Threads of Ifriqiya

10. Love, Forgiveness, and the Coming-of-Age Story of an African Boy

Some books become famous across the world. Others remain quietly cherished within the places that raised them. We are back with season 2 of Threads of Ifriqiya, and in this episode, we explore Les Frasques d’Ebinto by Ivorian writer Amadou Koné — a short but unforgettable coming-of-age novel that many francophone West Africans know intimately, yet much of the world has never encountered. Set in 1970s Côte d’Ivoire, the story follows Ebinto, a teenager discovering love, desire, regret, and the painful weight of actions understood too late. Through this deeply emotional novel, Amadou Koné reflects on romantic love, friendship, premature marriage, and perhaps most powerfully, forgiveness — the kind that survives even after profound hurt. Link to the interview with the Author: https://youtu.be/klhDolqouJU?si=WMKUZhNt7H7sOTLs [https://youtu.be/klhDolqouJU?si=WMKUZhNt7H7sOTLs] Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya ]⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya] 00:00 Intro 02:00 Book Intro and Synopsis 10:55 The Author 17:30 Love 35:45 Foregiveness 50:30 Outro

09. Jacaranda: Searching for a meaning in the tragic history of Rwanda

In this episode, we explore Jacaranda, a novel by Gaël Faye, a Rwandan-French writer and musician whose work moves between memory, exile, and inheritance. Set between France and Rwanda, the novel follows Milan, a young man born in Europe yet pulled persistently toward a history he was never fully told. From televised images of the 1994 genocide to the open-air Gacaca courts, from family silences to generational transmission, Jacaranda asks what it means to grow up in the shadow of a past you did not live, but still carry. Structured around three threads - African parenting, the search for purpose, and the enduring memory of the genocide - this episode is less a plot summary than a reflection on silence, identity, and the weight of history across generations. As in many of our previous conversations on Africa’s story, this reading reminds us that memory does not disappear with time. It evolves, circulates, and shapes lives in quiet but decisive ways. Tune in as we reflect on Jacaranda, and ask: when comfort is possible, why do some still choose the questions? Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya ]⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya] 00:00 Intro 01:31 Book Intro and Synopsis 07:49 The Author 13:34 African Parenting 33:49 The Search for Purpose 40:07 The Genocide

08. From McKinsey to the Heights of Global Finance - Reading Tidjane Thiam

In this episode, we explore Without Prejudice, a memoir by Tidjane Thiam,  one of the most influential African figures in global finance, whose life has unfolded at the crossroads of power, race, ambition, and belonging. From a rare, privileged, yet at times deeply challenging childhood in post-independence Africa, to elite education in France, to the highest executive roles in global finance, and finally to a contested entry into politics, Thiam reflects on risk, responsibility, and the invisible barriers that persist even at the very top. Structured around three threads - a golden childhood, a brilliant career, and a rocky start in politics - this episode is less a celebration of success than a meditation on its cost: racism, exile, sacrifice, and the limits of meritocracy. This reading also echoes themes we’ve explored in earlier episodes on Africa’s development -  a reminder that excellence emerges from Africa, in all its complexity. 🎧 Tune in as we reflect on Without Prejudice, and ask what it truly means to rise, and what it means to choose what you rise for. The FT article we talked about: ⁠https://www.ft.com/content/d3365c78-e93e-44eb-9c62-d43189e70bda⁠ [https://www.ft.com/content/d3365c78-e93e-44eb-9c62-d43189e70bda] Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram [⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya ]⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ [⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya] 00:00 Intro 01:30 Book Intro and background 12:31 The Author 14:03 The Rare African Golden Childhood 42:19 A Brilliant Career 01:29:51 Rocky Start in Politics 01:40:48 Outro

07. Africa Against Democracy: Myths, Denial and Peril

What does it mean to reject (or defend) democracy in Africa? In this episode, we explore Africa Against Democracy: Myths, Denial and Peril, a recent and provocative essay by Senegalese journalist (now Writer), Ousmane Ndiaye. Unlike the well-established works we’ve discussed so far, this is a debut book - tentative in places, urgent in others - that invites reflection. Structured around three central assertions (myths, denial, and peril) Ndiaye examines how democracy is imagined, dismissed, or placed at risk across the continent.In this episode, we built on our earlier conversations around Axelle Kabou’s What if Africa Was Refusing to Develop? and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Decolonising the Mind, to extend the thread toward contemporary political debates unfolding in real time in West Africa. An essay. A moment. A set of questions that feel increasingly difficult to postpone. 🎧 Tune in as we unpack Ndiaye’s arguments and reflect on why democracy in Africa remains such a contested, yet urgent, terrain today. Follow us on Instagram [⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya ] and TikTok [⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya] 00:00 Intro 01:40 Book Intro and background 07:12 The Author 08:29 The myths surrounding democracy in Africa 26:20 The denial of democracy 35:41 The peril: imminent danger for Africa 42:00 Outro

06. Decolonising the Mind: Why Language Matters in African Liberation

What does it mean to “decolonise the mind”? In this episode, we explore Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s influential book Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature — a work that continues to shape conversations about culture, identity, and creative expression across the continent. Building on our previous episode on Axelle Kabou’s What if Africa Was Refusing to Develop?, we shift the lens inward. While Kabou interrogated Africa’s resistance to structural transformation, Ngũgĩ invites us to examine the deeper terrain of thought — the languages we use, the stories we tell, and the mental perspectives shaped by colonial education. We revisit Ngũgĩ’s journey from writing in English to embracing Gikuyu as an act of artistic and political liberation, and reflect on why, despite his global stature, his work has not always been widely read within Africa itself. Tune in as we unpack the four pillars of Decolonising the Mind, explore the politics of language in theatre, fiction, and everyday life, and consider why these questions remain urgently relevant today. Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya] and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya]. 00:00 Intro 01:23 Book Intro and background 03:17 The Author 08:05 The main themes 08:46 The Language of African Literature  22:56 The Language of African Theatre  30:58 The Quest for Relevance 37:55 Outro