This Week in Africa

July 5, 2024

It’s Afrobarometer Founders’ Day! Here is the week in Africa:

Quote of the week

“People are on the streets expressing a collective rage.” – Wangui Kimari

Protests in Kenya

Kenyans continue to protest corruption, mismanagement of the economy, and police brutality. The police cracked down on the demonstrations, shooting protesters and dousing them with teargas. There are allegations of massacres across the country. At least 39 people were killed. Trying to save face, Ruto criticized Kenya’s MPs for their insensitive social media posts. Africa Check factchecks Ruto’s recent claims. He clearly misjudged the situation. Human Rights Watch issued this report on the government response. Ruto stated clearly, “I have no blood on my hands.” Ushahidi provides this helpful analysis of the protest dynamics.

This video is heartbreaking.

While William Ruto was flying all over the world, he forgot the discontent brewing at home. Peter Lockwood argues that Ruto awakened class politics during his election campaign, and now cannot control it. Ken Opalo explains the economic and political context that led to the protests. Nanjala Nyabola suggests that there was long simmering anger among the youth, leading to what Wangui Kimari calls a collective rage. Kathleen Klaus analyzes the longstanding and unresolved issues behind the protests, while Xn Iraki highlights the high cost of living that contributed to the discontent. The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development is in solidarity with the protesters. Paul Zeleza explains that the Gen Z protests are part of a larger youth bulge happening across the continent.

The Wilson Center hosted this discussion on the implications of the protests. The shift from vertical to horizontal politics is a drastic shift in the country. Kari Mugo argues that the protests mark a new era in Kenyan politics. James Thuo Gathii provides this alternative to Kenya’s finance bill that might satisfy protesters. This is what it would take to take on the failings of the IMF, which has long played a role in the country’s economy. Are IMF policies to blame? Ruto says the country will need to borrow more. He must rebuild trust first. There are not many good options to fix the country’s debt problem. Behind the scenes, Meg Whitman is prioritizing business in her role as US ambassador to Kenya, and is behind Biden’s big bet in Kenya, which has emboldened President Ruto in the process.

Governing South Africa

President Ramaphosa announced his cabinet this week. Meet the man who led South Africa’s opposition into a coalition government. The market rallied after the announcement. Adam Habib discusses South Africa’s recent elections. Luke Sinwell explains how protest movements work in the country (check out his new book!). And this is why liberation movements fail when they come to power.

Governing Nigeria

Two kings battle for the position of Emir of Kano, and politics shapes the dispute. Armed banditry is wiping out communities in the north. Mansir Muhammed analyzes the rise and fall of settlements in Nigeria’s ungovernable forest reserves. Three women suicide bombers carried out attacks in northern Nigeria, killing 32 people.

Women struggle to participate in climate initiatives. This article examines the impact of international remittances on the labor supply in Nigeria. There is also a child malnutrition crisis in rural areas across the country. Novelist Chigozie Obioma discusses Nigeria’s brutal civil war, love and redemption.

Election in Mauritania

Incumbent president Mohamed Ould Ghazouni won Mauritania’s recent election. This is what was at stake. Will his government deliver a better life to its citizens?

Sudan’s civil war

Sudan is on the precipice of famine after a year of civil war. Alden Young explains how Sudan’s wars of succession shape the current conflict. The RSF continues its advances and destruction. Why is the world ignoring the crisis?

LGBTQ+ rights

Cameroon president’s daughter hints at a same-sex relationship. Socialist solidarity undermined queer rights in Angola and Mozambique. Is democracy bad for LGBTQ+ rights?

Politics in the Sahel

Can Senegal’s president Bassirou Diomaye Faye play peacemaker in West Africa? Meet the victors in Africa’s coup belt.

Struggle for rights and freedom

Here is a helpful summary of Abiy Ahmed’s speech to Ethiopia’s Parliament. Check out this issue on DR Congo’s fight for its own wealth. Learn more about the fight for human rights in eSwatini. Human Rights Watch reports on attacks on medical facilities in Amhara, Ethiopia. This is a good piece on the history of predatory rule in South Sudan. Maakwe Cumanzala highlights the hurdles that women face in politics. This essay explores how Algeria became a home to Africa’s guerrillas, anti-fascists and liberators. Check out this workshop on intergenerational justice in Rwanda.

African international relations

Where will the European Union go next in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals? What is next for China-Africa trade? The US continues to fall behind China on the continent. Learn more about Qatar’s expanding influence. Islamist terror groups spread to northern Benin. A case of jailed Cameroonians sheds light on the perils of sending aid in foreign conflicts.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Tanzania secures new trains from South Korea. This is a cool report outlining how to build resilient homes in informal settlements. Learn more about how to define housing justice. This is a cool new dataset on mapping city-regions worldwide. Cape Town continues to push out its residents. Who is greening Nairobi?

Claire Mercer examines landscape, aesthetics, and the middle class in Dar es Salaam. This is an important article that breaks down the myth of the world’s largest e-waste dump in Ghana. This is cool: Shelter Projects. Wow, cities are hot!

Research corner

How do we make public services better? Read Dan Honig’s Mission Driven Bureaucrats for answers. This looks good: Kingdom Come: The Politics of Faith and Freedom in Segregationist South Africa and Beyond.

This article examines the slave trade and commerce in nineteenth century Angola. Henning Melber analyzes colonialism, genocide, and reparations in German-Namibia. Zoe Marks examines popular protest and political change in Africa. This is a cool article on colonial infrastructure and its post-Independence afterlives. Karen Lauterbach examines sources of wealth and legitimacy in charismatic Christianity in Ghana. This paper examines the ethnic politics of nature conservation in Africa.

Adam Przeworksi asks: Who decides what is democratic?

The week in development

Duncan Green advances five ways to reboot international NGOs. This policy brief outlines the importance of dignity in development. Warren Buffett pledges $100 billion for nothing in particular.

Nigeria’s traditional midwives still play an important role in health care. DR Congo completes its first ever high-level IMF loan program. South Africa’s new agricultural leadership should focus on getting things done, not designing new policies. Why are cocoa farmers so poor even though cocoa prices have risen?

Africa and the environment

ODI outlines a new agenda for international development and climate finance. Fishermen are left stranded as Senegal’s most sought-after catch moves north. Hannah Ritchie explains how to decarbonize the world’s cement.

Daily life

The NFL in Africa! Adom  Getachew discusses the reimagining of the black diaspora. Born coloured, but not free. Cameroon’s Ulrich Chomche became the first NBA Academy Africa prospect drafted to the NBA.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil