Ademola Ojo
A new publication, New African Commentary will be launched online on November 16 to help tell the African story through the lens of an African.
Co-founder of the online publication and renowned novelist, Okey Ndibe said this in a statement at the weekend.
According to him, we envisage New African Commentary as that harvest of reliable news, insightful analysis, learned commentary, and entertaining features on everything Africana: politics, science and technology, finance and economy, arts and culture. The New African Commentary derives inspiration from a bi- monthly magazine of the same name founded by a team of African writers, intellectuals, and political leaders including the great novelist Chinua Achebe in 1989. At the time, Achebe stated the magazine’s commitment to “reclaiming the rich heritage of Africa, every inch of it, and re-drawing the contours of African history which in the hands of others has been drawn, and is being drawn, with great malice and lurid falsehood.”
According to Ndibe, while the new online publication – www.newafricancommentary.com – is not the reincarnation of the former print publication, the inspiration is undeniable.
“It is hard to argue that Achebe’s hope that the 21st Century would bring about a new dignity and renewed optimism for people of African descent has materialised,” he said.
The online publication aims to show Africa in a new light to combat the current narrative in which Africa is mainly represented with images of poverty, disease and ignorance, and people of African descent associated with intellectual deficiency and social backwardness.
“There is no question that the peoples of Africa and its global diaspora are a vital part of some of the most important conversations in our world. In addition, Africa is not only the second most populous continent, but it also houses some of the most critical natural resources in the world.
“Africana people — the people from Africa and its diaspora — are an indispensable part of the economic, scientific and cultural eco-systems that are reshaping humanity. Indeed, they are making their presence felt in every field of human endeavor—the broad sectors of the sciences, finance, the humanities, and the social sciences – and great numbers of Africans and people of African descent, young and old, are bringing their stupendous intellect, versatility, breadth of
vision and energy to the perennial renewal of our world,” Ndibe said.
