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In any society, power decides whose voice becomes truth.

Power decides whose voice becomes truth and whose reputation has staying power

When dominant narratives control how communities or individuals are perceived, reputations are reduced to stereotypes, biases emerge, achievements are undervalued and potential…

The late Kenyan writer and activist Binyavanga Wainaina. (Photo by Michael P. Farrell/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

Imagining new futures for Africa through speculative fiction

This literature goes beyond Western science fiction, creating a unique identity rooted in the continent’s rich cultural heritage

I still reap the rewards of my mother’s prayers

So many strong black women are marginalised and forgotten — and their roles seen as expected and natural

People take part in a Trans freedom march for victims of transphobic hatred , on November 20, 2021 in Rome, Italy. Transgender Day of Remembrance (Tdor) is the global day of remembrance for victims of hate and violence against transgender people.  (Photo by Simona Granati – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Fighting for inclusion can never be fascism, Drew Forrest!

The M&G has a responsibility to deplatform dehumanising views, to advocate for free speech but not allow hate speech

Young People take part in a Trans freedom march for victims of transphobic hatred with a banner saying Trans lives matter, on November 20, 2021 in Rome, Italy. Transgender Day of Remembrance (Tdor) is the global day of remembrance for victims of hate and violence against transgender people.  (Photo by Simona Granati – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

South Africa is home to a culture of transphobia

Two M&G articles defending trans-exclusionary views draw on the insidious anti-trans rhetoric flourishing in the UK, but ignore our country’s constitutional protections

‘Trans-exclusionary’ views are not unlawful. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

‘A weird new sort of fascism’

‘Trans-exclusionary’ views are not unlawful. So what gives self-appointed enforcers the right to police what can and cannot be said about transgender people?

The harrying of Kathleen Stock

The bitterly polarised controversy over the status of transgender people has spawned attacks on freedom of thought and speech at British and South African universities

50 Notable African Books of 2021: Selected by Brittle Paper

The online publication’s annual list celebrates not only the sheer abundance of African literature but its daring, new directions

Melinda Gates arrives at Elysee Palace for the Generation Equality Forum hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on July 01, 2021 in Paris, France. The Generation Equality Forum is a global gathering for gender equality convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, in partnership with youth and civil society. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

‘We must also show normal women who do great things’

In conversation: Melinda French Gates, philanthropist, businesswoman and global advocate for women and girls and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, prize-winning author and named one of…

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

On failed states and the pitfalls of Western commentary

The tendency of Western commentators to dress up African tragedies in the patronizing logic of relativism

British poet Linton Kwesi Johnson performs at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands in May 1998. (Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns)
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Linton Kwesi Johnson gave poetry back to the people

The 2020 winner of the PEN Pinter Prize, LKJ’s poetry puts the ignominy and hardship of the black experience in Britain front and centre in words that echo across the decades

Future imperfect: The Old Drift’ includes the construction of Kariba Dam (above), under which histories were buried and 57?000 people dislocated

Historical novel tests notion of nation

The past explains the present but not the future because ‘that tiny chaos’ makes the future opaque

The Jaipur Literature Festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan, to which thousands of book-lovers flock. (Vishal Bhatnagar/ NurPhoto/ Getty Images)

SA needs to play catchup with India

"We are a much younger country than India, so it may seem unfair to compare, but we are not too young to make an effort to learn and catch up."

By embracing the values of truth, accountability, innovation and the power of independent journalism, African media can become a beacon of hope, illuminating the path towards a more prosperous and transparent society. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Selling Africa’s good news stories

Low pay and precarious work conditions for most African journalists lead many to seek work with Western news outlets

Grand dame: Esther Mahlangu
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Mahlangu leads by example

The artist is a national treasure who wants others to do what she has done for Ndebele art

Laughter sweetens bitter truth

<i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> was published 50 years ago this month. <b>Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</b> celebrates the novel’s enduring achievement.