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Daaf Borren

@daafborren

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Writer @uitgeverijpluim. Analyst. Former Africa correspondent. Going places @thebrightcontinent

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Met gepaste trots presenteer ik jullie 𝘏𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘬𝘰𝘮𝘴𝘵.

Het is een atypisch reisboek over zestien Afrikaanse landen, gezien door de bril van twintigers en dertigers, dat augustus 2025 bij @uitgeverijpluim is verschenen.

Hoewel het voor de hand lag om de grotere thema’s in dit boek met Afrikaanse staatshoofden en internationale hoogvliegers te bespreken, ging mijn voorkeur uit naar maatschappelijk betrokken jongeren. Naar de activisten, kunstenaars, onderzoekers en grappenmakers. Ik bleef weg van de gebaande paden, meed persconferenties en paleizen, en bewoog me in de luwte van de harde actualiteit.

Ook al kon ik me als kind van Europa nooit helemaal ontdoen van mijn eurocentrische oogkleppen, gaven Afrikaanse generatiegenoten me de kans om flarden van Afrika, de wereld en de verhoudingen tot elkaar, door een afrocentrische bril te bekijken. Het viel me op dat we in zekere zin hetzelfde montuur dragen, maar door glazen van een andere sterkte naar de wereld om ons heen kijken.
———
Omslag door de Ghanese kunstenaar @derrick_o_boateng by @daafborren

Following the publication of my book and the many journeys that have taken me to all corners of the African continent in recent years, the past few months have been filled with lectures and panel discussions.

In these lectures, I aim to challenge our Eurocentric blinkers by adopting a “geopolitics from below” perspective – one that doesn’t place great powers but but the people living in affected regions at the centre of analysis.

While I understand that geopolitical analysts such as Robert D. Kaplan justify their sometimes rather gloomy outlooks by arguing that a certain degree of pessimism saves lives, I don’t believe this absolves us of the responsibility to search for solutions. To ‘think far’ (or ‘vérdenken’), as David Van Reybrouck puts it.

This is all the more urgent now that our continent is increasingly being pushed to the geopolitical sidelines and may find itself caught in a power struggle between China and the United States. I think this can be avoided by entering into partnerships, underpinned by equality and moral values, with what we nowadays refer to as the “Global South” (or, as I prefer, non-aligned countries). Yet, this will require Europe to uphold international law, to tolerate criticism from the South and to abandon its double standards.

As always, I conclude my lectures by offering the audience a number of ideas. Not because I claim these constitute the solution, but as a thought exercise: to provoke, to stimulate debate, and to encourage deeper reflection.

If you would like me to give a lecture at your event next year (in Dutch, English or French), or to participate in a panel discussion on these themes, please do not hesitate to get in touch here, by email, or for example through @sprekershuys.

(Previous clients include the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Royal Institute for Defence, NVJ, University of Groningen and others)

📸 @twenzoe by @daafborren

Gao 💛, a city in northern Mali that looks like an organic part of the desert, remains at the crossroads of violence and terror fuelled by a range of (non-)state armed groups. As recently as last week, residents were shaken by fresh attacks.

An excerpt from my book:

While embedded as a correspondent on patrol with UN peacekeepers, we made our way through the neighbourhoods, where the ruins of houses destroyed in the recent violence were still fresh.

But daily life went on too, with pleasant scenes that would never make it to a European copy desk. Further down the road there were soldiers helping a boy push his scooter out of the loose sand. Children were playing, a youth centre filled up again following midday prayers, teenagers were running after a ball like a rampaging herd and at the banks of the Niger, an antique loudspeaker poking out of the boot of a taxi was producing crackling jazz melodies.

Gao may have been at the heart of violence and terror for years now, but it is also one of the friendliest places I’ve ever visited. It keeps reminding me that in the darkest depths of our planet, you can somehow find the very best of humanity as well. by @daafborren

It has been a while, but I intend to reintroduce my publication for @thebrightcontinent somewhere next month. Every other week I’ll share a short travelogue from there, that aims to shake loose existing stereotypes.

The stories will be a mixture of encounters, experiences, thoughts and doubts, put together from the scribbles and notes I gathered over the last six years (in close to twenty African countries). Tap the link in my bio to subscribe.

#mauritania #sahara #thebrightcontinent #newsletter #travelogue by @daafborren

‘Seksueel geweld is geen Afrikaans, maar een universeel probleem,’ benadrukten Mamy en Shari, activisten uit Congo en Liberia. Hun frustratie: westerlingen zien geweld tegen vrouwen te vaak als een ‘niet-westers’ probleem.

Tijdens onderzoek in beide landen zag ik de gevolgen van seksueel geweld dat wordt ingezet als oorlogswapen: de blik in de ogen van survivors, het verdriet van families, de ontwrichting van gemeenschappen.

Toch klonken Mamy en Shari vooral strijdbaar. Shari herinnerde me aan de Liberiaanse vrouwen die begin deze eeuw vrede afdwongen door seks te weigeren met hun partners tot er een akkoord lag. Mamy spreekt namens Le Mouvement National des Survivants al jaren rebellengroepen en regeringstroepen aan op hun inzet van seksueel geweld als oorlogswapen.

Beiden verwachten dat vrouwen de aanjagers van verandering zullen blijven, maar hopen dat meer mannen zich achter hun missie scharen. Als bondgenoten en rolmodellen.

In mijn werk betoog ik geregeld dat westerlingen in hun relatie tot Afrikanen moeten stoppen met moraliseren en beginnen met luisteren. Wanneer ik denk aan Mamy, Shari en het geweld tegen vrouwen in Nederland, lijkt het mij noodzakelijk dat westerse mannen hetzelfde doen in hun relatie tot vrouwen: stop met moraliseren, begin met luisteren.

Luister naar Afrikaanse stemmen als Mamy, Shari, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. En dichter bij huis: naar (bijvoorbeeld) Femke Halsema of Sigrid Kaag, die hun mannelijke collega’s keer op keer voorbijstreven in compassie, scherpte en verstand.

📻 @vpro.bureaubuitenland (12-08-2025) by @daafborren

Made it back to the continent after a good while. It reminded me of the sense of community I’ve always found on the road (Yes, in all of the couple of dozen African countries I have visited). It’s a particular solidarity that tends to flourish in places with less freedom and fewer comforts than ours in Western Europe.

Thomas Erdbrink put it well in an interview published this weekend: ‘The beautiful thing about the Netherlands is that you have total freedom. But that includes the total freedom to ignore absolutely everyone, all the time.’

Perhaps it is better understood as a privilege to ignore. One that seems to leave us westerners increasingly numb to what happens in the world around us. by @daafborren

Jean Baptiste showing me his backyard.

I’m still in awe of Congo’s unmatched beauty, while saddened by our continuous abuse of the country and its people, as if it were the world’s warehouse. by @daafborren

Recently, I asked my good friend, South Sudanese comedian Akau Jambo, to reflect on my work as a Western writer. Alongside his warm congratulations, he responded with his characteristic irony, mocking the Western obsession with ‘discovering’ Africa and pointing to the looted African artefacts that now fill Western museums.

His humour carries a quiet kind of resistance and brings wisdom with a smile, as described in chapter 4 of my book, which explores ‘Art-ivism’. #Linkinbio

Be sure to check out @akaujambo for more of his work. by @daafborren

‘For Africa’s freethinkers. Those who colour beyond the margins, welcome a break in form, and who boldly challenge the structures that sustain injustice.’

These lines appear on the first page of my book (see last slide) and explain to whom it is dedicated.

It’s a tribute to the dozens of young people who generously shared their visions with me, and to the hundreds of Africans I’ve met across the continent. Thank you for your stories and your trust.

(For now, the book is only available in Dutch. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you know) by @daafborren

Should we move towards an African–European #GreenDeal?

Mid-February, I had the pleasure of joining a meaningful discussion (a.o. With @fatezaaa at @de_balie) on Europe, and how it wants to become independent from fossil fuels and unreliable #energy partners. It allowed me to highlight a point that has grown even more urgent for Europe today. @theeconomist also put it well recently:

“The Middle East is at war again, Europe is sluggish and America is run by its own would-be autocrat. As a result, the continent is starting to seem less and less risky. Relatively speaking, Africa looks a safer bet than ever.”

Indeed, we should stop treating African countries as unreliable when our dependence on Russian energy proved to be the real mistake. Not to mention Europe’s growing unease over LNG supplies from the US, while the transatlantic alliance is pretty much betrayed.

Although I’m aware that Europeans are quick to say, “it cannot be done.” I also believe that when a new crisis emerges, the impossible suddenly becomes possible. And in this case, a lot is possible when #Brussels decides to dismantle “fortress Europe”, recalibrate its moral compass and engage openly with non-aligned countries, a.o. in #Africa.

Subsequently, climate justice has to become the foundation of a shared energy transition between our continents. A transition that should not just deliver green (hydrogen) energy to #Europe, but also ensure access to energy and investments in green industrialisation across Africa.

Taking a broader, longer-term perspective, I would even encourage the European Union to seize the momentum of a new pan-African wave and help legitimizing the African Union on the global stage. Brussels, after all, knows better than anyone what it takes to build and maintain a Union. Besides, it would simplify (equal) relations between our continents and strengthen our shared geopolitical influence at the negotiating table. by @daafborren

In zijn boek ‘Het continent van de toekomst – jongeren over Afrika’ gaat journalist Daaf Borren in gesprek met twintigers en dertigers uit verschillende Afrikaanse landen. Hun verhalen laten zien hoe scheef het westerse beeld van Afrika vaak is.

“Zo werd de hongersnood in Ethiopië in de jaren tachtig nogal platgeslagen door Live Aid”, vertelt hij in Kunststof. “In Ethiopië zelf wordt Live Aid daarom nog altijd als een nationaal trauma beschreven.” by @daafborren

Snippets of Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. It has been a ride packed with Gnawa music, sweet tea, freezing nights, messy border crossings, welcoming people and a lack of sleep.

#Morocco #WesternSahara #Mauritania #Senegal by @daafborren