On May 29, South Africans will vote in the seventh election since the end of political apartheid in the early 1990s. This is the first election in which the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is polling below 50 percent, which could force them into a coalition with one or more other parties to Read More…
Tag: South Africa
Ep. 195: Fellow Gopolang Botlhokwane and South Africa’s Case Against Israel
Fellow Gopolang Botlhokwane speaks to political analyst and media expert Dr. Metji Makgoba about the domestic implications of South Africa’s recent against Israel at The Hague in the Netherlands, and the country’s upcoming elections in which the ruling African National Congress is expected to lose its majority. Makgoba is also an academic and teaches communication Read More…
Ep. 173: A conversation with fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi on arts funding and corruption
From fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi comes this episode on arts funding and corruption in South Africa. Kamo speaks with multiple guests about South Africa’s Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, a group that announced a relief fund of 150 million rand ($8.3 million) for artists, athletes, and others in these industries. Most of the money, Read More…
Bonus: Carolyn E. Holmes reviews “The Inheritors” and “Until We Have Won Our Liberty”
Carolyn E. Holmes writes for The Monkey Cage about two books that take different roads to understand South Africa:The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Awakening by Eve Fairbanks and Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid by Evan Lieberman. “It is not that Fairbanks’s account of the New South Africa is pessimistic while Read More…
Ep. 161: A conversation with fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi and guest Momo Matsunyane about South African load-shedding and its effects on artists
Fellow Kamogelo Tinyiko Theledi sheds a light on the problem of load-shedding and its impact on independent theater companies in South Africa for this episode.”Load-shedding” refers to the deliberate shutdown of electric power in a part or parts of a power distribution system, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand Read More…
Ep. 123: A conversation with Liliane Umubyeyi and Amah Edoh on reparations
Earlier this year, Liliane Umubyeyi and Amah Edoh joined Cornell University’s Institute for European Studies to talk about their collaborative work on reparations, especially related to Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We share selected excerpts of their talk in this week’s episode, and you can find a link to watch the full panel in this week’s show notes.
In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about the arrest of former South African President Jacob Zuma and the subsequent protests. Plus, more about COVID vaccines on the African continent.
Ep. 118: A rerun of our conversation with Ashley Currier about LGBT organizing in Africa
This week, we are re-airing Kim’s interview with Ashley Currier, whose work looks at LGBT organizing in Africa. Currier spoke to Kim about her books, “Out in Africa” and “Politicizing Sex in Contemporary Africa,” visibility of African activists, and homophobia on the continent.
In the news this week: a coup in Mali, volcanic eruptions in eastern Congo, and reduced food rations in Rwandan refugee camps. Plus, Kim and Rachel share a summer music recommendation!
Don’t forget to also send us your good news! We will be sharing the wins of our listeners in a future episode, anything from exciting graduation announcements to book publications to being reunited with a family member after getting vaccinated! Email us a phone recording of your good news to ufahamuafrica@gmail.com.
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.
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.
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.
Bonus: A review of Milli Lake’s book on NGOs and gender justice in Congo and South Africa
In this bonus recording, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Dionne read Laura Seay’s (@texasinafrica) review of Strong NGOs and Weak States: Pursuing Gender Justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, a book by LSE political scientist Milli Lake (@MilliLake). The review was published as the tenth installment of the African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS19), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog), a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.
Bonus: Kim Dionne’s TMC review of Nicholas Rush Smith’s book on vigilantism in South Africa
In this bonus recording, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Dionne read her review of Contradictions of Democracy: Vigilantism and Rights in Post-Apartheid South Africa, by Nicholas Rush Smith, published by Oxford University Press.
The review was published in this past Friday’s installment of the African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS19), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog), a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.