Shows
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 200: Military Coups in Africa with the Global Stage PodcastHappy 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 thi...2024-06-0147 min
Ufahamu AfricaGood Authority: Don’t Call it a “Coup Epidemic” in AfricaIn 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 profes...2024-05-0438 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 197: Nisrin Elamin on the Conflict in Sudan (rerun)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...2024-04-2058 minUfahamu AfricaEp. 190: 2023 Year in ReviewWe'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. 2024-02-0337 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 188: Dominika Koter on Democracy in BeninDominika 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. 2024-01-1335 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 187: Alexandra Blackman on Democracy in Tunisia Our African Studies Association panel continues this week with a case study on democracy in Tunisia from Cornell University's Alexandra Blackman. You'll hear her presentation on current events in Tunisia and a news wrap from Kim and Rachel on elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a recent news story on a valuable mask from Gabon.This is our final episode of 2023! We'll be back in your feed in the new year. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com. 2023-12-2337 minUfahamu AfricaEp. 186: Democracy in MalawiToday, we have part one of our African Studies Association panel on African democracy, focusing on democratic backsliding and sites and actors that have worked for democratic endurance, strengthening, and democratic governance. You'll hear Rachel's introduction on democratic backsliding on the continent and a case study from Kim on Malawi, written with Boniface Dulani. Next week, tune in for a presentation from Alexandra Blackman, assistant professor of government at Cornell University, for a case study on Tunisia. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com. 2023-12-1635 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 185: Kwadwo Owusu on Environmental Health and Well-BeingKwadwo Owusu, professor of geography and resource development at the University of Ghana, is our guest this week. He sits down with cohost Rachel Beatty Riedl for a conversation on climate and society, politics, and public policy around environmental health and well-being.They discuss what issues are on the horizon as we consider natural resource changes, technological changes, and social changes surrounding climate adaptations, as well as the politics of the global south and global north.This conversation followed a talk he gave at Cornell University's Institute for African Development on climate change and mining...2023-12-0943 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 166: A conversation with fellow Bamba Ndiaye and Ugandan activist Bwesigye Bwa MwesigireFellow 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 h...2023-03-111h 08Ufahamu AfricaEp. 163: A conversation with fellow Takondwa Priscilla Semphere and her students on how we define AfricaWhat 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 a...2023-02-1147 min
Ufahamu AfricaEp. 162: A conversation with Idayat Hassan about the upcoming Nigerian electionsIdayat 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 t...2023-02-041h 02