Greetings from Ghana! Learning all about emerging cities. Here is the week in Africa:
Quote of the week
“It’s an open show of support for war victims and survivors of the civil wars.” – Adama Dempster, campaigner for establishment of war crimes court in Liberia
Elections in Chad
Chad held elections this week as it attempts to transition away from military rule. There was no surprise: Chad’s military ruler Mahamat Déby won the presidential election. Déby now seeks new alliances while maintaining strength within his regime. The Crisis Group outlines how Chad can avoid post-transition instability.
Politics in Mozambique
Mozambique’s ruling party appoints a new leader in a surprising move. The country is amidst a gas boom, but the conflict in Cabo Delgado is spreading.
South Africa’s elections
South Africans go to the polls on May 29. Jacob Zuma is back, and threatening the power of his old party. The ANC insists that Zuma does not threaten them. Zuma’s party also faces internal instability and distrust.
Tinubu’s first year in office
Bola Tinubu has completed his first year as President of Nigeria. Adebayo Abdulrahman explains why university students have suffered.
War in DR Congo
Congo’s war is now a battle for the city of Goma, and survival. A recent DR Congo airstrike kills nine at a displacement camp. A bold African Union is needed to stabilize the country.
US foreign policy
The White House has quietly appointed Frances Z. Brown as new Africa director. The US struggles to assert itself on the continent. This is what might be next as the US mulls its pullout from Niger. Michelle Sieff explains how to take complexity and uncertainty seriously in the conflict stabilization sector.
Floods in Kenya
Floods have killed more than 228 people in Kenya. Jennifer Kwao explains how people are surviving Nairobi’s floods. Larry Madowo interviews affected residents. The informal settlements were devastated. The government’s response has been mixed: they evacuated people after initial floods and set up hundreds of tents for those who lost homes. But they also neglected riparian zones and arrested dozens of young people protesting the lack of preparation. East Africa continues to bear the brunt of climate change, and thousands have been displaced from their homes. What’s causing the catastrophic rainfall?
Struggle for rights and freedom
Rushi Sunak’s refugee plan in Rwanda is not a good idea. 39 years ago, professor Leonard Wantchekon was on the frontlines of the fight for democracy in Benin. Kenya’s government settle a deal with striking doctors to end strike. Ghana’s Supreme Court postpones hearing on challenges to anti-LGBTQ+ bill. Human Rights Watch reports on the Islamist armed groups and ethnic militias that are committing atrocities in Mali.
Justice Malala argues that Senegal’s new president heralds a new dawn for Africa. He is doing away with many of the ceremonial things that presidents have long done. This is how Paul Kagame uses culture to serve his political advantage. Togo’s ruling party won an overwhelming majority in recent elections. Liberia’s president Joseph Boakai will set up the country’s first war crimes court. Africa’s electoral quality continues to suffer. Learn more about the bleak life of deposed Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum who remains locked away in his presidential residence. Sudanese are reaching for life.
There is a lot of good stuff in The Continent. This post outlines the global need for humanitarian assistance. Happy 25th birthday, Afrobarometer!
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Silvia Croese and Astrid Wood summarize the field of African urban studies. Learn more about Meta’s geospatial datasets for wealth. A new study shows how urban planners neglect the needs of pedestrians in African cities (article here). This article examines urban party switching in Zambia. Read this: Urbanization, climate change, and structural transformation in Accra, Ghana. Niq Mhlongo discusses how to write about an African city.
This survivor of a building collapse in South Africa tells the terrifying story. A new report faults Johannesburg officials for the building fire that killed 76 people.
Remembering Arada, in the heart of Addis Ababa.
Research corner
Maggie Dwyer examines peacekeeping assemblages in the Gambian Armed Forces. Learn more about African feminist politics and poetics. This is a cool article on the contingencies of infrastructure and sovereignty in the Horn of Africa. Elias Gbadamosi writes on decolonizing the language of political science. Is political science relevant to Africa?
Check out all that GLD is up to. Congrats to Ellen Lust for being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences!
The week in development
Yuen Yuen Ang outlines a new framework for economic transformation that requires adaptation and institutional change (summary thread here). This article states the gendered impact of job platforms in Mozambique. Trevor Lwere outlines three ideas for a bigger, better World Bank.
The IMF halves its economic forecast for Zambia after drought hits the country hard. Ramaphosa is confident that South African can stabilize its debt payments. Learn more about the oil pipeline from Uganda to Kenya. This is why China is bankrolling the project. Microsoft closes its Nigerian engineering center within two years. Global housing shortages are crushing immigration-fueled growth. The global south now repays more in debt than it gets in grants and loans. Can a new global wave of land redistribution emerge?
Who is afraid of redistribution?
Building sustainable cities
Join us for the workshop “Building sustainable cities: The politics of provision, implementation and management” at APSA in September 4 in Philadelphia. The short course seeks papers that examine how residents demand rights to the city; the politics of service provision; the process of implementation, and; the long-term management of cities. Sign up here by May 15 if you are interested in presenting.
Africa and the environment
This is how South Africa can transition away from coal. West Africa’s fishing stocks are depleting. A green energy hub is rising in a Namibian desert. Zambian journalist Paul Monde Shalala tackles the effects of climate change. Tiny primates in South Africa could struggle to adapt to climate change.
Daily life
Adrift. The African sneaker market is stepping up. Banjul, the beautiful.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil