Nanjala Nyabola

@Nanjala1

Nanjala Nyabola is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is the author of Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya (Zed Books, 2018) and Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move (Hurst, 2020).

Artist and musician Raymond Essayan plays a piano he sculpted from the rubble of a destroyed building

What Gives You Hope Keeps You Fighting What Gives You Hope Keeps You Fighting

Art does what the field of international relations cannot—it gives purpose to struggle and reminds us what it means to be human.

May 9, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

A child holds a flag at a demonstration in support of Russia and China's presence in the Central African Republic.

A New Form of Propaganda Has Targeted the Central African Republic A New Form of Propaganda Has Targeted the Central African Republic

A report from Meta shows that groups in Russia and France are battling for political influence over one of Africa’s largest diamond and uranium exporters.

May 2, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

men hold flags in Karthoum

What the World Should Know About Sudan What the World Should Know About Sudan

To understand the violence in Khartoum, you need to understand European foreign policy.

Apr 25, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

Man pours liquid into a bottle in front of a pile of bottles

Nothing Encapsulates the False Promise of Capitalism Like Plastic Nothing Encapsulates the False Promise of Capitalism Like Plastic

Individual good intentions can only carry us so far when the global recycling system is stacked in favor of the oil industry.

Apr 18, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

a man throws a bag of rice off a truck in Haiti

The Crisis of Imagination in International Relations The Crisis of Imagination in International Relations

The world should often “do something” about a crisis—but we must stop defaulting to military intervention.

Apr 11, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

Two young Syrians sit at Harim Castle

In a World On Fire, What Do We Owe Each Other? In a World On Fire, What Do We Owe Each Other?

Being concerned about things beyond the boundaries of your life is a fundamental obligation of anyone who considers themself a global citizen.

Apr 4, 2023 / Nanjala Nyabola

Sanaa Seif stand in front of an image of her brother, the imprisoned pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah.

Elon Musk Doesn’t Understand Twitter’s Real Value Elon Musk Doesn’t Understand Twitter’s Real Value

For all its limitations—and there are many—Twitter is the closest thing the world has to a transnational public sphere.

Nov 15, 2022 / Nanjala Nyabola

A newspaper in Nairobi announces deputy president William Ruto as the new president of Kenya.

The Kenyan Kakistocracy The Kenyan Kakistocracy

What are we supposed to do when the electoral system consistently yields terrible candidates?

Aug 17, 2022 / Nanjala Nyabola

What Will Be the Language of Our Digital Future?

What Will Be the Language of Our Digital Future? What Will Be the Language of Our Digital Future?

Without online diversity, only a handful of people will dictate the fate of the world.

Jul 15, 2021 / Feature / Nanjala Nyabola

Kenyan health workers

Vaccine Nationalism Is Patently Unjust Vaccine Nationalism Is Patently Unjust

Poor countries are paying more for the doses that remain after rich countries have had their fill.

Mar 22, 2021 / Nanjala Nyabola

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