Published by The Independent (12th May, 2014) Now it’s official: the Western world is horrified about the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls. It might have taken […]
The tide is turning against homophobia
Published in The Guardian (December 27th, 2013) In Uganda, two people who have sex could end up serving life sentences in prison if they happen to be the […]
A conflict crying out for more attention – and less violence
Published in The Independent (October 1st, 2013) The murder of Saturday lunchtime shoppers in a Nairobi shopping centre grabbed global headlines. This was unsurprising: it was a savage […]
Britain’s pathetic response to the rise of a global power
Published in The Guardian (August 9th, 2013) Despite their military name, it is hard to see how an eight-strong delegation from Nigeria’s branch of the Boys’ Brigade posed […]
Support journalists, not countries that jail them
Published in The Guardian (August 5th, 2013) ‘I am jailed, with around 200 other inmates, in a wide hall that looks like a warehouse. For all of us, […]
Africa: the myth and the reality
Published in High Life magazine (16th April, 2013) If you think of Africa, what do you see? Perhaps a pitiful picture of a starving girl with flies on […]
Aid groups have blinded Britain to the realities of Africa
Published in The Independent (January 9th, 2013) Recep Erdogan, the astute prime minister of Turkey, is on a tour of Africa. His entourage includes 300 business leaders from […]
Disorder, dereliction…and decency
Published in The Observer (January 29th, 2012) Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wira (Granta) Nigeria does not top many people’s lists of the ideal holiday […]
Big men, bankers and the stench of corruption
Published in The Independent (August 18th, 2009) Frederick Chiluba is a sharp dresser. The one-time bus conductor who rose to become President of Zambia has a fondness for […]
Never mind the rebranding – Nigeria needs rebuilding
Published in The Independent (July 30th, 2009) Nigeria’s minister of Information has launched a campaign to rebrand her country, attempting to lure foreign investors and tourists under the […]