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roape.net publishes reviews of academic and political books as well as fiction, exhibitions, social movement events and films. Our reviews examine the scholarly debates within Africa political economy, but can also focus on important cultural events taking place on the continent and elsewhere.

Lenin The Heritage we (Don’t) Renounce

ROAPE’s Ray Bush reviews a major new volume on the politics, practice and legacy of Lenin. In a highly original volume, the editors, Hjalmar Jorge Joffre-Eichorn and Patrick Anderson, have assembled contributions including love letters, fiction and political treatises which affirm the significance of Lenin’s contribution to understanding and engaging in revolutionary moments. Bush commends a breathtaking array of contributions each animated by the desire to undermine the horrors of militarised, genocidal late capitalism.

Africa thirsting for ideas

Tokunbo Oke commends Revolutionary Movements in Africa, a book which delves into the continent's radical movements. The work highlights the historical struggle of activists, and the ongoing fight against capitalism and imperialism. The volume dispels myths about African Marxism, showcases significant resistance movements, and underscores the importance of revolutionary ideas. Oke praises a volume that examines the history of revolutionary change in Africa and unpicks the ideas and projects that have attempted to transform the continent.

Time to reclaim black revolutionary politics

Mikayla Tillery reviews Kevin Okoth's Red Africa: Reclaiming Revolutionary Black Politics. She delves into Okoth’s incisive critique of Afro-pessimism, Negritude, and the academic misinterpretations of Franz Fanon. Tillery discusses Okoth’s arguments against the idea that Marxism is Eurocentric by examining the historical suppression of Marxism in Kenya. She reveals how Okoth highlights the contributions of black revolutionaries and reframes Marxism as a potent force for decolonisation and anti-imperialism.

Breaking the silence on NGOs in Africa – a review

In Breaking the Silence of NGOs in Africa, members of the Kenya Organic Intellectuals Network explore the role that NGO discourse and participation has had on contemporary struggles for radical change. Zachary Patterson writes that this timely book offers insights into how NGOs play a critical role in stifling the development and independence of radical African movements. Activists must proceed cautiously to avoid the risk of falling into a trap of Western rights discourse and liberal movement dynamics.

‘Stealing back’ – Uganda’s Nasser Road, political posters, forgery and resistance

There is a huge demand for forged documents in Uganda from academic documents, bank statements, birth certificates, to identification cards. In the capital Kampala these documents are commonly made on Nasser Road. Kristof Titeca and Yusuf Serunkuma write how in the context where the state, and private institutions are considered widely corrupt the delivery of various services and documents is regarded as indispensable. The power of political posters designed on the road is explored by the authors.