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Horman Chitonge and ROAPE's Peter Lawrence introduce Volume 51 Issue 180 of the journal, a special issue honouring the life and work of leading African scholar-activist and one of our contributing editors, Lungisile Ntsebeza. Ntsebeza’s work has prominently featured in debates on the land question, rural local government and social movements in South Africa and Africa more broadly. Yet Ntsebeza’s work has not only been academic. He has used his research on land and rural governance to inform and support the daily struggles of communities in different parts of South Africa and the continent.

In the introduction to the special blog-issue based on Africa and China, editors Ying Chen and Corinne Mullin introduce scholars and practitioners from Africa, Europe, China, and the US to present counter-hegemonic perspectives on the relationship between China and the African continent. The special issue challenges the stereotypical, orientalist and racist accounts of China and its relationship with peoples and states comprising the African continent.

This article by Farwa Sial examines the West's new development strategy towards Africa, which mirrors the "white elephants" of the 1970s with its focus on expensive and unproductive infrastructure projects, as an effort to counter the Belt and Road Initiative and the continent’s growing ties with China.

ROAPE’s Njuki Githethwa writes that the current regime in Kenya has been struck a devastating blow by the uprising of youth. The state has been weakened and is now vulnerable. This regime can fall. A revolution in Kenya is in the air. But the success of this revolution, Githethwa argues, depends on how well placed the social forces, revolutionary movements and organisations are to harness, sustain and extend this uprising.

ROAPE interviews Mark Duffield about his life and work. For decades Mark has worked on the political philosophy of the permanent emergency, the current global crisis in capitalism, the war economy, and the political and economic situation in the Horn of Africa. From his early days growing up in the West Midlands, to his research in Sudan, and later examining the militant struggles of Indian workers in the UK, Duffield has spent a lifetime examining at the central dynamics underpinning our interconnected world of genocide and imperialism.   

We republish a widely read article in commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the Ovaherero and Nama genocide in Namibia (1904-1908) by the German empire. Heike Becker discussed the 2021 agreement between the German and Namibian governments for special: reconciliation and reconstruction” projects benefiting the affected Ovaherero and Nama communities. Becker brilliantly delved into the issues of the agreement, highlighting the popular protests in Windhoek. The German-imposed agreement was criticized for excluding genocide victims and the Namibian people. Today, Namibian victims continue to struggle for adequate recognition and reparations, as Germany's 1.1 billion pledge over 30 years pales in comparison to the 80 billion given to Israel, facing its own accusations of genocide against the Palestinians.

As COP28 approaches, Mozambique's efforts for continued extraction of natural gas amid global energy transition discussions become significant. Holding Africa's third-largest natural gas reserves, Mozambique negotiated its interests at COP27 through new alliances amidst growing controversy around natural gas's role in climate change. With a bigger focus on exports, it faces socio-political complexities and the urgent need for an energy transition to mitigate climate change effects.

Mark Duffield and Nicholas Stockton write about the spectacular growth in livestock exports from the Horn of Africa to the urbanising Gulf states, and argue that neoliberalism has transformed the former reciprocity between ‘farmers’ and ‘herders’ into a relation of permanent war. Based on their article in ROAPE - freely available to read below - they argue that the crisis in the Horn is rooted in how the wealth of its peoples is being internationally plundered.

Kola Ibrahim argues that Africa is being tricked by global climate change politics, the same people who claim to be fighting climate change are the ones promoting fossil fuels. The reality is that Africa has become a new frontier for fossil fuel development. This is being carried out by global finance capital, multinational corporations, governments of developed economies, and worse still multilateral organizations that claim to be spearheading the funding for climate actions. Ibrahim exposes the reality of the green transition in Africa.

Robtel Neajai Pailey writes that after six years in power, President George Weah has proven he is not up to the job. For the sake of Liberia’s future, he must be removed in next week’s elections. There is a hunger and need for change across the country. As Pailey explains,"there is little doubt that 10 October will be a referendum on the president. [Weah] boasts of his ‘pro-poor agenda for prosperity and development’, yet ... consistently evaded public debates about his overall record in office."