Studying Africa in the Contemporary World
1. Re-presenting Africa and Challenging Stereotypes:
• The presentation opens with a quote from Chinua Achebe, advocating for viewing
Africa "quite simply as a continent of people – not angels, but not rudimentary souls
either – just people, often highly gifted people and often strikingly successful in their
enterprise with life and society." This immediately sets a tone to counter prevalent
negative portrayals.
• It highlights common problematic representations of Africa in popular culture, NGO
campaigns, and political discourse (e.g., Tony Blair's "Africa as 'a scar on the
conscience of the world'").
• The challenge is to recognise and move beyond these distortions.
2. Understanding the Historical Context:
• The slideshow stresses the importance of historical context to understand
contemporary Africa.
• Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: This period, where millions of Africans were forcibly
taken to the Americas and Europe, is presented as a foundational historical event
with long-lasting impacts.
• Colonialism: The arbitrary drawing of borders by European powers, as exemplified
by Lord Salisbury's quote in 1884, is presented as a key aspect of colonial legacy.
This process disregarded existing African societies and laid the groundwork for
many contemporary challenges.
• Independence Movements: The rise of leaders like Julius Nyerere, Kwame
Nkrumah, and Nelson Mandela, who spearheaded movements for self-
determination, marks a crucial period of transition from colonial rule to independent
states.
3. Exploring Africa's Diversity:
• The presentation explicitly addresses the vast geographical and cultural diversity of
the continent.
• It challenges the "Mercator Projection" map, which distorts the true size of Africa,
making it appear smaller than it is in relation to other landmasses (e.g., Africa is
larger than China, India, the contiguous U.S., and much of Europe combined). This
visual re-representation aims to correct common misperceptions about the
continent's scale.
• It lists all 55 Member States of the African Union, underscoring the political and
national diversity of the continent.
• Country-Specific Examples: The list of African Union member states (e.g., Algeria,
Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia) explicitly demonstrates the
vast number of independent nations, each with its unique characteristics.
4. Africa within the Global Context:
• The course aims to examine Africa not in isolation but within its global connections,
acknowledging the continent's interconnectedness with the rest of the world.
Gender and Feminism in Africa
• Pre-Colonial Gender Fluidity and Women's Power: Before European colonialism,
gender in Africa is argued to have functioned differently than it does today. There's
a strong argument that certain powerful social positions were not exclusively
reserved for men, and gender identities were more fluid. Niara Sudarkasa highlights
that in pre-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding highly Islamised societies,
women held significant roles as queen-mothers, queen-sisters, princesses, chiefs,
, and even supreme monarchs. African women were also very active in the economic
life, participating in farming, trade, and craft production. Examples like the
matrilineal system in some West African societies, where ancestry, status, and
property are traced through the female line (e.g., Asante and Sherbro), demonstrate
this pre-colonial context. The existence of "intersex marriage" in over 50 pre-
colonial African societies, where individuals like the "mudoko dako" of northern
Uganda were treated as women and could marry men, further suggests a more fluid
understanding of gender identity. The ungendered nature of some African
languages, such as Swahili, where verbs do not differentiate between "he" and
"she," also supports this idea.
• Impact of European Colonialism on Gender: European colonisers introduced a
binary understanding of gender based on biological sex, which was reinforced by
the spread of Christianity and Islam. Colonial administrations often codified these
binary gender understandings into law.
• Gender in Contemporary Africa: Despite historical fluidity, contemporary Africa faces
challenges regarding gender equality. There's a noted disparity in representation,
with fewer women in higher positions of power. Gender inequality often begins
within the home. Transgender and non-binary people in many African countries face
discriminatory legislation and violence, with Human Rights Watch describing Africa
as "tough territory" for them. Some scholars, like Sylvia Tamale, believe that
homophobia and transphobia are "un-African" in light of pre-colonial practices.
• African Feminisms: Western feminism, particularly in the 1980s, was criticised for
failing to address diversity and for stereotyping women in the global South. This led
to the emergence of feminisms that incorporated African experiences and cultural
norms.
◦ Emphasis on Motherhood and Family: Many African women and women's
groups have rejected aspects of Western feminist thinking, particularly
regarding its perceived rejection of traditional values like the importance of
family and children.
◦ Collectivist Values: African feminisms often emphasise collectivist values, in
contrast to what is sometimes seen as the anti-male or individualistic nature
of Western feminism. Concepts like "power-sharing, complementarity,
accommodation, compromise, negotiation, and inclusiveness" are
considered foundational to African Feminism.
◦ Diversity within African Feminisms: There's a wide spectrum of African
feminisms. While some have adopted homophobic stances or remain silent
on sexual preference issues, others actively challenge "traditional" African
culture and promote liberal views on gender identity and sexual preference.
There are also radical and confrontational African feminist movements.
◦ Contrasting Examples (Senegal):
◦ Yewwu Yewwi (founded 1984): This group is characterised as
"radical feminist activism," aiming to fundamentally transform
society by addressing patriarchy and the subordination of
women to capitalism.
▪ Siggil Jigeen (founded 1998): This organisation focuses on
"mobilising without troubling the status quo," emphasising
Senegalese values over individualistic Western ones. Their focus
is on fundamental needs like education, food, economic
autonomy, and reproductive rights, rather than LGBTQIA+ rights
or sexual liberation.
• Intersectionality: The concept of intersectionality, as explained by Kimberlé
Crenshaw, is presented as a powerful tool for analysis, even when gender is not the
, primary focus. Gender itself is understood as a complex interplay of cultural norms,
historical formations, family influence, psychic realities, desires, and wishes, being
both socially constructed and influenced by individual agency.
Law and Human Rights
The Judicialization of Politics Thesis:
• This core idea suggests that political conflicts are increasingly being fought in the
legal arena. This trend is often traced back to the end of the Cold War in the late
1980s and is observed globally, not just in Africa.
• John and Jean Comaroff are strong proponents of this thesis in the African context.
They argue that conflicts previously addressed through parliaments, street protests,
media campaigns, or labor strikes are now more frequently ending up in the
judiciary. This includes class struggles transforming into class actions, and various
groups becoming "legal persons" as their grievances are channeled into legal
complaints. Citizens, governments, and corporations are increasingly engaging in
litigation, often at the intersection of tort law, human rights law, and criminal law.
• Evidence of Judicialization:
◦ Appeals to the law are occurring at all societal levels.
◦ Both contemporary and historical political issues are being litigated.
◦ Governments are actively employing "lawfare" (strategic use of legal
systems).
◦ Over 36 new constitutions have been adopted in Africa since 1989,
shifting power emphasis to the rule of law and the primacy of rights.
◦ There are now 44 National Human Rights Commissions (or similar
bodies) in Africa, compared to only one in 1989.
◦ New courts are being established, and the jurisdiction of existing courts is
expanding.
• Examples in Africa: The Supreme Court in Kenya annulled a presidential
election due to irregularities. In South Africa, courts have held politicians
accountable for corruption, as seen with Jacob Zuma's legal battles. Other
examples include presidential term limit rulings in Uganda, electoral disputes
in Nigeria, and the sacking of a Vice President in Sierra Leone.
• African Courts and Tribunals: Numerous regional and international courts
and tribunals exist in Africa, including the African Union Court on Human and
Peoples' Rights, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda.
Pervasiveness of "Rights Talk":
• The increasing judicialization and prevalence of "rights talks" are driven by global
intellectual currents and the crucial role of intermediaries.
• Role of Intermediaries: Intermediaries are vital in translating global ideas into local
contexts and re-translating local issues into global frameworks. These actors, such
as national political elites, human rights lawyers, feminist activists, social workers,
and academics, help foster a local rights consciousness among grassroots people
and raise awareness of local issues among global activists.
• Strategies of Employing the Law: The law can be used pragmatically
(instrumentally), discursively (invoking legal language), and performitively (using
legal spaces for resistance).
• Examples from Namibia: Cases like Daniel Digashu and Anita Seiler-Lilles
fighting for immigration rights, Philip Luhl and Guillermo Delgado seeking
Namibian citizenship for their children born via surrogacy, and Friedel Dausab
1. Re-presenting Africa and Challenging Stereotypes:
• The presentation opens with a quote from Chinua Achebe, advocating for viewing
Africa "quite simply as a continent of people – not angels, but not rudimentary souls
either – just people, often highly gifted people and often strikingly successful in their
enterprise with life and society." This immediately sets a tone to counter prevalent
negative portrayals.
• It highlights common problematic representations of Africa in popular culture, NGO
campaigns, and political discourse (e.g., Tony Blair's "Africa as 'a scar on the
conscience of the world'").
• The challenge is to recognise and move beyond these distortions.
2. Understanding the Historical Context:
• The slideshow stresses the importance of historical context to understand
contemporary Africa.
• Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: This period, where millions of Africans were forcibly
taken to the Americas and Europe, is presented as a foundational historical event
with long-lasting impacts.
• Colonialism: The arbitrary drawing of borders by European powers, as exemplified
by Lord Salisbury's quote in 1884, is presented as a key aspect of colonial legacy.
This process disregarded existing African societies and laid the groundwork for
many contemporary challenges.
• Independence Movements: The rise of leaders like Julius Nyerere, Kwame
Nkrumah, and Nelson Mandela, who spearheaded movements for self-
determination, marks a crucial period of transition from colonial rule to independent
states.
3. Exploring Africa's Diversity:
• The presentation explicitly addresses the vast geographical and cultural diversity of
the continent.
• It challenges the "Mercator Projection" map, which distorts the true size of Africa,
making it appear smaller than it is in relation to other landmasses (e.g., Africa is
larger than China, India, the contiguous U.S., and much of Europe combined). This
visual re-representation aims to correct common misperceptions about the
continent's scale.
• It lists all 55 Member States of the African Union, underscoring the political and
national diversity of the continent.
• Country-Specific Examples: The list of African Union member states (e.g., Algeria,
Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia) explicitly demonstrates the
vast number of independent nations, each with its unique characteristics.
4. Africa within the Global Context:
• The course aims to examine Africa not in isolation but within its global connections,
acknowledging the continent's interconnectedness with the rest of the world.
Gender and Feminism in Africa
• Pre-Colonial Gender Fluidity and Women's Power: Before European colonialism,
gender in Africa is argued to have functioned differently than it does today. There's
a strong argument that certain powerful social positions were not exclusively
reserved for men, and gender identities were more fluid. Niara Sudarkasa highlights
that in pre-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding highly Islamised societies,
women held significant roles as queen-mothers, queen-sisters, princesses, chiefs,
, and even supreme monarchs. African women were also very active in the economic
life, participating in farming, trade, and craft production. Examples like the
matrilineal system in some West African societies, where ancestry, status, and
property are traced through the female line (e.g., Asante and Sherbro), demonstrate
this pre-colonial context. The existence of "intersex marriage" in over 50 pre-
colonial African societies, where individuals like the "mudoko dako" of northern
Uganda were treated as women and could marry men, further suggests a more fluid
understanding of gender identity. The ungendered nature of some African
languages, such as Swahili, where verbs do not differentiate between "he" and
"she," also supports this idea.
• Impact of European Colonialism on Gender: European colonisers introduced a
binary understanding of gender based on biological sex, which was reinforced by
the spread of Christianity and Islam. Colonial administrations often codified these
binary gender understandings into law.
• Gender in Contemporary Africa: Despite historical fluidity, contemporary Africa faces
challenges regarding gender equality. There's a noted disparity in representation,
with fewer women in higher positions of power. Gender inequality often begins
within the home. Transgender and non-binary people in many African countries face
discriminatory legislation and violence, with Human Rights Watch describing Africa
as "tough territory" for them. Some scholars, like Sylvia Tamale, believe that
homophobia and transphobia are "un-African" in light of pre-colonial practices.
• African Feminisms: Western feminism, particularly in the 1980s, was criticised for
failing to address diversity and for stereotyping women in the global South. This led
to the emergence of feminisms that incorporated African experiences and cultural
norms.
◦ Emphasis on Motherhood and Family: Many African women and women's
groups have rejected aspects of Western feminist thinking, particularly
regarding its perceived rejection of traditional values like the importance of
family and children.
◦ Collectivist Values: African feminisms often emphasise collectivist values, in
contrast to what is sometimes seen as the anti-male or individualistic nature
of Western feminism. Concepts like "power-sharing, complementarity,
accommodation, compromise, negotiation, and inclusiveness" are
considered foundational to African Feminism.
◦ Diversity within African Feminisms: There's a wide spectrum of African
feminisms. While some have adopted homophobic stances or remain silent
on sexual preference issues, others actively challenge "traditional" African
culture and promote liberal views on gender identity and sexual preference.
There are also radical and confrontational African feminist movements.
◦ Contrasting Examples (Senegal):
◦ Yewwu Yewwi (founded 1984): This group is characterised as
"radical feminist activism," aiming to fundamentally transform
society by addressing patriarchy and the subordination of
women to capitalism.
▪ Siggil Jigeen (founded 1998): This organisation focuses on
"mobilising without troubling the status quo," emphasising
Senegalese values over individualistic Western ones. Their focus
is on fundamental needs like education, food, economic
autonomy, and reproductive rights, rather than LGBTQIA+ rights
or sexual liberation.
• Intersectionality: The concept of intersectionality, as explained by Kimberlé
Crenshaw, is presented as a powerful tool for analysis, even when gender is not the
, primary focus. Gender itself is understood as a complex interplay of cultural norms,
historical formations, family influence, psychic realities, desires, and wishes, being
both socially constructed and influenced by individual agency.
Law and Human Rights
The Judicialization of Politics Thesis:
• This core idea suggests that political conflicts are increasingly being fought in the
legal arena. This trend is often traced back to the end of the Cold War in the late
1980s and is observed globally, not just in Africa.
• John and Jean Comaroff are strong proponents of this thesis in the African context.
They argue that conflicts previously addressed through parliaments, street protests,
media campaigns, or labor strikes are now more frequently ending up in the
judiciary. This includes class struggles transforming into class actions, and various
groups becoming "legal persons" as their grievances are channeled into legal
complaints. Citizens, governments, and corporations are increasingly engaging in
litigation, often at the intersection of tort law, human rights law, and criminal law.
• Evidence of Judicialization:
◦ Appeals to the law are occurring at all societal levels.
◦ Both contemporary and historical political issues are being litigated.
◦ Governments are actively employing "lawfare" (strategic use of legal
systems).
◦ Over 36 new constitutions have been adopted in Africa since 1989,
shifting power emphasis to the rule of law and the primacy of rights.
◦ There are now 44 National Human Rights Commissions (or similar
bodies) in Africa, compared to only one in 1989.
◦ New courts are being established, and the jurisdiction of existing courts is
expanding.
• Examples in Africa: The Supreme Court in Kenya annulled a presidential
election due to irregularities. In South Africa, courts have held politicians
accountable for corruption, as seen with Jacob Zuma's legal battles. Other
examples include presidential term limit rulings in Uganda, electoral disputes
in Nigeria, and the sacking of a Vice President in Sierra Leone.
• African Courts and Tribunals: Numerous regional and international courts
and tribunals exist in Africa, including the African Union Court on Human and
Peoples' Rights, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda.
Pervasiveness of "Rights Talk":
• The increasing judicialization and prevalence of "rights talks" are driven by global
intellectual currents and the crucial role of intermediaries.
• Role of Intermediaries: Intermediaries are vital in translating global ideas into local
contexts and re-translating local issues into global frameworks. These actors, such
as national political elites, human rights lawyers, feminist activists, social workers,
and academics, help foster a local rights consciousness among grassroots people
and raise awareness of local issues among global activists.
• Strategies of Employing the Law: The law can be used pragmatically
(instrumentally), discursively (invoking legal language), and performitively (using
legal spaces for resistance).
• Examples from Namibia: Cases like Daniel Digashu and Anita Seiler-Lilles
fighting for immigration rights, Philip Luhl and Guillermo Delgado seeking
Namibian citizenship for their children born via surrogacy, and Friedel Dausab
