African independence has not resulted in better quality of life for the majority of the continent’s people. Lots of opportunities have been lost to address the problems that are already well known. A new mindset among the leadership class is necessary

Previously touted as transparent, Malawi’s recent election proved chaotic amid polling day havoc and vote counting anomalies. Incumbent Joyce Banda cried foul over preliminary results, but an electoral commission recount upheld opposition leader Peter Mutharika’s win. Malawi’s leaders, the AU and SADC must now continue to promote stability to protect democracy and the will of the Malawian people.

The current debate about Somalia’s future and its relationship with foreign donors is split between two schools of thought – those who advocate ‘hybrid systems of governance’ and those who continue to see state-building as the necessary first step towards stability and prosperity.

By antagonizing and humiliating France, the Rwandan strongman seeks to claim the status of a nationalist and pan-Africanist standing up to a Western power. But this is absurd

Recent terror attacks in Nairobi have generated widespread xenophobic sentiment against the Somali community, both within the public and government circles. Resisting oppressive mechanisms, emphasis should be placed on social transformation that creates opportunities for the average Kenyan and reduces the recruitment appeal of terror networks.

As the Cote d’Ivoire gears up for elections in 2015, is it truly prepared to avoid the violence that marred the last elections in 2010? A stringent approach is needed by all actors to ensure this is the case.

Successive presidents of Malawi have undertaken zealous campaigns to rehabilitate the country’s first president, Kamuzu Banda. However, unquestioningly accepting positive depictions of his presidency increase the risk of forgetting past atrocities and make the country vulnerable to future governmental abuses of power

Somaliland has been a self-governing nation for 23 years, but lacks international recognition as a state. Somaliland’s neighbours should recognise the nation to ensure security and stability in the region

After eight years of electoral boycott, Abahlali baseMjondolo controversially decided to support the Democratic Alliance in South Africa’s 2014 National and Provincial Elections. The shackdwellers’ movement claims to have suspended ideological concerns and to have made this choice on strategic grounds. The author suggests that this is not the case.

South Africa’s largest shack-dwellers’ movement decided to back the Democratic Alliance in last week’s election, citing frustration with the ruling ANC over the last 20 years. Although they knew that ANC would not lose the election, the shack-dwellers were intent on weakening the party

Antoine Roger Lokongo celebrates 50 years of China-Africa cooperation, examines dissimilarities to African cooperation with the West and claims, rather controversially, that China is the best ally in Africa’s development

Hundreds of Nigerian girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters four weeks ago. The abductions got very little media coverage, so the wave of U.S. revulsion is only now surfacing. Americans urge their government to “do something,” but know next to nothing about the Nigerian political crisis, since there has not been a single television news story about Boko Haram in 2013.

The logic of capitalism is economic growth at any cost. And that is what breeds inequality. The global economy is a wealth extraction system that robs the majority of people to further enrich the top 1%.

Americans seem to be offended by racist rants especially in sport, but are impotent to resist the more devastating expressions of white supremacy reflected in national and global institutions dedicated to upholding the power of a racialized, white male, capitalist/ colonialist elite

News reporting about South Sudan is fast becoming a farce, with international news outlets routinely misrepresenting the political crisis as ethnic conflicts. This contributes to local tensions and is sadly not a unique case across Africa.

President Kagame's regime is at its weakest since 1994, with little legitimacy among Rwandans and increasingly isolated abroad. This is the time to mobilise and organize to end the suffering of Rwandans. But the people must overcome their seven deadly demons

What sense does democracy make for Africa? Has it served the needs of the people? Africa should nurture home-grown democracy from the grassroots, an alternative to governance in partnership with capitalism, whether Western or Eastern.

Despite claims that Africa is experiencing one of the highest growth rates in the world, growing class divisions and higher consumer prices are having disproportionate impacts on working people and the poor. Under socialism, the wealth generated by African resources and trade would be primarily re-invested in the society

The year 2014 in South Africa marks 100 years since John Dube, Sol Plaatje and three other leaders of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) presented a petition to King George V of England. They were protesting against the colonial land dispossession of the African people of this country which created massive poverty.

The ANC government believes the good narrative of what it has done since taking office is being maligned to unseat the ANC. Goldmans Sachs has also presented a positive review of South Africa’s performance despite its recognition of deep-seated structural inequalities