Turning Colour

Summer Fades, Winter Returns

November 2026

edited by Kofi A. Norteywritten by Lindsay Varty, Habib William Kherbek and Liam Furniss
In this issue
01EssayHow Hong Kong’s Forgotten Trades helped me remember who I amOut 9 November
02EssayDecoupling at the Friend-shoreOut 16 November
03PerspectiveA Return to the RiverOut 19 November
Read the issueEvery issue
EssayNot Nigerian Enough, Not Spanish YetArriving is only the end of a chapter.written by Celine Aju
Not Nigerian Enough, Not Spanish YetArriving is only the end of a chapter.written by Celine Aju
Latest
EssayNot Nigerian Enough, Not Spanish YetEssayIt Does What It Says on the TinPerspectiveThe Exchange Rate on a ResumePerspectiveWhen Promise Meets TheatrePerspectiveThe Brain Before the InternetPerspectiveWalking In a CityPerspectiveWhat Stability Never PromisesPerspectiveWho Are You When You're No One At All?

Just out

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EssayIt Does What It Says on the TinThe simplest anti-neocolonial argument no one is making.written by Annette ChepkwonyPerspectiveThe Exchange Rate on a ResumeImmigrants don't lose their value at the border.written by Arushi ParmarPerspectiveWhen Promise Meets TheatreLinkedIn sold connection. What it actually manufactures is…written by Kofi A. NorteyPerspectiveThe Brain Before the InternetThe ache for a pre-internet mind assumes a home the screen…written by Kofi A. NorteyPerspectiveWalking In a CityDriving in a new city removes you from understanding it.written by Laju Edema
At work with
Iddah Apondi
Diplomat by training, writer by instinct, diaspora believer
Lead Editor, East Africa

Iddah is a graduate in International Relations, with a major in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy and a minor in Psychology, from United States International University-Africa.

Read Stitching a Future: Second-Hand Clothing Imports and the Local Textile IndustryAll their work
From the Conservatory
Only 15% of Africa’s trade stays inside Africa. In Asia it is 55%, in Europe over 70%.
Africa15%
Asia55%
Europeover 70%
  • Africa: 15%
  • Asia: 55%
  • Europe: over 70%
Share of each region’s trade that is with itself, 2023. Europe is given as over 70%; its dot sits at 70.
From Raw Materials to Real Value: How AfCFTA Can Finally Build Africa's Continental Value Chains
Read the paper
The numbers, from issue 01
Personal remittances, received
IndiaMexicoPhilippines
Personal remittances, received, 2001 to 2025
YearIndiaMexicoPhilippines
200114273018777.5311101462630008760000000
200215735736285.9137110294481009735000000
200320999150983.03321665368641110239000000
200418750377106.62411986174795911468000000
200522125089480.49822274184091813732557721.8325
200628333642279.85412654281152715496088457.3
200737216755275.25022751698114016437434091.535
200849977276916.32092708172016618850672419.335
200949203912008.55062289312798019959507639.085
201053479960083.24322276771670821556633835.6025
201162499075444.73662419003485923053626019.0124
201268820517837.65352405659920824609679612.7445
201369970360846.78582397609808826716840269.1056
201470388642796.5472555664377328690797896.4983
201568909693352.8352682490716729799395699.8779
201662744364089.95112932881963031141973475.3293
201768967175499.86643292287692432809770433.9087
201878790170928.67423652630594533808967986.2665
201983332078002.30313983351753835167471832.1844
202083149172934.10434397765396534882844550.0775
202189375152217.56575506702956036685313168.048
2022111221774722.0876145771797538048724464.3858
2023119526055008.1016623784760039096890141.6795
2024137674533895.6866790836851240279405932.4327
2025150711596171.4936508679694041559641221.6247
India
$150.7 billion
Remittances to India went from $14.3 billion in 2001 to $150.7 billion in 2025.
Mexico
$65.1 billion
Remittances to Mexico went from $10.1 billion in 2001 to $65.1 billion in 2025.
Philippines
$41.6 billion
Remittances to the Philippines went from $8.8 billion in 2001 to $41.6 billion in 2025.
Source: World Bank, personal remittances, received (current US$), 2001 to 2025.
Iggal, photographsPostcards from Vietnam
Photographs
from Iggal
Every series
This time last year
November 2025
Conversation · 11 November 2025Conservation in a New EraWhat if protecting wildlife means first protecting the people who live with them?Conversation · 11 November 2025Radical Collaboration: Can Community-based Conservation Actually Work?Conservation's future depends on community economic empowerment first.Photographs · 27 November 2025Somali SidewaysSomali stories told sideways.
The Interlude: Letters, notices and the occasional record, sent every two weeks.
Photographs from IggalPostcards from Nairobi

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EpisodeHow My African Aesthetic Is Reimagining Design and Placemaking Across Borders | Eunice Nanzala SchumacherExploring African aesthetics (i.e. deesign from an African…hosted by Alexandra LambropoulosEpisodeHow a Free Building Can Cost Everything: China, Africa, and Gifting Parliaments | Dr. Innocent Batsani-NcubeExploration of China’s recent donation of African…hosted by Alexandra LambropoulosEpisodeHow to Build a Continent-Sized Water System (Trans Africa Pipeline Part 1)How to build a water pipeline across the continent of Africahosted by Alexandra LambropoulosEpisodeHow DO Architecture Co-Designs for Dignity After DisasterArchitecture as a tool for healing, dignity, and…hosted by Alexandra Lambropoulos

The writers

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Celine AjuExperience Architect, FellowAnnette ChepkwonyKenyan CorrespondentArushi ParmarVenture Banker, FellowKofi A. NorteyLaju EdemaM&A Strategist, Fintech AnalystPK AidooPrincipal
The collections
The ConservatoryPerspectivesIggalCratesConversationsUrban Limitrophe