Rokia Traoré’s latest album, Beautiful Africa defies the conventions of traditional Malian music, reflecting Traoré’s varied and diasporic past.

Curator, Art Critic and Director of Haus der Kunst in Munich, Okwui Enwezor is an art world power player on a global scale, yet his Igbo Nigerian origins inform his many artistic choices.

The Ivory Coast joins a host of newcomers at this year’s Venice Biennale. Never having participated before.

Since the 1950s and ‘60s, Algerian literature has explored the nation's struggle for independence and attempts to establish a postcolonial identity.

Coming to prominence during the 1990’s, the Nigerian film industry is currently one of the largest in the world. Here we look at some of the industry’s most exciting and distinguished auteurs.

Last week saw the sad loss of one of Africa’s most prominent authors and respected scholars after a short illness at the age of 82. Chinua Achebe’s death saw an outpouring of tributes from those in the arts and politics.

Sarah Zakzouk visits the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern Library of Alexandria, and finds an impressive institution recapturing the spirit of the original library of antiquity.

From world renowned art fairs to ground breaking film festivals, Africa offers a rich variety of cultural events. Here we take a look at ten of the continent's best.

Sarah Zakzouk explores the new flowering of culture in Egypt following the Arab Spring – and advocates yet greater engagement.

Known for its rich ethnic and cultural diversity as well as for its difficult past, South Africa is currently a hotbed of artists and galleries. Here we take a look at the country’s top ten contemporary art galleries alongside their current exhibitions.

Among the leading literary luminaries to emerge out of Zimbabwe since the country’s independence in 1980. Chenjerai Hove is to Zimbabwe, what Chinua Achebe is to the Nigerians.

The Somali-Dutch feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an atheist activist and writer who is perhaps best known for her critical views of Islam and controversial past.

Providing a platform for discussion and development of the visual arts, the Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos hosts an array of seminars, screenings and workshops.

Located in central Accra, The National Museum contains three main galleries covering the country’s past, traditions and arts culture, while the gardens outside contain a number of life style statues of historical figures.

Founded in 1825, the South African Museum is located in the historic Company Garden in Cape Town, and is home to more than one and a half million specimens of scientific importance.

Housed in one of the oldest buildings in the capital, the Addis Ababa Museum aims to collect and preserve the heritage of the city.

Housing collections that celebrate Kenya’s history, nature, culture and art, the Nairobi National Museum also offers a botanical garden.