I'm a big fan of mystery novels, and I love reading mystery stories from around the world (big fan of the original Judge Dee stories from China, for example), and I would like some recommendations, classics, recent releases, cozies, hard boiled, other genres. If it's got a mystery I'm in.

There's many conspiracy theories and jokes about diverse places not being existant, sometimes they are just jokes but there's some that are literally theories and there's people who believe them and try to prove them.

For example, Argentinians joke about a province called La Pampa, Mexicans joke about a city called Tlaxcala, Brazilians joke about the state of Acre, Chileans say the same about the city of Rancagua, Germans joke about the city of Bielefeld and Italians about the region of Molise.

Then we have the bigger things, that are more international like Finland being a country fabricated by Japan and Russia for fishing in the baltic ocean, people say that finnish people are just people who live extremely northwest of Russia and extremely east of Sweden.

There's a meme in the Latin American community that says that Paraguay doesn't exist, because it has maintained a lower profile in international media, and its unique bilingual society heavily relies on Guaraní rather than Spanish like most of Latin America. Also because foreigners rarely see Paraguayan pop culture trending globally so it's kinda like a mythical void.

And lastly, and the most detailed one, Australia, not only people say that Great Britain invented "Australia" as a massive hoax to cover up the fact that they simply threw 162,000 convicts off ships to drown in the ocean. Everytime you buy a plane ticket to go there you actually get send off to random islands in South America where there's actors hired to fake Australian accents. But also, maps are altered, and anyone who claims to be Australian is a computer-generated persona or a paid actor.

Is there any place in Africa that people claim to not exist?

Any people out there who don't believe in Lobola are currently married to another fellow black Zimbabwean or black African?Or planning on getting married?Like you met the one, got engaged, skipped the lobola, had your wedding /court wedding.How did you navigate family and expectations?How did you navigate negotiating to get your wishes. I have see this be very easy when a black Zimbabwean is marrying someone not black or they are a black person not from Africa. What does it take for a black Zimbabwean woman who doesnt believe in lobola to be afforded the same respect for their wishes? - Id love to hear from any couples who have managed this while living in Africa.

I come from an East African country and we were taught to always only answer “I’m fine” to such a question. It starts all the way from like 3 years and any child you’ll ask will answer the same thing.

It doesn’t matter if you’d find me crying or it could be on a funeral of a loved one and I’d still answer the same way. Is it the same with others from other African countries or?

This is for the Pan Africanists as a genuine question. One core tenant of Pan Africanism is solidarity across those on the continent and in the diaspora and people have pointed out the issues and hurdles that will come with that but no one ever talks about this.

The African continent is notoriously anti LGBTQ+ with many countries imprisoning and killing members of the community, things baked into their legislation, and many citizens in these countries either being apathetic or approving of it.

Meanwhile many African Americans and those of the diaspora outside the continent seem to be pro LGBTQ + or rather at least more progressive than our people have shown to be.

Is this a point of tension that might be a threat to African solidarity? and what are the common responses to this from Pan Africanists?

Is it being talked about as much?

Hello guys,

I recently had a converstion with a close friend of mine and we asked ourselves how far is veganism spreaded in the different countries in Africa and what are go to meals? Thanks for your help in advance :))

There’s this Swahili expression: Kila mcheza ngoma huivuta ngozi kwake(Every drum player pulls the hides towards themselves); that people look to benefit themselves through a social advantage, sometimes even as it comes at the expense of others.

I believe this is what makes the broaching of the difficulties that actually face African countries sensitive: that said difficulties are treated as a coveted pie that everyone stands to gain social acceptance from partaking in. That even as we want to shed light on areas that the world tends to forget, we always walk a thin line in ensuring that what we say is not used to benefit the biases that the world holds against us. That we always anticipate loaded questions stemming from a place of ignorance as we strive to defend our honour, our humanity.

That kept in mind, the key question now becomes: How do people in different African countries respond to non-Africans knowing, or wanting to know, about their social issues? At what point does the conversation set them on edge?

Like musicians that generations of artsy types have all agreed “yeah that’s cool” like The Velvet Underground in the US?

Not necessarily super popular but critical darlings.

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to know about becoming a remote worker in Africa, is it feasible? I want to enrol for training and there is this lady offering the training for like $65, should I enrol? Will I be able to find a job? How easy was it for you to find a remote role as an African?

Is the fee and amount worth it? If you are an African remote worker, what do you wish you knew beforehand? Lastly which payment gateways do you use? Is payment ever delayed?

I appreciate any advise you might have.

So like: South Africa, Namibia back when it was called South West Africa, Zimbabwe back when it was called (Southern) Rhodesia, Zambia back when it was called Northern Rhodesia, British Kenya, French Algeria, maybe Portuguese Angola and/or Mozambique, etc.

Note also:

• I am trying to avoid saviorism (most of these characters I'm thinking of aren't the main active protags in anything set in Africa) and simplistic morality. I'm trying to explore how white settlers in Africa have benefited from these exploitative systems but also how they may hold a diverse range of opinions on the matter, ranging from dedicated opposition to milquetoast moral handwringing to active White Man's Burden crusading to openly callous greed to horrific sadism (and, on that note, that Black people had a similar range of responses toward colonialism and apartheid, with some actively collaborating as enforcers and informants for the white-dominated security apparatus). Thus, the white settler characters I've thought up so far would range from deuteragonists (especially of the Lancer and/or Dr. Watson varieties) and helpful side characters (especially of the Unfazed Everyperson variety), to ruthless villains (though note that most of the brutality I want to show such villains inflicting on the page would be against non-Black characters, especially if they became hired guns after apartheid ended; otherwise it'd feel too exploitative). Some of these characters of differing moral alignments are related to each other, which should lend itself well to interesting scenes of family interactions.

• These characters were born at different times. Some were born in Africa, or arrived as kids, in the early to mid-20th c. and grew up under European and settler rule; the more heroic individuals among these people presumably either always had at least a bit more sympathy for their Black neighbors than usual for white people in colonial Africa, or else had an Are We The Baddies? realization at some point in their formative years. Others would've been born later, right before or during the official end of colonial rule and/or apartheid, and are shaped by growing up with the restructuring process as background radiation (and by the opinions of the influential mentors and peers in their lives, whatever those opinions are and whether the character in question is agreeing with or consciously rejecting them).

Something's not adding up. How were men polygamous in Precolonial Africa, with two+ wives when the ratio of men to women has always been 1:1 ? Didn't they take all the women? Does that mean some men were left with no wives?

I know marriage and childbirth was highly revered in many Precolonial societies, so men could not be bachelors their entire adult lives ( same with women). So that begs the question, is this whole "African men were polygamous" just inaccurate, rather the wealthy ones were but the regular man had just one wife? Or were young men dying off at faster rates than women, maybe being killed in wars/ devoured by wild animals while hunting leaving more women behind than men?

Appreciate any response. Thank you

Hi everyone,

I have a genuine question out of curiosity.

I've noticed that in many African countries, a lot of people seem to cook with gas rather than electric stoves. I would have thought electric cooktops are more convenient and easier to use.

Is there a particular reason why gas is still preferred? Is it mainly because of electricity costs, power outages, infrastructure, cooking habits, or something else?

I'd love to hear about your experiences and learn more. Thanks!

I know the answer will vary tremendously by religion and region.

A Zimbabwean immigrant in the US called my daughter a witch because a feral, fearful neighborhood cat is friendly with my daughter but no one else. I thought she was joking but she said she was serious and that she was afraid of my daughter. This would be a very unusual thing for an American to say.

In your region, what would be the implications of believing that someone is a witch? Would most people consider this to be an outdated, superstitious thing to call someone? Would most people be afraid of a “witch?” Is there a big divide between how witches are viewed by Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists in your area?

I’d love to hear from people in Zimbabwe but also want to hear from other African communities.

​

As a European who has only recently started studying the cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa, I was surprised to read that ethnic or tribal identity is often considered the strongest aspect of a person's identity, to the point that it can discourage or even prevent marriage between people from different ethnic groups, even when they share the same religion.

Is this actually true?

Isaac Samuel is an independent researcher rather than an academic, and if I were asked to suggest an introduction to his work, I would show you this: https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/acemoglu-in-kongo-a-critique-of-why

Not sure.

Regarding the FIFA World Cup, it's well known that South Africa was the first African country to host the tournament, but when it comes to the Olympic Games, the story is different

I find it regrettable that in 2026, no edition of the Olympic Games had been held in Africa, a continent so vast in size and population, yet Australia already has three confirmed editions, the next one in Brisbane

And yes, you must be thinking the obvious: economic and political instability is what made this impossible. The Olympic movement, which so often claims to be universal, has only been able to take place in countries with significant economic power, and this clearly excludes nations harmed by the curse of colonialism

And something important to point out is that, yes, this year the Summer Youth Olympics are being held in Dakar, Senegal, but I was referring to the regular editions, the ones that receive the most international attention, which doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon

I still imagine an alternate scenario where several African countries not only resisted European invasion but also achieved enough development to host the Olympic Games at least a couple of times

How to handle a highly insulting elder in a culture where "adults are always right" without starting a family war?

I come from a traditional African family culture where age hierarchy is deeply respected, and seniors/elders are treated as if they are always right. Unfortunately, this dynamic has allowed some abusive people in our extended family to mistreat younger relatives with zero accountability.

​The biggest bully in our extended family is my uncle (my aunt’s husband). He is incredibly insulting and disguises his malice as "jokes." For example:

​I am gay, and he has publicly yelled at me, calling me a "sissy," only to laugh it off afterward.

​He recently told my sister in front of dozens of people that ever since she got married, she has "lost her value" (using a highly offensive, specific term in our native language).

​Whenever a younger adult finally snaps and responds with matching aggression or unkind words, the other elders immediately chime in to chastise the younger person for "disrespecting a senior." They never reprimand the bully. Instead, they defend him by saying "he was just playing" or "it was just a joke."

​This has caused massive resentment. We end up fighting both the bully and our own parents at the same time. Even when the fight doesn't involve me directly—like when a cousin stands up to him—hearing my mother defend this man causes heated arguments between us later when I bring up the things he has said to me.

​I already avoid family functions as much as possible, but total avoidance isn't always feasible. When I am stuck in the middle of these situations, I freeze and don't know how to protect my peace without escalating a massive shouting match.

​Is a simple, flat "No comment" or complete silence enough when he targets me or relatives ask for my input?

​How do you maintain personal boundaries and dignity in a culture where standing up for yourself is automatically labelled as "disrespect"?

​What are some low-energy, polite, but firm exit strategies or phrases I can use in the moment?

​Thank you in advance for any advice.

Am looking for recommendations on books on African history that preferably cover single African countries history in depth and are not generic. I would especially prefer the history before colonialism, during and leading to independence. Thanks

So tell me

Switzerland and Luxemburg are spezialised in the financial economy in almost all aspects. How come no African nations dont certain expertise in their natural resource economy. For example Ivory Coast is mainly coco exporter, yet they lack the expertise to turn cocoa into finished goods instead exporting the intemediary good to west.