18/05/2026

on Zineb Sedira


Zineb Sedira’s exhibition opens at Tate Britain, "intended as a manifesto as much as an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of films and sculptures," the Guardian says. 

Zineb Sedira: Dreams Have No Titles - 2024 (my visual insight):

 



17/05/2026

Newsletter - May 2026: Out of Africa?



Out of Africa?


After this Nairobi summit, doubts seem only more profound than ever on the state of relations between European powers - especially France - and a continent of 54 states and 1 billion people...




 


https://melissa.substack.com/p/out-of-africa



13/05/2026

Podcasting from Nairobi

 

Spotlight on Africa - podcast: Does the Africa Forward summit signal a fresh start for France on the continent?


This week, Spotlight on Africa takes you to the Africa Forward summit hosted by France and Kenya in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May. It marks the first time France has staged such an event in an English-speaking African country, and comes at a moment of change and challenges.


https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260512-spotlight-on-africa-africa-forward-a-fresh-start-in-nairobi



https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260512-spotlight-on-africa-africa-forward-a-fresh-start-in-nairobi



11/05/2026

Africa Forward - the summit in pictures

 



Presidents Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto opened the summit with a special session with African young people from all over the continent.








Artists like Blick Bassy were invited to perform.




10/05/2026

French Tech Nairobi

 

Kenya's technology sector is booming, driven by digital innovation and artificial intelligence.

To tap into that growth, the French Embassy has launched French Tech Nairobi - a dedicated hub supporting local start-ups and new businesses, with ambitions to extend that backing across the wider continent:





The 'Africa Forward' summit opens on Monday 11 May 2026 in Nairobi

 




The summit has been named 'Africa Forward – Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth Summit'. It invites the French and African business communities, for the very first time, in an event co-organised with an Anglophone country.

More soon!


09/05/2026

Africa Forward Fest @ Alliance Française Nairobi

 


Africa Forward Fest is the cultural festival organised at l'Alliance Française de Nairobi - the French cultural centre in the Kenya capital, ahead of the political and business forum 'Africa Forward'.




The festival showcases writers from all over Africa, creating stories in different languages.

Tracy Ochieng is a moderator at the Africa Forward Fest and hosted a session on Gen Z in Kenya, and another one with Eritrean author Donica Merhazion.




Donica Merhazion left Eritrea as a refugee for Kenya, lived later in the US, then came back to Kenya 15 years ago with her family. 'Born at the End of the World' is her first book.




Born in the midst of Ethiopia's Red Terror, her book channels her family's experiences. 

A former journalist and educator with degrees in journalism and education, she is passionate about storytelling, and inspires her own students to love learning and embrace their potential while finding time to write in her personal time.




Other authors shares their stories over multiple panels.






More soon on RFI English



French Tech Nairobi

 

Still reporting from Nairobi...

Yesterday's story:

Technology — and in particular digital innovation and artificial intelligence — is booming in Kenya. 

To tap into that growth, the French Embassy has set up a dedicated hub called French Tech Nairobi, backing new businesses and start-ups locally, with an eye on expanding that support across the rest of Africa. 

Brandon Opondo and Michael Mbae are two of the members. They studied in Paris at Sciences Po and now work back home in Nairobi.

More on our RFI English channels on Monday! 







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05/05/2026