The myth of sustainable jobs in extractives
The optimism for "decent" and "sustainable" jobs in extractive industries does not fit with the reality in many African countries.
Democratic Republic of Congo
A murder in Congo
What does the decade-old “Congo-case,” involving two Norwegian mercenaries, tell us about residue coloniality in Scandinavia?
Beyond the Western gaze
The "Africa needs help" vs. "No! Africa can teach you lessons!" is tiring. Other than benefiting a few pundits, are we deriving any value from it?
Vagabond reflections on the ‘Year of Africa’
Revisiting the clash of the American-born UN diplomat Ralph Bunche and Patrice Lumumba in 1960 over the terms and timeliness of African colonies' independence from their European masters.
The mysterious death of a UN Secretary-General
Revisiting the events that led to the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld, a key UN official in the decolonization of Africa during the Cold War.
Who was the woman behind Lumumba?
The life of Lumumba advisor, Andree Blouin, offers lessons about the historically racialized and sexualized representations of women of color in politics.
Invisible voices in the production of knowledge
In the Bukavu Series, researchers from two Congolese and two European universities explore how they interrogate violence in the DRC.
Decolonizing the museum
How should Belgium's Africa Museum address its colonial past?
Renovating the AfricaMuseum
An overview of some of the problems and opportunities that the reopening of Belgium's infamous AfricaMuseum brings.
Lumumba Lives
Patrice Lumumba became a martyr of African independence. But what are Lumumba's "political afterlives" nearly sixty years later?
How meaningful is the ‘change’ in the DRC?
It's the first time an African president appears to have rigged an election, not in favor of his hand-picked successor, but in favor of an opposition politician.
Resources and rape: The DRC’s (toxic) discursive complex
On the emergence and political work of the rape-resources narrative in the eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Kinshasa headache
The harsh realities of resistance for a new generation in Joseph Kabila’s Congo.
The ethics of political art
A critical review of Swiss theatre director Milo Rau’s multi-media project, "Congo Tribunal,” about the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cobalt isn’t a conflict mineral
Policymakers need to properly assess the risks to ordinary Congolese people from expanding the “conflict minerals” category.
This is Congo
The state of politics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and those working to build a new future there.
The Ebola refugees
Has migration policy reckoned with epidemics like Ebola?
#MeToo, Africa too?
Do online movements such as #MeToo #HerToo and #TimesUp do enough to address the experiences of all victims of sexual violence?
What happens in the DRC after December 19th
The presidential term of Joseph Kabila, in power in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001,
Congo blues
Until Joseph Kabila publicly recuses himself from running for a third term, many Congolese will be suspicious of any dialogue proposed by the government.