African Affairs

Kenya, the country that opened this year by spilling blood based on the bedroom squabbles between now President Mwai Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga, is set to end the year with another bedroom squabble - this time between the Kenyan Press and the MP's.

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The tragedy of Zimbabwe continues with no immediate end in sight. On this site there have been several commentaries on the Zimbabwean crisis. In this commentary the distinguished Ugandan scholar, Mahmood Mamdani, offers his thoughts on the origins and trajectory of the crisis that seek to challenge conventional interpretations of what is at stake in this embattled postliberation nation. PT Zeleza, Editor, The Zeleza Post

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According to the stories below, U.S. President-elect Barrack Obama's grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, was tortured in Kenya during the struggle for independence after the Second World War. Some in the British press wonder even worry about the effects of this on President Obama's attitudes to Britain and the British--a poignant narrative of postimperial anxieties about the colonial ‘natives' striking back. The stories offer reminders of the intricate ties that bind Africa, Europe, and America through the troubling histories of slavery and colonialism.  read more »

Presentation at the joint Symposium on Knowledge and Transformation: Social and Human Sciences in Africa, organized by the South African Human Sciences Research Council, 27th General Assembly of the International social Science Council, 29th General Assembly of the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies, Cape Town, November 26-28, 2008  read more »

August saw a fresh outbreak of conflict in the DRC. Since then, approximately 250,000 have been displaced in the eastern part of the country. Following a brief cease-fire declared by the forces under the command of General Laurent Nkunda, fighting again erupted on the 4th of November. Ever since the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, and the subsequent wars that raged between 1996 and 2002, the country has hardly seen a moment's respite. The Kivu region has been the epicentre of the latest round of fighting.  read more »

I have lived in the United States during 46 of the Bureau's 50 years. Between 1964 and 1997, I did interact both superficially and substantially with six of the individuals occupying the post of Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and some of their deputies. I met G. Mennen Williams and Donald Easum in a private capacity, the first at a party in his home, and the second when we both spoke at a world affairs forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had more substantial contacts with Richard Moose, Chester Crocker, Herman Cohen, and George Moose.  read more »

Public Lecture presented as part of the the Killam Lectures, "The Future of Africa Considered," Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada, November 21, 2008  read more »

Dear President George Bush,

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And it came to pass that Senator McCain’s “That One!” made history. For himself. For his family. For America. For the Black race. For all of us.  A great deal of ink has already flown on the significance of this epochal event and I do not intend to rehash the broad themes of our collective euphoria.  read more »

The Chairperson, Members of the Board of Directors of DENIVA and other Civil Society partners present, the Executive Director of DENIVA, Professor Jassy Kwesiga, friends, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. All protocols observed. May I begin by thanking Prof. Kwesiga and DENIVA for inviting me to share my reflections on "Credibility and Legitimacy in African Leadership: Issues, Opportunities and Challenges".  read more »

“They (Nigerians) talk too much. Cha-cha, cha-cha without even understanding what they are talking about” 

-Maryam Babangida  

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As far as President Obama is concerned, I have always worn and will continue to wear the mantle of the Samuel, the Old Testament prophet who anointed Saul the first king of Israel. I imagine that in the midst of the rejoicing and coronation of Saul as king, Samuel must have looked like a fool for warning the people about the challenges of monarchial system, instead of joining the party to celebrate the new era in Israel's political history. However, since the turbulent history of Israel proved him right, I submit myself to history to justify or vilify me.  read more »

Public Lecture presented at the Center for Advanced Study, Seminar Series on Immigration: History and Policy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, November 3, 2008.  read more »

I was still digesting the news of Obama's Auntie Zeituni, living in the US illegally since 2004, when the doorbell rang. It was after 5pm on Saturday afternoon, and I wasn't expecting anybody on a cold November day at the onset of the Michigan winter. I went to see who it was, and was greeted by a tall elderly man, in a baseball cap. "I support Obama," he announced, "and I am here to ask you to vote for him on Tuesday. Are you registered to vote?" We talked a little bit, before I thanked him and wished him good luck in his efforts.  read more »

The Waki report is a milestone in the Kenya psyche because it has forced Kenyans to graduate from mere political jargon, wounded pride, emotional shock and trauma into rationally confronting the details of what they actually did to each other in January and February this year.  The report containing the details of gross savagery in form of gruesome rape, decapitation of human beings, indiscriminate shootings and wanton destruction fueled by hate has led Kenyans of previously conflicting political positions to unite in expressing horror at the violence and demanding the pros  read more »

One of the earliest instances of the ubiquitous act of haggling in West African markets is recorded in Christian mythology. The iniquities of the city of Sodom having reached the ears of the Christian God, he decided to terminate the bacchanals by destroying the city. Fortunately, he had the good mind to seek the counsel of Abraham, his faithful servant. Abraham reminded God of the unfairness of destroying fifty righteous people along with the iniquitous majority.  read more »

Introduction: The Chairperson/Moderator and Executive Director of DPMF, Professor Abdalla Bujra, The Chair, and Members of the Boards of ARRF and DPFM, Distinguished discussant, The Honorable Professor, Anyang' Nyong'o, Your Excellencies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Honorable MPs, Colleagues and friends, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocols observed.  read more »

Three distinguished panelists, Samuel Muene, Carina Ray and Paul Tiyambe Zeleza answer your questions and debate with you the role of the US in Africa.

The Seminar was sponsored by the Norwegian Council for Africa and held Ocotber 21, 9:00-12:00 US Eastern Standard Time

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In my last entry, I spoke of a "post-racial world" in which I hinted that Obama's imminent victory signals the demise of the moral authority of the discourse on blacks as victims of 400 years of racism and slavery. With Obama as president, the high moral ground on which people of African descent worldwide attacked racist disenfranchisement and impoverishment will all but crumble, even though the reality of black disempowerment may not significantly change.  read more »

The financial crisis in the United States is spreading rapidly to several parts of the world. What is its impact on Africa and how do African analysts view as its causes and consequences for their countries, the continent, and the world at large?  read more »