Mali Matters: A Brief Analysis

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Amadou Sanogo, Amadou Toumani Touré, Bridges Institute, Mali, Mali aid, Mali coup, Mali election, Mali Watch, Vivian Derryck

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything about Mali, the African flavor du jour in DC policy circles.  A recent piece by Vivian Derryck of the Bridges Institute, Mali Matters, gives me an excuse to return to the country. [Incidentally, the piece appears in the Africa blog of the Wilson Center, which I recently reviewed.]

In the piece, Derryck discusses her efforts to establish a Mali Watch uniting DC civil society groups to monitor developments in Mali (you can read an incredibly brief synopsis of the Watch on the Institute’s website).  While the piece is quite well written for the most part (I was particularly pleased to see her plea for the need to acknowledge Tuareg grievances), there are two points on which I would like to raise my customary quibbles (in the vain hope that my quibbles will one day influence some important people).

Paul Theroux on Mugabe’s Longevity, Angola’s Xenophobia, African Urbanization, and the Demise of the Bookstore

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Agostinho Neto, Amnesty International, Angola xenophobia, Cape Town Urbanization, Lubango, Malawi, Paul Theroux, Paul Theroux Peace Corps, Politics and Prose, Robert Mugabe, The Last Train to Zona Verde

While I believe I have only read one of Paul Theroux’s books, the travelogue Dark Star Safari, his political activism as a Peace Corps volunteer (which ultimately got him expelled from Malawi) has fascinated me.  Theroux made an appearance at Politics and Prose yesterday, to promote his new book The Last Train to Zona Verde (which appears to focus on South Africa, Namibia, and Angola but draws from a trip that went as far north as Nigeria as I understand it).

Africa +, America +: My Legacy of being Irked by Robert Hormats

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Africa Act of 2013, AGOA, Bingu wa Mutharika, Doing Business in Africa, Robert Hormats, South Africa gateway to Africa, World Economic Forum

I will take the opportunity today to pick on Robert Hormats, the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.  While I recall hearing him delivering incredibly uninspiring remarks in person about two years ago (a colleague of mine said he sounded like a ‘political hack’), I want to focus today on his recent comments at the World Economic Forum in Pretoria, South Africa, which I find more irksome than uninspiring.

It’s Official: Obama to Africa This Summer

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Barack Obama Africa trip, Obama Africa trip, Obama Kenya snub, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania

The press statement from the White House is below.  If Obama is serious about strengthening democratic institutions in Africa, it would be nice to see a shift in the dialogue on countries like Burkina Faso, Uganda, Congo, Gabon, Chad, and Mauritania.

I wonder if Kenya would be on this list, had Raila Odinga won the recent Presidential election.

One should note that all three of the countries Obama is venturing to were covered in earlier Presidential visits by George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Travel to Africa

President Obama and the First Lady look forward to traveling to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania from June 26 – July 3.  The President will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders.
 
The President will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues.  The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity.

My Take on Events this Week at USIP (Kenya) and the Carnegie Endowment (Sahel)

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Carnegie Endowment, ICC, Kenya's elections, Sahel crisis, Uhuru Kenyatta, USAID Kenya, USIP

There are two events coming up this week that I would like to comment on.

The first, this Tuesday at the United States Institute of Peace, asks “Why Were Kenya’s 2013 Elections Peaceful?  I’ll admit to generally sharing the frustrations that many expressed in regards to the constant predictions of violence in the run up to the election.

I covered several events on the Kenyan elections for Africa in DC.  I predicted that

Iyanya DC Tour Diary Video

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African Music DC, Afrobeats, Iyanya

About a month ago I posted about the Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Iyanya, who performed at the University of Maryland and made an appearance at Aqua Lounge in DC.

An official YouTube video diary of the night is now available (they seem to have been done for each stop).  I’ve been hearing a lot from State Department officials lately about the need to reach out to African diaspora youth in the US.

Becoming familiar with acts like Iyanaya might be a good starting point.  As you’ll see from the video, he has quite a following in the area.