Here’s the latest edition of my Africa Update newsletter. We’ve got the export of Ugandan mercenaries, Kenya’s geothermal energy investments, Cameroonian refugees in Mexico, Ethiopia’s first female chief justice, and more.
West Africa: Political tensions continue to simmer in Sierra Leone as the current government has set up a commission to investigate corruption under its predecessor. I can’t wait to read this book on empires in medieval West Africa. Learn about why the ubiquitous “Ghana-must-go” woven plastic bag takes its name from a conflict between Ghana and Nigeria in the 1980s. Anglophone refugees from Cameroon who have fled into Nigeria are struggling to survive with limited support from the government or aid donors, whilst others have fled as far as Mexico in their quest for asylum.
Central Africa: Distrust of the state and the inability to perform rituals that will appease the spirit of a dead person are among the many reasons people in the DRC have been resisting Ebola treatment. This was an evenhanded look at why it’s so difficult to source “responsible” minerals from eastern DRC. Uganda has doubled its military spending for the 2018/2019 fiscal year, and is now officially exporting more mercenaries than coffee. In Kigali, Burundian journalists are still trying to publish their news in exile. The Rwandan Supreme Court has ruled that it’s a crime to insult President Kagame.
Kenyans are really concerned by their country’s high cost of living (via Twaweza)
East Africa: Drought and crop failures have left many people in northern Kenya on the brink of famine, but neither the government nor other citizens seem to be paying much attention. This was an insightful long read about Kenya’s many unsuccessful attempts to create reliable national ID and credit reporting systems. Former US diplomats are lobbying the Trump administration not to push for the creation of a war crimes court in South Sudan, even though this is mandated under the current peace deal. Sudan’s revolution shows the importance of trade unions in organizing civil dissent. Saudi Arabia is offering funding to Sudan’s interim government out of concerns that regional revolutions could spark unrest at home.
Southern Africa: The UN is investigating allegations that community leaders in Mozambique have forced women to pay them or have sex with them in order to access aid after Cyclone Idai. In South Africa, news coverage of protests tends to assume that poor people won’t participate unless they’re manipulated into doing so, which denies them political agency. Read this summary of a very good piece about Mandela’s legacy, 25 years after the end of apartheid. Studies in Zimbabwe have been key to challenging the assumption that depression doesn’t affect people in low income countries.
Map of upcoming African elections via Africa Research Centre
Spotlight on urbanization in Nairobi: Check out this new documentary about the social justice working groups which are documenting human rights abuses in poor neighborhoods across the city. This was an insightful piece about the Sudanese history of Kibera. Meet the Kibera woman running one of the neighborhood’s only therapy centers for children with disabilities. In Mathare, perpetual water shortages mean that residents must choose between drinking water or bathing their children.
Health: Senegal’s air pollution, caused by cars and harmattan dust, is sending increasing numbers of people to the hospital. In Kenya, low quality healthcare and easy access to antibiotics mean that antibiotic-resistant diseases are on the rise. Nigerian doctors are increasingly moving abroad, frustrated with a national healthcare system which pays less than US$600 per month. Ghana, Kenya and Malawi are rolling out pilots of a new malaria vaccine. Kenyan soldiers who’ve developed PTSD from operations in Somalia have been court-martialed for misbehavior rather than receiving treatment.
This Guardian photo essay on the black market for fuel in Togo and Benin was really gripping
Doing business: Read about the first running shoe company designed by and for Kenyans. This looks like an interesting ethnography about Heineken’s phenomenal business success in Africa. New studies in Ghana and Tanzania find that people overestimate how much time they spend working on their farms if they’re asked at the end of the planting season, rather than week by week during the season.
Environment: Meet the Nigerian women tackling urban waste disposal problems by starting recycling companies. Kenyan scientists are developing low cost solutions to help fishermen avoid catching endangered or low value species of marine life. Kenya is increasingly switching to geothermal energy, and could be one of the biggest producers in the world once a new plant opens in July.
Social protection + poverty reduction: This was an interesting piece about the process of distributing cash transfers in Liberia, where low-denomination bills are common and many people are still outside the cash economy. Nigeria’s national cash transfer program has finally gotten off the ground. Are patronage handouts and national cash transfer programs really all that different in Nigeria? Experience from Niger suggests that people’s unwillingness to talk about their savings may lead researchers to overestimate poverty rates.
Senegalese men are challenging gender stereotypes by carrying their children for a photography project (via BBC)
Gender equality: Studies in Uganda and Nigeria have found that “edutainment” TV shows can reduce rates of gender-based violence among viewers. A landmark legal case in Kenya has allowed an intersex child to be issued a birth certificate without a gender marker. This is a remarkable piece from Kenyan activist Rahma Wako about her experiences with early marriage and female genital cutting. Women in the Ethiopian diaspora are discussing gender-based violence on a new Instagram page called Shades of Injera. Meet Ethiopia’s first female chief justice, Meaza Ashenafi.
Food + travel: If you’re in London, don’t miss the delicious Ghanaian food at Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen. Nairobi’s Mexican food scene is expanding. Here’s what to do for 36 hours in Dakar.
Academia: The Evidence to Action 2019 conference is being held at the University of Ghana from July 9 – 12, with travel bursaries available. The East Africa Social Science Translation Collaborative is holding a research summit in Nairobi from July 22 – 23. If you’re an African woman who studies economics, sign up for FEMNET’s new database!