Modern Africa Research Articles

Peanuts, Pangool, and Places: Constellations of Colonial Capitalism in Rural Senegal

Histories of cash-crop agriculture in Senegal’s peanut basin have foregrounded the sway of market forces—an economic story of supply and demand staging metropolitan industrial needs, commercial entrepreneurialism, and profitable returns with both planned and unplanned developments. The political connivance between commercial crops and French rule is also well documented. The relentless expansion of peanut cultivation in Senegal’s hinterland was promoted by colonial policies and collusions between the French administration and Muslim brotherhoods. African farmers were not idle bystanders to these transformations, as peasant social strategies were centrally implicated in the (re)construction of colonial countrysides. While accounts illuminate the broad structural forces and human institutions involved in the commodification of African rural worlds, they frequently overlook the contributions of a host of other historical actors: the unsung, yet influential, nonhuman agencies that were integral components of farming ecologies, shaped people’s affective belonging to their landscapes, and actively mediated histories of capitalist transformations. In this article I attend specifically to the overlapping roles and material effects of three categories of “inanimate actors” in the adoption of cash cropping in the Senegalese province of Siin: peanuts, pangool (ancestral spirits), and places. Drawing on Adorno’s (1973) concept of “constellation” and Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) idea of “assemblage,” I examine how the tangible properties of crops, spiritual beings, and rural geography (and the social practices it nurtured) combined to assist and disrupt the operations of capital and government. Peanuts, pangool, and places drew humans and nonhumans into material constellations that cut across the plain of political economic analysis and offset totalizing visions of global capitalism; they reveal alternative tales of power, labor, and intimacy, “understories” that speak to the contingent, hybrid, and unfinished histories of colonial modernity in Africa.

Escribir en la encrucijada: intertextualidad y polifonía en la obra de Chinua Achebe

A sesenta años de la publicación de Things Fall Apart en 1958, la obra narrativa de Chinua Achebe continúa ofreciendo interesantes perspectivas de las condiciones históricas que dieron lugar a las sociedades africanas modernas. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar cómo a través de un uso magistral de la intertextualidad Achebe examina las relaciones interculturales surgidas del proceso expansionista europeo, así como la forma en que dichas relaciones configuraron las sociedades híbridas de la actualidad. Mi argumento plantea que, además de proponer una reflexión sobre la historia de Nigeria desde el periodo colonial (fines del siglo xix) hasta los primeros años de independencia (décadas de 1960-1980), Achebe elabora un complejo metacomentario sobre los modos literarios de representación del África moderna.

Africanism, Apocalypticism, Jihad and Jesuitism: Prelude to Ethiopianism

Ethiopianism conceptually shaped modern Africa. Perceivably, this has been deduced from distinguished events in Ethiopian history. This investigation explored Ethiopianism as a derivate of the multifaceted narrative of Ethiopian religious political dynamics. Ethiopianism has arguably been detached from the entirety of the Ethiopian Christian political establishment, being deduced separately from definitive events such as the Battle of Adwa 1896. This research reconnected Ethiopianism to a wholistic religious–political matrix of Ethiopia. Therefore, it offers an alternative interpretation of Ethiopianism, as a derivate of Africanism and Apocalypticism, also correspondingly as a factor of Islamic Jihad and Jesuit Catholicism. The research was accomplished mainly through document analysis and compositely with cultural historiography. This study was a revisionist approach to Ethiopianism as a concept, deriving it from the chronological narrative of Ethiopian Christianity’s religious and political self-definition. Consequently, this realigned Ethiopianism as a derivate of multiple influences. Ethiopianism was possibly a convolution of the Donatist biblical appeal to the nativity, Judaic apocalypticism, Islamic attacks and Jesuit missionary diplomacy. Throughout the narrative of the Ethiopian Christian establishment, autonomy and independence are traceable; in addition, there is an entrenched enculturation of native Christianity and synergy with the political establishment. This formulates a basis for Ethiopianism as an ideology of African magnanimity. Parallel comparisons of Ethiopianism against Donatism and Zionism decode the nationalistic matrix of Ethiopia. Dually encultured native religious practice coupled with theocratic symbiosis of politics and religion fostered resistance from Islamisation and Jesuit Catholicisation. Further enquiry of Ethiopian Christianity as an index of the Ethiopian political establishment, from which Ethiopianism is derived, is qualified.

Remembering and forgetting Mirambo: Histories of war in modern Africa

ABSTRACT While the study of organised violence is considered essential to understanding the history of the West, and accordingly imbued with various layers of meaning and remembrance, war is widely regarded as inimical to the modern nation in Africa and stable development more broadly. Using examples drawn from primarily from East Africa, this paper considers the ways in which warfare in the deeper (‘precolonial’) past has been framed and envisioned in recent decades, in particular by governments whose own roots lie in revolutionary armed struggle and who began life as guerrilla movements. While in some cases particular elements of the deeper past were indeed mobilised in pursuit of contemporary political goals, in many other scenarios histories of precolonial violence were beheld as problematic and unworthy of remembrance. This paper highlights the paradox and ambiguity which has attended the memory of key aspects of Africa’s deeper past.

Introduction

Introduction

Tyranny, Communism, and U.S. Policy in Equatorial Guinea, 1968–1979*

Abstract This study of Washington’s dealings with Equatorial Guinea under the rule of one of modern Africa’s most brutal dictators, Francisco Macías Nguema, analyzes US perceptions and policies relating to communist intervention, human rights, and related geopolitical issues during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter presidencies. It also sheds light on the relationships and conflicts between the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba in Africa. In addition, it offers new perspectives on Cuba’s close ties to the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema and on the possible role of international actors in his downfall in 1979.

How Africa Got into a Mess: Colonial Legacy, Underdevelopment, Corruption and Human Rights Violations in Africa

political independence that the people of Africa attained over the last four decades was not a gift from the Western colonial powers. It was however the result of the struggles of the African people against foreign domination and exploitation. political independence of Africa however did not yield good results for African people. colonial powers having looted the African continent and its rich natural resources left Africa an empty shell. independence of Africa could not lead to genuine development of the former colonies. To change the state of affairs which Frantz Fanon describes as The wretched of the earth, has forced African people into a new form of domination, called neo‑colonialism in various forms. This new form of colonial domination was defined by the All African People's Conference (AAPC) which took place in 1962 in Cairo as 'the survival of the colonial system in spite of formal recognition of political independence in emerging countries which became the victims of an indirect and subtle form of domination by political, economic, social, military or technical means' (Machyo 1996:35). It was also pointed out that this new form of foreign domination was the greatest threat to African countries and sovereignty. reason being that the neo‑colonial powers had the tendency to resort to 'economic and political intervention in order to prevent African leaders from directing their political, social and economic policies towards the exploitation of their people and their natural resources. problems of modern Africa in the post-colonial period are a mockery for the so-called independent or liberated Africa. conditions of the African people are worse than they were in the colonial period. However other problems of Africa were not of colonial design but African design like under-development, corruption and human rights violations. purpose of this article is to examine the problems plaguing post-colonial Africa.

Putting Africa on the Black Death map: Narratives from genetics and history

Did the Black Death, the famous, devastating plague pandemic that struck the Mediterranean and Western Europe in the mid-14th century and seeded new strains of the pathogen, Yersinia pestis, in new locales, also reach Sub-Saharan Africa? That it reached the Islamic North African littoral has never been in question: there is ample testimony from Arabic documentary sources for its devastating effects from Egypt to the Maghreb. But did it stop there? Archaeologists now have reason to believe that there was widespread abandonment of urban communities in West Africa in the 14th or 15th centuries. Focusing on the other side of the continent, the present essay argues that previously unutilized evidence—a “living archive” of genetic data combined with a new reading of linguistic and documentary evidence from the 14th through 20th centuries—suggests that plague did have a significant impact on pre-modern East Africa. The strains of Y. pestis currently found in East and Central Africa derive from one of the lineages involved in late medieval outbreaks in Central Eurasia. This post-Black Death strain, it is argued here, entered the continent most likely in the late 15th or early 16th century. This coincides with hitherto unexplained population migrations and other cultural signs of reactions to a deadly emerging disease. Although no aDNA (historical genetic material) for Y. pestis has yet been recovered from late medieval or early modern Africa, the present essay suggests that evidence for Y. pestis’s evolution and transcontinental movements, even those outside of Africa, can help archaeologists and historians draw Africa more centrally into the narratives of global history.

International Economic Strategy of Small African Countries in a Globalizing World

The author has developed new criteria for the inclusion of African countries in the group of small countries. It is noted that the criteria for assignment to small countries in the developed world cannot fully meet the criteria applicable to the African continent. On the basis of a comparison of the population of Africa with some countries of Europe, small states of the African continent are singled out. Emphasize the fact that a single criterion for attributing to small countries has not yet been developed. In the author’s opinion, it is incorrect to evaluate African countries using only economic indicators, since economic growth rates do not always coincide with demographic indicators, sociocultural transformations, and ethnic and tribal characteristics in Africa. The main types of foreign economic strategies of small African countries are identified and considered. It is shown that the states of the African continent often use several strategies for the development of their countries. The small countries of the African continent are actively involved in integration processes that fit into the overall concept of African modernization and development. An important role in the processesof modernization in Africa is played by international financial, educational, innovative and technical programs. Often, it is precisely small countries that become a kind of transport hub at the regional level, which contributes to the strengthening of foreign economic relations between the countries of the regions of the African continent, attracts considerable financial, resource, and innovative capital to African countries. The historical and ethno-tribal characteristics of some African states, especially the long and bloody wars, hinder the progressive development of these countries. A vivid example of such tragic events is Rwanda (attributed to the small states by the author of the article), where incessant civil wars have undermined the economic and political stability in the region. In such cases, substantial international assistance will be required with the involvement of Rwanda’s neighboring countries for the implementation of possible major regional programs and investment projects. Since innovative infrastructure projects in African countries are possible only with the involvement of all countries of the region, in this regard, Russia will need new management approaches and interesting projects for the integrated development of the African continent to actively participate in ambitious African projects.

Africa in the Modern Model of the World Order: a Powerful Player or an Outsider?

The article analyses the transfiguration of Africa’s position in the emerging new model of world economic development. The author emphasizes that until recently Africa was assigned the role of an “outsider” of the world economy. The transition of developed countries to a postindustrial and innovative development model has further exacerbated the lagging behind of the countries of the region from the advanced directions of the economy. Other negative factors that affected the development of African economies in the second decade of the 21st century include the high dependence of the African economy on commodity exports, the slowdown in China’s growth, the socio-economic consequences of the so-called “Arab spring”, primarily the destruction of Libya, and the continuation of old and the emergence of new conflicts in a number of African states. Despite numerous and often successful attempts by external forces to keep Africa as an object within the world economy and politics, the continent is increasingly becoming an active “subject” in international relations, and its development in the coming decades may, in our view, change its position in a new model of world development. Beginning in the 2030s, Africa, according to the forecasts, including those made at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will turn into the most important and almost unique global strategic reserve of sources of raw materials within the framework of the “Coming (New) Production Revolution” – NPR, Next (in other documents New) Production Revolution. The African continent today occupies the leading positions in the world precisely for those commodities that have no analogues and are vital for the development of defense and innovative technologies of the 21st century. Other important factors in the accelerated development of Africa are the quantitative and qualitative growth of the continent’s labor potential, the expansion of consumption in the African domestic markets, the economic diversification in a number countries of the continent by means of increasing the share of services and industry in GDP, and a significant improvement in the business climate as a result of improved investment legislation and the gradual stabilization of domestic political of the situation. Besides the increase in financial revenues in various forms, regional integration, (including a continental free trade zone), will be a key to accelerating economic growth in the African continent, whichwill allow for joint and more effective use of the potentials of individual African states. Modern Africa is a dynamically growing market of labor force, consumer goods, investment, modern technologies, high technology machinery products. The author anticipates in the foreseeable future the realization of a scenario of gradual evolvement of a joined pan-African pole of global significance.

Usefulness of human security concept: African perspective

This article is devoted to analysis the value of the human security concept to African nations. The value of the concept is examined in seven different ways. First, it sends a message to state politicians that their responsibility goes beyond state sovereignty. Second, it creates shared responsibility towards local and regional peace and security. Third, it brought improvement in socio-economic aspects. Fourth, it launches diversified responses to achieve conflict agenda. Fifth, it asserts accountability is at the corner for any wrong doings. Sixth, it allows AU and decision making bodies of sub-regional organizations and states to make informed decision based on research and thorough analysis. Seventh, it is pushing Africans to find alternative source of funding. In general, it should be noted that the use of the concept of human security ensures adequate social transformations in modern Africa

Felicitas Becker, Joel Cabrita and Marie Rodet (eds), Religion, Media and Marginality in Modern Africa

<i>Felicitas Becker, Joel Cabrita and Marie Rodet (eds)</i>, Religion, Media and Marginality in Modern Africa

Initiation as a Factor and the Way of Social and Gender Identitfication

The article is devoted to the consideration of one of the most important institutions of traditional society – the initiatives that scientists refer to the so-called rites of passage of boys and girls in the age class of men and women. The authors show on numerous examples of different African ethnic groups that initiations are a significant cultural phenomenon as a factor and a way of social and gender identification. Despite the fact that this custom on the continent is observed in some tribes and peoples still, while maintaining its cultural and social significance, it has many opponents not only among feminists, but also representatives of the official authorities and politicians. The article provides statistical data on the spread of this ritual in various countries of modern Africa and analyzes the documents of governments and international organizations designed to combat this archaic phenomenon.

Traditional Mechanisms of Conflict Resolution in Modern Africa: The Bodior Ritual and The Enduring Kroumen versus Lobi-Dagara Conflict in Southern Côte d’Ivoire

Traditional Mechanisms of Conflict Resolution in Modern Africa: The Bodior Ritual and The Enduring Kroumen versus Lobi-Dagara Conflict in Southern Côte d’Ivoire

The Public Role of Religion in Modern Ghanaian Society

Abstract This article lends its voice to the discussion on Charles Taylor’s Varieties of Religion Today: William James Revisited, which critiques William James’s view that the public dimensions of religion will be less real and less necessary and, therefore, will decrease in modern societies. The article uses Ghana as a case study to show that religion is still a public phenomenon in modern African societies. Religion has always been a crucial part of Ghanaian public life, including politics, although today it finds expression in the context of pentecostal Christianity. As the religious phenomenon with the strongest presence in contemporary Ghana, Pentecostalism informs the lives of many. Nowadays, during political elections, voters would consider whether or not a candidate exhibits pentecostal religious qualities in deciding to vote him or her into office. Likewise, politicians use religious communities and leaders for the purposes of mobilizing voters or organizing constituencies. Furthermore, religious language has come to dominate political discourse and debates with politicians casting their messages and visions in religious (mostly biblical) imagery and allusions to appeal to worshipping populations both imaginatively and emotionally. In demonstrating the increasing public quality of religion in modern societies, this article identifies some of the strategies Ghanaian politicians use to play on the pentecostal imaginations of the Ghanaian populace, all in a bid to secure political power. This article argues that while religion is a private experience in modern Western societies, it is public and mainstream and influences almost all facets of life in modern Africa, particularly Ghanaian politics.

Thinking “Diaspora” with Stuart Hall

AbstractThis article revisits Stuart Hall’s writing on “diaspora” to highlight its potential for future work on the topic. Although Hall has been faulted for excluding modern Africa, his historical and geographic approach to black cultural identities introduces the possibility for an inclusion. Since his “diaspora aesthetics” is based on black British films, photography, and visual art, this reassessment of his work concludes with a consideration of the Beninese artist Romuald Hazoumè’s La Bouche du Roi. This room-size multimedia slave ship installation brings a history of transatlantic slavery together with that of colonialism and globalization to make a statement about African identities, both in the past and in the present. Hazoumè’s artwork provides a visualization of Hall’s mobile model of “diaspora,” with its shifting perspectives, geographically dispersed centers, and unsynchronized temporalities.

Scott Straus, Making and Unmaking Nations: war, leadership, and genocide in modern Africa. Ithaca NY and London: Cornell University Press (hb US$79.95/£68.95 – 978 0 8014 5332 8; pb US$26.95/£17.95 – 978 0 8014 7968 7). 2015, xiii + 386 pp.

Scott Straus, Making and Unmaking Nations: war, leadership, and genocide in modern Africa. Ithaca NY and London: Cornell University Press (hb US$79.95/£68.95 – 978 0 8014 5332 8; pb US$26.95/£17.95 – 978 0 8014 7968 7). 2015, xiii + 386 pp.

Africanus Princeps? The Emperor Caracalla and the Question of His African Heritage

This article responds to a recent publication in the Journal of Black Studies regarding the emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire between AD 211 and 217, following the murder of his younger brother, Geta. In addition to offering an exploration of his career, the recent essay attempts to investigate the importance of Caracalla’s African heritage to the historical portrait of him that survives into modernity, claiming that both ancient sources and modern scholars have downplayed the emperor’s origin and ancestry. Unfortunately, the publication is beset by factual errors that serve to undermine its case. This article addresses these shortcomings and attempts to explain the scholarly approach to Caracalla’s ethnicity, showing that there was some recognition of Caracalla’s African roots, even in antiquity. Furthermore, this article considers the question of modern Africa’s relationship with the emperor, noting the symbolism of the Severan family within Libya under the dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Christianity and Controversies over Homosexuality in Contemporary Africa. Edited by Ezra Chitando and Adriaan van Klinken. Religion in Modern Africa. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. x + 202 pp. $149.95 hardcover. - Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality in Africa. Edited by Adriaan van Klinken and Ezra Chitando. Religion in Modern Africa. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. 290 pp. $149.95 hardcover.

Christianity and Controversies over Homosexuality in Contemporary Africa. Edited by Ezra Chitando and Adriaan van Klinken. Religion in Modern Africa. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. x + 202 pp. 149.95 hardcover. - Volume 87 Issue 1

Islam and Cultural Changes in Modern Africa

Islam and Cultural Changes in Modern Africa