A wave of youth and student-led protests have swept across the African continent the last year; from Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Senegal, Togo and Comoros. At the same time, the state of civic space is deteriorating globally and the same is true for many African countries. Student activists and other human rights defenders who try to hold their governments accountable and demand that human rights are respected, face huge risks. In many African countries we are also seeing a proliferation of restrictive legislation used to stifle fundamental freedoms.
This trend is not something new. Students have always been one of the first to take to the streets when justice, equality and human rights are on the line. In response, students and academia are common targets for authoritarian leaders. According to SAIHs Activism under Attack 2024, student activists across the globe see delegitimization, social pressure and university lawfare as the biggest barriers to doing activism, in addition to more brutal forms of repression.
So what does student activism on the African continent look like? What types of repression are young human rights defenders facing? Why are we seeing so many protests in African countries now? Some are predicting an "African spring" with protests spilling over to neighboring countries. Is this likely? What are African activists risking while trying to better the situation in their countries? How is civil society pushing back against autocratic regimes and can activists in different countries learn from each other? Which role can Norwegian civil society and the government play? And what is the way forward?
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A wave of youth and student-led protests have swept across the African continent the last year; from Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Senegal, Togo and Comoros. At the same time, the state of civic space is deteriorating globally and the same is true for many African countries. Student activists and other human rights defenders who try to hold their governments accountable and demand that human rights are respected, face huge risks. In many African countries we are also seeing a proliferation of restrictive legislation used to stifle fundamental freedoms.
This trend is not something new. Students have always been one of the first to take to the streets when justice, equality and human rights are on the line. In response, students and academia are common targets for authoritarian leaders. According to SAIHs Activism under Attack 2024, student activists across the globe see delegitimization, social pressure and university lawfare as the biggest barriers to doing activism, in addition to more brutal forms of repression.
So what does student activism on the African continent look like? What types of repression are young human rights defenders facing? Why are we seeing so many protests in African countries now? Some are predicting an "African spring" with protests spilling over to neighboring countries. Is this likely? What are African activists risking while trying to better the situation in their countries? How is civil society pushing back against autocratic regimes and can activists in different countries learn from each other? Which role can Norwegian civil society and the government play? And what is the way forward?
Afrika Nå - vindkraft vs. menneskerettigheter: kontroversene på Fosen og okkuperte Vest-Sahara
Afrika Nå
1 hour 10 minutes 16 seconds
2 years ago
Afrika Nå - vindkraft vs. menneskerettigheter: kontroversene på Fosen og okkuperte Vest-Sahara
I oktober fant Høyesterett at Europas største landbaserte vindkraftverk var satt opp ulovlig på vinterbeitene til den sørsamiske reindrifta på Fosen, i strid med Norges internasjonale forpliktelser ovenfor urfolk. Norske Statkraft og Trønder Energi eier 60% av prosjektet.
I okkuperte Vest-Sahara bygger marokkanske myndigheter vindmøller i strid med folkeretten. Oljefondets investeringer i selskapene bak infrastrukturen er større enn hele det norske bistandsbudsjettet.
Kan vi la det grønne skiftet gå på bekostning av menneskerettigheter og folkerett?
Afrika Nå
A wave of youth and student-led protests have swept across the African continent the last year; from Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Senegal, Togo and Comoros. At the same time, the state of civic space is deteriorating globally and the same is true for many African countries. Student activists and other human rights defenders who try to hold their governments accountable and demand that human rights are respected, face huge risks. In many African countries we are also seeing a proliferation of restrictive legislation used to stifle fundamental freedoms.
This trend is not something new. Students have always been one of the first to take to the streets when justice, equality and human rights are on the line. In response, students and academia are common targets for authoritarian leaders. According to SAIHs Activism under Attack 2024, student activists across the globe see delegitimization, social pressure and university lawfare as the biggest barriers to doing activism, in addition to more brutal forms of repression.
So what does student activism on the African continent look like? What types of repression are young human rights defenders facing? Why are we seeing so many protests in African countries now? Some are predicting an "African spring" with protests spilling over to neighboring countries. Is this likely? What are African activists risking while trying to better the situation in their countries? How is civil society pushing back against autocratic regimes and can activists in different countries learn from each other? Which role can Norwegian civil society and the government play? And what is the way forward?
