My Unpackable Library: AI Erasures and the African Archive
Text of Keynote Remarks delivered at the Africana Librarians Council’s 2026 spring meeting on April 16, 2026. About a year ago, Kodjo and I sat somewhere in Accra with Brian Rosenblum and the KU Dean of Libraries Carol Smith. I think the discussion was something about the similar challenges of library work we had observed in Ghana. As the only non-librarian in the midst, I was happy to listen, making observations that, in fact,…
The Panenka’s Paradox
A slightly different version of this article was first published by Olongo Africa. At the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium during the 2026 AFCON final, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz attempted something almost unheard of in the 68-year history of the Africa Cup of Nations: a Panenka penalty. Rather than diving early as the technique’s logic dictates, Senegal’s…
2025 AFCON: Football as Signifier
You may read my reflections on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations here. The first essay, “The Intimate Moments of Football Solidarity”, captures the intimacies we encounter on the pitch. My argument is that, beyond the politics and nationalism football often stages, the African Cup of Nations’ most powerful moments show the bonds between those…
Social Media Banter, Jollof Rice and Other AFCON Delicacies
According to one urban legend, any party without Jollof Rice is just a meeting, but on social media, it matters significantly whether that Jollof is of Nigerian or Ghanaian origins. It certainly does for some AFCON supporters at this year’s tournament whose vociferous performance of AFCON fandom has been a little more intense than in…
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James Yékú 