This Week in Africa
May 3, 2024
Check out the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“What is this government doing for us? Absolutely nothing.” – South African Jack Martins
Kenyan floods
Heavy rains continue to flood villages and cities across Kenya. The storms are attributed to El Niño. This video and these photos show the devastation. The Red Cross had to evacuate more than 90 tourists from the Maasai Mara. Dozens died in the Rift Valley after a dam burst. Sean Avery explains why the floods have been so devastating to Kenyan communities. Climate change, government mismanagement, and poor infrastructure contribute to the flooding challenge. Ruto vows to help.
Heavy rains leading to flooding will remain a challenge for a very long time, as I outline in last year’s “Five Trends that will Shape Urban Africa in 2023.”
30 years of democracy in South Africa
South Africa celebrated 30 years of democratic rule on April 27. There is a lot to celebrate: A free and independent press, a durable and progressive constitution, and a booming commercial life for the middle class. This is a nice retrospective of how the country has fared on the country’s ten principles of the Freedom Charter. But there is also a lot of disappointment. Corrupt politicians continue to fill the lists of the ANC and the lack of economic redistribution illustrates the persistence of systematic inequalities. Many young South Africans are rethinking Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
Chris Ogunmodede explains how the past thirty years offers important lessons in myth-making and storytelling. Evan Lieberman offers his take. This set of historians provide these excellent insights into South African democracy at 30. Check out these Conversation articles for more.
South Africa’s elections
Parties are gearing up for elections in May, as the ANC confronts losing its parliamentary for the first time. Zuma expels five members of his party and accuses them of trying to destabilize the party. Voters face uncertainty and want change. Will young people voice their frustrations at the polls? This piece busts the “disillusioned youth” myth. Read this for a solid overview of the race.
One year of war in Sudan
It has been a year since the war broke out in Sudan. Two generals have wrecked the country, which is on the brink of famine. The control of El Fasher raises alarm that mass ethnic slaughter will occur in Darfur. USIP offers these four strategies to help end the war. There appears no end in sight.
Opposition politics
Is it a new era of politics in Senegal? Nic Cheeseman explains how the country’s recent election teaches us how the opposition can win unfair elections. George Bob-Milliar and I wrote about this in the context of Ghana’s 2016 election.
Togolese politics
Togo’s president Faure Gnassingbé is set to rule for life after recent Parliamentary elections. Komlan Avoulete explains the new constitution. It is another blow to democracy in West Africa.
Increasing authoritarianism
Mahamat Déby looks to take over for his father in Chad. Meet the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The OECD published this report on military coups, jihadism, and insecurity in the Central Sahel. There is little space for opposition in eSwatini. Burkina Faso bans Voice of America and BBC broadcasts. V-Dem releases the state of democracy 2023.
LGBTQ rights
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill is “brutal, harsh, and unjust.” Ghana’s High Court dismisses case to speed up passage of anti-LGBTQ law. This piece outlines the dangers of running an LGBTQ health clinic in Uganda.
African international relations
Turkey and Somalia strengthen ties. James Pogue examines Wagner in Africa. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Denis Mukwege argues that the West has turned its back on the Congo. Europe’s indifference to Rwanda’s atrocities is costing Congolese lives. The grass is not greener in Yemen for African migrants. Learn more about migration governance in Nigeria. The US is losing its “soft power” edge to China.
Struggle for rights and freedom
Should we compare Gaza to Mogadishu? Can elections take place in South Sudan? Why aren’t there more federal governments in Africa?
There is not a “coup epidemic” in Africa. Human Rights Watch reports that Burkina Faso’s army executed over 220 villagers in February. Listen to Zainab Usman discuss economics and politics. The future of women’s rights in Senegal is uncertain. Did the national emergency alleviate sexual violence in Sierra Leone?
Africa’s rapid urbanization
UN-HABITAT argues that sustainable cities must be properly planned. Authorities are demolishing the heart of Addis Ababa. Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi’s Imagine Lagos: Mapping History, Place, and Politics in a Nineteenth Century African City looks awesome. Marco Di Nunzio introduces this cool project on remembering demolished spaces in Addis Ababa. This is a cool article on sense of community in Accra’s gated communities. Neat: The Valletta-Accra book launch.
Research corner
Make sure to read Jody Benjamin’s Texture of Change: Dress, Self-Fashioning and History in Western Africa, 1700-1850. Settler Ecologies: The Enduring Nature of Settler Colonialism in Kenya is out. This is a useful bibliography entry on African political parties. Ian Scoones’ Navigating Uncertainty: Radical Rethinking for a Turbulent World is out soon.
Yuen Yuen Ang outlines the new paradigm “Adaptive Political Economy.” This is how the past has helped stall democratization in Zanzibar. This study outlines the importance of social networks in refugee integration in northern Uganda. Justine Davis’ article examines altruism among civil society leaders in contested Cote d’Ivoire. Tamir Moustafa explains the long history of how the discipline of political science became an independent variable.
That time of year: Current History’s Africa Issue.
New issue of APSR
There are lots of good articles in this month’s APSR. Jeremy Bowles explains how state capacity develops in Tanzania through an assessment of distributive politics and taxation. Adrienne Lebas and Lauren Young examine moments of uncertainty and repression in Nigeria. Daniel De Kadt, Ada Johnson-Kanu, and Melissa Sands explain the political legacy of the Marikana Massacre. Sharan Grewal examines military repression and restraint in Algeria. Jaimie Bleck and her colleagues analyze informal clubs, tea drinking, and trustworthiness in Mali. Sebastian van Baalen examines protests and civil war in Cote d’Ivoire.
The week in development
These are Africa’s fastest-growing economies of 2024. The power of vaccines. Lucy Shaw explains Kenya’s court case against the owners of Java House and how the judgment could affect foreign investment in the country. Somalia is a rising remittance source for Kenya and Uganda. Learn more about Niger’s political and economic journey.
Infrahub.Africa offers examples of innovative infrastructure initiatives across the continent. This post outlines the importance of keeping kids safe in school. Duncan Green reflects on twenty years at Oxfam. Check out the plans for Aga Khan University’s Kampala campus. A Dubai firm pledged $13 billion for 20 years of South Sudan oil. Did development economics lose its moral compass?
Minerals and extraction
This is how the AGOA reauthorization process could help diversify critical mineral supplies. Who are the real artisanal miners in the DR Congo?
Africa and the environment
Planting trees in grasslands won’t save the planet. Vijaya Ramachandran argues that the West needs to come to grips with the fact that Africa needs fertilizer. Climate change threatens Africa’s rhinos. A new World Bank report calls for strengthening Ghana’s health system in response to climate change. Climate effects cause cocoa prices to soar worldwide. Climate change is bringing malaria to new areas. Human-induced climate change is driving a lethal heat wave.
African Politics Awards
APCG announced calls for the Lynne Rienner Best Dissertation Award, African Affairs Best Graduate Student Paper Award, Best Article Award, Best Book Award, and the John Harbeson Distinguished Africanist Award. Submit nominations here.
Daily life
How to tell a bedtime story in South Africa. Music goes on in a dark Bamako.
Akoko, yum.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil
Jeff, sadly our South African media is biased. It points in one direction only, which is away from the main opposition party which is supported by foreign funders, think tanks and NGOs. Please consider this side that affects the country if ever reported on, and more directly affects the 7 million people in the Western Cape province - https://www.mikehampton.co.uk/p/godzille-4-da-zille-protected-by-anc-ramaphosa
I find it curious that you claim SA has a lack of redistribution? We have the highest tax to GDP ratio for an upper middle income country. Very progressive tax brackets. Grants that touch more than half of all households and sustain probably a quarter of all people. Average teacher salary is in the top 5% of income earners. A near universal school feeding programme. Extensive unemployment insurance. A 1% skills development levy. Etc etc.