This Week in Africa
June 9, 2023
Listen to our GLD Governance Uncovered podcast on Refugee Return Dynamics and Integration Realities. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“A young, divorced woman is not a problem. Divorce can even increase women’s value.” – Sociologist Nejwa El Kettab on divorce in Mauritania
Political crisis in Senegal
Senegalese politics is at a critical juncture. Supporters of Ousmane Sonko are taking to the streets to protest his recent jail sentence. They also resist President Macky Sall’s attempt at serving a third term, and call on him to make his intentions clear. There is a violent standoff between protesters and security agents, with dozens killed. Analysts worry of the “authoritarian drift” which involves the politics of retaliation. The government even restricted internet access amid the protests. Senegal shut consulates abroad. This is a disturbing video of the police using an eight-year-old boy as a human shield against protesters. Remember: Senegalese demand democracy.
Catherine Lena Kelly and Rachel Riedl and Ndongo Samba Sylla provide very helpful background context to the clashes. Meanwhile, the economy is taking a beating.
US suspends food aid to Ethiopia
The US has suspended all food aid to Ethiopia, citing widespread theft. The US is by far the largest donor of food aid to the country. The decision comes at a difficult time as the country faces drought conditions. Lauren Blanchard explains the the decision.
Escalating violence in Sudan
Darfur faces another catastrophe: war. Dozens were killed as RSF attacked North Darfur’s Kutum. Residents brace for Sudan’s army takeover of Khartoum. Sudan’s crisis could derail peace efforts in Libya. Yassmin Abdel-Magied explains how Sudan went from revolutionary hope to despair. Five authors describe the nightmare situation in the country.
Struggle for rights and freedom
Sierra Leone’s election is scheduled for June 24. Learn more about the role of women in the country’s political history. Here is a list of new dissertations on politics in Zimbabwe. Museveni holds talks with a US envoy about the anti-gay law. Here are lessons to transition Somalia to direct elections. This piece outlines the plight of Kenyan domestic workers. Ndongo Sylla explains a politics of liberation. Citizens’ juries can help fix democracy. Portia Roelofs outlines some of the challenges African scholars face in getting visas to attend international conferences.
Celebrating divorce in Mauritania. Does the West still care about the Arab Spring?
Security and instability
What’s on the Crisis Group’s radar? Why is Rwanda’s leader sowing chaos in the Congo? Could Jihadis dismantle the Sahelian state? Bombing of herders highlights pattern of deadly aerial assaults by the Nigerian military. Cameroonian “digital warlords” are waging a dangerous war on social media.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
This new study finds that mobile money is transforming rural Africa by accelerating urbanization and structural change. This is how six people in Accra earn their livelihoods. Learn more about conflict urbanism in Mali. The African Union is backing a plan to fund $150 billion to build 123 cities in Africa (wait, what??!!).
Learn more about urban reform in Freetown. William Moseley outlines an agenda of “Decolonizing World Regional Geography.” A critical mass takes over Nairobi’s streets. The cholera outbreak is just another symptom of the collapsing systems under the ANC. Tanzania has moved its capital from Dar to Dodoma. This article outlines the effects of urban sprawl on the livelihoods of settler communities. Check out this research agenda for postwar cities. I agree: this is an awesome profile of Mike Sonko.
Make sure to watch Taibat Lawanson’s inaugural lecture to better understand alternative urbanisms. And the importance of secondary cities.
Research corner
This article examines belonging and agrarian exchanges in Zimbabwe. This is an important article on the nexus between land title registration and property prices in Ghana. Prince Guma preaches: Incomplete Futures of Urban Infrastructure. Akwasi Kwarteng Amoako-Gyampah’s article looks awesome: “Managing Waste: The Provisioning of Public Latrines and the Disposal of Night Soil in Southern Gold Coast (Ghana), c. 1878–1950.”
This is a great resource: The History of African Development. Looking forward to this: Jeffrey Ahlman’s Ghana: A Political and Social History. Check out Framing Somalia: Beyond Africa’s Merchants of Misery by Abdi Ismail Samatar.
The week in development
Tanzania faces challenges to protect girls from HPV. This piece outlines the role of civil society organizations in development efforts. The World Bank wants Kenya to drop its 35 percent mining concession allocation for local communities in order to attract more investment. Ghana faces a huge brain drain of its nurses. Cash-transfer programmes reduce mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Learn more about the relationship between religion and educational mobility in Africa. This piece analyzes social protection and regime stability in Ethiopia. This is a nice discussion of refugee-led organizations and intersectionality. These are Africa’s fastest growing companies. Gold matters.
This is super cool: Infrahub.africa provides examples of infrastructure initiatives that serve the society and the environment.
Africa and the environment
Nearly 30 percent of all tree cover in Africa may be outside of forests. Endangered vultures soar again in Guinea-Bissau. This study estimates the impact of biomass fires on infant mortality. Tackling climate change in Guinea-Bissau. This app is helping farmers weather the climate crisis in West Africa.
APSA Urban and Local Politics Short Course
What a lineup we have for this year’s APSA Urban and Local Politics short course, which will take place on August 30 in Los Angeles. This year’s workshop focuses on “Frontiers in Comparative Urban Politics Research.” Emily Rains and Nicole Wilson did a fantastic job putting the program together. Join us!
Urban Politics in the Global South Workshop
We are excited to announce a call for papers for the 2nd Urban Politics in the Global South Workshop, co-sponsored by UCLA’s Luskin Center and the Urban and Local Politics Section of APSA. We are holding the event virtually on October 26-27. Submissions are due July 1st. Visit globalsouthurbanpols.com for more information.
Daily life
Rapping for schools. Gabe Vincent is inspiring his father—and Nigeria. Burna Boy takes over London. American basketball is entering a more competitive, international era. Kenya runs the world.
RIP Ghanaian author Ama Ata Aidoo and South African political analyst Eusebius McKaiser.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil
Awesome news. Thanks