Masks off
The revival of an elite technocratic rationality is starting to undo South Africa's lockdown, now in its second month.
Governance
The most powerful man in Nigeria
The legacy of Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, who died from COVID-19, helps us understand how powerful and yet constrained Nigeria's Presidency is.
The irrelevance of NGOs in Tanzania
NGOs have been notably absent in the fight against COVID-19, despite claims they exist solely to ensure accountability and transparency by government.
The time to act is now
More than 90 African intellectuals wrote an open letter to African leaders about the continent’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unpacking South Africa’s COVID-19 “rescue package”
South Africa's R50bn ($26bn) rescue package is 10% of its GDP. It is a major step forward, but some warning lights are flashing.
Out of sight
In South Africa, social distancing to bring down COVID-19 infections takes a decidedly local shape. In a racialized society, it manifests primarily as white melancholia and black Afro-pessimism.
The contested narratives of a dead man’s legacy
Kenyans are split about the legacy of president Daniel Arap Moi, who served from 1978 to 2002 and died on 4 February 2020: Vile and reprehensible vs a benign Baba, history suggests the latter.
Destroying public trust during a pandemic
Few things are going on as normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, political dysfunction in Lesotho continues, with negative ramifications for Basotho.
The need for a people-driven response to the coronavirus pandemic
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, African governments should stop seeing non-governmental actors as a threat to their own legitimacy.
The devil coronavirus
With their government obsessed more with control of information than COVID-19 itself, Tanzanians are bracing for the worst.
A jaula de aço do Presidente João Lourenço
Preocupado em atrair investimentos estrangeiros e combater à corrupção ao administrar uma divisão no partido no poder, o presidente angolano João Lourenço ignora o seu aliado mais forte: a sociedade civil jovem.
President João Lourenço’s iron cage
Preoccupied with attracting foreign investment and fighting corruption while managing a split in the ruling party, the Angolan president João Lourenço ignores his strongest ally: youthful civil society.
A clear pathway out of the current crisis in Guinea
Guinea, more than ever, needs an inclusive debate not only on the function of the state, but also on the nature of our institutions and therefore the very state of the republic.
Un débat inclusif pour une sortie de crise en République de Guinée
La Guinée a plus que jamais besoin d’un débat inclusif non seulement sur le fonctionnement de l’état mais aussi sur la nature de nos institutions et donc l’état même de la république. Je vous propose quelques raisons.
Quand le monde s’effondre
Au crépuscule du règne de Ouattara en Côte d’Ivoire.
Au nom du roi, des roitelets et de la divine providence
Rémanences autoritaire, oligarchique et mâlecentrée de l’espace politique camerounais.
In the name of the king
Authoritarianism, oligarchy, and patriarchy governs the Cameroonian political landscape.
Liberal democracy has failed in Nigeria
What alternative pathways are available towards accountable governance in Nigeria?
Finding a way through the deluge in Zimbabwe
Public sector strikes place major pressure on the Zimbabwean state, but not enough to effect a meaningful national dialogue on the country's direction.
Between democracy and despotism
South Africa introduces a new law which allows traditional leaders along with third parties to decide for communities, without their consent.