Tag: season 5

Posted on by md963

Ep. 116: A conversation with Christina Cottiero and Expédit Ologou about Benin

Joining us this week are special guests Christina Cottiero, a political science PhD student at UC San Diego doing award-winning research on regional security issues in West Africa, and Expédit Ologou, the founder and president at the Civic Academy for Africa’s Future, an independent research think tank in Benin, and a Senior Political Governance Officer for the Benin Office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. They join Rachel for a conversation about the presidential election in Benin and ongoing concerns about de-democratization in the country.

In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about Lesotho’s political impasse, corruption in South African politics, connecting looted African art to the Black Lives Matter movement, and more.

Posted on by md963

Ep. 115: A conversation with Robtel Neajai Pailey on citizenship and Liberia

Robtel Neajai Pailey is a writer, activist, and academic whose recent book engages with the topic of citizenship in Africa, especially in Liberia. She joins Rachel for a great conversation about her work, the scholar-activists who influence and inspire her, and how to make our work ethical, emancipatory, and accessible. We conducted this interview on the sidelines of the 52nd Annual Liberian Studies Association conference, hosted by Cornell University’s Institute of African Development.

In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about academic freedom in Zambia, the corruption trial in South Africa against its former president, and legal challenges surrounding closings of Kenyan refugee camps, and Twitter’s move to Ghana.

Posted on by md963

Ep. 114: A conversation with Dan Eizenga on Idriss Déby and Chad

Special guest Dan Eizenga, research fellow at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, joins us to share his expertise on Chad and the recent death of Idriss Déby. Listen to learn what happened, who is in charge of Chad now, and what it all means.

In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about new restrictions from the U.S. on Ugandan officials, share new resources like an edited volume on coronavirus politics, and a new postdoc opportunity on global racial justice available from Cornell University.

Posted on by md963

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.

Posted on by md963

Ep. 111: A conversation between Kim and Rachel about the protests in Senegal

Kim and Rachel take a deep dive into the protests in Senegal, explaining everything you need to know about what’s happening and what it means. They also talk about the recent death of Tanzanian president, John Magufuli.

And in lieu of a guest, we feature our student essay competition winner, Hammed Kayode Alabi! Hammed is a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh studying Africa and international development. He reads for us his winning essay, called “#EndSARS Movement We Will Remember.”

Posted on by md963

Ep. 110: A conversation with N’Dri Assié-Lumumba about education and human capital in Africa

N’Dri Thérèse Assié-Lumumba joins us in conversation this week to discuss her new book, the history of human capital theory, education in Africa, and tells us what is giving her hope.

In this week’s news, we announce the winner of our student essay competition, share links to a virtual symposium on immigration and the changing dynamics of blackness, and talk about what is going on with COVID-19 vaccines on the African continent.

Posted on by md963

Ep. 108: A conversation with Adom Getachew on postcolonialism, worldmaking, and more

In our last episode of Black History Month, Rachel interviews political theorist Adom Getachew on her new book, “Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination.” Her book reconstructs an account of self-determination offered in the political thought of Black Atlantic anticolonial nationalists during the height of decolonization in the twentieth century.

We have lots of great recommendations for listeners this week, including books on race and feminism, a virtual event on African folktales, a virtual resource for those of us missing travel and fieldwork, podcast episodes you should listen to, and more!

Posted on by md963

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.

Posted on by md963

Ep. 106: Repatriation of Museum Objects, Part 2

This week’s episode features Cécile Fromont, an associate professor of art history at Yale University, who was a panelist for “Repatriation of Museum Objects,” an event held by Cornell University’s Institute for European Studies. She shares her perspective through four stories, drawing on her work as a historian of African and visual material culture in the early modern period. Listen to part 1 of this episode for more context about the event.