This Week in Africa

October 27, 2023

Oct 27, 2023

Ogu Onubogu tells it like it is: Africa just matters, period. Here is the week in Africa:

Quote of the week

“Villagization of non-poor activists has resulted in the often-heard refrain, ‘Africa has no policy analysis capacity’. The results are all too visible; it is still largely Northern academics or feminists who write and get published; it is their work that is used by policymakers and is quoted in international media.” – Zimbabwean feminist Everjoice Win

Hamas-Israel war

These African countries have sent aid to Gaza. This piece breaks down the role of Egypt in the conflict. Regional leaders fear spillover from the conflict.

Liberia’s election

Liberia’s presidential election goes to a run-off between incumbent George Weah and his opponent, Joseph Boakai. Stay tuned.

Struggle for rights and freedom

Joshua Craze discusses the revolution and counterrevolution in Sudan. The people of Abyei are stuck between Sudan and South Sudan – oil-rich but extremely poor. Christine Mungai explains the East African religious revival. Jeffrey Haynes explains what #OccupyBOG in Ghana is all about. Roger Southall discusses why race endures in South African politics.

This is an important report on decentralization and local democracy in East Africa. 7 people were killed execution-style in Kwamashu, Kwazulu Natal. SADC attempts to navigate Zimbabwe’s disputed election. How do party foot soldiers impact voters in Zimbabwe? Is the next coup coming to an African state near you?

Security and insecurity

Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis is now being fought in Washington. Adéwálé Májà-Pearce discusses the recent events in West Africa. The US signals that it will engage with Niger junta. This is a cool military history of the Zulu Kingdom. The Jihadi threat expands across West Africa, inching toward Senegal. Drones offer dizzying possibilities to African states.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Shack dwellers fight for land and housing in South Africa. Gunvor Jonsson examines the generative aspects of pressure amidst urban displacement in Dakar, Senegal. Residents face evictions and demolitions in Cotonou, Benin as the government seeks “urban fantasies.” Learn more about Kenya’s inclusive approach to urbanization, especially with respect to its refugee camps. Sustainability transitions require an understanding of smaller cities. This is a nice study of intermediate towns in Ghana. “Digital commons” matter for Africa’s urban transport systems. This is neat: Reconsidering Colonial Heritage in West African Cities.

Research corner

I am looking forward to this: Mario Schmidt’s Migrants and Masculinity in High-Rise Nairobi. Tom Buitelaar’s Assisting International Justice examines the ICC in DR Congo. This looks good: Stuart Reid’s The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a ColdWar Assassination. China’s Footprint in East Africa is out.

Samantha Balaton-Chrimes asks: Who are Kenya’s 42(+) tribes? Enumerating ethnicity is political. This podcast tells the story. Risa Kitagawa and Fiona Shen-Bayh measure political narratives in African news media (very cool). Learn more about colonial wars in northern Ghana and the role of intermediaries (read alongside Noah Nathan’s The Scarce State: Inequality and Political Power in the Hinterland).

The week in development

Economics has an African women problem. Michael Thrower discusses Branko Milanovic’s Visions of Inequality. Ethiopia and Korea open textile research center in Addis Ababa. These are two of the most important medical developments that will impact Africa. Nanjira Sambuli discusses cybersecurity and Kenya’s digital superhighway. The Kenyan shilling is stable on remittance inflows. This investigation takes on title deeds in Kenya. There is an opportunity to create critical mineral security on the continent. Chinese security firms spread along the African Belt and Road. Is Ethiopia’s education system under serious threat?