THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Sep

07

2024

Steve Biko, the South African struggle hero who was prepared to sacrifice his life for black liberation

WHAT happens when death becomes the ultimate marker of one’s commitment to one’s freedom? Jacob Dlamini explores this and other questions in his new book, Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa. This edited extract, from the chapter Dead and Proud, focuses on Steve Biko’s attitude to martyrdom and to the political uses of death (30). Steve Biko’s death on 12 September 1977 generated arguably the most significant hagiography and iconography to come out of the struggle against apartheid. Artist Paul Stopforth was among the first to respond critically to the murder, producing a collection titled the Biko Series.…

Sep

04

2024

By BHASO NDZENDZE

China reaps most of the benefits of its relationship with Africa: what’s behind the imbalance

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing takes place under the theme of “Joining hands to advance modernisation and build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future”. But how shared can that future be between the Asian economic giant and Africa? The eight summits since 2000 have not resulted in mutual gain, particularly in trade and industrialisation for Africa. China has reaped most of the benefits. The fault lies with Africa’s lack of a strategy for engagement with China. I am a scholar of international relations and have researched Africa-China relations over several years. The China-Africa cooperation forum…

Aug

31

2024

By MICHAEL ONYEBUCHI EZE

Rick Turner and Steve Biko were leading liberation thinkers in 1970s South Africa – why their ideas still matter

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, EDITORS CHOICE

STEVE Biko was undoubtedly the most influential South African liberation struggle theorist and activist of the 1970s. Rick Turner was arguably among the most effectual white anti-apartheid activists of the era. Biko espoused black consciousness while Turner was a Marxist philosopher. Biko (30) was murdered by apartheid police in 1977. Turner (36) was shot dead by an apartheid assassin in 1978. Their ideas continue to resonate. Political scientist and philosopher Michael Onyebuchi Eze sets out, in a chapter of a new book, Rick Turner’s Politics as the Art of the Impossible, how the two men’s philosophies mirrored and critiqued each…

Aug

30

2024

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

The SA government seeks to deepen partnerships with businesses to build a conducive environment for investment, growth and job creation

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DEEPENING the partnership between government and business is essential to the growth of our economy and the progress of our country. By its very nature, a Government of National Unity (GNU) brings together viewpoints and ideological and political positions that may at times be at variance with each other. However, as the parties to the Government of National Unity, we have been able to achieve broad consensus on the most pressing issues facing our country. We are clear that our most critical task now is to build an inclusive economy that generates sustainable growth, creates jobs and eradicates poverty. We…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Birth of a Guerrilla Fighter: Richard “Barney” Molokoane

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

RICHARD “Barney” Molokoane will forever be remembered for his exceptional bravery, his total dedication to the cause of freedom and the revolution On 27 August 1957, Richard Lekgotla Molokoane was born in Tladi, Soweto. Molokoane became politically active during the student uprisings of 1976. Like many of his contemporaries, Richard “Barney” Molokoane, joined the African National Congress (ANC) and the glorious People’s Army Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), where he belonged to the June 16 Detachment. Proud of his role as a fighter for freedom, Molokoane was scrupulously faithful to the ideals of the ANC and MK. He was a very…

Aug

28

2024

By STIG JARLE HANSEN

Al-Shabaab is 18 years old: six factors behind the Somali militant group’s resilience

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE United Nations Security Council unanimously voted on 15 August 2024 to extend the mandate of the 12,626 men and women of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis). The African mission has been stationed in Somalia for the past 17 years to support the government’s battle against the homegrown terrorist group al-Shabaab. Despite recent government successes, fighting continues in Somalia. Why has al-Shabaab proved such a hard nut to crack? It’s 18 years since the militant group Harakat al-Shabaab, as al-Shabaab refers to itself, rose out of the disintegrating Somali state. It emerged in 2006 from an existing…

Aug

24

2024

By JONATHAN BELOFF

Rwanda: Paul Kagame’s fourth term as president – what his agenda will need to cover

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PAUL Kagame started his fourth term as Rwanda’s president in August 2024. He first became president in April 2000. However, as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, he has been the country’s de facto head since his rebel forces ended the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Rwanda that Kagame now leads is significantly different from the one he took over in 2000. While economic challenges continue, the nation is largely more socially and politically stable and secure. Rwanda still has a long way to go in its public-sector-led development – the country has set out to become a…

Aug

23

2024

By STEPHEN MUTIE

Jomo Kenyatta, father of the nation? Kenya’s first president built up a myth which masked his faults

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KENYA’S legacy as a state is deeply intertwined with Jomo Kenyatta’s influence on the nation. Kenya’s founding president died on 22 August 1978 in his sleep at State House, Mombasa. Kenyatta is generally typecast as the “father of the nation”, guiding the newly independent Kenya onto the path of independence and development. It is an image he carefully crafted. Jomo Kenyatta was a writer. His body of work includes two historical books, a fable, essays and a semi-autobiography. In these works, he employed literary strategies to construct an identity and build mystique around his administration. He created the image of…

Aug

22

2024

By OLAYINKA AJALA

Russian flags waved during Nigeria protests: why it’s a cause for concern

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria from 1 August to 10 August took a rather unexpected dimension when some protesters in Kano and Kaduna states, both in the country’s northwest region, were seen waving and sharing Russian flags on the streets. In reaction, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu met with the country’s security chiefs and the police made a number of arrests. The Russian embassy in Abuja denied any meddling in Nigeria’s internal affairs. The concern is that Nigeria’s northern region shares a poorly policed 1,497km border with Niger Republic, where a pro-Russia military junta currently holds sway. The Conversation Africa asked…

Aug

20

2024

By YOSRA HAMID MOHAMMED ADAM

Host families are sheltering millions of Sudanese – but we need more support

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Yosra Hamid Mohammed Adam WHEN I was growing up, my father had a building in our house that was just for guests. It taught me something valuable: that it is very normal for Sudanese people to host, feed, and support others; that solidarity is a central part of our cultural heritage. Many years later, my country is at war and I am now a host. From a humble house in the eastern town of Kassala, I am supporting 12 displaced people, all of them family members uprooted by the fighting…