The ‘Residual, Awkward Thing Called Global International Terrorism’: Examining Soft Power Use in Muslim Africa at GWU

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al-Shabab, Albany Associates, Boko Haram, George Washington University, Mali, Robert Fry, Simon Haselock, Somalia, Todd Haskell, William Youmans

This morning I attended a discussion on ‘Soft Power in Countering Extremism from the Horn of Africa to the Western Sahel.’  The talk (I left before Q&A) was sponsored by George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication.  It featured two elderly representatives from Albany Associates, a London-based firm that is ‘about trying to communicate in different environments’ and where it ‘sort of helps’ to be an ex-Royal Marine (in the words of its Chair, Sir Robert Fry).  Oddly, as you see above, Albany was also a co-sponsor of the event.

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Brookings on Conflicts in Africa: Nigeria, Somalia, and Central African Republic

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Amadou Sy, Boko Haram, Central Africa Republic, ethnic cleansing Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, John Campbell, Mali, MEND, Nigeria, Somalia, Vanda Felbab-Brown

From L: the Moderator, Sy, Campbell, Felbab-Brown

Yesterday I popped in for about half of a session at the Brookings Institution on ‘The State of Conflict and Prospects for Peace in Africa.’  Panelists included Vanda Felbab-Brown and Amadou Sy of the Brookings Institution and Amb. John Campbell of the Council on Foreign Relations.  The panelists focused on sources of instability in Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria.  The moderator was also slated to speak briefly on the Democratic Republic of the Congo but I left in advance of his remarks.  Mali was not on the agenda, showing how much things can change in a year.

SAIS Tackles Urbanization in Abuja

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Abuja, Africa land tenure, Boko Haram, Carl Levan, FEDUP, Jos, Josiah Olubowale, Nigeria, SAIS, Trinidad

Sitting from L: Olubowale and LeVan

Yesterday I popped in for the first hour of a 90 minute discussion at SAIS titled “I Am Here Until Development Comes*: Displacement, Demolitions and Property Rights in Urbanizing Abuja” with Carl Levan of American University and Josiah Olubowale, a Nigerian and soon to be graduate of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad.

I have never been to Nigeria and know nothing about property rights, so I was very much out of my element here.  I do not believe that I was completely alone in this regard. 

African Society of Georgetown: Uniting Africa for a Promising Future

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Action Africa, African Women Cancer Awareness Association, Aisha Audu, Asratie Teferra, Boko Haram, Books for Africa, Georgetown, Ify Nwabukwu, Jackson Mvunganyi, Kogi State, Nigeria, Rwanda

I stumbled out of bed early on Saturday morning to head over to the annual pan-African conference of the African Society of Georgetown, a 2 day event with a heavy flavor of local DC representation.  I didn’t make the Friday evenings events, but they seem to have had more of a distinct Georgetown flavor with faculty and students moderating several breakout discussion sessions.

The keynote speaker was Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the US, I’ll aim to have a separate post on her remarks up Monday.

Wole Soyinka at Howard University: In Praise of Rwanda’s Kagame and in Defiance of Gambia’s Jammeh, Or Tearing a New one for African Leaders

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Abdoulaye Wade, Boko Haram, Congo, Gambia, Howard University, Laurent Gbagbo, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, Wole Soyinka, Yahya jammeh

At Howard University last evening (only my second time there for an event), Wole Soyinka ostensibly spoke on the theme of ‘Rwanda: Paradigm for a Continent.’  The scene was set by a call and response between the Howard administrator presiding over the event and the predominantly student audience, something that was a far cry from the staid environment at events at the New England liberal arts school I attended.

The Nigerian Wole Soyinka, one of the continent’s undisputed intellectual giants gave an extremely hard hitting talk, which was as much about Gambia being a blight on Africa’s image than Rwanda being its savior.  Keep reading for Soyinka’s thoughts and why his handling of a Q&A made me lose all respect for him, after a pretty good set of prepared remarks.

‘We Deserve More Kudos for Effort’: Nigeria’s Speaker of the House at SAIS

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Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Bamanga Tukur, Boko Haram, Damaturu, Femi Gbaja Biamila, Maiduguri, Nigeria electricity, Nigerian Politics, Paul Lubeck, PDP Split, Peter Lewis, Sokoto

The Speaker Sandwiched Between SAIS Nigeria Experts Drs. Lubeck & Lewis

Fall is descending upon us, which means that area schools are back in session and the number of Africanist events is increasing (I’m planning to attend my first ever event at Howard, organized by the energetic Winslow Robertson, this Thursday on a Sino – Africa theme). Today, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representative (he represents the northern Sokoto State) and a member of the governing People’s Democratic Party (to which he defected in 2007 I believe) spoke on “Regional Security Challenges and Nigeria’s Future”.  He was accompanied by several other lawmakers who answered their fair share of questions as well (anyone know why they were in town?).