Here’s a round-up of links from our last few episodes, starting with our most recent.
In episode 68, we began our discussion around politics in Mali, South Africa’s recent election, and an update on the political situation in Uganda.
Here are the stories and links featured in our newswrap segment of this week’s episode:
- Check out the South African election results dashboard.
- Voter turnout lower than ever in South Africa.
- Interested in learning more about the electoral system in South Africa and how it works? Read this chapter by political scientist Karen Ferree featured in the Oxford handbook of electoral systems.
- Take a look at Living In Translation, a new series on African Arguments about language and identify. It’s guest-edited by writer and analyst Nanjala Nyabola (@Nanjala1).
- Elsie Eyakuze’s (@MikocheniReport) piece on Kiswahili will amaze you.
- Check out their recent pieces on Amharic and one on pidgin English spoken in Nigeria.
- Opposition MP and musician Bobi Wine and former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye are working together to oust the National Resistance Movement (NRM) from power in Uganda.
- Into Africa, a podcast hosted by Judd Devermont, interviewed Bobi Wine in their very first episode.
- Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi), our guest in Episode 35, was arrested in Kenya following his involvement in a protest.
- Pictures of the protests show low turnout.
In episode 67, we had a special mash-up of four podcasts– Ufahamu Africa, On Africa, Into Africa, and African Tech Roundup.
Here are the stories and links featured in our newswrap segment of this week’s episode, as well as some BONUS links:
- Only two parties could participate in recent Benin elections.
- However, Benin has had a historically fragmented party system.
- Extremely low turnout in recent Benin elections.
- Despite little competition, the Benin government cut the internet before the election.
- Amnesty International reports an alarming crackdown on press, political activists, and peaceful protests.
- Two former presidents of Benin called for the vote to be suspended.
- Following elections, Benin soldiers shot into crowds of protesters.
- There are fears of a possible arrest of former head of state Boni Yayi for calling a boycott to the elections.
- Rob Blair (@robert_a_blair) writes piece on the impact of UN Peacekeepers in Liberia following its second civil war.
- Blairs’ findings in this piece stem from the research he recently published in the International Organization (@IntOrgJournal) journal.
- Nearly 10 million South Africans eligible to vote did not register.
- The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) reports that 54% of registered voters are youth.
- Mary Chilima, the wife of Malawi’s current Vice President and presidential contestant, released a rap campaign video.
- Read Dan de Kadt’s (@dandekadt) academic paper on long term voter participation in South Africa.
- South African Caster Semenya, Olympic Gold medalist, challenged the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) new eligibility regulation for female athletes and lost.
- This Op-Ed by Rebecca Jordan-Young and Katrina Karzakis explores the myths surrounding testosterone and why the IAAF is wrong.
- Their book exploring the topic further, Testosterone: An Unauthorized Biography, comes out in October.
- Bobi Wine, pop star and opposition leader in Uganda, has been freed on bail.
- A piece on Sudan after Bashir.
- The African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA) has created a literary award in honor of late Nigerian intellectual Pius Adesanmi.
- And definitely check out this response piece published in Foreign Policy on the Ebola crisis in the DRC.