Ep. 113: A conversation with Nanjala Nyabola

In a special podcast mashup with Migrations: A World on the Move, hosted by Cornell postdoc Eleanor Paynter, we interview Nanjala Nyabola on human mobilities, asylum, vaccine nationalism, and activism that centers human experiences. Her new book, Travelling While Black, is a collection of essays on her experiences traveling to over 70 countries. Plus, she offers us a number of African novels on migration that we should read next!

This conversation was recorded at an event held on April 12 called Race and Racism Across Borders, hosted by Cornell University’s Migrations initiative and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.

Ep. 107: A conversation with Jacqueline-Bethel Mougoué on gender, identity, and nationalism in Cameroon

Jacqueline-Bethel Mougoué is an assistant professor of gender and sexuality in African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her conversation with us, she highlights her work in Cameroon on gender, identity, and nationalism, which has culminated in the publication of a new book, “Gender, Separatist Politics, and Embodied Nationalism in Cameroon.”

As we continue our celebration of Black History Month, we share what we’re paying attention to right now. In addition to a film recommendation in this week’s news wrap, Kim explains what is going on with COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, Rachel explains a case of environmental activism in South Africa, and more.

Ep. 100: A conversation with Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations (French)

Listen to our interview with Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations, in French! In this week’s news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about Zambia’s COVID response, a crisis in Ethiopia, and the passing of Jerry Rawlings.

We also announce our Ufahamu Africa essay competition. Submit a one-page essay reflecting on a topic of your choice within the broad scope of life and politics in African politics to win some podcast swag or a chance to read your essay on a future episode.

Ep. 100: A conversation with Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations

Happy #100EpisodesOfUfahamu! For our 100th episode, Rachel interviews Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations. You can listen to the interview in English or French! Kim and Rachel talk about Zambia’s COVID response, a crisis in Ethiopia, and the passing of Jerry Rawlings.

We also announce our Ufahamu Africa essay competition. Submit a one-page essay reflecting on a topic of your choice within the broad scope of life and politics in African politics to win some podcast swag or a chance to read your essay on a future episode.

Ep. 93: A conversation with Kim Yi Dionne and Ken Opalo about the politics and policy of the COVID-19 pandemic and more

  This week’s news wrap featured discussions about recent election updates in Burundi and Benin, leadership changes in Lesotho, and more news regarding summer bonus content! In this episode, we highlight a panel discussion from an event with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Our very own cohost, Kim Yi Dionne, was a Read More…

Ep. 92: A conversation with entrepreneurs on the continent about innovation, COVID, and more

  The news wrap for this week’s episode offers insights into legislative elections in Mali, COVID and politics in Malawi, and more.  This week, we highlight a panel conversation with entrepreneurs from the Africa Summit at Princeton University on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation was hosted by Bayo Read More…

Ep. 90: A conversation with George Ogola about African media, unchecked political power, and more

We start this week’s episode discussing the swarm of locusts wreaking havoc in East Africa, how COVID-19 will push the African region into its first recession in a quarter century, and the long term consequences of the pandemic for democracy and rights. 

Our featured guest this week is Dr. George Ogola (@Ogolah), a scholar of media in the global south at the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Journalism, Media, and Performance. Kim and George discuss African media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media’s role in checking political power, and the “pockets of indiscipline” where citizens can access quality reporting that has evaded state power. His segment begins at 11:53.

Ep. 89: Ufahamu Africa hosts discuss African government responses to COVID-19

This week’s brief episode focuses on what our hosts — Kim Yi Dionne and Rachel Beatty Riedl — are reading and learning related to the COVID-19 pandemic and responses by African governments. There is a lot that has already been written and we share what we think are some important questions and arguments that we as scholars of pandemics and authoritarian politics think our listeners should be thinking about.

Did we miss something important? Email us your ideas for episodes that will expand our audience’s understanding of African citizens and states navigating this pandemic.

Ep. 88: A talk with Nic Cheeseman about his latest book, Uganda, and much more

On this week’s news update, Kim and Rachel discuss Nigeria’s first Coronavirus patient, the downward trend of Ebola, and elections in Cote d’Ivoire.

At the African Studies Association Annual Meeting in Boston this past fall, Kim met with Nic Cheeseman (@Fromagehomme) to discuss his latest book and other topics, such as presidential succession in Uganda. Nic is a professor of democracy and international development at the University of Birmingham, and he was the former African Studies Centre Director for Oxford University.

He specializes in elections and democracy, doing field work in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana, just to name a few. A frequent commentator on global issues regarding Africa, Nic’s words have appeared in Foreign Policy, the New York Times, and many other renowned publications.