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NL Nigerian presidential elections postponed
On the 16th of February general elections were supposed to occur in Nigeria. The last time elections were held was in 2015, where voters could choose between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. People hoped this election would bring a new start. This year, Nigerian voters are choosing between the sitting president Buhari (76) and a new candidate, Atiku Abubakar (72). Both are known for being corrupt. The majority of voters in Nigeria do not feel represented by these men, especially the younger part of the population. On top of that, Nigerians never even got a chance to vote this past weekend: the elections were postponed. How did Africa's largest democracy end up here?
Blogs from Tunisia 3: Reform needed in Tunisia: but how?
FMS researcher Anne is in Tunisia to talk about migration. Why do people want to migrate? How do they see their future? And how can irregular migration be prevented? Read her newest story here!
Blogs from Tunisia 2: Protesting in Tunisia
FMS researcher Anne is in Tunisia to talk about migration. Why do people want to migrate? How do they see their future? And how can irregular migration be prevented? Read her newest story here!
Zimbabwe after Mugabe: new president Mnangagwa does not bring promised change
In the past few weeks multiple protests have sparked in the South African country Zimbabwe, bringing a lot of violence and resulting in arrests. The direct cause for these protest was the rise of fuel prices by 150 percent. This meant that petrol now costs 3.31 US dollars per litre, the highest fuel price in the world. The bigger picture shows a general unrest in the country, where corruption and poverty are still very present. When President Robert Mugabe resigned under pressure of his party, the people were very happy. However, the new president Emmerson Mnangagwa has not brought the changes people hoped for.
Blogs from Tunisia 1: On my way to... Tunisia
After spending four weeks in Accra, Ghana, it's time for my next field trip. I'm going to Tunisia! Will there be a big difference with Ghana when discussing migration? Or do both countries have a relatively similar perspectives on migration? This, I want to find out in the coming month.
A project of connection
Interview with Amsterdam-Ethiopian journalist Kibret Mekonnen
We had coffee with journalist and documentary filmmaker Kibret Mekonnen, one of the workshop organisers of Africa Day 2019. Twenty years ago, he came from Ethiopia to the Netherlands. The conditions for practising journalism there had become unbearable. "A week before leaving for the Netherlands, I was still in prison," Kibret tells us in his office in Amsterdam.
Volunteers wanted for Africa Day 2019!
On 13 April, Africa Day 2019 will take place at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. As every year, there will be an extensive cultural programme and visitors will engage directly with politicians, professionals and each other in dozens of political debates, workshops and lectures. To top it off, the day will end with the "Africa at Night" afterparty. To make this day another great success, we need the help of enthusiastic volunteers. Every year, around a hundred volunteers help out. We will deploy you on different tasks, where you will always get a lot of the atmosphere of this day.
Outcome Congolese elections claimed to be false: Kabila still in control?
On the 10th of January opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi was announced winner of the Congolese presidential elections. After an extensive ruling period by President Kabila (since 2001), the election of an opposition leader could be a step in the right direction for the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, Martin Fayulu, a second opposition candidate, claims the elections were rigged and that he is the true winner. Several pieces of evidence support his claim. A year ago, Foundation Max van der Stoel talked about this subject during the political café on the (non)sense of elections in Congo. Here we discussed that the result of new democratic elections could be the first peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1960.
Save the date: Africa Day 2019, 13 April @ KIT Amsterdam!
Preparations for Africa Day 2019 are once again in full swing! With migration as the main theme and a great line-up of interesting speakers (more later!), it promises to be another smashing edition.
We sincerely hope you will attend this edition! Ticket sales will start on Friday 1 March.
Would you and your organisation like to contribute to Africa Day 2019, for example by giving a workshop or providing a stand? Then email before 31 January to: info@afrikadag.nl.
See you on 13 April!
Expert meeting on migration at the IISH
On Wednesday 19 December, we organised an expert meeting on migration at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, as part of the African Perspectives study, to include the perspectives of young people in Africa in the discussion on migration. Why do they want to migrate, or why not? Present were around 20 experts on migration, from different organisations. They gave input on the research our researcher Anne conducted in Ghana. It was a very useful and instructive afternoon, and the input will certainly be used in the rest of the research. We thank all participants for their contribution, and the IISH for their hospitality!
