Quote of the week
“If Human Sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill becomes a law, it will exacerbate fear and hatred, could incite violence against fellow Ghanaian citizens, and will negatively impact on free speech, freedom of movement and freedom of association.” – Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ law
Ghana’s Parliament passed a bill making identifying as LGBTQ illegal. The bill poses serious threats to LGBTQ people in the country. The bill also penalizes those involved in LGBTQ advocacy. The bill will become law when and if President Akuffo-Addo signs it. The law would be one of the harshest on the continent. The bill signals an “imperialism loop problem.”
Senegal’s political crisis
Senegal’s opposition rejects plan for a new election date. An EU-funded security force helped squash pro-democracy protests in Senegal. President Sall offered amnesty to arrested protesters. The University of Dakar’s struggles illustrate the country’s democratic failures. The political crisis is also an economic one for Senegalese businesses. Is there a radical left alternative in the country? What does the situation in Senegal signal for other elections on the continent?
Death of Chadian opposition leader
Chadian opposition leader Yaya Dillo is killed in a shootout with security forces. He was expected to run in presidential elections in May.
Violence in DR Congo
Relations between the DR Congo and Rwanda are deteriorating. Jason Stearns and Joshua Walker outline what is needed to stop a regional war in the DR Congo. UN peacekeepers withdraw from the country.
Sudan’s civil war
Sudan’s war spirals out of control. Is dirty money destroying Sudan?
UK’s foreign policy toward Africa
Rory Stewart makes the case for stronger ties with Africa. Is UK’s Labour Party ready for the challenges ahead? Learn about how the UK’s propaganda won Cold War allies in Kenya.
Struggle for rights and freedom
Burkina Faso militarizes society to fight terrorism. Ethiopia’s Fano militias launch lobbying campaign in the US. This piece outlines the Five C’s of South Africa’s political challenges. Cote d’Ivoire’s president pardons protesters for poll violence. Check out the report on the cost of doing politics in Zambia. Watch this discussion about the security situation in the Horn. The opioid crisis brings pain and death to Ghana’s north. Watch this panel on Africa-China relations.
Who will be Ghana’s next Vice President? Where does Africa fit in the global village? Will West Africa’s juntas stick to the electoral timetables?
Africa’s rapid urbanization
All aboard: Lagos opens a second Metrorail line. Disney’s first Nigerian animated series is a futuristic take on Lagos and its flaws. Learn more about cleaner cooking fuel in urban neighborhoods. This is cool: Documenting the streetwise life of Kampalans. Dar es Salaam is hot. Beautiful, Kampala for sure. Learn more about the illegal weapons trade in Bamako, Mali. The World Bank is investing in Dar es Salaam’s road network. Kumasi’s growth is polluting its rivers.
I look forward to reading the World Bank’s new report on markets, mayors, and migrants in Africa’s secondary cities. This is a neat article on public support for participation in local urban development with evidence from South Africa.
This is a fascinating story of a town in Ghana where a chief gave plots to the diaspora for free to “return home,” and how locals resisted.
Research corner
This is an interesting article about decentralizing fraud in Mozambique’s 2019 election. This is a neat article on archive history in Zambia. Dan Paget and Portia Roelofs explain how African political parties are more ideological than you think. Read it: Extending voting rights to emigrants. This review essay on endogenous state capacity looks helpful. Kirk Harris examines ethnic politics and partisan realignment in Kenya’s constitutional referendum. MIT Gov Lab has some cool case studies of citizen participation in policymaking. Make sure to read the results of this harmonized experiment from Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan that examines female representation and legitimacy. This is good: Frank-Borge Wietzke’s “Perceptions of social class in Africa.”
Check out Beyond the Gatekeeper State, edited by Sara Rich Dorman. Looking forward to this: South Africa’s Tradition of Racial Capitalism, edited by Zachary Levenson and Marcel Paret. Get ready for it: Catherine Boone’s Inequality and Political Cleavage in Africa: Regionalism by Design. This book examines the rapid advance of digital technology in Africa.
And read this: “Beauty in experiment: A qualitative analysis of aesthetic experiences in scientific practice.”
The week in development
Abiy Ahmed has big dreams for Ethiopia’s economy, but the reality is far harsher. Amit Ranjan examines The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and its discontents. This piece navigates the political economy of Africa’s energy systems. China covets African donkeys.
Nigeria’s economic challenges
Nigeria’s Naira crashes and the price of jollof doubles. These four charts break down Nigeria’s economic struggles.
Africa and the environment
Learn more about the daunting reality of clean fuel in Kenya. This article revisits the role of disasters in climate policy-making. This article examines pro-poor climate resilience in Kumasi.
Daily life
Nigerian football needs to confront the elephant in the room. The path of a Super Bowl champion. Football, beaches, and Mogadishu.
An African Feminist Manifesto.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil