In the latest installment of the protest and social movement project on roape.net, David Seddon writes about recent developments in Burundi. He argues that President Pierre Nkurunziza’s brutal efforts to extend his rule have temporarily swept aside internal dissent and unrest. Across the continent the effectiveness of those struggling against such anti-democratic moves has varied considerably. ...
Bettina Engels reviews a new book that traces the history of Burkina Faso’s student movement. The book by Lila Chouli demonstrates how the movement's development is closely connected with the general political struggles in the country and how organised students have positioned themselves in opposition to the state and ruling elite and questioned the very political and economic system itself....
For most commentators and scholars, it was only events in the Global North that constituted ‘Global 1968’. None of the relevant overviews brings related events on the African continent to the fore. In a detailed account of popular protest across Africa in the 1960s, it becomes clear that the decade was vital for activists – as it was elsewhere across the world. 1968 was a crucial year for popular protests and student militancy on the continent. roape.net begins to fill in the blanks in the story of ‘1968’ in a global perspective. ...
Heike Becker writes about the many uprisings in Africa’s 1968 and that these protests and revolts highlight the fact that Africa should not be left blank on the map of scholarship that seeks to understand 1968 in a global perspective. Yet, these revolts and protests are still forgotten in the global discourse of commemoration. This week roape.net will focus on the extraordinary African dimensions of the movements in 1968....
April marks the 25th anniversary of the deaths of Oliver Tambo and Chris Hani, though both men held very different visions for what transformation in South Africa ought to look like they found a home within the ANC. Alex Beresford argues that Tambo and Hani would have been disgusted by how patronage politics and corruption have generated internecine factionalism within the ANC and the wider alliance....
In this issue of Popular Protest and Class Struggle in Africa, David Seddon reviews the most recent developments in four countries he has recently discussed – Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe and the DRC – in all of which long-standing leaders have refused to stand down, in some cases against growing internal opposition and external pressure, but with significantly differing outcomes....
Carin Runciman reports on a recent workshop that focused on protests in South Africa. Based on research conducted by the Research Chair in Social Change she shows that these protests are not just about service delivery, but amount to a rebellion of the poor. However, to what extent can these protests break from the politics of the ANC and form a progressive movement for social change?...
In this article Palash Kamruzzaman and Ben Tantua argue that the cognitive world of ‘militants’ and ‘militancy’ in the Niger Delta is embedded in a complex web of formal and informal interactions with political actors and military elites which give significance and sustenance to the conflict. The article attempts to unpick some of the motivations and dynamics at work....