ace Ntsoelengoe

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Tony

If you were a white boy in the suburbs of Cape Town during the heyday of apartheid in the early 1970s, you didn’t know any black people. Not only socially, but even as public figures. That was the whole idea: … Continue reading →

Posted in From Tony's Archive, Glancing Headers, The Whole World's Africa | 29 Comments

Don’t they know it’s Kwanzaa?

Posted on December 5, 2005 by Tony

Published in the Cape Times, December 1997 Only in America, as the saying goes. Africans spending their first holiday season in New York are usually surprised to find that sharing equal billing with Christmas and Chanukah (which gets pretty much … Continue reading →

Posted in The Whole World's Africa | 10 Comments

World Cup 2006: Viva Angola!!

Posted on October 12, 2005 by Tony

For the past month, my key chain has sported a cheesy plastic key ring depicting the Angolan flag, two simple red and black bars with commie-clip-art sickle-shaped piece of a cog crossed with a machete (where the hammer would be). … Continue reading →

Posted in Glancing Headers, The Whole World's Africa | 14 Comments