The Nordic Africa Institute
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The legacy of Pan-Africanism in African integration today
No full textPan-Africanism was a vital force in the decolonisation and liberation struggles of the African continent. Today, some regional integration initiatives are part of the legacy of Pan-Africanism. Nevertheless, a retreat in Pan-Africanist consciousness justifies the on-going reform of the African Union and other related platforms for African regional integration, peace and development
Gendered institutions and women's political representation in Africa
No full textDuring the course of the past three decades efforts of democratisation and institutional reforms have characterised the African continent, including demands for gender equality and women's political representation. As a result, some countries have introduced affirmative action measures, either in the aftermath of conflicts or as part of broader constitutional reforms, whereas others are falling behind this fast track to women's political representation. Utilising a range of case studies spanning both the success cases and the less successful cases from different regions, this work examines the uneven developments on the continent. By mapping, analysing and comparing women's political representation in different African contexts, this book sheds light on the formal and informal institutions and the interplay between these that are influencing women's political representation and can explain the development on women's political representation across the continent and present perspectives on an 'African feminist institutionalism'.CONTENTS: Introduction -- 1. Feminist institutionalism, women's representation and state capture: The case of South Africa / Amanda Gouws -- 2. Confronting the double-bind dilemma in the representations of Joice Mujuru in Zimbabwean newspapers between 2000 and 2008 / Mandiedza Parichi -- 3. Candidate training programmes in Africa – A waste of resources or pedagogies of the oppressed? Experiences from Letsema training workshops in Botswana (2013–19) / Sethunya Tshepho Mosime and Maude Dikobe -- 4. Party primary candidate nomination institutions, informality and women’s candidature in Malawi's parliamentary elections / Asiyati Lorraine Chiweza -- 5. 'Inspiring a revolution': Women's central role in Tanzanian institutions, independence and beyond / Catherine Cymone Fourshey and Marla L. Jaksch -- 6. Experiences of gender equality legislation in Kenya: The role of institutions and actors / Shillah Sintoyia Memusi -- 7. Women's political representation and institutionalism in Nigeria – historical perspectives / Monica Adele Orisadare -- 8. Affirmative action in Ghana? Patriarchal arguments and institutional inertia / Diana Højlund Madsen -- Concluding remarks -- Index</p
Community engagement key for upgrading informal settlements
No full textSeveral African countries are tackling the issue of slums and informal settlements by building completely new housing developments. However, many residents view these new areas as less habitable because of poor social conditions. Drawing on three case studies, this policy note argues that community engagement is crucial when planning to replace informal settlements with modern housing in African cities
A (Wo)man for all seasons : Amos Tutuola and the Gendering of Peace in Africa
No full textThis book explores the work of Nigerian author Amos Tutuola and how it can enhance our understanding of gender and peacebuilding in Africa. Critical feminist contributions on how a gender perspective can broaden inclusion in post-conflict processes, as well as change institutions and mindsets are surely innovative but have not succeeded in dislodging liberal peace as the means of dealing with conflict on the African continent. Such works also draw their critiques from largely rationalist, Western roots. Entering Tutuola’s world, where human and non-human characters change and interchange, allows scholars and practitioners to see peacebuilding as organic, reliant on multiple identities and interlocutors, and grounded in local knowledge. I contend that such an expanded lens that integrates exogenous and endogenous knowledge systems non-hierarchically is not only relevant to the peacebuilding context, but could also find application in other areas in need of decolonisation
Rainbows, pythons and waterfalls : heritage, poverty and sacrifice among the Busoga, Uganda
No full textCultural and natural heritage is a fundamental part of society and crucial in any development process; yet because of the complexity, it has proved difficult to incorporate culture and tradition in actual policy practice. Here the rich heritage of the Busoga is explored, using the water cosmology at the Itanda Falls in Uganda, with a specific emphasis on a rainmaking ritual and sacrifice to the rain-god during a drought. While rainmaking rituals cannot mitigate climate change in the modern world, and while fewer and fewer people believe in the traditional religion, the past and its traditions are still sources for the future. As we rethink the role of heritage in the processes of poverty alleviation, it is argued, a strong emphasis on cultural and natural heritage is one of the most efficient and important areas of long-term development in an era of globalization, when traditions are disappearing. Without a past, there is no future.CONTENTS: Acknowledgments. -- 1. Mythology of hydrology. -- 2. Senses and science and rainbows. -- 3. Giant snakes and rainbow serpents. -- 4. Rainbow cosmologies. -- 5. Busoga water cosmology, rainmaking and the rainbow. -- 6. Rainmaking and understanding water in society and religion. -- 7. History and heritage. -- 8. Literature. -- 9. Endnotes. -- Index.</p
Regional Reconciliation in Africa : The Elusive Dimension of Peace and Security
No full textAfrica has endured the debilitating effects of cyclical violent conflict for several decades. Despite the existence of well-intentioned policy frameworks and the use of significant resources to stabilise countries, conflicts in the region have remained resistant to resolution. Africa’s crises demonstrate that conflicts have a tendency to spill across borders, affecting communities in more than one country. These cases challenge reductionist understandings of traditional interstate and intra-state wars across the continent. The regional nature of conflicts means that the notion of ‘civil war’ is anachronistic, with increasingly limited descriptive utility.This paper argues that unless concrete efforts are geared towards dealing with the past and promoting regional reconciliation in Africa, the consolidation of peace and security will remain an elusive quest. More specifically, if state resources were deployed in equal measure to lay the foundations for regional reconciliation, this would ultimately be a more effective way to stabilise countries and improve relations with their neighbours. In fact, the pursuit of regional reconciliation could contribute towards the fulfilment of the incomplete project of decolonisation across Africa
Land consolidation, canals and apps : reshaping agriculture in Ethiopia
No full textOver the last 15 years, Ethiopia has seen remarkable economic growth. The agricultural sector is part of this growth, but its proportional contribution to the overall economy has gone down. There is an urgent need to transform Ethiopian agriculture, not least when it comes to the inefficient land laws that impede young people from investing in farmland. This policy note identifies the structural problems that constrain such a transformation and gives recommendations on how they can be addressed
Ensuring African Women’s Access to Justice : Engendering Rights for Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textAbout half of the people of Sub-Saharan Africa live below the poverty line, and 80 per cent of them are women. Their access to justice is guaranteed by international and domestic laws. But these laws mean little or nothing without government support and adequate funding. This policy note offers recommendations on how to secure access to justice
Cruelty by design : how African cities discriminate against people with disabilities
No full textAfrica is currently home to some 78 million people with disabilities. Meanwhile, recent years have seen the size and populations of the continent’s major cities increasing at a startling rate. As a result, there is a pressing need to consider issues of urban design and accessibility, and how they affect people with disabilities
Women’s Political Representation and Affirmative Action in Ghana
No full textWith only 13 per cent female representation in parliament, Ghana is lagging behind most other African states. A proposal for affirmative action is currently being debated. This policy note assesses the barriers to women’s political representation in Ghana, and gives recommendations on how the issue might be addressed