I've just become the 'London correspondent' for a French monthly academic journal (economics, philosophy, society, politics). I've been writing for them for about 6 months and have been able to chip in whenever I wanted to - in other words, when I liked the theme. The journal is themed and all articles have to follow the theme of the month.

Now, the next two themes are 'Mama Africa' and 'Germany' (until now it's been much more open, like 'women' or 'poverty'

As a London correspondent, how on earth am I to tackle those themes?!

I don't have to write every month, but I would like to at least give it a go (and certainly wouldn't want to miss two months in a row). Also, I don't HAVE to write about London,England or even Britain. My articles are usually about philosophy or political theory (although they often include remarks about Britain or a British thinker etc). I don't know much about Africa, or Germany for that matter, and I have no idea how to combine London, Africa and philosophy.

I was thinking of interviewing an African intellectual of some sort who lives in London (I realise it's ridiculously vague), or perhaps look at the way certain groups live in London... Oh God, it all sounds so dull and predictable.

Any ideas? Anyone??

Nancy

Um.... not sure I have any ideas, sorry - but congrats on the job, and good luck!

Rosy x

Hi Nancy

Congratulations - that's great!

I'm not sure how you would tackle either theme. What about doing something on African art/artists in London. You could get in touch with the African Contempary Art gallery and see if they could help out.

Can't think of anyting else just now.

Congrats again!

Mand

Sounds like a great gig!

My initial thoughts are pretty similar, to be honest. You could do something on Marx, I suppose (was going to suggest Freud - there's the museum in Hampstead - then realised both Sigi and Anna were Austrian)...and there's an important story waiting to be told about the Zimbabwean political exiles living in Bournemouth (one of whom, a newspaper editor, still operates a resistance paper remotely).

I'd recommend taking a look at the LRB and The London Magazine to get some idea as to how 'cerebral', London-based publications tackle foreign subjects (TLM has run quite a few country-themed issues - India and Russia last year - although there are usually a few unrelated pieces included for good measure...)

Not sure about the Zim protest to be honest. I despair of the West constantly harping on about how bad things are back on our continent. Especially since the West help to cause some of the problems. How about a pan-African feature on the contribution our artists have made? From Masekela to Adiche? Something like that? S

On the wider topic of philosophy there's some ineteresting stuff on post-colonial literature and counter-discourse and the role these writers have played in refining a Western perspective of the world. That would be more positive than the usual stuff I read about how its all going to the dogs. S

I've just taken out a subscription to Wasafiri, which is a magazine of "International Contemporary Writing" which comes out 4 times a year. Lots of post colonial writing in it, including African writers, so maybe worth hunting down some back copies for ideas?

Cathy

Shika, the story about this Zimbabwean paper operating out of Bournemouth is actually a really inspiring one - it's not about Westerners projecting negativity onto Africa at all. Quite the opposite, I think.

FWIW, I think that most writers have been trying to get beyond the 'postcolonial' label for a while now - it's already a dated concept, although of course it served a very important purpose in the latter twentieth century. A bit like subaltern history - big in the 70s, but most 'subaltern' historians today would consider it a pretty patronizing label! Ditto Orientalism, etc. (That's just the social anthropologist in me speaking, mind...)

Another thought: an interview with Sophie Okonedo? There's a good London connection, anyway. She played Winnie Mandela in a recent tv production...

<Added>

On Germany...have you seen The White Ribbon? It's been out for a while now, but if your mag's doing a dedicated German issue it might be worth a thought?

On Africa...is there a story about entrepreneurship worth telling, I wonder? A friend of mine, who's Ghanaian by birth but grew up in London, has recently returned to Ghana to set up an import business with an Indian company and local private firms. He's keen to fight the rising tide of Chinese commercial interest in the continent - he reckons the Chinese could do more damage than British colonization - and as there's already sympathy for Indian culture and commerce in many African countries, it's a good place to start. I think you'd have to break the story down a bit, but it throws up lots of interesting questions, IYSWIM...

Thank you all for your thoughts. That really helps.

I wonder if I could do something on the way we view Africa. The way we see it as a homogeneous whole, which, in itself, is ridiculous, yet also influences the way Africans see themselves (identity politics is one of my specialisms). In a way, we continue to be colonial by defining them. (We do the same with 'Asia'

I could even do a survey, asking a number of people to give me ten words they associate with Africa or something like that, and then analyse it...

MF, your friend's story sounds fascinating. Would he let me ask him a few questions by email?!

On Germany, I might just pass, as there are lots of specialists at the journal, most of whom are based in Strasbourg. Funny you mention the white ribbon, as there was an interview of Michael Haneke in the journal a few weeks ago! (so it's been covered, unfortunately). Unless I do something on Anglo-german relations, but that's a bit overdone (I'd have to find an edge).

About the 'job', well, I don't get paid, so...
I've decided to just say yes to everything for a couple of years to build up my writing CV. Obviously I wouldn't accept to work for free for a mag who pays others, but the journal is run by volunteers and no one gets paid and it is free (although fairly popular in French academic circles and very well produced). I hope that doesn't sound too stupid of me...

Ngugi wa thiong'o is coming to Birmingham's Drum on March 6th. You could interview him?

http://www.the-drum.org.uk/event/an-audience-with-ng-g-wa-thiongo

Hi, This is all quite new to me (blogging, forums etc.) but regarding Africa, it is a very large place. I myself spent several years there as a police officer in Cape Town, South Africa. I could possibly give you some info regarding what really happened with the apartheid issues and what the pictures and media did not always portray, if this helps in any way. That is if people wanted an eye opener, it could be quite interesting. Simon.

Simon, that sounds totally fascinating!!
I'll WW you if that's OK.

By the way, the deadline is in a week, so I need to be very quick! So the Birmingham event is too late for me, but thanks anyway, that was a great idea.

Thanks again everyone, keep the suggestions coming

Nancy

Nancy, I'll send him a mesage tonight.

Simon, I'd be interested to hear about those experiences, too. One of my uncles was serving in the police force during the Soweto uprising - I think it was part of the required army service in those days - and had some pretty traumatic experiences. In the same evening that he saw scores of innocent people shot at, he helped to a deliver a baby in the back of a police van. Remarkable, awful times...

(I was last in SA in 2007, when I wrote this apprenticeship piece for a Canadian paper:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=5597b763-4ba6-44f0-af6d-9d0d5a204873)

Hi Nancy
reading article makes me think of that just being an everyday affair.It happened so often. and the piece..
"Afrikaners have a split personality toward the blacks," she explains over rooibos tea and homemade fruitcake. "They'll share medicine from their own cabinet, and they'll still hate them."
How true, they wanted maids and servants to make their bed and meals "often other things too" then treat them like the scurge of the earth.
Let me know on the phone call.
But remember if you knock a bees nest you can get stung. So what happens if you kick the sh*t out of it?
Simon

Hey, I'm Ghanaian. I know a Ghanaian businessman (they call him Africa's Bill Gates)who would have the complete opposite perspective from MF's friend. Might be nice to have a bit of a ding dong. You can google him and see. He spouts a lot about this thing and he's just developed a web platform that he claims will get rid of poverty in Africa, once and for all. His name is Hermann (sometimes with one 'n' Chinery-Hesse. He's also on facebook. If you want to contact him let me know. He LOVES being interviewed. S