Ufahamu Africa

This week we feature an episode by our nonresident fellows Fu Asiedu and Ami Tamakloe. They discuss the anti-LGBT bill in Ghana, providing some background on the bill and the politics surrounding it. They also convene a roundtable conversation of Ghanaians discussing the realities of everyday life under this bill. This is a really important episode and we’re grateful to Fu and Ami for giving a fuller sense than what our listeners might glean from international media headlines. As some of you might know, the anti-LGBT bill passed in February but since May, it has been under review in the courts. We’ll continue to follow the courts’ rulings and will keep our listeners up to date. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Dr. Tedd Moya Mose is a legal professional whose interdisciplinary interests extend from international energy law and policy to the just transition to sustainable energy systems. In this conversation with our fellow Basil Ibrahim, they discuss Dr. Moya's participation at the Africa Climate Summit and the COP28 meetings last year and the dilemmas of developmental aspirations that remain tethered to carbon intensive pathways. Moya's work at the intersection of legal and academic practice proposes a unique perspective, combining work experience from East Africa, India, the UK and the U.S. with a sympathy for vulnerable people at the sharp end of climate catastrophes. Dr. Moya is presently an Oxford Martin fellow at Oxford University. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

We have a special French-language episode this week with Mamadou Ismaïla Konaté, a well-known Malian lawyer, working in the Bars of Mali and Paris. He has been a Minister of Justice of Mali (2016-17). He is leading a professional association focusing on the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In this episode with our fellow Expédit Ologou, Konaté argues that democracy is the worst political system except all the others. In spite of the ongoing military regimes in some countries, democracy should and will survive. But this will depend on the capacities of mobilization and resistance of the citizens and organizations all over the continent. Before and above all, the rehabilitation of democracy in Africa has undoubtedly to do with the reinvigoration of the fundamental pillars of freedom, equality and justice, and fundamentally, the reinvigoration of the rule of law. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Happy episode 200 of Ufahamu Africa! We're so pleased to feature one of our favorite episode formats for the occasion - a mashup! Thanks to the Global Stage podcast for hosting our cohost Rachel Beatty Riedl for a conversation with Notre Dame graduate student Rasheed Ibrahim and Afrobarometer director Joseph Asunka about the return of military coups on the continent. It’s an important conversation stemming from a panel last week at the Global Democracy Conference hosted by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

On May 29, South Africans will vote in the seventh election since the end of political apartheid in the early 1990s. This is the first election in which the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is polling below 50 percent, which could force them into a coalition with one or more other parties to govern the country after the election. To learn more, we speak with Carolyn Holmes, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an expert on South African politics and the author of The Black and White Rainbow: Reconciliation, Opposition, and Nation-Building in Democratic South Africa. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

On May 29, South Africans will vote in the seventh election since the end of political apartheid in the early 1990s. This is the first election in which the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is polling below 50 percent, which could force them into a coalition with one or more other parties to govern the country after the election. To learn more, we speak with Carolyn Holmes, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is an expert on South African politics and the author of The Black and White Rainbow: Reconciliation, Opposition, and Nation-Building in Democratic South Africa. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

"Lack of internet access leaves many without information on economic opportunities, health, and education," write Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz, Komi Amewunou, and Kelechi Amakoh in a new article from Good Authority. In today's bonus episode, Kim reads their latest piece, "Despite Africa's digital media boom, huge access gaps persist." Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

In the last few years, militaries have carried out coups in numerous African countries, including Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Chad, and Mali. Does this signify the beginning of a much broader continent-wide “coup epidemic?” Or are these coups mostly affecting especially weak states that face specific challenges? Where is democratic resilience strong and where is there a risk of continued democratic backsliding? Today's episode is borrowed from Good Authority and their new podcast! The episode features Good Authority’s Africa experts Ken Opalo and Kim Yi Dionne who discuss these issues. Opalo is an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the author of the substack An Africanist Perspective. Dionne is an associate professor at UC Riverside and Ufahamu Africa cohost. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Fellow Gopolang Botlhokwane speaks to journalist and editor Njabulo Ngidi about the recent AFCON in Ivory Coast and the politics of football (or soccer, for our American listeners!) in Southern Africa. Njabulo Ngidi is a senior soccer journalist, he formerly led Newframe South Africa's sports desk. Ngidi's latest investigative piece ("2010 World Cup $10-million ‘bribe’: SA left out even as $201-million returned to Fifa") at AmaBhungane Center for Journalism, won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year (sports category) in 2023 investigates possible corruption and governance is issues at South Africa Football Association (SAFA). Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

It’s never too late to pay attention to what is happening in Sudan. The international community should be supporting everyday people’s needs as they navigate this humanitarian disaster and should also be supporting a way forward out of the war. We're re-upping our conversation with Nisrin Elamin about the conflict in Sudan. Elamin is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto. Her work investigates the connections between land, race, belonging, and empire-making in Sudan and the broader Sahel region. We also bring updates on the news we're paying attention to this week, including an announcement about a new Center for Global Democracy at Cornell University, which will be led by our cohost Rachel Beatty Riedl as inaugural director! Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Today we have an extremely timely French-language episode on Senegal and the newly elected president, which is hosted by one of our non-resident fellows, Expédit Ologou. He talks with Mamadou Seck, who is the regional manager of the Natural Resource Governance Institute for Francophone West Africa and Central Africa, and is based in Dakar. Seck's work oversees research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Senegal. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Fellow Gopolang Botlhokwane speaks to political analyst and media expert Dr. Metji Makgoba about the domestic implications of South Africa's recent case against Israel at The Hague in the Netherlands, and the country's upcoming elections in which the ruling African National Congress is expected to lose its majority. Makgoba is also an academic and teaches communication at South Africa's University of Limpopo. Makgoba holds a PhD in journalism from Cardiff University. Makgoba’s latest publication, "Constructing Black Economic Empowerment as a Radically Transformative Policy in South Africa," considers the appropriation of anti-apartheid and anti-colonial discourse to justify South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Imagine other worldly visitors have landed on Earth and are trying to learn about and understand Ghana and its politics. This episode from our new fellows, Fu Asiedu and Ami Tamakloe, provides a people’s political history and Ghanaian voices about its political present and their dreams for the country’s future. They don’t just share what they think about former leaders like the father of independence, Kwame Nkhrumah, or about the two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party – the NPP – and the National Democratic Congress – the NDC. These Ghanaians who hail from different regions of the country also talk about specific policies, like president Nana Akufo-Addo’s policy proposal years ago when he was running for office – he’s widely remembered for proposing to make secondary education – or being able to go to Senior High Schools – SHS – for free. And, we get to hear about a third party that has recently emerged, dubbed The New Force. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Lawrence Were is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Boston University, where he does research on public health. In a conversation with Kim, you'll hear more about the impact of health insurance and how access to it would improve health outcomes for individuals and communities. In the news wrap, we catch up on President Macky Sall of Senegal and his rescheduling of the presidential election, the latest news from Haiti, and the removal of ECOWAS sanctions on Niger. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Black African diaspora and their relationships with the African continent is the topic of today's episode. One of last year's fellows, Takondwa Semphere, spoke with Khaleelah Logan, a creative strategist, art director, curriculum developer, and storyteller with a background that ranges across the global social impact sector. With the emphasis in recent years on black travel, and the government of Ghana setting up “return to Africa” initiatives that target the black diaspora and set up pathways for travel and “return” to other African countries, Takondwa's conversation contributes to the larger discourses of blackness, power, and geopolitics. In addition, the prevalence of social media and cultural productions that purport to bridge the two groups together signal that there is a renewed sort of interaction between the two groups outside of the United States. What does Takondwa’s conversation with Leelah spark for you? We always welcome listener feedback – just email us at ufahamuafrica@gmail.com. Kha(Leelah) Logan is a creative strategist, art director, curriculum developer, and storyteller with a background that ranges across the global social impact sector. Her expressive footprint blends culture and data to synthesize ideas and execute projects that are visually appealing, impactful, and authentic. Her values, passion for learning, and global experience drive the intention within her work which has taken her to Ghana, Tanzania, and a few other countries. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Meet our new non-resident podcast fellows! Tune in today to hear short introductions to our fellows: Ami Tamakloe and Afua "Fu" Asiedu, Gopolang Botlhokwane, Expédit Ologou, and Basil Ibrahim. We're looking forward to sharing their amazing episodes this spring - stay tuned! Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Senegalese President Macky Sall has postponed the presidential elections originally scheduled for February 25. It's part of a series of concerning moves by Sall to extend his stay in power. We talk with experts on the topic: Bamba Ndiaye and Michelle D. Gavin. Bamba Ndiaye is an assistant professor of African studies at Emory University's Oxford College. He is also host of The Africanist podcast and a former Ufahamu Africa non-resident fellow. Michelle D. Gavin is the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She has over twenty years of experience in international affairs in government and non-profit roles. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

We're looking back on 2023 and forward to 2024 in this week's episode! Kim and Rachel talk about elections, democracy, and more on the continent. Next week, we're excited to introduce you to our new non-resident fellows! Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

We're wrapping up our panel on democracy from the African Studies Association with a presentation from Paul Friesen on local democratic resilience under national autocracy. Friesen is a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University, part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies's Democratic Threats and Resilience research team. His research and teaching interests focus on democratization, elections, political parties, and political behavior in sub-Saharan Africa. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Dominika Koter, political scientist at Colgate University, presents the next case on democracy from our African Studies Association panel. You’ll hear her presentation on Benin and a news wrap from Kim and Rachel on South Africa's accusations of genocide against Israel, the current events in the Red Sea, and recent court cases involving Ousmane Sonko in Senegal. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.