Democracy & Governance

Introduction

Mozambique is currently facing one of the most challenging tests of its capacity to resolve the country’s political, economic and social challenges.

The alarm-bells had better be ringing in the South African Left after Andrew Chirwa, the president of the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa), referred to “Numsa’s planned new workers’ party” (‘New union federation comes from grassroots’, Mail and Guardian, 13 to 19 May).

The coincidence cannot be more striking.

Corruption has become the real stuff of public discourse and everyday practice in many African societies, implicating both citizens and subjects, in both public and private life.

Nigeria is today at a very difficult time. The nation is witnessing the most severe crisis of multidimensional nature. Severe economic crisis is coming at the heels of unrelenting terrorist attacks.

Dangerously broken

On 31 May 2016, the Nigerian writer and political activist, Chido Onumah, will present his latest book, We are all Biafrans- A Participant-Observer's Intervention in a Country Sleepwalking to Disaster, to the public.

From May 11-13, the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa summit in Kigali, Rwanda, reinforced extractive-industry and high-tech myths. The gathering unveiled the 1%’s elite’s exuberant imagination and its lack of exposure to the continent’s harsh economic realities.

It is tear gas season in Uganda again. The reported black-out of news coverage notwithstanding, some videos are in circulation. One shows a shopping arcade in central Kampala being evacuated by mainly young people with their arms raised in surrender.

“The monarchy is a luxury that Swazi’s cannot afford. It is like a blood-sucking parasite that has sucked its host dry”, says Swazi activist Bheki Dlamini.