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Africa Here and NOW
Martine Dennis
52 episodes
6 days ago
The conversation you've always wanted to have about Africa.Combining in-depth knowledge with exclusive analysis of events and trends affecting the continent. Our team has vast experience in Africa and has an extensive network of contacts from Cape Town to Cairo and from Addis to Accra, which will help us provide fresh commentary presented with wit and style.We believe there is a growing demand for accurate, incisive information about Africa and we are dedicated to asking the questions that matter and offering, at least, some of the answers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All content for Africa Here and NOW is the property of Martine Dennis and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The conversation you've always wanted to have about Africa.Combining in-depth knowledge with exclusive analysis of events and trends affecting the continent. Our team has vast experience in Africa and has an extensive network of contacts from Cape Town to Cairo and from Addis to Accra, which will help us provide fresh commentary presented with wit and style.We believe there is a growing demand for accurate, incisive information about Africa and we are dedicated to asking the questions that matter and offering, at least, some of the answers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes (20/52)
Africa Here and NOW
Young, Urban, Digitally Connected - Africa's Youth DEMAND Change

One in four people in the world will soon be African, and the majority will be under 30, urban, and digitally connected. We discuss with MICHELLE GAVIN how the demographic shift represents a new era for the continent —one that is already shaking the foundations of long-standing political power.

Is this wave of popular demand a recipe for chaos or democratic renewal? Listen to find out why the "old playbook" for African politics is obsolete

The conversation explores the transformative potential of Africa's youth in shaping the continent's political landscape. With a significant portion of the population being young and urban, there is a growing demand for change that challenges the existing political elite. The discussion delves into the implications of demographic shifts, economic challenges, migration patterns, and the role of external actors in Africa's future. It highlights the potential for both unrest and democratic renewal as young people assert their rights and seek opportunities for a better life.

takeaways

  • One in every four of the world's population will be African.
  • Political volatility is going to shake up the region.
  • Young people are increasingly urban and connected.
  • Demographic dividend comes when the transition comes.
  • Migration is going to be a part of the story.
  • The future of work is uncertain for Africa.
  • External actors are not the main factor driving change.
  • Violence and unrest will happen, but not everywhere.
  • Senegal could end up as an upholder of constitutionalism.
  • We can learn a lot from these young societies.


Michelle Gavin's book: How Urban Youth are Transforming African Politics





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6 days ago
22 minutes 3 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Zambian Bank CEO SONNY ZULU on TARIFFS, Job Creation, Leadership and His Biggest Mistake

Standard Chartered Bank's Zambia CEO, SONNY ZULU, shares his journey from aspiring medical doctor, to metallurgist in his country's copper mines to the boss of one of the top banks. He discusses the importance of leadership and management skills, the challenges of job creation in Zambia, which he says, is a collective responsibility, not just for government. This is particularly crucial for a country like Zambia which has a median age of just 17.


We talk about the bank's role in fostering economic growth. Sonny says the bank's focus is on empowering marginalised communities, especially women and young people. Training in financial management is as important as giving grants, he says, for successful entrepreneurship.

I ask Sonny about the impact on African economies of American tariffs. He stresses the importance of intra-African trade. He identifies energy as one of the country's greatest challenges going forward, which is essential to fuel the ambitious increase in copper production which has been outlined by the government.

Finally, Sonny tells us about his biggest professional mistake....


We used data and graphics from KASI INSIGHT, Africa's leading decision intelligence company. They provide data-driven insights by combining high frequency data with AI to unpack markets.



Chapters:

00:00 From Medicine to Metallurgy: A Career Journey

04:55 The Importance of Leadership and Management Skills

10:45 Creating Jobs and Economic Growth

15.05 Standard Chartered's Role in Economic Development

19:56 Navigating the Retail Banking Landscape

30:28 Impact of Global Tariffs on African Economies

34:00 Learning from Mistakes: A Leadership Perspective


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3 weeks ago
34 minutes 30 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Fmr Zambian Minister REVEALS "Slept My Way to the Top" Smears: Sexism, Graft and The Price of Power

Former Zambian minister, DR DORA SILIYA, lifts the lid on the politics of her country. She reveals the vicious campaigns waged against her in the Zambian press and the accusations that she had slept her way to the top. In her book 'Minding My Father's Country' she recounts how she managed to navigate the turbulence of Zambian political life from a young age.

"Even just getting the party to adopt me, to put my name on the ballot paper..was so difficult. I just felt I was being discriminated because I'm a woman."


During her two decades in politics, DR SILIYA headed six ministries. "I had some of the worst headlines that you've ever heard of. I remember people saying the reason she's always appointed minister is because she uses her 'back power'."


At one point, she was even arrested: "I was arrested purely because I made a very tough decision, which I thought was the right decision, supported by two presidents, Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda. We needed to sell a stake in the national telecoms because it was not doing well...Even when the final transaction was done, I wasn't there at all. It was one of the saddest periods of my time."


Since writing the book, DORA says, many women have told her how afraid they are of entering Zambian politics. "It's too much because instead of issues, people believe that it must be about you the person."


Zambia, she says, is becoming increasingly polarised along ethnic, tribal lines, and this she contends, couold be catastrophic for the country that has enjoyed more than 60 years of peace. "I think for the first time in my life this tribal tension is is real...whether it's the Tongas versus the Bembas, the Bembas and the Easterners...it is quite dangerous. If we are not careful, this is the first time we would have a civil war in this country."


Corruption is another of DORA's concerns: "Corruption is endemic in Zambia...it has become such a way of life that people expect to pay at the traffic stop, they expect to pay to get their passport on time, they expect to pay somebody at the hospital to get an appointment quickly.."


Minding My Father's Country by Dora Siliya, Reach Publishers


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1 month ago
38 minutes 44 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Africa is REALLY flourishing but measures happiness differently to the rest of the world

Several African countries score very well when tested for characteristics of flourishing, better even than the US, Sweden and the UK. They are Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Egypt.

But what exactly is flourishing? And how is it measured? Questions for Dr VICTOR COUNTED, Associate professor at Regent University in the US. His research has revealed the shortcomings of the current idea of well-being which are heavily based on western values. There is an emphasis on the individual - job satisfaction, wealth, status etc. REAL well-being however, he says, should include how you relate to the people around you, the context in which you live, how valued you feel by your community etc areas in which African countries tend to perform well. It's about more than GDP.


So how can these positive indices be used to enhance the view of African countries? Development goals, Dr COUNTED says, should be adapted to harness the positive attributes of African life and policies tailored to fit individual countries, working to their strengths.


Find out more about Dr Counted's work:


DR VICTOR COUNTED, THE HUMAN FLOURISHING PROGRAMME

www.vcounted.com



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1 month ago
31 minutes 46 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Zambia's President Denies Witchcraft and Being Part of a Secret Society

In this exclusive interview, President Hakainde Hichilema discusses his transition from businessman to the highest political office in Zambia. He reflects on his motivations for entering politics, saying it became clear to him that sound economic policies were vital to allow businesses to flourish, leading to job creation and better opportunities for the Zambian people.'We can't share poverty', he says. 'We can't redistribute nothing'. 


President Hichilema speaks of the challenges faced during his tenure, including the Covid pandemic and the worst drought in living memory. A year before the next presidential election, he outlines the strategies he has implemented for economic recovery and the achievements of his administration so far, which include bringing two million children back into education. He discusses his hopes for big increases in copper mining, backed by international investors, and his determination to boost the management and processing of Zambia's raw materials for added value.


The president explains how Zambia managed to reduce from 50% to 15% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration - and it didn't involve agreeing to take in people deported from the US. 


On the controversial issue of the burial of his predecessor, President Hichilema is adamant. The body of Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa, must be returned to Zambia against the wishes of his family. 'The larger family of 20 million Zambians have prescribed how the former president must be buried,' he says. He decries allegations that witchcraft is involved, saying that as a Christian he has never believed in witchcraft. 


Addressing claims that Zambia is moving towards authoritarianism, President Hichilema denies that the democratic space is shrinking. He says that unlike his predecessors, he hasn't shut down TV or radio stations and election candidates are free to travel anywhere in the country.

Finally, explaining why he can often be seen wearing white gloves, the president insists it's because of his belief in the importance of tradition, inherited from the British, rather than membership of any secret society.


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2 months ago
51 minutes 52 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Africa's Angry Millennials

We speak to Nigerian author NNAMDI CHIEKWU, a millenial who explains why he's angry and what he plans to do about it. Basically, Nnamdi says he is hugely disappointed with the generations who came before him who have left the African continent in such bad shape that he and his cohort need to lead 'a technocratic revolution' in order to revive its fortunes.


He's scathing of earlier generations: 'Why didn't they take up the fight? They didn't have the courage. They wanted to ...ingratiate themselves into a western-led world. They had no confidence...in what...an African-led world looked like.'


There's so much to do in a very short time. NNAMDI believes that Africa has a mere 5 years in which to turn itself around or face dire and irreversible consequences. 'We've reached our last chance as Africans, as civilisations. And that last chance is 2030' he says.


NNAMDI feels so strongly that he's written a book ' AFRICA ON THE PRECIPICE' in which he lays out his theory of Afro-hegemony - a time when Africa and its peoples will dominate global affairs. But in order to reach that state of greatness, Africa's sub-Saharan nations have to come together as one in a kind of loose federation, Nnamdi says.


'The first thing that needs to happen...is that what we call African countries and governments are really colonial constructions....they were never intended for African innovation, liberation let alone dominance....they have to be collapsed.'


NNAMDI puts the case for his generation: '..When we millennials look at the Africa we've inherited, we're saying, why are we listening to you? You people are lost. You don't have a direction. You don't have a plan for us. So we're going to take the power.'


In NNAMDI's plan of action, out goes the Africa Union (AU) and in would come the African Defence and Advancement Federation - 'a technocratic entity that is dedicated to the defence and advancement of Africans'.


NNAMDI acknowledges that the vast majority of Africans are more concerned with their daily struggles with poverty to buy into his plan, but, he believes, there's a 5% critical mass that is ready. His book, AFRICA ON THE PRECIPICE, is Nnamdi's blueprint.

'History is replete with civilisations that have disappeared...Native Americans, Aborigines, Afro Argentines...none of them know when their end was beginning.'


AFRICA ON THE PRECIPICE, by Nnamdi Chiekwu is available on Amazon. It's in audiobook form on Spotify.

Find out more about Nnamdi on his website: https://nnamdichiekwu.com











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4 months ago
30 minutes 40 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
South Africa's Karoo Meets Chelsea's Flower Show

A tiny slice of South Africa's semi-arid Karoo region was painstakingly recreated at this year's Chelsea Flower Show in London. It was the first time such an ambitious project had been undertaken to display the world-famous Karoo succulents at Chelsea's annual Festival of Flowers and Plants. I caught up with ERNST VAN JARSVELDT a master botanist who spent a lifetime nurturing these hardy plants and trees.


ERNST's passion for succulents is infectious; his knowledge is second to none. When he's not in London, ERNST is at the Babylonstoren Estate in South Africa's Franschhoek wine vally with its world-renowned botanical diversity.





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4 months ago
14 minutes 22 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Nigeria's President-in-Waiting? PETER OBI


PETER OBI believes he would have been Nigeria’s president now, were it not for widespread vote rigging at the last election in 2023. It’s a view shared by many of his fellow countrymen and women. In a wide-ranging interview with Africa Here And Now MR OBI confirms that he plans to run again in 2027 and believes that this time the outcome will be different.


He says he’s optimistic that people will vote for the best candidate and not cast their ballot on the basis of tribe or religion – accusing the current political elite of deliberately fuelling divisions. “Nigerians will see that we voted religion, we voted tribe, now let's vote competence, capacity,” he says. He feels people would rise up if there were further attempts to manipulate the vote, knowing that failure to do so would lead to more years of hunger, darkness and disappointment.


PETER OBI outlines what he would do differently if he were in charge, making education a priority to unleash Nigeria’s potential. He wants to see the country move from consumption to production, bemoaning the fact that 60% of Nigeria’s arable land is currently uncultivated. “We can make more money from agriculture than we can from oil,” he tells us.


The former governor of Anambra State – a devout Christian - says despite his personal wealth he has always believed in helping the less privileged in society: “I don’t look down on people unless I am going to pull them up.”


Looking east for inspiration, PETER OBI believe Nigeria could learn from the economic boom of recent decades in Asian countries including China, India and Vietnam. He expresses admiration for the former president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, as someone who made his country better. It’s an ambition he holds for his own country and one he hopes to have a chance to fulfil after the next presidential election in Nigeria.


We also find out a little about the man behind the politics. Donu asks him who his heroes are and what he is currently reading.


We discover that PETER OBI is not given to taking holidays. ‘Can you take a holiday when your house is burning?’ he asks. He likens the situation to the Titanic sinking while people on the upper decks were dancing!



Asking the questions with me was DONU KOGBARA, Abuja-based journalist and commentator. We chatted with PETER OBI in Abuja on June 11th 2025.


#PeterObi #NigeriaPolitics #2027Elections #GoodGovernance #NigerianGovernment #LeadershipInAfrica #NaijaPolitics #ObidientMovement #AfricanLeadership #ElectionTalks #NigeriaDevelopment


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4 months ago
47 minutes 11 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Does Africa Need Democracy?

Has the shine come off the idea of democracy in parts of Africa? The continent's latest crop of military leaders seem to be enjoying immense popularity, like Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traore. So are Africans prepared to live under the rule of soldiers. Or is there another way?


I speak to GILLES YABI, CEO and founder of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank in Dakar. And in Johannesburg, independent political analyst, MARISA LOURENCO. We explore what could be behind the recent spate of m ilitary takeovers in Guinea, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon and ask whether democratic forms of government have had their day on the continent.


Both GILLES and MARISA are keen to point out that Africa is not a monolith - each country has had its own distinct circumstances that have led to military coups.


Asked why these young coup leaders appear to be so popular, MARISA explains its because they represent a break with the status quo which had failed to deliver prosperity and security. GILLES makes the point that several of the countries that have experienced military coups are experiencing severe insurgencies often by violent Islamist groups.


We also consider whether the ruling parties that have come to power after waging an armed struggle for independence, particularly in southern Africa, have managed to transition into parties that uphold democratic values of rule of law, strong institutions and individual freedoms.


We are reminded that Afrobarometer polls regularly reveal that a majority of those surveyed are in favour




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4 months ago
35 minutes 54 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
The South African Diplomat Expelled by the U.S

Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool discusses the recent efforts to reset relations between South Africa and the United States. President Ramaphosa's recent visit to the White House was a success, the ambassador says. He reflects on the challenges faced during his tenure as ambassador, including the backlash from the Trump administration and the influence of powerful South African figures in the US. He does not regret the candid remarks he made about the state of US politics - remarks that got him expelled from the country.

We touch on the legacy of apartheid that continues to affect South African society today.


Ambassador Rasool reveals his own experience of living under apartheid. He first tasted teargas as a youngster in 1976 - politics is not a career choice in South Africa he says. He was imprisoned which was when he met Nelson Mandela for the first time, was placed under house arrest and suffered like all non-white South Africans under apartheid. His experiences shaped his views on supremacy and justice.


We also discuss the group of wealthy white South Africans who've come to be known as the Paypal Mafia and the influence they are having on U.S policy towards South Africa. How central is Elon Musk's Starlink satellite company to Pretoria's relationship with Washington? Abassador Rasool says that accepting Starlink is integral to Washington's dealing with African countries.










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5 months ago
25 minutes 27 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traore: What's True? What's False?

Why has Burkina Faso's military leader, IBRAHIM TRAORE, garnered such adulation? That's a question for the renowned investigative journalist, DAVID HUNDEYIN who replies that the young captain, he's just 37, symbolises s break from the status quo and offers hop to a youthful continent whose people yearn for a hero.

Who, or what, is behind the social media tsunami that surrounds CAPTAIN TRAORE? We consider whether the multitude of social media posts extolling his often other-worldly virtues are true or fake. Many of them clearly use images and sound fabricated by AI - like a Beyonce look-alike who weeps as she prays for the protection of her 'king'.

We wonder whether such fantastical excesses could actually undermine TRAORE. We also question why we hear so few Burkinabe voices on the matter.

DAVID Suggests the Burkinabe authorities would do well to take a firmer grip of their own narrative. Impressive claims are made about the rule of CAPTAIN TRAORE, like ending all taxation and undertaking extensive road building. But what about the security situation? Reports suggest that government control extends to just a third of the country. The rest, they say, is under the control of various Islamist groups with many people displaced from their villages.

What is needed, says PATRICK, is robust reporting by independent journalists from inside Burkina Faso to establish the facts. DAVID says objectivity in journalism does not exist - everyone has an interest, a bias.

And DONU raises the inherent dangers of a cult of personality.

DAVID suggests that there are limited benefits from democratic systems of government in Africa - economic freedom is what counts most.


MARTINE DENNIS is Founder and Host of Africa Here and Now

PATRICK SMITH is Editor of Africa Confidential

DONU KOGBARA is a journalist and commentator based in Nigeria

We were talking with DAVID HUNDEYIN, Editor of West Africa Weekly







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5 months ago
38 minutes 59 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Gaza, Should Africans Care?

TITLE: Gaza, Should Africans Care?

 Pro- Palestine Cornell Student Who Fled US Talks to Africa Here & Now




Tags:Africa, Palestine, Israel, activism, geopolitics, youth, solidarity, African Union, Arab League, liberation


 We explore Africa's historical support for the Palestinian cause with MOMODOU TAAL, the 31-year-old British Gambian graduate student who fled the US before he was deported for his pro-Gaza activism. We recall Nelson Mandela’s 1997 statement that South African freedom would be incomplete without that of the Palestinians and how the near universal solidarity on the continent for their cause has ebbed somewhat.


Why should a bright, young African jeopardise a first-class education at an elite university because of the suffering of Gazans? MOMODOU is clear: everybody should care about the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.


MOMODOU tells us about the protests on campus calling for the university to divest from companies that are involved in the destruction of Palestine and the lives of its people. His name is noted by the authorities, and he realises that he will become a target for deportation by the incoming Trump administration.


He is however, helped and supported by his lecturers and members of the faculty including many Jewish students. It is important MOMODOU says, not to conflate Zionism with the Jewish people against whom he has no grudge.


When his name appears on a list for deportation, MOMODOU he challenges the legality of executive orders – the tool of choice used by the White House. His legal action fails and MOMODOU decides to ‘self-deport’, to flee the United States before he is chucked out.


“I’ve not been accused of any violence, I’ve not been arrested. The government doesn’t say anything about me, my activity. It says that you created an uncomfortable environment for Jewish students….I find that quite strange because I never go to university thinking I have to be comfortable” he says.


We ask MOMODOU the fundamental question: why does he think black liberation is inextricably linked to the Palestinian cause? He refers back to Malcolm X and others and their opposition to colonialism. He says: I believe in a world that’s free for everybody. And given what we’ve seen in Palestine and Israel, I don’t think we can ignore what has taken place. I want to create a better world, a world built on justice and I can’t ignore what’s happening in Palestine given what I know has happened to my own ancestor and history.’


Momodou Taal hosts a podcast, The Malcolm Effect.


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6 months ago
26 minutes 45 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Uganda's Bobi Wine: Fighting for Democracy

I meet Bobi Wine as he visits London. He’s seeking support for his campaign to rid Uganda of what he calls the ‘ brutal rulership’ of President Yoweri Museveni who will have led the country for 40 years in 2026. That’s when Uganda is scheduled to hold its next presidential election.

 

Will Bobi run again? ‘Here I am,’ he says, ‘Not that I’m the Alpha and Omega, not that I’m the ultimate. But I’ve said I’m available if I’m required to lead …’

 

We look back at what happened at the last general election in 2021 which Bobi and his supporters say they won. ‘We defeated them, but the entire world watched as many of our campaign team was massacred….’

 

I ask him how does he keep going after all the beatings, the torture, the house arrest? He replies:

 

‘I’m in a better state than so many of my comrades in the struggle. They get locked up, they get beaten and nobody knows. When I get arrested the whole world knows….So I keep going by looking behind me. I get the least of the oppression and the most of the attention. But my friends that suffer in the dark are not complaining. They keep going”

 

What about your wife and 4 kids? Bobi says the whole family has agreed that although their activism is dangerous, it would be even more dangerous to give up.

 

What did the recent by-election in Kawempe North, which Bobi’s NUP won, tell him about how the general election is likely to be fought? There was well-publicised violence and claims of rigging.

2026 will be a protest vote, Bobi says: ‘We know that we will win the vote. But I’m not sure if we will win the count.’

 

Bobi reveals that he’s in talks with Dr Kizza Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change about the possibility of collaborating as well as with other political parties. Dr Besigye’s continued imprisonment, Bobi says, ‘is meant to intimidate all of us’.

 

I suggest to Bobi that his popular support could be limited to his own tribe, the Baganda. The majority, if not all, of the Buganda constituencies vote for Bobi. He disagrees ‘ we won in the far west and in parts of the north…my wife comes from Museveni’s tribe…my colleagues come from tribes scattered all over Uganda.’

 

Looking ahead to next year’s election, I ask Bobi what’s in his manifesto? What are the issues he’s running on? ‘Corruption is the cancer that’s eating us’ he replies.

 

We touch on one of the most controversial issues in Uganda today: human rights particularly as experienced by the LGBQT+ community. A much younger Bobi Wine as a musician had been associated with homophobic lyrics. Today, he has a more nuanced approach to the matter: ‘The west should stop looking at the LGBT rights as the only human rights, otherwise they will provoke Africans and people of the world to start imagining that there’s a hidden agenda. People get killed every day in Uganda and they should all have rights.”

 

We end our chat on a rather optimistic note.

 

“The future doesn’t have to hold anything for me as an individual. I look at this as all of us. The future is robust. The future is hopeful.’

 

#uganda#HEBobiWine#democracy#corruption#humanrights#africa


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6 months ago
30 minutes 29 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
What REALLY happened to Mugabe and could it happen again?

We look at recent events in Zimbabwe and the formation of the March 31 movement and ask how significant a threat it presents to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Dr BLESSING-MILES TENDI, a politics professor at Oxford University, is the author of The Overthrow of Robert Mugabe - Gender, Coups, and Diplomats. He takes us through the complex political landscape of Zimbabwe today as well as the historical context of the 2017 coup against Robert Mugabe.

Dr Tendi highlights the rifts between the elites within the ruling party, the role of the military, and the influence of the 'struggle generation' on current politics.

He is an expert on coups and Dr Tendi highlights the misconceptions surrounding coups and the challenges of succession planning in Zimbabwe.

We consider the international responses to the coup, and how Zimbabweans felt about the aftermath.

Dr Tendi emphasises the importance of understanding the past when considering the future dynamic of civilian and military authorities.

*We ask when is a coup not a coup? Find out why the international community was reluctant to classify the events of 2017 as a coup.

*How far did Mugabe's iconic status as a liberating figure influence the way he was handled by the generals?

  • Has President Mnangagwa coup-proofed his administration?
  • Have the tensions within the military been resolved?


Just some of the questions we grapple with in this episode of Africa Here and Now


The Overthrow of Robert Mugabe - Gender, Coups and Diplomats by Blessing-Miles Tendi



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7 months ago
37 minutes 53 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Trump's Golden Opportunity to Africa with Thebe Ikalafeng


Marketing guru THEBE IKALAFENG reflects on the current tensions in US-South African relations and suggests that by stopping US aid, President Trump is presenting the continent with a golden opportunity. It's time, Thebe says, for African countries to leverage their resources better and understand their value. The end of western aid should lead to new economic strategies and add urgency to the implementation of measures like the AfCFTA - the agreement that seeks to open borders on the continent and thereby facilitate intra-African trade.

Home-grown African brands exist, but Thebe's research as the continent's leading branding authority, has found that there's room for them to improve their reach both in Africa and beyond.

As ever, Thebe says, much depends on the quality of African leadership to take full advantage of this moment. As western aid budgets are slashed, Thebe is optimistic that there will be a new emphasis on self-reliance on the continent. There's evidence of this, he says, already and he believes that mood will spread. The end of aid certainly does not spell the end of Africa, says Africa's top marketer.

#Thebeikalafeng #africa#amplifyafrica#


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7 months ago
31 minutes 12 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Muhammad Ali's Boxing Grandson Carrying the Family Legacy

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of the legendary Muhammad Ali, shares his journey into boxing, the emotional connection with his grandfather, and the challenges he faces in the sport. He discusses the legacy of the Ali family, the expectations placed upon him and how his faith influences him.


Nico talks openly about the dangers of boxing and details a severe injury he sustained that took months to recover from. He speaks of his determination to become a world champion.


It was Muhammad Ali, himself struggling with Parkinson's disease who encouraged the young Nico to pursue a professional career in boxing. Ali found it hard to speak so he communicated with his young grandson by squeezing his hand. Nico says he doesn't try to emulate his grandfather's style in the ring - but he appreciates Ali's skills and talent.


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7 months ago
24 minutes 22 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
When Soldiers Came for My Grandpa, Haile Selassie

In this EXCLUSIVE interview with the last emperor of Ethiopia's favourite grandson, we learn the detail of HAILE SELASSIE's overthrow by the military in 1974.


When the soldiers came , PRINCE BE'EDE MARIAM, who lived in the imperial palace, volunteered to stay with his grandpa so he wouldn't be alone. Other members of the family left the country.The teenaged prince paid dearly for that act of loyalty: he was imprisoned for 15 years.


PRINCE BE'EDE tells us how the emperor did not resist the soldiers. He went with them ' for the good of the country'.


The coup leader, MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM, was not among the soldiers who came to the palace, we are told. But MENGISTU was very respectful of the emperor, right up until HAILE SELASSIE's murder.


PRINCE BE'EDE tells us about life with his grandfather - how the emperor was a stickler for discipline and punctuality. The Prince was tutored in the art of debate from an early age and every night Haile Selassie himself would serve the young Prince milk and honey before bed.


Is PRINCE BE'EDE bitter about the loss of so much of his young life? 'Hatred for me is like a virus,' he replies, ' it attacks yourself rather than anybody else.'













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8 months ago
26 minutes 27 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Trump Says America First, We Should Say Africa First


Amidst the global disruption being wreaked by the Trump administration, a new man takes the helm of the African Union. Expectations are high as the continent faces a complex mix of challenges: an increase in the number of conflicts, the damaging impact of climate change, growing poverty and inequality and the shift in global power dynamics.


Djiboutian MAHMOUD ALI YOUSSOUF has an overflowing in-tray. We discuss the challenges with the AU's former envoy to Washington, Dr ARIKANA CHIHOMBORI. Anyone who's heard Ambassador Chihombori knows that she doesn't mince her words. And she certainly doesn't hold back as she give us her assessment of what the African Union chairman faces in 2025.


  • She recommends an inventory of what lies BEHIND the problems faced by the continent, the root causes.
  • Ambassador Chihombori blames many of the continent's conflicts on the activities of western multinationals
  • She applauds President Trump's decision to withdraw overseas aid, saying that most of it goes to fund the lavish lifestyles of a few African elites
  • Dr Chihombori showers with praise the juntas of the Sahel for ridding themselves of French neo-colonial influence
  • DONU KOGBARA pushes back and suggests that Africans are perfectly capable of instigating senseless violence themselves without outside influence
  • What would Ambassador Chihombori do if she were head of the AU? She would counter western-inspired narratives by creating a truly pan-African media to arms Africans with facts and the truth.


Thank goodness for Africa Here and Now - the conversation you've always wanted to have about the continent!




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8 months ago
35 minutes 7 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Zambia's Lost Football Heroes

We go back to 1993 when the plane carrying Zambia’s national football team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gabon. Zambia is the only country in the world to have lost its national football team in a plane crash.


Journalist and author JAY MWEMBA has detailed the events surrounding the tragedy in his book ‘The Crash of the Buffalo’. Former Nigerian Super Eagle, EFAN EKOKU joined us as we explored  with JAY the profound impact  the disaster had on the nation.


EFAN highlighted the team’s talent – it was considered the finest in Zambia’s history. The Buffalo military plane had a history of problems, Jay tells us how some of the players were concerned.

Economic hardships forced the team to use military transport instead of commercial flights.


The crash led to national depression and grief that lasted for years. Zambia’s football fortunes have struggled since the tragedy – but victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 was seen as a tribute to the lost team. The final was played in Libreville, the Gabonese capital, not far from the site where the ill-fated team perished. JAY’s book devotes a chapter to

'The Ghosts of Libreville’.


The tragedy united the country in grief and anger, highlighting the importance of football to the nation.


Order your copy of Jay Mwamba’s book ‘Crash of the Buffalo’ from info@pitchpublishing.co.uk



#fazfootball#zambiafootball#africa#afl_africa#african_football#supereaglesnigeria#africa#amplifyafica


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9 months ago
28 minutes 6 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
Nigeria's Freedom Fighter

Prominent Nigerian political activist and lawyer, an arch advocate of human rights and good governance, DELE FAROTIMI, speaks to Africa Here and Now about his experience of being imprisoned because he accused a powerful senior lawyer of corruption.

 

 

The allegation is that in his latest book, DELE FAROTIMI, defames a senior legal luminary AFE BABALOLA by accusing him of subverting justice in a case heard by the Supreme Court.

 

Out on bail after three weeks of imprisonment, DELE says Nigeria’s criminal justice system is rotten from top to toe. He bemoans the absence of the rule of law in the country and says he was imprisoned without legal due process.

 

DELE’s claims about the system of justice in today’s Nigeria are explosive and have led to the authorities trying to ban his book, sales of which have skyrocketed since his arrest.

 

DELE’s case gained unprecedented support from ordinary Nigerians who voiced their outrage at his detention. This, he says, is what sustains his activism and the hope that a new Nigeria is still possible.

 

#nigeria#delefarotimi

@DeleFarotimi

@afebaba_chamber

@DONUKOGBARA


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9 months ago
23 minutes 29 seconds

Africa Here and NOW
The conversation you've always wanted to have about Africa.Combining in-depth knowledge with exclusive analysis of events and trends affecting the continent. Our team has vast experience in Africa and has an extensive network of contacts from Cape Town to Cairo and from Addis to Accra, which will help us provide fresh commentary presented with wit and style.We believe there is a growing demand for accurate, incisive information about Africa and we are dedicated to asking the questions that matter and offering, at least, some of the answers.

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