Ufahamu Africa

Today's episode from fellow Maseke Rioba is a little different! Maseke interviews guest Njuguna Macharia about the sport of debate as a valuable development tool for African youth. Macharia is a lawyer, an experienced debater, and debate coach in Kenya. He speaks to the skills learned by debaters and how these tools benefit students beyond school. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

From fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi comes this episode on arts funding and corruption in South Africa. Kamo speaks with multiple guests about South Africa's Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, a group that announced a relief fund of 150 million rand ($8.3 million) for artists, athletes, and others in these industries. Most of the money, however, was never shared with these workers. In September 2022, the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA) opened a case against the National Arts Council, alleging corruption, money laundering, and mismanagement of funds. Kamo speaks to Bongani Mahlangu, a journalist and socio-political commentator, and Jack Devnarain, an award winning South African actor and chairman of the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA). They provide important context around the plight of artists and performers after the pandemic and the effects of corruption on their livelihoods. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

E. Tendayi Achiume is a professor of law at UCLA. Her research focuses on international migration, refugee displacement, and especially the role of international law in shaping the way that borders work. Today's episode covers a broad scope of Achiume's work, including colonialism, human rights, and migration. This episode is a podcast mashup between Ufahamu Africa and Migrations: A World on the Move, hosted by Eleanor Paynter. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

On April 15, fighting broke out in Sudan between the army and a powerful para-military group known as the RSF. Khartoum is the site of much of this fighting and its citizens have been fleeing amid a humanitarian crisis. Three scholars speak about the crisis for this episode, which first aired as a webinar called "Sudan: Insight into Current Events." You'll hear from Mai Hassan, associate professor of political science at MIT, Nisrin Elamin, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, and Deen Sharp, visiting LSE fellow in human geography & environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The conversation was moderated by Mostafa Minawi. Thank you to the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University and its Critical Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Studies initiative for hosting the original event and sharing the recording with us and our listeners. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Ami Tamakloe, our graduate podcast fellow, is today's host! Ami speaks with activist Fatima Derby about Uganda's anti-gay bill, passed by its parliament on March 21. The bill criminalizes people who identify as LGBTQ and compels citizens to report those who do to authorities. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

“War, Women, and Post-conflict Empowerment: Lessons from Sierra Leone depicts the everyday struggles of women trying to improve their lives, while illuminating the political, legal and economic conditions of Sierra Leoneans after civil war," writes Miriam Anderson. This week's episode is Anderson's full review of the book, originally published in The Monkey Cage. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Episode edited by Jack Kubinec. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Carolyn E. Holmes writes for The Monkey Cage about two books that take different roads to understand South Africa:The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Awakening by Eve Fairbanks and Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid by Evan Lieberman. "It is not that Fairbanks’s account of the New South Africa is pessimistic while Lieberman’s is optimistic," writes Holmes. "Rather, Fairbanks understands the transition away from apartheid as a continuation of, rather than merely a break from, the past. And this is perhaps where the subtitles of each of these books can illuminate their difference." Review read by Ami Tamakloe. This episode was edited by Jack Kubinec. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Today's episode is a roundtable discussion with Rachel and guests Oumar Ba, Marame Gueye, and Bamba Ndiaye who shed light on the state of Senegalese politics and democracy. We discuss Senegalese president Macky Sall and his unwillingness to say whether or not he will run again, leading opposition politician Ousmane Sonko's rape and defamation cases, and the role of civic mobilizations in the country. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Laura Seay writes for The Monkey Cage that These Are Not Gentle People takes a deep look at community fear and mistrust. “Harding explores questions of fear, race and equality in post-apartheid South Africa, drawing a portrait of a community in which individuals of different racial groups are still very much afraid of one another," writes Seay. "This lack of connection, trust and knowledge creates a vicious cycle, creating misunderstanding, fear, and more mistrust." Review read by Ami Tamakloe. This episode was edited by Jack Kubinec. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Takondwa Priscilla Semphere, one of our non-resident fellows, brings us a conversation about what it is like to be an African student and eventually a teacher. Takondwa is now a secondary school teacher in South Africa and she invites fellow teacher Keith Mundangepfupfu into a conversation about their own experiences in school and about school culture. Keith Mundangepfupfu is a Zimbabwean ethics and leadership and English teacher for the SEGL in Johannesburg program. He graduated from Wesleyan University where he studied economics, history, government, philosophy, and African studies. He also graduated with a master's migration studies from Oxford University. Prior to teaching, Keith worked as a policy research analyst in the Education Portfolio at the Robertson Foundation. In his spare time, Keith is a writer and has been published in African Literary magazines including Brittle Paper and The Enkare Review. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

It's a mashup! We join up with the Governance Uncovered podcast from Jeffrey Paller and the Governance and Local Development Policy Institute to talk to Prince Guma, Astrid Haas, and Patience Mususa. Each is an expert on the urbanization of the continent. We respond to Jeffrey's recent article in This Week in Africa, "Five Trends that will Shape Urban Africa in 2023," which highlights: Prince Guma is a researcher of cities, infrastructures and technologies in eastern Africa. Astrid Haas is an independent urban economist supporting cities and has worked extensively with city governments across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. And Patience Mususa is senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Fellow Bamba Ndiaye explores the policing of protest in Africa and the mechanisms used by African governments to repress social movements and activists, alongside guest and Ugandan activist Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire. Mwesigire teaches at Emory University's Institute of African Studies and is completing a PhD in English at Cornell University. He is also a member of the Ubuntu Reading Group Publishing Collective. In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel discuss the latest on the continent. In particular, we discuss the recent dangerous rhetoric from Tunisia's President Kais Saied who has been scapegoating Black Africans in his country for its terrible economic conditions. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Social media has an undeniable influence on politics and elections across the globe. Today, fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi speaks with expert guests Solly Moeng and Sthembiso Sithole about the use of social media by politicians and its effects on voters and elections. Solly Moeng is a brand reputation management expert and Sthembiso Sithole is a social media and digital specialist. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Diakhoumba Gassama is a human rights lawyer and program officer for the Hewlett Foundation's Gender Equity and Governance Program. She speaks with Ufahamu Africa fellow Maseke Rioba this week about the practice of FGM, or female genital mutilation. Listen for a conversation that incorporates both personal experience and the cultural and legal context surrounding FGM across the continent. We also announce the Student Reflections Essay Competition! Independently or as part of a class assignment, we invite students to submit one-page reflection essays responding to one of our episodes by May 1. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Travis B. Curtice tells us that Policing and Politics in Nigeria: A Comprehensive History "is a must read" for anyone trying to understand #ENDSARS, militarization, and the lingering effects of settler colonial dynamics on police. The book was reviewed by Curtice in July 2022. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

What does Africa mean to us today? Fellow Takondwa Priscilla Semphere teaches at the African Leadership Academy, a school where approximately 35 African countries are represented at one time. Takondwa speaks with her students about the complicated question of how we understand and define Africa and its people for this episode. In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel discuss a special edition of The Monkey Cage's newsletter devoted to elections in Africa in 2023 and talk about last week's conversation with guest Idayat Hassan on elections in Nigeria. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Idayat Hassan is the director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), an Abuja-based policy advocacy and research organization focusing on deepening democracy and development in West Africa. She talks to Rachel this week about the upcoming Nigerian elections and all there is to be hopeful about - the possibility for change, engagement from young people, and a potential renegotiation of democracy. In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel recommend some election resources, talk about the killing of renowned human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, and the continent's desire for more democracy. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi sheds a light on the problem of load-shedding and its impact on independent theater companies in South Africa for this episode. "Load-shedding" refers to the deliberate shutdown of electric power in a part or parts of a power distribution system, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system. Analysts estimate that load-shedding costs the South African economy at least one billion rand a day. The power cuts impact the biggest industries in the country which has cost thousands of South Africans their livelihoods. Kamogelo speaks with guest and artist Momo Matsunyane about how these power cuts affect artists in independent theaters. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Dan Eizenga tells us that The Islamic State in Africa "offers a wealth of information, contributing a great deal to the scholarly body of work focused on militant Islamist groups in Africa." The book was reviewed by Eizenga in July 2022. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.

Fellow Bamba Ndiaye talks to two very exciting guests this week about political uprisings and social activism on the continent, from both activist and scholar perspectives. Sophia Denise Sow is a founding member of Senegal's Y'en a Marre movement and Zachariah Mampilly, cofounder of the Program on African Social Research (PASIRI) and the Marxe Endowed Chair of International Affairs at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, CUNY. In the news wrap, Rachel takes us through important updates about Senegal, including recent bans on protests in the country, a potential third-term run by Senegalese president Macky Sall, and more. Thank you to Margaret Rowley, graduate student at Boston University, for her translation and voiceover work for the episode. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.