African Political Analysis Think-Tank Vignettes

There is a famous African proverb among the Chewa People: Those who don’t ask eat the wax! The moral is that those who seek to understand are likely to make less mistakes. The wax talked about here is that of the bee hives. The proverb points out that those who may not know and don't ask may end up eating the hives and not the honey. Russia and Africa share a thing in common: they are notoriously misunderstood and misrepresented in the more accessible forms of media. Also the subject of Russia or Africa is one that is not popular and easily dismissed as purely academic. Africa is depicted as a continent divided in three: The area North of Limpopo and South of Sahara (aka Sub-Sahara Africa); Republic of South Africa; and the North Africa. These names, make it is possible for the pen to label Africa in reinforced stereotypes. In cutting up Africa and mislabeling her to fit simplistic stereotypical shelves, we all fail to genuinely be part of the crafters of positive dev...

Instead of filling the answer as Xenophobia, let us analyse how we can use Humanization to inform policies on how people treat each other.  This will make it possible for people to engage in humane acts as opposed to inhumane ones toward each other. Xenophobia, is used to explain the inhumane treatment of perceived non-South African citizens that led to deaths and destruction of livelihoods in South Africa in September 2019.   Foreign-owned shops, were looted or burnt (expropriation) or both during riots in the Johannesburg suburb of Turffontein on September 2, 2019. This form of violence targeting foreign nationals in South Africa, tells one of the need for scripted operating procedures that address how Africans can relate with each other. They should not take anything for granted.  We risk shelving our responsibilities to other humans. We also risk not analyzing the historical abuses, precarious and insidious legacy of Apartheid to South Africa in pa...

The talk that Russia, China and Europe  are steadily kicking out USA from Africa,  is unfounded. US in my back yard (USIMBY) is as true for Africa as it is for Mexico and Canada. There are 6 faces of USIMBYISM: 1.       Shedding the suit and donning the farmers’ gumboots, hoe and pitchfork. The Appeal game 2.       Investing in people and entrenching the desire for quality life outcomes. Quality Life Outcomes game 3.       Training Black Africans in international relations law, economics and political jargon. It should be noted that, Africa has natives who are White and Brown of Asian/Arab descent. But, the Blacks were disadvantaged as far as education qualifications that enabled them to sit at boardroom tables and negotiate deals that were made to bring dignity, prosperity and sustainability to Africa. Brown Egypt and Sudan can now see Black Ethiopia as ...

Background: The nature of the provider-consumer relation of HIV services further translates into claimants and elite groups who influence sexual-reproductive health policies. Three regime contexts were found to influence HIV response. A hindering context goes so much further to provide opportunities for rule of law, enforcement and empower women to report without fear of repercussions. A restrictive context goes on far enough but allows for those with power to buy themselves out of courts and police. Women are not protected from repercussions even if they can report abuses. In a supportive context, abuses go unreported and women are at the mercy of men! Claimants mobilize, campaign and influence government authority on HIV response.  Paternalistic, coercive and occasionally manipulative roles of the elites keep hegemonic male dominance intact.  An examination of 4 Sub-Saharan African countries finds that the interests of claimants have marginal impact on...

College education adds to the critical employment potential of countries, so this should be an opportunity for education to create an entrepreneurial culture among graduates.  Thanks  +The Boston Globe  of Sunday January 6th 2013. As a man recently from Africa, I have met graduates on the Streets of Lagos, Cape Town, Kampala, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, Addis-Ababa and Brazzaville. I have also met non-graduates in various categories. These were functionally engaged in businesses termed as 'informal-sector'. They were the City backbone and had the best places for cheaper food, transport and businesses spaces. Many employed graduates. That is in Africa. Education provides skills and gives many opportunities to get into the formal sector. Here they enjoy job security, salaries, trappings and means to improve on themselves further. They pursue their goals with confidence and command respect in society. Education gives one the possibility to earn sums of money commen...