Sub-Saharan Africa
We are the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF Africa), an independent German organisation that is committed to promoting liberal policy and politics around the world in the form of human rights, the rule of law, democracy, innovation, digitalisation and free trade.
We have been active in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1964. We organise campaigns, media events, seminars, workshops, study tours, cultural happenings and training courses. We have activities in many countries in the region such as Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
News
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Politics in Senegal: The Sonko factor - Rule of Law must prevail
Senegal, West-Africa’s model democracy, is slowly finding its calm again after fierce protests erupted in the capital Dakar for two days on March 4th and 5th. A violent mob roamed the streets, looted supermarkets and clashed with security forces. Such scenes of vandalism and civil disobedience had not been seen in easy going Dakar for many years. More than ten people died in these protest that had also affected major cities in the interior.
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Africa: trade, democracy or both?
The 20th OECD international economic forum on Africa, which takes place today, is a propitious occasion to assess Africa’s current position, politically, economically and - of course - in terms of COVID-19. Cecilia Kok analyzes the main topics that will be key for this years conference. The pandemic, the Chinese influence over Africa and the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade area will dominate the forum this year.
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East Africa needs a liberal restart to protect and promote civil liberties
The past year has been hard for East Africans. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the health and economies of our nations. As the threat of further waves persist and international travel, tourism and business remains largely on hold, things will continue to be difficult. We face a long road ahead in navigating a path to economic recovery and a challenging vaccine roll-out.
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Uganda’s election violence cycle worsens as Bobi Wine’s Opposition puts Museveni on his toes
Thursday, January 14, Ugandans will elect a “new president” and members of parliament.
It will be a contest of numbers, even before the first ballot is cast in a bid to determine who between National Unity Platform candidate Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi and incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of National Resistance Movement (NRM) will lead Uganda. -
Cry, the beloved country – South Africa’s shambolic vaccination situation
The second wave of the Corona pandemic has hit South Africa with full force. But the government has no plan for procuring vaccines, nor for distributing them. Mass vaccination requires months of preparation, the establishment of complex control systems, and the strategic deployment of resources. None of this necessary preparation has yet taken place. Because of the South African government's failure, an unprecedented health crisis looms, analyzes Cecelia Kok.
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Ethiopia Stands on the Cusp of Civil War
Ethiopia is facing a humanitarian crisis after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the country’s federal government fell out. In the past two weeks, hundreds of people from Tigray have been killed and over 30,000 people forced to flee their homes to the neighbouring Sudan. Sudan has now closed its borders, only letting in refugees, which puts Ethiopian citizens that wanted to flee due to the fighting that escalated in November in more trouble ...
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Property Rights Indispensable to Brighter Future for Women in Africa
Women in Africa remain excluded from the benefits of property ownership, and this must receive the attention of African policy makers and society at large. This is the message from a new study by the Institute of Race Relations entitled Property Rights Belong to All: Women and Property Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa. The institute is releasing it to coincide with the beginning of 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children.
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South Africa's Dark Past and Present with Judge Edwin Cameron
In this very first episode, we start our journey in South Africa. We interview the well renowned South African lawyer and retired judge from South Africa’s Constitutional Court, Judge Edwin Cameron, who is in conversation with Nangamso Kwinana of the Africa Liberal Network. Judge Cameron gives us deep insights into South Africa's dark past and discusses the current human rights problems.
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The Two Key Audiences I Live For: Women and ‘Deviant’ Groups
A few months later, I joined African Women and Child Feature Services as an intern. One of my assignments was to cover the World Social Forum which took place at the beginning of 2007. The fact that Kenya was hosting the World Social Forum was something of a big deal, a historic moment. While it was generally quite interesting, the two most memorable sessions for me, which I ended up writing about, were the session at the women’s rights tent and the LGBTQ tent.
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Ethiopia Stands on the Cusp of Civil War
Ethiopia is facing a humanitarian crisis after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the country’s federal government fell out. In the past two weeks, hundreds of people from Tigray have been killed and over 30,000 people forced to flee their homes to the neighbouring Sudan. Sudan has now closed its borders, only letting in refugees, which puts Ethiopian citizens that wanted to flee due to the fighting that escalated in November in more trouble and dire need of humanitarian.
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The Danger of Living with Albinism in a Highly Superstitious Society
While he speaks openly about his condition, he is clearly still very distressed by the circumstances in which he lost his elder brother, Enoch Lugadiru, almost exactly five years ago. Enoch died after an attack in the dark of night. Nixon is certain it was carried out by human traffickers who ascribe “special powers” to the organs of people with albinism and aim to profit from harvesting their body parts.
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How Zimbabwe Normalised the "bucket-a-day” Life
Water in its basic form is a human right and a means to all forms of life. Its uses have enabled inventions, and sustained life on earth. When its supply is abundant, mankind will tend to waste it away. But what if there wasn’t enough for household or commercial use, how would a country develop? In July of 2010 the United Nations recognised the right to water for every human being, citing in part “The Assembly recognised the right of every human being to have ...
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Abortion in Senegal: The Dilemma of Single Women
"A friend told me about a clinic that performs medical abortions clandestinely but in good conditions. However, they gave me an estimate that exceeds my annual salary and Matar does not want to contribute. He threatens to denounce me if I kill his child. Nevertheless, he does not want to marry me to hide my condition before the pregnancy is visible.
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Disinformation and the Threat to Democracy
Democracy is under threat worldwide. Disinformation campaigns deliberately seeking to polarise public opinion and undermine trust in government are wreaking havoc with democratic institutions and governance. South Africa is susceptible to this trend as evidenced in the recently released film Influence.
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Photo Collage of COVID-19 Change and Challenges in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s economy is primarily informal. The southern African nation, with a score of 60,6 percent, has the world’s second largest informal economy after Bolivia (62,3 percent), according to the International Monetary Fund. This picture book provides an overview of the pandemic’s effects on Zimbabwe and its people through pictures.
Social Media
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HOW TO COUNTER DISINFORMATION: 10 Strategic Demands! IMAGES AND EMOTIONS - UNDERSTANDING THE ENTIRE RANGE OF DISINFORMATION. In finding strategies against disinformation, it is also important to talk about the formats used to convey it. Disinformation is frequently disseminated through (audio-) visual media: pictures, graphics, photos, videos, memes and voice messages. Photos or videos do not have to be completely manipulated – a wrong contextualisation is often enough – to become a piece of disinformation. Even small manipulations, such as slowing down a recording, can generate disinformation. This also does not always involve elaborately employed deep fakes. Visual content can be disseminated and consumed very quickly. In the same vein, they frequently do not need to be translated since pictures, memes and graphics can speak for themselves. Furthermore, many pictures appeal to a people’s emotions. Anger, sadness and joy are just three feelings that are often experienced with photos, videos and especially memes. Disinformation that is spread on an emotional basis must be responded to with different counter-strategies than merely fact-checks, which target a person’s rationale. #FreedomFightsFake Download the 10 demands here: https://shop.freiheit.org/#!/Publikation/1054
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Falling Walls Lab is coming to Cape Town. Pitch your innovative idea showcasing a breakthrough that creates a positive impact on science & society. All students, entrepreneurs, junior researchers and academics can apply. On offer are 1st, 2nd and 3rd place cash prizes as well as an opportunity to pitch your idea to an international audience. Apply by 30 August 202: https://cutt.ly/Nn0XvpM University of Cape Town University of Johannesburg Wits - University of the Witwatersrand University of Pretoria
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Ethiopia is to hold elections on Monday, 21 June 2021. The elections have been postponed twice already citing COVID-19 and delayes by the electoral commission. There are calls for the elections to be postponed with the human rights crisis in the Tigaray region being one of the main concerns. It has also been reported that some opposition groups may boycott, whist some opposition leaders and independent candidates cannot contest because they are in jail.
