This Week in Africa

July 19, 2024

Happy 25th birthday, Afrobarometer. Here is the week in Africa:

Quote of the week

“Paul Kagame is the hero of the nation, and no one can imagine the country without him.” – Rwandan university student Jeanette

Protests in Kenya

Kenyans are still in the streets protesting (and police are still tear gassing), shifting their focus from the finance bill to fundamental change in politics and the economy. Gabrielle Lynch explains what the protests mean to the Gen Z’ers. Joshua Ramisch explains Kenya’s generational awakening. Carey Baraka explains why the protests are such a big deal. The protests have inspired young people to action across the continent. Will the protests contribute to a youth-quake of political activism?

What are Kenyans most concerned about? This website tracks the government’s promises. Check out this special issue on youth, the Kenyan state, and a politics of contestation to contextualize the protests. Kenya needs to align economic reform with the rights of citizens. Citizens are angry at corrupt politicians flaunting their wealth. Ruto has given into some of the demands, but has turned to blaming the Ford Foundation for stoking the violence. Life is cheap when police turn on people. Nanjala Nyabola discusses the future of protests on this podcast.

#RutoMustGo is still trending.

A new term for Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame won another term as President, securing more than 99 percent of the vote in this week’s election. He faced very little opposition as there is limited political freedoms. Kagame remains extremely popular with the youth, the “Kagame generation.” Read these pieces to learn more about what keeps Kagame in power.

Ghana’s presidential election

Ghanaians go to the polls in December to elect a new president. Edem Selormey discusses possibilities of youth engagement and the desire for innovative leadership. John Mahama recently declined a debate with NPP candidate Mahamadu Bawumia.

Challenges of democratization

Make sure to read Afrobarometer’s flagship report, which finds that Africans’ commitment to democracy is undermined by poor political performance. Democracy Delivered provides good insights into the state of democracy on the continent.

Ethiopia’s Tigray war

Learn more about the deadly gold rush that fueled violence in Ethiopia. Social media was weaponized in the Tigray war, and left behind devastating legacies.

African international relations

Meet Joe Biden’s Africa team. There is fading hope of the promise of UN peacekeeping in the Congo. Countries are leaving ECOWAS, calling into question the future of the body. Western countries need to engage democracies and coup regimes.

What would a planetary approach to politics look like?

Struggle for rights and freedom

Check out this event that discusses how to confront the world’s largest displacement crisis in Sudan. The arrest of an alleged serial killer in Kenya raises more questions than answers. Learn more about the recent human rights report in Ethiopia. Gambia’s parliament rejects bill to allow FGM. The weapons and ammunition in Africa management report 2024 is out. At least 22 people were killed when a school collapsed in Nigeria. Check out the 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

On the long history of Biafran nationalism.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

I can’t wait for Claudia Gastrow’s The Aesthetics of Belonging: Indigenous Urbanism and City Building in Oil-Boom Luanda. This book on Mombasa looks great. This piece outlines how to improve informal bus routes to advance transportation equity in Kampala. This article outlines pandemic urbanization. These are four propositions to improve housing justice. Learn more about land and connectivity in African cities. This article examines road corridors as real estate frontiers in Nairobi. African urban industrialization is examined here. Learn more about how three mayors in Uganda improved local revenue. Yue Zhang outlines the state of comparative urban politics in the global south in this chapter. This project built public toilet in Ougadougou.

Floods in urban Africa

Nairobi’s disastrous flood response contributed to citizen anger in the lead up to anti-tax protests. Will Kenya be prepared for floods the next time around? Across the continent, Cape Town’s mayor blames “illegal occupants” for flooding.

Research corner

The new GLD Working paper asks why governments respond to watchdog journalism in Tanzania. Sebastian Elischer explains how African states counteract homegrown Jihadi Salafism. This article examines datafying African agriculture. Learn more about schooling in Dadaab Refugee Camp. This chapter examines managing aid personnel. What happens when borders close?

This is a must read: Africa’s Urban Youth: Challenging Marginalization, Claiming Citizenship.  Refugee Reception in Southern Africa: National and Local Policies in Zambia and South Africa looks good. Read this: Voices for African Liberation. I agree, these are three new thoughtful books on Africa. Michael Chiseni’s The Economic Impact of Christian Missionaries in Zambia is out soon. Navigating Uncertainty: Radical Rethinking for a Turbulent World is out in August. This book provides a political history of Malawi.

The week in development

Investors are upbeat about Africa’s tech future. Check out the website for the African School of Economics—Zanzibar. Development banks are trying to revive Grand Inga Dam, the world’s largest power project. Uganda is in talks for a new IMF loan. Debt is dragging down developing countries (but pay attention to politics, too). This is a helpful explainer of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. This report explores the role of narratives in China-Africa relations. Learn more about how free trade zones can be adapted to Ghana. Soaring food price inflation is hurting Nigeria’s poor.

AI just helped Zambia find copper deposits, making millions for Silicon Valley. This piece examines the impact of climate change on Africa’s major lakes. Greenpeace Africa to launch the Climate Justice Movement in Ghana. Climate change and population growth may threaten global food security. South Africa’s Ramaphosa talks at the Climate Resilience Forum 2024.

Africa and the environment

South Africa’s new environment minister must focus on people, not profits from fossil fuels. Lucy Shaw explains a new carbon credits scandal. This is how the international financial system exports extinction to the DR Congo. Africa’s coast is extremely vulnerable to flooding and erosion. Its megacities are hit especially hard. A united Africa is the only path to climate justice. Wildfires are increasing in South Africa. Malawi’s farmers are on the frontlines of climate change-related storms. A ban on elephant hunting has collapsed, or maybe it never existed.

RIP Nicolas van de Walle

Professor Nicolas van de Walle died this week. The Africanist community lost a brilliant scholar, wonderful colleague, mentor, and friend. As many African countries are again having problems servicing their debts, I immediately turn to his book African Economies and the Politics of Permament Crisis for lessons to avoid the next time around. Here are some of his books. We will miss you, Nic.

Daily life

Yum. These African women made their own travel guides. Love in Sierra Leone. South Africa cuts support for its super fans. The puzzle as propaganda. Remembering Professor Elleni Centime Zeleke.

And this is a very cool and beautiful reflection of Ghana’s architectural heritage.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil