Ufahamu Africa

Kim reviews Paul Farmer's last book, Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds, in this week's bonus episode. Farmer, a well-known American medical anthropologist and physician, offers an essential and provocative account of the West African Ebola crisis and why it occurred. Books, Links, & Articles " Paul Farmer's Last Book Teaches Still More About Pandemics " by Kim Yi Dionne Feve...

Fellows Soinato Leboo and Gretchen Walch speak to some of their Kenyan friends about the phenomenon of Kenyans moving out of the country to live abroad.  Does going abroad automatically make you successful? And what are the other myths that Kenyan people may believe about what it means to move to another country? Don't forget that applications are now open for our non-resident fellows program...

In this episode, we explore the concept of digitization, new media, and its impact on democratization in Africa. Our guest is Catherine Muya, a lawyer currently leading the digital rights department at ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa. In her current role she leads the implementation of various projects aimed at promoting online free expression and an open internet. Muya speaks with our non-resident fell...

This week's bonus episode is a review of States of Justice: The Politics of the International Criminal Court by Oumar Ba. Reviewer Kate Cronin-Furman writes that the book asks tough questions about the International Criminal Court and illuminates the relationship between African governments and the ICC. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Books, Links, & Articles " States of Justice Asks To...

In this episode, fellow Chido Nyaruwata speaks to Amanda Mokoena , an African feminist, writer, and scholar whose work is on the intersection of race, gender, and the natural environment.  Amanda teaches "African Feminist Theories, Politics, and Action" in the Department of African Feminist Studies at the University of Cape Town  and is pursuing a PhD in anthropology at the University of...

This week's bonus episode features a book review written by Zainab Usman. She writes about The Politics of Order in Informal Markets by Shelby Grossman and how informal markets have far more structure and self-governance than you'd think. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Books, Links, & Articles " Africa’s Informal Markets Have Far More Structure and Self-Governance Than You’d Think...

In this episode, fellow Chido Nyaruwata speaks to Awino Okech, an associate professor of political sociology at SOAS, University London where she teaches in the Department of Politics and International Studies. They discuss Gender, Protests, and Political Change in Africa, a book edited by Dr. Okech. Their discussion reveals the multidimensional conditions which drive African feminist movements  a...

This week's bonus episode features a book review written by Laura Seay. She writes about Tanzania's Informal Economy by Alexis Malefakis and the ways that the book challenges our assumptions about kinships, social networks, trust, and solidarity. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Books, Links, & Articles " Tanzania's Informal Economy Offers a Rare Glimpse at the Dynamics of Afri...

"Breaking Bad: Understanding the Backlash against Democracy in Africa" is a collaborative project that takes a multi-method approach to studying democracy. In this episode, we speak with project members Lise Rakner (University of Bergen), Leonardo Arriola (University of California, Berkeley), and Nicolas van de Walle (Cornell University) about their upcoming edited volume and what we sho...

In this episode, fellow Samah Fawzi reflects on Sudanese-Chadian relations and postcolonial border formation. Fawzi interviews Ismail Bishr, a Chadian student at the International University of Africa Faculty of Medicine, in Khartoum, Sudan, and Mohamed Babiker, a researcher and social activist , on their thoughts, insights, and real life experiences. Books, Links, & Articles Samah Fawzi, Non-...

In this episode, Wanjiku Ngugi interviews Wambui Kamiru on her journey as an artist and the linkages between some of her work and subjects such as otherhood, cultural expression, womanhood, and the preservation of history. Wambui also highlights the importance of using memory activism to question various perspectives on ethnicity and its impact on social and political determination in Kenya. Wambu...

Laura Seay tells us this week that The Shadow King , a story about fascists and freedom fighters, emperors, and common people is a must-read on Ethiopia’s history. Listen now to this bonus episode featuring a review from the 2020 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular. Review read by Ami Tamakloe.  Books, Links, & Articles The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste “ Maaza Mengiste’s The Shadow Ki...

Vulture culture is the practice of stealing something, rebranding it as something else, then selling or forcing it back onto the people it was stolen from. In today's episode, fellows Soinato Leboo and Gretchen Walch ask: How does this dynamic manifest today in music, religion, and intellectual property? Their guests are Oluwatomi and Estegent, classmates of Gretchen's at the University...

Out now from The Monkey Cage: Rachel Beatty Riedl , Eleanor Paynter , and Christa Kuntzelman write "The UK Wants to Send Refugees to Rwanda. That's Become a Trend."  Ami Tamakloe reads this article for a bonus episode about how a new United Kingdom program will endanger migrants, not protect them. Books, Links, & Articles " The UK Wants to Send Refugees to Rwanda. That&apos...

In this episode, fellow Chido Nyaruwata speaks to professor Zethu Matebeni , a sociologist, activist, and writer researching African queer theory, sexuality, and gender. Matebeni is a co-editor of Queer in Africa: LGBTQI Identities, Citizenship, and Activism . Surya Monro and Vasu Reddy worked with Matebeni to edit this highly interdisciplinary and rich volume on different aspects of queer life in...

From Sudan-based fellow Samah Fawzi, this episode is about about Somalia and Somalis, as they are in real life and real time. Our guests are Mohamed Shidane from Mogadishu, the Capital of Somalia, Hassan Jama from Hargeisa, the Capital of Somaliland, and Najih Al-Hilowli, a Somali based in Sweden. They share with us their views on the current status of affairs in Somalia and Somaliland, the intric...

In this bonus episode, hear Ami Tamakloe read Laura Seay’s review of Negotiating Public Service in Congo , a collection edited by Tom De Herdt and Kristof Titeca. The review was published as part of the 2020 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Wash...

Zainab Usman is a senior fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This week, she talks to Rachel about the importance of economic diversification in Africa and how it can  contribute to a  more climate resilient Africa.  In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about the killing of a fearless Somali female MP, Kenyan country music, and the Zimbabwea...

Soinato Leboo and Gretchen Walch are our next fellows! In this episode, they talk to four friends and acquaintances about their experiences of both belonging and otherness in Kenya. Each of their perspectives were unique, but converged in their hopes for Kenya’s future. In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about healthcare and a new hospital funded by Bismack Biyombo, the Kenyan political electio...

This week, Rachel interviews Mai Hassan, an associate professor in political science at the University of Michigan.  Hassan's research focuses on the state, autocracy, and regime change.   In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about the digitization of Mali's prized manuscripts ("Mali Magic"),  the French exit from Mali, and what's going on in the war in Ukraine. Books, Li...

Where are the young Africans in climate diplomacy and who is keeping them out?  In this episode fellow Chido Nyaruwata speaks to Elizabeth Gulugulu about the processes that shape the international climate regime. Drawing on her reflections as programs manager for the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Zimbabwe and YOUNGO Global South Focal Point, Gulugulu highlights the need for meaningfu...

Happy International Women's Day! We are releasing this week's episode today in celebration, featuring an interview given by one of our non-resident fellows: Wanjiku Ngugi. Wanjiku's interview with Nerima Were is about women's rights in Africa and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Nerima Were is the deputy executive director at the Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Netwo...

In this bonus episode, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Yi Dionne read her review of Love Falls On Us: A Story of American Ideas and African LGBT Lives , a book by Robbie Corey-Boulet. The review was published as part of the 2020 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political s...

In this bonus episode, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Yi Dionne read Laura Seay’s review of Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa , a book by Nwando Achebe. The review was published in last year's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Wash...

How can ECOWAS and the African Union combat ongoing coups in Mali and Burkina Faso? We spoke with international relations scholar Emmanuel Balogun about the tools that ECOWAS and the AU have at their disposal to fight coups and about the obstacles the intergovernmental agencies will face in trying to use them. Books, Links, & Articles Emmanuel Balogun Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fal...