About

Ufahamu Africa is a podcast about life and politics on the African continent, cohosted by Kim Yi Dionne and Rachel Beatty Riedl.

“Ufahamu” is a Kiswahili word that translates to “understanding” or “consciousness” in English. We seek to expand our collective understanding of Africa through in-depth interviews with diverse thinkers and innovators who are deeply ingrained in the life, culture, and politics of the continent. Our weekly episodes also feature news highlights and overviews of what we are reading and learning.

Our Team

Kim Yi Dionne, Cohost and Founder

Kim Yi Dionne

Kim Yi Dionne is an associate professor of political science at UC Riverside. Her research examines health interventions, politics, and public opinion—primarily in African countries.

She is a contributing editor to The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.

In 2018, Cambridge University Press published her book, Doomed Interventions: The Failure of Global Responses to AIDS in Africa.

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Rachel Beatty Riedl, Cohost

Rachel Beatty Riedl

Rachel Beatty Riedl is the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies and professor in the Department of Government and Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. She is the director Cornell’s Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.

Her research interests include institutional development in new democracies, local governance and decentralization, and authoritarian regime legacies in Africa.

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Megan DeMint, Producer

Megan DeMint is a new media manager at Global Cornell. In addition to the Ufahamu Africa podcast, she produces Migrations: A World on the Move.

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Funanya Ikechukwu, Student Production and Research Fellow

Funanya is a student at the University of California, Riverside and a podcast assistant for Ufahamu Africa. She is passionate about learning more about her Igbo heritage as well as learning more about the beautiful and diverse cultures, stories, and histories on the African continent. She loves to bake, crochet, and read in her spare time.

Micere Mugweru, Student Production and Research Fellow

Micere Mugweru is a student at Cornell University double majoring in economics and Africana studies. She is passionate about African economic development and financing. In her free time, she also enjoys reading African literature, yoga, and the visual arts.

Harry Stoltz, Student Production and Research Fellow

Harry Stoltz is a student at the University of California, Riverside, and a podcast assistant for Ufahamu Africa.  He studies pure mathematics and conducts research in the Dionne Publicly Engaged Research Lab (DPERL).

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Supporters

This podcast is supported by the political science department at UC, Riverside and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University, with additional financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

We were previously supported by Northwestern University’s Program on African Studies and a grant from Smith College’s Committee on Faculty Compensation & Development. Our first two seasons benefited from technical assistance provided by the Center for Media Production at Smith College (now known as the Smith Media Studios).

All Ufahamu Africa episodes are Creative Commons licensed and music is provided courtesy of Kevin MacLeod.