African Studies Blog

Watch a video of a World Bank rural maternal health program in Nigeria to help women and babies.

Africa was featured prominently in the news this week due to Secretary of State Hilary Clintons’s seven nation tour of the continent.  During the trip she met with rape survivors from Congo’s war, scolded Kenyan politicians for failing to put on trial the instigators of political violence, toured a refugee camp and talked about the oil business with Nigerian leaders. Here is a selection of articles in the newspapers this week.

A piece in the Washington Post titled In Nigeria Sharia fails to deliver discusses the disappointment of the people in Nigeria’s mostly Muslim northern states in the Islamic legal system or Sharia laws that was introduced when military rule ended.  The people had believed politicians’ promises that it would end decades of corruption and pillaging by civilian and military rulers.  According to the article this utopia did not happen and the residents find that the poor are still poor and miserable and politicians are still rich.

In another article in the Washington Post,  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo condemns attacks including rapes on civilians in eastern Congo and calls for the prosecution of soldiers and militiamen who engage in such attacks. She announced $17 million in new aid to provide medical help for victims of sexual violence and improve security in the region.

In an interesting article about Ghana in the New York Times writer Laban Carrick Hill describes vividly her experiences in Cape Coast.  The appealing culture of Ghana, the people, the food all combine to provide a joyous African experience.

The New York Times on Thursday described Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s visit to Liberia and her support of President Johnson Sirleaf who has faced criticism of late for her role during the country’s armed conflict of 1989-2003.

Hilary Clinton wrapped up her seven nation trip to Africa with a stop in Cape Verde, the New York Times reported in Friday’s paper.  The article states that in recent years, the country has had a string of democratic elections and surging economic output, with an average 5.7 percent growth from 1996 to 2006.

The Washington Post reports that security forces in Nigeria have killed militants in the northern city of Maiduguri. The militants known as the Boko Haram sect had been blamed for the violence in the mostly Muslim region of Nigeria.  The government forces shelled and stormed the group’s mosque and headquarters Wednesday night, setting off a raging firefight with retreating militants.

Read it in the Washington Post

The Economist has an interesting article on the Nigerian government’s attempts to rebrand the image of the country to bring tourists and foreign investment to Nigeria, and generally to buff up the country’s image. The campaign’s slogan is “Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation”. 

Read it at Economist.com

The New York Times Magazine has an interesting article describing a reverse missionary movement from Africa to North America, as an example of the shifting of Christianity’s center of gravity from the North to the south. It describes the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Nigerian church’s efforts  in building a vast missionary network in more than a 100 countries including a detailed description of its activities in the United States.

Read the Full story

Source: H-NET

The Historical Society of Nigeria, announces its 53rd Annual Congress. The Congress will be held from October 13th-15th, at Gombe State University, Gombe, Nigeria. The theme of this year’s conference is:
“Historicising National Security, Order and Rule of Law in Nigeria”. Sub-themes are as listed as follows;

• Theoretical and Conceptual issues
• Historiography of National Security and Rule of Law
• Multidisciplinary Perspectives
• Gender Perspectives
• Global Dimensions and Local Implications
• Scenarios, Futures Perspectives and Historical Lessons
• Political Economy of Security and Rule of Law

Announcement