Art & Culture – Sisi Afrika Magazine

October 27, 2026October 27, 2026

The Boy From Instabul

Amid the noise of the city, a small boy walked up to me. He could not have been more than five years old. In his hands he carried a packet of paper tissues.

by Ulduz Iskenderova

October 23, 2026October 23, 2026

The Politics of Being Studied: Who gets to produce knowledge and who gets reduced to culture?

African designers are often discussed through the culture their work expresses, while the strategic thinking behind their brands receives less attention. This essay considers what that distinction means for creative recognition, brand education and the knowledge passed on to the next generation of designers.

by Chloe Holloway

Art & Culture Fiction & Poetry

The So-called Uncommon Thieves

"Nontobeko had a warm brown complexion and big crystal-clear eyes as though she had eaten carrots all her life. Her skin was so smooth that the local boys would tease her, “Ugeza ngobisi, MaNjomane.” Her singing voice was just as remarkable. Perhaps it was a Mhlongo thing. The older women often compared her voice to that of the late Busi Mhlongo. It was a soulful voice, the kind that could make you cry or smile, depending on the mood and the occasion."

by S’thembiso Nxumalo October 10, 2026October 5, 2026

Diaries Writer's Diaries

“Nothing Will Change” – The Most Dangerous Sentence in a Society

“There is no point. Nothing will change.” It is a simple sentence. We hear it in conversations, in workplaces, on social media, in communities and sometimes even in our own minds. It can sound like realism, experience or wisdom. But repeated often enough, it becomes something more powerful: a belief that discourages action before action even begins.

by Mahdi Nouri October 8, 2026October 7, 2026

Diaries Survivor Diaries

The Life After The Moment Everyone Remembers

I was seventeen when I dived into the sea in Rimini, Italy, in 1988. The consequences were immediate and permanent: a cervical spinal cord injury and tetraplegia.

by Massimo Lorusso October 7, 2026October 7, 2026

African Cultural Knowledge Art & Culture

Samburu: Between Modernity, the Past, and Change

We had been driving for hours. Mountain after mountain rose before us. The endless expanse seemed to stretch further and further into a breathtaking infinity. You never wanted to arrive. No phone signal, no rushing the sounds. Nothing could pull my gaze from this panorama. I was on my way to Samburu, in northern Kenya. The proud warriors of the north.

by Paris-Emilia Dzaak October 6, 2026October 5, 2026

Art & Culture

DRC’s cobalt exports contain unreported uranium – our study estimates the global nuclear risk

The southern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is known as the Copperbelt because of its rich deposits of copper and other minerals. The area was the original source of uranium ore for the first nuclear weapons built by the US’s Manhattan Project (1942 and 1947). Two atomic bombs were then dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

by Sisi Afrika Magazine - September 23, 2026September 18, 2026

Art & Culture

From Dreams of Becoming a Doctor to Writing for Change

In a crowded corner of a small Pakistani library, I picked up a pencil for the first time since leaving Afghanistan.

by Mehrullah Rahmani September 21, 2026September 18, 2026

Sports

World Cup history: a timeline of Africa’s greatest moments on the field

For decades, global football governance structures heavily favoured European and South American teams, leaving Africa to fight not just for wins on the pitch, but for representation itself. As a sports scholar, I’ve published numerous studies on Africa at the World Cup. In a new self-published book I outline the defining moments for the continent at the tournament.

by Sisi Afrika Magazine - July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

Art & Culture

People are marrying holograms and making friends with chatbots. But can AI bring true happiness?

Genuine happiness relies on authentic interpersonal connections, but AI is disrupting traditional ideas of friendship and relationships. Can technology really replace human relationships?

by Sisi Afrika Magazine - June 22, 2026June 22, 2026

Art & Culture Fashion & Beauty

Why do so many African women bleach their skin? Study looks beyond what they tell researchers

Our study included a sample of 221 predominantly South African Black women. This sample represented the largest share of respondents for this online survey, which was targeted to Black African women across the continent.

by Sisi Afrika Magazine - May 2, 2026April 30, 2026

Art & Culture Sports

Sebastian Sawe’s Sub 2 resets the limits of the marathon in London

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has rewritten what the marathon can look like, running 1:59:30 to win the London Marathon and become the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official race.

by Sisi Afrika Magazine - April 30, 2026April 30, 2026