This Week in Africa
June 14, 2024
Quote of the week
“It’s very, very bad.”-- Nigerian health worker Salisu Garba on the state of the economy
Governing South Africa
What a week. South Africa faces a seismic political shift as the ANC negotiates a coalition government. It is now just a regular political party. An ANC official says it has an outline of a deal. The ANC’s acceptance of its defeat is a gift for democracy. The Inkatha Freedom Party agreed to join the coalition. A unity government needs to find common ground on these issues. South Africa doesn’t need more heroes. Dan De Kadt says it best: Everything has changed but nothing is different.
Tune into MIT’s webinar for more analysis.
War in Sudan
Hundreds are dead in new atrocities in the war. Iran and UAE supplied drones for use in the violence. The scale of Sudan’s humanitarian disaster is enormous. A top war crimes court seeks evidence of atrocities in the country. Sudan has a publicity problem and is not getting the global attention it needs. This NY Times cover page visualizes the devastation.
Struggle for rights and freedom
Ken Opalo explains why the Left is powerless in African states today. Nigerian fishing community is on edge after jihadists threaten attack. Child labor is deeply entrenched in Benin. Tanzanian professors are joining politics. It is time to plant good words in people’s hearts. This piece outlines paradox of corruption as an electoral issue. Are Ghanaians in a dilemma? Is Ghana heading toward electoral unrest? What has President Tinubu achieved in his first year in office? Can presidentialism save Tshisekedi from the “lame duck” syndrome? What is the future of peace in Africa?
African international relations
Learn more about Turkey’s presence in Italy’s re-engagement in Africa. Italy wants to be the new European face of Africa. Kristof Titeca examines Uganda’s chess match in the DR Congo. Learn more about the Brazil-West Africa cocaine trade. Russia’s position in Africa isn’t as strong as it looks. These are the roots of Somalia’s piracy resurgence. South Africa’s non-alignment is here to stay. This piece explains the role of narratives in China-Africa relations. Learn more about the history of divestment campaigns in Apartheid South Africa. Howard French argues that African states can learn a lot from China. What does it take to stand up to Africa’s juntas?
Migration and displacement
How does climate change impact migration? Neglect is the new normal in the world’s displacement crises. Listen to this podcast about South Africa’s immigration dilemma. Refugee rations in Kenya are slashed by 60%, affecting life in Dadaab.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
What drives urban reform in African cities? Mapping can help slums build resilience. Mathare is reclaiming the spirit of Harambee. Tires live forever in Lagos. Green infrastructure is needed to tackle flooding. Read this nice book review forum on Tom Goodfellow’s Politics and the Urban Frontier. This is cool: Infrastructure, time and labour: movement and suspension along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor. And I can’t wait for A.G. Hopkins’ Capitalism in the Colonies: African Merchants in Lagos, 1851-1931.
Research corner
Nina Wilén examines whether coups are contagious in Africa. This article analyzes parties’ strategic engagement with gender quotas in Tunisia. Learn more about Robtel Neajai Pailey’s research on citizenship and development. This article addresses the socioeconomic dimenstions of racial inequality in South Africa. Learn more about the jihadi insurgency in Mali. Anne Wolf explains how erroneous beliefs led to authoritarian collapse in Tunisia. On the dark side of social capital.
This article examines time and title deeds in Kenya. Nic Cheeseman and Mwongela Kamencu examine ethnicity, urbanization, and the fight for Central in Kenya’s 2022 election. Has Kenya democratized?
This looks cool: The Materiality of Lake Kariba. Empowering Affected Interests examines democratic inclusion in a globalized world.
The week in development
How risky is investing in Africa? Why don’t girls read better than boys in many African countries? The IFC rejects calls to offer reparations to victims of Bridge Academies. Putting women into power isn’t a panacea for gender inequality. Read this thread breaking down Kenya’s budget.
The destiny of the planet lies in Africa’s agriculture. Increasing investment in African mining should be a higher priority for the United States. Nigeria confronts its worst economic crisis in a generation. Ian Scoones discusses land reform and the World Bank. This article explores crowdfunding renewable energy investments.
The need to irrigate.
Africa and the environment
This piece outlines how to find space for wind farms and eagles in South Africa. Oil and gas exploration is destroying the environment surrounding South Africa’s coastlines. This is why avocados are driving another type of green economy in Kenya. Kenya and Tanzania reach a power-sharing agreement deal to lead Africa climate negotiations. Africa’s Great Green Wall will miss 2030 goal. Mauritius seeks climate levy as its beaches wash away. Evan Lieberman discusses the impact of ethnicity on climate change outcomes. South Africa’s sardine run is changing. An environmental group is studying the effects of artificially cooling earth.
Daily life
Can Burkina’s arthouse cinema survive insurgency? South Africa’s biggest arts festival turns 50. Frantz Fanon, in Zulu. Hollywood Westerns get a South African reboot. Check it out: James Barnor on the Road at Red Clay Studio. Learn about the 1993 Zambian football team disaster in this podcast episode. Bullfighting wants a place on Kenya’s tourism circuit. These five minutes will get you to love South African jazz. How a fashion editor spends a week in Dakar. African brutalism. Ugandan cricket!
The NBA is making a big bet on Africa.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil