In Observance of Black History Month: A Comment on De Facto Segregation

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de facto segregation, George Washington University, Howard University Africa, Jim Crow in DC, Mali, South Africa

I previously blogged about the segregation of Africana entertainment events in DC, with whites tending to go to more mainstream venues in northern Virginia and downtown DC to hear ‘traditional’ African music, while those of African origins go to venues in NE and Maryland to hear a different set of tunes.  With the increasing lip service to globalization and emphasis that many non-Africans in DC place on exploring African cultural products, I find this lingering division to be disturbing.

A Conversation with Charles Mangongera, Visiting NED Democracy Fellow, on Governance and Activism in Zimbabwe

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Angola, Charles Mangongera, Equatorial Guinea, Mass Public Opinion Institute, MDC, military rule in Africa, Mutoko, National Endowment for Democracy, political science, Robert Mugabe, Tete, University of Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe elections

I recently had the pleasure to hear National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Reagan-Fascell Fellow Charles Mangongera, Director of Policy and Research for Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, speak masterfully at NED on the role of the military in the country’s political sphere.  Dedicated readers may know that I have a particular interest in Zimbabwe and recall an earlier Africa in DC interview of another Zimbabwean activist.

Doyen of Sino-African Affairs in DC: Winslow Robertson’s Journey of Scholarship, Romance, and Life in China and West Africa

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Australia, Chinese Immigrants in Africa, Chinese in Africa, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia Rubber, New York TImes, Niamey, Nigeria, Sino - Africa DC, Syracuse, The Corporate Council on Africa, The Economist, Winslow Robertson, Xu Jianxue

Podcaster, Hip-Hop Dancer, and Sino – Africanist: Winslow Robertson

I recently sat down for my first (and long overdue) leisurely chat with Winslow Robertson, an amazing guy who I have been promising to profile for some time. Winslow is based in northern Virginia and is the founding father of Sino-Africa DC (SADC), a networking group for local Sino-Africanists.  The archives of the SADC newsletter can be found here.  Winslow is also a podcaster and recently wrapped up an internship at The Corporate Council on Africa.  Over a conversation of several hours, I had the pleasure of learning about the genesis of his interest in Sino – African affairs, his thoughts on U.S. perceptions of Chinese engagement in Africa, and other more interesting tidbits, such as how he met his wife and I discovered that we share close academic and geographic ties as well as shopping habits (Jos A. Banks suits).

Mozambique’s Opposition had DC Allies During the Cold War, but Maputo is Forgotten Amidst Current Conflict

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Central African Republic, Cold War, FRELIMO, Heritage Foundation, Invisible Children, Joseph Kony, MDM, Mozambique, Mozambique Presidential election, RENAMO, Zimbabwe

At the beginning of the year I noted that the DC policy community may come to regret the lack of focus on the situation in the Central African Republic following the forced departure of the incumbent President (and I reiterated those concerns a few months later).  I still find it strange that in a situation where the media portrays a Muslim minority taking control of a Christian majority nation via force and where Hezbollah is alleged to have some sort of presence, DC Africa watchers are not taking greater notice of this situation.  It is particularly odd that the Joseph Kony crusaders (like Invisible Children and Enough) are not being more visible during this conflict in light of claims that CAR’s President is negotiating for his surrender.  However, outsourcing diplomacy on this issue to France should help the US taxpayer.

Another situation marked by a distinct lack of interest in DC securocrat circles, though not as grave as that in the CAR, is the deteriorating security and political situation in Mozambique.  In October, RENAMO repudiated the 1992 Rome Peace Accord that ended the country’s long running civil war.  In recent months, RENAMO has launched attacks on civilians and government installations, resulting in numerous fatalities.  RENAMO is based very close to the Zimbabwean border and these actions have brought strong warnings from Harare, although as far as I can tell there has not been significant regional concern (and what of Zim following the July elections?).

Amidst this surge in violence, municipal elections were recently held.  Although the ruling FRELIMO party continues to dominate the political scene, the MDM, a breakaway faction of RENAMO, now governs three of Mozambique’s four largest cities.  In the 1980s, Cold War politics led to RENAMO opening an office within the conservative DC think tank, the Heritage Foundation.  Presidential elections for Mozambique are less than a year away.  Although I recognize that history has moved on from Cold War intrigues, I am very surprised that the DC Africa scene has not exhibited a greater interest in these tensions, particularly in light of Mozambique’s enhanced economic fortunes as of late.

Afrobeats in DC: White Folks Fearing, Black Folks Segregating

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Africa, Afrobeats, Angelique Kidjo, black people, Cultural exchange, Fulbright, Howard Theatre, Howard University, Lisner Auditorium, Nigerian Music, P-Square, Peace Corps, white people

Google ‘Peace Corps Camel’

Washington DC is full of idealistic former Peace Corps volunteers, Fulbright grantees, and other assorted aid workers and international travelers (often white people) who delight in living vicariously by traveling to various African destinations.  They occasionally sample the local cuisine, but can even more reliably be found ensconced in the local dress or viewing the local animals.  Typically, their stated aim is to live like a local or to at least better understand them by getting to know their culture.  Consequently, having now attended several concerts of major African superstars in the DMV, I find it exceedingly odd that I see none of those people at these shows.

My Favorite African Candy Bar (and Personal Musings of South Africa in Africa)

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Accra mall, Devex, Lesley Anne Warner, Nando's, Osu, Peace Corps, Sahel, Shoprite in Accra, South Africa in Africa, South Africa in Ghana, Steers, Tex candy bar

I really enjoy reading Lesley Anne Warner’s travel vignettes (a fellow DC-based Africanist blogger), so with that inspiration in mind, I’ll try to increasingly focus on a few personal musings – particularly before the DC think tank scene gears back up for action after Labor day.  Yesterday’s post on my time in the Sahel can be seen as the opening salvo in that direction.

For today, I’ll provide a link to my favorite African candy bar.  It apparently dates back to 1956.  The increasing spread of South Africa’s commercial presence throughout the continent, something that has been very visible to me in the 8 years that I have been traveling to Africa fascinates me, particularly as the first African country I visited was South Africa – a mark that I share with many Americans.  I have discussed this briefly in posts on the Central African Republic and Nigeria.  On a related note, in my inbox today from Devex is a link to a piece on South Africa’s emergence as a donor of aid.

Leaving the Peace Corps in 2010, I traveled overland from the Sahel to Ghana.  It was my second visit and I was in awe of the many changes that had transpired in four years.  Particularly notable was the opening of an indoor shopping mall in Accra (complete with a very expensive cinema).  It was anchored by the South African grocer Shoprite, and had several other retailers based in South Africa as well.  Even at the time of my first visit to Ghana in 2006, South African fast food restaurants such as Nando’s (chicken) and Steers (hamburgers) were operating in Accra.  Bread from Baker’s Inn could even be found on a Liberia Refugee camp outside of the city.  However, the most pleasing change was that in 2010 (unlike 2006), I was able to find my favorite African candy bar in Accra.