Ufahamu Africa
Kim Yi Dionne and Rachel Beatty Riedl
Ufahamu Africa is a podcast about life and politics on the African continent, co-hosted by Kim Yi Dionne, professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside, and Rachel Beatty Riedl, professor of government at Cornell University. Each Saturday, a new episode highlights what is happening in the news, followed by an interview with a diverse thinker or innovator who is deeply ingrained in the life, culture, and politics of the continent.
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Top 10 Ufahamu Africa Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Ufahamu Africa episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Ufahamu Africa for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Ufahamu Africa episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/10/21 • 44 min
We've got another deep dive episode this week, featuring a conversation between Kim and Rachel on COVID-19 vaccines, global distribution, and the difference between equality and equity.They also take us through some of the top news stories of the week, including ongoing talks about a hydroelectric dam on the Nile River in Egypt, the election in Djibouti, and more.
Books, Links, & Articles
- Bargaining for Women’s Rights: Activism in an Aspiring Muslim Democracy by Alice Kang
- “The Man Who Helped Make Ordinary Africans’ Voices Heard” by David Pilling
- “West Africans Welcome Strong Government Action against COVID-19. But Many Still Don’t Trust Their Government.” by Aminatou Seydou
- “Egypt, Ethiopia Tensions Escalate as Nile Dam Talks Falter” by Amira El-Fekki and Jared Malsin
- “Starving Tigray: How Armed Conflict and Mass Atrocities Have Destroyed an Ethiopian Region’s Economy and Food System and Are Threatening Famine”
- “How Far Will the Ethiopian-Eritrean Alliance Go?” by Lynsey Chutel
- “The Conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region: What to Know” by Michelle Gavin
- “Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Will Lead to the Biggest Reduction in Deaths”
- “‘We Are Not Guinea Pigs’: The Effects of Negative News on Vaccine Compliance” by Belinda Archibong and Francis Annan
- “The Legacy of Colonial Medicine in Central Africa” by Sara Lowes and Eduardo Montero
- “COVAX: Working for Global Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines”
Previous Episodes We Mentioned
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
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04/13/24 • 61 min
Today we have an extremely timely French-language episode on Senegal and the newly elected president, which is hosted by one of our non-resident fellows, Expédit Ologou. He talks with Mamadou Seck, who is the regional manager of the Natural Resource Governance Institute for Francophone West Africa and Central Africa, and is based in Dakar. Seck's work oversees research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Senegal.
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
03/19/22 • 58 min
This week, Rachel interviews Mai Hassan, an associate professor in political science at the University of Michigan. Hassan's research focuses on the state, autocracy, and regime change.
In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about the digitization of Mali's prized manuscripts ("Mali Magic"), the French exit from Mali, and what's going on in the war in Ukraine.
Books, Links & Articles
- Regime Threats and State Solutions: Bureaucratic Loyalty and Embeddedness in Kenya by Mai Hassan
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Arabic) by J.K. Rowling
- Review by Foreign Affairs. Regime Threats and State Solutions: Bureaucratic Loyalty and Embeddedness in Kenya Reviewed by Nicolas van de Walle
- Africa Brief Newsletter Foreign Policy Newsletter
- Episode 1.13- Manipulating Personnel for Power with Mai Hassan Scope Conditions Podcast
- Mali Magic
- Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa, The Block Museum of Art
- GHANA’S FAKE NEWS ECOSYSTEM: An Overview
- "The Smithsonian’s Plan to Return the Benin Bronzes Comes After Years of Relationship Building" by Alicia Ault
- What to make of the French exit from Mali? By Oumar Ba and Ousmane Diallo
- "My Escape from Ukraine." The Continent. Bisola Ehi Ogolowa’s Eyewitness Account
- "Mai Hassan Receive the 2021 Robert A. Dahl Award"
Previous Episodes We Mentioned
- Ep. 131: A conversation with Yang-Yang Zhou of the Scope Conditions Podcast
- Ep. 64. A conversation with Hannah Armstrong on politics in Algeria, the Sahel, illicit trafficking and borders
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
10/17/20 • 40 min
Presidential elections are happening in multiple African countries, where we're seeing constitutional changes that allow presidents to seek third terms. Kim and Rachel also talk about the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Nigeria, the politics of education access, and a new report on migration in Africa. This week's interview features Lina Benabdallah—an expert on China-Africa relations—and the links between China and Africa (plus, her new book!).
Books, Links, & Articles
- Shaping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa Relations by Lina Benabdallah
- A Sensational Encounter with High Socialist China by Paul G. Pickowicz
- "With Elections Ahead, Some African President Try Engineering Results" by Ruth Maclean
- "Africa Reacts to the First Presidential Debate and Trump's Case of COVID-19" by CSIS Africa
- "#EndSARSNow Is Just the Beginning of Police Reform in Nigeria" by Bulama Bukarti
- "Bid to Rein in Police's Rogue SARS Unit Falls Flat—Again" by Tolu Olasoji
- "Nigeria is Fighting Its Own Battle against Police Brutality" by Tolu Olasoji and Leah Feiger
- "The Politics of Education Access in Tanzania" by James Habyarimana and Ken Opalo
- "Africa Migration Report: Challenging the Narrative"
- "How to Talk about COVID-19 in Africa" by Nanjala Nyabola
- When I Say Africa (Documentary)
- "Why We Made a Film about Images That Cast Africans Only as Victims" by Cassandra Herrman and Kathryn Mathers
- "The West is Obsessed with "Saving" Africa. Is That the Problem?" by Adam Taylor
Previous Episodes We Mentioned
- Ep. 4: A conversation with Lina Benabdallah on China and Africa
- Ep. 93: A conversation with Kim Yi Dionne and Ken Opalo about the politics and policy of the COVID-19 pandemic and more
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Ep. 182: Mandela Fellows Sandile Mnikati, Lindah Chavuya, Eunice Shapange, and Matshidiso Lencoasa on Public Policy
Ufahamu Africa
11/11/23 • 77 min
Sandile Mnikati, Lindah Mbaisi Chavuya, Eunice Ndeyapo Shapange, and Matshidiso Lencoasa are experts on public policy, planning, and governance from across the continent. We spoke with them about their visions for just governance while they were at Cornell University this summer completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI).
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Ep. 78: A conversation with Kathleen Klaus on land and politics in East Africa and beyond
Ufahamu Africa
11/02/19 • 32 min
We start this week's newswrap talking about Russian interference in African elections using Facebook, Rose Mutiso's TED talk about energy poverty in Africa, identification card politics in northeastern Nigeria, and more.
Our guest this week is Kathleen Klaus (@KathleenKlaus), an assistant professor of politics at the University of San Francisco. Her book, Political Violence in Kenya: Land, Elections, and Claim-Making, is in production at Cambridge University Press, expected to be published in 2020. Kathleen’s award-winning research has focused on land rights and political violence and Ufahamu Africa listeners may remember that she was our guest in Episode 28, helping us to understand the then recently announced decision by the Kenyan Supreme Court to nullify the 2017 presidential elections. Rachel sat down with Kathleen when she was at Cornell University earlier this month presenting some of her new research on refugee settlement and the politics of land in Uganda. Their conversation begins at 13:11.
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
06/12/21 • 65 min
Joining us this week is friend of the show, Zachariah Mampilly! He speaks with Kim about researching and teaching African politics, as well as his Program on African Social Research (PASR) which supports junior African scholars as they work to publish in academic journals
In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel talk about the Islamic State in Mozambique, news from Nigeria, and political updates in Côte d'Ivoire.
Books, Links, & Articles
- Rebel Rulers: Insurgent Governance and Civilian Life during War by Zachariah Cherian Mampilly
- Africa Uprising: Popular Protest and Political Change by Adam Branch and Zachariah Cherian Mampilly
- Rebel Governance in Civil War edited by: Ana Arjona, Nelson Kasfir, and Zachariah Cherian Mampilly
- Peacemaking: From Practice to Theory edited by Susan Allen Nan, Zachariah Cherian Mampilly, and Andrea Bartoli
- From Pews to Politics: Religious Sermons and Political Participation in Africa by Gwyneth H. McClendon and Rachel Beatty Riedl
- Neither Settler Nor Native by Mahmood Mamdani
- The Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu
- "Islamic State in Libya: From Force to Farce?" by Inga Kristina Trauthig
- "Militant Group in Egypt Vows Loyalty to ISIS" by David D. Kirkpatrick
- "Nigeria's Boko Haram pledges allegiance to Islamic State"
- "Islamic State puts the Sahel in West Africa – for now" by Robert Postings
- "The Islamic State in Congo"
- "Nigeria suspends Twitter after the social media platform freezes president’s account" by Danielle Paquette
- "VPN Demand Surges Around the World"
- "Germany acknowledged colonial atroc
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
01/21/23 • 9 min
In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Dan Eizenga tells us that The Islamic State in Africa "offers a wealth of information, contributing a great deal to the scholarly body of work focused on militant Islamist groups in Africa." The book was reviewed by Eizenga in July 2022.
Review read by Ami Tamakloe.
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Ep. 100: A conversation with Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations (French)
Ufahamu Africa
11/21/20 • 52 min
Happy #100EpisodesOfUfahamu! For our 100th episode, Rachel interviews Siba Grovogui about race and racism in international relations. You can listen to the interview in English or French! Kim and Rachel talk about Zambia's COVID response, a crisis in Ethiopia, and the passing of Jerry Rawlings. We also announce our Ufahamu Africa essay competition. Submit a one-page essay reflecting on a topic of your choice within the broad scope of life and politics in African politics to win some podcast swag or a chance to read your essay on a future episode.
Books, Links, & Articles
Insurgent Fragmentation in the Horn of Africa: Rebellion and its Discontents by Michael Woldemariam
Democracy in Ghana: Everyday Politics in Urban Africa by Jeffrey Paller
Francis Bacon: The New Organon
"Come to Africa: A Hermeneutics of Race in International Theory" by Siba N. Grovogui
"In Zambia, COVID-19 Has Claimed Democracy, Not Human Life" by Sishuwa Sishuwa
"As Africa Groans under Debt, It Casts Wary Eye at China" by Joe Parkinson, James Areddy, and Nicholas Bariyo
"COVID’s Next Economic Crisis: Developing-Nation Debt" by
Avantika Chilkoti and Gabriele Steinhauser
"Urgent Support Needed To Help Ethiopian Refugees Reaching Sudan" from UNHCR
"Ethiopia, Led by a Nobel Peace Winner, Is Looking Down the Barrel of Civil War" by Yohannes Woldemariam
"U.S.-China Competition May Be a Win-Win for Africa" by Naunihal Singh, Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny, and E. Gyimah-Boadi
"Ethiopia: East Africa’s Emerging Giant" by Claire Felter
Previous Episodes We Mentioned
Ep. 48: A conversation with Michael Woldemariam on the political shakeup in the horn of Africa
Ep. 65: A conversation with Jeffrey Paller on urban politics,
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Ep. 197: Nisrin Elamin on the Conflict in Sudan (rerun)
Ufahamu Africa
04/20/24 • 58 min
It’s never too late to pay attention to what is happening in Sudan. The international community should be supporting everyday people’s needs as they navigate this humanitarian disaster and should also be supporting a way forward out of the war.
We're re-upping our conversation with Nisrin Elamin about the conflict in Sudan. Elamin is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto. Her work investigates the connections between land, race, belonging, and empire-making in Sudan and the broader Sahel region.
We also bring updates on the news we're paying attention to this week, including an announcement about a new Center for Global Democracy at Cornell University, which will be led by our cohost Rachel Beatty Riedl as inaugural director!
Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Ufahamu Africa have?
Ufahamu Africa currently has 264 episodes available.
What topics does Ufahamu Africa cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Political Science, Podcasts, Education, Africa, Academic, Politics and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Ufahamu Africa?
The episode title 'Ep. 112: A conversation between Kim and Rachel about COVID-19 vaccines' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Ufahamu Africa?
The average episode length on Ufahamu Africa is 35 minutes.
How often are episodes of Ufahamu Africa released?
Episodes of Ufahamu Africa are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Ufahamu Africa?
The first episode of Ufahamu Africa was released on Jan 7, 2017.
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