Column

Column

The myth of reverse racism

25 April 2022 -

Can white people be treated as racist as black people are? Writer Chika Unigwe thinks such reverse racism is ‘a nonsensical idea’. ‘That myth persists because some people ignore the link between racism and power. In a world constructed to maintain white privilege, you have good reason to fear discrimination.’

Column

Let’s fight to change who does the gatekeeping, not who does the translations of our works

1 April 2022 -

A year ago, the young Amanda Gorman recited her The Hill We Climb for the new US President Joe Biden. When that poem was translated into Dutch, there was a heated discussion about who was most suitable for this. Author and MO* columnist Chika Unigwe looks back on the debate.

Column

African literature doesn’t need the Nobel Prize to make it valid

29 March 2022 -

In 2021, the Nobel Prize for literature went to Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah. Writer Chika Unigwe believes that African literature does not need the Nobel Prize to be validated, but it is good to see influential bodies like the Swedish Academy recognizing works from the continent.

Column

Colonization was the epitome of arrogance

15 March 2022 -

There is still a need for an honest history of colonization. This is illustrated by a playful action in London by a man who claimed to have “discovered” the River Thames, writes MO*columnist Chika Unigwe. ‘To discover something that already exists and stick another name on it is pure arrogance.’

Column

The Ambiguities of Anti-Semitism

2 November 2018 -

It's essential we do not see antisemitism or the Shoah as something unique, says Anya Topolski in her column. It blinds us for a systematic pattern of racism and genocide, and, because it means we do not try to get to the root cause of the problem.

Column

Why Zwarte Piet Ruined My Sex Life

29 November 2017 -

The discussion on “Zwarte Piet” (Black Pete) the aid of Saint Nicholas, started again in all its intensity. Although the debate is more politicized in the Netherlanfds, Belgium is not far behind when it comes to white supremacy. MO* Columnist Anya Topolski wonders why white people stick to this racist tradition.